Free Web NovelChapter 304: Chapter 33: The Unfathomable Magical Battle
The instant the high temperature descended, Wang Ping transformed into a streak of light and positioned himself before the barrier. His hands moved through a series of Spells, and behind him, the Heaven-Reaching Talisman, the Luck-Borrowing Talisman, and the Spirit Communication Talisman circled his Primordial Spirit.
The next moment, with his body as the epicenter, all the Spiritual Qi in a radius of hundreds of miles was converted to Wood Spirit Qi. It resonated with the ambient Wood Spirit Qi between heaven and earth. Then, on the distant horizon, Zi Luan and Xiu Yu responded to him in perfect sync, extending the Wood Spirit Qi to cover more than half of Nanlin Road.
Just then, the descending heat made contact with the Wood Spirit Qi, letting out a series of sizzling sounds. In an instant, it had scorched away more than half of the Wood Spirit Qi the three of them had constructed. Outside the Wood Spirit Qi, space itself seemed to twist from the intense heat, and for a moment, it was as if a giant hole had been torn in the sky.
"This is... the power of the Fourth Realm!"
Zuo Xuan, who had just stepped out of the administrative courtyard, murmured as she gazed at the sky, terror spreading through her heart. The words had escaped her lips before she realized it.
The surrounding clerks, however, had no idea what the Fourth Realm represented. They could only kneel on the ground and pray in silence.
At the same time, Mozhou Road, which had just suffered a disaster, along with Ningzhou Road to the north and Houjiang Road to the northeast, were all experiencing the same thing.
But Ningzhou Road had a powerful demon to block the heat, and Houjiang Road had two Third Realm Cultivators protecting its people.
Mozhou Road, however, had nothing. It only had a group of opportunists looking to get rich and tens of millions of helpless citizens.
The moment the heat descended upon Mozhou Road, the vegetation that had just sprouted from the ground instantly ignited. Next were the people outdoors. They only felt their bodies grow hot, and the elderly with weaker constitutions collapsed directly onto the ground. Without immediate medical attention, they would likely die on the spot.
But everyone around them was struggling to save themselves and had no time to help.
Fortunately, the intense heat was suddenly suppressed by some unknown force, and the sun was no longer so blinding. The vegetation that had just been burned away sprouted from the ground once more, covering the barren earth in the blink of an eye.
But after only a dozen breaths or so, the heat descended again. The newly grown vegetation was set ablaze once more, and the people on the ground scurried about like ants being roasted by a great fire, their cries for help rising and falling in waves.
But soon, the heat vanished again. A short while later, just as one might expect, dense vegetation shot up from the earth once more.
At this point, the clever ones chose to run indoors.
This time, however, after the vegetation grew wildly, the heat did not return. Two muffled thuds echoed from the cloudless sky, followed by a series of sonic booms. The resulting shockwaves descended from an unknown region of the sky, transforming into violent gales upon hitting the ground. In the unprotected Mozhou Road, two-thirds of the houses collapsed in the gales within moments.
In the coastal areas, towering waves were stirred up, sweeping the boiling seawater—which had just been baked by the intense heat—onto the shore. Nearly a million coastal residents, who had just barely survived the previous calamity, could not escape the tsunami’s assault.
Only after the gales subsided did true peace return.
Mozhou Road was already in ruins. The survivors huddled in corners, trembling. A few of the bolder Cultivators emerged from their hiding places and stared blankly at their surroundings. The sky was now choked with an impenetrable cloud of smoke and dust, kicked up by the gales and the great fire.
「Nanlin Road.」
Above the Daoist Scripture Hall in Jinhuai Prefecture City, Wang Ping lowered his hands from their Spell-casting position. He drew all the manifested Wood Spirit Qi from the surrounding area into his Qi Sea in one go, then used his Primordial Spirit Consciousness to suppress the slightly awakened consciousness of the Spirit Vein.
"Heaven and Earth are not benevolent; they treat all of creation as straw dogs. The Saint is not benevolent; he treats the people as straw dogs!"
Yunshan landed gracefully beside Wang Ping. "The world has finally descended into chaos. From now on, perhaps there will be no more order."
"You’re misinterpreting the words of the Human Dao Saint!" Hongyuan appeared next to Yunshan.
"Fellow Daoist, what was that just now?" Zuo Xuan, on the other hand, got straight to the point.
"It’s over. You may all leave."
Wang Ping waved his hand lightly. Although the three were puzzled, they didn’t ask any more questions. They all bowed and took their leave. After they had gone, Yu Lian slipped out of his sleeve and settled on Wang Ping’s shoulder, tilting her head and looking around with her vertical pupils.
Jinhuai Prefecture City was now brimming with lush greenery. At the Inspectorate, which boasted a large garden, a banana tree had shot up to at least a hundred feet tall, toppling the nearby pavilion.
But the Lord Governor living inside couldn’t be bothered with such things; he had to deal with the disaster outside first.
"That scared me to death! I need some fresh shrimp to calm my nerves!"
Yu Lian spoke.
Wang Ping chuckled, then landed in a nearby market where the common people were all bowing their heads in prayer. He observed the spiritual essence within the Inspiration Realm, teetering on the verge of collapse, and sighed inwardly before walking toward a stall selling fresh shrimp.
「Two days later.」
While Wang Ping was in his loft studying the Puppetry Technique, Zuo Xuan landed softly on the Celestial Platform outside his door.
"What is it?" Yu Lian asked in Wang Ping’s stead. She was in the middle of brewing and drinking tea by herself.
"Someone is requesting an audience, bearing the Lord’s token." Zuo Xuan held up a Token with both hands.
Wang Ping looked up, not a hint of surprise on his face. With a light wave of his hand, the Token flew into his grasp. After confirming there was no issue, he infused it with a trace of Spiritual Qi. He immediately sensed the Lord’s aura, and then the Token disintegrated into a cloud of dust and vanished.
"Show him in!"
"Yes!"
The visitor was a Fire Cultivator. He wore a plain Blue Daoist Robe that was somewhat tattered, and his hair was tied up with a simple tree branch. The Duster in his hand was so grimy it had turned black. His skin was exceptionally dark, his beard, eyebrows, and hair were slightly reddish, and the bridge of his nose was unusually high. A single glance was enough to tell he was not one of the Zhongzhou People.
"My respects to Daoist Changqing. May you enjoy boundless fortune and peace!"
When he landed on the Celestial Platform and saw Wang Ping, he flicked his filthy Duster and bowed a full ninety degrees.
"The aura about you reminds me of someone," Wang Ping said softly after sizing up the visitor. "Not long ago, he stood in my way."
"That must have been my master. At the time, he had a few friends with some business in Mozhou Road. I hope the Daoist can find it in his heart to forgive him!" The man bowed deeply again, a full ninety degrees.
Hearing this, Yu Lian’s forked tongue flicked out a little faster, and she let out a faint HISS.
’This person is another one of those with extreme goodwill, but his thoughts are very aggressive,’ Yu Lian warned Wang Ping in his Spirit Sea. ’He seems to think you’re a guilty man.’
"Heh heh!"
For some reason, Wang Ping suddenly chuckled. He soothed Yu Lian while asking, "Since this is the Lord’s will, what is it that you want? I can give you anything!"
"A while ago, I sensed my martial aunt’s aura appear here at the Daoist’s residence. I would like to ask the Daoist to be merciful and release her." He bowed respectfully once more.
"Are you, perhaps, referring to Fellow Daoist Ke Yue?"
"Indeed!"
Wang Ping laughed out loud. At the same time, he slapped the storage pouch at his waist, took out the Blue Crystal, and released its seal.
Ke Yue’s figure immediately appeared.
"Greetings, Martial Aunt!"
Ke Yue ignored the man, instead looking at Wang Ping. "Daoist, did I win the bet?"
Wang Ping replied nonchalantly, "It would seem so." After a moment, he added, "Also, don’t forget that I wasn’t the one who captured you. Therefore, whether or not to release you isn’t my decision to make."
