A Father for a Day

The Mountain Moving Talisman was cleaved in two, turning into fine powder.

The mask on Buddha Face revealed no expression, but the surrounding air suddenly grew cold.

Instead of flying into a rage, he gently clapped his hands.

"Not bad."

The voice sounded like two tombstones grinding against each other, piercing and gloomy.

"You had your fun fighting just now. Now, it's my turn."

Before his voice faded, Buddha Face's hands moved so fast before him that they left afterimages. Golden light flowed from his fingertips, sketching in the thin air.

One!

Two!

Three!

Three Five Thunders Talismans, carrying an aura far more terrifying than before, floated in a triangular formation in front of him. The lightning on the runes crackled, illuminating his scar-filled face in an eerie, ghastly light.

"Taste the power of these talismans!"

He waved his hand fiercely, and the three talismans flew out simultaneously, locking onto Zhang Gonglian almost instantly!

Just moments ago, he had nearly been blasted into ashes by some sort of Five Thunders Talisman.

If he didn't avenge this, his mind would not be at peace!

Today, he would use this very lightning art to grind Zhang Gonglian's bones to dust!

The power of the Nine Heavens Divine Pill surged madly within his body, filling his limbs and bones with explosive strength. He even had the illusion that, let alone three, he could effortlessly conjure eight or ten Five Thunders Talismans!

However, three were enough.

Enough to turn this genius of the Heavenly Master Mansion into a charred husk!

Boom!

The first bolt of lightning crashed down fiercely, like divine punishment!

The phantom of the Dijun on Zhang Gonglian's body erupted with brilliant golden light, forcefully withstanding the strike. However, web-like cracks instantly covered the majestic figure.

He himself was shaken so badly that his vitality churned, and the cyan bricks beneath his feet shattered inch by inch.

Before he could even catch his breath.

Boom!

The second lightning strike arrived!

This bolt of lightning was a full circle thicker than the last, its electrical light even more furious!

"Crack—"

The phantom of the Dijun let out a mournful wail. Like shattered porcelain, it exploded into a sky full of golden specks of light.

Zhang Gonglian was struck as if by a heavy hammer. He flew backward, unable to hold back a mouthful of blood that sprayed into the air.

While he was still in the air, the third lightning strike chased after him like a grim reaper!

"Golden Light Spell!"

Enduring the intense pain, Zhang Gonglian formed a hand seal with one hand, and a golden shield instantly materialized in front of him.

However, in the face of the third lightning strike, this hastily formed shield was as thin as window paper.

BOOM!!!

The Golden Light Spell shattered upon impact!

The violent power of the thunder pierced through his body without resistance, pinning him firmly against the wall behind him.

Bzzzt!

Blinding electrical arcs danced madly across his body, burning his Daoist robes to tatters and scorching a human-shaped mark into the wall.

Zhang Gonglian twitched all over. His hair stood on end, emitting green smoke, and the smell of burning flesh filled the air.

He had cultivated lightning arts his entire life, yet this was the first time he had been given electrotherapy by someone else's lightning. The feeling was truly thrilling.

"Come on! Stand up again!"

Buddha Face paced forward, step by step, unhurriedly walking up to Zhang Gonglian.

He was thoroughly enjoying this process, as if admiring an artwork nearing completion.

The scar on his face, extending from his brow bone to the corner of his mouth, twitched along with his twisted smile, looking like a centipede coming back to life.

He extended his palm. Above it, a thumb-sized cluster of electrical light crackled. Deep blue arcs jumped restlessly, giving off a faint burnt smell.

Its power was not great, but it was extremely humiliating.

"Where is your Orthodox Five Thunders Method?"

Buddha Face brought the ball of electricity right before Zhang Gonglian's eyes, the arcs almost singeing his eyelashes.

"Why aren't you using it? Hmm?"

With every word he spoke, the smile on his face deepened, and that scar writhed even more violently.

"Don't worry, this is just the beginning. The suffering I endured back then, and the pain of being struck by you today, I will make you taste them twofold."

Buddha Face withdrew his hand. The Palm Thunder did not dissipate; instead, he played with it at his fingertips like a docile pet.

He laughed sinisterly, his gaze sweeping back and forth across Zhang Gonglian's chest.

"Tell me, when I strike with this palm, should I blow a hole in your heart? Or should I roast you crisp on the outside and tender on the inside, so you can also taste what it's like to temper the body with lightning?"

"Remember this: what you know, I know. What you don't know, I also know!"

Zhang Gonglian, pinned dead to the wall and bathed in blood, suddenly began to chuckle softly.

The laughter was weak at first, then grew louder. His chest vibrated, pulling at his wounds and making him cough up blood, but he laughed even more heartily.

The smile on Buddha Face stiffened, his brows furrowing tightly.

"What are you laughing at?"

"Is that so?" Zhang Gonglian raised his head, a nearly mad gleam in his eyes. "Then I wonder if you know this move!"

Before his words faded, he used every last ounce of his strength to reach a trembling hand into his pocket, pulling out one last crumpled silk pouch.

Under Buddha Face's bewildered gaze, he tossed the pouch into the air.

Inside, there were no talismans and no pills, only a neatly folded slip of paper.

There was no need to unfold the paper; divine sense could see the large characters written on it.

In the next second, Zhang Gonglian used his life's strength to scream at the top of his lungs!

"Daddy! Save me!"

The air fell deathly silent for three seconds.

Immediately after, a sigh carrying a bit of helplessness and a bit of teasing rang out in the air without any warning.

"Sigh, I told you long ago. You just had to show off. After using the Five Thunders Talismans I gave you, you just needed to find an opening to land a finishing blow and be done with it. But no, you had to drag things out with your master. Happy now?"

The voice wasn't loud, but it reached Buddha Face's ears clearly.

The color drained completely from Buddha Face's face in an instant, replaced by an extreme terror.

"Who is it?!"

He abruptly threw his arms wide open. Blinding lightning erupted from both his palms simultaneously, turning into two violent electrical nets that swept madly in all directions!

"Rumble!"

Wherever the lightning passed, walls cracked and pillars snapped; the ground was plowed into deep, scorched trenches.

But when those two Palm Thunders struck Zhang Gonglian, they were instantly deflected by a faint layer of golden light, not even harming a single strand of his hair.

"After all, being a father for a day means a lifelong responsibility. I can't just watch my kid get beaten to death."

Lin Mo's lazy voice continued to echo, elusive and erratic, as if he was everywhere at once, or perhaps not there at all.

Buddha Face looked like a mad demon. Unable to locate the source of the voice, his mood visibly grew frantic, yet his hands didn't stop. He rapidly drew talismans, conjuring Five Thunders Talismans out of thin air one after another.

"Come out! Get the hell out here!"

Buddha Face's state seemed to be changing drastically; the Nine Heavens Divine Pill originally in his abdomen had now fully integrated into his body.

"I'm out."

A plain voice sounded right behind him.

"And then what?"

Every hair on Buddha Face's body stood on end instantly!

Wrapping himself in the ten lightning talismans circling him, he spun around abruptly at top speed, intending to blast the person behind him into ashes.