Chapter Two Hundred Sixty-Four: The Miracle Flower Glowing with Fire
Inside the Dai Mu Institute, in a chaotic hall.
“Bang!”
Amidst cries for help, Shen Baiwei closed the small notebook she had opened halfway, raised her hand to wipe the beads of sweat that had emerged from her forehead due to tension, and a relaxed smile finally appeared at the corner of her mouth, as if she had been freed from great pressure.
In the center of the hall, Xie Erlang’s body suddenly exploded. The originally twisted but exceedingly vibrant life force disappeared completely within just two or three breaths.
That body, eroded by the power of the Shaman Queen and stained with red and black, shattered into pieces, with broken flesh intertwining and spreading outward, drooping onto the stopped and gradually dissipating slime below, resembling a flower that had withered and decayed.
At that moment, Shen Baiwei clearly felt that the oppressive aura that enveloped the entire Dai Mu Institute and bore a strong resemblance to the Snake of Time had vanished.
Had the calamity succeeded?
Or perhaps, it had only just begun?
In any case, there was no need to take the risk of the Snake of Time losing control once more to read the records…
Shen Baiwei thought as she raised her gaze toward the window.
Vaguely, she heard the excited shouts of children outside the Dai Mu Institute, probably a few streets away.
“Mom, Mom, come quickly, there’s a rainbow!”
————
Above the sky, countless deep red streams of light danced wildly, swirling like vengeful souls that could not disperse.
The brutal and majestic golden lightning gathered the authority of Hong Bian and the power that formed the foundation of God Realm Yumen, moving like a giant dragon, and wherever it passed, branches filled with a breath of destruction pierced through those deep red streams of light that brought conflict and chaos.
Yet as one stream of light shattered, immediately several more streams surged up again from the depths of the ground.
Two horrific powers, controlled by Hong Bian and the Shaman Queen, collided continuously, as if a “war” of equal strength, would never reach a conclusion without a third force intervening.
And now, the third force has descended…
Suddenly, a wind brushed against the face, like countless invisible hot sands wrapping around, bringing a weak yet scorching sting.
From the ancient well at the end of the long street came a faint “gurgling” sound, the water in the well began to boil, and the rising steam disappeared as if swallowed before it could dissipate.
Following that, a heavy sound, seemingly nonexistent, came from above, masked by the roaring thunder, as if an enormous invisible door had opened, and scorching spirit energy surged forth like a flood from behind the door.
The intense heat that distorted the air inevitably gave people an unusual feeling.
A feeling that calamity was descending.
In a daze, it seemed as if a figure appeared on the ground, the brutal authority operating violently, spreading a breath of withering, desolation, drought which severed all life, declaring that at this moment, only what she consented to could survive in this place…
Yet also not; she was merely a fleeting red-haired figure in the vast city, adorned in green with a radiant flow, flashing by without leaving any trace of appearance or action…
Thus, “seeds,” catalyzed by the “miracle” of d*ath and rebirth, took root and sprouted in every corner of the God Realm Yumen, greedily extracting the spirit energy that sustained the operation of God Realm Yumen and eroding the scattered authority hidden within, blossoming into twisted miracle flowers.
However, the next moment, sparks suddenly appeared on the blooming flowers.
The sparks spread and exploded in an instant.
It was as if those distorted miracle flowers bloomed, only to exchange their ultimate destruction at the height of blooming for even more brilliant and dazzling moments. Countless flowing colors emerged as if a flooded dam had burst.
The reds became brighter, the blues became more vibrant, and the blacks became deeper.
As if wanting to spread an intense and bright color over the entire God Realm.
Wherever they passed, the miracle flowers that had just bloomed a moment before appeared drained of all nutrients, withering gradually as their spirit energy was depleted…
————
In the training ground of the Longxiang Army camp.
More than three hundred Longxiang Army armor soldiers stood huddled together, petrified, unmoving, their rising and falling breaths the only proof they were still alive.
A little over half an hour ago, a group of unknown assailants had suddenly attacked the Longxiang Army camp.
Though it was called a surprise attack, as soon as they broke through the sentries’ blockade and stormed into the camp, they all simultaneously slashed their own necks.
The two teams of Longxiang Army soldiers who first encountered these assailants, training in the training ground, fell into a daze upon witnessing the bloodshed.
Before they could come to their senses, the nine bodies that had fallen to the ground suddenly erupted, transforming into monsters that could not be harmed by knives or killed, possessing tremendous strength. They engaged with the two teams, over eighty Longxiang Army soldiers, and gradually gained the upper hand, injuring over ten men in just a brief moment.
With the cacophony of battle intensifying, soon the more than three hundred Longxiang Army soldiers stationed in the camp gathered all at the training ground.
Eighty-two Longxiang Army soldiers were unable to suppress the unknown assailants. Was three hundred and fifty-four enough?
If three hundred Longxiang Army soldiers deployed together, let alone a group of assailants, even those monsters under the Shaman Queen could be overwhelmed easily!
However, when more than two hundred Longxiang Army soldiers, equipped with armor and weapons, aggressively rushed to the training ground alongside the eighty-odd soldiers already present, they were all left stunned.
They had heard that fierce assailants comparable to the monsters under the Shaman Queen were attacking the camp, yet upon arriving at the training ground, they found only nine bodies that had suddenly exploded, leaving behind a mass of charred remains and a foul-smelling sludge…
What is going on? What happened? What were they even here for?
Did they just come to spill their bl**d in front of them, exposing their hearts?
These Longxiang Army soldiers had seen brave and battle-hardened tribal warriors, had encountered unreasonable neighborhood aunties, had witnessed brutal desert wolf packs, and had come across both righteous and wicked green forest heroes… but they had never seen a situation like this.
Due to the limitations of the times, they had yet to have the opportunity to experience the s*icide attacks initiated by the fervent members of the Miracle Cult; otherwise, they might have gleaned some clues…
————
In the Longxiang Army camp, inside the barracks.
Wrapped entirely in bandages, Long Bang heard sudden silence outside the barracks. He struggled several times to get up, only to fall heavily back onto his bed. Yet the excruciating pain from his wounds caused by the repeated tearing did little to ease his anxiety.
He had no idea what was happening outside.
At first, he only heard comrades shouting, “Enemy attack!”
Then he quickly heard the sounds of battle from the direction of the training ground.
Soon, the sounds of battle transformed into chilling cheers and maniacal laughter that did not sound like a fight, but rather like a festive celebration without a trace of joy.
Long Bang had heard such sounds not long before, in the market not far from the Dai Mu Institute.
As those neighbors, who had usually gotten along with him just fine, suddenly fell into madness and began slaughtering each other, they had emitted similar sounds.
The scenes of bloodshed and brutality he had witnessed in the marketplace flashed through his mind, showing humanity’s degeneration, causing unease to quietly creep up his heart like thorny vines, and his nerves tightened like a bowstring being pulled.
Until there was completely no sound left in the training ground, the string in his mind, which had been stretched to its limit, snapped completely, erupting into a “deafening” buzz.
Coming back to his senses from the shock, Long Bang’s brows furrowed, feeling a voice in his mind, as if his brother was urging him to go check on the training ground.
“Lieutenant Long, what are you doing?”
When speaking, Yu Sheng’s tone carried an intriguing air.
Hearing Yu Sheng’s voice, Long Bang suddenly froze there.
After a moment, he came to his senses and immediately looked at Yu Sheng, shouting, “Quick, Yu Sheng, quickly help me get the Fengchi Spear, I need to go to the training ground and k*ll the enemy with my comrades.”
Tears of sorrow and fury welled in his eyes as he spoke.
“But those were my brothers! I cannot let them d*e in vain; I want to avenge them!”
Upon hearing this, the corner of Yu Sheng’s mouth twitched, and he softly replied, “Lieutenant Long, the lowly assailants have been killed at the training ground. Many of our comrades are injured, but no one is dead. You… should lie down and rest well?”
He paused, then quietly muttered, “Sigh, this wound has split open; it will surely take more effort to patch up.”
Hearing Yu Sheng’s words and sensing the resignation within, Long Bang suddenly felt warmth flooding his face, as if countless small cats were sharpening their claws on his heart, filling him with an indescribable itch.
Recalling the days of his youth when no one was home, and he had donned his aunt’s red dress, standing on the wooden table in the room, shouting, “In the world, except for me, who dares to call themselves a hero?!” only to be caught by his brother on the spot, he felt somewhat similar at that moment.
At that very moment, it felt just like back then.
He might not know what it meant to suffer from “chuunibyou,” but this was indeed a symptom of chuunibyou’s aftereffects.
“…”
If his brother had a spirit in the heavens, he would probably be watching him right now, laughing uncontrollably.
Yu Sheng must have sensed something, and soon the entire Longxiang Army would know.
If only he had known, it would have been more refreshing to be killed right there by those mad neighbors in the marketplace…
Long Bang thought, closing his eyes, “Yu Sheng, a while back, didn’t I mention that I wanted to send a few people to manage the County Prince’s Mansion?”
Yu Sheng did not understand why Long Bang suddenly brought this up, just dumbfoundedly nodding, “It seems there was such a thing.”
“I think it’s better to let it go!” Long Bang said flatly. “I’ll go personally.”
For the time being, I don’t want to see anyone. Long Bang thought.
————
While Shen Baiwei awaited the return of calamity, on the ruins of Zawen Temple, Fang Ji was also waiting for Gu Qiqi’s return.
He had been pinned down by a stone lion for four or five hours.
Though the stone lion would not crush him to d*ath, he had lost all feeling from the neck down.
However, just as Fang Ji was about to despair, a refreshing fragrance suddenly surged into his nostrils.
Is it… the fragrance of the Miracle Flower?
Fang Ji’s eyes brightened; the re-blooming of the Miracle Flower signified that his spirit energy would soon return.
Once his spirit energy was restored, crushing the stone lion would be effortless.
But soon, after attempting several times to harness the miracle of the fragrance to shatter the stone lion, Fang Ji frowned again.
His spirit energy had not returned.
Something seemed different?
He painfully twisted his neck and moved his gaze toward the direction from which the fragrance wafted, spotting a few men and women dressed in coarse clothing, styled like ancient village folk, who had appeared beside him without him noticing.
Above those people’s heads, small Miracle Flowers were blooming.
And those Miracle Flowers were enveloped in a fiery glow…
Miracles have reappeared, but they are not the miracles Fang Ji knew.
