Doomsday Jigsaw Puzzle

Chapter 358: Chapter 162: Siblings of the Jing Family

Outside the tower, Black Gold Island.

The alliance between the forces of Huangquan Island and the forces of Black Gold Island was not for the so-called prophecy.

They simply decided to eradicate humans after several important strongholds were taken down by a few humans in quick succession.

Initially, the merchant and the blacksmith had no intention of telling Jing Wu about this.

But in the grand palace behind Black Gold Island, built as if from volcanic rock, the ever-slumbering Jing Wu woke up.

It would take some time to assemble forces from both Black Gold Island and Huangquan Island.

Jing Wu opened his eyes, showing no signs of grogginess. The wounds sustained from the battle with Zero seemed to have healed as well.

He did nothing but look at the sky. After a long time, he called for the merchant and the blacksmith.

"Ah... You’ve actually woken up! Hohohoho, this is truly good news," the merchant said, surprised.

The blacksmith thought, The Lord has awoken; it seems that something can no longer be concealed.

"The Well has been activated," Jing Wu said abruptly.

"What?" The merchant did not catch on immediately.

Jing Wu was patient. He had not seen his second brother for a long time.

"It wasn’t naturally activated but was forcibly opened. The Well has been activated, and the restrictions between regions have disappeared."

It was at this moment that the merchant and the blacksmith understood the meaning of his words.

"Hohohoho, isn’t this divine aid?"

Jing Wu frowned:

"What are you two plotting?"

"People from Huangquan Island have appeared."

The merchant slowly began to narrate events from a few days ago. The intelligence from Wandering Spirits and the human sanctuary of Baichuan City. The clue to the human who messed up things for the Mechanical City.

This information excited Jing Wu, and he did not care about the reliability of the intelligence. He cared even less about whatever schemes people from Huangquan Island were hatching.

Compared to him, the power of the people from Huangquan Island was too weak. It was almost impossible for ordinary Evil Fallen to reach the Well Level standards through their innate talents alone.

Upon learning everything, Jing Wu looked at the merchant and the blacksmith with more satisfaction; these two subordinates were quite loyal after all.

"We indeed did not expect you to wake up so soon, Lord. We were planning to bring the head of that human and wait to please you when you awoke."

Jing Wu said:

"The aura of the Well would cause me to sense it. The battle with Zero was supposed to leave me in deeper slumber. My power has not yet fully recovered, but it doesn’t matter anymore."

If Jing Wu’s help was secured, Baichuan City was as good as dead in the merchant’s view.

Therefore, the other important matter for this operation was the power of Huangquan Island.

"Hohohoho, with you awake, humans will surely fall into despair at your might. However, there is a piece of not-so-good news for you."

"Speak."

"The judge from Huangquan Island, it seems he has obtained... a very powerful force."

Jing Wu understood.

The Power of Life and Death was the power of his elder brother from the flight. Previously, he headed to the Mechanical City seeking a powerful puppet that could go to that flight.

And the people from Huangquan Island were after the same flight as well.

"He’s different from that madman. Once awakened, the seven hundred years of absence will leave him bewildered. If the second brother is a smiling tiger, then the third brother is probably a blank slate with no concept of right or wrong."

Jing Wu had mentioned this before.

The forces of Huangquan Island possessed the power left by Jing San, and the aura of this power would inherently make Jing San feel kinship.

However, whether it was Jing Wu’s power that transcended the Evil Fallen or the Power of Life and Death, they would first need to find that flight and a way to break through Reincarnation.

Only then could Jing San be awakened.

Seven hundred years of absence created a blank slate, the perfect canvas. Just as with filling these memories, Jing Wu had long been ready.

Presumably, Huangquan Island was no different.

People of Huangquan Island’s forces, aiming to break through Reincarnation and using the guardian of the Yan Family as the breakthrough point, planned to obtain the powerful Super Sequence—Bipolar Transposition on the Semi-Evil Fallen judge.

The ultimate goal, of course, was not to serve loyally, but to harness and control.

Just like Jing Wu’s purpose, in order to control a brother who was stronger than itself, it chose to seek help from Zero.

But the plans of both parties were disrupted by a person named Bai Wu.

"Then this is an opportunity, my lord, after we take care of that human, we can then deal with those from Huangquan Island..."

The Octopus’s eyes gleamed with cunning.

Although Jing Wu thought the same, compared to its previous absolute expansion and confidence, it underwent a slight change.

It began to ponder whether everything on this trip to Baichuan would go smoothly and whether that human would take some unexpected actions.

These changes were a good thing for Jing Wu but an absolute disaster for humans.

As for Huangquan Island, Jing Wu had its own schemes.

It had always played the role of a madman among its brothers, two of whom never left their doors, one went mad and vanished without a trace, and one was half-dead, imprisoned in Reincarnation.

The only sister, although very strong, was almost completely devoured by the law of cause and effect.

So, for quite some time, the strongest fighting force outside the tower was itself.

This also meant Jing Wu rarely considered certain issues. Because it was unnecessary to think, use its brain, or any strategy; absolute physical force could break through everything.

It was only after being defeated twice in a row by Mechanical City that Jing Wu realized something.

"In the past seven hundred years, indeed, a very small number of Evil Fallen have climbed to our level of height. We must not be careless in this operation. Since it is about destroying the humans’ delusion, then no force should be held back."

The restrictions between regions outside the tower had been lifted. And within the Evil Fallen, Jing Wu naturally carried a terrifying oppressing force.

This meant that on the way to Baichuan City, the already huge Evil Fallen Legion could expand further.

The merchant and the blacksmith both understood what this meant:

"It seems that the opening of the Well is very timely this time. Along the way, we can recruit quite a number of forces. Ho ho ho ho ho..."

...

...

Huangquan Island.

Hanging Corpse Bridge.

Beneath the bridge was a bottomless abyss, surrounded by bizarre mountains, with a suspension bridge linking both ends across the vast chasm.

The edges of the bridge were adorned with many dried corpses.

Bai Wu had once come to this place and spoke with the Tomb Guardian. But the Tomb Guardian was no longer there.

Now on Huangquan Island, there was only a judge, who stood on the Hanging Corpse Bridge, playing his flute.

The flute’s melody was plaintive, gradually falling into the abyss.

Because of Jing Wu’s awakening, Black Gold Island was determined to take Baichuan City, and Huangquan Island had already assembled its forces.

Over seven hundred years, countless Wandering Spirits, under the unique rules of Huangquan Island, gathered into a vile flesh.

With the flute music, these filthy beings began to slowly climb up the bizarre rocks.

It was as if countless evil spirits in hell had finally grasped the rope to climb out of the inferno.

The densely packed Wandering Spirits drove their filthy bodies like ants drawn to honey.

The doctor said:

"With this, we now have the troops to crush those prison inmates head-on."

The judge said:

"The disappearance of the area’s restrictions is a carnival for all Evil Fallen. We shouldn’t miss this opportunity."

The doctor strongly agreed:

"However, stealing those battle trophies of great research value from Black Gold Island’s hands is a skillful feat."

"They only need to be responsible for the slaughter, leave the rest to me."

The alliance between Huangquan Island and Black Gold Island was partly out of deep hatred for Bai Wu.

But the main reason was that the doctor and the judge were interested in the power of a few humans.

Whether it was Bai Wu, Lin Rui, or Yan Zizai, these individuals had powers that could enable Huangquan Island to rival the colossal force of Black Gold Island.

Seizing this power was the true purpose of Huangquan Island.

...

...

Outside the tower, the Chaos Realm.

Even for Shen Shuyue, witnessing the chaotic amalgamation of various regions for the first time was profoundly shocking.

Fortunately, she was luckier than most, for if there was a problem, she had a woman by her side who seemed to know almost everything.

"The closer we get to the Well, the more the connections between the things we see...the common sense we take for granted...begins to collapse."

"Deserts can be connected to oceans, the sky above may be a piece of land, and within the ruins of a city, one might find volcanoes and cliffs..."

"But this is just a spatial disorder. You might see day turn to night in an instant, but how long it takes for night to turn back to day is unknown. Creatures that fall ill might become livelier, and eating food might leave one feeling hungrier."

"Here, death may not necessarily mean death, and living may not necessarily mean life. Spring, summer, autumn, winter, birth, aging, sickness, death, flowers, birds, insects, fish, mountains, rivers, heavens, earth...all crumbling, not necessarily operating on the logic we know."

This omniscient woman was, of course, Jing Liu.

Shen Shuyue said,

"Is that why you didn’t let that young girl come in? She might not be weaker than me. If I can survive here, perhaps she could too."

"She has her own destiny. She needs to go to Baichuan City to help Bai Wu."

"What about the deer?"

"That’s a variable, let it be, I don’t wish to watch anymore."

Shen Shuyue didn’t ask further. Not wishing to watch meant that this senior figure probably no longer had much strength to spy on cause and effect.

The remaining energy would be used in crucial places.

Not long ago, Shen Shuyue and Jing Liu had entered that region which even the White Deer dared not enter recklessly.

A world with no discernable pattern or science in its space and territory.

As they delved deeper, time and rules would become erratic and illogical.

Having seen these two women enter the Chaos Realm, Hong Yin followed.

When they met, however, the play for three women did not commence because Jing Liu quickly sent Hong Yin away.

The reason was simple.

Bai Wu needed her.

So the young girl left without a word.

What left an impression on Shen Shuyue was that Hong Yin’s dress had completely turned black. The balloon led by the girl in the black dress hadn’t grown larger, but it now seemed more terrifying to her than before.

"How much longer do we have to walk?"

"Soon."

"Will we see the Well?"

"No."

Jing Liu sounded tired:

"The Well is the source of chaos, and even I am not clear on the forces within it."

"Your brother... is he inside the Well?"

"No, just in a nearby region. I can’t see much, but I know the way to go. As for the Well, maybe we’re very close, but at the same time, while we’re close, we could also be far from it." freeweɓnøvel.com

That was a cryptic statement. Close and yet far at the same time.

Shen Shuyue, however, understood.

"Is it because all the rules we know might change here?"

"Yes. We’ve already entered the range of the Well’s distortion. Everything we see from here is influenced by the Well, but to find it, we might need many years... even if it’s just within reach."

"We might even run into... our past selves. Fortunately, we’re not trying to get close to the Well; our goal is just to find my brother."

Shen Shuyue could feel that Jing Liu was very weak.

Despite still possessing great power, this soul-deep weakness could not be concealed.

Shen Shuyue saw this and ultimately said nothing, merely asking:

"If there is no such thing as far and near in this place... then how can we find him?"

Jing Liu smiled:

"Rather than saying my brother is trapped somewhere, it’s more like... he created a place that could trap himself. That place is not affected by distortion."

Although she never knew how strong Jing Si truly was, Shen Shuyue still felt the terror emanating from him through these words.

It was as if there were a place where the rules were twisted, yet he could create an untwisted world within that twisted realm.

He seemed to become an existence on par with the rules, though the area he commanded was doomed to be small...

But she still could feel it... This man named Jing Si, as if by his own power, was contending against the rules derived from the Well.

"I remember you saying he had gone mad."

"That was a very long time ago, I said that the power of the Well could twist everything, including my brother’s thoughts. He indeed went mad for a long time and even did some wrong things... In the face of absolute Chaos, even someone as powerful as him couldn’t maintain his self."

"That’s why I couldn’t predict the existence of this place."

Shen Shuyue now understood just how dangerous the place she was approaching was. Jing Liu continued:

"But now... I can predict that place. And him confining himself near the Well, do you know what that means?"

"What?"

"It means... he has awakened. Perhaps not fully, but at least my brother is no longer wandering this world, committing acts of madness."

Shen Shuyue thought to herself, are you sure he hasn’t become crazier? Maybe the extremity of madness has formed a new kind of sanity?

As the two conversed, they continued to move forward, and soon Shen Shuyue realized... Although they had been moving forward the whole time, they had returned to their original place.

But this place did not have any labyrinth-like characteristics. Shen Shuyue had a deeper understanding of the distortion of the rules.

Jing Liu said nothing, just kept walking forward.

...

...

The Evil Fallen outside the towers began to move across regions on a large scale.

The foul spirits from Huangquan Island, under the guidance of flute music, kept migrating through the Nether River. When they crossed the seas and set foot on the continent of Sheng Country, all creatures felt engulfed in a cyanic gloom... It was a Legion named Death.

This Legion grew in strength as it moved, with more and more creatures becoming wandering spirits under the influence of the flute music.

The merchants and blacksmiths of Black Gold Island, too, led a large group of Evil Fallen, starting to move across regions on a large scale.

Countless Evil Fallen were subdued by the despairing force the moment they saw Jing Wu, turning an already vast army even mightier.

Countless Evil Fallen knelt in submission to that terrifying power, the balance between regions... was destined to undergo massive changes after this great battle!

The two top forces from outside the towers were moving their respective powers toward Baichuan City.

At the same time, the barriers of the Mechanical Race were lifted, the segregation between the Inner City and Outer City was removed, and under the escort of the Divine Guard, Zero led the Mechanical Race’s army, also moving towards Baichuan City.

Compared to the other two forces, they appeared relatively few in number, but their extremely fearsome firepower and a leader on par with the Well Level, were the reasons why Mechanical City had stood unshaken for seven hundred years!

The city that once endured seven days of cataclysm was about to face an even more staggering collision between humans and the Evil Fallen.

...

...

In a certain place within the Chaos Realm, Shen Shuyue and Jing Liu, in a place without direction, without a before or after, and without past or future, finally encountered a region like a starry sky.

The myriad twinkles were not enough to dispel the darkness of the area; from afar, it seemed as if luminescent eyes had opened in a place of absolute black. ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom

Shen Shuyue had never feared death, but she still perceived a sense of danger...

"This is it... The place I saw, it’s right here!"

For a long time, Jing Liu in Shen Shuyue’s eyes was always calm and gentle, hardly ever swayed by the emotions of this world.

Perhaps it was after that farewell in Ddnglin City years ago, she, who was supposedly closest to omniscience, could never find her dearest one.

Many years passed, and then many more... One savior after another appeared, fell, reappeared, and fell again.

One flicker of hope after another emerged from the High Tower, extinguished, resurfaced, and then extinguished again.

She had searched place after place, for seven hundred years, with no past or future at the edge of the Well, and, for the most part, no past or future in her world, either.

All things in the world looked like they had already happened but had yet to arrive.

There was only one thing... that made her, like everyone else, unaware of the outcome but filled with anticipation because of it.

For the first time, Shen Shuyue saw human emotion on Jing Liu’s face!

Looking towards the dark starry expanse, Jing Liu’s lips quivered, gone was the prophet’s composure and calm:

"Brother, I’ve come to see you."