Chapter 35: Natural Talent Skill Awakening
Under the cold, gray-white mist, the area around Huacheng Reservoir had turned into a battlefield, with a multitude of urban legends and spiritual ability users continuously fighting.
In the distance, Bai Kai, who had been closely watching the battle, was almost drained of spiritual energy by the activation of the Huacheng Barrier talisman, his face devoid of color and his hand trembling with spasms while gripping the talisman.
On that seemingly jade-carved talisman, five complex and mysterious spell inscriptions were glowing brilliantly.
Under normal circumstances, activating a city’s barrier requires at least two to five main operatives with B+ Spiritual Energy Fluctuation Level or higher to jointly inject spiritual energy, depending on the city’s scale.
Even though Bai Kai’s spiritual energy level was slightly superior to typical main operatives, the consumption was still too great, nearly exhausting his spiritual energy and causing the spirit patterns to go out of control.
After slightly adjusting his breathing, he gently touched the d*ath-Owl Badge at his collar, sending a message to Luxianbei. He then leaned against a nearby tree, shakily standing upright, and his eyes flashed with a fierce determination as he crushed the talisman in his hand.
“Huacheng Barrier… activate!”
In an instant, the shattered talisman burst forth with dazzling thunderbolts, transforming into countless points of light, as if a corner of the Milky Way unfolded around Bai Kai, swirling and flying upwards, aiming towards transparency.
That beam of light connected heaven and earth, piercing through the darkness, serene yet beautiful, carrying a jarring power that stirred the clouds.
The dead silence of the dark clouds seemed to explode in fury, opening up into a massive vortex.
“Boom—!”
Accompanied by a thunderous clap, countless energy-laden arcs grazed beneath the clouds, moving like dragons.
A hemispherical arc-shaped light shield quietly appeared high above Huacheng, momentarily fleeting, covered in dense golden spell inscriptions, the brushwork ranging from cursive to childish craft and robust strength.
“Boom—!”
Once again, thunder echoed, shaking the sky as if a deity had struck a drum.
Amidst this, a patch of dark clouds, carrying terrifying thunder power, rapidly moved towards the direction of Huacheng Reservoir, swiftly reaching its designated position and locking onto Luxianbei’s aura.
Then.
Thunder roared again, tearing apart the cloud layer, and thunderlight descended from the heavens.
————
When the first thunderclap reverberated through the sky, within the numerous members of the Calamity Witch Support Group, the first to realize that the Siye Society had activated the Huacheng Barrier was the System.
However, before it could alert Gu Qiqi, she scarcely had time to warn the small urban legends when a cry came from behind.
“Barrier! It’s the Huacheng Barrier! The Siye Society has made a move! Everyone run, the farther the better! Don’t get trapped inside!”
Looking towards the sound, a tall, skinny man dressed in a support T-shirt, his face full of “weak kidney,” raised his arms and rallied, leading a wave of small urban legends retreating like a tide.
“Strange…” The System hesitated as it observed the back of that spiritual ability user.
“What’s wrong, System? Is there a problem?” Gu Qiqi inquired.
“Um, the spiritual ability user from earlier, their strength is considerable, but they were hidden amongst the urban legends, and I didn’t notice them, nor do I know what their intentions are,” the System responded gravely.
At this moment, Gu Qiqi passed by the spiritual ability user and overheard him murmur, “d*mn it, a seductive big sister and a cold loli are fighting, and there might even be clothes ripping and breast shaking. I won’t get to see such a spectacular scene, how annoying!”
“System, what does he mean?” Gu Qiqi asked curiously.
“…” The System hesitated for a moment and then said solemnly, “Gu Qiqi, those things are not something a child like you can understand.”
“Hmph!” Gu Qiqi huffed in defiance, “I get it. It’s just GHS, what’s wrong with understanding that!”
“…” The System was about to argue with Gu Qiqi when it suddenly heard a gentle, warm voice that sounded like a spring breeze beside them.
“Eh? Is that your guardian spirit? I’ve only seen it in my grandfather’s books. I didn’t expect such a thing to exist. Can I take a look?”
Hearing that someone had noticed its presence, the System felt a tightening in its chest and quickly withdrew back into Gu Qiqi’s body.
Gu Qiqi turned around and saw a woman as beautiful and fresh as a peony under the moonlight, momentarily taken aback before explaining, “No, it’s the System!”
Nanling Yaohua smiled lightly, nodded, and hinted, “A system, huh? Interesting! The outside world indeed has many different things!”
After saying this, she stopped pursuing Gu Qiqi for the “guardian spirit” research and quietly blended back into the retreating small urban legends, moving towards the distance.
Soon after, the third thunderclap echoed in the sky.
————
After the second thunderclap passed.
Feeling the suffocating terrifying aura brewing above in the sky, Mu Se realized someone from the Siye Society had activated the Huacheng Barrier, and a raging wave rose in her heart.
Is this the reinforcements from the Siye Society arriving, ready to encircle and annihilate the gathered urban legends here? Mu Se thought to herself.
“Taihe Gentleman Sword: Autumn Night Wind and Rain Transformation!”
In her shock, as Mu Se was about to retreat, she was intercepted in place by Luxianbei’s rain-like swordlight.
“Are you crazy?” After being forced back, Mu Se steadied herself and glared at Luxianbei, shouting, “Being trapped within a city’s barrier means a fate of being at the mercy of others. It’s better to…”
“How do you know this isn’t something I’ve planned long ago?” Luxianbei replied expressionlessly.
As soon as his words fell, the third thunderclap roared, illuminating her face and reflecting in Mu Se’s eyes as if a malicious ghost had appeared, hideous and terrifying.
Her complexion turned pale as realization dawned—Luxianbei had been stalling for time, waiting for something.
He was waiting for the Huacheng Barrier to be ready!
At that moment, the clouds above the sky were ripped apart.
In the next instant, countless dazzling beams shot out from the deep night sky.
Over a thousand pure spiritual energy columns, each as thick as an arm and inscribed with spell inscriptions, descended from above like a meteor shower, defining a space with a two-thousand-meter diameter around Luxianbei.
“Thud thud thud—!”
Amidst the sounds of the light beams sinking into the ground, the earth churned as if boiling, and amidst the rumbling of stone and soil colliding, chanting voices echoed, seeming to come from a distant place, murmuring obscure, ancient, and mysterious languages.
Amidst the chanting, lightning burst from beneath the ground, spreading numerous branches of surging spiritual energy, extending upwards like branches of trees.
Those shimmering bolts of lightning, etched with countless golden spell inscriptions, soon wove together into an arc-shaped shield above Mu Se and Luxianbei’s heads.
Then.
As the lightning gradually faded, the scenery outside the barrier seemed to vanish, plunging everything into darkness except for the realm of sealed heaven and earth.
At the same time.
Mu Se clearly felt the connection between herself and the Pestilence Taijie organization scattered in various corners of the city, even the perception of the earth’s energy obtained through the nearly completed Hundred Demons Walk, were forcefully severed in an instant by a terrifying power.
That was the barrier constructed by five Disaster-Class spiritual manipulators, built upon years of accumulated power.
In this world, there are practically no urban legends that could forcibly break through a barrier.
This is bad. Even if I can defeat the Calamity Witch, being trapped within the barrier will allow reinforcements from the Siye Society to deliver a fatal blow. Mu Se thought in a daze.
“Crack—crack—!”
Just then, while she was in shock and confusion, two light sounds of glass containers shattering rang in her ears.
Turning to the sound, she saw Luxianbei wipe his mouth, coldly saying, “d*mn it! To ensure I k*ll you, I took the risk of dying and drank two potions at once!”
Mu Se, “…”
If it weren’t for the critical situation, she would’ve probably burst out laughing at Luxianbei right then and there.
In her decades as an urban legend, she had never seen any urban legend exploding due to supplementing the core deficiencies of their original forms.
Just as she was speechless, Luxianbei’s dramatically increasing spiritual energy fluctuation hit her.
Looking forward, Mu Se’s eyes glinted fiercely.
Even if the Huacheng Barrier cut off her spiritual energy supply, even if Luxianbei had taken the complete potion and temporarily raised his spiritual energy level to a terrifying extent.
However.
All of this only gave her a fair chance to compete.
In a situation of equal strength, Mu Se was confident that with the combat experience honed between life and d*ath, she could win this contest.
After that.
Even if she were killed by the reinforcements from the Siye Society, she could rely on the Pestilence Taijie flesh scattered throughout the city to be reborn in a short period!
“Take this sword, the first sword of China!”
Just as Mu Se was pondering, Luxianbei’s roar interrupted her thoughts. Following the sound, she saw his petite figure leap forward, sword in hand, striking at her.
In the blink of an eye, the long kn*fe was raised to intercept the broken sword as a roar erupted.
With a powerful strike, Mu Se’s form sank, the hard pavement beneath her feet cracked open, and in the blink of an eye, it was crushed into powder by the overwhelming spiritual energy.
Then a shriek erupted from her mouth, pushing Luxianbei back while spraying forth a silver light above.
In less than a second, the long kn*fe and broken sword clashed dozens of times in mid-air, the sounds of metal clashing merged into one, exploding instantaneously into a sharp, buzzing noise.
After the brief exchange, Luxianbei fell back, landing just as he began to chant a spell.
“Golden Palace and Jade Room, walls of iron…”
“Don’t even think about it!”
Mu Se shouted, sweeping her long kn*fe outward.
Luxianbei had long since predicted that her strike was merely a feint, and the real killing move would soon burst forth from underground. His gaze sharpened, and he immediately interrupted his spell chanting, backing away while flipping his wrist to throw out two alchemical dirty bombs.
“Boom——!”
The sound of earth and stone exploding rang out just as the alchemical dirty bombs detonated with a bang.
Frantic airflow spread in all directions.
Amidst the thick smoke, a piercing wind sound suddenly emerged, and a strong limb composed of dark green flesh split the air like a giant’s heavy fist, crashing down.
Though he had anticipated such an attack, the sheer area it covered made it difficult for Luxianbei to evade; he could only raise both hands, bracing the blow with his sword.
“Thud——!”
The brief collision allowed Luxianbei to feel the terrifying power within that dark green flesh, sending jolts of numbness through his hands.
Under the overwhelming pressure, sweat trickled down his temples, only to be vaporized into wisps of pale mist by his intense body heat.
Perhaps due to the modifications from the Pestilence Taijie organization, Mu Se was far stronger than he had imagined, the pressure she exerted rivaling the early days of his sword practice with Qing Ji.
But…
Just as Luxianbei was feeling the immense pressure from the power wrapped around Mu Se’s body from the Pestilence Taijie bl**d and flesh, Mu Se also felt an overwhelming shock from her abundant combat experience.
After dying thousands of times at Qing Ji’s sword, Luxianbei’s techniques had honed beyond mere power, along with that uncanny anticipation, allowing him to move freely in the heat of battle.
Thus, as the influence of technique and power began to balance out, the battle descended into a stalemate.
Luxianbei couldn’t recall how many swords he had swung, nor how many spells he had cast; his already dwindling alchemical dirty bombs and various talismans had long since been exhausted, yet he was unable to inflict lethal wounds on Mu Se.
In furious anger, Mu Se launched her attacks like a heavyweight boxer, but the enemy felt like an incorporeal ghost, every heavy punch striking air.
Gradually, Luxianbei felt his spiritual energy, which had been stirred by the complete potion, began to calm, and a foreboding sense quietly emerged in his heart as his attacks grew noticeably more frantic.
It was like the coming exhaustion following the effects of any stimulant; he worried that when the effects of the complete potion wore off, the scales of victory would tip in Mu Se’s favor.
Then.
As the complete potion finally fully digested within him, his spiritual energy seemed to short-circuit for a moment, halting.
Shortly after, the transformation of the urban legend’s core brought intense pain, suddenly making him realize he had messed up.
In the instant, his internal organs wailed incessantly, and the fiery agony he once felt upon consuming the Witch’s Egg surged back.
It was as if a volcano erupted inside him, the lava coursing through his veins threatening to scorch every inch of his being as it unleashed scorching energy.
His tender skin began to crack as if burned, with flickering flames visible through the gaps, and when he opened his mouth, clods of solidified calamity water gushed forth.
The uncontrollable power rampaged within him, seeming ready to explode at any moment.
Before long, Luxianbei could no longer withstand the pain; he collapsed to the ground, his vision going dark as he lost consciousness.
Seeing Luxianbei suddenly convulse and fall during the intense battle, Mu Se, with a multitude of openings, intended to deliver a fatal blow.
However, immediately afterward, she saw a large amount of high-concentration calamity water oozing from Luxianbei’s surface, quickly evaporating into dense, toxic mist.
Tons of calamity water gushed out, and Mu Se, who had never encountered such a spectacle, was taken aback and repeatedly retreated, distancing herself from Luxianbei.
As a witch, she naturally produced a small amount of calamity water within her body and was not unfamiliar with it.
Calamity water had always been the “deadly poison” that led to the corruption and downfall of witches.
“…”
What is going on? Why is there so much calamity water in her body?
Is this self-destruction, planning to perish alongside me?
But…
The sight before her exceeded Mu Se’s understanding, and she hesitated to approach carelessly, yet seeing Luxianbei in a state of fainting, completely devoid of combat power, she was unwilling to miss the opportunity.
After weighing her options for a while, her gaze sharpened, and her red lips parted as she softly began to chant the description of Pestilence Taijie.
“The Great Taijie, the Emperor of the Year, thus must not be offended; if offended, misfortune… The plague is not caused by cold, wind, or heat, but by the strange aura of heaven and earth… The Pestilence Taijie is the emperor of plague.”
As she finished her chant, the bl**d and flesh surrounding her body began to bubble as if boiling, writhing with the power to corrupt and devour everything, surging outwards.
In an instant, as if wildly breeding bacteria that were omnipresent, covering every corner of the barrier, swallowing Luxianbei’s body.
————
On the rooftop of Huacheng Financial Center.
The blonde woman watched the sickly and grotesque dark green flesh continuously swell and cover the entire view, eventually causing the water curtain to collapse with a “splash,” letting out a long sigh.
“Alas—!”
“It’s a pity. There was a moment when I couldn’t help but want to cheer for that hardworking little urban legend, hoping for her victory!”
“Calamity, calamity, is it to drive away the calamity?” The woman smiled, “It’s quite interesting.”
As she spoke, she stood up, adjusted her clothes, gazing towards the direction of Huacheng Reservoir, pouting, “It’s about time to clean up the mess for my stupid ex-ex-ex-boyfriend.”
“Privately activating the city’s barrier is a serious crime!”
————
Half a minute ago.
As Mu Se finished her description, the Pestilence Taijie’s flesh, with strong corrosive properties, seemed to want to consume everything, filling every corner within the barrier.
Just when the Pestilence Taijie’s flesh completely swallowed Luxianbei’s form, his coat suddenly thrashed violently, bursting open with a “bang!” like an inflated balloon, wrapping him within and protecting him.
In his slumber, Luxianbei vaguely heard an ancient voice echoing in his mind, unclear yet gradually sharpening his consciousness.
However, when he struggled to crack open his eyes just a bit to look forward, he saw an enormous river flowing endlessly, with no end in sight.
On the barren riverbank, flames flickered, and a woman stood alone, her green garments flowing.
Who… is she?
Luxianbei thought, puzzled; the woman clearly stood not far ahead yet seemed unattainable, his eyes only catching a blurry outline, like a flower in a dream—illusory.
Then, he felt the whispered voices at his ears growing stronger and clearer, as if answering his doubts.
“There is Mount Xikuan, the platform of Gongong, and no archer dares to sh**t northward. There is someone in green, a heavenly maiden, known as Ba.”
When he fully understood that familiar yet strange description, the enormous river, flickering flames, the woman in green…
Everything began to fade like mist blown away by the wind, disappearing after a haze of light and shadow, leaving only darkness before him.
After a long time, Luxianbei opened his eyes once more, his pupils seeming to ignite, flickering with a hint of flame.
Just as he was about to grasp the changes in his body from his first complete defect, he spotted his coat, riddled and corroded by Pestilence Taijie flesh.
Through the gaps left by the corrosion, foul-smelling flesh surged forth from all directions, spewing thick, toxic smoke.
The moment he inhaled the smoke, Luxianbei immediately felt a vast and evil life force, like a tidal wave, flooding into his shell.
Then, his body rapidly began to numb, first his hands and feet, then his torso, and finally his spiritual energy seemed to be dragged into a quagmire, becoming obstructed.
From the dark green flesh proliferated distorted mouths, all crying out in a chorus resembling the mournful wails of a terminally ill person, mixed with discouraging, despairing whispers.
Endless violent toxins and despairing emotions flooded into Luxianbei’s body, and soon he found himself in a daze.
Just then.
“Crackle—!”
A light sound echoed in the darkness, as if a hot iron was scorching fresh flesh.
Luxianbei looked towards the sound and saw that his Ling Tai Purification, which he had held tightly in his hand, looked as if it had been reforged, glowing bright red; the cross-section burned with fiery light, as if it had been reconstructed with fire.
“d*mn, this…” Luxianbei murmured; just as he finished speaking, he felt something surge into his mind.
Just as described in the knowledge of the Great Serpent God, with each defect in the core of an urban legend being completed, should a talent ability awaken, the urban legend itself would soon perceive it.
Luxianbei recalled the information that had suddenly appeared in his mind, slowly extending his hand and tentatively touching the dark green flesh of Pestilence Taijie exposed through the gaps of his coat, leaving a shallow, small palm print.
With a thought, the flesh he had touched burst forth with intense firelight, and as the fire grew stronger, the spiritual energy within the flesh ignited as well.
Then.
With a loud “boom!” an explosion occurred.
“Cough cough cough——!”
Through the thick smoke, after a fierce bout of coughing, Luxianbei remarked angrily, “I always thought that while other urban legends have talent skills, I was the only one without—this is ridiculous! This is how it should be!”
Leaving a mark on the objects he touched, and according to his will, igniting from a spiritual energy perspective or briefly attaching flames to “enhance.”
This was his talent skill awakened after completing the defect.
Previously, Ling Tai Purification had been enhanced unconsciously, but now…
Luxianbei looked at his hands, then observed the dark green flesh writhing around him, his gaze gradually distorted.
“Come on, don’t be afraid! Let me give you a buff!”
Muttering to himself, he reached out his “sinister” little hands towards the surrounding flesh.
————
At the foot of the mountain in front of Huacheng Reservoir.
It seemed as if some terrifying existence were constantly colliding with the barrier, producing roaring sounds, with thunderlight rushing above the barrier.
No one knew what was happening inside the barrier.
Countless urban legends gazed at the covered ground with bated breaths, silent and waiting for the outcome.
…
Half a mile away, within the Calamity Witch Support Group.
Mafun asked Meng Meng every five seconds, “What’s going on? What’s happening?”
Meng Meng replied briefly, “The owner’s aura hasn’t disappeared.”
But the outcome remained uncertain.
…
In this extremely oppressive atmosphere, Gu Qiqi couldn’t help but rush to inquire the System in her mind, “System, will Luxianbei d*e?”
“…”
The System fell silent for a very long time before replying softly, “It would be better if he died!”
Nearby, Nanling Yaohua seemed to sense something, glancing towards Gu Qiqi, frowning slightly.
…
In the distance.
Bai Kai, nearly drained of spiritual energy, slumped to the ground, gripping the d*ath-Owl Badge tightly, waiting for Luxianbei’s voice to sound in his ears.
Time seemed to slow down, each passing second was agony for him.
Then, the d*ath-Owl Badge suddenly vibrated gently, and Luxianbei’s voice came through.
“Water Brother, I’m almost done! What’s next? When will you let me out?”
Bai Kai regained his spirits as if fully revived, doing a carp leap to stand up, holding the d*ath-Owl Badge tightly and saying, “Xiao Bei, hold on a moment longer! We have one last thing to do!”
As he spoke, he concentrated his will on the Huacheng Barrier, manipulating it according to the original plan.
————
Inside the barrier.
The ground was filled with dark green flesh struggling in pain, and the two different spiritual energy fluctuations collided and exploded, creating shockwaves and aftershocks.
Everything in sight ignited with a fiery red light.
Mu Se fell to the ground, her body covered in small palm prints shining with a molten glow.
“Did you really think you could k*ll me this way? How foolish!” she said defiantly, trying to make a final struggle.
Seeing through Mu Se’s blustering facade, Luxianbei bore the broken sword spewing flames on his shoulder, expressionless as he said, “Can I take that as a form of pleading for mercy?”
“……” Mu Se, after a long silence, seemed to lose spirit, her demeanor weakening, gritting her teeth, and said, “I can be your vassal.”
“Sorry…” Luxianbei shook his head, “I can’t accept a vassal like you! So…”
As he spoke, with a thought, several marks on Mu Se’s body erupted with strong firelight, the ignited spiritual energy exploding outward, directly blowing off her arms.
“This is for almost killing my coat.” Luxianbei stated.
“Boom——!” Another explosion erupted, violently shattering nearly half of Mu Se’s body, her lower half completely vanishing.
In the gaping wound on her abdomen, no organs were visible, only patches of dark green flesh wriggling in the flames.
“This is because you’ve killed many people and urban legends.”
“Boom——!”
An explosion rang out again, and Mu Se’s body was completely evaporated in the flame, leaving behind only a piece of burnt charcoal.
Yet she still retained a shred of consciousness.
The formidable vitality bestowed upon her by the Pestilence Taijie flesh now seemed like a curse, making her endure intense suffering without dying, condemned to endless torment.
“This is because you disrupted my exam prep!”
“d*mn it, I might not get my scholarship this year!” Luxianbei grew increasingly furious, rushing forward to leave several palm prints on the almost charred Mu Se.
He then ignited the spiritual energy, triggering another explosion.
Mu Se, “?????”
Just as Luxianbei continued to “kick the corpse” of Mu Se, seemingly unwilling to relent until she was turned to dust.
The d*ath-Owl Badge on her chest vibrated gently, relaying Bai Kai’s voice.
“Xiao Bei, I’m coming in! Are you ready?”
Luxianbei, “?????”
In the next moment, a crack suddenly opened above the barrier, and a surging, vast aura rushed toward Mu Se like a beast catching the scent of bl**d.
That was the earth’s energy that Mu Se had grasped through the nearly completed Hundred Demons Walk.
Why did the barrier suddenly open? What an opportunity—perhaps I still have a hope for escape!
Seeing this, Mu Se’s heart surged with joy, but the next moment, reality struck her with another heavy blow.
As the earth’s energy passed through the barrier, dense golden spell inscriptions surged from the barrier, tightly enclosing that powerful and formless aura, then brazenly altering its trajectory towards Luxianbei’s body.
Using the power of the Huacheng Barrier, it severed the connection between Mu Se and the earth’s energy, and in the split second of re-establishing that link, ritualistically twisted its trajectory and completed the theft, which was the final task Bai Kai had mentioned.
As that rushing golden torrent cascaded from the sky and merged into Luxianbei’s body, he slightly furrowed his brow, expecting a scenario similar to consuming a complete potion where his spiritual energy would soar uncontrollably, but that did not occur.
Instead, a pleasant sensation washed over him, like the cool breeze of summer and the warmth of sunshine in winter, comfortable enough to make one drowsy.
But… what use is this?
Luxianbei thought to himself, preparing to search within the Great Serpent God’s knowledge for related information when he suddenly heard a voice that had been pretending to be dead, Mu Se, resembling a zombie, letting out a desperate wail.
“You… why would the Siye Society people use the power of the Huacheng Barrier for you?”
Luxianbei’s heart jolted, “What the hell? You’re still not dead?! Come on, let’s continue!”
As he spoke, he charged forward, rapidly buffing Mu Se several times.
Feeling those chaotic little hands, Mu Se, “……”
