Chapter 310: Both a Natural Disaster and a Man-Made Catastrophe

Before sharing her power and perception with Meng, Lu Yibei had been prepared for a fierce battle against a powerful haunting or psychic. However, upon discovering that there were two psychic energy fluctuations resembling the Great Serpent God on the deserted long street where Meng was, she suddenly reconsidered.

With power leveling banned and not being physically present at the scene, defeating even one haunting of that caliber alone was already a daunting task. Moreover, the stability of a triangle is strong; with three formidable and mutually hostile hauntings gathered together, unless someone breaks the deadlock, a stalemate is inevitable in the short term.

Meng now had to divert some psychic energy and mental focus to control the Black Cloak Men and ensure the residents of Xingfu Community remained trapped in a Dream, unaware of the battle taking place. In such circumstances, if they all turned against her…

She might die, Lu Yibei worriedly thought.

After a brief contemplation, she decided that rather than waiting for those two to join forces, it was better to strike first and stir the pot aggressively!

So…

“Speaking of which, do you know what she says about you behind your back? Tsk tsk, it’s quite unpleasant. If it were me, I wouldn’t stand for it!”

“…”

Ms. Rabbit remained silent, her gaze briefly meeting Dusk Maiden’s before she narrowed her eyes and asked Meng, who was currently Lu Yibei’s vessel, “What has she been saying about me?”

Just as Lu Yibei was about to speak and show her prowess, she heard Dusk Maiden scoff, “Hmph! Little rabbit, after all this time, you’re still so gullible!”

“She’s clearly trying to divert attention to make her escape, and you just willingly jumped into the trap?”

As she spoke, she cast a disdainful glance at Lu Yibei, “I want to ask you, when have you ever seen us? And how do you know what we’ve said about each other?”

Upon hearing this, Ms. Rabbit’s expression changed, and a pair of fluffy white rabbit ears slowly emerged from her hair. Then, with a slight tremor of her slender arm, a flash of light appeared in her palm, revealing a weapon that was thick, black, and bright, resembling a fire axe, engraved with dark golden patterns.

She seemed ready to strike but suddenly remembered something and turned to look at Lu Yibei, narrowing her eyes.

Clearly, she also wanted to hear what Lu Yibei had to say.

“…”

Rabbit ears… the weapon is a mutated fire axe… looks familiar…

Could she be Mr. Rabbit, uh, Ms. Rabbit?

No wonder I vaguely felt a familiar psychic energy fluctuation lurking nearby; it must be the Eclipse Society psychic who often accompanies Ms. Rabbit.

After a brief moment of surprise, Lu Yibei met Dusk Maiden’s eyes and said earnestly, “We’re all hauntings here; having some special means to know what others have said or done is quite reasonable, isn’t it?”

She paused briefly before adding with a hint of mystery, “Speaking of which, that dark green ominous mass in your hand-has it been planted yet?”

Upon hearing Lu Yibei mention the fragmented remains of the Plague Taisui, the Dusk Maiden’s heart skipped a beat, her eyes flickering momentarily before she fell silent.

Noticing the change in the Dusk Maiden’s expression, Ms. Rabbit, who knew her well, tilted her chin slightly and sneered, “Ha! After all this time, you’re still as arrogant as ever, aren’t you?”

“Why do you always have to be so conceited? Wasn’t being taken down by that limping girl from The Midnight Watchers Society enough of a lesson for you?”

Being ambushed by the fledgling operators of The Midnight Watchers Society was the most humiliating event in the Dusk Maiden’s life. Ms. Rabbit’s deliberate mention of it felt like a thorn stabbing into her heart.

As soon as Ms. Rabbit finished speaking, the Dusk Maiden spun around, her eyes filled with murderous intent, unleashing her psychic energy fluctuation to a terrifying level.

However, Ms. Rabbit was no longer the weak little Haunting she once was, trembling at the mere sweep of powerful psychic energy. Instead, she stepped forward defiantly, raising her head stubbornly.

Their sharp, blade-like gazes clashed, a chilling atmosphere enveloping them as scarlet and pale psychic energy fluctuations collided fiercely, creating tiny, chaotic arcs of electricity in the air.

Lu Yibei thought, “…”

Well, I haven’t even started yet, and they’re already at each other’s throats?

But Ms. Rabbit mentioned Jiang Li earlier. Could it be that this Haunting in red is the Dusk Maiden, who was once slain and sealed by Jiang Li? Lu Yibei pondered.

As she was lost in thought, the Dusk Maiden and Ms. Rabbit suddenly turned to her, simultaneously demanding, “What did she say?!”

Though they knew Lu Yibei’s words at such a moment were likely meant to sow discord, satisfying their curiosity before a fight seemed harmless.

After all, their relationship was already terrible; could it possibly get worse?

Hello, yes, it can.

As a master of ruining relationships, Lu Yibei was confident that she could escalate their animosity from mere hostility to a full-blown vendetta.

Faced with the questions from the two Haunting ladies, she calculated her next move while feigning reluctance, “Well, some things are better left unsaid, aren’t they?”

“Those words were really harsh, and I find it hard to repeat them!”

Upon hearing this, the Dusk Maiden tilted her chin, casting a sidelong glance at Ms. Rabbit, “Go ahead, say what you want. I’m curious to hear what she supposedly said.”

Ms. Rabbit furrowed her brow slightly but remained silent, her expression indicating she shared the Dusk Maiden’s sentiment.

“Ahem!” Lu Yibei observed the expressions of the two Haunting ladies before speaking, “Let me clarify first! I think both of you are formidable and exceptional Hauntings.”

“What I’m about to say is just what you asked for. I’m merely stating facts, not my personal opinion, so don’t get angry and attack me!”

“Enough with the nonsense!” Ms. Rabbit snapped. “Just spill it.”

“She said you’re always so arrogant without the skills to back it up, that you don’t deserve your position, and The Midnight Watchers Society played you like a fool. She joked that when you went for Botox at the cosmetic clinic, they must have injected it into your brain, otherwise, how could you be so stupid? Can’t even beat a disabled person.”

“She also said that you always wear red, which is so tacky, and in this era of aesthetic revolution, you’re the one that slipped through the cracks.”

“Someone like you, with neither talent nor looks, how could you become the King of Hauntings in Hua City? Sooner or later, someone will find a chance to devour your haunting… though, honestly, your core entity filled with nothing but mush isn’t worth devouring.”

Some people can spout nonsense without a shred of guilt, not even needing to catch their breath.

“Enough!” Dusk Maiden interrupted sharply. “Did that wench really say all that?”

Once a haunting that roamed the night of Hua City at the top of the pyramid, she always believed herself nearly perfect in every aspect besides strength, carrying a prideful and arrogant spirit.

Hearing Lu Yibei’s words, whether they were Ms. Rabbit’s exact words or not, anger already simmered within her.

Ms. Rabbit opened her mouth to explain but was cut off by Lu Yibei.

“Uh, sorry! I have a penchant for literature, so I might have used some embellishments, but the general idea is about right. If you think there’s any discrepancy…”

“Why don’t you say it yourself?”

Caught off guard by Lu Yibei’s question, Ms. Rabbit was momentarily speechless.

“……”

Say it again? You’ve already said it all, what else is there for me to say?

After all…

I did think of something along those lines. Ms. Rabbit thought to herself.

“Since there are no objections, I’ll continue!” Lu Yibei said, pointing at Dusk Maiden, continuing without missing a beat, “Her? Tsk tsk, I’ve never seen a master so disdainful of her familiars!”

“Ah-! So pitiful!”

“Her most frequent lament is, why did I take in such a thing as a familiar, raising you is worse than raising a dog… no, a rabbit indeed isn’t as good as a dog.”

“A creature not even as good as a dog, and yet you dare to rebel? And what happened? The Witch’s Egg you painstakingly found was snatched away, how laughable.”

Hearing Lu Yibei mention The Witch’s Egg, a sore spot, Ms. Rabbit clenched her fists, finally believing that Lu Yibei could indeed glimpse into others’ pasts.

After all, aside from her and that little thief, only Dusk Maiden could know through the connection between master and familiar.

While Lu Yibei was eloquently tearing them down, Gu Qianqian, prompted by the systems, made her escape.

Though injured by Dusk Maiden’s special ability, her strong physique granted by the Spirit Pattern allowed her to quickly recover and sneak into a thicket a hundred meters away to hide.

As for the power within her that continued to wreak havoc on her body, it would have to wait until she returned to be repaired with an Alchemical potion.

Before long.

As Gu Qianqian worried whether her nearby wealth-generating car might be affected once the hauntings started clashing, she suddenly heard the system’s exclamation.

“Tsks, Gu Qianqian, did you see that? Learn something!”

“Eh? What?” Gu Qianqian responded blankly, “Learn trash talk? But it looks so difficult!”

“Oh-!” The system sighed, “Never mind, there’s no forcing this. You just need to be more mindful when you go out.”

“Mindful?” Gu Qianqian asked, puzzled.

“…”

After a long silence, the system barely suppressed the urge to curse and said seriously, “Gu Qianqian, stop watching. They are about to start fighting, let’s hurry and leave!”

“Eh?” Gu Qianqian looked at the Dusk Maiden and Ms. Rabbit, who were tensely poised but had yet to make a move, and then at the green-clothed haunting, who seemed to thrive in chaos, and asked in confusion, “How can you tell?”

“It’s obvious. Calamity is the one leading the conversation among the hauntings! Those two are bound to start fighting.” The system explained, “The title ‘Calamity’ isn’t for nothing.”

“Right!” Gu Qianqian suddenly remembered something, her eyes lighting up, “System, you’ve never told me how Lu Yibei got her title!”

“She…”

The system started to speak but then fell silent again, hesitating for a moment before explaining to Gu Qianqian, “Actually, the term ‘Calamity’ needs to be understood in parts; it signifies both natural disaster and human disaster.”

“A natural disaster points to her core entity, symbolizing pure destruction, while a human disaster refers to her actions, signifying…”

“I know, I know, it represents fanning the flames!” Gu Qianqian interjected, effectively blocking the system’s intended phrase “instigating conflict.”

Then.

The system thought for a moment, and feeling that “fanning the flames” was not too different from “instigating conflict,” decided not to explain further.

After all, as long as she understood, it felt like a blessing.

Muttering to itself, the system was suddenly interrupted by a loud explosion ahead.

Looking towards the sound, two figures, moving too fast for the naked eye to catch, had already collided.

The system, “…”

What did I say?

In this world, there’s no conflict Calamity can’t skew or fire she can’t fan.

“Today, I shall personally slay the traitor! Come, let me see your current prowess!”

With a cold shout, the Dusk Maiden’s psychic energy fluctuation surged, and a crimson glow diffused behind her. The dark street seemed to shift into dusk, and her figure disappeared into the twilight in an instant, with only the flash of blade light accompanied by a piercing shriek, fleeting.

In the moment the long blade struck, Ms. Rabbit’s figure abruptly merged into the ethereal, re-solidifying meters away, barely stabilizing her form as numerous wildflowers beneath her withered and fell, and then her figure disappeared again.

Immediately after, at the spot where she had just stood, petals transformed into streams of blood, leaving deep and shallow grooves on the ground.

Ms. Rabbit appeared again, her fire axe shimmering with a dark golden glow as it materialized in her hand, striking unexpectedly from behind the Dusk Maiden, clashing with the wall of wind raised by a piercing shriek.

“Hmph! Even after your advancement, you still cling to such a crude weapon. How typical of you!”

Amid a series of aerial explosions, the Dusk Maiden turned around with a cold laugh, scattering a cascade of silver light.

The sound of metal colliding with metal, the sharp friction mingled with explosions from psychic energy fluctuations burst forth on the long street, carrying waves of maddening negative energy.

“Boom-!”

Yay! Fight, fight!

Look at her now!

Yes! Just like that, hack at her with all your might!

Seeing the Dusk Maiden and Ms. Rabbit tangled in combat, Lu Yibei almost burst into applause from excitement.

However, through her anticipatory thoughts, she noticed that each time they struck, they held back a bit, clearly wary of her launching a surprise attack to reap the benefits.

But.

She had no intention of attacking. With such a golden opportunity, if not now, when?

“Meng, later use the psychic energy I gave you to kill all the Black Cloak Men, then look for a chance to retreat quickly!” Lu Yibei instructed Meng.

“Huh?” Meng paused, puzzled. “But Master, they are evenly matched right now. With your help, I think we could have a fighting chance!”

She had thought her master incited the fight between the two hauntings to ambush them, but she never expected her master to retreat.

“What are you talking about, fight, fight, fight!” Lu Yibei exclaimed loudly. “The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting. Do you understand? In simple terms, if you can avoid a fight and outlive your enemies, that is a triumph!”

“Besides, with me here, they might at most end in a draw, but if I leave, they will fight to the death, you know?”

They aren’t fools. The current fight is just a bout of rage-driven impulsiveness. Once they calm down, they might even join forces to first eliminate the onlookers! Lu Yibei thought to herself.

She wasn’t afraid of facing the attack of the two hauntings in person; she still had three doses of a potion left, and she could retreat if overwhelmed.

But Meng had little else besides the psychic energy Lu Yibei provided.

Meng pondered Lu Yibei’s words, somewhat understanding, “I think I get it now.”

“That’s more like it!” Lu Yibei praised. “Even if we’re scavenging, we should leave first, let them fight to the death here, and then come back later for a counterattack.”

As she spoke, she remembered something else, “Oh Meng, after you kill those Black Cloak Men later, take a good look and see if they have any specially shaped metal chips on them. If so, collect them all for me; I need them.”

“Understood, Master.” Meng obediently responded. “I’ll keep an eye out.”

“Go ahead, then!” Lu Yibei commanded.

At Lu Yibei’s signal, Meng immediately channeled the psychic energy shared from her into the tendrils that extended out, infusing it into the dreams of the Black Cloak Men. Meng, interpreting her orders in the most brutally straightforward manner possible, inflicted severe damage on them.

The pale tendrils suddenly flared up with crimson fire, as if ignited.

From there, flames arose from the depths of the blissful dreams the Black Cloak Men were immersed in, spreading to their psychic energy and eventually engulfing their entire bodies, burning them from the inside out.

Without a single scream, those suspended on the tendrils, like humanoid fruits, suddenly spewed flames from their mouths and noses. Their heads glowed red-hot and exploded like fireworks in an instant.

Then…

A scent of roasted meat spread throughout the long street, drifting far and wide.

That night, many residents of Xingfu Community dreamt that a delicious brain flower barbecue restaurant had opened behind their community.

The dream, almost indistinguishable from reality, and the lingering scent around their nostrils left them unsure whether it was a dream or reality. Some foodies searched around the neighborhood for a long, long time, but to no avail…