Free Web NovelAt Da Chunyang Palace, on Zixiao Platform.
The moment the target was lost, Zhang Huainan fell into a brief panic.
Although he had carefully studied various materials related to the urban legend of code 0, and knew that code 0’s Power was strange and special, he had never imagined that code 0 could disappear out of thin air, leaving no trace, while being locked by the Zixiao Platform, just like it did now.
This was almost impossible, and before this unexpected incident, even the uncertain description of “almost” didn't need to be added.
Although the Zixiao Platform’s strike range was somewhat limited and could only lock onto targets appearing within that range, once locked by the Zixiao Platform, it was an all-encompassing lock from body to Power. Once locked, it was no exaggeration to say that escape was impossible.
There were only two possibilities to break free from the Zixiao Platform's lock and strike: the first was to completely abandon one's original body and Power, which, for a urban legend or Psychic, was essentially no different from dying on the spot.
The second was to move nearly ten thousand kilometers beyond the Zixiao Platform's strike range at a speed faster than the lightning descending from the sky. This ability, which could be approximated as instantaneous movement, was not possessed by any currently known urban legend or Psychic.
Thus, Zhang Huainan miscalculated.
In the decades since he became the Sect Leader of Da Chunyang Palace, he had presided over and operated the Zixiao Platform no less than eight hundred or a thousand times, having long since mastered it. While it might be an exaggeration to say he could strike with millimeter precision, centimeter precision was absolutely no problem.
The last time he made a mistake operating the Zixiao Platform was so long ago that it felt like his first love, which had long since become a blurry shadow in his memory, save for its name.
“...”
This is troublesome. If that lightning were to descend, it would likely affect several kilometers, inevitably harming innocents.
Moreover, Lu Yibei is still there!
If anything happens to her, how can I face Senior Brother Qingji?
Zhang Huainan thought, and after a brief hesitation, he hardened his heart, softly chanted the description of his Spirit Mark Power, and pushed his Spiritual Energy to its limit.
Theoretically, the lightning generated by the Zixiao Platform, even if it lost its target, could be intercepted.
But that was only in theory.
No Sect Leader of Da Chunyang Palace had ever done that.
If the Zixiao Platform were compared to a firearm, then the lightning it generated would be the bullet fired. A Zixiao Platform operator attempting to intercept the lightning was no different from an ordinary person attempting to intercept a high-speed bullet.
When an ordinary person intercepts a bullet with their bare flesh, the outcome is usually death or injury, with almost no chance of escaping unscathed.
However, though it might sound a bit disrespectful, Zhang Huainan felt that he was not an ordinary person compared to the previous Sect Leaders of Da Chunyang Palace.
Before him, with the exception of the legendary Ancestral Master, who was suspected to have Calamity-level strength, no other Sect Leader had ever reached Calamity-level Spiritual Energy fluctuations, let alone become an existence like him, at the pinnacle of all Calamity-level beings.
He was confident that, while doing his best to ensure he wasn't injured, he could reduce the destructive power of the lightning about to fall near Jiaochangkou Subway Station to a level that the surrounding buildings and Lu Yibei could withstand. freewёbnoνel.com
As for the rest...
Let Lu Yibei bear it! Given all the troublesome things she’s done, being struck by lightning is not excessive at all!
“...From Shen Ren Gui, guiding the flowing qi of the Five Emperors above, saving the multitudes of living beings below, protecting the two realms from tilting, preserving all lives for eternal peace...”
As the Spirit Mark Power description was chanted, various phantoms—a Xuanjing jade crown, a Xuanyu flying robe, a Dianzao banner, and a swirling black dragon—instantly appeared around Zhang Huainan's body.
Enveloped by these phantoms, his Spiritual Energy fluctuations continued to intensify, and his somewhat slender body rapidly swelled, causing his plain Daoist robe to bulge high. Then, with a “sizzle,” his clothes tore, exposing his heavily muscled body to the air.
Tiny electric arcs pulsed along the lines and grooves of his muscles.
His pale hair and beard glowed with a blue-violet light under the electric current.
His cloudy eyes, imperceptibly, transformed into dazzling lightning.
Finally, accompanied by a clap of thunder, his tall and robust body instantly vanished from its spot, as if merging into the Zixiao Platform, which rippled like a pool of thunder.
...
Meanwhile, at Qiaoyuan Villa in Da Chunyang Palace.
Hearing the sound of thunder from outside the window, Hua Sang, who was sprawled like mud on the bay window, lifted her eyelids, stared at the thunderclouds gathering in the direction of the Zixiao Platform, and slightly furrowed her brows, a thoughtful expression on her face.
Only that guy could make the Old man Sect Leader go to such lengths, right?
She really can't stay quiet for a single day...
Hua Sang thought, slowly reaching under the dirty pillow to pull out an exquisitely designed envelope.
Lu Yibei had entrusted someone to deliver this to her before she left for Mountain City. To ensure it was delivered directly into her hands, the messenger was one of the rare solo Psychic employees from the Disaster Scare Irresponsible Company.
The envelope contained two letters: one was Human Fireworks, and the other was Lu Yibei's handwritten instructions for using Human Fireworks.
However, after receiving the letter and reading the instructions for Human Fireworks, Hua Sang found herself in a dilemma.
Theoretically, she only needed to consume this portion of Human Fireworks to resolve the Spirit Mark out of control that had plagued her for over a decade, completely eliminating the need to fish for the Big King in the Cold Pool. However, at the same time, once the crisis of the Spirit Mark out of control was resolved, she would forever lose the possibility of merging the turtle and snake.
Hua Sang didn't know if anyone before her had tried to merge two completely different yet complementary Spirit Marks and Spirit Marks into one, completing an advancement.
At least, there were no documented attempts.
Presumably, even if someone had tried, they hadn't succeeded.
If she succeeded, she would be the first documented success!
But using Human Fireworks to fish for the Big King in the Cold Pool, and controlling the Spirit Mark by absorbing its Power, was not a hundred percent guaranteed to succeed.
Moreover, whether she could even catch it was another matter.
As everyone knows, fishing, even with the best rod, the best bait, and the best fishing spot, isn't guaranteed to catch a fish.
Fishing for Big King is the same!
In the past, with Hua Sang's lazy and trouble-averse nature, she would probably have chosen the first method without hesitation to solve her Spirit Mark out of control problem.
However, now, after experiencing the turmoil caused by Pink Fluffy Rabbit, she hesitated when faced with the choice before her.
She surprisingly had a rare spark of ambition.
Perhaps she had been infected with madness by Fu Xinyi?
That girl has been working so hard lately she's almost gone mad. Hua Sang thought.
As the thunderclouds in the sky dissipated, Hua Sang retracted her gaze, rested her arms under her head, and lay back down on the bay window.
After a long while, a sigh came from the darkness.
She was suffering from insomnia.
“Oh—! Never mind, let’s give it a try? Night fishing is good, maybe I’ll catch it?”
Muttering to herself, Hua Sang slowly climbed down from the bay window, put on a coat, tucked the envelope safely away, picked up the fishing rod from the corner, and left Qiaoyuan Villa, walking towards the Cold Pool behind the mountain, bathed in the moonlight that once again illuminated Da Chunyang Palace...
————
Before Lu Yibei, probably no one or urban legend could answer the question, “How was your Zixiao Platform lightning strike experience?”
This question was as merciless as the review section for a parachute bought online; only survivors could give an evaluation.
However, to date, there has been no survivor among the targets locked by the Zixiao Platform when used as a weapon.
Lu Yibei felt that if she had a chance to survive, she would definitely give a bad review and complain about Zhang Huainan.
Complain to Qingji!
In her vision, the lightning was like a vigorously growing, leafless tree, with silver branches tinged with blue-violet light, constantly spreading, creating a beautiful scene. Then, at the moment the destructive branches reached her, countless premonitory thoughts flashed through Lu Yibei’s mind.
It was as if a massive barrage mode had been activated, overwhelming her.
Each thought carried words like “death,” “severe injury,” and “Lingtai Pure Karma damaged,” bringing despair.
However...
Severe injury is still better than death, right?
I think I can still be saved! Lu Yibei thought.
As for the option of damaging Lingtai Pure Karma, she didn't even consider it.
Because Lingtai Pure Karma was no longer just a Spiritual Energy item; it was also the vessel for the God Kingdom Prototype, and within the God Kingdom Prototype, there were hundreds of thousands of residents, as well as some low-level members of the Eclipse Society who had just been brought in.
Those were living people!
If the God Kingdom Prototype exploded, they could instantly lose their lives...
Lu Yibei made up her mind. Just as she swiftly moved her body to the side, the lightning that was supposed to strike her Eyeball grazed her face and landed on her shoulder.
The next second, she experienced the legendary “electrotherapy.”
A numbing sensation spread from her lightning-struck shoulder, rapidly expanding throughout her body. Half of her body's muscles lost control, spasming and twitching. Immediately after, a strange itching and pain arose from the flesh that had already gone numb.
Lu Yibei had undergone painful baptisms more than once, but she could guarantee that this particular pain was definitely among the top three in her experience.
But... something seems off?
Why is the destructive power of this lightning so much weaker than expected? Lu Yibei wondered.
She had expected the first lightning strike to at least instantly obliterate her entire shoulder, but aside from causing intense pain, it didn't inflict any obvious damage.
It felt like watching a huge iron hammer inscribed with “100t” whistle towards her, only to realize, upon impact, that it was made of silicone.
The psychological gap was enormous!
As she was wondering, she suddenly noticed that the premonitory thoughts flashing through her mind had, at some point, lost the “death” option, leaving only “severe injury” and “minor injury.”
Just then, she suddenly detected a familiar Spiritual Energy fluctuation—no, two familiar Spiritual Energy fluctuations—quietly entering her spiritual perception range.
Looking up in the direction from which the Spiritual Energy fluctuations came, she first saw a Magpie with glossy feathers.
Then, amidst countless lightning flashes, she saw a majestic figure, half-illusory, half-real.
As if seated on a divine throne, the blurry, aged man, while pulling at the lightning in ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) the sky as if dragging ropes, looked down.
From the two figures, Lu Yibei felt a subtle joy.
Although they made no sound, Lu Yibei felt as if she were hallucinating, hearing them say in her ear, “Serves you right!”
Lu Yibei, “...”
