Stranger Danger

Chapter 823: Goddess Sacrifice

Unfortunately, the three goddesses were stronger than Ye Qing. It was one thing if they chose to fight him, but there was nothing he could do to stop them from leaving the battlefield. Stopping one of them from withdrawing—and just barely—was his absolute limit.

While Ye Qing caught Goddess White Deer, and Goddess Green Lotus and Goddess Moonview were preparing to leave, a crazed laugh suddenly erupted from the ground.

“Hahaha... the heavens favor me. The heavens truly favor me!”

Covered in blood from head to toe, Duanmu Longhua was standing in the middle of a pile of rubble and laughing like a madwoman. “You’re all going to die. Today, you’re all coming to the grave with me! Hahahahahaha!”

Logically speaking, Duanmu Longhua was on the goddesses’ side. However, Goddess White Deer, Goddess Green Lotus and Goddess Moonview all felt a bad premonition when they heard her laughter.

“Goddess Sacrifice!”

Still laughing, Duanmu Longhua spat out a mouthful of fresh blood that transformed into a strange symbol. There was a red flash, and it sank into the word “Fortune” in the sky.

In just the blink of an eye, the gold-colored word turned completely blood red. As if its very essence had been inverted by the blood, it looked far more ominous and disturbing than it was before.

The next moment, the word split into three parts and flew toward Goddess White Deer, Goddess Green Lotus, and Goddess Moonview.

All three goddesses felt uneasy and tried to stop the bloody lights from approaching them. However, for whatever reason, the bloody lights were able to pass through their defenses and slip into their bodies unhindered.

As soon as this happened, the three goddesses felt an anomalous power spreading throughout their bodies.

“What did you do, Duanmu Longhua?”

Goddess Green Lotus realized that something was terribly wrong and made a grab for Duanmu Longhua. She intended to kill the city lord where she stood.

“What did I do? You shall find out very soon, goddess.”

Spitting that mouthful of blood was no joke. Duanmu Longhua instantly aged another two or three decades and looked like she had one, no, one and a half foot in the grave. She paid her condition or the descending palm no heed, however. With an eerie chuckle, she declared, “Stop.”

The next moment, Goddess Green Lotus’ palm halted in mid-air. Goddess Green Lotus’ eyes widened. Her palm was literally half an inch from Duanmu Longhua. Just half an inch further, and she would be able to squish the city lord’s head like a tomato. However, this final bit of distance was like an impassable chasm. She just could not bridge it no matter what she tried.

The reason for this was simple. She had suddenly lost control of her power. All of it.

What was strange was that her mind was perfectly intact. She just could not use her power at all. It was as if someone had suddenly turned off the natural connection between her mind and her power. It was a terrifying and disturbing sensation to say the least.

She wasn’t the only one. Goddess White Deer and Goddess Moonview were caught in the same conundrum.

“How dare you disrespect us, Duanmu Longhua!” Goddess Green Lotus rebuked the city lord. She never imagined that the worm and puppet they raised would dare to scheme against them.

“Disrespect? Hahahaha... Did you consider how you disrespected me when you used me like your dog?”

Duanmu Longhua’s expression was twisted and full of madness. She looked like she wanted to vent everything she had suffered until this point. “Besides, the three of you are just parasites who feed on human fortune. What part of you deserves respect, pray tell?”

“It appears there is a misunderstanding between us, Duanmu Longhua. We promise to answer any request you might have after this matter is over. We can even make you as immortal as us and live as long as the world itself.” Goddess Moonview urged, “All we ask is that you release us, now.”

“Immortality? Lifespan equaling that of the world’s? Sounds great!”

Duanmu Longhua tilted her head and let out a strange cackle. “Too bad I neither believe you nor want such a thing. The only thing I want is for the three of you to die.”

Duanmu Longhua abruptly looked at Ye Qing and cracked a sickening grin at him. “I almost forgot. You will be joining them as well!”

Why hadn’t Duanmu Longhua used Goddess Sacrifice and taken control of the goddesses from the very beginning? It was due to the unbelievable amount of fortune Ye Qing had displayed. She was well aware of the three goddesses’ greed, and she knew at first glance that there was no chance in hell that they would allow him to slip through their grasp. In that case, there was no need to activate Goddess Sacrifice and expose its existence. She might even survive when all was said and done.

However, Duanmu Longhua hated the goddesses even more than she hated Ye Qing. Hell, it had practically become her life’s goal and obsession. When she realized that Ye Qing was just the bait, and the real fisherman was attempting to catch the three goddesses in one fell swoop, she suddenly decided that killing the goddesses were worth more than living in her current state.

After all, even if the goddesses chose to keep her alive instead of replacing her with a new puppet, there was no longer any hope for her to resume her martial, and she was so terribly injured that she didn’t have much time left anyway. As for Goddess Moonview’s promise to make her immortal in exchange for their release, only an utter retard would believe such a promise.

Plus, during the short duration she had total control over the three goddesses, she could use them to kill Ye Qing and take revenge against him.

Before, the absolute best she could hope for was a one-for-one trade. Now, she could drag four of her most hated foes to the grave with her. She would be fulfilling the long-cherished wish of the city lords of Goddess City and destroying the culprit who made her like this, killing two birds with one stone. With that in mind, why would she choose any other course of action?

She would die, but she would die without regrets.

“Huh?”

Ye Qing was enjoying his break when Duanmu Longhua suddenly turned around and glared malevolently at him. At least wait until I finish my melon seeds!

“You’re crazy! If something happens to us, then you’ll die as well!” Goddess White Deer screeched. Her usual innocence was nowhere to be seen.

“Is that so? Then let’s die together! Hahahahahahaha!”

Duanmu Longhua laughed until she was breathless. She then pointed a finger at Ye Qing and screamed, “Kill him!”

“Duanmu Longhua!”

All three goddesses were furious beyond words, but there was nothing they could do to change this situation. Their bodies disobeyed their thoughts and began chasing after Ye Qing.

“Time to run!”

Ye Qing turned around and ran away at top speed. Earlier, he had clashed against the three goddesses head on because he needed to buy time for Feng Qingyou. But now, the goddesses were going to chase him even if he ran with his tail tucked between his legs, so why the hell would he fight them? He wasn’t stupid.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

And so a cats-and-mouse game began. Wherever the quartet passed through, buildings crumbled, earth shattered, and countless jianghu people were caught up in the wake of the chase and killed. Luckily, Ye Qing kept most of his running within the inner city and so minimized the amount of damage done to the innocent civilians in the outer city. Of course, he avoided the Goddess Wall Paintings as well.

Unfortunately, the inner city was only so big. To try and escape the three goddesses within its confines was like trying to escape a gang of bullies in a ballpit. The goddesses quickly caught up to him and began beating the shit out of him.

Underneath the Goddess Wall Paintings, Feng Qingyou watched Duanmu Longhua and the three goddesses and murmured to herself, “To think that Duanmu Longhua would be the final variable. In any case, we have enough time!”

Next to her, Wen Anran was fully absorbed in chanting some sort of incantation or mantra. As time passed, the killing intent enveloping the city grew stronger and stronger.

“Pwack!”

A dozen or so breaths later, when the Rainbow Lake had dried up, the Moon Altar had collapsed, and the Spring Garden had withered like autumn, Duanmu Longhua abruptly threw up a mouthful of blood and collapsed on her knees. Her life was departing her body at a visible rate.

At the same time, Goddess White Deer, Goddess Green Lotus and Goddess Moonview let out a terrible howl and shot toward the Goddess Wall Paintings at full speed. Such was their haste that they did not spare even a second to kill Duanmu Longhua for her transgressions nor secure the kill on Ye Qing, who was currently buried heavens-know-how-deep underground.

“Hahaha... you’re too late... it’s far too late for you... haha...”

Duanmu Longhua’s death was set in stone at this point. Every time a laugh escaped her lips, her energies would weaken, and her eyes would grow blurrier. Even so, she never stopped staring at the three goddesses’ backs and laughing her heart out.

It was probably the freest, happiest laughter she ever cracked in her life.

Standing in front of the Goddess Wall Paintings, Feng Qingyou stared at the incoming goddesses and smiled at them. “You’re too late.”