Chapter 517 - 257: Crossing the Bund, the Twelve Linked Arrows Reappear

Chapter 517: Chapter 257: Crossing the Bund, the Twelve Linked Arrows Reappear

Even Feng Bei, who didn’t understand the Foreign Language, could figure it out. She smiled and said, "It wants more."

"You’ll eat your fill when we get back!"

A violent tremor came from the center of Lu Town.

Even without recklessly using his `inspiration`, Zheng Xiu’s `Intuition` was warning him in every way possible that something terrible was in town.

The thick, viscous air felt like it was full of invisible claws, desperately scratching at Zheng Xiu’s skin until it was both sore and itchy.

The stench of rot drifted over on the wind. Feng Bei frowned, listened for a moment, then smiled. "Looks like you’re in trouble."

Zheng Xiu had no time to reflect on the technique and breathing method he’d used to cross the "Bund."

"...`inspiration`!"

Even though his experience in the Bund left him with a lingering fear...

But now, facing an unknown entity, `inspiration` was the most direct and effective way to understand the situation. After weighing the pros and cons, Zheng Xiu decided to use it. He couldn’t let the risk of temporary corruption make him timid; that wasn’t his style.

Through his `inspiration`, he saw a mountain-like "shadow"—a colossal mass of flesh—crushing the center of town. Peals of infantile laughter echoed over Lu Town.

Hundreds of giant arms crawled across Lu Town, lashing out violently.

The tremors were caused by those muscular arms, twisted into shape from the mass of flesh, as they laid waste to the town.

Several figures narrowly dodged the "monster’s" attacks, their lives hanging by a thread.

"Hm?"

In the center of the flesh mass, there seemed to be a pure, flawless "orb of light." Filthy black and pristine white—these two starkly different impressions occupied the same field of vision, instantly bringing a phrase to Zheng Xiu’s mind: *to rise from the mud unstained.*

The white orb of light was like a white lotus.

A gray "tether" was connected to the white "orb of light." It snaked outward before vanishing in the distance, its destination unknown.

The vision from his `inspiration` shocked Zheng Xiu, but at the same time, he breathed a secret sigh of relief.

It was obvious that the `Nascent Soul` hadn’t been completely destroyed. It had kicked up more trouble, transforming into a monster under the influence of some power. But thankfully, no one from the Disaster Prevention Bureau was hurt yet, and the "worst-case scenario" Zheng Xiu had envisioned hadn’t materialized.

’Thank goodness I learned about the `Ceremony`, the `Ghostly Realm`, and the necessary `conditions` to open the `Darkness` from within the `Cannibal Painting`. I evacuated the whole city in advance; otherwise, Zhu might have actually succeeded this time.’

’Zhu’s `Orchid` `Incarnation` was destroyed, and the `Ferryman`, Bai Qiuyue, had fallen into the river at the Bund, her fate unknown. Based on my own experience,’ Zheng Xiu reasoned, ’Zhu’s long-distance travel must have `Restrictions`. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have needed to create an `Orchid` `Incarnation` or bring Bai Qiuyue along.’

’Zhu was still shrouded in countless mysteries, and I can’t dwell on them now,’ Zheng Xiu thought. ’But it seems he’s on a `Path` similar to the `Prisoner`’s, able to use `Mystics` for long-distance travel as well.’

’In other words, after killing the `Orchid Mystic` and taking out Bai Qiuyue, I’m ninety percent certain that Zhu can’t easily re-enter the fight.’

"Let’s go!"

At this thought, Zheng Xiu’s expression grew serious. He held a `Pillar` in each arm and beat his wings.

"MEOW!"

The clever cat leaped onto Zheng Xiu’s shoulder and stood proudly against the wind.

The three humans and one cat flew toward the center of Lu Town.

Whether it was because holding a girl in each arm doubled his power, Zheng Xiu flew faster and more nimbly than ever. Within moments, he had crossed the outskirts of Lu Town and was bearing down on the ruins of what, just a short while ago, had been an inn.

The scene of shattered walls and rubble sent a chill through Zheng Xiu. The center of Lu Town was a total wreck.

An eerie purple halo surrounded the moon. In its light, the sky above Lu Town reflected the shape of a "web."

Below them was a ravenous sea of flesh that seemed to pick and choose its victims, leaving no ground to stand on. Xi’er was struggling to maneuver in mid-air, dodging attacks from one fleshy, tendril-like arm after another.

Snake and Ye moved with agility, using Xi’er’s `Miracle Technique` to get around.

Higher up, someone was wrapped into a cocoon, dangling upside down from a thin thread. With every tremor of the "web," the human-shaped cocoon swayed back and forth, intermittently emitting a stream of bloodcurdling screams.

The one wrapped in the cocoon was Mo Kuang.

"Stop your damn yapping! Start reciting!"

Hearing the screams beside her, Xi’er turned and furiously yelled at Mo Kuang.

Mo Kuang was struck speechless. In this desperate situation, he began "reciting from memory," and one by one, invisible fists hammered into the fleshy mass.

But against a monster of this size, his `Miracle Technique` was like a mere tickle. It didn’t inflict any significant damage, failing to even slow the creature’s assault for a second.

"What about that `Song of the Vast Righteous Qi` you used to effortlessly obliterate a huge chunk of rotten flesh?!" Xi’er demanded. "Recite that one, quick!"

Mo Kuang was about to cry but had no tears. "Once I use it, it’s gone! The `Song of the Vast Righteous Qi` takes up too many pages! I... I only copied it once!"

Xi’er’s fingers were all bloody, a clear sign she was overexerting her `Miracle Technique`. When she heard Mo Kuang’s excuse, she got so angry she almost coughed up a mouthful of virgin’s blood. If it weren’t for their past relationship as colleagues, she might have just tossed his cocoon down to distract the monster.

Jun Buxiao, carrying the grimacing, ashen-faced `Elder Divine Doctor` on his shoulder, cackled, "Hee hee hee! Everyone, come look at the useless trash!"

Snake: "Useless trash!"

Ye: "That’s enough."

A few "comforting" words, each with a different emotion, rang out at once.

As Zheng Xiu flew closer and saw the monster’s form with his own eyes, its grotesque shape made his scalp tingle in horror. The writhing mass was composed of countless infant-shaped lumps of flesh, each with empty hollows where their eyes, ears, nose, and mouth should have been.

The infant-shaped lumps of flesh squeezed frantically toward the center, and from the maws of thousands of these "humanoid" forms came the sound of baby-like laughter. Every time Xi’er’s threads shaved off a chunk, even more "infant flesh" would grow back from deep within the mass.

This very process of contraction and expansion had turned the town center into a ruin, forcing the Disaster Prevention Bureau squad to walk on threads in mid-air, with no solid ground to be found.

"It’s... Young Master!"

From her high vantage point, Xi’er had a clear view and immediately spotted the winged `Red King` flying toward them. But when she saw he was carrying a girl in each arm—and that one of them was Feng Bei—the indescribable, hard-to-look-at scene instantly sent Xi’er’s imagination running wild with bizarre romantic entanglements. She froze for a second before shouting, "Young Master! Hurry! We can’t hold on much longer!"

Zheng Xiu released Yin Qingqing and Feng Bei, who landed on the large net Xi’er had woven.

Xi’er grunted. A sweet taste rose in her throat, but her face betrayed no pain. "My threads are almost gone!" she said, tossing out more than a dozen bare spools from her sleeve.

No one knew where Xi’er normally kept all those spools. In any case, after fighting fiercely all night, she was truly wrung dry—not another thread could be squeezed out of her.

Zheng Xiu glanced over and said to Yin Qingqing, "Take the wounded."

"Yes."

Yin Qingqing nodded and flicked her fingers, sending two fingernail-sized pieces of `Human` skin flying. They spun through the air and landed on "Silk Cocoon Mo Kuang" and "Broken Bone `Elder Divine Doctor`." In the blink of an eye, the skins expanded into sheets that enveloped them, and then, just as quickly, they vanished.

"Hee hee! You might as well take me, too!" Jun Buxiao finally, slowly, removed his mask. Underneath, his sickly face was paler than usual, completely drained of color. He chuckled, then coughed up several mouthfuls of blood. "I’m done for!"

Attaching a shadow to himself, forcibly borrowing another’s techniques—such an over-the-top `Miracle Technique` was not without its risks and came with harsh `Restrictions`. It was just that Jun Buxiao had been `Casting` with a cheerful grin the entire time, so not even Xi’er had noticed he was a spent force.

Yin Qingqing hesitated for a moment, then performed her `Miracle Technique` again. Just before Jun Buxiao vanished, his eyes rolled back, and he went completely limp, but not before calling out to Zheng Xiu: "Remember to pay me extra for this!"

Yin Qingqing used her `Time Demon` `Miracle Technique` to collect the three of them. Then, Zheng Xiu gave her a shove, pushing her into the distance. She landed with a THUD outside the giant flesh mass, safely away from the battlefield for the moment.

With the burden on her net lightened, Xi’er’s strained expression visibly softened. She wasted no time on pleasantries, reporting what she knew about the monster in a few brief points.

First, this monster can’t be killed.

Second, any attack just makes it grow bigger.

Third, the `Nascent Soul` is inside the monster.

Fourth, the monster has a navel, but we don’t know where it is.

Zheng Xiu gave Xi’er a thumbs-up. "Good work!"

Xi’er stole a glance at Feng Bei.

"Ye! Snake! Xi’er! All of you, fall back!"

After signaling the three women, who had been fighting fiercely all night, to retreat from the monster’s attack range, Zheng Xiu and Feng Bei locked eyes. Not a word was needed. Feng Bei smiled faintly as thorn-like tattoos crept up her fair neck to cover the right side of her face.

Deep in her pupils, the two words "Ding Wei" slowly spun. Feng Bei made a grasping motion with her left hand, and a dark aura condensed in her palm, forming a `Longbow`.

Feng Bei slowly placed her right hand on the illusory bowstring. At her fingertips, twelve twisted `Arrows` materialized.

"Like what you see?"

Feng Bei glanced back. She knew what Zheng Xiu was thinking. With a playful, teasing look, she loosed the twelve `Arrows` with a sharp TWANG.

"Twelve Linked!"