Chapter 126: The Feeling of Misfortune Descending
“Senior brother, our Yumen Sands Sea Branch has been at odds with the half urban legends for generations, but is it really necessary to wipe them out completely? Is there another… I mean, can we approach this in a different way?”
“A different way? You mean, tormenting their minds? Xiaobai, I didn’t expect you to be so creative! Tell me, how do you want to play it, and I’ll cooperate!”
“No, what I mean is… wait a minute, senior brother, come here quickly, there are still living people here, uh, it seems to be a girl.”
The voices of conversation grew closer, and soon the tightly closed prison gate was opened, light streaming in from outside; although faint, it was enough to shatter the darkness inside the cage.
The girl slowly raised her head and looked out of the cage. Once her eyes adjusted to the long-lost light, she saw a youth as jade stretching out his hand to her.
“Miss, come with me? I’ll take you home!”
“Hey, Xiaobai, can’t you see she’s a half urban legend? Even if you save her, she won’t remember your kindness. Next time you meet, she might even stab you in the back!”
“I’m telling you, you could just leave her here. Half urban legends are as resilient as tardigrades; she won’t be harmed… By the way, do you know what a tardigrade is? This creature is ridiculously tough, like on the level of a cataclysm…”
The person walking with the youth babbled incessantly, like a sparrow on a rampage, but the youth seemed to ignore his words. Without waiting for the girl to respond, he silently stepped forward, gently picked her up, and strode determinedly towards the vast Gobi Desert…
…
The blade lightly flicked upward, cutting a silver-white arc.
The silver-white arc flashed and vanished, accompanied by the snapping of the ropes that bound her body. Being gently lifted by strong arms, Furongluo’s thoughts pulled away from her memories.
She looked up at Bai Kai and suddenly noticed that the profile from her memories had aged without her noticing, now sporting stubble and even a few fine wrinkles. Time seemed to change everything, but it also felt like nothing had changed, for he uttered the same words.
“Let’s go, Xiangbohe, I’ll take you home.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Bai Kai stepped forward, and a deafening roar of torn air burst forth. Instantly, he and Furongluo vanished like they melted into the racing wind.
When leaving, Bai Kai didn’t k*ll a single half urban legend.
Though he wished he could chant “k*ll one in ten steps, leave no trace in a thousand miles” and charge into the throngs of half urban legends, he was holding Furongluo.
He had seen many women and believed he understood most women’s psychology. To him, Furongluo’s actions in offering her head were for him, so all he wanted was to hold her and not wield a sword.
Furthermore, he wanted to leave without needing to draw his sword. There were four hundred and ninety-seven half urban legends present, but they could not stop his departure.
His speed was too fast, so fast that he was weaving through the crowd, and it wasn’t until a few seconds later that those half urban legends vaguely sensed that something elusive had just passed beside them…
————
In the distance.
Tayou Clan Leader was crouched on the ground, using a fallen, dead poplar tree to conceal himself, peering out to observe the situation ahead.
When he saw Bai Kai in white clothes flash past the throngs of half urban legends like a dazzling bolt of lightning, leaving no trace, he couldn’t help but gasp as if he had a toothache.
He suddenly realized that bringing Bai Kai nearby and then making an excuse to leave had been the best choice he could make.
At first, seeing Bai Kai loitering on the outskirts of numerous half urban legends, he thought Bai Kai was too scared to attack due to the number of opponents. He didn’t expect that Bai Kai didn’t even regard those half urban legends and was just waiting for the opportune moment to make a grand entrance and save the damsel.
Watching that scene, the Tayou Clan Leader had an inexplicable feeling that Bai Kai could have wiped out all those half urban legends; he simply didn’t have the time to do so.
If he had impulsively brought Bai Kai directly to Tuo Wuali Lei just now, and Bai Kai had left quietly without causing a single d*ath, leaving him behind as the ‘guide,’ wouldn’t that be very embarrassing?
It was highly possible that, in their fervor, those bastards would treat him as a substitute for Furongluo.
From a certain perspective, watching a sleazy guy get executed was just as delightful as watching a beauty get executed…
Yes, the Tayou Clan Leader was self-aware, knowing he was a troublesome, sleazy fellow.
But isn’t it the case that sleazy people tend to have long lives?
“What are you doing hiding here?”
A deep voice came from behind him, and the Tayou Clan Leader immediately felt someone grab his collar and lift him up like a chicken.
He struggled a bit, turned his head sharply, and saw a sullen face covered in golden hair.
“Uh, it’s Lord Aluslan? Ha, ha,” the Tayou Clan Leader laughed dryly, “I was… just here to observe the excitement.”
“Observe the excitement?” Aluslan frowned, looking forward where he only saw a bunch of half urban legends scattered about like soaked ants, with faint cries of anguish coming from within the crowd.
Confused.
“This…” the Tayou Clan Leader explained, “is that Tuo Wuali Lei guy; to establish his authority over a small Zhanbu Tribe, he has provoked a terrifying spiritual ability user, and now he’s having his hand broken and is howling over there!”
“A spiritual ability user?” Aluslan tilted his head and asked seriously, “You’re just watching the excitement while a spiritual ability user attacks your compatriots?”
“I-I was afraid!” the Tayou Clan Leader shrank his neck and said weakly, “I suspect that person is already close to the Cataclysm Grade. How could I be his match? Helping him would just be throwing away my life.”
Hearing this, Gur Aluslan looked at the messy half urban legends ahead and then at the cowardly, sleazy Tayou Clan Leader, spitting out with disdain, “Bah, a bunch of useless things, close to Cataclysm Grade, but you let yourselves get into such a mess?”
“But it’s fine; now everyone should know who the best candidate for the leader is, right?”
“Of course, of course!” the Tayou Clan Leader flattered with a fawning expression, “I’ve thought from the start that you are much more suitable than that Tuo Wuali Lei guy!”
“Is that so?” Gur Aluslan said coldly, “I hope you can continue to say this in front of everyone later. It would be best if you could explain everything you just saw to everyone and actively propose that I replace Tuo Wuali Lei as the leader.”
The Tayou Clan Leader, “… Am I supposed to be the bad guy and you get the benefits?”
He suddenly wanted Bai Kai to come back.
Although they were not of the same clan, the treatment there was much better!
Once he finished guiding, he’d be allowed to leave, whereas Aluslan was the kind of guy who bled you dry, as if he wanted to break your bones and s*ck out your marrow.
————
The gale howled, and yellow sand filled the sky. On the desolate plain, explosive firelight bloomed like flowers. Two figures traversed through the bursts of light, moving closer to the distant wind-eroded hills.
At first, Fang Ji watched as Gu Qiqi was bombarded by the paper cicadas, bouncing about as if dancing on the edge of a kn*fe, barely avoiding the shockwaves of the explosions. He doubted whether Gu Qiqi could hold on long enough to take him to the Calamity.
However, just as this thought crossed his mind, Gu Qiqi suddenly entered a strange state, as if she had activated a cheat, weaving through the flying paper cicadas, deftly dodging their attacks.
It felt as if she had transformed from a slowly moving caterpillar into a butterfly.
“I didn’t expect you had this ability?” Fang Ji praised, “That’s pretty impressive!”
Life is unpredictable, and changes often catch one off guard.
To be honest, during the most dangerous moments just now, the intense flames had ignited the corners of his clothing; if it had been any slower, both he and Gu Qiqi would have been incinerated.
“But since you have such a capability, why didn’t you use it earlier?”
Fang Ji said another sentence. When he noticed Gu Qiqi didn’t respond for a long time, he sensed something was off. He tilted his head and saw her face, eyes rolled back, mouth frothing.
In that moment, he suddenly realized that Gu Qiqi’s current state was not a special ability, but instinct!
It was her superior combat talent that allowed her to become familiar with the paper cicadas’ attack patterns, forming muscle memory as she dodged, unleashing a terrifying instinct.
But perhaps the frequency and power of dodging the paper cicadas’ attacks exceeded what Gu Qiqi’s instincts could endure, causing her body to overload and leading her to her current half-comatose state.
“…”
What effortless extreme power?
Couldn’t it be a bit more reliable?
But, isn’t this also a form of miracle?
After a brief mental shift, Fang Ji inexplicably became excited, thinking that Gu Qiqi would take him all the way to the Calamity, when the next moment, a “miracle” occurred again.
The “bombardment” of the paper cicadas suddenly stopped, and those hovering in the air that had yet to land flew back toward the wind-eroded hills after sounding the retreat.
Then, two figures vaulted over the wind-eroded mounds, quickly closing the distance on the plain.
It was Calamity! Finally appeared… Fang Ji’s eyes lit up.
Although Lu Xianbei’s appearance was completely different from the last time he had seen her, he would never mistake the strongly foul odor of misfortune emanating from her.
The next moment, Lu Xianbei’s voice ringing from the distance confirmed his guess.
“Fang Girl? It’s been a long time since we’ve met since our departure from Dachunyang Palace. I didn’t expect to see you here! I have many things to discuss with you; shall we chat? What do you think?”
“…” Fang Ji opened his mouth, intending to say something to Lu Xianbei, but before he could speak, he heard Lu Xianbei exclaim an expletive ahead.
“Wutao! What do you all want to do?”
Hearing this, Fang Ji froze for a moment, looking forward in disbelief to find the distance between him and Lu Xianbei decreasing, closer and closer…
Fifty meters, thirty meters, ten meters…
Until there were less than five meters separating him from Lu Xianbei, he finally realized what was happening.
Half-comatose Gu Qiqi seemed unable to stop…
A thought flashed through his mind, and the next second he heard Lu Xianbei’s groan.
“Ugh…”
Gu Qiqi crashed into Lu Xianbei’s arms, which she caught like a basketball with both hands pressing against her head.
“Bang!” Like a car crash, a loud noise erupted where palm met head.
Meanwhile, Fang Ji, who was being carried by Gu Qiqi, suddenly shot into the air like a human cannonball, rocketing toward the distant dirt mounds.
Bathed in the howling wind and feeling the sudden sensation of weightlessness, Fang Ji smirked and smiled with enjoyment, then dove headfirst into the dirt mound, a jolt of pain shooting through his skull as he seemed to hit something hard and sharp, the sound of cracking echoed; perhaps it had cracked.
“…”
This familiar feeling…
It’s the feeling of misfortune descending!
So wonderful, Fang Ji thought.
