LWGP - Chapter 209
Chapter 209: Spit It Out
In truth, it wasn't just Guang Jing and his cohorts who couldn't understand what the hell was going on; even allies like Cai Wujun and Song Yin were likely baffled by Wang Jiu's strategy. But one thing was certain: the situation was far from settled.
At the very least, Guang Jing hadn't given up. As Wang Jiu frantically drained the spirit vein, the three Demon Kings didn't need a crystal ball to know she was preparing a massive move. If they waited for her to finish charging her ultimate attack like some TV show villain, they—the villains opposing the villain—would all be toast. Thus, Guang Jing and the other two Demon Kings decisively moved to forcibly halt the ritual, even if it meant suffering a backlash.
But they quickly discovered they were unable to.
Because what one wishes to do and what one actually does are often two different things.
What the hell was going on?!
The heavily wounded Kulou was already seething. Even if he couldn't stop Wang Jiu, he wanted to seize the chance to kill the traitors who had just ambushed him—Lin Yong and Yan Hui.
These despicable people had betrayed their faith in the Witch Lord!
"The mask, it's the mask!"
Guang Jing tried to rip the mask from his face. He reached up, his sharp, metallic claws trembling, but in the end, he couldn't bring himself to tear it away.
Was it too painful?
No. It was because he realized that if he tore it off, the very power they relied on for survival would be torn away with it.
The mask itself was a totem of power, a conduit for its flow. If that conduit was removed, their strength would collapse. That was why he didn't dare.
In any case, they were shackled—by the masks, by the power of this spirit vein, and ultimately, by Wang Jiu.
So it had nothing to do with faith and everything to do with self-interest.
The look in her eyes, the mockery playing on her lips—it all stemmed from her complete understanding of the situation. After all, this was a cage of her own design.
Yet she said nothing. Unlike typical heroes or villains who loved to gloat and boast about their schemes after succeeding, she was busy. Was she busy absorbing the spirit vein, or was it something else?
Regardless, the more silent she remained, the greater the psychological pressure and humiliation she inflicted upon her opponents.
But it also gave Cai Wujun a flash of insight.
Wang Jiu was a person of extremes. Thunderous in motion, an abyss in stillness. She was extremely reserved and rarely showed her hand, but if she casually let slip the smallest clue, one could piece together the ferocious logic of her plans.
1. Her method for controlling the three—or rather, all four—Demon Kings was related to those terrifying human-skin masks. It could be the totems on them, or perhaps the skin they were made from.
2. With her and Lin Yong's collaboration, the correct potion, and the loyalty of both Lin Yong and Yan Hui, the three of them could have simply ambushed Guang Jing and the other two Demon Kings. Why go through such a convoluted series of schemes? Was it just to show off? To flaunt her strategic prowess? No, she never engaged in flashy performances. Therefore, perhaps letting the other three Demon Kings successfully absorb the spirit vein and use it for the ritual—that was her ultimate goal from the start.
Based on these two points, Cai Wujun could deduce that Wang Jiu had planned from the very beginning to use the four Demon Kings and the Great Prophet's faction to seize the spirit veins throughout Sichuan. That way, she wouldn't have to bear any responsibility, since she wasn't the one taking action. It also wouldn't violate the principles instilled in her by the Old Lady since childhood. This was her typical, cunning style.
Furthermore, she herself was likely incapable of directly withstanding the power of such a massive spirit vein. The energy of a spirit vein was pure, natural, and uncontrollable—the most fundamental form of energy. A small amount would be manageable, but an amount this large would be impossible for her to consume or control, and would likely destroy her body. However, by using the powerful physiques of the four Demon Kings to channel the energy into four separate streams, her own absorption would be far more stable.
Compared to Lin Yong, her collaborator, and Song Yin, her former fiancé who had known her since childhood, Cai Wujun had the least contact with Wang Jiu. But that didn't stop him from deducing the logic behind her actions.
It was, in a word, breathtaking.
While Guang Jing and the other two were still struggling, Lin Yong, Cai Wujun, and Song Yin weren't standing idle. They immediately wanted to head underground. If the four Demon Kings' target was Wang Jiu, and Wang Jiu's target was the four Demon Kings, that wasn't their objective.
They had come for Sichuan and were fighting for Sichuan. Now, the Bashu Territory was in grave danger, and the key was Sichuan's largest spirit vein, located right beneath their feet in Phoenix Mountain.
Therefore, Lin Yong had no time to celebrate the successful scheme with his true "ally," Wang Jiu, nor did he have a moment to spare to gloat over the three Demon Kings' failure. He had come with a mission, and it was only half-finished.
Just as the three were about to descend, the ground beneath them began to shake violently.
Trouble underground?!
They all felt a surge of spirit power—something was wrong with the spirit vein!
A spirit vein essentially has two functions.
First, the storage of energy.
Second, the balance of energy.
This balance is a system that maintains equilibrium in the stored energy, a system upon which the entire regional ecosystem and all its living beings depend. If it became unstable, it meant the system was collapsing.
The three immediately shot downward, and deep underground, they saw a group of shadowy figures excavating the spirit vein.
So, the Black Witch Organization's methods were truly impressive. Not only had they planted the four Demon Kings on the surface, but they also had an army of lesser demon kings down below.
There were nearly a thousand of them, each one formidable and comparable to the elite players from any major province.
Their average attributes all exceeded three thousand, with the top echelon boasting averages of six or seven thousand.
These were terrifying numbers.
These people didn't possess the unique witch power of the four Demon Kings, nor did they have their powerful, indestructible physiques. But their auras were very similar, as if they were a reserve force of demon kings—each one a miniature version.
Cold, evil, and fanatical, they were filled with a piety for the Witch. Because of this piety, they were unswervingly carrying out their mission. Regardless of the outcome of the battle above, their operation was proceeding independently.
If they truly managed to extract the Phoenix Mountain spirit vein, the entire Bashu Territory would lose its spirit energy support, making it nearly impossible to fend off the Undead Race's invasion. Could they really expect Wang Jiu to use the other spirit veins she'd acquired to support Sichuan?
Impossible. She wouldn't do it. Even an ordinary person wouldn't be so generous, let alone someone like her.
Wang Jiu might have won this battle, but Sichuan had lost.
Upon seeing this, Lin Yong's group of three shot downward, immediately launching ranged attacks. But the hundreds of Black Witch Organization members below had already detected their arrival. Two-thirds of them moved to block the attacks, while the remaining third practically sacrificed themselves to empower the excavating tool.
Beyond the massive boom of colliding attacks, the cavern shook for a moment, followed by a sharp crack!
The expressions of the three men changed. They watched as the main root of the spirit vein—deeply embedded in the earth and rock, resembling a massive, translucent dragon's skeleton—was stripped away from the fine tendrils connecting it to the earth.
It was over. It had been excavated.
The destruction of the spirit vein systems in places like Jiuzhaigou must have also caused a huge commotion, but it had been masked by the explosion of the Seven Star Day Array. Here, it was different.
BOOM!!
A massive amount of spirit power erupted like a tornado, nearly blowing the three men away. They held their ground and descended like falling stars, attempting to intercept it. But one of the lesser demon kings had already produced a six-pointed star-shaped artifact, preparing to absorb the spirit vein.
At the same time, the attacks from Cai Wujun's group arrived... but in that instant, all three of their expressions shifted in unison to one of utter shock.
This was astonishing. The three men represented different elite factions and had distinct personalities, but all were fundamentally composed and reserved. Not even Wang Jiu and Yan Hui's elaborate deceptions had managed to elicit such a uniform expression from them.
So, what exactly had happened?
If time were slowed down, one would see that just before the extracted Phoenix spirit vein could be absorbed by the lesser demon king's six-pointed star, it melted. It flowed like cream or milk being sucked through a straw, disappearing into a jagged fissure in the cavern wall.
The fissure was like a giant mouth, and in the blink of an eye, it had sucked the entire, massive Phoenix spirit vein dry.
After it was drained, the sheer amount of energy must have been too immense, causing its camouflage to fail. Thus, Lin Yong's group and the lesser demon kings all saw its true form.
A chubby, black-and-white creature with large panda eyes, a roly-poly body, and a perpetually plump beer belly. Slurp. Its mouth and stomach were more effective than any artifact. After eating its fill, its belly swelled another size larger. It couldn't help itself and let out a loud, resonant burp.
If Wang Shu had been there, he would have instantly recognized it as Gun Gun, the very same creature that had once spat on Wang Jiu's shoe and was nearly killed by her for it.
Under the watchful eyes of everyone present, it seemed to grow a little shy. Its chubby paws immediately flew to cover its mouth, but a muffled burp escaped anyway.
Humiliation! This was a humiliation!!
That super-annoying, wretched Gun Gun!
The lesser demon kings were practically driven mad. "Kill it!" they shrieked.
They were ferocious, but little Gun Gun was incredibly clever. It immediately turned, wiggled its behind, and phased directly through the stone wall, escaping as if it were effortlessly passing through space.
The moment it fled, the army of lesser demon kings went berserk. Lin Yong and the other two grew anxious and had no choice but to give chase.
As they left, they didn't forget to send separate messages to Wang Jiu.
Lin Yong: "I'm going after the spirit vein. Can you handle things here?"
Cai Wujun: "Ms. Wang, the Bashu battlefield awaits."
Song Yin: "Contact me immediately if you're in danger."
They received no reply from Wang Jiu. As they continued their pursuit underground, they, along with the lesser demon kings, nearly lost track of Gun Gun.
This Gun Gun was something else. Even an absolute brand couldn't be applied; it was a direct miss. The system notification was identical to the one Wang Jiu had received before—Top-tier divine beast, noble bloodline. A wretched mortal wants to brand it? Scram!
Even with their excellent composure, the three men were nearly driven to fury.
So this was what extreme jealousy felt like.
Just as they were rendered speechless, they suddenly picked up Gun Gun's trail again.
Hmm?
Could it be a false trail, a feint?
Song Yin said, "It's likely because the spirit vein's energy is too immense, causing an imbalance of spirit power within its body. That's why its aura is leaking out."
Regardless, this was good news.
Chase!
Right now, Gun Gun was indeed in a panic. It felt unwell. After bursting out from the confines of Phoenix Mountain, it let out a series of whimpering cries. It was dizzy and disoriented, and had somehow run toward the Bashu Territory, where the towering, frost-covered cube was already in sight.
Hiss—so cold!
The chill sobered Gun Gun up a little. It wanted to turn back, but it was too late.
Swoosh! The army of lesser demon kings and the trio of Lin Yong burst out from underground.
In terms of overall strength, the army of lesser demon kings was superior. There was strength in numbers, and even though the three men were powerful, they were no match. The moment they surfaced, they were surrounded.
Oh, and Gun Gun with them.
"Spit it out and give it to us!" Lin Yong shouted, seeing that something was wrong with Gun Gun as he fought against the lesser demon kings. He sternly admonished the creature.
Gun Gun, however, shook its head fiercely. Impossible. Absolutely impossible!
Have you ever seen one of us Gun Guns spit out something we've already eaten?
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