Chapter Seventy-Two: The Challenger Who Refutes Fate with Money
Jumeng was very angry, her fury ignited like a powder keg in her chest, about to explode.
Her anger stemmed not only from the sudden arrival of the shadow, which harmed Luxianbei, but also from the vandalism of marriage in front of her, a severe desecration of her authority.
It was like highway robbers ambushing the police, a little monster picking the pocket of a good fortune box, shouting “I love Dawn” during a Jacky Cheung concert…
How could she tolerate this? She couldn’t!
“b*stard! No matter who you are, this goddess will teach you a lesson today!”
With a delicate shout, Jumeng stepped forward, her toes touching the ground; her figure instantly distorted and vanished from sight.
Spirit Energy fluctuated, causing the surrounding air to surge with a howling wind, like a mountain breeze.
A shadow, agile like a bird, flashed through the air, gradually elongating and dancing like an ever-rising flame, eventually transforming into a slender figure.
Like spreading wings, a clean, red dress appeared, flowing in the air like a water surface stirred by a spring breeze.
Beneath the embroidered hem of gold trees, her slender and fair feet lightly tapped the air, approaching the deep shadow above Luxianbei.
Then, she tightened her pink fist.
The air compressed rapidly at her delicate fingertips, forming a surge of white smoke that burst forth.
At the moment she clenched her fist, countless semi-transparent crimson lines emerged from behind her, intertwining to form a massive and solemn circular totem, shining brightly.
The patterns of that totem were ever-changing, sometimes morphing into flocks of magpies, sometimes into towering ancient trees, sometimes into golden and silver treasures… dazzling to behold.
In many mythologies, gods often have a halo behind them, referred to as a circle of light, a spiritual light, or a light aspect—an embodiment of authority.
At this moment, the totem appearing behind Jumeng was a manifestation of her pushing her authority to its limits, turning the virtual into the tangible.
Raising her clenched pink fist, her arm drew back dramatically and, after a brief moment of gathering power, slowly opened.
As her delicate fingertips fully spread, time seemed to come to a standstill, and the world fell silent.
Then, a wind began to blow through the silence, carrying a sharp killing intent.
People often say spring breezes are gentle and delicate, but a spring breeze can also be as brutal as a cleaver.
In fact, in the land of Z Country, spring is the season when strong winds occur most frequently and widely…
A wild wind arose, swirling and rolling like a dragon, fiercely pouring its violent energy into that deep shadow.
As the terrifying cyclone continued to expand, what was once a vast underground air defense shelter shrank into insignificance, soon unable to contain the dreadful storm, the sound of breaking earth and twisting metal resonating in the wind.
Thus, above the underground air defense shelter, the dome, already shattered by an alchemical bomb, was ravaged, piercing through the once ten-meter-thick ground like paper, the storm shooting up into the sky.
———
Above Shancheng.
Haze God was both worried about retaliation from calamities and Jumeng and secretly harbored a sense of luck, wanting to see them fight to a standstill, as it drifted lazily out of the thick fog it had created.
Suddenly, as if sensing something, it turned its head sharply, looking into the distance at the scorched earth, now only a patch of light in its view, its gaze filled with uncertainty.
First, it sensed an energy fluctuation like a nightmare, lingering in its heart for decades.
Then, outside the fog, the sky began to darken, a shadow even deeper than the night, quietly descending, gradually outlining a horrifying silhouette over that patch of land.
The air trembled slightly, and amidst that tremor came an indistinct, maddening low growl, along with abhorrent wails.
Fear silently crept into its heart, as if a small wild animal had caught the scent of a predator, sensing danger approaching, causing its entire body to tremble.
The enormous shadow, seemingly materialized from a nightmare, appeared without warning, as if time and space meant nothing to it, crossing from afar.
It… it was Him, that cursed thing! Haze God trembled deep within, though decades had passed, and many things had changed, it would never forget that figure etched deep in its soul.
The large and obscure shadow slowly twisted its body; it was so clumsy and ugly, yet inexplicably seemed perfect, evoking longing.
Its figure, though only covering the not-so-large area around Changlekou subway station, seemed to envelop all visible land and even extend beyond the horizon.
The area covered by it showed no signs of damage or corruption, yet there was something indescribable subtly changing.
If time were long enough, the authority of calamity-grade urban legends would eventually rot and decay, and even the currently known longest-existing urban legend—Jumeng—could not avoid such a fate after five thousand years.
For most calamity-grade legends, this time usually shortens to within a thousand years.
At this moment, with the arrival of that enormous shadow, Haze God felt an illusion of the decay of authority crossing hundreds of years’ time.
It distinctly sensed that the part of its authority related to carcinogenic qualities had stirred, uncontrollably beginning to differentiate, while the other parts of its power rapidly waned.
Its offspring was about to be born…
“……”
Was that cursed thing an urban legend?
If so, in this world, did any other urban legends dare to oppose it?
Haze God thought to itself, and the next second, reality answered.
Hello, yes!
A vibrant surge of spirit energy erupted suddenly from the underground.
The fear lingering in its heart vanished without a trace, akin to having just taken a hot bath, leaving it feeling refreshed.
Then, a gentle breeze caressed its face, warm and tender like a lover’s hand, and then… carried away a large chunk of “flesh.”
Admittedly, the entire body constituted of spirit energy-laden haze, the calamity-grade entity—Haze God—had no flesh.
But when that breeze swept across its face, it left a deep indentation behind, where the yellow-brown haze surged, unable to repair that wound for a long time.
Just like a gentle wind disperses thick fog.
What February spring breeze acts like a cleaver? Haze God startled, almost instantly realizing that Jumeng’s authority was at play.
If any natural phenomenon could strongly restrain haze, storms would undoubtedly be among them.
In fact, it felt that, solely based on the intensity of spirit energy fluctuations, Jumeng might edge it out slightly, a bit stronger but not much; yet from the perspective of authority constraints, she posed a significantly strong restraint.
Whether through controlling storms or nurturing countless plants, she effectively dispelled haze.
Watching the two “natural enemies” battle, Haze God suddenly felt an immense diabolical sensation.
It was as if a fat sheep were watching wolves and tigers fight.
Simply terrifying!
“Boom——!”
A deep rumble erupted from underground, resembling a beast roaring, shaking the earth.
A colossal shadow of a giant tree shot up from that terrifying, deep shadow, its canopy vast and magnificent, beyond sight.
Once the giant tree’s silhouette emerged, it completed thousands of cycles of flourishing and withering in an instant, blooming a huge and unique blossom, releasing an intoxicating fragrance, causing flocks of beautifully colored magpie birds to appear among its intermingled branches, chirping delightfully.
As that cheerful chirping reached the ears, it transformed into soft chants describing authority.
“From the fruits born of the Fushang Sacred Tree in the past, the king of thousands of magpies, the challenger who refutes fate with money, the ruler of the 800-mile Peach Spring, the dominator of marriage and offspring, a noble existence that uses wood virtue to benefit the people…”
Accompanied by these low chants, the flower withered, and the shimmering golden fruit appeared like the rising sun on the branches of the giant tree’s silhouette.
In the next moment, the silhouette dissipated, a loud bang echoed, and flocks of light-fabricated magpie birds soared from atop the giant tree’s figure.
A massive tornado vacuumed the soil and rocks, shooting skyward as magpie birds dove into the wind, spreading their wings to let their bodies fly, their wings like the sharpest of blades, wreaking havoc within that terrifying shadow.
Two distinct spirit energy fluctuations clashed continuously, instantaneously rising into violent waves, emitting high-frequency humming.
Though the storm was still suppressed by that terrifying shadow, each clash would form small rips, allowing gusts of air to escape.
Observing the scene before it, Haze God was surprised to find that, although Jumeng couldn’t defeat that enormous shadow, she had indeed restricted Him, preventing Him from acting at will.
But… how did she do it? Had she truly grown that powerful?
If she had indeed become this strong, why was she still somewhat limited by the Siye Society?
Surely it couldn’t be because she was law-abiding? Haze God thought in confusion.
Flocks of magpie birds continued to chirp, their pleasant calls, carried by the wind, gradually losing their original softness and mellowness, becoming piercing and sharp.
And the vague description of authority echoing in its ears began to change subtly.
“From the fruits born of the Fushang Sacred Tree in the past, the king of thousands of magpies, the challenger who refutes fate with money, the ruler of the 800-mile Peach Spring, the dominator of marriage and offspring…”
Initially, Haze God heard Jumeng’s complete omnipotent description, but gradually, what remained in its ears was only the brief phrase “the challenger who refutes fate with money.”
Haze God, “…”
Could she have reached this level relying on… spending money?!
The power of spending money is frightening, Haze God thought, its emotions shifting unexpectedly.
