Free Web NovelChapter 256: Chapter 60: The Final Battle
(Cough, cough) Well, it’s just another late night, though slightly earlier than usual...
But the key here lies at the edge of Divine Lake — the very source of the said resentment energy that has accumulated over a thousand years...
And to transform it into that supercharged form of resentment energy requires a massive amount of consumption, which is precisely the root cause of its boundless growth.
Although this boundless growth seems weak, it’s nothing more than a distorted exaggeration when compared to that white mist, which is a direct counter to the supercharged resentment — capable of duplicating and controlling its form.
After all, the most enigmatic and powerful orb of deep crimson was already within the grasp of God Granny — the Supercharged Resentment.
In the end, the white mist couldn’t help but frown, uncertain about his own chances of winning against this towering adversary...
Everything about those two figures... their physical presence, their breath, their speed, their strength, their weapons were utterly distinct.
With the speed of lightning, the shorter shadow used the Nine-Five Thunder Blade to block a blow from the other, taller figure... Resentment energy condensed, taking form around the pair, one short, one tall.
The white mist reacted quickly to this familiar surge of resentful energy, his eyes intently gazing into the mass of resentment.
Suddenly, God Granny’s body was enveloped by a familiar strand of resentful energy.
Chu Qing and Nine-Five sensed an incredibly strong and large burst of resentful energy so suddenly, it was almost astonishingly close to them.
It seemed as though God Granny, with her eyes devoid of any double pupils, was not aware of this blade, showing no reaction to it whatsoever.
This old evil spirit of seven hundred years launches a sneak attack! With the Nine-Five Thunder Blade flashing like lightning, and in the very moment God Granny began to speak, switching her focus, Chi Jie and Well wouldn’t even bother discussing any martial virtues when facing God Granny.
It seems the very motive was to make God Granny drop her guard.
What could Nine-Five possibly know? Well got ready to act the moment Chi Jie spoke his last sentence.
"What kind of question is that..."
God Granny, with her kindly eyes and benevolent brows, said,
"I truly worship Divine Lake, you need to give me the answer you seek, but I still have one last question for you."
[Danger... danger... danger... Could it be I need to look faster? I don’t recognize this character... Overall, the situation calls for being extremely cautious — BEWARE]
The preparations were actually quite simple, and even though Well couldn’t see anything suspicious at the bottom of the dark lake, the deep crimson submerged and darkened within the lake’s obsidian surface.
"The Divine Lake will absorb her; I will hand her over to Divine Lake, but there’s a nagging thought I have... Does she hold immense resentment within her, or is this my good and precious daughter?"
"Where is the Deep Crimson hidden? You should know who I’m talking about."
"You do not cherish yourselves... The choice is already in your hands," said God Granny with a dismissive chuckle, sensing the determination of the two tall and short figures before her.
Well clenched his ax tightly while Nine-Five drew his sword.
Extracting the evil spirit from the lake’s edge and overcoming God Granny will be an arduous task.
Yet it still clings to its own desires and will only devour afterwards.
But even though the spirit uses this energy itself, it could also be devoured by it.
This is not just an ancient superstition or some bewildering belief... These resentment thoughts originate from countless people; it’s not just a mere creature of oddity — beneath the dark surface of the lake, something much stronger and stranger than God Granny is lurking, hidden.
"The so-called Divine Lake, which you plan to use for drawing in your last hope, doesn’t exist at all, as I’ve told you," said Well.
It was quite exhausting, and from what could be seen, this gang of evildoers was just trying to deceive Deep Crimson, who was still naively unaware of the difference between good and evil and had only recently sought Well’s help. Well thought about it and found nothing strange about Deep Crimson —
...Unless this girl is truly such a fool.
"...For seven hundred years resisting, the Divine Lake has already received its sacrifices. If it eradicated that one breath of grudge, it wouldn’t have a different outcome, a stubborn defiance. You could still survive with that will of yours, offering yourself to the Divine Lake, and believing in the Divine Lake."
God Granny: "Do you not acknowledge?"
The white mist still bore a smile, "But you’re merely forcing one last act. I essentially could’ve dispelled your stubborn obsession, that’s what the second scene is all about, isn’t it?"
"I should trust the Divine Lake without any doubt," Chi Jie retorted.
What exactly is Erleipu’s purpose behind those playful words?
Drinking the water from Well in this world is fundamentally not possible, but it is, after all, a world within a Well. Are those playful thoughts like the white mist?
["But demons know that playful thought will not be of any use, even though there might still be a trick or two up his sleeve. Even if you can’t overcome him with your current capabilities, this old God Granny is such a nuisance, isn’t she? Doing something vile under the lead of an evil person like the white mist, from which evil intentions have been instilled in you—why don’t you join the Divine Lake’s teachings? You don’t really believe in that religion, do you?"]
—God Granny is exceptionally dangerous, having gone unnoticed.
Ever since the beginning... because of God Granny, who epitomizes evil thoughts manifested in an exaggerated form, He was unlike any other man who had taken on that vile transformation.
Watching through the white mist, God Granny stopped her ancient, strange dance.
"Chu Qing should have least of all. Do you, who have become the same kind of evil product as the things discarded by the Divine Lake, think that there are still people who truly believe in the Divine Lake? Wouldn’t that be similar to admitting that the Divine Lake is a product of evil itself? Why don’t we all just admit it openly? Aren’t you especially this type of evil incarnate, Chu Qing, aren’t you, aren’t you? Is there really anyone who believes in the Divine Lake in this world where the Divine Lake fundamentally does not exist?"
White mist coldly chuckled as Wu Jiu clenched his knife tightly.
It was, of course, aimed at White Mist and Wu Jiu’s conversation.
God Granny said while dancing her bizarre dance, "I am eager to see the Divine Lake... Although these foreigners have strong resolve, capable of reaching all the way here, you have become the eternal guardians, protecting the Divine Lake. Since swallowing me, the Divine Lake has always been here, defending it forever."
Indeed, those twisted creatures from within the world wouldn’t dare approach here.
There were no living things on the surface of Zao Lake, and the wood structures standing by the lake were unlike the surrounding outside perimeter of the lake.
Looking closely, it only gives a sense deeper than the gloomy darkness. Without a pair of eyes, without any deep eye sockets, God Granny is just like the first scene, a physical embodiment of evil thoughts. Her clothing was completely made of talisman paper, while she hopped and skipped, with bronze bells tied to both her hands and feet.
Beneath the lake, it seemed to be concealing numerous living beings, the surface of the lake boiling with gas bubbles, like a layer of sludge. The dark color on the surface of the lake...
...
...
Suddenly, the sky collapsed, just presenting itself to White Mist.
He just smiled and went straight to sleep, eyes closing one after another, a self-indulgent feast.
—He was downright contemptuous and dismissive of White Mist’s previous performance; Wu Jiu and White Mist held him in utter disdain, not trusting him since he entered this domain.
... It is only now that Feng Pinghai’s vigorous efforts have tired him out.
—The Divine Lake itself.
He realized that the most profound source of evil here, the villagers’ own blind, obsessive faith, was simply due to their ignorance. After school grounds were opened and could gradually be left behind, maybe it would somehow interfere with the oppressive tactics of those authoritarian teachers... But no matter how hard teachers try, they cannot change the fundamental attitudes of children if parents remain unchanged, as they are a product of their home environment and schooling.
It was just like this world before White Mist where some teachers, wanting to eradicate some of the students’ bad habits with great effort, are akin to a teacher from an earlier time.
Fearing not death, they all awaited their turn in the cycle to come to life again...
Though it was clear this cycle was perceivable to them, they had not stopped experiencing these affairs over seven hundred years.
...Zhao Kuan and Zhu Jin were not merely incidental witnesses to the murder of a wife in a past life by a hunter who had died; they are not just having a brush with death.
These thoughts will revive soon enough, but the core of everything doesn’t change—only the surface.
While they infiltrated his united spiritual body with their own thoughts, they were like an alien concept to him, entirely unlike White Mist and his thinking.
Chu Qing was gradually coming to understand this spiritual world.
"...there was a certain time when after everything had circled back to a single cut, I simply came to see—without pulling it out from the lake at Divine Lake, where death was inevitable..."
Feng Haiping fell to the ground, thinking about those last words as he died.
His body, in a split second, returned to its weakened state at the banquet, with no sign of the body swap.
All traces of the main corpse in the coffin had disappeared, along with the nine black shadows that surrounded it.
Erasing evil thoughts.
"Though I have died... but I will come back again... there will eventually be a day when I break free from this domain’s limits at Divine Lake..."
Its flesh began to rapidly wither, and its body slowly started to transform.
As he uttered these words, Feng Haiping’s skull, already spewing black resentment into the air, had no movement left, but these words were enough to rescue Feng Haiping from the black shadows.
"The only trick is Chi Jie... it’s just a feint... the best weapon I can use is my hand with a knife..."
Exchange positions, extreme speed, force.
In that instant, Chu Qing had the strongest vitality, the utmost speed, and the most powerful destructive force. freewebnøvel.com
But it was already too late. He had to start attacking immediately, as the black shadows had realized he was not a proper match. They had already counted on Feng Haiping’s every move, even though he wanted to run.
Chu Qing had already appeared in front of Feng Haiping, replacing him suddenly. The nearest black shadow was now the farthest away, having been exchanged by Chu Qing.
Exchange positions, extreme speed.
Chu Qing’s figure suddenly disappeared, and although Feng Haiping thought of a possibility, it did not correspond in time.
Exchange of vital forces, extreme speed.
However, just when Chu Qing’s life force was hanging by a thread, a sudden chance for survival bloomed.
As soon as he recognized that his body had weakened beyond strength, Feng Haiping’s hands, which were first to lift the coffin, started trembling violently.
—In such an extreme situation, Chu Qing unexpectedly managed to reverse this dire situation, with not even a second to spare. Feng Haiping couldn’t imagine it.
Chu Qing’s eyes were like blades ready to be unsheathed at any moment, reflecting the opposite.
There wasn’t a single thread of defeat or despair in his eyes; his messy hair was blown by the wind coming from the lakefront. Chu Qing suddenly looked up, with Feng Haiping closing in within an instant.
Even his breath was not weaker than before, his clothing was ragged and torn, his body was covered with wounds, his head hung low without giving away any expression, his arms drooped down, and he stood hunched over.
Chu Qing appeared extremely strained just standing up, looking weaker than after a brutal and violent beating.
Chu Qing never ceased to observe the worsening conditions as Feng Haiping was preparing for his final harvest, lifting up the coffin.
This move by Feng Haiping was also a supremely mysterious tactic to him, but the nine shadows within the coffin were no weaker than any other.
While Chu Qing could still refine himself within this terrible situation, Feng Haiping’s greedy eyes saw an incredible opportunity.
He had already reached a dire state, with all sorts of lengthy procedures being useless, and the two critical keys were utterly inaccessible to Chu Qing.
This space of spiritual essence was a haven for a profound supernatural entity, but...
...Chu Qing, who seldom did evil, could beat the black domain forces in this spiritual world; he must want to be back in the real world now.
In this instant, he was in a situation of absolute danger...
White Mist and Wu Jiou had already left the battlefield far behind, and there was no possibility of them turning back to kill again.
His body, constantly attacked like a storm, was accumulating injuries rapidly within the nine shadows. Very quickly, the Chi Jie in his hand was being knocked out, too quickly.
A single slip could lead to a chain of fatal mistakes, unsustainable in this wolfish moment—a far cry from his usual elegant demeanor.
Well had just received a solid punch to the face, only one evil thought had managed to carry out a side attack.
...In the end, he revealed his mistake. At the same time, facing the nine shadows, he also joined the battle and directly went to Feng Hai Ping’s side to protect three of them.
However, to his surprise, Feng Hai Ping wasn’t there any longer in the short time frame.
He had to avoid being touched at all costs and could maximize the use of spatial displacement when facing six evil thoughts simultaneously.
Well had already figured out the corresponding strategy, and in a flash, he arrived before them before their attack could materialize. However, the six black shadow evil thoughts launched their attacks from different angles simultaneously.
Well observed the true path of the six, and at this moment, he was indeed displaying his immense battle strength, pressing against the six nearby black shadows.
Feng Hai Ping kept a close eye on Well, ready to spot the right moment to pack Well into the coffin. God Granny was protecting Feng Hai Ping, a fraction of an inch away from death’s corner.
The battle took another turn.
This forced Well, who actually wasn’t Feng Hai Ping’s true body submerged in Divine Lake, to persevere because Feng Hai Ping didn’t possess the similar power of Red Fury. Some were real, others were a bluff.
All of them were completely disguised as his own slaves or village folks, packed into the coffin by Feng Hai Ping, these were all nine shadows.
Well had only one chance to gamble, as he didn’t appear to have any flaws in his sequence. Together, he could become the most powerful in the group.
...Well relied on his ability to quickly see who could recover at the highest speed, who had the strongest power, and who was the fastest in the brawl, trusting his heavenly vision and penetrating gaze.
Being surrounded was the biggest downside to this sequence, especially since he hadn’t reached the second stage of the two extremes exchange.
This was indeed a way to break the technique, summoning a stack of resentful spirit congregates over his own body.
Though Well didn’t take it seriously and scoffed at it with contempt, he watched Feng Hai Ping climb up from the ground.
"Tsk, tsk, ’insignificant evil thoughts,’ let’s see if you can touch me again," Well said disdainfully.
"You are no exception. After all, each and every one of you will become a part of me, already packed into the coffin materials."
Each and every one of Feng Hai Ping’s soul pieces wasn’t much different from the others, these black shadows lacked any form of semblance or glossy black outline.
To Well, these evil thoughts were nothing short of inferior, even pathetic, compared to the aura emanating from the coffin. Well slightly frowned.
Well had practised and condensed the evil aura from the coffin into several black shadows.
Even though his power and speed were exchanged, he still had other lethal moves in reserve. Feng Hai Ping felt a sudden cold chill as he plummeted from the sky.
With a calm face and his hands behind his back, Well stood unmoving.
A tremendous body was sent soaring into the sky by the terrifying force of a strike from Chi Jie, which Well received.
Feng Hai Ping was becoming increasingly vulnerable; more and more, black resentful energy leaked out from his wounds, quickly revealing multiple dent marks on his body, making the giant white-haired old figure look grizzled.
Being bashed, Feng Hai Ping could not bear it any longer, crossing his arms over his chest to protect it. Wave after wave of energy burst forth from Chi Jie, as every shadow of Well’s appeared to surround him on all sides.
Well was exchanging his power at an incredibly fast rate; speeds were also interchanged afterward.
Of course, the strongest was Feng Hai Ping, with Well’s destructive force in his hands, but Chi Jie seemed unremarkably plain at first sight.
Well could rely on maneuvering quickly to keep away from this weakness.
Only after a short one-second pause could he initiate further action.
This power wouldn’t exhaust too much physical energy, but after thirteen seconds, he was able to revert to his original state, although there was just a one-second pause in between.
At this stage of advancement, he was able to interchange six properties; most he could do at the same time was interchange four properties.
Since the beginning, Chu Qing had been interchanging his own speed with Feng Hai Ping’s to keep him under pressure.
This sequence, the strongest of all, seemed to determine the victor in the blink of an eye in this combat.
