LWGP - Chapter 247
Chapter 247: Scattered
When the two sides faced each other, Qing He and the others were utterly stunned.
"How did the Icebound Undead get out?"
"Isn't there a barrier outside? They shouldn't be able to leave."
"Maybe someone helped them. Perhaps Old Ryan, or someone from the Black Witch Organization."
"Just to deal with Wang Jiu?"
"No, they must be after the spirit vein below. Wang Jiu is currently channeling it. Their goal is to stop her and seize the spirit vein."
Not just anyone could use a spirit vein. Without Wang Jiu venturing deep underground, spending a fortune on items, and leveraging her own terrifying power to forcibly create a living body with the spirit vein, even the Old Ryan of the past couldn't have touched the spirit vein buried deep within the earth.
And the Icebound Undead would be noticed the moment they left their frigid lands, let alone have the ability to tap into the earth's veins.
Now, they were just hijacking the situation, taking advantage of the crisis.
Everything was for the sake of their race. They didn't care if others lived or died!
With a roar from the Icebound Undead King, the entire mist froze solid, then shattered like glass. As the light was refracted by the countless shards, the inside and outside were finally connected. Everyone could see Old Ryan, who had been forced back by Wang Jiu, as well as Lie Chi, Hu Guang, and other members of the Black Witch Organization.
A moment later, an Icebound Undead commander waved his hand. "Kill!"
With ferocious momentum, they charged forward. Without a word, Qing He and the others charged to meet them.
Human Kings versus ten thousand high-level Icebound Undead.
The weakest of the high-level Icebound Undead were at the peak of Gold-grade, and a considerable number of them were Purple Gold-grade BOSSes.
Yes, as far as the eye could see, there was a boundless sea of Icebound Undead BOSSes radiating the light of Gold and Purple Gold.
However, the auras of the Kings were even stronger, with their weakest average attributes exceeding one hundred thousand. They were just far outnumbered by the BOSSes.
At first glance, it seemed like a one-sided slaughter, but in terms of momentum, they were evenly matched.
This was war!
Amidst the slaughter, Qing He and her group sent news of the Icebound Undead's arrival back to the officials.
The governments of various nations immediately had a headache. This was a disaster. The mastermind behind this was so fucking disgusting.
Traitors to humanity!
"Ten thousand high-level ones? If the high-level ones are out, who knows how many more are behind them. Once they came out, they must have considered that we would intercept them. The current ten thousand are not enough. I suspect a large-scale escape of the Icebound Undead. Quickly deploy defenses in the Devil's Sea region, don't let them break out of the sea!"
"Of course, we must also prevent them from getting the spirit vein in the Devil's Sea…"
The government's top think tanks had sharp minds and figured out the Icebound Undead's plan in minutes. Just as they were about to deploy, a message came from the intelligence department.
"Report, elite armies from several major districts have just descended upon the islands of the Devil's Sea."
The leader of Huaxia City, commanding from headquarters, was stunned for a moment before understanding, a wry smile on his face.
Was this a blessing in disguise?
Those other countries, afraid that they were finding some treasure, had hastily assembled armies to come and get a piece of the action, and the result…
The result was fucking unbelievable!
Forces from the First District, Second District, and several other major districts and nations had organized thousands of top experts. They used priceless, top-tier mass teleportation items to descend upon the islands of the Devil's Sea. Their arrival was grand and majestic.
Among them were Japanese and Korean factions from the Ninth District who were not on good terms with the Huaxia alliance. They had quickly allied themselves with some American and European groups, landing with great pomp and circumstance. But before they could even see where the treasure was, they saw an icy aura blotting out the sun in the sea ahead, and dense hordes of Icebound Undead leaping out from the ice layer beneath the water.
Tens of thousands upon tens of thousands, it was unstoppable. The numbers were already in the hundreds of thousands and still climbing.
The experts: "!"
Fuck! The cold air is hitting us, inflicting negative statuses! We can't teleport back to the city! Call for help, call for help!!
Ah!
The experts from the various nations, on the verge of being surrounded, let out screams like a Mountain Bear standing on a cliff's edge.
With the Icebound Undead present, Old Ryan's eyes gleamed. The Icebound Undead King was a descendant of the Primordial Spirit Race and possessed soul talent, which meant Wang Jiu's mental attacks would have limited effect on him. With him leading the charge, the situation might not be so certain.
Old Ryan was cunning by nature, adept at seizing the smallest of advantages. He immediately followed the Icebound Undead King to attack Wang Jiu.
At that moment, a hum filled the air as spirit light flowed, and a faint scent of flesh and blood spread. The living body was complete.
Wang Jiu glanced at them, one hand controlling the Soul-Gathering Coffin, the other controlling the living body, while her mind simultaneously controlled the items and channeled the spirit vein below.
A three-pronged effort.
In the boundless sea, she drew upon the spirit vein of mountains and seas, reversing the cycle of life and death. She was defying the heavens.
Fusion!
Hum… The deepest part of the sea churned, spirit light surged, and the spiritual patterns formed by the game's rules filled the sky.
An aura, the aura of life, was about to be created in her hands.
It was also the return of a person.
But at this moment, the Icebound Undead King and Old Ryan were nearly upon her. Many high-level Icebound Undead had also entered the Devil's Eye, naturally heading for the spirit vein. If the spirit vein suffered heavy damage, the fusion process would be interrupted.
Yet Wang Jiu could not free herself.
From the System's perspective, even if Wang Jiu's current attributes exceeded a million, she couldn't use that power as long as she was trying to save the Old Lady.
Mainly because her hands were tied.
It was like the perfect time to slay a dragon was when the mother dragon was pregnant… it was the same principle.
Even the strong have weaknesses.
Wang Jiu had a fatal weakness.
In the midst of the slaughter, Qing He and the others watched the perilous situation unfolding around Wang Jiu. They couldn't break away, but they could at least tie down the other Icebound Undead and members of the Black Witch Organization. There was still room to maneuver.
Hum! A flash of spirit light, and a teleportation array appeared.
It was Xie Lu. He had brought Song Yuanqiao and his group in the nick of time.
There were a lot of old men and women.
Weren't they just here to die?
No, they were not. The "grandpas and grandmas," who had been at a disadvantage in the early stages due to their limited stamina but could now utilize resources to two hundred percent of their potential, fully demonstrated what it meant to be a force to be reckoned with.
Their average attributes were over two or three hundred thousand, each possessed a special class, and all except Song Yuanqiao had undergone gene evolution. Otherwise, they wouldn't have such strong attributes. They were all King-level.
In fact, they were already the strongest secret corps of Huaxia City, and perhaps even all of China.
Strategic resources like gene potions had not been solely invested in the younger generation. The central government had discovered that people with stronger brain domains had higher development ceilings, and age was not the critical factor.
As soon as these old men and women acted, they intercepted a charge from the Icebound Undead King and Old Ryan.
Their class skills were all perfectly coordinated.
The sea surged with tides, an endless clamor.
Old fogeys and old Bosses versus the Central Sunset Glow Heavenly Troupe.
An old man said, "Oho, older than us and still bullying a little girl. You disrespectful old dog!"
An old woman declared, "You want to stop my bestie's resurrection? First, ask if the staff in this old lady's hand agrees!"
With them holding the line, the fusion Wang Jiu was controlling had already reached 75% and was rapidly approaching 100%.
Song Yuanqiao saw this, his eyes filled with joy. The others let him go to the platform to watch.
Song Yuanqiao did indeed go up, but he was worried Wang Jiu wouldn't allow it. However, she just glanced at him and said nothing.
Song Yuanqiao was overjoyed but knew the situation was far from stable. He only said to Wang Jiu, "We'll do our best to guard this place. You can focus on your work."
"No need."
No need? No need for what?
Many of the old men and women here actually knew Wang Jiu, and had even watched her grow up. During her "perfect persona" phase, she was the "other family's child" they constantly mentioned to their own descendants. They actually understood Wang Jiu.
Whether it was her perfect persona or her later dark one, she was never one for empty words.
If she said "no need," she really meant it.
On what grounds?
Probably… on the grounds of her money power.
Two beams of light descended from the sky, striking Old Ryan and the Icebound Undead King with a speed they couldn't react to or dodge.
BOOM!!
Both were blasted into the sea, setting off a massive explosion.
Everyone: "???"
What happened?
Before they could even ask.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh, a dense barrage of light beams descended.
Three high-grade warships, eighteen mid-grade warships, attacking from outside the atmosphere.
The beams reached the ground at the speed of light.
A higher-dimensional strike.
It directly treated all enemies present to an interstellar-grade fireworks display.
Song Yuanqiao: "???"
The old men and women: "…"
The… the Eternal Night Race is here?
No, that's not right! The Eternal Night Race hadn't descended, the timing was wrong, and the System hadn't given a notification.
Then it could only be Wang Jiu's doing.
Realizing this fact, everyone had complicated feelings.
They really wanted to grab their own kids by the ear and scold them for the N+1th time: "Look, look, look at her! Look at what she can do! And then look at you!"
Of course, the attack range was wide. Why would so many warships be used just to defend against one thing?
So the sea area dense with Icebound Undead also… received a devastating attack.
The surface of the sea was blasted apart, and there was no way to counterattack—who the hell could attack from the atmosphere? Even Old Ryan couldn't do that!
It truly was a perfect higher-dimensional strike.
The experts from the several districts were all dumbfounded.
Holy shit, holy shit!
Wang Shu looked up at the sky, nearly breaking his neck. Beside him, Bai Bai and Gun Gun maintained the exact same posture, even their expressions were identical.
Holy shit, this is my Master/Great-Grandma/Terrifying Demon King!
Among everyone, only Qing He seemed to have anticipated it, yet was still surprised.
How to put it? She had done mecha business with Wang Jiu. When Wang Jiu had the ability to get her a Purple Gold Mecha, she had suspected that Wang Jiu might be able to get warships.
One or two, maybe.
She never expected this person to be so ruthless, getting so many at once.
She had no idea where Wang Jiu had gotten the money; the gold coins earned from the mechas were definitely not enough.
At this moment, Qing He instantly thought of two possibilities.
1. She was being kept, for example by some medical institute director as rich as a nation, or some emperor.
2. Murder and robbery.
Anyway, the situation should be stable now, right? If it wasn't, Qing He could only say that the enemies Wang Jiu provoked were exceptionally good at causing trouble.
Just as she had this thought, Wang Jiu's expression suddenly changed slightly. At this point, the fusion was at 100%. The soul and the living body were perfectly compatible, a truly complete "person."
Now was the final step. All that remained was the self-nourishment of the living body and soul. Without the nourishment of the spirit vein, it would enter a completely dormant state, no different from a living dead person. One hand continued to control the spirit vein below for the final nourishment, while the other hand faced an empty space.
Because of the bombardment from the warships, the powerful impact had destabilized space, revealing a flaw in the perfect disguise of a deeply hidden figure that even Wang Jiu hadn't noticed.
Wang Jiu saw through it, and the other party obviously knew they had been seen, so they decided to reveal themselves.
A witch seal suddenly appeared, a witch skull, spitting out a beam of witch light.
BOOM!!
As it blasted down, the black light from Wang Jiu's staff met it in an equal explosion.
The two sides competed in output. Wang Jiu's was clearly stronger, and she was rapidly suppressing the opponent's attack, about to counterattack the black skull. But at this very moment… if Wang Jiu was tied down, it was an opportunity.
A feint to the east, attacking in the west.
Song Yuanqiao's face suddenly changed.
"Be careful!"
He flashed directly to the side of the coffin and saw a member of the Black Witch Organization who had arrived earliest with Lie Chi and Hu Guang, now rejoining them.
The third Holy Son?
It must be him.
The third Holy Son, the Demon Child.
The next second, he showed everyone what "Demon Child" meant.
As Lie Chi and Hu Guang ran to his side to form a small group, his fingers pierced straight through the back of their heads, and in an instant, he released a witch art, a sacrificial altar appearing at his feet.
Holy Son Fusion Art.
Of the four Holy Sons, only one knew it.
Not Song Yin, not anyone else, only the Demon Child. He was the sole Holy Son destined to absorb them.
After the fusion, the Demon Child's average attributes skyrocketed to four or five hundred thousand, his aura terrifying.
He instantly bypassed everyone's blockade. Wang Jiu had one hand tied down by the mysterious person and the other controlling the spirit vein's output. Sensing the change behind her, she felt a sense of alarm and was about to react, but at that moment, as if deliberately timed…
Her back burned. That terrifying feeling returned, like her flesh was being torn apart. And the soul dormant deep within her spirit let out a low laugh.
This laugh was accompanied by the ghostly soul's faint words.
"In this world, how many things are unattainable, no matter how desperately one tries?"
Ever since obtaining the ancient Primordial Spirit Calendar, Wang Jiu knew who the witch worshipped in Miao Mountain was.
The founder of the Black Witches, Witch Emperor Yin Lao!
Wang Jiu's mind was overwhelmed by a moment of dizziness, her output and control thrown into disarray.
Was it over?
No.
But she held on. It took only two or three seconds for her to regain her senses. BOOM!!
The attack rebounded, shattering the black skull and knocking out an old man in black robes.
That was the head of the Black Witch Organization.
Success?
But in those brief two or three seconds, as her mind returned, Wang Jiu heard people shouting behind her. Her heart sank.
She looked back…
Three seconds ago, in the brief moment Wang Jiu was stunned, the Demon Child had silently teleported in front of Song Yuanqiao.
This kind of teleportation was almost instantaneous, a power he shouldn't have possessed.
There was an array Wang Jiu had placed under the coffin. Song Yuanqiao had noticed it when he approached, but he had been accepted into it. Wang Jiu probably needed him to be a part of it.
This was just how she was: pragmatic, assessing situations based on benefit, not emotion.
Even though she still disliked Song Yuanqiao, she knew his goal was the same as hers.
With Song Yuanqiao and the array, Wang Jiu could sense any attack, which was why she had freed up a hand to deal with the mysterious person.
But while Wang Jiu resisted the soul bewitchment and the attack from the Black Witch leader, she couldn't possibly withstand every accident.
She truly never expected… that someone could ignore the protective array.
All attacks should have been blocked, and no one should have been able to enter, but the Demon Child did.
Song Yuanqiao could enter because Wang Jiu had added him to her party. What about the Demon Child?
He had even appeared instantly beside the coffin where the Old Lady was fusing.
Qing He took a sharp look and saw a strange teleportation array under the Demon Child's feet. Strange soul threads were moving, connected to a wisp of the Old Lady's soul.
What was this?
That scene was mysterious and hinted at some truth, but it was too brief. Before anyone could react, they were struck by another fact.
Qing He summoned her flying sword, and its spiritual light shot toward the Demon Child's back, but she was a step too slow. The only one who could make it in time was Song Yuanqiao.
But…
Just as Song Yuanqiao, in his shock, raised his hand to attack the Demon Child, a strange feeling flashed through his mind. But before he could react, he saw the Demon Child's eyes.
A pair of eyes, unfamiliar yet incredibly familiar.
Dazed, emotionless when not fully awake, but would foolishly ask for hugs when alert, her eyes curving like little crescent moons when she smiled.
Big-hearted, without a shred of her parents' cleverness.
Such eyes, those eyes…
Song Yuanqiao's pupils dilated and contracted. His raised hand froze.
It was this momentary lapse.
It was a father's most instinctual and irresistible moment of distraction, a feeling that came from the bottom of his heart.
He recognized the Demon Child.
BOOM!!
His chest was pierced straight through by the Demon Child's hand.
His heart was punctured.
Song Yuanqiao was in disbelief, his pupils dilating, but in the instant before death, he still reached out and grabbed the Demon Child's arm tightly.
"Jiong…"
Pfft. The Demon Child emotionlessly pulled his hand from Song Yuanqiao's chest and struck the Soul-Gathering Coffin with his other hand with all his might.
"No…"
Thud. As Song Yuanqiao's body, drained of HP, knelt weakly on the ground, the Demon Child's strike had already landed on the coffin.
Thud. A muffled sound.
The person at 100% fusion was just one step away. In fact, she had basically already returned. All she needed to do was open her eyes.
She could have seen this world, seen everyone.
But this blow struck the Soul-Gathering Coffin.
It penetrated deep into the still-fragile soul and shattered it!
Because… the Demon Child's bloodline was one of soul talent.
A single blow was enough to shatter the fragile, returning soul.
And then, the soul scattered.
This was the scene Wang Jiu saw.
Three seconds decided a lifetime.
Everyone watched as the "Old Lady" that Wang Jiu had worked so hard to summon and reconstruct had her spirit vein connection severed and her soul shattered.
At that moment, their own emotions were in turmoil, their minds nearly going blank, but they all subconsciously looked at Wang Jiu.
Wang Jiu was no longer in her original spot. She went down, frantically taking out all sorts of soul-related items, ignoring Old Ryan, the Icebound Undead, the Black Witch leader, and the Demon Child.
She hastily and carefully collected the shattered soul fragments on her own, like a destitute person who had finally obtained a piece of jade, only to have it fall and shatter into dust.
Panicked, rushed, desperate, she even knelt on the ground, trying to gather them with the flesh of her palms.
But it was useless.
It still scattered.
She frantically used the spirit power in her body to drive the items to gather the soul, but the soul threads still escaped through the gaps between her fingers.
Finally, with an item in one hand and the other held in mid-air, Wang Jiu looked down at her palm, her expression wooden.
Corresponding to her was the gradually dissipating body of Song Yuanqiao, his back to the coffin.
Kneeling there, a hole in his chest, his heart shattered, a tear at the corner of his eye.
In the hazy state of death, he inexplicably returned to a scene from the past.
He chose politics, dedicating his life to building the nation, while she chose medicine, devoting herself to human life. But neither of them had expected the accident.
A child. They had a child.
She wasn't in the plan.
They welcomed her, joyful and moved, as if their already full lives had gained a new, inexplicable attachment.
It was love, wasn't it.
A familial love more sacred and great than romantic love.
But they were always apart more than they were together. Not without guilt, not without regret, but… they never thought they would lose her.
That day, after Lin Zi broke down, she asked him, "Song Yuanqiao, what kind of parents are we?"
Yes, what kind of parents were we.
The greater good of family and country, he had to choose one. Did he regret it? Was he lost? But in the end, only the reality that all adults know remained.
There was no turning back.
He finally saw his daughter, but he never knew it would be this despairing, an infinite despair.
Without end.
It wasn't death. It was sorrow.
As Song Yuanqiao's body disintegrated into ash, BANG!!
The emotionless, robot-like the Demon Child was grabbed by the neck by Wang Jiu, who slammed him hard against the coffin.
A terrifying power erupted from behind her, like a demon, like a devil.
It directly tore apart the Demon Child's body, snapping the bones in his neck and ripping his flesh.
His system collapsed. The Demon Child's disguised appearance crumbled, revealing his true form.
The members of the Sunset Glow team, who were still grieving Song Yuanqiao's death, were all shocked.
The Demon Child's true form was actually a little girl, with delicate, cute features, but no emotion, only numbness in her eyes.
Her lower body was made of a strange, non-flesh material—alchemical witch race materials—while her upper body was covered in dense brandings and totems.
She was a masterless puppet.
A killing machine forged through countless cruel experiments, to be controlled at will by others.
And also a… copy that felt incredibly familiar to Wang Jiu.
She had clearly seen this girl in a photo the Old Lady had hidden away.
She was jealous at the time.
Because she was pretty, looked like the Old Lady, simple and foolish, clearly raised with love, her eyes disappearing when she smiled.
Two dimples so deep they could hold all the happiness in the world.
How jealous she was, yet she had pretended to be obedient and sensible, telling the Old Lady there was no need to put it away, that it was fine to hang it on the wall.
But the Old Lady had said, "Not really. Missing her is something I should do as her mother, but there's no need for you to see it every day. You are you, and she is she."
She was true to her word. For many years after, she never equated Wang Jiu with Jiong Jiong, nor did she ever rank them.
But… it turned out they were equated in the end after all.
Wang Jiu remembered the sight of the Old Lady piously writing three prayer slips, then standing on her tiptoes to hang them one by one on the peace tree.
May the country be prosperous and the people at peace. May Wang Jiu and Jiong Jiong both be safe and sound.
Every year, without fail, come rain or shine.
Her expression finally twisted in pain for an instant. Wang Jiu, trembling, withdrew her hand and took two steps back. The Demon Child had long since lost the ability to fight. Covered in blood, she slumped weakly to the ground, watching Wang Jiu without emotion.
Watching her, lost and bewildered, desolate and pale, looking more like a soulless puppet than she did.
Suddenly, everyone heard the low, hoarse gasps of a strange woman coming from within Wang Jiu's body.
As if something was about to break free.
Whoosh! The witch energy around Wang Jiu fell into chaos, and the pressure of a sacrificial ritual flickered behind her.
It's over. Is she turning evil? Or is she being controlled?
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