Chapter 122: There, a City Stands
Seeing Kuerban Rihanman, a member of the Miracle Cult known as Dailin, tumble down like a bouncing ball along the wind-eroded hills, Fang Ji raised his hand to rub his slightly swollen brow to hide his awkward expression.
Although Rihanman successfully brought the “Holy Son” of the Miracle Cult to the designated location, Fang Ji knew that the Holy Son’s mighty presence was something that neither Rihanman nor his partner Shen Baiwei could withstand, but…
They looked way too disheveled.
Shen Baiwei appeared to be a bit better off, but Rihanman was truly a sight for sore eyes!
If Fang Ji didn’t know beforehand just how powerful Calamity was and sent Shen Baiwei, who was almost as strong as the Elders, to lend a hand, he didn’t dare imagine what would have happened to Rihanman.
Maybe they would have been caught by Calamity halfway?
After all, this Gobi Desert was considered a home turf for Calamity.
After calming his emotions, Tuowuali Lei Clan Leader asked Fang Ji, “Brother Fang, now that your Miracle Cult’s Holy Son has arrived, can we start preparing?”
Even though he didn’t understand why the Holy Son of the Miracle Cult looked so pathetic, even less impressive than the Left Envoy, now was clearly not the time to dwell on such issues.
Their rescue operation for the Shaman Queen was straightforward from discussion to preparation to execution, taking almost a day, which was remarkably swift, minimizing attention, and getting the news about the secret methods to enter Yumen Pass, which took some time to circulate.
However, over a hundred half-urban legend tribes were gathering at Sanlongsha because of the strong winds; there was no way the Siye Society could ignore such a large commotion. They would most likely be on their way now.
In fact, more than half of the half-urban legend tribes were still very afraid of the Siye Society, owing to their lack of strength.
This was even under the premise that the guardian of Yumen Pass from the Siye Society—Huaiyuan Jun—was repairing the damaged Yumen Pass together with the previous head of the Yumen Sands Sea Branch when the accident occurred, leaving them missing.
If Huaiyuan Jun was present, the number of half-urban legend tribes unafraid of the Siye Society wouldn’t be half but rather all but three super large tribes.
Although other guardians often teased Huaiyuan Jun that he was the weakest among them, even being the weakest made him a Disaster-Class Spiritual Energy Manipulator.
It’s like saying a fruit kn*fe is still a kn*fe; it can k*ll.
Moreover, using a “fruit kn*fe,” you risk dying slowly, suffering through pain repeatedly, while someone like the Black Emperor could take you out instantly with a single spell formula, making it far more pleasant.
And among all half-urban legend tribes, only the leader of the Aluslan tribe might engage in a battle with a Disaster-Class…
Furthermore, aside from the Siye Society, the Solar Eclipse Society, which had been secretly active in the Gobi Desert for quite some time without taking any action, and other spirit energy organizations, if they had any plans regarding Yumen Pass, it was about time for them to act.
Thus, while the half-urban legend tribes were gathering, and the Siye Society and other spirit energy organizations had yet to appear, they should quickly enter Yumen Pass.
Delays could lead to changes.
“Uh, actually…” Fang Ji smiled bitterly at Tuowuali Lei Clan Leader, “That isn’t our Holy Son; however, the Holy Son should be right behind them.”
As he spoke, Rihanman and Shen Baiwei had already approached him.
Seeing this, Fang Ji quickly moved forward, patted Shen Baiwei, who was cupping his hands in greeting, and turned to Rihanman to ask, “Has the Holy Son come over?”
Rihanman took a second to respond, “They’ve come over; just behind us, about two kilometers away.”
Two kilometers? Fang Ji nodded thoughtfully, gazing at the distant wind-eroded hills, his expression turning excited, his breathing becoming slightly rapid, as if he were a child about to unwrap a long-awaited birthday gift.
For something like Calamity, even in such extreme weather, two kilometers was hardly a long wait.
The next second, Fang Ji’s expression changed drastically.
“Whoosh—!”
The sound of something tearing through the air suddenly echoed from a distance, mixed with the howling wind, faint and unclear.
Accompanied by that sound, a pallid figure darted across the wind-eroded hill, landing steadily beside a boulder, concealing itself, then peeking out with its pair of eyes that looked as if they belonged to different creatures, cautiously surveying the outside.
Twisted, abstract, dissonant… Seeing the figure in the distance, Tuowuali Lei Clan Leader’s mind raced through these words.
Was this truly the Holy Son of the Miracle Cult?
Why did it seem even worse than the previous one? Too much of a miracle!
That pair of eyes, nose, and mouth—it couldn’t be described as beautiful; one could only say it was a collection of disjointed features, utterly unrelated. Even among half-urban legends, such a appearance was unusual, perhaps only a miracle could bring those bits together and still indicate it was a person.
As Tuowuali Lei Clan Leader thought this, he turned to look at Fang Ji and saw a similarly shocked expression on Fang Ji’s face.
Seeing that three-parts human, seven-parts ghost creature, Fang Ji was also in a daze.
Where’s the Calamity?
Why did it come as such a terrifying monster that even legends would fear?
Just as he was lost in thought, the figure concealed behind the boulder suddenly turned around as if to call something, waving its hand in the direction of the wind-eroded hill.
In the next moment, amidst the darkened heavens, within the raging winds and yellow sand, the sound of something tearing through air continued unceasingly.
Accompanied by this sound, small shadows shot up from behind the wind-eroded hill, obscured by the swirling dust, their specific shapes indistinguishable, but glimmers covered them, trailing thin, thread-like traces in the air.
Then, they hovered above that distorted figure, as if a hundred or a thousand eyes were gazing down.
As he looked towards that direction, even though it was a fierce sandstorm, it felt like he was seeing a starry sky.
However, that starry sky was soon to transform into a rain of meteors igniting the earth, about to fall… Fang Ji thought with a heavy heart.
Now he understood what that peculiar figure was calling for.
That ghostly thing was summoning a “fleet”!
————
On the endless desolate plain, the wind-eroded hills looked like rippling patterns drawn by a brush, rising and falling. The fierce winds stirred up dark yellow dragons that coiled and extended their bodies, exhaling light of blue and white.
The world seemed veiled by a curtain soaked in putrid grease, dark yellow and blackened, making everything blur.
Faintly visible were shadows, dozens or even hundreds gathering in groups, hiding in the ravines between those undulating wind-eroded hills, exuding a sense of pressure.
This was the scene that Luxianbei observed through Zhipianxian from the front wind-eroded hill.
She had long suspected Dailin’s sudden stop was suspicious, indicating an ambush ahead, but she never imagined that there would be so many people.
I’m just a weak girl who has only stayed in the Gobi for a day and has suffered from heatstroke twice!
Isn’t this a bit excessive?
Muttering a few complaints in her mind, Luxianbei quickly became attracted to something else.
Thanks to Zhipianxian’s high-altitude vantage point, she saw things that the half-urban legends hiding in the wind-eroded hills could hardly perceive.
She saw columns of sand pouring down from above, endlessly cascading.
Following the direction of the falling sand columns, she looked up at the dim and chaotic sky, where a colossal outline appeared.
It seemed like a dark yellow shadow almost covering the entire sky.
Constantly rolling and stirring, as if a terrifying giant beast was about to smash the boundaries between reality and illusion, each collision splattered bl**d, and its torrent of searing bl**d was the yellow sand scattering everywhere.
At present, it was a city.
Even if it was just an outline, appearing for a very brief time, often only accompanied by flashes of lightning piercing through the dark clouds, it still exuded unparalleled power and indescribable majesty, making one’s breath turn cautious, fearing to disturb the existence within the city.
Noticing Luxianbei’s unusual expression, Nanling Yaohua leaned close to her and whispered, “What’s wrong? What do you see?”
“…” Luxianbei turned to look at Nanling Yaohua, paused for a moment, then said expressionlessly, “I’ve seen quite a bit; first, there is indeed an ambush ahead.”
Nanling Yaohua furrowed her brow slightly. “How many people?”
Luxianbei thought for a moment and raised one finger to her.
“One person?”
Luxianbei shook her head. “At least one enhanced squad!”
“That is indeed a bit tricky,” Nanling Yaohua nodded thoughtfully.
“Additionally, I also saw a city…” Luxianbei pointed to the sky, lowering her voice, “over there.”
Nanling Yaohua was momentarily stunned, slowly looking up in the direction Luxianbei pointed, feeling uneasy upon spotting the chaotic sky.
Could it be Yumen Pass?
But why can she see it when I haven’t?
————
Those half-urban legends had no idea what Zhipianxian was, but Fang Ji was fully aware.
Those were genuine dangerous items!
At least, the vast majority of half-urban legends present couldn’t endure a few hits without dying.
Though he didn’t know why the Zhipianxians didn’t attack immediately after arriving, the first thing Fang Ji did upon snapping back to reality was to warn Tuowuali Lei Clan Leader.
“Run! Take your tribe members and retreat at least five kilometers… wait, no, better yet, retreat over five kilometers!”
“Run? Why?” Tuowuali Lei Clan Leader was bewildered.
“It’s complicated to explain; just assume the Holy Son is unhappy!” Fang Ji spoke rapidly, “Our Holy Son, when unhappy, tends to indiscriminately slaughter the innocent!”
Tuowuali Lei Clan Leader, “????”
What on earth? Is this what they call the face reflecting the heart? Is the Holy Son of the Miracle Cult deformed due to such twisted thoughts?
“Anyway, just listen to me and lead the tribes to retreat!” Fang Ji said. “I’ll take care of soothing the Holy Son. Once she’s calmed down, I’ll ask her to prepare. You just need to wait to enter Yumen Pass.”
As long as the half-urban legends retreated to a safe distance, he wouldn’t fear Luxianbei attacking him.
On the contrary, he hoped Luxianbei would fiercely attack him.
Though it may sound a bit perverted, that’s how the Miracle Cult intended to enter Yumen Pass!
With this in mind, Fang Ji stepped forward, heading towards the swarm of Zhipianxian.
Seeing Fang Ji gradually retreating into the wind and sand, Tuowuali Lei Clan Leader hesitated for a few seconds and, after a brief thought, turned to his tribe members and said, “Quickly send word to the tribes; everyone retreat five kilometers, just say the Miracle Cult’s secret method is unstable. Being too close might cause repercussions.”
The location of Yumen Pass was near Sanlongsha, covering a significant area, and retreating five kilometers wouldn’t make too much of an impact.
“Understood!”
——————
Gu Qiqi also knew very well what Zhipianxian was.
The moment she saw Zhipianxian, her face turned pale.
Initially, she was somewhat reluctant about impersonating Calamity, fearing being discovered.
Now, as it became apparent that she might get caught, and the system was still in deep sleep, she felt as if she could foresee the ending.
It’s over, what should I do now?
If Calamity caught her, she would definitely be tortured to d*ath, right?
How about… I apologize to her first?
At this thought, Gu Qiqi suddenly shook her head vigorously, trying to throw off the notion.
She knew Calamity well.
If she offended Calamity and then apologized, not only would she not be forgiven, but it would also excite Calamity further and push her to overstep.
Given that, I should slip away first, Gu Qiqi thought, her gaze drifting towards the half-urban legend tribes that were beginning to retreat, slowly approaching to try to blend in.
At that moment, a hand reached from behind and grabbed her collar.
Fang Ji, who had just run a short distance, returned and caught the would-be deserter, Gu Qiqi.
“Miss Calamity, don’t run! Come with me!”
“I won’t go, I’m scared!” Gu Qiqi replied, trying to sound tough while speaking in a defiant tone. Her limbs flailing, she struggled desperately, much like a human maggot.
“Do you not want your friend to wake up?” Fang Ji threatened while dragging Gu Qiqi forward, leaving a trail on the ground.
“I do, but if my friend wakes up and I’m gone, what’s the significance?” Gu Qiqi shouted.
“Tsk!” Fang Ji spat, “I’m not asking you to fight her; I just need you to help me with a small task. If things look bad, you can leave at any moment.”
Hearing that she wouldn’t have to confront Luxianbei directly, Gu Qiqi calmed down a bit, tilting her head to ask, “What do you want me to do?”
“In a bit, just stand behind me. I promise you won’t be harmed as long as Calamity is within a hundred meters of us…”
“And after a hundred meters?” Gu Qiqi interjected.
“That’s where I need your help,” Fang Ji explained. “When Calamity comes within a hundred meters of me, if you see that I’m about to be struck by those ghostly things, please help me dodge a bit. Uh… I’m not talented and not good at body techniques, so I probably won’t be able to evade.”
Gu Qiqi thought for a moment before shaking her head. “No, no, that’s too close; Calamity will catch me!”
“Don’t worry; she won’t care about you at that time,” Fang Ji reassured her.
Her mind would be solely on her fiancée, with no time to bother with you.
“Really?” Gu Qiqi asked.
“Really!” Fang Ji confirmed firmly.
“Then… it’s a deal!”
Seeing Gu Qiqi agree, Fang Ji released his grip on her collar, turned his head to smile at her, “Next up is the moment to witness a miracle!”
As he spoke, he stepped forward, opened his arms, blocking Gu Qiqi’s front, then slowly closed his eyes, appearing ready to receive a “barrage.”
Gu Qiqi stared at Fang Ji’s back, wide-eyed.
“???”
Didn’t you say you guarantee my safety?
If I stay still, won’t those Zhipianxian fly over and get me blasted?
Is this person a fool? Gu Qiqi thought.
Just as she pondered this, the silence of the Zhipianxian that had just set in broke once again with the sound of tearing air…
In an instant, streams of light rained down.
