Chapter 423: Light Will Guide the Way, Will the Great Sage Equal to Heaven Come?

The strong wind howled, making the sunlight feel cold.

The rocks by the sea and the dark lava created a dark-colored shore, while the distant floating ice slowly drifted, showing bright blue. A group of hermit crabs, changed by the disaster aura and no longer afraid of the cold, moved through the ice, sometimes blowing bubbles.

The shrine maiden patted the little penguin’s head beside her, turned her head to look, and complained,

“Little Qing, do you think you can just stand on the street and hail a taxi? Do you expect a whale to swim over and give you a ride?”

Even a Pure White Succubus cannot easily charm little animals into working for her without being seen!

The shrine maiden picked up the little penguin and boldly suggested,

“We definitely need to use music to lure the little animals over, and then slowly choose our mounts.”

Chu Yuanqing’s delicate and cute face was full of confusion. After a moment, a look of realization flickered in her golden eyes. She sluggishly nodded her chin, most of her pink lips hidden in her collar, looking a bit slow-witted and quite adorable.

The shrine maiden put down the little penguin, leaned closer, and with concern, poked Honey Qing’s soft cheek with her fingertip, then touched her forehead.

Ever since the restricted area was activated and the [Calamity God] went on a rampage yesterday, Little Qing’s spirit began to worsen again.

Although the other person didn’t say anything, the false sense of health created by the return of light was clearly fading along with the blessings.

The miracle that felt just like a normal person’s experience was also gradually diminishing.

Chu Yuanqing became a bit slow, simply because she was trying to hold on to her last bit of spirit in her own way, saving energy for what was to come.

The shrine maiden patted Chu Yuanqing’s head, her eyes curving with a smile, and gently reminded her,

“Come on, take out your guitar, and let’s sing together.”

Chu Yuanqing did not show her displeasure at being treated like a child; she sleepily rubbed her eyes, placed the instrument case on her lap, and began to search inside.

After two minutes, she finally found the guitar leaning against the bar in a pink little food cart covered with pure white photos.

The shrine maiden carefully examined the guitar in Honey Qing’s arms; she blinked and pointed at an extra string, saying,

“Little Qing, you took the wrong one! This is the bass that the spicy girl from Kanagawa gave you!”

Chu Yuanqing took a closer look, her confused expression cleared up a bit, and feeling slightly embarrassed, she pressed her lips together and quickly shoved the bass back into the cart, finding her guitar in another compartment.

Then, without needing the shrine maiden to say more, she brushed her fingers across the strings and hummed a melody, starting to sing.

The world is harsh, but music is still beautiful.

The notes that dance from the strings ride on clouds and gently fall on the icy ground, soft as cotton and like summer dew. They dance with the penguins gliding on the ice and slowly dive into the sea, calling to creatures that are willing to listen to this calm.

It seems there is a silent understanding; not long after the notes reach the seabed, sounds begin to rise and fall, echoing and spreading for miles, creating a lovely and changing melody, while the creators rise one by one, making waves and swimming toward the shore.

Five minutes later, familiar yet unfamiliar ocean friends gather near the shore, not far from the Pure White Witch, including a group of curious orca families looking at Honey Qing.

The youngest orca lifts a hermit crab out of the water like a volleyball, flipping it in the air several times before it plops back into the sea, trying to attract the attention of those on the shore with some “tricks.”

The larger orca copies this, diving down and flicking its tail to send a little seal into the air, causing it to fall helplessly and splash into an even bigger wave.

The scene is very amusing.

Chu Yuanqing is like a shepherd on the prairie, easily guiding the movements of the creatures around her, calling forth these diverse little animals that share their own world with one another.

But from the perspective of the sea animals, whether wise, naive, or stiff, they draw warmth, motherhood, and care from the person on the shore, feeling a connection to emotions that animals cannot easily understand.

This joy that fills the soul is something that cannot be brought by our genes or instincts; it is even more important than being full.

So, before Chu Yuanqing finished playing the second song on her guitar, the shrine maiden hurriedly told her to stop. She pointed at the increasingly crowded sea nearby and said seriously, “Okay, let’s quickly choose a clever big fish to ride, or we won’t be able to swim out later.”

Chu Yuanqing, carrying her guitar case and holding her guitar, stepped carefully to the shore. She was like Mario from a game, thinking for a moment before jumping onto the ice. As the floating ice wobbled, she jumped to the next piece until the ice in front of her was too small to jump over, and then she fell into deep thought.

At that moment, a little orca swam near the floating ice, curiously peeking out its black and white head, observing the Pure White Witch on the ice like a human watching a cat, and made friendly sounds that were very cute.

Chu Yuanqing crouched down and patted its big head. At the shrine maiden’s reminder, she and the little orca’s parent gestured and negotiated, allowing these orcas to take turns carrying her to the Crimson Polar Realm.

Soon, the clever orcas understood this plan and happily agreed.

Chu Yuanqing used her fingertips to create shimmering silver magic bubbles and wrapped herself inside. While sitting inside, she controlled the bubble to “stick” to one of the orcas, solving the problem of riding an orca with minimal magic.

The shrine maiden poked the beautiful, straight dorsal fin of the orca with her fingertip and said curiously, “It’s not soft, even though it looks so fluffy.”

Chu Yuanqing floated in the bubble, maintaining a wonderful balance. She watched the shrine maiden’s movements and couldn’t help but touch the orca’s skin with her fingertip through the bubble, exploring together: “It’s so smooth.”

“And this little one swims so fast. If it keeps this speed, we won’t need a week; we’ll arrive in three or four days.”

The shrine maiden felt it was a bit romantic; the last days she spent with Honey Qing would be on this endless ocean.

Although it was a little dull, as a ghost, she and Chu Yuanqing, as a magical girl, had nearly lost any human physical needs, without having to worry about bathroom breaks.

Even if they felt a little hungry, it was okay because Honey Qing had a box full of snacks sent by fans, which they had not finished yet. The food cart even had a few packages of sausages in the small freezer, plus the groceries from the supermarket before they left, so there was plenty of food without depriving themselves.

In summary, this was a very unique and wonderful adventure!

The shrine maiden secretly nodded, knowing that the biggest obstacle ahead was encountering sea creatures turned to disaster. But for Honey Qing, all she needed to do was take out her guitar and sing a few songs, which could also count as extra payment for the family of orcas.

The girl thought of this, patted the orca’s dorsal fin, and like a college student riding a wobbly ride, she happily looked at the jumping waves and the especially bright, clear sky and shouted, “Let’s go!”

Upon hearing this, the orca completely submerged under the water and began to swim faster. The silver bubbles sticking to it were washed away by the current, still steady as a rock, while the person inside closed her eyes in tiredness and started to rest.

In a daze, her consciousness sank, her wandering thoughts, like the starlight shining across the world, connected to the Miracle Wall that spanned the globe, giving her a mysterious perspective from which to overlook the entire planet.

From this view, she could see the cracks in the Pure White High Wall slowly widening, with tiny streams of light spilling out every moment.

The “blood” of these saviors fell from the sky; some would be absorbed back into the wall, while others would truly fall, like shooting stars racing by, never to return.

Chu Yuanqing looked down at the world.

The chaotic, murky, and disorderly waves of energy spread like ripples in a lake, with thirteen zones of the “Calamity God” as the center, overlapping, colliding, expanding, and ultimately covering the planet’s surface, completing a full rotation.

The concentration of disaster aura around the world was rising sharply.

At the same time, the Disaster group was recording and replicating everything, using their instinct to understand, copy, and steal the power of the stars.

During this process, all the magical girls were like being locked on by a precise sonar system, marked by the Disaster group as the most valuable targets to hunt, devour, target, and kill.

Even among the debut contestants of “Dazzling Stage,” some little idols with magic who had not yet “lit their lamps” would be listed, becoming the most noticeable targets.

The Disaster group had destroyed too many civilizations and worlds; they knew better than anyone how to breach a civilization’s defenses.

Chu Yuanqing had experienced such a future firsthand; they would do everything possible to crush all sparks of resistance, leaving behind a few seedlings to nurture and harvest until the entire world had no more resources, then ravage and destroy everything, leaving behind only an empty shell.

Now, twelve Calamity Gods were trying to work together, including the King of Salt, who sought to kill, Helldir, who controlled the future, Tathāgata, who cycles through all things, the Three Pure Ones, who transform illusion into reality, Youmir, who unites the gods, and Amahl, who governs all beings…

It could be said that the Calamity Gods possessed complex, multifaceted, perfect, and troublesome powers; their strength had no weaknesses, either extreme to the point of being untouchable or all-encompassing and unbeatable.

The riots in all forbidden zones would signify that their power would spread further, hinting at the terrifying abilities that could easily destroy the world, which might overlap, combine, and create miracles against the odds.

The victory of the first playthrough was astonishing.

Even as the Reincarnator Tang Liuli, she could not rely on the Blood of Sighs to defeat the stronger, more brutal, and overpowering Helldir.

Only Chu Yuanqing knew the reason they could win.

But she had not told anyone this secret to this day.

Perhaps, only the opposing Disaster group could guess a little.

Chu Yuanqing focused her mind, looked down at the universe, and, without a body, gently embraced the stars with her ethereal and mighty presence.

Thus, the endless Miracle Wall, like this person’s arm, embraced the world, shining with a light that deepened the cracks.

“I’m sorry, I can’t help you all that much anymore.”

“But, light will guide the way forward.”

As her words fell, her consciousness faded, sinking into a deeper pain.

At the same time, moonlight and sunlight from around the world mixed into a pure white beam.

Most incredibly, from a satellite view, one could see lines of light weaving together to form a dreamlike, delicate, and detailed map of the world, with moving black dots, red lines, and white light dancing and flickering above.

The black dot represented disaster beasts.

The red line marked the Calamity God, symbolizing the direction of power.

The white light simply wrote the words “blessing,” representing the power of rebirth.

At this moment, the Countermeasures Bureau, monitoring the world in real time, almost instantly captured the gift given by the pure white light.

Immediately, this dynamically changing map was projected one-to-one at the headquarters and branches of the Counter-Magic Bureau, as well as on the table of the highest meeting, sparking much discussion.

No matter how little someone understood military strategy, they could recognize the immense strategic value of this map upon seeing it.

At the same time, the gentle light of the Pure White High Wall, which could not be faked, made everyone pay attention immediately, seeing it as a plea for help in pure white, or perhaps a moment of reflection.

In no time, armed forces around the world mobilized. After assessing risks and damage, countries aimed their stored nuclear weapons and missiles at the precise coordinates and began carpet bombing.

The first thing to be highlighted and addressed was naturally the red line that represented the movements of the Calamity God.

Located in Daxia, Shunchang County, Spirit Peak stood prominently among them.

…

…

The original site of the Great Sage Temple was now just ruins, with thick smoke swirling around. The mythic Great Sage howled at the sky, standing on the clouds, holding the Ruyi Jingu Bang, which grew bigger and thicker, stirring the winds and tearing through the sky. It came crashing down on Spirit Peak like a massive pillar.

This scene was too grand to ignore; even from far away in Fulong Town, one could clearly see how furious the Great Sage was. It was a fury that even the gods might not dare to withstand, making everyone shiver with fear.

“Tick-tock, tick-tock.”

The bright red blood quickly fell in a stream, shattering on the dirt and stones, mixing with dust, no longer clean.

Mizunoe Shini was covered in wounds, her left side broken in many places, her arms all bent, flesh torn, leaning against the ruins, her “vision” was blurry and chaotic, only the waves of magical energy surrounded her, carrying the information of the space around her.

Only the howling of that wild monkey was especially clear.

The woman coughed up blood and remained silent, holding in her right hand an eyeball that she had just crushed.

In the depths of the sea of divine sense, the once fiery and proud Red Lotus had lost its brilliance, becoming dim and weak, with even the corners of its petals beginning to wither into ash.

Patronus Magic, the business of the Red Lotus.

The first branch, “An Eye for an Eye,” could reflect the damage done to oneself back to the enemy, completely or even multiplied, involving the laws of cause and effect.

This required the magic used with Blooming Flowers, but in a time when the lantern was dusty and even constructing Magic Armor was difficult, it was forced out beyond limits.

“Without your keen eye, you are just a mad monkey.”

“Fake goods will never have the charm of the real ones.”

Mizunoe Shini smiled sharply and whispered softly; she already knew her fate but did not feel regret.

It was just death in battle, only six years late.

Suddenly, memories from the past came rushing back.

The rocky mountain path twisted like a spiral staircase, wrapping around her, and the names of those who had passed flickered back and forth on dozens of incense-scented gravestones.

Then, blessing after blessing, calling, murmuring, and urging filled the air, noisy like wind chimes in summer, ringing like a message from the mountain spirits.

Everyone was saying, saying, “Don’t die.”

In the shadow of the fallen anchor, this thought seemed so childish, absurd, and pale, yet so sincere, passionate, and devout.

But who would come to save her?

In a trance, she remembered her small, hunched-over grandfather sitting on a little stool, bathed in the golden light of the sunset. Every wrinkle on his face was filled with happiness as his rough hands reached out with a gift for his granddaughter.

The mask she had forgotten now appeared so clearly before her eyes, its ink patterns and lines shimmering brilliantly in the sunset, dazzlingly bright.

That was the monkey head that caused a great uproar in the Heavenly Palace, the Great Sage trapped under the Five Finger Mountain, and the hero she had admired and hoped for in her youth.

Now, the false Great Sage Equal to Heaven wanted to harm her. Would another true Great Sage Equal to Heaven come to save her?

In the sky, the magical staff smashed the void into glass, burning with countless dark flames, carrying the might of an army, determined to crush the entire mountain into dust. Missiles fired from below howled but were melted away by the spinning clouds and fierce winds.

The Great Sage Equal to Heaven did not come.

But suddenly, from far away beyond the heavens, a streak of a shooting star spilled from a massive wall, drawn by longing, will, and spirit, stirring up a whirlwind that swept across miles, suddenly plunging into Mizunoe Shini and bursting forth with billions of lights!!!