LRAB Chapter 494: The Mutated Authority of Flame
Chapter 494: The Mutated Authority of Flame
ruins.
ash.
What is left after the power of the end erases everything is a nothingness more complete than deathly silence.
Feiying knelt on the ashes of the disaster beast's remains, holding the thin and shriveled girl tightly in her arms.
When the wind blows, black dust flies everywhere, making this already dim world look even more dilapidated.
It hurts.
The indelible mark on her lower abdomen brought excruciating pain with every beat, as if countless red-hot steel needles were stirring her internal organs.
This is physical pain.
But what hurts more than this is my heart.
She looked down at the barely breathing little Lotus in her arms. Her wrinkled, sallow little face was like a heavy hammer, hitting her heart again and again.
She had long been accustomed to physical torture, and no matter how severe the pain was, she could endure it without changing her expression.
But this time, she felt like she couldn't hold on any longer.
In the silence, the sound of messy footsteps was heard.
The few remaining survivors of the hunting village came out from their hiding places. They supported each other and slowly gathered around the open space, dragging their wounded bodies.
They looked at their devastated homes and the mountains of ashes, and many people collapsed to the ground, wailing in despair.
But more people just remained silent, turning their eyes to the only focus in the field.
The red-haired woman kneeling in the middle of the ashes, holding the little lotus.
Scarlet cherry.
The atmosphere was extremely depressing.
Finally, a burly hunter with half his arm missing and blood all over his face staggered forward.
He stared at Feiying intently, his cloudy eyes filled with bloodshot and deep hatred.
"Miss Feiying..."
His voice was dry and hoarse.
"Did you attract these monsters?"
These words, like a stone thrown into stagnant water, instantly stirred up a thousand waves.
Feiying's body froze.
The hunter didn't wait for her to answer and continued to roar in an almost accusing tone.
"Before! Never before have there been so many! Never!"
"Ever since you arrived, the cracks in the sky have been opening more frequently and getting bigger! The monsters that come are getting stronger and stronger!"
"Our village was fine, why did it become like this! Why!"
He stretched out his only remaining hand, pointed at the little lotus in Feiying's arms, and then pointed at the collapsed ruins in the distance.
"My wife... my children... they're all dead!"
"Is it because of you? You ominous person, you brought disaster to us!"
"You killed them!"
The hunter's question was like the most vicious curse, and every word accurately pierced Feiying's most vulnerable spot.
She opened her mouth, but no sound came out.
Because she had asked herself the same question.
is not it……
Is it really my fault?
She remained silent and could only hold the little lotus in her arms tighter.
This tacit attitude completely ignited the fear and resentment in the hearts of the survivors.
"So it really is her..."
"She is a disaster..."
"Get out! Get out of our village!"
The crowd began to stir, and hostile gazes converged on Feiying.
"Shut up, everyone!"
An old and majestic roar suppressed all the noise.
The old village chief, leaning on a cane, walked out tremblingly with the support of several young people.
His cloudy old eyes swept over every shouting villager, his face full of disappointment and anger.
"Aniu! Are you crazy?"
The old village chief pointed at the one-armed hunter who took the lead in accusing others, and trembled with anger.
"Have you forgotten who warmed the entire village with fire during the coldest winter, saving our elderly and children from freezing to death?"
"Have you forgotten who it was who drove away those monsters time and time again, so that we could have food to survive the winter?"
"Have you forgotten who taught our children to hunt, and who saved us from the monsters time and time again?"
Every question from the old village chief made the hunter named Aniu look paler.
"Without Miss Feiying, our village would have been gone long ago! No one would have survived!"
"Your lives were given by Miss Feiying!"
"Now, you're actually resenting her? Where's your conscience?"
"Ungrateful thing!"
The old village chief's scolding echoed over the ruins.
The villagers, who were originally very excited, lowered their heads and dared not say a word.
Yes, without Feiying, they would have died long ago.
but……
I lost my home and my family.
This kind of great grief always needs an outlet to vent.
And Feiying became the most conspicuous target.
The old village chief took a few deep breaths before turning his gaze to Feiying. His stern look instantly turned into endless worry and heartache.
He looked at the little lotus in Feiying's arms, his old face full of sadness.
"Miss Feiying..."
Feiying slowly raised her head.
She looked at the old man in front of her who had always cared for her, and at the faces around her that were filled with resentment, guilt, or numbness.
Finally, she spoke with difficulty.
"sorry."
These three words are as heavy as a mountain.
She did not defend herself.
Because no matter what, the destruction of the village and the fact that Little Lotus became like this were all due to her.
She took a deep breath and spoke word by word with unprecedented firmness.
"I promise."
"I will definitely find a way to wake up Little Lotus."
"Absolutely! Absolutely!"
This is not just a promise, but also an atonement she has set for herself that must be fulfilled.
However, as soon as she finished speaking, a discordant voice rang out from the crowd.
It was still the one-armed hunter named Aniu, who laughed at himself.
"Wake up? How do you wake up?"
He pointed at Feiying's pale face without a trace of blood.
"Miss Feiying, you're in such a terrible state that you're having trouble even standing up."
"What can you use to save Little Lotus? Just a word?"
"You should come up with a solution!"
Although these words were harsh, they also expressed the doubts in the hearts of everyone present.
Yes, what’s the solution?
Feiying didn't say anything else.
She just silently stretched out her right hand under everyone's gaze.
She endured the tearing pain in her lower abdomen and mobilized the little remaining strength in her body.
She wanted to prove it to them.
You have to prove it to yourself!
A tiny light lit up in her palm.
Everyone held their breath.
They recognized that light, it was a flame that brought warmth and hope.
but.
This time, the blooming flame was no longer the brilliant and warm red color of the past.
A small, dark flower quietly bloomed in her palm.
That's not a burning flame.
More like a black hole that swallows up light.
It hangs quietly, without temperature or light, only pure, heart-pounding darkness and end.
Black flower of fire.
At the moment when this black flame flower took shape.
An unprecedented powerful force suddenly surged out from deep within Feiying's body, instantly filling her almost dry limbs and bones.
Her fairy power grew stronger under the catalysis of the power of the end.
Become stronger than ever!
However, along with it.
"Uh!"
A sharp pain a hundred times stronger than before suddenly exploded from her lower abdomen!
That feeling was no longer like the pricking of steel needles, but as if an invisible giant hand was tearing and grinding her existence bit by bit from the very root!
Feiying's body trembled violently, and beads of cold sweat instantly slid down her forehead.
But she still held on tightly and did not kneel down.
She simply straightened her back, held up the quietly burning black flame, and faced the villagers' faces filled with shock and fear.
The pitch-black flower floated quietly in Feiying's palm.
The surrounding villagers, including the one-armed hunter Aniu who took the lead in accusing, subconsciously took a step back at this strange scene.
fear.
A fear that comes from the depths of the soul.
If we say that the warm crimson flame of Feiying before was a miracle that brought hope and vitality.
Then the black flame burning silently at this moment is the abyss that devours everything and brings about the end and destruction.
The villagers don't understand what authority is or what the end is.
They only knew that the girl before them had become more terrifying and dangerous than those disaster beasts.
Feiying ignored their reactions.
She didn't even look at them again.
All her attention was focused on the little girl in her arms, who was breathing weakly, and the mark in her lower abdomen that was causing her severe pain.
She has to go.
immediately!
Take Xiao Hehua away from this place that is about to collapse and find a way to truly heal her.
This thought turned into an unprecedented obsession.
She held up the black flower of fire and without explaining to anyone, she pressed it hard into the void in front of her!
There were no earth-shattering explosions.
There are no dazzling light effects either.
"Fuck-"
A sharp, piercing sound, as if cloth was forcibly torn, suddenly exploded in the silent ruins.
The space, touched by the black flames, began to twist violently and cave in.
A dark crack appeared out of nowhere.
That was not a crack in the sky leading to the world of disaster beasts, but a deeper, more chaotic, and full of unknowns and dangers... a passage.
A portal to the world that she had spent countless efforts on in the past, but could not understand, let alone open.
Under the catalysis of the power of the end, she forcibly tore it apart in the most brutal and primitive way!
"She...what is she going to do?"
The villagers screamed in terror and fled in all directions.
However, it's too late.
As the dark crack continued to expand, the entire fragment of the world began to tremble violently.
Rumble!
The earth was groaning, and black smoke was spewing out from the cracks.
The mountains in the distance were shaking, huge rocks were rolling down, and raising clouds of dust.
The eternal darkness of the sky began to flicker, like a lamp about to go out.
This small world is heading towards irreversible collapse because the stability of its core has been forcibly broken.
Feiying seemed oblivious to this.
She just stared at the crack she had torn open, enduring the double pain of tearing her body and soul, pouring more of the power of the end into it to maintain its stability.
……
at the same time.
The city of machinery.
A magnetic levitation car, gleaming with soft blue light, glided silently and finally landed steadily under a giant tower that soared into the clouds.
The tower is made of neither gold nor stone, but a deep dark silver color. Its surface is covered with countless energy streams like circuit board patterns, extending from the base to the top obscured by clouds, giving it an unimaginable sense of technology and oppression.
In front of the tower, a figure had been waiting quietly.
Jasmine wore a tailored white gown, the hem and cuffs embellished with subtle mechanical details and flowing lines, a perfect blend of classic elegance and futuristic technology. Beside her stood an assistant in a sharp business suit and gold-rimmed glasses.
It's the flower buds.
"laugh--"
The doors of the maglev car slid open to both sides.
Two figures walked down slowly.
Leading the group was Violet, who was wearing a purple dress and had a noble and elegant temperament.
Following closely behind was Xiao Bailian, who was wearing a white dress and had a look of curiosity and excitement on her face.
After the two got off the car, their first reaction was to look up at the same time.
When their sight followed the giant tower all the way up and finally disappeared in the clouds, even the two experienced people could not help but be dazed for a moment.
It’s so... spectacular.
This has gone beyond their understanding of "architecture".
Looking around again, in the distance are rolling metal buildings. Countless engineering drones are flying through the air like a swarm of industrious bees, and huge anti-gravity cranes are lifting huge modules into place.
The entire city, like a waking steel giant, is full of vitality and power.
"Welcome to my place."
Jasmine took the initiative to come forward with a faint smile.
Violet and Little White Lotus' thoughts were pulled back.
They looked at the familiar yet unfamiliar Jasmine in front of them, and for a moment, they all felt a strong sense of unreality.
The fairy of machinery, the master of all machines.
It's really Jasmine?
Jasmine really has this city under her belt.
Moreover, this is one of the most glorious cities in human civilization in history.
Although it has declined now, judging by the reconstruction efforts, it seems that it is only a matter of time before it regains its former glory.
"Jasmine..."
Violet opened her mouth but found she had no idea what to say.
And after the initial shock, Xiao Bailian, who was standing next to her, began to have a strange light flashing in her lively eyes.
She looked at Jasmine, then at the towering tower that seemed to have no top, and then glanced at the bustling construction sites in the distance.
Her mind was no longer filled with shock.
Instead, it is a series of rapidly scrolling numbers.
How much is this tower worth?
How much resource does this city produce in a day?
This is no longer a rich woman, this is a walking gold mountain!
If only I could get a little bit of sponsorship from her...
Forget about donating a few buildings to Manzhu Academy. I'm afraid it would be more than enough to just buy the entire academy and rebuild it!
When she thought of this, Xiao Bailian looked at Jasmine with a fiery look in her eyes.
Violet immediately noticed the undisguised, money-grubbing intentions of the principal beside her.
She calmly nudged Xiao Bailian's waist with her elbow.
"Principal, please calm down a bit."
Violet lowered her voice and reminded in a helpless tone.
"Your abacus beads are about to jump into your face."
"cough!"
Xiao Bailian immediately coughed dryly, forced herself to suppress the expression that was about to drool, and put on the dignified and steady demeanor of a school principal.
Jasmine saw all the little actions of the two people, but just chuckled and didn't point it out.
"I'm sorry, I may not be able to accompany you two in person from now on."
The smile on her face faded, turning into a hint of solemnity.
"I must go to the central energy core. Something's gone wrong with the final stage of debugging the 'Hive' system. The gravitational field matrix's synchronization rate hasn't reached the 99.9% threshold. I need to personally calibrate the gravitational constant. This is related to the energy supply and stability of the antigravity field for the entire southern region. No mistakes can be made."
"Let Xiaolei show you around first."
Jasmine said, pulling the bud behind her to the front.
"You should have met each other during our previous video conference."
Hua Lei took a step forward, her eyes filled with deep curiosity as she looked at the two characters in front of her whom she had only seen in games before.