Chapter 754: She Has a Gun!

The herb garden, sunlight filtering through dense foliage, dappled shadows swaying on the grass like fluttering butterflies.

Xu Xu Wenwu lay sprawled on a meadow thick with Mu-Xian grass, chewing on half a Water-Traveling Spirit Ginseng, its juice dripping like fruit. A faint mist hovered over the grass—spiritual energy so dense it nearly condensed into vapor; even mortals lying here could slowly improve their innate talent.

This was the heart of the herb garden, the most potent concentration of spiritual energy in Qingming. The Yinming Tianxing Longkui he had once tended personally had now grown into a towering tree, its canopy vast and elegant—but eerie ghostly energy clung to its surroundings, and unknown creatures often appeared.

Xu Xu Wenwu lay there, half-asleep, when suddenly a faint buzzing reached his ear. A mosquito the size of a palm landed on his thigh, its needle-like proboscis thrusting toward his skin!

Suddenly—BOOM! A burst of flame exploded from the giant mosquito, its wings shredded, crashing to the ground as its six long legs kicked helplessly.

A miniature war vehicle, no larger than a palm, rolled out from beneath Xu Xu Wenwu's feet, both cannon muzzles still steaming. It re-aimed at the still-living giant mosquito and fired again, finally ending the monstrous insect.

Xu Xu Wenwu yawned, eyes still closed.

The tiny war vehicle drove up along the nearby tree, finally hanging upside-down from a branch above Xu Xu Wenwu's head, overseeing the entire area. Any insect or ant daring to approach was instantly obliterated by a cannon blast.

In moments, dozens of insect corpses piled up around Xu Xu Wenwu—among them a centipede over three feet long. The miniature war vehicle fired over ten rounds, blasting it cleanly in half, ensuring it disturbed his sleep no further.

When Xiang Little Wei Yuan arrived beneath the Yinming Tianxing Longkui tree, this was the scene he saw.

Xiang Little Wei Yuan did not wake Xu Xu Wenwu immediately, but first surveyed the surroundings. The Yinming Tianxing Longkui was the first spirit plant he had planted; after absorbing vast amounts of fortune, it had mutated. It had always been cultivated at the garden's core, growing dozens of times faster than outside, now over two hundred years old—any leaf plucked from it was a primary ingredient for Casting-Body Elixirs. But consuming elixirs made from it tended to imbue the Dao Foundation with Yinming and frigid properties.

Now, Qingming's herb garden was littered with treasures. Tens of thousands of Five-Element Spirit Ginsengs had been planted; over seven or eight thousand exceeded a century in potency. The Water-Traveling Spirit Ginseng in Xu Xu Wenwu's mouth had only 120 years of age—there were far more in the garden; using them as snacks posed no issue.

Though the garden teemed with treasures, it had also become extraordinarily dangerous. Just look at the ring of insect corpses surrounding Xu Xu Wenwu—all were Dao Foundation-level spirit insects.

Since the Immortal Dog-Head merged into Qingming's earth, the entire Qingming environment transformed. Spirit beasts and insects underwent a massive explosion in numbers, increasing dozens to hundreds of times over. The garden, already rich in spirit plants and saturated with spiritual energy, became a paradise for all manner of spirit insects. Predators that fed on insects multiplied rapidly, resulting in weasels and cats growing increasingly plump, their demeanor slowly turning endearing.

Once these spirit insects reached Dao Foundation, they underwent a radical transformation, their power surging. Mosquitoes could pierce steel; butterflies could bewitch the mind—this was bad enough, but the toxicity of venomous insects had undergone a qualitative leap: their bodies grew larger, and many now threatened even Manifestation cultivators.

Qingming's population had swelled, and with more people came greater disparity. Many cultivators who reached Dao Foundation now sought to leave Qingming—but they didn't want to depart empty-handed. So many sneaked into the herb garden seeking fortune, only to vanish without a trace, becoming the fortune of spirit insects themselves.

Xiang Little Wei Yuan looked up and saw the miniature twin-barreled war vehicle above. He reached out and plucked it down.

The vehicle panicked, its cannons glowing blue, ready to fire—but Xiang Little Wei Yuan suppressed it with a pulse of Dao force, pinning it motionless.

Xu Xu Wenwu suddenly gasped, his chest heaving violently as he sat bolt upright, shouting: "I was suffocating!"

He opened his eyes, gazing dazedly around. Moments passed before he realized he'd merely been dreaming. As Xu Xu Wenwu awoke, the miniature war vehicle in Xiang Little Wei Yuan's hand vanished.

Xu Xu Wenwu broke into a cold sweat. "I just had a nightmare—terrible. I dreamed a giant hand grabbed me and dragged me into the deep sea… Thank heavens I woke up."

Xiang Little Wei Yuan said: "You know your Dao Foundation can move on its own?"

"Of course I do! I let it roam while I sleep—otherwise I couldn't rest here. One mosquito could drain me of several jin of blood."

Xiang Little Wei Yuan silently shook his head. Xu Xu Wenwu lacked basic cultivation knowledge—he didn't realize how rare it was for a Dao Foundation to possess such sentience. Still… a tank gaining sentience? That sounded oddly awkward.

Xiang Little Wei Yuan said: "Come, I'll take you to the outside world."

"The outside world? How do we get there? Have we built a spaceship yet?"

Xiang Little Wei Yuan said: "It's simple. Just change where you sleep."

Xiang Little Wei Yuan brought Xu Xu Wenwu back to Xiancheng, arranged for him to lie down. Xu Xu Wenwu was a master at sleeping—his head barely touched the pillow before he drifted into dream, instantly appearing amid the bustle of mortal life.

Xu Xu Wenwu had no fond memories of mortal life. Every time he entered, he was forced to work—exhausted to the point of collapse, and upon waking, his spirit felt inexplicably drained. Who could feel refreshed after dreaming of studying all night or solving endless exam problems?

But this time, entering mortal life, Xu Xu Wenwu did not see his familiar cramped workstation. Instead, he saw a corner of a city, and before him stood an ordinary-looking girl who said: "Follow me."

Seeing the girl—even though plain-looking—Xu Xu Wenwu's spirits lifted instantly.

Xu Xu Wenwu followed the girl to the foot of Yushan, where Xiang Little Wei Yuan stepped out of a teleportation gate and placed a thread of Dao-Lu Xuan energy. Seeing Xu Xu Wenwu, Xiang Little Wei Yuan said: "It's dangerous inside. Complete your training first, then enter."

Outside Yushan, a massive logistical base had been constructed, with four new research institutes already established. Several Dao Foundation cultivators led Xu Xu Wenwu into a training hall, testing his limits, teaching him survival protocols for the outside world, and instructing him on the use of various equipment.

The training lasted all day. Then, after being infused with Qing-Qi Human Fortune, Xu Xu Wenwu stepped through the teleportation gate.

As soon as he entered, the familiar roar of machine guns filled his ears. Under the night sky, swords became streams of light, shredding monstrous figures far away into bloody pulp.

Xu Xu Wenwu felt the scene was eerily familiar—as if he'd stepped into a war movie he'd binge-watched all night—and immediately grew excited. Xiang Little Wei Yuan appeared beside him and said: "Follow me."

Xu Xu Wenwu followed Xiang Little Wei Yuan into a small building nearby, ascending to the second floor. The second floor was a display room, glass cases holding various objects. Xiang Little Wei Yuan led Xu Xu Wenwu straight to the center and pointed to an item on the display rack: "Do you recognize this?"

Xu Xu Wenwu blurted: "That's just a soda can—crushed flat."

Xiang Little Wei Yuan exhaled in relief. He hadn't mistaken the person—Xu Xu Wenwu was indeed deeply connected to this world. He picked up the can and asked: "Can you read the writing on it?"

Xu Xu Wenwu studied it closely, then shook his head: "No. I don't recognize any of it."

The script resembled human characters in form, yet was fundamentally alien. Days of analysis in mortal life had concluded: these characters differed from any human script passed down from antiquity. Insufficient data prevented meaning identification.

Xiang Little Wei Yuan held onto one last hope: "Could it be… the language you mentioned? The foreign one?"

"No! I've never seen these symbols before."

Xiang Little Wei Yuan nodded. "Prepare. We depart in half an hour. We'll explore the nearby building complex together. This is Long Ying. Stay close to him at all times. Do not wander off."

As the exploration began, Xu Xu Wenwu remembered countless infamous monsters lurking in darkness—and grew tense. He nodded stiffly. He wanted to refuse, but dared not speak up. He could only grit his teeth and agree.

Half an hour later, Xiang Little Wei Yuan led the team out again. In previous explorations, he had deliberately avoided the central square building, first clearing surrounding smaller structures before finally approaching this one.

This time, with Xu Xu Wenwu present, they gained a breakthrough. He stared at the building and blurted: "That's a gas station and a convenience store?"

"Gas station?"

Xu Xu Wenwu pointed to several poles standing in the open ground: "They look just like them. The pile of black iron beside them must be the fuel pumps—but why are they so ruined?"

Xiang Little Wei Yuan asked: "What dangers does a gas station with a convenience store hold?"

"Dangers?" Xu Xu Wenwu scratched his head. He couldn't imagine any danger in such a place—it was just crowded.

Crowded?

Xiang Little Wei Yuan's heart tightened. He finally understood the source of his unease. He immediately summoned a Manifestation Warrior, ordering him to escort Xu Xu Wenwu to the rear, to set up a firing position on the second floor of an abandoned building. Xiang Little Wei Yuan himself advanced cautiously, stepping into the store.

The store was utterly silent, no response. Iron shelves were caked with dust, layered into solid blocks. The floor was covered in thick black sludge; each step Xiang Little Wei Yuan took left deep footprints.

"The front is the merchandise area, the counter against the wall, the warehouse behind…" Xu Xu Wenwu's gaze followed Xiang Little Wei Yuan, noting anything unusual and whispering it to the nearby Manifestation Warrior—whose hearing reached Xiang Little Wei Yuan.

Xiang Little Wei Yuan reached the counter and saw a faint silhouette behind it—apparently a woman, busy with something. As Xiang Little Wei Yuan approached, the shadow turned its head, as if seeing him, then began fumbling beneath the counter.

Xu Xu Wenwu instinctively shouted: "She has a gun!"

The shadow pulled something from beneath the counter and pointed it at Xiang Little Wei Yuan!

Xiang Little Wei Yuan instantly sidestepped, avoiding the muzzle. The surrounding space trembled slightly—a small crater appeared on the wall behind him, shards of stone flying.

Xiang Little Wei Yuan's heart clenched. That shot carried immense power—equivalent to a full-force strike from a late Manifestation cultivator. Had he been hit, he would have been wounded.

Seeing the shadow raise the gun again, Xiang Little Wei Yuan leapt over the counter, a demonic blade—July—in his hand. One slash severed the shadow's arm holding the weapon.

"Wait—" July's voice cut off as Xiang Little Wei Yuan struck three more times, severing the shadow's limbs.

The shadow solidified into its true form: a humanoid creature, entirely charred black—whether by fire or time, its surface was as black as coal. The severed limbs revealed a deep gray substance streaked with white—not flesh, but sludge.

July's blade trembled violently, emitting mournful cries: "Stop! It's too stinking! Too terrifying!"

Xiang Little Wei Yuan sensed no odor, but July's reaction was unmistakably genuine. Its spiritual essence had slightly declined—it had been damaged.

July's wailing seemed to awaken the entire building. One by one, shadows emerged from the darkness, all fixing their gaze on Xiang Little Wei Yuan. He swiftly hurled the noisy blade away and leapt backward, fleeing the structure.

(End of Chapter)