Chapter 261: The Great Calamity of the Present Age

Facing days of overcast rain, even without rain the sky never cleared; Demonic Capital residents were used to it and didn't dislike it overly.

Although it might come with heavy rain and thunder, as the rain fell the air grew noticeably fresher, leaving people feeling refreshed and invigorated.

Compared to the calm of many residents, however, the many staff members of the Demonic Capital Meteorological Department were somewhat puzzled.

This mass of dark clouds arrived all too suddenly, with no prior signs, appearing out of nowhere on the satellite cloud map, as if it had materialized from thin air.

They hadn't paid it any mind at first, since the cloud cover was small, but as time passed this cumulonimbus cloud kept expanding, far exceeding their expectations.

Once it drifted over the Demonic Capital, it halted, then rapidly expanded like an inflating balloon, truly astonishing to behold.

"What's going on? It expanded this quickly in just half a day!"

"According to logic, given this cumulonimbus cloud's trajectory, it should only linger briefly over the Demonic Capital."

Everyone debated heatedly; the cumulonimbus cloud had taken root above the Demonic Capital, showing no intention to leave, and continued to condense and expand.

For a moment, everyone's attention at the Meteorological Observatory was drawn to this strange cumulonimbus cloud.

"Beep beep beep!"

Just then, a piercing alarm sounded from the nearby weather screen, and everyone's faces instantly turned grim.

Only see, over the Pacific Ocean east of Great Xia Treasure Island, a tropical storm rapidly coalesced.

"The core wind force has already reached a terrifying level 14, located at 17.2° north latitude, 109.3° east longitude, and is heading toward the Demonic Capital to make landfall!"

Everyone couldn't help but suck in a breath of cold air, and nearly all broke out in a cold sweat.

Above the Demonic Capital already loomed a massive cumulonimbus cloud; adding this storm would likely throw the entire Demonic Capital into chaos.

"Station Chief, what should we do now?"

For a moment, everyone was like ants on a hot pan.

The Station Chief immediately issued the order: "Activate first-level alert status!"

Just as they were about to sound the alarm and prepare to issue an emergency notice, they discovered that the tropical cyclone had already made contact with the cumulonimbus cloud above the Demonic Capital.

Looking at the image displayed on the satellite cloud map, everyone's faces turned deathly pale.

The cyclone's speed was truly too fast; they seemed to have already foreseen the Demonic Capital's impending fate.

Yet the next second, an unbelievable scene unfolded before their eyes: the massive tropical cyclone from the sea, without any warning, suddenly veered sharply.

In shape, it resembled a giant question mark, completely bypassing that cumulonimbus cloud and flying straight to neighboring Feilübin.

Right then, it whipped up a frenzied tsunami in Feilübin.

Feilübin suffered an entirely undeserved disaster; although the tropical cyclone's path originally did not include them, it happened to veer over the Demonic Capital, then went out of control and swept straight into Feilübin—truly a stroke of extreme misfortune.

Not only Feilübin, but the staff of the Demonic Capital Meteorological Observatory even thought they were hallucinating.

How did the tropical cyclone suddenly veer?

Had it not veered, but instead chosen to merge with the cumulonimbus cloud, one could hardly avoid wild speculation; looking at the satellite cloud map, it seemed as if it were afraid of something, truly unbelievable.

Soon someone realized something was off: "Station Chief, I think we really need to check what's going on with this cumulonimbus cloud."

The Station Chief also thought it made sense; after all, even the tropical cyclone that had originally come this way had been forced to divert, veering off to Feilübin, which was truly unbelievable, and everything pointed to something strange.

To measure the concentration of thunderstorms and water vapor within this cumulonimbus cloud drifting above the Demonic Capital, they planned to pilot a drone into the cloud mass.

However, as they drew near, purple lightning struck from the sky, hitting the drone squarely.

Before anyone could see clearly, the feed came with violent shaking, then the screen went black, and the drone lost all contact.

The Meteorological Department staff's faces twitched: "Just how much thunderstorm does this cumulonimbus cloud contain, to blast straight through the drone?"

The situation gradually slipped beyond their control; realizing the cumulonimbus cloud was no simple matter and even harbored dangerous, unstable elements, the Meteorological Observatory department finally unanimously decided to disperse it manually.

Otherwise, if all the thunderstorm elements within the cumulonimbus cloud were released, it would have a massive impact on the entire Demonic Capital.

To dispel the shadow looming over the Demonic Capital, they fired more than ten cloud‑dispersing shells into the sky.

By rights such a number of cloud‑dispersing shells should have been more than enough, yet after launching more than ten shells, it was like casting a mud ox into the sea—the clouds hovering above showed no reaction whatsoever, a situation utterly unprecedented.

Looking at the large shadow area on the screen, not only had it not been dispersed, it hadn't diminished in the slightest, causing the observers to frown.

"We should still report upward; this is really too strange."

Not only the Meteorological Department, but with days of continuous rain the city's drainage department also braced itself; according to their statistics, the Demonic Capital's rainfall over this period had even exceeded the rainy season, reaching a near‑terrifying figure.

They had to steel themselves, ready at any moment to deal with possible urban flooding and drainage issues.

Unexpectedly, although rainfall increased, the rainwater seemed to be under control, showing no tendency to pool in the city; instead it all rushed into the Yangtze River and finally flowed into the ocean.

As for these bizarre events, the Demonic Capital's populace remained unaware, going about their ordinary lives; to them it was nothing more than having endured a few heavy rains that lasted a bit too long.

Under the big bridge things remained as usual; even on overcast days, plenty of people still came for fortune‑telling.

Longling's avatar did good business here, and the nearby young man selling roasted sweet potatoes also benefited, with a few people coming over to sell roasted sweet potatoes as well.

Watching the drizzle, the youth looked up at the sky, puzzled, and said, "Really strange—after all this rain, when do you think the sun will come out?"

Raindrops fell on the ground with a constant patter; Longling's avatar merely smiled faintly, and the light mist made the surrounding scenery hazy, as if even the person themselves grew a little blurry.

Even though sunglasses covered most of the face, that pure and unworldly aura still left the youth dazed, prompting an unnatural glance away; despite having known each other for so long, he still couldn't resist the lethal charm of that visage.

The youth couldn't help muttering, "Sometimes I really can't help wondering if you're even human."

Those words carried no insult at all; indeed, every move of Longling's avatar gave him a special feeling, yet he couldn't put it into words.

If Longling's avatar ever suddenly vanished, he wouldn't find it odd—perhaps it had simply returned to heaven.

The rain gradually intensified, eventually becoming a downpour that engulfed the Demonic Capital from top to bottom; countless official departments looked on, feeling somewhat at a loss.

Gazing at the ever‑thickening cumulonimbus cloud overhead, there was a sense of dark clouds pressing on the city; upon receiving the report from the Meteorological Observatory, they frantically discussed countermeasures.

Even as time passed, not only the Demonic Capital but the relevant departments of several surrounding cities joined in, simply because the cumulonimbus cloud above the Demonic Capital was so huge it was already spreading to the outskirts, leaving people feeling uneasy and anxious.

Official departments urgently consulted on countermeasures, as if they already sensed the impending storm.

By contrast, the people of the Demonic Capital knew nothing of this; life remained peaceful, and even while the clouds lingered they felt increasingly refreshed and delighted.

During this period, Longling's avatar also lived an ordinary life quietly, working at sunrise and resting at sunset, as if everything had nothing to do with him.

Longling's avatar retracted his entire cultivation to the utmost limit, never using any spiritual power, doing everything himself; in this process his insights kept increasing.

Although he did not cultivate, his connection with heaven and earth instead became even tighter and more penetrating; the birth, aging, sickness, and death of the mortal world, the human seven emotions and six desires, joys, anger, sorrow, and happiness, all surged in.

All kinds of worldly trifles, as well as interactions with those who came for divination, seemed like trivial incidental matters, yet each time they allowed Longling's avatar to gain different insights.

That halo around his body, originally just a few strands, turned into hundreds, eventually too many to count, and his whole person was enveloped in a radiant glow.

Though invisible to the mortal eye, people could feel a very comfortable aura emanating from him, were willing to communicate with Longling's avatar, and believed his words.

The number of people coming to Longling's avatar for divination also increased, thus forming a virtuous cycle.

While giving them divinations, Longling's avatar was also helping himself comprehend heaven and earth and understand all things in the world; the heavenly and earthly qi accumulating on him grew ever more, making his whole being increasingly ethereal and translucent.

Even the small divination stall became famous far and near, to the point that eventually even the urban management officers came to Longling's avatar for divination.

Longling's avatar underwent worldly training in the Magic Capital, experiencing the red dust; meanwhile, many Great Demons were constantly concerned about Ye Qin's condition.

At first they were not overly worried about Ye Qin going to the Magic Capital to undergo tribulation, but as time passed, no news came from the Magic Capital, Ye Qin sent no message, and the monsters of Longyuan Mountain gradually could not sit still.

"It's been so long already, why hasn't Master returned yet?"

"Could it be that Master has already succeeded in his tribulation?"

"Impossible, I feel there's no movement at all in the Magic Capital; could it be that he failed?"

"Pah! Don't spout nonsense, you crow-mouth; Master could never fail."

Although Ye Qin did not allow the many Great Demons to go to the Magic Capital, they still could not rest easy, and finally decided to send Eagle Falcon to scout for news.

Master forbids going to the Magic Capital, but taking a distant glance is always possible.

Who would have thought that just that glance would almost make Eagle Falcon's liver and gallbladder burst, an unimaginably huge black cloud swirling above the Magic Capital like a heaven-devouring giant beast, the pressure emanating from it making its scalp go numb.

Just one glance was unbearable; it instantly withdrew its gaze, for if it continued looking, Eagle Falcon dared to assert it would certainly be beheaded.

At this moment the Magic Capital resembled an inflating balloon, always at risk of explosion; once the pressure spread, the force within was something they could not possibly resist.

No wonder Master forbids them from approaching!

Even after withdrawing its gaze, Eagle Falcon still felt an unprecedented pressure, almost suffocating; it took a long while to recover, then it flapped its wings madly, sparks flying, and hurried back to Longyuan Mountain to report the news.

Upon hearing Eagle Falcon's report, the other monsters' faces instantly darkened, their beastly eyes wide open, "You didn't see wrong, did you?"

Even now, recalling that scene makes Eagle Falcon's scalp tingle; it hurriedly shook its head and said, "I didn't see wrong."

"How could there be such a terrifying heavenly tribulation! With this power, can Master really withstand it?"

"No wonder Master didn't let us go together; if Master suffers any misfortune, what should we do?"

Countless monsters gathered, wanting to help, but had no recourse, for before departure Ye Qin had repeatedly instructed them.

Moreover, going now would only add trouble, be of no help, and might even distract Ye Qin.

Meanwhile, Ye Qin far away in the Magic Capital was unaware of the monsters' concern for him; Longling's avatar glanced at the outside sky, then began packing up his stall tools.

The youth selling sweet potatoes watched his actions, somewhat puzzled, saying, "It's still early; why are you packing up so soon?"

Longling's avatar nodded, "I have something to do; I need to pack up early today."

The youth showed a look of surprise, "The sun rose in the west today; this isn't your style at all."

After all, during this period Longling's avatar has been punctual to the extreme, wind or rain no obstacle, never late or early, practically more regular than an office worker.

While packing up, Longling's avatar answered with a slight smile, "If you keep staying, this little shed won't hold; don't blame me for not warning you—you'd better pack up quickly too."

The youth was somewhat incredulous, "How could that be? This shelter I built myself can withstand a level‑10 typhoon and a level‑7 rainstorm."

No sooner had his words fallen than the black clouds over the entire Magic Capital suddenly began to boil.

The next second, a torrential downpour and raging winds swept in, directly uprooting the youth's little shelter.

The youth gaped, then his face twitched, "Holy shit! You actually hit the mark!"

He scrambled to tidy up in a panic.

The rain grew heavier and heavier; soon the entire Magic Capital was drenched in a downpour, the sky seeming to have a hole through which countless rainwater poured, the scene looking extremely spectacular.

Such fickle weather, even the dullest person would sense something amiss.

"This month has had too much rain, hardly any break."

"Yeah, I don't even remember when the sun last came out; it feels like a month has passed."

"No way, does autumn even have a plum‑rain season? That's really unscientific."

The people of the Magic Capital gazed at the sky thick with black clouds, their hearts full of doubt; although some found it strange, they did not immediately think of disaster.

After all, despite the prolonged rain, the Magic Capital had seen no major incident.

But the Magic Capital's government could not sit still at all.

Outside, gloomy rain persisted; though it was daytime, it was like night, all scenery blurred in the rain‑mist, appearing dim and lightless.

At this moment the council chamber was brightly lit, the Magic Capital's commander and many high officials gathered together, their expressions extremely complex.

"Abnormal, these black clouds are too strange!"

A middle‑aged man stared fixedly at the multimedia screen, the creases between his brows almost able to pinch a mosquito, he pointed at the satellite cloud map above and said:

"Look, when this cloud mass first arrived last month it wasn't big and was thin, but up to now it has remained over the Magic Capital for a whole month! Its size has expanded to the point that even the satellite cloud map cannot see through it."

"Inside, a huge thunderstorm keeps going on; the meteorological bureau sent drones to investigate, but they were shot down by the lightning within."

"Moreover, the storm that had been preparing to make landfall, which had originally contacted this cloud mass, turned out as if frightened, veering off straight to the Philippines!"

"I say, we should have dispersed it right away when the clouds were still small!"

No one had a god's eye view, nor did anyone expect that the initially inconspicuous black clouds would grow into such a terrifying scale and climate, and even dozens of cloud‑dispersing bombs fired into them had no effect.

Upon hearing this person's analysis, many of the Magic Capital's senior officials present grew increasingly solemn.

One of them could not help but say, "What's the point of saying all this now? We need a solution!"

The one speaking was precisely the Magic Capital's commander, Gao Zhanpeng.

Gazing at the endless black clouds outside, his mood at that moment was likewise, as if a great mountain pressed on his chest, making it hard to breathe.

"Hurry up and get a solution, instead of discussing here what happened before!"

"If the Magic Capital ends up like Changbai Mountain and Mount Hua, we're all doomed!"

As soon as those words were spoken, the entire venue fell deathly silent, as if even the sound of a pin dropping could be heard, and everyone's faces turned grim to the extreme.

Gao Zhanpeng let out a long sigh; what he feared most now was that the abnormality of Magic City did not stem from weather or natural elements, but was related to other living beings.

Others were unaware of the inside story, but as the Magic City Commander, Gao Zhanpeng still knew about the matters concerning Longyuan Mountain, after all he had been present at the highest meeting back then.

Both Long White Mountain and Magnificent Mountain were related to the monsters of Longyuan Mountain; he had also looked at related materials and information.

He couldn't help but wonder now whether Magic City's abnormality was also connected to monsters.

However, Gao Zhanpeng was only speculating and dared not be certain, after all the cumulonimbus cloud now, though quite massive, showed no sign of any monster.

Like before with Magnificent Mountain and Long White Mountain, creatures such as a golden giant ape and golden eagles had appeared.

If it were truly the work of monsters, it would be impossible for them to remain hidden this long without revealing their forms.

No matter how hard Gao Zhanpeng racked his brains, he would never know that monsters had already appeared in Magic City and were even setting up stalls under the big bridge to tell fortunes. (End of chapter)