Chapter 122: The Enigmatic Lord, Child of Duality, Possessing the Ability to Reverse, and the Infini

Chapter 122: The Enigmatic Lord, Child of Duality, Possessing the Ability to Reverse, and the Infinite Steel Feathers (4K)



In a dim and eerie room, a solitary rectangular stone table stood tall. Ancient and weathered, its surface bore the marks of oxidation and wear, testament to countless years of existence. Three candles sat atop it, burning silently to provide the sole source of illumination in the shadowy chamber. Surrounding the table were nine equally aged high-backed stone chairs.

Four figures, cloaked and hooded, their upper faces hidden in shadow, revealing only the lower halves of their visages, sat silently in different chairs.

"Do we always have to meet in this place?" came a voice, tinged with exasperation. "It's New Era 267; can we stop with this cult-like atmosphere? The number of believers has been declining over the years, and you don't seem concerned about finding out why." The speaker, a woman, impatiently threw back her hood, revealing a beautiful, mature face.

"Ah, Qin," a gentle male voice replied from beside her. "All rituals and procedures are decided by headquarters; we have no authority to change them."

Qin scoffed and turned away. "Even casual gatherings are considered rituals? What about when I need to relieve myself? Are there rules and regulations for that too?"

The man beside her smiled, his tone unchanged. "In theory, there are."

"The Lord of a Thousand Reds and Ten Thousand Colors, the origin of all flora, our blessed selves, our bodily fluids..." Before he could finish, Qin interrupted.

"Enough! How can you say such things without batting an eye? If we were outside, you'd be charged with sexual harassment." Qin covered her face in exasperation.

The man's tone remained unperturbed. "I meant no offense; I was merely stating a fact."

Ignoring him, Qin turned to face the person sitting opposite her. "Professor, where's your prized student today? You didn't bring her along."

The professor, with her vine-like long hair, leaned forward slightly, the shadows on her face dissipating to reveal the true features of a middle-aged woman. "Her mortal relatives have come to Maple City." The professor replied calmly.

Qin, the beautiful woman, gave her a meaningful look and smiled. "It seems the professor truly values this student... Alright, it's getting late, and I doubt anyone else is coming. Why have you gathered us here? Out with it."

The professor nodded. "Very well, I shall convey the message sent by headquarters." Her face took on a pious expression. "Seven days ago, the Lord of a Thousand Reds and Ten Thousand Colors descended upon the Spirit Temple and bestowed upon us the 'Flower' inscribed with divine prophecy."

At these words, the others in the room stirred, their eyes widening in astonishment.

Qin slammed her hand on the table and stood up, her face a mask of disbelief. "The Flower of Prophecy?! Are you sure it's not some incomprehensible 'Divine Matchmaker' mumbo-jumbo, but an actual, tangible flower?"

She had good reason to be shocked.

Within the circle of the Heterodox Sect, there existed certain accepted truths and knowledge.

Gods—whether deceased or living—were believed to be incapable of directly interfering with the mortal realm.

Transcending 'strings,' they were indescribable beings whose 'essence' placed them beyond human comprehension. They could be likened to 'higher-dimensional entities.'

A researcher once used a simple analogy to explain why gods could not directly interfere with the world.

If one were to consider the gods as humans, then the mortal realm would be akin to a book to them.

The existence within the book cannot fathom the concept of 'humans.'

Humans, on the other hand, can tear the book apart but cannot affect what's inside—unless they are the author of the book.

Furthermore, the act of tearing the book apart comes with a precondition—one must first defeat the book's author.

So, if the gods cannot interfere with the mortal realm, how do the blessed recipients of their power come to exist?

Because the author of the book is dead, and the book's copyright has become ownerless.

Thus, humans can scribble and write fanfiction on the book, creating their own narratives.

However, a good book has a well-crafted logical framework and world-building—even fanfiction must adhere to the basic rules established within the original work, and deviations cannot be too outrageous.

Therefore, the gods cannot do as they please in the mortal realm and must influence it in a manner that aligns with the established logic and world-building.

After the death of God, the collision between the mortal realm and the otherworld resulted in an overlap, causing cracks in the once-perfect logical framework and world-building. This gave the gods more leeway in their 'fanfiction,' allowing them to deviate from the original framework and inject their unique touches.

"And so, the chosen ones appeared, capable of wielding the power of the Heterodox Gods in the mortal realm.

However, the appearance of these chosen ones is still considered an 'indirect interference' by the Heterodox Gods. To this day, history has not recorded any instances of the gods directly manifesting miracles or bestowing divine artifacts.

Even the 'divine prophecies' given to the believers are often vague and cryptic, never communicated in a straightforward manner.

But now, the Lord of a Thousand Reds and Ten Thousand Colors has bestowed a flower...

If this is true, the flower itself is no longer important. What matters is the significance of this occurrence.

It implies that, for the first time in the New Era, the Heterodox Gods have 'directly interfered' with the mortal realm!

"So, what's the prophecy on the flower?"

Ah Qin asked eagerly.

The professor glanced at her and said, "Headquarters spent seven days deciphering it and managed to translate it into somewhat comprehensible text."

"'Beyond the myriad of stars and blades, there lies a lord of enigmas, a child of duality, possessing the ability to reverse and infinite steel feathers. He must be eradicated with absolute power, lest the twilight's late bell tolls—'"

After the professor finished reciting the prophecy, everyone in the room was left with puzzled expressions, filled with countless questions.

"I... I think I recognize every character in there," the man next to Ah Qin said, his tone somewhat strained.

"As expected of the Lord, the prophecy bestowed is profound and enigmatic, difficult to decipher."

The professor nodded calmly and said, "In any case, that's the situation... Since the prophecy clearly indicates 'south,' all the branches in the southern region have received orders to investigate the details of the prophecy."

"I have conveyed the orders, so let's adjourn... Ah Qin, could you stay for a moment?"

After the others left, the professor approached Ah Qin and whispered something in her ear.

"Hmm? You want me to play the good cop?" Ah Qin scratched her cheek in dismay.

...

In a stylish and refreshing restaurant, Xue Jing and his sister, Xue Wan, sat across from each other.

"Oh ho~ Those two are in the news!"

Xue Wan popped a piece of sweet and sour meat into her mouth and looked at her phone with a smile.

She turned the phone towards Xue Jing, who was sitting across from her, and said, "Look!"

Xue Jing, chewing on his food, glanced up.

On the phone was a news article published just three minutes ago.

[Shocking! U19 Competitors Engage in Such Behavior in Public—]



The cover photo showed the two youths lying on the ground in the port's waiting hall, hugging each other as they passed out.

It might have been their posture or the photographer's tricky angle, but the photo gave off the impression that the two had a very close relationship and were peacefully sleeping in each other's arms.

Fortunately, the text below the photo didn't spin a wild tale. It honestly described the reason for their situation, introducing the backgrounds of the two young geniuses, their past grievances, and how they had unexpectedly met at the port that day, leading to their fight. It also mentioned how they were ultimately defeated by another mysterious young powerhouse...

However, within just a few minutes, the comments section was already filled with 'lock them up' 'my new favorite ship' 'I've been shipping them from the start' and other such 'fragrant' remarks...

At this moment, Xue Jing felt a rare twinge of guilt.

He could already imagine that no matter how much these two denied their relationship, they would be endlessly teased by those with overactive imaginations, and the 'CP' label would only grow stronger...

"What a mess..." Xue Jing sighed softly.

"Strange, why isn't your photo in the news?" Xue Wan took back her phone, looking puzzled.

Although she didn't understand the journalism industry very well, she knew the impact a good-looking person could have on attracting traffic.

Even an unrelated bystander, if attractive enough to catch the camera's eye, could end up on the trending page.

How much more so for Xue Jing, who had defeated two already well-known young geniuses...

Even his sister, who was used to his looks, thought he was breathtakingly handsome. His appearance, coupled with his role as the protagonist of the incident, would undoubtedly make him a massive draw for clicks if he were featured in the news.

How could the reporters let this opportunity slip by?

Xue Wan smiled and said, "This is my cat, it's very shy and doesn't like to be touched by people... You guys go ahead, my brother is coming to school soon, and I need to show him around."

Xue Wan fell into deep thought.

However, she soon tossed this insignificant question aside and turned to look at Cat, who was sitting on the table next to them, chewing on a steak.

Cat extended her claws, hooked a piece of steak that Xue Jing had cut for her, and blew on it a couple of times before popping it into her mouth. She narrowed her eyes in pleasure, seemingly savoring the delicious taste.

"Ah, Little Fengwan is so amazing. I've never seen a cat with such sentience."

Xue Wan was somewhat surprised.

"Is it okay for it to eat this? The seasonings were added according to human standards; won't it be bad for its body?"

Xue Jing picked up the canned Coke and took a sip before casually replying, "Don't worry, it's been eating the same food as me, and there haven't been any issues. Its bowel movements and peeing habits are all very regular—"

"Hiss!!! "

A look of embarrassment appeared on Cat's face, almost as if she were human, and she let out a warning hiss, her fur standing on end as she extended her claws and swiped at his wrist.

Xue Jing felt a slight sting, and a few white marks appeared on his skin. He smiled and reached out to gently rub her cat face in a soothing manner.

"Anyway, it's fine."

Xue Wan shook her head repeatedly. "No, no, how can it even have a sense of shame? This is just too abnormal."

She looked at Cat with suspicion. "This cat... could it be some kind of product of a mad scientist's experiment, like putting a human brain inside a cat's body or something?"

Xue Jing froze for a moment.

This was indeed a line of thought that took realistic considerations into account. Why hadn't he thought of this when he first met Cat?

"Meow~"

Cat walked over to Xue Wan, crouched down, and meowed softly.

Xue Wan remained silent for a moment before directly reaching out and picking her up, cradling her in her arms, and rubbing her face against Cat's fur with a look of blissful contentment.

"Oh well, it doesn't matter anyway. As long as you're cute, that's all that matters. Ahh, my little Fengwan, how can you be so adorable? Mommy loves you..."

Cat, being rubbed, glanced at Xue Jing out of the corner of her eye, looking rather proud of herself.

Xue Jing stroked his chin and smiled without saying a word.

...

After finishing their meal, it was already 8:00 PM.

Xue Wan, being a university student, had to return to her dormitory, so Xue Jing planned to temporarily part ways with his sister and take Cat for a stroll around Maple City, also taking the opportunity to meet the agent arranged for him by Wu Youqing.

However, Xue Wan seemed quite reluctant to part with Cat and insisted on taking her back to the university dormitory.

After seeking Cat's opinion through eye contact and receiving an affirmative response, Xue Jing agreed.

They hailed a taxi at the entrance, and after seeing Xue Wan and Cat off, Xue Jing stood on the street with his roller luggage bag.

He took out his phone and scrolled through the contact list for a while before finding the agent's number and giving them a call.

As if she had been holding her phone and waiting for Xue Jing's call, the call connected without even a single ring.

"Hello, is this Mr. Xue?"

A polite female voice came through the receiver.

"Yes, it's me. Ms. Jiang, are you free now?" Xue Jing asked.

The agent was a woman named Jiang Sumei.

"Yes, yes, I've been waiting for your call." Jiang Sumei replied hastily.

Xue Jing smiled and said, "Then let's meet now. I'll send you the address..."

After sending the address of the hotel booked for him by the wealthy madam, Xue Jing also hailed a taxi and set off for the hotel.

...

Upon learning that Xue Jing was from out of town, the talkative taxi driver spent the entire journey introducing Maple City and its attractions.

After nearly twenty minutes, the car pulled up in front of a luxurious hotel named Yunlu.

Xue Jing took out his phone to scan the QR code for payment, thanked the driver, and was about to get out of the car.

Just then, a figure flew towards them from a distance.

"Bang!"

The figure slammed into the car's hood, creating a loud noise that caused the entire vehicle to shake.

The hood was deeply dented, and the car immediately stalled, with cracks spreading across the windshield.

"Hey? What's going on here?"

The driver panicked.

Frowning, Xue Jing opened the car door and stepped out.

"Damn, this woman's got some guts! I like her!"

Summer Hou Shen climbed off the hood, dusting off his chest where a large footprint was imprinted on his clothes.

As a signed athlete of the Xuan Hong Martial Arts Club, he was older than the U19 age limit and wasn't there to compete. Instead, he was accompanying a younger member of his club who lacked competitive experience.

What he hadn't expected was that, while booking accommodations for his team, he would encounter a woman with such a rare and impressive figure...

He had reached out and groped that robust and powerful derriere, unable to resist the temptation.

And then, he was kicked away.

Summer Hou Shen grinned, ignoring the dent he had caused in the car's hood, and strode towards the hotel lobby, intending to find that woman and continue their 'conversation.'

At that moment, a slender, jade-like hand rested on his shoulder.

A calm, uninflected voice spoke from behind him.

"What's going on? Are you trying to hit and run?"

...

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end