Chapter 254: Blessings and Curses
At the center of the God Realm Yumen, deep within the County Prince’s Mansion.
The core of the God Realm operates rapidly and violently. A tree resembling golden glass has dramatically risen in the central area of the God Realm’s core, its intricate branches twisted and intertwined, continuously growing yet constantly withering, with no leaves in sight.
At the very top of the tree blooms a brilliantly colored, dreamlike flower, with countless overlapping petals, supporting the “heart” of the God Realm.
Accompanied by the vigorous beating of that “heart,” a thunderous roar erupts, and golden flames entwined with endless yellow sand dance around like planetary rings, tracing complex and intricate trajectories in the vast space, condensing into numerous terrifying spells radiating spirit energy, ascending into the air before returning to the yellow sand and silently falling.
Distorted and deformed figures have been captured somewhere by the power of God Realm Yumen and sealed within, tossed into the core of the God Realm through the densely packed channels in the cavern’s walls like a beehive, instantly being turned to ashes by the terrifying spirit energy that sweeps in, leaving only the purest spirit energy behind, with not even a scream to be heard.
This immense amount of spirit energy, extracted from those distorted and deformed figures, falls with the descending yellow sand, merging into the earth, absorbed by the great tree, transforming into its “growth” nutrients.
Thus, the cycle repeats.
Suddenly, a deep red point appears, like a splatter of bl**d, abruptly emerging from the pervasive golden hue, rapidly spreading, filling the air with a suffocating scent of bl**d, intertwined with a burnt aroma, as if the grotesque corruption is spreading from the tree’s roots.
Then, the entire space trembles violently, as if an underground spring has been tapped, with bl**d and writhing flesh erupting from the deep red area that covers a small expanse, quickly differentiating into biological organs and dozens of trembling eyeballs.
A moment of shock flashes briefly in those hideous eyes.
Swallowed by the yellow sand, the Shaman Queen had a long and vague dream.
In the dream, she saw herself suppressed beneath God Realm Yumen for a millennium. During this millennium, her power continuously infiltrated the core of the God Realm Yumen, eventually spreading to every corner of Yumen Pass, gradually withering away, sustained by the vitality maintained through the sacrifice of Hong Bian.
Vegetation withered, livestock died, and well water turned into foul-smelling mud…
Thus, for the increasingly scarce living resources, cruel killings unfolded repeatedly in the city, every being in the city perishing in the slaughter, then transforming into urban legends, awakening from d*ath, continuing the killings, spilling bl**d repeatedly across the land of Yumen Pass.
The cycle repeats, endlessly, turning God Realm Yumen into a cruel hunting ground!
Within that hunting ground, she glimpsed a twisted, eerie shadow resembling a mountain slowly emerging.
That shadow, as if it had walked out from an abyss, constantly changed its form, sometimes beautifully dreamlike, sometimes eerie like a ghost, sometimes heavy and majestic, sometimes ethereal and elusive… any attempt to describe its existence would, in the next moment, become utterly meaningless.
Then, a maddening scream erupted from its huge body, coalescing into a shout in a language unknown, and within that shout, she felt an indescribable, instinctive urge to obey.
The Shaman Queen had never accepted any gifts, as it did not align with her nature. What she desired, she would seize and claim, yet this time, she extended her hand towards that quietly descending guidance.
Because, within that colossal shadow, she felt everything she had been searching for all along!
With the arrival of that guidance, time flowed, revealing scenes from a thousand years later, her former subjects once again stepping into God Realm Yumen, awakening her from slumber.
In the moment she opened her eyes, influenced by the seal, her chaotic consciousness suddenly cleared, perceiving the aura of God Realm Yumen, hearing the dragon’s roar…
“Roar—!”
The “heart” of God Realm Yumen emitted a deep humming sound, a brilliance suddenly descending, condensing into a slender, semi-real golden figure in an instant.
In its eyes, there was absolute rationality, a cold indifference without a trace of warmth.
As the golden figure waved its hand, a golden deluge fell, countless droplets transforming into sharp golden spikes, restraining a twisted mass of flesh in place, causing it to tremble and set off dense ripples.
That twisted mass of flesh, under the assault of the remarkably powerful ripples, continually disintegrated into spirit energy, merging into the earth. Yet its growth rate accelerated; within just a few breaths, it coalesced into a figure with five heads, a massive, swollen body enveloped in flesh and armor.
Accompanied by a shudder of bl**d and flesh, several fissures appeared on the figure, assembled from flesh, distorting into something that could not rightly be called a face, and the membranes deep within the fissures quivered, prompting the Shaman Queen, now repressed, to emit an angry cry.
“Hong Bian, is this your final trump card? To merge everything you possess into God Realm Yumen, transforming into this incomplete entity, neither human nor ghost? All because of your useless pity? Ridiculously foolish!”
In the face of the Shaman Queen’s roar, the golden figure in mid-air seemed completely unable to grasp the meaning behind it, simply gazing silently, like a robot only capable of following a predetermined program.
Faced with such a Hong Bian, the Shaman Queen’s rage seemed to intensify, her tone growing more resentful, “You should have been more ruthless when closing the God Realm, exterminating the entire populace in the city. Perhaps you succeeded, but unfortunately… no more miracles will occur!”
As long as the flames of war do not extinguish, she, Que Pi Jia, will return to the world, no matter how many times she is ground to dust by the power of God Realm Yumen.
Just as she saw in her long dream.
And Hong Bian would have no chance to escape the fate of being devoured…
With every time the Shaman Queen is obliterated by the power of the God Realm, the power originating from her authority will also merge into the God Realm, an erosion that will act like an incurable, deep-rooted chronic malady, continuously devouring God Realm Yumen and the Hong Bian that has fused with it.
“In a hundred years, a thousand years, or even ten thousand years later, when I awaken once more, all your sacrifices will ultimately become the cornerstone of despair!”
Listening to the Shaman Queen speak these words, the golden figure’s eyes momentarily regained clarity, casting a gaze filled with an intense disdain that the Shaman Queen loathed, upon the twisted mass of flesh.
It was a gentle gaze, with a hint of the winner’s pity for the vanquished, accompanied by a faint smile of resignation.
“Not at all, just like no matter how long the night lasts, the sun will eventually rise, miracles will always happen, and someone will come to k*ll me, while also killing you…”
“I have foreseen that they will bring my blessings, welcoming miracles for Yumen…”
After speaking, the glint of humanity in the golden figure’s eyes dissipated once more.
The briefly restored consciousness of Hong Bian plunged back into silence.
The next moment, the golden radiance poured down like pillars, engulfing the Shaman Queen’s reformed body.
As the body gradually vanished within the resplendent light, the Shaman Queen left behind her final words.
“Is that so? I look forward to it… The erosion has already begun; I hope they can arrive before miracles turn into curses…”
When her body completely disintegrated in the golden light, her words were wholly swallowed by the roaring of the God Realm’s core.
Everything seemed to return to calm once more.
Except.
Standing at the top of the tree in the core of the God Realm, amidst the intricate branches, among countless petals of the blooming dreamlike flower, one unnoticed petal had turned into an unsettling reddish-brown hue, as if it had decayed after being eaten by insects…
————
At Dai Mu Institute, in a side room at the end of the corridor.
In silence, slightly turning her face away to avoid Xia Lianqing’s gaze, Luxianbei fell into a moment of contemplation.
Although Xia Lianqing’s gaze made her feel somewhat guilty, she was very clear that the main factor leading to the riot was definitely not her condensing the spirit seal, completing her advancement, which triggered the city’s heat.
In the process of condensing the spirit seal, she had failed over ten thousand times, but at the same time meticulously visualized the power of Celestial Maiden Ya over ten thousand times…
In this world, who could be more aware than her of what this power could and couldn’t achieve?
It’s not that the power of the North Spirit Seal was incapable of such magnitude, but the transition from “drought” to “riot” is a gradual process; one would at least need to experience severe drought, hunger, and then marinate for a while before a riot occurs due to the struggle for remaining resources, right?
There are plenty of hot places in the world, areas where summer temperatures exceed fifty degrees, and yet there have been no reports of hundreds of people engaging in violent street combat!
Without other factors at play, when people become excessively hot, even if they are irritable, they should not feel like moving at all; rather, they would just want to find a shady spot and lie on their back with their belly exposed, lacking the energy to fight with others!
Isn’t this akin to parents who blame video games for their children’s lack of studies, unable to discern cause from effect?
Completely unable to differentiate between primary and secondary issues, Luxianbei thought.
She wasn’t absolving herself of responsibility, just feeling deeply aggrieved at being inexplicably labeled the “culprit.”
Unless there was some other more hazardous power working in the shadows!
The populace trapped within God Realm Yumen was like a pile of gunpowder; the heat was merely the fuse igniting the gunpowder, while the real force that heightened the explosive intensity and caused the violent explosions should be that more dangerous power.
And that power…
Thinking of this, Luxianbei narrowed her eyes slightly, images flashing through her mind, tribal warriors, influenced by the Shaman Queen’s power, charging at her fearlessly, brandishing their weapons.
But God Realm Yumen had already been sealed; shouldn’t that fellow have been confined too?
Steeling herself, she turned to Xia Lianqing and, expressionless, said, “By the way, Sister Xia, I didn’t get to ask you earlier, after I fainted a hundred days ago, the Shaman Queen should have been sealed, right?”
She knew this question might come off as overly obvious.
If the Shaman Queen had not been successfully confined, then what kind of monstrous beings would emerge a millennium later to violently assault the First Generation Miracle Saint?
However, she hadn’t seen it with her own eyes, and if she didn’t ask, how would she know if her understanding was off? Perhaps the dangerous power she sensed from the depths was derived from the Shaman Queen!
Being sealed doesn’t mean being erased.
Hadn’t Mu Se also been sealed by Jiang Li? Yet she still managed to orchestrate a series of events afterward.
Upon hearing Luxianbei’s question, Xia Lianqing recalled the shout of Longxiang before his demise, echoing throughout the Yumen Pass, her eyes dimming momentarily.
“Hmm, it was successful.” She nodded, “Although it came at a considerable cost, fortunately, it was successful.”
“Was there any unexpected incident?” Luxianbei pressed, “What I mean is, such a notorious figure as the Shaman Queen, known to be a troublesome existence for the County Prince and Hong Bian… did she just allow herself to be sealed?”
“Did she not even struggle at the brink of d*ath? For example, did she not leave any curses behind?”
Xia Lianqing could detect some different implication in Luxianbei’s words, her gaze sharpening, “Does Miss Shen believe the riot among the populace is related to the Shaman Queen? But…”
“But she has already been sealed, right?” Luxianbei interrupted expressionlessly, “But think about it, even if it’s a venomous snake that bites after having its head cut off, it would still bark ferociously at you even when you kicked it! Let alone such a massive Shaman Queen.”
Upon hearing this, Xia Lianqing’s brows slightly furrowed as she fell into thought.
In fact, she already had an answer in her heart when mentioning the “Shaman Queen,” but she was unwilling, or rather, afraid to accept it.
With Longxiang and Hong Bian, who could protect Yumen Pass, now gone, who else could possibly stop the Shaman Queen if she continued to wreak havoc upon Yumen Pass?
Such a situation felt akin to when playing a game; after a powerful player helps you finish off the BOSS, they leave, and suddenly the BOSS revives back to life, entering a second phase, unleashing a devastating combo upon the pitiful, helpless, and weak you.
Who could bear that?!
After pondering for a moment, Xia Lianqing shook her head, “The Shaman Queen left nothing behind; after the general sacrificed himself to confine her, the Hong Bian Holy Monk used himself as a sacrifice to activate the God Realm, sealing the Shaman Queen… wait!”
Upon hearing Xia Lianqing’s “wait,” Luxianbei’s heart tightened as she focused her attention.
“The Shaman Queen said something before being sealed…” Xia Lianqing stated, “She said, as long as the flames of war persist in this world, Que Pi Jia will not fall! Would that count as a curse? Miss Shen, do you truly believe that the riots among the populace were triggered by the Shaman Queen’s power?”
“Who knows?” Luxianbei shrugged, turning to look out the window, her gaze distant, as if trying to pierce through the undulating buildings, viewing the already bl**d-soaked streets described by Xia Lianqing’s close servant.
“Right now, I just have this speculation, but whether it’s true or not, perhaps I need to go there and see for myself.”
“Miss Shen, I’ll go with you!” Xia Lianqing blurted out.
“No need; I’ll go alone…” Luxianbei waved her hand at Xia Lianqing, lowering her gaze to the girl in Xia Lianqing’s arms, speaking calmly, “Your good sister is like this; you should stay at Dai Mu Institute to take care of her, right?”
“Besides, didn’t you agree to help treat my little sister?”
She was definitely going to check things out, at least to see what had happened. Ideally, she wanted to fix the Time Lady during that period in case of emergency! Luxianbei thought secretly.
Could she not defeat the Shaman Queen? Would she not be able to outrun the Shaman Queen?
If the Shaman Queen had the ability, she could chase her down even after a thousand years…
Wait! Wasn’t there a Shaman Queen in Yumen Pass a thousand years later?
As Luxianbei pondered this, her brows furrowed.
This was going to be troublesome!
“…” Xia Lianqing fell silent for a moment, her expression grave as she said to Luxianbei, “Alright, let it be as Miss Shen says… However, it’s a matter of great importance, so be sure not to act recklessly. If it truly becomes too difficult, once the Sage’s reinforcements arrive, everything will resolve easily.”
Reinforcements? Luxianbei frowned slightly, then shook her head gently, walking silently toward the door.
“The reinforcements you await will never arrive.” Such a cruel statement was something she couldn’t bring herself to utter to Xia Lianqing just yet.
————
Ten minutes later, in the marketplace near Dai Mu Institute.
Luxianbei stood at the street corner with her hands on her hips, her face expressionless as she gazed ahead, her eyes cutting through the bl**d-soaked street littered with remnants of limbs and flesh, curling her lip.
“Not too bad… Compared to the scene in the Time Lady’s Miao Miao House, it’s a bit more tolerable.”
She said this, but just a few seconds later, she realized she had spoken too soon…
