Chapter 59
Chapter 59
A cold, desolate drizzle fell across the entire city.
At Mingjiang No. 7 Special School, Cao Yi and the others wore extremely ugly expressions.
They had never imagined that even with the Jiangdong Chamber of Commerce and Hall of Anomalies arriving together, bringing so many S-class powers between them, they would still run headfirst into an iron wall!
Now even their S-class anomaly wielders had been trapped in a ghost maze and could not leave.
“Is this why Qin Shiyu betrayed the Hall of Anomalies?”
Sun Xingsheng’s expression was darker than ever, but unlike the others, he did not panic.
After all, he still had an invincible trump card in reserve.
Even if the situation truly deteriorated, he could turn it around.
Shi Xuan drew a deep breath and addressed the group.
“Everyone, this way.”
At the same time, Xu Changjiang and Leng Qingyan led the Anomaly Suppression Bureau operatives in surrounding them completely.
The Bureau team’s anomalous entities had not been affected and remained fully functional.
Cao Yi, Li Buhai, and the others, however, were completely suppressed by Lin Xiaoyu’s divine authority. The balance of power had reversed.
“In that case, let’s go see this Water God for ourselves,” Yin Rumei said first. Though she was a woman, she appeared far calmer than any of the men.
“What an impressive SS-class anomaly god. Fine. This old man admits defeat,” Cao Yi said heavily.
His fist tightened around the Burial Shroud inside his sleeve. It was now his only hope.
“It’s an SS-class anomalous entity. Keeping me alive shouldn’t be a problem… Once the Xu family arrives, everything will change!”
He still had hope.
The members of the Li and Zuo families exchanged uneasy looks. With no other option, they followed.
The group went with Shi Xuan toward the school auditorium.
It was not far. Before long, Shi Xuan stopped.
“Everyone, the Water God and her teacher are inside.”
“He has prepared… a speech for you. Please enter.”
Shi Xuan stepped inside first.
Yin Rumei immediately followed.
The next instant, dazzling light rushed toward her. She instinctively raised a wrist to shield her eyes.
As the light gradually faded and her pupils adjusted, she finally saw what lay before her.
An immense, majestic divine temple!
It towered overhead, cast entirely from bronze.
Brilliant light flowed across its breathtaking form. The roof ridge resembled the rugged bones of a mighty dragon, with a chiwen-the dragon-headed roof guardian-perched at its center as though gazing down upon the world.
Every surface of the temple was covered in intricate cloud patterns: dragons and phoenixes weaving between one another, immortals ascending, gods spreading their teachings…
It did not seem like anything that should exist in this world.
“How could a place like this appear here… and how can it still be so magnificent?”
Yin Rumei murmured. Her breathing grew unsteady, and complex emotions crossed her face.
…
When Cao Yi entered, an enormous throne of shadow appeared before him.
“Immortality through shadow…”
He murmured as he sensed the power around him, almost instantly consumed by madness.
His anomalous entity was called the Oath of Shadows, and it possessed the potential to grow!
One day, Cao Yi could merge himself completely into shadow, escape the limits of mortal life, and perhaps even live forever!
Now all of it stood within his reach.
…
“The Water God’s Authority! The Water God’s Authority is here?”
Zuo Yuanshan and his son, Zuo Qingyun, saw a mass of flowing water. A red cord floated within it.
That was the anomalous entity representing the Water God’s Authority.
“Grandfather, come out! Once you obtain the Water God’s Authority, you can become a god!”
Zuo Qingyun excitedly opened the box.
Countless ashes drifted out and formed a human figure, which walked toward the red cord.
…
Li Buhai led Li Dao and the others toward an ancient black coffin.
A thin layer of black mist surrounded it.
“The Li family could have become one of the Old-Grave Clans!” Li Buhai said, gazing at the coffin with an indescribably complicated expression.
“Unfortunately, our family’s most gifted ancestor was trapped by the black mist while battling anomalies many years ago…”
“But now we can use the blood of his descendants to recover this ancestor’s anomalous entity. The Li family will rise again-perhaps we can even return to the capital!”
Li Dao and the others stared with fanaticism. Without hesitation, they cut open their wrists.
…
“Is this… a dream?”
Sun Xingsheng alone realized something was wrong when his surroundings transformed into the Hall of Anomalies.
The gray feather in his hand had begun to glow faintly.
Nightmare had left this feather with Sun Xingsheng.
It allowed him to sense Nightmare’s aura.
“Nightmare is the one controlling this place?”
An idea occurred to Sun Xingsheng. Without hesitation, he produced the feather.
“Nightmare, why don’t you come out and see me?”
“Don’t you still want divine investiture?”
As his words faded, the surrounding scene vanished. A shadow gathered into human form.
Nightmare.
“Young Master Sun truly is one of the Hall Master’s most capable subordinates,” Nightmare said with a faint smile.
“What exactly is happening here?” Sun Xingsheng asked sternly.
“Nothing much. I’ve already taken control of the Water God anomaly.”
Nightmare smiled.
“Now I intend to collect the dreams of the anomaly wielders and anomalies from every major family.”
“The power within their dreams will help me complete the final containment of my anomalous entity.”
Sun Xingsheng was astonished. Nightmare had actually taken control of the Water God?!
Did that mean Nightmare was the true architect behind everything happening here? Had he been the one who invited all these factions?
“Your guess is correct. The Water God anomaly is only S-class, and her teacher relies on nothing more than a Divine Seal Fragment.”
Nightmare took out a damaged jade seal. An eerie, bloody aura radiated from it.
“I already have the Divine Seal Fragment. Unfortunately, anomalies cannot control this object.”
“Once I’ve finished collecting everyone’s dreams, I’ll return to the Hall of Anomalies with you.”
Sun Xingsheng was overwhelmed with excitement.
“Senior Nightmare, there’s no need for you to go back.”
He stared at the Divine Seal Fragment in Nightmare’s hand, naked greed and desire filling his eyes.
“I can contain the Divine Seal too. Then I’ll be able to grant you divine investiture!”
“To tell you the truth, the Hall Master placed a Suppression Art on your feather. The Hall Master can severely injure you whenever he wishes. He never intended to help you for real-but I can…”
Nightmare was visibly tempted. “Is that true?”
…
“My dream is to become a poet. A writer.”
Inside the auditorium, Meng Mo had finally begun his speech.
A smile rested on his lips as he looked out at the audience.
Yin Rumei, Sun Xingsheng, Li Dao, Zuo Yuanshan, Cao Yi…
These mighty figures, famous throughout Jiangdong and powerful enough to blot out the sky with one hand, now sat in perfect order. Their eyes were open, but their gazes were vacant as they listened.
Several anomalies had even appeared beside them.
An old man dripping yellow fluid. Several provocatively dressed dancers whose chests had long since rotted away… These were the “trump cards” brought by the major families.
Yet now, these A-class and even S-minus-class anomalies sat utterly motionless.
“Is this… the power of dreams?”
Nearby, Leng Qingyan, Xu Changjiang, and the others stared in complete shock.
These people were all S-class, yet Meng Mo had taken control of them without any of them noticing.
“This is a godhood ritual,” Shi Xuan said, his expression complicated.
“So… this was Teacher Li’s true objective.”
“He drew every S-class anomaly wielder and anomaly in Jiangdong here to provide nourishment for his student!”
The powerful members of the great families and the anomalies that had terrorized entire regions had become firewood. Their dreams would be burned dry to cook Meng Mo a pot of porridge called *Dream*.
Having finally glimpsed the whole design, Shi Xuan felt his blood surge.
What was strategy? Toying with every major faction in the palm of one’s hand-that was strategy!
What was true strength? Casually suppressing every S-class anomaly, crushing an entire city with a single student-that was true strength!
“Teacher Li has gone to extraordinary lengths!” Shi Xuan exclaimed repeatedly.
“Cultivating a single god is already unimaginably difficult, yet Teacher Li has cultivated two in succession!”
“Teacher Li must have an enormous plan. Everything we’ve seen is only the beginning!”
“I can almost see the future. The day Teacher Li emerges, mountains of corpses and seas of blood will shake the world. Every existing order will be rewritten. Countless anomaly wielders and anomalies will perish. Perhaps even the Old-Grave Clans will be shaken by him!”
Beside him, Lin Xiaoyu could not help looking at Bai Lu.
“Big Sister Bai, is that really true?”
She had never understood why Li Que treated her so well.
After all, she was only an anomaly.
Could this truly have been Sir’s intention?
To cultivate them into gods, then take them with him to conquer the world?
If that was true, then Lin Xiaoyu could hardly wait!
Bai Lu paused. A rare thoughtful expression appeared on her face.
“Mm… He was a little bit right.”
Lin Xiaoyu looked curious. “Which little bit?”
“You’ll understand when you’re stronger,” Bai Lu replied.
Then she returned to her mirror.
…
At that moment, while every top-tier anomaly and anomaly wielder was listening to the speech at Mingjiang No. 7 Special School, a faint shadow spread across the entire city with the soft, pattering rain.
In a dark sewer, a human corpse covered in living rats writhed slowly.
It was a B-plus-class anomaly. Its attention had fixed on a nearby manhole cover. At the edge of the cover, a woman stood talking on her phone.
Drag her down. Eat her.
That was the anomaly’s sole instinct.
But just as it approached the manhole, rainwater trickled through the gaps. The anomaly’s entire body suddenly went rigid.
“Squeak, squeak, squeak…”
The rats growing from its flesh began shrieking in frenzy. One by one, they withered and shriveled.
The corpse rapidly rotted away as well.
Elsewhere.
“We’re young again…”
In an empty lot, a group of provocatively dressed female corpses danced in delight. Lost in beautiful dreams, they slowly decayed.
…
“You just devour the dreams! Your father will harvest them for you!”
Hidden within the shadows, Nightmare shouted without making a sound.
Meng Mo had entered the most critical stage. With his SS-class strength, Nightmare extended the dream through Lin Xiaoyu’s rain until it covered the entire city!
The Hall of Anomalies, the Jiangdong Chamber of Commerce, and the others had brought large numbers of personnel and anomalies. Many remained hidden throughout the city, waiting for orders.
Now there was nowhere for them to hide. Every last anomaly was found and dragged into the dream.
…
“The city should be stable now…”
At the edge of Mingjiang City, Qin Shiyu parked her car and looked up at the sky. Sensing the anomalous aura mixed into the rain, her expression grew complicated.
Even though she had remained at the school throughout Lin Xiaoyu’s growth, the girl’s progress still astonished her.
Qin Shiyu soon drew a deep breath.
“The Hall of Anomalies and Jiangdong Chamber of Commerce no longer pose a threat… but Abyss is already on his way.”
She had raced here specifically to wait for Abyss.
Qin Shiyu knew exactly how powerful he was. An ancient SSS-class wild deity like Abyss could cause a catastrophic flood simply by rolling over on the riverbed.
Now he was coming toward Mingjiang City. Against a being of this level, no one could prevail unless the Anomaly Wielders’ Alliance intervened and brought out something from an old grave.
Abyss owed the Hall Master of the Hall of Anomalies a favor. Qin Shiyu feared that if Sun Xingsheng exploited that debt, Li Que might not be able to stop him.
She hoped to negotiate and change Abyss’s mind. The chance was vanishingly small, but she still wanted to try.
Boom!
A deafening crash of water erupted, as if some colossal creature had burst through the river’s surface.
Qin Shiyu stood on Mingjiang No. 1 Bridge. Downstream, the Mingjiang River churned with towering waves.
Meter-long topmouth culters, hundred-pound silver and bighead carp, enormous black carp, and even tiny white minnows leaped from the surface as though gripped by unimaginable terror.
Qin Shiyu’s expression turned grave.
Abyss was about to arrive.
…
Outside Mingjiang City.
Guo Shoubo parked on a mountain. From halfway up its slope, he could look down upon the lights of the entire city.
Mist and rain veiled the landscape beneath dense clouds. Rain, who had only recently obtained the Water God’s Authority, had clearly unleashed her full strength!
“The rain is this fierce. The battle must have reached its climax,” Guo Shoubo said with a faint smile.
“Rain’s anomaly domain is fully open. Every anomaly in the city will inevitably be drawn in, and the Burial Shroud will record the auras of every anomaly wielder and anomaly.”
“We’ll wait a little longer. Then we’ll go in and pick the ripest fruit!”
Behind him, Xu Guoguo did not get out of the car. She released her little gray rat and placed two bloody hearts before it.
This time, the rat took only a few bites before squeaking in disgust.
“Be good. Just two more bites… Fill your stomach a little, then we’ll go catch the Water God and eat every last one of them, all right?”
Xu Guoguo stroked the rat’s head.
…