The young man's expression darkened slightly as he heard John's words and tones. He had been amiable up to this point out of concern for his fellow disciple, but John's words insinuated that he required John's help in this realm. It was as if he was being instructed by a child to do something.
Even the most level-headed of individuals would become irate upon hearing such nonsense.
"Who do you think you are?" the youth bellowed out, his amiable demeanor replaced with agitation. "Perhaps I was too kind to yo-"
Bang!
A blast of lightning suddenly exploded out of John's already outstretched finger, and pierced directly for the youth below.
"Lightning Wall!"
A wall of lightning sprung up in front of the youth, and John's Lightning Ruin slammed powerfully into the wall. After a brief struggle, his more profound lightning pierced through the wall and arrived before the youth, about to hit him square in the ċhėst.
The lightning beam suddenly disappeared, which caused the youths' panicked expression to turn into confusion and relief. He jumped backwards several times to put some distance between him and John, while he stared at him warily.
Clearly John had recalled his lightning at the last moment, or it would have struck onto the youths body. While it would not have been a great injury, it would still have caused some damage.
While the youth had been caught by surprise and only mounted a hasty defense, he could tell that John's attack was also quite hasty. Their power was at best even, and at worst he was weaker than John just based on that exchange. Shock filled the youths body as he thought of such a thing.
"That was just a warning shot," John said to the youth with a hardened expression. "My offer before was non-negotiable. You will wait here, and when I am done, you will escort us both to the lands of opportunity you spoke of. Understood?"
The youth grit his teeth at John's words, as they were quite insulting. However, he would tell that John was ready to attack at a moment's notice to force him to comply. While he could run and most likely get away, the cost of getting injured this early on in the realm was not worth it. If he was injured to the point that he had to heal for a week or more, all the opportunities would be taken by others.
After a brief internal struggle, the youth sighed and sat down on the mountain peak he was on.
"Fine!" a resigned sigh of acceptance sounded out from the youth.
"Good, then we have an agreement," John replied, his hardened expression replaced with a small smile. "You won't regret this decision of yours."
Before the youth could reply, John shot up into the clouds above, his body disappearing from the youths' sight.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
The sound of continuous Thunder rang out as John entered the clouds. The clouds became more active, as if his arrival was considered trespassing. A small smile hung on John's face as a beam of lightning suddenly pierced right by his body, as if it were firing off a warning shot.
The nature of the lightning was incredibly profound, and John could tell that it contained many mysteries within. It was far more mystical and potent than normal lightning found in nature.
"Perfect!" John exclaimed as he felt the power of the lightning, before he closed his eyes.
A small piece of jade suddenly appeared in his hands as he attuned himself with it. His eyes opened after a moment, and his power flared outwards, like a beacon of light in the dark. The clouds suddenly churned with even greater power, as if they were insulted by him even further.
Bang!
A bolt of powerful lightning struck onto John's body, inundating him with incredible power. The lightning pierced his flesh and burrowed into his body as it aimed to rampage within. With his mind attuned to the Celestial Lightning Script jade piece, John started to guide the rampaging lightning within, infusing it with his body.
The process lasted for a short moment before the lightning within his body was fully absorbed, and John once again opened his eyes with a smiling expression plastered on his face.
"That lightning bolt was strong enough to slightly raise both the quality of my Lightning Attribute Body, as well as my lightning comprehension. This is the perfect opportunity I was looking for.'
…
Bang!
Bang!
The youth below sat on the peak of the mountaintop as he watched the clouds above constantly churn out powerful lighting blasts. The power of the lightning sent shivers down his spine, as he knew he would be dead if struck by so many of those blasts.
After several hours, John had still not revealed himself, and the youth could no longer detect his presence within the storm of lightning.
"Hahhh," the youth sighed as he slowly stood up. "I tried to warn him, but he unfortunately did not heed my warnings. He only has himself to blame for dying in such a manner."
The youth had stayed behind to see if John could pull off a miracle, but was unsurprised at the outcome. He patted off some dust from his robes and prepared to venture further into the realm, when a voice from above him stopped him in his tracks.
"Leaving without me? That wasn't our agreement."
The youth spun around in shock and looked up at the source of the voice. Floating above him in the sky was John, whose robe was torn and burnt in many areas. His skin was also burnt and charred, making him look quite miserable.
However, his powerful aura had not waned even slightly, revealing the damage to be only superficial.
"How…how is that possible?" the youth exclaimed in shock, his mouth agape as he stared at John.
"Luck I guess," John replied with a casual shoulder shrug as he landed next to the youth.. "Now lead the way to the land you spoke of."