Book 4 Chapter 4 – Trial by Lightning

　　'Outside of the cabin? Are you crazy? We're not in a domain.' Li Yiming's crazy idea scared Bai Ze, but she did not have a better alternative. It was indeed possible for Li Yiming to use his technique to blink out of the plane cabin and intercept the bolt of lightning right before it strikes the plane. It was a dangerous idea, but not an impossible one.

　　'You're exactly right. This isn't a domain. That's another reason to not stand around and watch.' Li Yiming was firm in his decision.

　　'Who do you think you are?' Bai Ze was slightly irritated by Li Yiming's response.

　　'You know what they say, with great power comes great responsibility. I can't change the world, but I can at least save the people around me. I want to try before giving up.' Li Yiming closed his eyes once more and tried to look for the best opportunity to intervene.

　　'Well, there's nothing I can do for you. If I even show up in my true form, I'll cause another Punishment.' Bai Ze stayed silent for a moment, having no words to convince Li Yiming to abandon his endeavor. Her final protest amounted to giving Li Yiming a grim reminder that he was in it alone.

　　'Alright. So don't do anything. Even if I fail, it wouldn't amount to anything terrible, would it?'

　　'Remember, level three. Level three is the red line you can't cross. If you go beyond that, you'll bring the wrath of Heaven's Laws.' Bai Ze knew that Li Yiming had already decided. 'Well, that's Li Yiming for you. Yes, the same one who was ready to sacrifice himself to save me from a bolt of lightning, come to think of it. It wouldn't be him otherwise, would it?'

　　As sky around the plane darkened further, the turbulences also became more violent. Even if the flight crew tried their best to rea.s.sure the pa.s.sengers that nothing bad was going to happen, some of them still grew worried. The pa.s.sengers and the flight crew alike were slowly falling prey to panic and anxiety. Li Yiming glanced at the young man behind him and noticed that he was looking outside, visibly scared, instead of scrutinizing him.

　　'Now!' Li Yiming could feel a particularly strong bolt of lightning coming for the plane's right wing. If it was to hit, then the plane would be doomed.

　　The cabin suddenly went pitch-black; Li Yiming had cut off the power to the lights. It was enough to provoke an outburst of panic amongst the pa.s.sengers, but it also gave Li Yiming the opportunity to blink himself out of the plane unseen. He appeared on top of the plane with a flash of purple light. However, before he could land on the plane fuselage, he was blown off of his feet. Li Yiming, without minding his own dire situation, focused on the bolt of lightning and tried his best to deviate it from its course.

　　'Move!' Li Yiming stared at the bolt of lightning and managed to bend it slightly, causing it to miss the wing of the plane by inches. The proximity of it was enough to produce another violent tremor within the cabin.

　　'I did it!' Li Yiming was overjoyed. He looked at the plane, who made it into the distance unscathed. 'This is what it means to be a guardian, to protect the world and the people living in it.'

　　Li Yiming tried his best to stabilize himself and catch up to the plane using Thunderflash. A final blink brought him to the tail of the plane, and he clamped onto the fuselage, laying down as low as possible to reduce the intensity of the wind. Unlike when he rode on Bai Ze's back, he had difficulty even keeping his eyes open in the storm.

　　'I think you should give up. This is only the beginning. We're not even in the heart of the thunderstorm yet.' Bai Ze reminded him once again. She was worried that he would use powers beyond the limit of what was possible without suffering dire consequences.

　　'I can't give up without trying!' Li Yiming squeezed out an answer. He closed his eyes. Since it was so difficult to keep them open and they didn't help much anyways, he would rely on his other senses instead.

　　'It's coming.' Bai Ze warned Li Yiming. She tried her best to help him detect any oncoming bolts of lightning ahead of time.

　　'Ha!'

　　Li Yiming launched himself into intercepting another bolt lightning that came with his control ability. However, the second thunderbolt, which was much stronger than the previous one, barely bent itself, and it grazed past the tip of the plane's wing. The effort required made blood gush out of Li Yiming's nostrils, producing a line of crimson in the air as the wind blew away the beads of blood one by one.

　　'You're already going beyond your limits. If you continue on like this, you won't be able to survive.' Bai Ze reminded Li Yiming again in a worried voice.