Chapter 123: Artificial Collapse · Activation

Heimu watches the four heroic rebels in the hall, swaying east and west and nearly fainting from the Remaining Might of the Immortal Salted Fish, her eyebrows twitch slightly.

She raises a hand to signal, and A Xing immediately, expressionless, pulls the fish emitting a strange aura back into an alternate dimension.

"How's the situation over there?" Heimu turns to A Xing and asks.

"Kesi Mo, Kaiwen, Qianjie." A Xing reports succinctly, voice steady, showing no sign of the fierce battle just endured.

Heimu raises an eyebrow, tone tinged with amusement: "Oh? Sending these three to 'entertain' you, they must think highly of you."

She scans the empty hall, her gaze sharpening, "But the aura of these three at this moment... has disappeared from Letu's perception?"

Her sight turns to the deeper Data Space within the hall—Eternal Paradise, a region of Past World Paradise she has not yet fully explored.

A distinct repelling field, like an invisible wall, blocks her perception.

"Interesting..." Heimu's mouth curves into an excited arc, "A Xing, keep up."

Eternal Paradise·Path

Stepping into Eternal Paradise, the surrounding scenery is completely different from the solemn Letu before.

Here the light is soft, colors bright, massive mushrooms stand like houses, glowing vines coil into swings, and in the distance tiny cottages built from candy and biscuits appear; the whole space seems cut straight from a fairy‑tale picture book, full of dreamy atmosphere.

"Quite unique."

Heimu strolls among them, appreciatively admiring the discordant scenery.

Yet this tranquility is soon broken.

At the end of the path, a figure stands silently, blocking the way.

He is slender, and beneath his short hair, his brown‑yellow eyes stare calmly at the uninvited guest—Kesi Mo.

Heimu, somewhat surprised, stops: "Do you intend... with yourself, to block me?"

Kesi Mo gives no answer, merely assumes a combat stance in silence, his resolute gaze saying everything.

The curved horns atop his head, belonging to "Vishnu", glint with a dim sheen under the fairy‑tale light.

Heimu gently shakes her head, seeming a bit regretful: "Actually, I really wanted to converse with you normally, but..."

Her words are cut off.

Kesi Mo's whole body suddenly erupts with a strong surge!

Azure‑blue flame‑shaped energy shoots upward, enveloping him—Artificial Collapse·Activation!

The once slender youth's body rapidly expands and twists, instantly turning into a terrifying monster dominated by black‑blue tones.

It loses basic human shape, like a demon crawling from the abyss; its massive body exudes suffocating pressure, azure flames leap and burn on its surface, emitting an ominous glow.

The youth who once dreamed of becoming a hero now becomes a ferocious beast existing only to fight.

"Roar—!"

The collapsing Kesi Mo lets out a deafening roar, his massive body bearing a crushing momentum, instantly tearing the air as he charges at Heimu!

The strong wind pressure distorts the surrounding fairy‑tale scenery.

Heimu stands still, expression unchanged, even her garment's hem is unmoved.

She simply says lightly:

"A Xing."

As the words fall, a gray silhouette like the firmest shield suddenly appears between Heimu and the terrifying monster!

"Bang—!!!!"

An extremely muffled thunderous blast erupts in Eternal Paradise!

The impact, enough to shatter mountains, from the collapsing Kesi Mo is firmly held back by A Xing's Flame Gun!

The gun's barrel trembles, emitting an overburdened hum, yet A Xing's feet are rooted like pillars, not moving a inch.

A faint golden aura surrounds her, merging with Jie Pa De's solid defensive power, forming a seemingly thin yet unbreakable barrier.

The monster's azure flames try to spread along the Flame Gun, but are forcibly blocked by a steady force field.

A Xing lifts her unglamorous golden eyes, calmly gazing at the terrifying beast before her.

She flicks her wrist, the Flame Gun tilts upward, skillfully shedding part of the impact, while her other hand clenches into a fist, delivering a straightforward punch to the collapsing Kesi Mo's armored forelimb!

"Dong!"

Amid the muffled thud, the monster's body twitches slightly, its attack momentum forcibly halted.

Xianzhou Luofu Street Stall

Bai Hang sits despondently on her little horse stand, with those dazzling "Black Tower" merchandise spread before her.

Her stall's business... can't be called quiet, only that it's deserted.

The reason is simple: beside her sits steadily a "Gate God"—Jing Liu.

(Ha... truly amazing...)

Bai Hang's inner petty self is already scratching wildly, (How does she do it? Every time I set up the stall, in less than three minutes, she can pinpoint it! This is no longer coincidence, it's almost god‑defying!)

Jing Liu's very existence is a powerful aura suppression.

That cold sword intent, the "no‑one‑approach" aura, makes even passersby who might be interested in cute dolls step back several paces, taking detours.

Jing Liu seems completely unaware of affecting the business, or perhaps simply doesn't care.

She remains silent for a moment, then suddenly speaks, her voice still as cold as before: "You, and one of my friends, are very similar."

Bai Hang's heart skips a beat, a terribly stiff smile forces onto her face: "Haha, is that so? What a... coincidence, coincidence."

"Where are you from?"

Jing Liu asks again, the black Eye Mask seeming able to pierce sunglasses, staring directly into Bai Hang's soul.

Bai Hang's scalp tingles, she forces an answer: "Um... Yao, Yaoqing."

This is the excuse she had prepared long ago.

Jing Liu nods, tone flat and unruffled: "What a coincidence, she as well."

Bai Hang: "……"

(Help! I can't chat today!)

She tried to struggle a bit, and whispered: "Um… sir, you see, you're sitting here… uh, it's a bit affecting my business… could you…"

She hoped the other party would understand this polite eviction order.

Jing Liu, hearing that, seemed to think for a moment, then said: "I can buy them all."

Bai Hang almost couldn't catch her breath, with a bitter face she emphasized again: "Sir! Rules, rules can't be broken! Purchase limit, one per person! You can't buy them all!"

She felt like she was becoming a broken record.

Jing Liu fell silent.

She sat there silently, like a perfect ice sculpture.

After a while, just as Bai Hang thought she would sit there forever, she suddenly stood up, said nothing, turned and left.

Watching Jing Liu's lonely, upright silhouette disappear around the corner, Bai Hang let out a long sigh, as if she had just fought a great battle.

But soon after, she uneasily scratched her face.

(I… did I just say too much? She seems… just a bit obsessed?)