The moment the War God vanished, the sky turned against them.
Dark clouds boiled overhead, lightning spiderwebbing across the heavens in violent, unbroken arcs. The air smelled of ozone and divine temper tantrums.
Luo Feng didn't need the System's warning to know what was coming.
[Divine Presence Detected: Thunder God Varkus – 3rd Divine Court]
[Status: Pissed Off]
The Fox Spirit's ears flattened. "Ohhh, someone's jealous."
Li Qing didn't look up from sharpening her sword. "We're leaving."
A deafening CRACK split the sky—
—and the Thunder God descended in a pillar of blue-white fury.
[Divine Drama Unlocked]
Varkus was everything a god of storms should be: seven feet tall, muscles carved from lightning, and a face that screamed "I will turn your bones to ash."
His voice shook the ruins of Stormwall:
"KARGHES DOESN'T GET TO CLAIM WHAT'S MINE."
Luo Feng blinked. "Yours?"
The Thunder God's eyes crackled. "YOU CARRY MY LIGHTNING IN YOUR VEINS, MORTAL. THAT MAKES YOU MY PROJECT."
The Fox Spirit whispered, "He's adorable."
Li Qing sighed. "Gods. Always so possessive."
[Mission Updated: Survive the Thunder God's 'Attention']
[Reward: Lightning Resistance (Advanced)]
Luo Feng had approximately half a second to process that before—
BOOM.
The first bolt hit him square in the chest.
[Trial by Lightning]
Pain.
White-hot, all-consuming pain as electricity seared through Luo Feng's meridians. His veins lit up like live wires. His teeth fused together from the sheer voltage.
Somewhere in the haze, the System chirped:
"Lightning Resistance increasing! Current progress: 12%... 34%... 51%..."
The Thunder God didn't let up.
Bolt after bolt hammered Luo Feng into the scorched earth, each one stronger than the last.
The Fox Spirit winced. "Should we help?"
Li Qing observed clinically. "He's not dead yet."
Luo Feng, now a twitching, smoking crater, wheezed: "COULD. STOP. ANY TIME."
Varkus grinned, lightning dancing between his fingers. "BUT WHERE'S THE FUN IN THAT?"
[The Fox Spirit's Solution]
Just as Luo Feng's vision started going dark—
The Fox Spirit leaped onto the Thunder God's back.
"Hey, sparky!" She yanked on his divine ear. "Ever been overloaded?"
Before Varkus could react, she jammed Luo Feng's stolen Storm-Swallower Fan into the god's spine—channeling all his own lightning back into him.
FEEDBACK LOOP ENGAGED.
The explosion sent everyone flying.
[Check-In Complete (Barely)]
When the smoke cleared:
The Thunder God was gone (temporarily).
The Fox Spirit's hair stood straight up.
Luo Feng's body had finally stopped convulsing.
[Reward: Lightning Resistance (Advanced) – Now 75%!]
[Bonus: Temporary 'Lightning Rod' Mode – Absorb/redirect one divine strike per day!]
Li Qing tossed Luo Feng a healing pill. "You look terrible."
He groaned. "Worth it."
The Fox Spirit, now sketching a crude victory mural on a ruined wall, added: "Also, I'm keeping the fan."
END OF THE CHAPTER16