Chapter 155: Murong Brothers

Han Li left Yue Lu Hall. After bidding farewell to the two red-robed individuals, he controlled his magical artifact and flew towards the Hundred Herb Garden.

In mid-air, Han Li thought about the refinement of Foundation Establishment Pills while glancing indifferently at the undulating hills below. Suddenly, a deafening rumble echoed from below, startling him. He couldn't help but peer closer.

He saw lightning flashes on a small hill below, accompanied by faint but numerous cheers. This piqued Han Li's curiosity, so he descended his magical artifact, landed near the commotion, and approached on foot.

"Brother Murong, one more! Let us witness it again!""Exactly! It's my first time seeing the shape of lightning up close; it's terrifying!"

As soon as he reached the hilltop, Han Li heard the commotion ahead. The mention of "Brother Murong" especially caught his attention.

"Aren't the talented thunder spirit-root brothers who just joined the sect surnamed Murong? Combined with that loud noise, could it be those highly-regarded brothers demonstrating their skills here?"

By now, he clearly saw about thirty to forty disciples of various ages gathered on the hilltop, forming a loose circle. They were excitedly pointing at and talking about the two eleven or twelve-year-old boys in the center.

Inside the circle, there were several charred pits on the ground. The edges of the pits were melted by high temperatures, emitting faint wisps of green smoke. A burnt smell permeated the air after a gentle breeze passed by.

Seeing this, Han Li quickly walked over and carefully observed the boys. They had fair complexions, delicate features, and looked very similar. Their eyes, however, sparkled with nimble intelligence, giving them an impish appearance.

At this moment, their young faces were flushed with excitement from the attention and praise of the onlookers. After exchanging a glance, they simultaneously formed hand seals and chanted incantations. Electric light flickered in their hands, followed by two thin bolts of lightning that shot out and struck the ground nearby. This created two loud booms, a dazzling white flash, and two more deep pits.

"Is this the Thunder Palm spell, a lightning-attribute technique? Its power and sound effects are far superior to other spells of the same level, like Fireball or Ice Spike. It truly lives up to its reputation as the most destructive lightning spell!" Han Li inwardly marvelled, greatly envying the brothers' spirit root attribute.

Han Li was clearly not the only one with this sentiment. Most of the other onlookers also gazed at the two boys with envy, lamenting why they hadn't been blessed by the heavens with such an incredibly rare and desirable spirit root!

Amidst the cheers of the crowd, the brothers performed several more lightning strikes, but they began to show signs of strain, as they were still quite young.

"What's the big deal? The power of a thunder spirit root isn't all that impressive. I think my wind spirit root is better!" Just then, a rather jarring male voice came from the crowd opposite Han Li, causing everyone around to look over.

They saw a young couple standing side by side. The man was handsome and tall, and the woman was as beautiful as a flower, clearly a couple deeply in love. The man had a haughty expression, seemingly disdainful of the Murong brothers' Thunder Palm. The woman, however, blushed slightly under the collective gaze, her shyness only adding to her charm.

"Who's that guy? He's so arrogant!""A wind spirit root? Isn't that also a rare spirit root? Does he have a rare spirit root too?""I know him; he's Senior Brother Lu. He does indeed have a rare spirit root, and his wind-based spells are very powerful!""Even if he also has a rare spirit root, why would he say something like that?""Maybe he's jealous! After all, he used to be the only low-level disciple with a rare spirit root, but now two even more talented ones have suddenly appeared. Of course, he feels unbalanced!""What? So petty!""Shh! Be quiet, don't let him hear you. He holds grudges, and it would be bad if he targeted you!"

"Hmph! Little brats, I'll show you what a true rare spirit root can do!" Seeing the crowd whispering about him, the young man's face darkened. He took a few steps into the circle and then arrogantly declared:

"Both of you can attack with your lightning spells. If I so much as dodge half a step, I'll prostrate myself before you two little devils and admit my fault!"

The Murong brothers' faces turned pale with anger upon seeing Senior Brother Lu's overbearing attitude and his unwarranted disdain for them.

"You won't dodge?""Of course not.""And no magical artifacts?""Agreed."

True to their bond as brothers, they each spoke a line, quickly setting terms beneficial to themselves. The young man, full of arrogance and clearly not taking the brothers seriously, raised no objections to their conditions.

"Alright then, my brother and I will face Senior Brother!" the boys exclaimed in unison, clearly angered.

"Senior Brother Lu, will you be alright doing this?" the young man's female companion asked, sounding a little worried.

"Heh heh! What's there to worry about when dealing with two little brats? Junior Sister Chen, you can rest assured!" The young man waved his hand dismissively, then stood nonchalantly opposite the Murong brothers.

After exchanging a look, the two boys suddenly moved closer, each extending a hand to clasp the other's, while simultaneously pointing their other hands towards the sky and chanting identical incantations!

The young man sneered at this. With a casual flick of his hand, he cast a defensive spell on himself, and a green light barrier immediately appeared around him, enveloping him securely.

"Heavenly Lightning Chain Strike!"

The brothers' incantation finally concluded. They then directed their fingers at the young man's head. Immediately, a dark cloud, about ten feet in diameter, appeared above him. A flash of white light within the cloud sent down a finger-thick bolt of lightning, striking the green barrier. The impact caused the barrier to ripple violently, making the young man's expression change. Clearly, the lightning's power had exceeded his expectations.

But this strike was just the beginning. From the dark cloud suspended in the air, bolt after bolt of identical lightning attacks rained down, causing the barrier to flicker unsteadily, dim considerably, and appear on the verge of breaking.

The young man's expression grew grim. Suddenly, his hands performed a dazzling series of hand seals, and he let out a low growl. He then pressed his hands firmly against the light barrier, causing the barrier to glow with vibrant green light. It not only returned to its original state but also seemed to become a bit denser than before.

The Murong brothers, naturally unwilling to surrender their hard-won advantage, also cast various spells into the air. This caused the dark cloud to expand, reaching a diameter of several tens of feet, and the lightning bolts falling from it became thicker and more frequent.

Faced with the brothers' fierce assault, Senior Brother Lu was a mix of shock and anger, clearly caught off guard. He had never expected them to have mastered a low-level, mid-tier chain lightning spell at such a young age. For a moment, he was unable to break free from the attacks and cast a counter-spell. He had suffered such a significant loss right in front of so many people.

Thus, on one side, the boys struggled to sustain the dark cloud's continuous lightning strikes, while on the other, the young man painstakingly cast defensive spells, constantly reinforcing his green barrier. This contest had unexpectedly turned into a battle of attrition.

Logically, in a fight where one side attacks and the other defends, the attacking side usually has a great advantage, conserving more spiritual power than the defender. However, the Murong brothers, as the attackers, had already expended a significant amount of spiritual power during their previous demonstration, leaving them with insufficient reserves. Secondly, the young man surnamed Lu was considerably older, and his spiritual power was far purer and deeper than what the newly initiated brothers could match. In a battle of attrition, they were still at a disadvantage.

Consequently, under everyone's gaze, after releasing its final few lightning bolts, the dark cloud dissipated, and the boys, their spiritual power depleted, were forced to cease their lightning attacks first.

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