Chapter 84
Chapter 84
Three days later.
The sun shone brightly over Mingjiang No. 7 Special School beneath a cloudless sky.
Every kind of vehicle imaginable filled the space outside the school gates.
The Xun family was the first to arrive.
In addition to Xun Fayin and Xun Silu, a middle-aged man had come today: Xun Wanzong, head of the Xun family.
The Xu family arrived next. Xu Jianye personally led the group and brought Xu Guoguo with him.
“The Old Grove should still have plenty of firewood. Why has Brother Xun come in person?” Xu Jianye asked with a smile when he saw Xun Wanzong.
The so-called Old Grove was the ancestral hearth behind the Xun family.
“Doesn’t Erdao Ridge also claim its stores of firewood remain abundant? Yet Brother Xu is here as well,” Xun Wanzong replied evenly.
“I hear several seniors at Erdao Ridge discovered a method for turning sources of divine authority that had received divine investiture into firewood. Unfortunately, the two new gods here do not seem particularly interested in Erdao Ridge.”
Xu Jianye’s face darkened.
More vehicles arrived.
This time, not everyone who stepped out was young. Several were elders deep into their twilight years.
“Isn’t that Elder Gan? Didn’t he enter his old ancestral hearth more than ten years ago? Why has he come out this time?”
“The Gan family’s ancestral hearth has the weakest flame of them all. Some say it’s close to going out. Once their fire is severed, the black mist may swallow the entire Gan family. Of course he’s anxious to obtain something from the former Divine Gate and prolong his family’s survival!”
People whispered nearby.
“It’s not only the Gan family. Even the old matriarch of the Sun family came out. Their ancestral hearth burns more strongly than any other right now. Are they anxious too?”
“The Black Mist Calamity may erupt on a massive scale. When that happens, the present size of their flame won’t matter. Only lighting a new bonfire will make a difference.”
More and more people arrived, every one of them an important figure.
“With a gathering like this… practically the entire leadership of the Anomaly Wielders’ Alliance is here,” Shi Xuan said, his expression complicated as he watched them arrive.
Any one of these people ordinarily wielded overwhelming influence, yet all of them had now gathered in Mingjiang City.
“Being Director of the Anomaly Suppression Bureau is putting me under a lot of pressure right now,” Xu Changjiang sighed.
“Don’t forget, you aren’t only Director of the Anomaly Suppression Bureau anymore. You’re also this school’s honorary vice principal!”
Shi Xuan patted him on the shoulder.
“Come on. We should help Qingyan and the others welcome the guests.”
With that, he took out his staff ID and clipped it directly to his chest.
Xu Changjiang froze.
Wearing his staff ID on an occasion like this was an open declaration that Shi Xuan stood with the school and was severing himself from the Anomaly Wielders’ Alliance.
But after a moment’s thought, Xu Changjiang realized they had boarded Li Que’s ship long ago.
Their former identities… no longer mattered.
He put on his own staff ID as well.
“Everyone, please come in!”
They stepped forward to welcome the guests.
Elder Gan, the old matriarch of the Sun family, Xu Jianye, Xun Wanzong, and the others entered the school one after another.
“Heh. Such a grand occasion, yet without worship, I wonder how Teacher Li intends to bring it to a conclusion.”
Ji Fengming arrived at that moment. When he saw Yin Rumei, he smiled leisurely.
“Miss Yin, are you certain you won’t regret your decision?”
Yin Rumei’s expression darkened. Tu Dahai and Shi Fuluo answered coldly before she could speak.
“Of course we regret it. We regret failing to recognize the Ji family’s vicious ambition sooner!”
Ji Fengming snorted and said nothing more before entering the school as well.
…
Several hundred guests had arrived. Chairs had long since been arranged across the athletic field, and everyone was now seated.
Li Que looked over the scene and nodded in satisfaction. Then he turned to Ji Tian beside him.
“Nervous?”
Ji Tian shook his head.
“As long as Sir is here, I won’t be nervous!”
Li Que smiled.
“Good!”
“You’re the finale, so keep steady!”
…
Leng Qingyan personally took the stage to deliver the opening remarks.
She welcomed the guests and offered special thanks to the Xun family for helping the school build its stage.
It was all standard ceremony.
“And now, the arts showcase officially begins. Please enjoy our opening dance-Dancing Youth.”
The students began taking the stage.
The entire school had joined the event, so several other classes also had performances.
“How much longer are we supposed to wait?”
“What exactly is Teacher Li planning?”
Many guests were already growing restless.
Even Ji Fengming and the others frowned faintly.
Why had the ritual to welcome the gods not begun?
“Next, please welcome Ji Tian, who will present a swordsmanship demonstration.”
The host announced the next performance.
Ji Fengming’s expression immediately shifted. Ji Tian was going to perform onstage?
From what he knew, Ji Tian might have survived, but the boy had long ago become mentally deranged and nearly mindless.
While Ji Fengming stared in disbelief, Ji Tian walked onto the stage.
The instant he set foot upon it, the clear sky inexplicably turned dark.
“Hmm?!”
Everyone below the stage looked up at once.
“Did something respond?”
“Who is that person? The offering ritual hasn’t even begun. Why has something already responded to him?”
“The sacrificial altar has activated… How is that possible?”
Once they understood what was happening, everyone was stunned.
Xu Jianye, Ji Fengming, and the others looked especially incredulous.
“Where did they get their worship?!” Ji Fengming demanded with a deep frown.
Most of the old Divine Gate clans had clearly followed the Ji family, placing their worship under Ji control. The Tu family and Shi family alone could never have completed the offering ritual.
Yet he could distinctly sense an immense aura of worship boiling throughout the entire school.
Moreover, its grade… was extraordinarily high.
“Something is wrong with this place!”
Elder Gan shot to his feet. His eyes seemed to ignite like two candles as he swept his gaze across the school.
“This place’s status… surpasses the Sixfold Sacrifice?!”
His words shocked the entire gathering.
Almost everyone present came from an illustrious clan. Some, like Elder Gan, had even entered an old ancestral hearth, so they were intimately familiar with worship.
Ordinarily, even the ancestral tomb of an Old-Grave Clan could withstand no more than a Lesser Sacrifice. Only a place like an old ancestral hearth could possibly support a Sixfold Sacrifice.
But Mingjiang No. 7 Special School was merely a school. How could it possess Sixfold Sacrifice-grade worship?
“Impossible. This is absolutely impossible!”
Ji Fengming was the first to lose his composure.
Behind him, representatives of the Wang, Gu, and other old Divine Gate clans were equally incredulous.
They had assumed that as long as they withheld their approval, Mingjiang No. 7 Special School would have no worship to use and welcoming the Divine Gate would remain an empty fantasy.
They had never imagined this place would contain worship of such exalted status.
And in such abundance!
“Is it about to rain?”
Li Que was busy elsewhere. He glanced at the sky as it suddenly darkened and shook his head. Then he left ahead of the others to find some umbrellas in the storeroom.
The moment he departed, the field plunged into utter darkness, as though day had abruptly become night.
At the same time, layer after layer of smoke coiled around the “stage,” creating an astonishing sight.
Everyone understood that the surging worship had transformed the stage into an offering altar.
The surrounding environment instantly became dark, mysterious, and ethereal. Ghostly wails and whispered sobs echoed without end, as though countless anomalous entities were descending. The sound made their scalps prickle.
An enormous gate slowly materialized above them.
“The Divine Gate!”
“The Divine Gate was welcomed here just like that? How is this possible?!”
“The Divine Gate has appeared again… Wonderful!”
Everyone present was stunned.
Xun Fayin, Ji Fengming, and the others involuntarily rose to their feet, their expressions exceedingly grave.
The representatives of the other Old-Grave Clans watched in eager anticipation as well.
“Years ago, the strongest pioneers of the great Old-Grave Clans and ancestral hearths traveled to Tianmen Mountain to investigate the black mist. They left the Divine Gate behind as coordinates for their return and stationed people to guard it.”
“Later, several old clans received word that the expedition had found the tenth flame seed. Every clan waited in anticipation, but then calamity struck. The Divine Gate collapsed and all traces of the expedition vanished.”
“Now that the Divine Gate has manifested again, we may finally find clues. Perhaps even the flame seed they sent back remains inside it!”
Many people began recounting the past.
At the next instant, the colossal gate reflected across the heavens slowly opened.
Rumble!
A bone-chilling presence erupted from within, vast and surging. It swept over Mingjiang No. 7 Special School and made everyone’s heart tighten.
“Wait… Why doesn’t this feel like divine aura?!” someone cried.
“This is… the aura of an anomaly!”
“The Divine Gate was once sustained by worship. Even damaged, it should not be like this!”
“This… doesn’t resemble the Divine Gate at all. It feels more like an anomaly domain descending!”
Everyone’s expression changed dramatically.
At the next moment, two enormous blood-red eyes lit up inside the Divine Gate, resembling a pair of colossal red lanterns.
“Those are… divine snakes!”
Ji Fengming instantly became excited.
“Quickly! Welcome the divine snakes down!”
An anomaly immediately appeared beside him, along with a young man.
The young man was his son, Ji Yun, the most talented spirit medium in the Ji family. The family had always relied upon Ji Yun to contact the Divine Gate.
Now that the gods were descending, Ji Yun could seize the initiative and secure vast resources for the Ji family.
“Eldest Uncle, possess Ji Tian. I will welcome the gods. Afterward, I will help you complete your rebirth,” Ji Yun said coldly.
He brought his palms together, shaped two fingers into a sword, and repeatedly tapped his forehead as he began stamping his feet.
The humanoid anomaly instantly lunged toward Ji Tian.
“What is the Ji family trying to do?” someone nearby shouted angrily.
The Divine Gate had descended, and it very likely contained the flame seed capable of resisting the darkness. If the Ji family invited a god on its own, would everything inside not fall into their hands?
“The Ji family is an ancient clan of the Divine Gate. We served the gods for many years. Now that we are inviting one, who dares object?” Ji Fengming answered coldly.
At the next moment, his son Ji Yun abruptly opened his eyes. They were filled entirely with blood-red light.
“Hahahaha…”
An incomparably savage voice came from Ji Yun’s mouth. He glared at everyone present with a vicious grin.
“I have returned. I have finally returned!”
A vast tide of anomalous aura erupted from his body, terrifying beyond measure.
“Something’s wrong! The thing possessing him isn’t a god at all. It’s an anomaly!” someone cried.
“That anomaly… It’s so powerful. Could it be a karmic anomaly?”
“Such immense karmic power. It must be a karmic anomaly… Weren’t those things wiped out long ago?”
“Impossible…”
Everyone was stunned.
Worshipped anomaly. Temple anomaly. Karmic anomaly.
These were the three great levels of anomalies.
Even among the major Old-Grave Clans, the strongest anomalies were only at the temple-anomaly level. Elder Gan and the old matriarch of the Sun family had spent years inside ancestral hearths, yet even they could only be considered quasi-karmic anomalies.
A temple anomaly could draw power from the mountains, rivers, and earth to strengthen itself. To a certain extent, the beings ordinary people called Earth Gods and Mountain Gods all belonged to this level.
A karmic anomaly, as its name suggested, had to accumulate sufficient karma. Wherever it went, a karmic calamity would form around it, making such a being exceptionally terrifying.
“Wasn’t the Ji family inviting a god?!”
Ji Fengming was now completely horrified. He stared at Ji Yun in disbelief.
“How… How can it be an anomaly?!”
He refused to believe it.
Ji Yun had always been able to contact the gods within the Divine Gate. He was the hope of the entire Ji family.
The Divine Gate could not manifest before, preventing the gods from truly descending and the Ji family from borrowing their divine power. But once the family found a suitable channel and welcomed a god into the world, it would rise to greatness and ascend another level.
That was why the Ji family had constantly searched for worship and other resources.
Yet now the Divine Gate had arrived, and the being that descended was not a god.
It was a karmic anomaly?!
“No! There are no gods inside the Divine Gate! That isn’t a divine snake-”
Someone suddenly cried out.
Ji Fengming turned. Within the darkness of the Divine Gate, an enormous blood-red snake was slowly emerging.
It held its neck upright, rising over a hundred meters. Its immense body resembled a bronze pillar, and every scale was a deep, dark red, rich as blood.
Most horrifying of all, its head was covered in human heads.
One face after another grinned viciously, waited with bloodthirsty anticipation, muttered curses, or wailed for lives to be repaid. Every kind of voice rang out at once.
“The divine snake… was parasitized?!”
“How did this happen?”
“Anomalies have consumed the divine snake. It’s over…”
Terror swept through the gathering.
“Attack!”
A thunderous shout suddenly rang out. Xun Fayin stepped forward.
“Everyone, matters have already come to this. Our only choice is to join forces, destroy these two anomalies, and then explore the Divine Gate!”
The others nodded one after another.
“That’s right! The Divine Gate has descended. Destroy these two anomalies, recover the flame seed, and restore peace to the world!”
“Attack!”
“With every major Old-Grave Clan here, how can we fail to suppress two anomalies?”
Amid their shouts, everyone attacked at once.
“Burn the worship! Exterminate the anomalous entity!”
The Wang, Gu, and other families joined forces to ignite their worship. Astonishing flames surged toward Ji Yun.
“Leave my son’s body!” Ji Fengming roared.
His body abruptly split open and sprouted six arms, which seized Ji Yun. This was the power of his anomalous entity, granting him strength like the legendary form with three heads and six arms.
Ji Yun was held fast as waves of worship crushed down upon him. For the moment, the karmic anomaly possessing him appeared to be under control.
Elsewhere, the Xun, Xu, and other Old-Grave Clans attacked the colossal blood snake. They unleashed all manner of anomalous entities, filling the field with rampant anomalous presences that bombarded the serpent together.
“Hiss…”
The giant snake shrieked. The countless human heads covering it screamed as well, their cries so piercing that everyone’s scalp prickled.
“A mere anomaly dares occupy the Divine Gate!”
Elder Gan suddenly produced a slingshot and fired a piece of fire-scorched bone jade. It struck the snake’s head, and flames seemed to erupt on impact. A huge mass of flesh was torn from the serpent.
“An object from an old ancestral hearth truly is extraordinary!”
“The snake can’t hold on. Kill it!”
Everyone rejoiced.
The karmic anomaly had been suppressed by worship, and the blood snake had been wounded by an anomalous entity from an old ancestral hearth. At last, they saw hope.
“Hiss… hiss, hiss, hiss…”
But just then, a dense chorus of hissing came from within the Divine Gate.
“How can there be… so many?!”
Xu Jianye looked up, dumbstruck, and terror instantly flooded his face.
The others followed his gaze and nearly froze. They stood as if petrified, many of them trembling.
Countless enormous blood-red eyes had lit up inside the dark Divine Gate.
Thousands upon thousands stretched as far as they could see, far too many to count.
More important still, behind those countless crimson eyes loomed another pair of serpentine eyes as enormous as stars, hanging in the darkness like two celestial bodies. Their power was overwhelming. A single glance from them left everyone on the field struggling to breathe.
“What… is that thing?”
“A snake king? What level of anomaly would that make it?”
“How can we possibly fight so many anomalous snakes?”
Everyone stiffened, their hearts turning to ice.
What they saw had exceeded the limits of everything they understood.
They could rely upon the resources of the Old-Grave Clans and ancestral hearths to suppress one anomalous snake and one karmic anomaly.
But now, the Divine Gate appeared to be filled with them.
“How can this still be called a Divine Gate? It’s clearly a gate to hell!”
Even Elder Gan, who had gravely wounded the blood snake moments ago, looked horrified.
“What… happened back then?”
The old matriarch of the Sun family trembled beside him.
“Quickly! Close the Divine Gate! Close it!”
The others came back to their senses and shouted as well.
“Yes! Close it!”
“If the things inside come out, the entire world will be finished!”
“It should never have been opened!”
Everyone panicked. They were utterly incapable of dealing with what lay inside the Divine Gate.
But the gate remained unmoved, and the colossal snakes began emerging one after another, descending into the present world.
“Fight them!”
Elder Gan raised his slingshot and tried to attack again, only to discover that his hands had become so heavy he could barely draw the band.
The other anomaly wielders found their anomalous entities completely suppressed. They could not summon even a trace of power.
“It’s over…”
“We’re all going to die!”
“The Divine Gate… We should never have opened it!”
Everyone fell into despair.
“So the Ji family was deceived by anomalies all along? They could not descend on their own…”
Grief filled Ji Fengming’s heart. At last, he understood the truth.
Those anomalous things had been trapped inside the Divine Gate, but if someone welcomed them, they could enter the world.
The Ji family had committed a terrible mistake.
“No. It wasn’t the Ji family. It was Li Que-it was all of you!”
He shook his head and looked at Ji Tian atop the altar, his voice trembling.
“You destroyed everything! You are the true sinners!”
Ji Tian, however, was perfectly calm.
Light suddenly gathered in his hand. At the next moment, he held a sword.
It was a blood-red sword, and fresh blood still dripped from its blade.
The instant the weapon took shape, every giant snake emerging from the Divine Gate gave a fearful hiss.
All of them turned toward Ji Tian.
“Today, I slay snakes.”
Ji Tian whispered the words, stepped forward, and swung his sword.
Slash!
An enormous blood snake was instantly decapitated. Rotten green fluid sprayed everywhere from its body.
“What?”
“That was a divine snake corrupted by anomalies. How did he cut it down so easily?”
“Impossible…”
Everyone was stunned.
Moments ago, the assembled clans had joined forces and even used a precious object from an old ancestral hearth, yet they had only barely wounded one snake.
Now Ji Tian had effortlessly destroyed one with a single strike.
“Something is wrong… There is something very unusual about that sword!”
“Who is he? How can he be so powerful?”
“The karma within that sword is astonishing. Has it killed a karmic anomaly before?”
“No… An ordinary karmic anomaly could never accumulate karma like that!”
Every eye focused on Ji Tian.
“How can this be? Wasn’t he already mentally broken?” Ji Fengming and the others asked in disbelief.
This was beyond their understanding. The Ji family had tormented this youth for years and left him on the verge of death. Yet now he had casually cut down a corrupted divine snake.
“You still came back…”
An indifferent voice came from within the darkness of the Divine Gate.
An enormous snake’s head slowly extended from inside. Its eyes, each as vast as a star, now held a distinctly human coldness.
“You stood in our way back then. Do you intend to stand in our way again?”
“You?”
Its forked tongue flicked as it spoke in human language.
Everyone was shocked.
“What does that snake mean? Ji Tian stopped them in the past?”
“Does Ji Tian have some other identity?”
“Who… was he in his previous incarnation?”
Countless people cried out in bewilderment.
…