Chapter 18: Journey to the Sea Four
At the beginning, the winding river valley only had the wind blowing…
The fierce wind stirred the waves on the river’s surface, and the vegetation on the cliffs of the valley rustled.
Above the sky, a girl dressed in peacock green sat lazily on a throne formed by crows, overlooking the coal mine urban legend shrouded in wind, her expression indifferent, her gaze drifting towards the cliff where the girl named Mushu was still recovering from motion sickness, seemingly deep in thought.
Compared to the intruders, she seemed more interested in this number one operator of the Huacheng Siye Society.
Does the authority seem related to humanity’s negative perception of fungi?
What kind of “genius” would think of using such symbols to draw spirit patterns and gain power?
Jumeng thought, her fair little hands fluttering lightly back and forth like a bird’s wings, stirring up a storm.
Suddenly, the terrifying gale surged, kicking up sand and stones and swirling the thick smoke that had spread through the air into a gray-black vortex, racing along the course of the river valley.
Wherever it passed, the coal mine urban legends, summoned by the incomplete hydrocarbon deity, were violently yanked from the water’s surface by the storm and thrown high into the sky, their massive, menacing bodies light as thin scraps of paper in the face of the brutal calamity, continuously ravaged by the sand, water, and green spirit energy caught up in the storm.
Of course, there was also Mushu.
Under the deliberate stimulation of the power representing reproduction, a bizarre scene unfolded.
High above, among the storms, dense mycelium spread.
The storm seemed to be endowed with an unnatural vitality, transforming into a gigantic cultivation device, allowing clusters of brilliantly colored giant mushrooms to greedily absorb the nutrients from the river water and the flesh of the coal mine urban legends, growing wildly while also producing toxic, highly hallucinogenic mucus to return to the survivors.
Watching this scene, Li Xuan, who should have acted as the main force in this battle to prevent the Hundred Demons Walk, found himself unexpectedly playing the role of a mere driver.
Is that the legendary Jumeng?
There were reports that after the catastrophe, she might appear in Huacheng, but he didn’t expect her to actually show up and help prevent the Hundred Demons Walk.
Incredible… Li Xuan thought.
Under the influence of the storm stirred by Jumeng and the toxic mushrooms brought forth by her connection to Mushu, the groups of urban legends that had come with the incomplete hydrocarbon deity, which had triggered the Hundred Demons Walk, suffered heavy losses.
But the incomplete hydrocarbon deity was still fleeing…
It had sunk deeper, almost immersed in the river’s depths, emanating a strong, murky spirit energy fluctuation, and after losing the cover of the numerous coal mine urban legends, it twisted rapidly, as if desperately struggling to escape the observation of that cataclysm-grade urban legend hovering above.
Wherever it moved, it looked as if a brush dipped in ink had swept across, leaving dark traces behind.
The storm stirred by Jumeng swept over the river multiple times, attempting to lift it from beneath the surface, but it nimbly evaded each time.
Occasionally struck by the storm that swept deep into the river, it instantly severed part of its body like a gecko losing its tail, then continued moving forward, absorbing the river’s contamination to complete its repairs.
Seeing such a scene, Jumeng felt a surge of irritation, inexplicably compelled to “spend money to upgrade.”
As a seasoned gamer, she could accept fighting difficult bosses but couldn’t stand tedious trash mobs.
Among the bizarre urban legend powers, there were indeed some that weren’t very strong but were particularly annoying.
And this incomplete hydrocarbon deity was a typical example of a troublesome mob.
As it turned out, the habit of upgrading, even against cataclysm-grade urban legends, could be addictive; once you spend once, there would be countless times after.
However, she quickly suppressed her impulse.
No, Yuan Ye and the others also had it tough; I should endure!
Besides, going all out against such a small character while thinking of upgrading would ruin my reputation as the mighty Jumeng!
Jumeng thought, standing up leisurely.
Just as she was preparing to unleash her full power, a sudden burst of joyous gong and drum sounds filled her ears. Following the sound, she looked up to see a huge vessel adorned with red lanterns, cutting through the waves, shrouded in thick mist.
Where did this Cheng Yaojin come from? Trying to pick up pieces in front of me? Isn’t that a bit too bold?
Jumeng tilted her head and had just designated that strange ship radiating peculiar spirit energy as an enemy when her senses detected that the churning river water seemed to have paused, while the fleeing incomplete hydrocarbon deity appeared to be caught in the mud, its form abruptly halting.
Huh? That ship is actually friendly?
Is it a friend of Luxianbei’s?
How come I never heard that guy mention such a friend before?
After a few seconds of silent grumbling, Jumeng quickly refocused and activated her power.
Accompanied by the stirring of spirit energy, the surrounding air suddenly trembled, and the swirling storm vortex nearby bulged and shook, extending violent branches that tore through the sky like a massive iron arm, piercing through the heavens and deep into the river, gripping the incomplete hydrocarbon deity and pulling it forcefully.
“You can’t escape now!” Jumeng said softly.
As her words fell, the roaring storm exploded in the air, and the river’s surface shattered in response, a figure resembling a small mountain being yanked from the rolling waves by the storm and thrown into the sky.
“Ugh… what the hell is that? Has Huacheng always hidden such things?” Li Xuan, observing from a distance, made a sound of physical discomfort upon seeing the enormous entity swept from the water by the storm.
It was a pile of shiny black form, fragmented coal pieces covered like fish scales all over its massive body; under an unknown membrane, its flesh was thick and muddy.
Just looking at its form made one uncontrollably think of oil, peat, asphalt, and a series of hydrocarbon-containing substances, but unlike what is typically seen in industries, it—that is, they—were “alive.”
The slick, cold surface roiled and churned, briefly changing into various shapes and structures, and one could vaguely discern shapes of reptiles, giant fish, algae, and cnidarians, making it seem like a conglomerate of the spirits of ancient creatures.
In the next moment, before Li Xuan could further observe the incomplete hydrocarbon deity, storms surged in from all directions, enveloping its body like dragons soaring in the sky, pulling and tearing at it.
Then, from the grotesque wounds torn open by the storm, a faint green light appeared.
Various bacteria and fungi, prevalent in the unseen corners of the world, found “suitable” carbon sources, and with the activation of the reproductive power, multiplied at an unbelievable rate, crazily producing rhamnolipids that could decompose the carbon source, quickly biting deeper and enlarging the wounds.
Then, the storm churned violently, brutally obliterating.
For a moment, a liquid as black and viscous as oil rained down.
Poisonous smoke with a pungent odor began to fill the air…
After a long time.
When the flesh of the incomplete hydrocarbon deity was completely devoured by the crazily multiplying bacteria and fungi, and the smoke gradually dissipated, Jumeng slowly descended onto the river’s surface under Li Xuan’s watchful gaze.
With a light tap of her toes, ripples spread across the ink-colored river, a gentle breeze swirling to dissipate the surrounding poisonous gas, causing her skirt to sway, appearing as if a fairy had descended into a watercolor painting amidst the sky’s fluttering crows.
“Huh? What’s going on here?”
Leaning slightly to take the core of the urban legend delivered by the fierce wind, she opened her delicate white fingers and examined it closely. Upon seeing the core of the urban legend in her palm, after sensing the spirit energy fluctuations it emanated, Jumeng exclaimed in surprise.
The round urban legend core, resembling a piece of coal and exuding a special luster, was incomplete, seemingly missing a third due to some unknown power.
It’s hard to imagine that an urban legend, after losing a third of its core, not only didn’t d*e on the spot but also managed to increase its power dramatically and create chaos upon arriving in Huacheng.
This situation was akin to a human surviving with only two-thirds of their heart, still full of life and vigor.
“Could this crystal be causing trouble?” Jumeng murmured quietly, poking a finger at the urban legend core, where the missing segment was fixed by an iron-colored unknown metal, now gradually turning to dust.
It was a type of crystal she had never seen before, presenting the transparent color of high-purity natural diamonds, clear and beautiful, leading one to suspect that the incomplete hydrocarbon deity, after escaping from Huacheng, possibly found an alternative route and condensed powers related to diamonds.
However, when Jumeng’s fingertip touched the crystals, she instantly realized that they had no connection to diamonds.
Accompanied by a wave of hidden, murky spirit energy passing through her fingers, a series of unsettling images flashed through her mind: the ruins left behind by aggressive wars, drug ab*se in dirty streets, unresolvable animosities from various chaotic oppositions, decay, disorder, and panic.
For a moment, she even glimpsed a horrific scene where, without changing her powers, she would eventually become corrupted and dragged the entire Peach Source along with the whole Tangcheng and its surrounding areas into the abyss.
In an instant, she was stricken with horror.
Suddenly snapping back to reality, she withdrew her hand and looked at the urban legend core again, only to find that the diamond-like crystals had completely disintegrated into pale dust, and the iron-colored metal ring was also starting to crumble.
Numbers, hourglasses, sword-wielders, and trapped beasts… before Jumeng could note the small patterns on the iron-colored metal ring, it had utterly transformed into fine pale sand, quietly falling onto the river’s surface and disappearing.
The remaining two-thirds of the urban legend core appeared dim, as if drained of spirit energy, looking indistinguishably like an ordinary piece of coal.
“What???”
What is happening here?
Was this guy’s urban legend core modified by someone?
But is it even possible to modify an urban legend core…?
Isn’t that a bit too outrageous? Jumeng wondered.
Clearly, the bizarre situation surrounding the incomplete hydrocarbon deity had already surpassed her understanding…
————
Huacheng, Happy Neighborhood.
“… That’s roughly how it is; they are all my followers, so it is normal for them to behave intimately; don’t overthink it,” Luxianbei explained to Nanling Yaohua while walking deeper into the parking lot.
Upon hearing Luxianbei’s words, Nanling Yaohua, who was lightly perched on her shoulder, rested her chin on one hand in contemplation, then picked up a piece of paper and a pen, writing in a rustling manner.
A few seconds later, a small notebook with the words “What about Jumeng?” written on it was handed to Luxianbei.
Earlier on the way, when Luxianbei mentioned several girls she might meet, she also brought up Jumeng, but unlike when she mentioned Du Sixian and Meng Meng, Luxianbei spoke very vaguely and briefly about Jumeng, which, in some respects, was hardly better than the “brief” answer in the reference.
Following the principle that “the bigger the matter, the fewer the words,” even without relying on the so-called “female intuition,” she could sense that Jumeng’s relationship with Luxianbei was definitely closer than that with Du Sixian and Meng Meng.
“Um…” Luxianbei hesitated, and before she could consider her answer, a glint of cunning crossed Nanling Yaohua’s eyes, prompting her to produce a new question.
“I get it! Between Jumeng and the limping girl, who is closer to you?”
Seeing this question, Luxianbei’s heart skipped a beat, becoming increasingly tangled in hesitation.
Who is closer?
This question was something she had never truly considered.
“Stop right there! What are you doing?!”
Just as Luxianbei was cornered by Nanling Yaohua’s question, a loud shout rang out, rescuing her just in time.
Looking toward the sound, she saw a yellow weasel in a security uniform, standing half a person tall, alongside a huge eyeball floating in mid-air, the size of a basin, blocking their way.
Witnessing her soulful inquiry being ruthlessly interrupted, Nanling Yaohua shot a glare at the eyeball and the weasel urban legend, then sighed silently.
“…”
Forget it, at least I have a rough idea now.
If I ask further, this guy might just start rambling again, right?
Although she could tell that Jumeng was very close to her, surely it couldn’t compare to the limping girl? Nanling Yaohua thought.
The scene she vividly remembered from Dream City, where Luxianbei had collapsed into Jiang Li’s arms, crying uncontrollably, led her to subconsciously think that Jiang Li was the unique presence in Luxianbei’s heart and that while others or urban legends might be somewhat competitive, they weren’t as threatening as Jiang Li.
When did she grow this big? Glancing at the eyeball, Luxianbei followed the routine she had rehearsed in her mind many times, cupping her hands expressionlessly, and said, “I am Lan Yi, and I have urgent matters to discuss with Lady Jumeng… As far as I know, she should be inside, right?”
“What Lan Yi, Green Yi? Lady Jumeng is someone you can meet whenever you want?” the eyeball arrogantly retorted. “Get lost! In our Huacheng… uh, Lady Jumeng?”
Seeing the eyeball abruptly spit out Jumeng’s name mid-sentence, Luxianbei froze for a moment, quickly sensing the familiar spirit energy fluctuations, and turned around to see a sleek, shiny magpie swooping in.
Getting closer, the magpie emitted a faint green glow and, as her body continued to grow in size, it swiftly transformed into a well-proportioned girl, leaping into Luxianbei’s words.
Then, wrapping her arms around her neck and wrapping her legs around her waist, she locked her in a tight grip like an octopus capturing its prey.
“You finally made it, you know how long I’ve been waiting for you, you dog!”
As she spoke, immense force erupted from her limbs, and sudden pain, as if her bones were shattering, crashed down on Luxianbei.
However, Luxianbei’s suffering was only known to her; Nanling Yaohua, witnessing such a scene, felt their over-familiarity deserved a single remark of “6.”
