Free Web NovelDeparting from Dunhuang City Airport in the morning, the Wrangler SUV carrying Fang Ji and Elder Shem still hadn't reached its destination by midnight.
This city is very different from what is commonly understood as a city. Although it is only a county-level city with a permanent population of only a few hundred thousand, its area is over 30,000 square kilometers, much larger than many cities with millions of people.
Within these 30,000 square kilometers, many areas are uninhabited. It is normal to spend a day and a night traveling from one end of the city to the other. If one is unlucky enough to encounter sandstorm weather, it takes even longer, and it's not impossible to be unable to travel normally for several days.
Since early this morning, there has been a considerable sandstorm around Dunhuang City. Visibility in some areas was no more than five meters. It briefly cleared up for a while, but soon the sandstorm started howling again, even showing a trend of intensifying.
Even the meteorological bureau was helpless against this rare and strange weather. After much effort, they couldn't find the cause of the severe weather and could only appeal to the public to minimize travel.
However, while such weather could slow down the Miracle Order members' pace, it could only slow them down. It was absolutely impossible to stop them from going where they wanted to go!
Under the night sky, amidst the strong winds, the natural and beautiful outline of the Gobi Desert was vaguely visible. Under the fierce wind, sand rose into the air like smoke, occasionally sweeping across the off-road vehicle's doors and windows, making a series of grating, fine noises.
It was as if countless invisible small hands were hidden in the wind, constantly scratching, which made Elder Shem irritable.
According to his style of acting as an Elder of the Miracle Order, at any other time, he would definitely open the car door and jump out, brandishing his twin blades, and fight the storm to his heart's content until the storm stopped.
As a human, single-handedly overcoming severe natural weather could also be considered a miracle.
But today, he couldn't do that. For a greater miracle, he had to get Fang Ji to his destination as quickly as possible.
Perhaps sensing Elder Shem's irritation, Fang Ji raised an eyebrow and broke the silence.
"Elder Shem, do you remember what that old woman told us when we made our last resupply before entering the uninhabited zone?"
Elder Shem thought for a moment and replied, "That old woman seemed to be advising us to stay at the rest stop for a while and wait for the sandstorm to subside before traveling."
"That's right, when she heard our destination was Yumen Pass, she even showed a horrified expression, saying that such weather was the Heavenly God getting angry and sending his retainers to patrol the Gobi Desert to prevent people like us from approaching Yumen Pass."
"Exactly!" Fang Ji nodded. "Then you say, if we defy the will of the Heavenly God and still successfully reach our destination, isn't that a miracle?"
Hearing Fang Ji say this, Elder Shem instantly became excited. Like he had been injected with adrenaline, he slammed the accelerator to the floor.
In an instant, the off-road vehicle's engine roared like a howling wild beast, leaping over the sand dune ahead.
Seeing this, Fang Ji glanced at the rearview mirror out of the corner of his eye, imperceptibly curling the corner of his mouth.
In the rearview mirror, rolling yellow sand churned in the storm. Within that yellow sand, dense, human-hand-like phantoms flickered in and out of view.
Those phantoms waved and struggled forward, as if trying to grab the off-road vehicle speeding past them, but in the end, they all missed, leaving only white scratches on the car body.
Fang Ji knew early on that urban legend were hidden in this eerie sandstorm.
However, these urban legend were not sent by the so-called Heavenly God to prevent people like them from approaching Yumen Pass.
These urban legend have existed on this Gobi Desert for a very long time.
According to legend, if someone dies on the Gobi Desert, their body cannot be found. Their bodies are all sent to a distant place by the evil spirits hidden beneath the yellow sand, so that those deceased can never return to their homeland, just like them.
Fang Ji guessed that the place where those bodies were sent was probably the true Yumen Pass.
After all, a God Kingdom that has lost its controller, able to sustain operation on a Gobi Desert for so many years without collapsing, should require some external Spiritual Energy and materials for replenishment.
As for where the true Yumen Pass is...
"Left Envoy, I just looked at the map. We should arrive in about ten minutes." Elder Shem suddenly spoke, interrupting Fang Ji's thoughts.
"Mm." Fang Ji nodded, looking out the window. "Once we arrive, let's quickly meet up with the other Elders, shall we?"
He paused, then added, "Tomorrow, we'll start preparing. Once the Holy Child arrives, we can begin the ritual."
If he doesn't come, there's no way to find the true Yumen Pass! Fang Ji thought.
Although Lu Yibei's body was merely a "transit station" for the fusion of the God Kingdom Prototype and Lingtai Pure Karma, only needing to bear the will of thousands of living beings within the God Kingdom Prototype for a short period, the pain experienced in these few short minutes far exceeded her imagination.
Meeting timely rain after a long drought, encountering an old friend in a foreign land, the night of the bridal chamber, the moment of success in the imperial examination.
Birth, old age, sickness, death, resentment, separation from loved ones, inability to obtain what one desires.
It was simply like an absurd and extremely bizarre nightmare.
In a matter of minutes, she seemed to have experienced thousands of different lives—human lives, dog lives, tree lives, all sorts of messy lives—and saw countless "strange" things that she, at her age, should not have to bear.
Lu Yibei considered herself well-informed. As an old hand who had frequented the internet for years, she had seen too many "strange" things.
But it wasn't until today that she suddenly realized that even in a world without urban legend, a world shrunk countless times, as long as the number of living beings reached a certain level, there would inevitably be things she couldn't comprehend.
However, Lu Yibei has always been eager to learn. Even if it's a "strange" thing, she wants to learn about it.
As the controller of the God Kingdom Prototype, referencing the Great Serpent God's experience when fusing the God Kingdom and the Bamboo Scroll Illusion, and following the operational procedures for extracting Human Fireworks raw materials, she felt there shouldn't be any major problem with delving deeper into the various thoughts of the residents within the God Kingdom Prototype.
However, during the fusion of the God Kingdom, there was only one outcome for becoming overly immersed in the stories of others: losing oneself.
This point was not mentioned at all in the Great Serpent God's memory, as it only wanted to understand why those troublesome people still harmed it after it had done so much for them.
Thus, the unsuspecting Lu Yibei ran into big trouble.
Her consciousness, as if caught in a turbulent vortex, sank into the lives of those residents.
In the end, her consciousness became numb from the continuous stimulation.
In the chaos where even time seemed to lose its meaning, she could do nothing but stare blankly. freewebnovёl.ƈom
And just as she gave up thinking, hovering on the brink of madness, the Demoness Seed urban legend' core body, after a long time, began to revel.
Spiritual Energy fluctuations surged, and coldness, like icy seawater, began to steal the warmth from her body.
Numbness, coldness, death—she felt as if she had become a tiny speck of dust floating in the universe, drifting aimlessly in the boundless deep space.
She couldn't even remember how she managed to transfer the God Kingdom Prototype, entrusted within her body, into Lingtai Pure Karma.
Perhaps she didn't manage it at all. Before she could complete the transfer and entrustment, her consciousness was swallowed by the surging emotions like a flood, and her mind was shattered.
This state seemed to last for centuries, until that portion of Human Fireworks completely merged into her body.
At that moment, her body seemed to be struck by lightning, jolting violently, followed by an invisible gravitational force that pulled her consciousness downward.
Down.
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From the boundless deep space, falling towards the human world.
However, for some unknown reason, she was simply falling towards the human world, continuously falling, without end, never reaching a destination, and Lu Yibei would never wake up.
It seemed to be missing a crucial element, preventing the full effect of the Human Fireworks from being realized.
It was like traditional Chinese medicine lacking a 'medicinal guide,' unable to achieve its best efficacy. freēwebnovel.com
Who knows how long passed, time seemed to have lost its meaning.
When the last trace of Lu Yibei's consciousness remained, she felt a pair of hands gently catch her body, pull her into an embrace, and take her to a safe place so she could sleep soundly.
That was the first breath of "human world" she felt during her long descent.
Then, as if a reset button had been pressed, everything began to return to its original state. The entire world became warm and vibrant.
Banshan Elementary School, on the playground.
Ju Meng cleared a clean spot, held Lu Yibei in her arms, gently wiped °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° the sweat from her forehead, and mumbled incessantly.
"I don't know what she's trying to prove! No matter how well prepared you are, you're not a Calamity urban legend. Is fusing a God Kingdom Prototype something you should be doing?"
"Do you think you're a novel protagonist? Cross-level combat, under normal circumstances, comes at the cost of life, do you know that?"
"So troublesome, I can't even play games properly for a while!"
Although Lu Yibei had instructed Ju Meng to stay home and wait for her return before she left, how could the dignified master of Eight Hundred Li Peach Garden, a Calamity urban legend, be so obedient?
Even if she liked Lu Yibei a little, her will couldn't be swayed by Lu Yibei, making her obediently do whatever she was told.
That would be too humble!
So, not long after Lu Yibei left, Ju Meng quietly followed her.
She wanted to see what Lu Yibei was up to!
And she wouldn't let her follow?
Heh, maybe that scoundrel just made up an excuse and secretly set off for Mountain City.
Knowing Lu Yibei, she would absolutely do something like that.
Upon arriving at Banshan Elementary School, she happened to witness the scene of the old banyan tree nearing its end.
In just a few breaths, that old banyan tree, which had stood for countless years, saw its lush green leaves rapidly wither and turn yellow, its branches and leaves fall, and then tender shoots sprout from its branches, as if genetic limitations had lost their meaning, producing myriad strange and colorful flowers.
Then...
After undergoing its last cycle of seasons and completing its final mission, as if it could finally depart, the blossoms withered, scattering like snowflakes onto the ground. Amidst a series of explosions, the thick trunk crumbled and turned to powder, inch by inch.
At that moment, the entire hill where Banshan Elementary School was located seemed to be bidding farewell to the old banyan tree, falling into a deathly silence.
The blossoms, withered leaves, and everything of the old banyan tree drifted through the mountain forest with the moist breeze after the rain.
As a urban legend that originally emerged from trees, Ju Meng, watching that scene, felt as if she was witnessing the death of another version of herself. She was deeply moved and stood frozen in a daze for a long time.
It wasn't until Lu Yibei's figure appeared from within the crumbling old banyan tree that she snapped back to reality, flying forward and embracing Lu Yibei.
Perhaps the afternoon sun stung her eyes, for Lu Yibei finally awoke from her long slumber. She subconsciously raised her hand to shield her eyes from the sunlight.
After her eyes gradually adjusted to the light, she sat up and looked around, seeing a familiar scene—a simple yet cozy little wooden house.
The window was open, bright sunlight streamed in, and a damp wind blew from afar, carrying a faint salty smell of seawater.
Looking out the window, vaguely visible mountains were dotted with white snow, and a few seabirds circled in the clear blue sky.
Lu Yibei was stunned for a few seconds, then her eyes lit up as if she remembered something.
I... succeeded? A 98% success rate, and I actually succeeded? My luck is pretty good this time!
However, it might also be those hands that appeared at the end that helped me?
That feeling... and this little house... could it be that the one who appeared at the end was my mom?!
As this thought flashed through Lu Yibei's mind, and the face that she hadn't had time to get close to, but had already departed, appeared before her eyes, "So troublesome, I can't even play games properly for a while!"
Although Lu Yibei had instructed Ju Meng to stay home and wait for her return before she left, how could the dignified master of Eight Hundred Li Peach Garden, a Calamity urban legend, be so obedient?
Even if she liked Lu Yibei a little, her will couldn't be swayed by Lu Yibei, making her obediently do whatever she was told.
That would be too humble!
So, not long after Lu Yibei left, Ju Meng quietly followed her.
She wanted to see what Lu Yibei was up to!
And she wouldn't let her follow?
Heh, maybe that scoundrel just made up an excuse and secretly set off for Mountain City.
Knowing Lu Yibei, she would absolutely do something like that.
Upon arriving at Banshan Elementary School, she happened to witness the scene of the old banyan tree nearing its end.
In just a few breaths, that old banyan tree, which had stood for countless years, saw its lush green leaves rapidly wither and turn yellow, its branches and leaves fall, and then tender shoots sprout from its branches, as if genetic limitations had lost their meaning, producing myriad strange and colorful flowers.
Then...
After undergoing its last cycle of seasons and completing its final mission, as if it could finally depart, the blossoms withered, scattering like snowflakes onto the ground. Amidst a series of explosions, the thick trunk crumbled and turned to powder, inch by inch.
At that moment, the entire hill where Banshan Elementary School was located seemed to be bidding farewell to the old banyan tree, falling into a deathly silence.
The blossoms, withered leaves, and everything of the old banyan tree drifted through the mountain forest with the moist breeze after the rain.
As a urban legend that originally emerged from trees, Ju Meng, watching that scene, felt as if she was witnessing the death of another version of herself. She was deeply moved and stood frozen in a daze for a long time.
It wasn't until Lu Yibei's figure appeared from within the crumbling old banyan tree that she snapped back to reality, flying forward and embracing Lu Yibei.
Perhaps the afternoon sun stung her eyes, for Lu Yibei finally awoke from her long slumber. She subconsciously raised her hand to shield her eyes from the sunlight.
After her eyes gradually adjusted to the light, she sat up and looked around, seeing a familiar scene—a simple yet cozy little wooden house.
The window was open, bright sunlight streamed in, and a damp wind blew from afar, carrying a faint salty smell of seawater.
Looking out the window, vaguely visible mountains were dotted with white snow, and a few seabirds circled in the clear blue sky.
Lu Yibei was stunned for a few seconds, then her eyes lit up as if she remembered something.
I... succeeded? A 98% success rate, and I actually succeeded? My luck is pretty good this time!
However, it might also be those hands that appeared at the end that helped me?
That feeling... and this little house... could it be that the one who appeared at the end was my mom?!
As this thought flashed through Lu Yibei's mind, and the face that she hadn't had time to get close to, but had already departed, appeared before her eyes,
