**Chapter Sixty-Seven: Counterattack and Counter-Counterattack**
The magpie flew in, flapping its wings, and Luxianbei’s eyes seemed to ignite with immense pain, as if warning him of something.
Countless fine, almost invisible azure lines appeared around the magpie, resembling myriad vine tendrils that danced and intertwined into the phantom of a giant tree.
This giant tree, existing in myth, shaded the sky and blocked the sun, blooming with vibrant peach blossoms, as if standing in a distant space-time. The humans, beasts, and urban legends praying beneath the tree appeared as small as ants.
He saw it, saw the magpie’s true form.
However, he had only glimpsed the tip of the iceberg, when whispers rushed into his ears like a surging tide, leaving him dizzy.
A tremor originating from the depths of his soul invaded his nerves, making him feel an unprecedented sense of crisis. He instantly realized that this magpie in front of him was far from the fragile appearance it projected.
It was a powerful urban legend of a very high level!
Faced with such a terrifying urban legend, Luxianbei felt an illusory surge of fighting spirit rise in his heart, as if the power within him could not wait to challenge it.
In the next moment, the magpie slammed into his chest.
“Ugh——!”
The violent impact felt like a heavyweight boxer throwing a punch, and a light sound echoed from his ribs, nearly breaking them.
The unbearable pain caused his heart to race, and a cold chill surged up to his head.
The killing intent and brutality sleeping in his heart awakened, the chilling sensation made him break free from the pain and fear.
Thus, pain became **, and Luxianbei calmed down.
He couldn’t sit back and wait any longer; this was not the time to retreat or be weak!
Although it said it wouldn’t harm him, why should he believe an unfamiliar urban legend?
Perhaps it didn’t intend to hurt him, but during the process of venting its emotions, its attack could easily exceed what he could bear.
Involuntary manslaughter was still m*rder; for the victim, there was no essential difference.
For a cowardly person like Luxianbei, entrusting his life and d*ath to an urban legend made him feel very unsafe. He believed that it was better to keep such matters in his own hands.
So, he tightened his grip on the kitchen kn*fe hidden behind him, feigning weakness to draw the magpie closer, waiting for an opportunity to strike like lightning.
……
Luxianbei’s small preparatory movements for a sneak attack were all noticed by the magpie, but she didn’t take them to heart.
What could an ordinary person with weak spirit energy and a kitchen kn*fe, which was only reasonably well-crafted, do?
Nothing at all!
He couldn’t even see his true form; no matter how he waved his kn*fe, he was only hitting illusions.
She hadn’t planned to hurt Luxianbei; she just wanted to teach him a little lesson because of his disrespectful words.
To let him know that even a faded deity was still a deity, at least ensuring a minimum of respect!
……
Luxianbei had prepared multiple kitchen knives for the attack; he never thought that he could defeat such a powerful urban legend with one hit.
So…
As he dodged the magpie’s continuous dives, he calmly approached the backpack at the head of the bed. As his body was struck by the magpie, just as the backpack was flying out, his hand slipped inside, and after a clumsy roll upon hitting the ground, he stealthily concealed the ornate kn*fe from the backpack into his sleeve.
The magpie darted left and right, its wings whipping up strong winds in the room, terror and pain felt like an invisible cage tightening around Luxianbei, gradually sealing all his escape routes, driving him into a corner.
The magpie charged again, and Luxianbei’s blurred vision finally fixed on the illusory giant tree.
One second.
He had summarized the pattern from multiple impacts. There was about a second of time to counterattack between the magpie entering his attack range and crashing into him.
Upon realizing this, Luxianbei moved forward instead of retreating, meeting the magpie head-on, and an icy gleam swept out from his hand.
At the moment he swung the kitchen kn*fe with all his strength, the oppressive feeling that felt like a cage vanished. Breaking free from the “shackles,” Luxianbei’s heart was filled with indescribable joy and madness.
At first, he only wanted to repel the magpie, but in that moment, he genuinely wanted to k*ll that damned bird.
“Swish——!”
In a flash, the sound of metal clashing reverberated through the dark room, dazzling sparks flying.
The vibration from the kn*fe handle caused Luxianbei’s blade to strike a sturdy trunk as hard as iron, the blade sinking deep, sending a tearing pain through his hand.
……
The magpie had long anticipated Luxianbei’s sudden attack. At the moment he struck, her claws shot forward, firmly clamping down on the kitchen kn*fe.
“Very patient! But in the end, you’re still a bit short! This minor difference can lead to fatal errors.” The magpie calmly stated as she locked the kn*fe in place.
You didn’t even manage to capture my true form. The magpie added in her mind, seeing the despair flickering in Luxianbei’s eyes, she secretly rejoiced.
Let you speak ill of me!
However, just as she was about to crush the kitchen kn*fe with her claws, she was horrified to discover that not only could she not destroy the kn*fe, but her excessive force caused the blade to embed itself into flesh, wounding her claws.
How could this be!? His kn*fe…
……
Luxianbei seized the moment of the magpie’s brief daze caused by her inability to destroy the kn*fe, his gaze sharpened, and the ornate kn*fe hidden in his sleeve swiftly slid into his palm.
The assault of the ornate kn*fe was not only a feint to create a chance for a deadly strike, but also a probe to test whether the magpie’s weak point was the bird before his eyes or the elusive shadow.
After the magpie uttered those words, Luxianbei preliminarily confirmed that he should attack the illusion of the giant tree behind her, so he pushed his kn*fe forward.
He aimed at the vague tree shadow behind the magpie.
The ornate kn*fe, hidden behind his palm, silently glided through the darkness, like a venomous snake’s fangs. Only at the last moment did it reveal its true brutal form.
“Thud——!”
The magpie didn’t expect that Luxianbei, who seemed to have completely given up resistance moments ago, would suddenly launch a counter-attack.
Before this, she had not detected any signs on his face, and the fanged kn*fe stabbed without warning, directly targeting her true form.
In a panic, she flapped her wings to dodge but ultimately was a beat too slow.
……
Luxianbei confirmed that he struck something, but it didn’t seem to be flesh and bl**d.
The kn*fe tip felt like it had pierced into a muddy pit, suspended in mid-air, a short distance from the hazy giant tree shadow.
It felt as though it had pierced some kind of resilient protective membrane.
Seeing this, he hesitated not at all, biting his teeth, another hand grasped the kn*fe handle, pushing it forward with all his strength, letting out a low roar he couldn’t suppress.
“Ha——!”
“Crack—— crack——!”
As the kn*fe tip pressed further, a series of faint cracking sounds echoed in the air, as if something crystalline had shattered.
Hot golden bl**d splattered from the magpie’s body, spraying onto Luxianbei’s face and plunging him into darkness.
Luxianbei thought he had achieved a counter-k*ll, but the ensuing strange change made him realize he had been counter-counter-killed…
A thunderous roar erupted in the darkness.
Then, he seemed to hear a voice coming from afar.
It was a series of deafening screams of despair.
It was as if ancient memories were awakened, rising from the earth, sharp shrieks erupted, and the roars converged into substance, forming shockwaves that swept in all directions.
Luxianbei seemed to be engulfed in a surging vortex along with the entire apartment, the sounds of furniture, appliances, and dishes clashing erupted, and finally, the windows shattered, scattering shards of glass that left bloody marks on Luxianbei’s body.
In the disorientation caused by weightlessness, Luxianbei’s vision was flooded with a vivid yet illusory dream.
In the dream, the sun vanished, the night disappeared, leaving only the eternally dim twilight.
The earth cracked under terrible shadows, once magnificent everything fell to dust, and those living a savage existence wandered like phantoms over the desolation.
They continually prayed to the gods, constantly migrating, and finally at the end of the desert, found the place where the sun rose, discovered the enormous peach tree laden with crows and fallen blossoms.
Elders, children, men, and women all voiced the same sound before the peach tree.
“In the month of Mengchun, the deity Jumang, and in the month of Yuchun as well, the sacred deity ascends to the heavens, establishing virtue to rule the world with the name of wood, benefiting the people.”
Luxianbei, “……”
That magpie is Jumang!? At least closely related to Jumang!
I actually tried to throw a spell related to it at it and even *stabbed it!?
It’s over, this time I’m definitely dead! Luxianbei thought in shock and fear.
After that, a genuine and piercing pain surged forth, as if tearing apart Luxianbei’s body.
Just as he felt himself about to shatter into pieces, warm tears welled up in his eyes, and a few seconds later, a chill overflowed from his chest, enveloping his body.
……
That night, in a rental room across the road from Jingyi Apartment Complex, which had been unoccupied for a long time due to haunting, a group of urban legends reveled under the cover of night.
“Come, come, come, Eye-oni-chan, try this wine of mine! It’s made from urban legend core fragments! Last time I risked my life to pick it up when a high-level urban legend was devouring its core.”
One of the urban legends, looking like a mess of broken toys and figures pieced together, with strange arms all over, carried a spittoon used for brewing and poured a glass of fine wine for Eye, who sat in the main seat.
“Hah, what do you mean? Urban legend core fragments? I’ve actually devoured the core of an urban legend myself!” Eye scoffed.
“Oh? Your witch lady is so generous, do you happen to be hiring?” the figure said, winking at Eye and puffing up its originally doll-like chest.
“About that? Sure! I’ll go tell that little fairy some good words, definitely no problem. You probably won’t believe it, but she loves listening to me!”
“Then…” The figure leaned against Eye, its seventeen or eighteen eyes casting flirtatious glances, sweetly saying, “Eye-oni-chan, I’m counting on you!”
“Sure thing, sure thing!” Eye repeatedly responded, and the next moment, the terrifying pressure of a higher-level urban legend enveloped all the urban legends in the room, causing the weak urban legends to twist alarmingly, nearly unable to maintain their forms.
After a brief silence, terrified screams erupted.
“Ah! We’re going to d*e, the higher-level urban legend is going to wipe out the city!”
“What should we do, that direction, that direction…”
“Eye-oni-chan, you have to protect me! Oni-chan? Why aren’t you speaking?”
“…” After a long silence, Eye looked at the other urban legends who had come with her, exchanged glances, and said in unison, “Everyone, that direction seems to be our home. Don’t be afraid, keep having fun! Even if the sky falls, our witch lady will hold it up!”
Other urban legends, “……” You trust her that much?
