**Chapter 26: The Strongest Enemy in History**
Beside a dusty shelf, on spoiled food, the maggots had already died. The abandoned seafood glass pool was filled with water, reflecting the shimmering waves on the ceiling.
A woman in red stood in front of the pool, lost in thought.
At the bottom of the pool, a dark green substance gently rippled with the water’s surface, swaying back and forth in the murky water, showing no signs of vitality.
Its smooth, viscous, and translucent appearance resembled a children’s toy called “Water Baby,” completely lacking the shattered form of an urban legend of a god-tier level.
After a long while, Mu Se shook her head helplessly, letting out a silent sigh.
“……”
At that moment, a fluctuation of spirit energy suddenly entered her perception range. Turning around, she saw a sinister darkness in the vast space, and a shadow quickly approached her, landing steadily next to her, revealing the figure wearing the black robe, throwing a tightly bound girl in front of her.
The girl’s face was pale, her eyes tightly closed, her brows knitted together, and her body occasionally convulsed.
Watching the girl, Mu Se imagined the scene of the girl being abducted from her cozy little bedroom by the black-robed figure, scared out of her mind, even fainting, a slight smile curving her lips.
“You did well, now you can go!”
“Yes.” The black-robed figure replied, retreating and merging into the darkness, disappearing from sight.
Watching the black-robed figure leave, Mu Se walked to the girl’s side, bent down, and extended her slender fingers. With her sharp, kn*fe-like nails, she pierced the delicate skin of the girl’s pale neck, causing droplets of bright red bl**d to immediately surge forth.
Mu Se brought her bl**d-stained fingertip to her lips, extending her pink tongue to lick it, a look of satisfaction appearing on her face, “High spirit energy potential? What a good sacrifice!”
“Boom——!” Just as the words fell, a muffled sound came from behind her, as if some colossal object had crashed into the wall.
Turning around, she saw that the dark green substance in the fish tank had begun to move in the water without her noticing. Its fist-sized body exhibited incredible strength, crashing against the walls of the glass pool, causing muffled sounds as cracks spread inch by inch.
“Looks like I was right. Simply having spirit energy is not enough to activate it.”
Mu Se muttered to herself, waving her sleeve, and the unconscious girl flew into the air, tracing an arc before “splashing” down into the water.
bl**d spread from the girl’s pale neck into the water. The dark green substance caught the scent of bl**d and quickly swam up, sprouting flesh buds on its surface, extending, and viciously stabbing into the girl’s body, then mercilessly tearing at the wound.
In an instant, the bl**d bloomed in the water like flowers, dyeing the entire pool red.
Severe pain jolted the unconscious girl awake; she instinctively opened her mouth to gasp, but inhaled a large amount of the bloody, polluted water. The agony of drowning and the tearing of her body caused her to scream, yet only a series of bubbles surfaced from beneath the water.
“Glug glug——!”
Then, through the dirty glass, she saw the red-clothed woman outside the pool, exuding an eerie aura, her pupils constricting violently.
Awakening from a nightmare, she found herself trapped in another horror brought about by yet another nightmare, enough to shatter the spirit of most people.
Mu Se rested her chin on one hand, her gaze playful, as if enjoying an interesting short play.
The girl’s terror felt like some kind of catalyst, making the dark green substance’s erosion even more intense, the bl**d-dyed water boiling violently, as if it were a pool of boiling bl**d.
The toxins continuously spread within the girl’s body, and soon she lost consciousness, her body sinking slowly to the bottom of the pool like a statue.
Yet she did not d*e. Her eyes widened in terror, helplessly watching as her skin turned dark blue and glossy, her gaze slowly becoming vacant.
The dark green flesh buds sprouted from her skin like mushrooms growing from decaying wood.
Soon after, her flesh began to rot, melting like a wax figure, liquefying into the water, revealing her exposed white bones.
Finally, when her eyes rotted away, darkness engulfed her vision.
Only at this moment did the girl completely lose consciousness, the torturous process that resembled hell finally coming to an end.
The pool emitted a foul odor, a mass of dark green substance nearly filling the entire pool.
Mu Se gazed at the pool, excitement glimmering in her eyes.
“Almost there.”
She said to herself, stepping forward, biting her fingertip to let her bl**d drip onto the now swollen dark green substance, then infused it with spirit energy.
Immediately, she felt as if she had established a kind of subtle connection with it; with a thought, the dark green substance jumped out of the water with a splash and formed a half-circular barrier behind her, protecting her figure.
Feeling that she could command the dark green substance with ease, Mu Se’s eyes gradually became frenzied, unable to suppress her laughter, “Hahaha! Amazing, amazing!”
The dark green substance, which had barely had any spirit energy fluctuations before, possessed fluctuations close to a D-Rank urban legend after devouring a potential spirit energy user, leaving her astonished.
Just as Pestilence Taijie had told her, these organizational fragments proliferating from it could grow indefinitely as long as they had enough nutrients.
If these dark green substances were planted in a broader area with more nutrients, such as the underground drainage system teeming with urban legends, or even within Huacheng’s water sources… its spirit energy fluctuations would surely grow to a terrifying extent, becoming a powerful aid for this Hundred Demons Walk!
While Mu Se contemplated where to plant these dark green substances next, a shadow flashed behind her, and a black-robed figure appeared at her back.
“Lady Witch, those organizational entities for the Hundred Demons Walk have started to move.”
“Oh?” Mu Se coldly glanced back, “Where?”
“The starting point is near the back door of Happy Neighborhood, destination unknown.”
“I see. Let’s go!” Mu Se nodded slightly.
As she spoke, she waved her hand, and the dark green substance behind her wriggled, squeezing through the drain hole by the seafood pool, then she followed the reporting black-robed figure, disappearing into the darkness.
————
Near the back door of Happy Neighborhood, on the deserted street, a cold wind swirled the snowflakes.
In the distance, a girl dressed in a beige wool coat, wearing ankle boots, hurriedly approached, pushing a cart selling sweet potatoes. After stopping the cart in a corner on the roadside, she rubbed her frozen hands and pulled the plastic cover to shield the cart and the roasting stove.
Selling peanuts in spring, icy desserts in summer, fried rice in autumn, and roasted sweet potatoes and wine-soaked dumplings in winter, Gu Qiqi’s night market business had never ceased.
As soon as Gu Qiqi tucked the cart away, a voice rang in her mind from the system, “Gu Qiqi, are you sure they said to meet here?”
“Yeah, don’t worry, I won’t remember incorrectly!” Gu Qiqi replied without thinking, “Is there a problem here?”
“Here…” After a pause, the system earnestly said, “There’s a very strong urban legend here. Although it rarely leaves the Happy Neighborhood area, I’ve never seen it, but I know it is indeed hiding nearby.”
“I know!” Gu Qiqi said seriously, “Mafun told me that the urban legend in Happy Neighborhood is a subordinate of Luxianbei.”
“Hmm?” The system was startled and hurriedly said, “Why didn’t you tell me this earlier?”
“I thought it wasn’t important intelligence!” Gu Qiqi muttered a bit aggrieved, “Didn’t you say before? Urban legends like calamity with a couple of subordinates are quite normal, we must not underestimate it; we must be wary of its subordinates attacking from the dark.”
“I thought you knew already!”
System, “……”
I know nothing!
Although that woman collecting subordinates was full of malignant humor, she only started collecting them in droves after leaving Huacheng.
This time, she started right in Huacheng! Something’s off! Very off!
Just as the system was pondering, a loud drumroll suddenly echoed from behind.
“Bang bang bang——!”
Following the sound, a woman dressed in blue and made up in theatrical makeup led Mafun, False Teeth, Eye, Sleep Dress, and a swarm of urban legends out from the shadows, holding a suona.
As she marched, the woman brought the suona to her lips and gently blew.
In an instant, a sharp sound rang out, and Gu Qiqi was pierced by the hoarse shriek, goosebumps rising on her skin.
That melody, scraping like a blade across a blackboard, was so abrupt and jarring, it felt like an orchestral disaster, making one uncomfortable all over.
Followed by that, amidst the wailing melody that seemed to narrate a lament from afar, a hint like a devil’s whisper unfurled within the notes, gradually revealing a hint of cheerful delight.
Yet still discomforting, it sounded like a devil’s carnival echoing in her ears.
Gu Qiqi was entranced for a while, finally coming back to her senses, quietly asking the system, “So terrifying, is this a special piece prepared for the Hundred Demons Walk?”
“No, that’s the ‘Fifth Love Song of Flowers and Spirits.’” The system said, a hint of awkwardness in its tone.
It took quite an effort for it to realize that the female urban legend was playing an interlude from “Love and Magical Girl.”
“What is that?” Gu Qiqi asked in confusion.
“That is…” The system sighed helplessly, “Just the interlude of some mobile game.”
She’s still the same, hasn’t changed at all… The system thought, unable to help but remember when calamity had gathered over thirty subordinates just to have enough numbers for her to join a raid.
Truly full of malignant humor!
“System…” Just as the system was silently complaining, Gu Qiqi quietly counted the number of urban legends joining the Hundred Demons Walk tonight, saying softly, “It seems there are more urban legends, almost double compared to the last time.”
“Hmm?” The system was momentarily stunned. Just as it wanted to say something, it was interrupted by Mafun’s passionate voice.
“Indeed, there are a lot more!” Mafun exclaimed loudly. “They are all urban legends displaced by those who disrupted the ecological harmony of urban legends in Huacheng, and our great Lady Witch has taken them in!”
“In fact, the purpose of our [Love Group] existence and the Lady Witch’s philosophy is also to uplift the weak and punish the strong, to aid the rich and nourish the poor, and to enhance the spiritual civilization of urban legends in Huacheng, co-creating a model urban legend circle!”
After Mafun finished speaking, a mass of dense hair grew and extended out, flinging in a way that suggested to the urban legends behind to “applaud.”
Then, amidst a sparse round of applause, a huge white banner was suddenly revealed with a loud noise, pulled open by several human mannequins, with the handwritten words “Long live the Lady Witch!” scrawled on it.
Immediately following that, accompanied by another soft sound, two plaster statues wearing the heads of Meiyangyang and Xiyangyang pulled open two more white straps alongside the banner, with one reading “Do good deeds throughout your life” and the other “Leave a glorious name through the ages.”
“Woo——!”
Thus, amidst the weeping, nerve-wracking suona melody, Sleep Dress and Mafun, one on each side, displayed a photo of Luxianbei they had somehow procured, emerging from the group of urban legends.
“……”
Gu Qiqi stared at the new banners and photos prepared by Mafun and the other urban legends, weakly asking the system, “System, is it that I don’t understand their aesthetics? I feel like something is off.”
“Heh, of course it’s off.” The system sneered, “They are arranging this to mimic a funeral for calamity, leaving the preparations for parade props to low-level urban legends. I already knew it would end up like this.”
“A bunch of underworld things, can you expect them to organize anything for the upper world?”
Attending calamity’s funeral ceremony even once in this lifetime, even if it’s not real, is still immensely enjoyable! The system thought with glee.
“System…” Gu Qiqi pouted, ruthlessly shattering the fragile victory achieved by the system’s mindset, “But what use does this have? Luxianbei isn’t actually dead.”
System, “……”
d*mn! I’m not done enjoying this yet!
Just a few words, and nobody will treat you as a mute!
The system grumbled silently when Mafun shouted, “Comrades, we set off!”
Then, as the drums rang, the suona burst forth, the grand procession of urban legends began to parade toward their predetermined destination.
However, not long after they set out, having only walked about five hundred meters into a small alley near the back door of Happy Neighborhood, they suddenly heard a cold laugh from above.
“Witch? Heh, the world has truly changed; I wonder where this little fish is from, daring to claim the title of witch?”
Ridiculous! This is called a Hundred Demons Walk? Isn’t it just a C-position funeral? Mu Se thought mockingly.
Amid the mocking laughter, Gu Qiqi suddenly felt a chill running down her spine.
Under the system’s warning, she abruptly turned her head to look behind her.
At the end of the silent long street, under the dim light of a streetlamp, a woman in red stood, her indifferent gaze fixed downwards, wearing a mocking smile at the corners of her lips.
The next moment, a piercing shriek erupted from the woman’s lips, sweeping a powerful fluctuation of spirit energy.
Amidst the disorienting, hallucinations-inducing shriek, the streetlights along the road began to flicker wildly, the sound of glass shattering echoed as sparks and thick smoke erupted from them.
All the streetlights were extinguished, plunging the entire street into darkness.
“Gu Qiqi, be careful!”
In the darkness, Gu Qiqi heard the system warn her, and immediately felt a terrible chill descending from above, making her body tingle.
There was no time to think; she suddenly ducked, rolling on the ground, and in the moment she got back up, she swung a metal baseball bat fiercely towards the sky.
Then.
The dark, oppressive fluctuation of spirit energy collided with the bloody and violent fluctuation of spirit energy, producing a thunderous explosive sound in the darkness, creating a dazzling spark.
With that one hit, Gu Qiqi’s palm went numb, sensing the pungent spirit energy fluctuations in the air, she realized she had encountered the strongest enemy in history…
