Chapter 129: Fireworks? We Have Plenty!

The magma has cooled, hardening into lava. Though it still emits intense heat, only gray, rolling steam rises from it. Like smoke billowing from the chimney of a heavy industrial plant, it transforms into a haze that shrouds the sky, weighing down upon the world.

The Dragon-Man has been dealt with. An avatar of a Fallen God, crafted at a massive cost by the Divine Core Organization, has perished here in Jiangling City. For the Divine Core Organization, this is undoubtedly a catastrophic loss. Li Ang is well aware of this.

Li Ang has to admit that this time, he almost met his end. The tenacity of the Fallen God’s avatar exceeded his imagination; a being capable of exerting control over elemental attributes is simply inhuman. Even though the avatar possessed only the power of an entry-level Fallen-State, its difficulty was no less than that of an intermediate-level Fallen-State powerhouse. And Li Ang and his wife, even when working together, only possess the strength of an entry-level Fallen-State.

This is why the look Li Ang gives Du Fang is filled with strangeness, as well as a sense of caution—caution regarding the Fallen God within Du Fang. Yet, Du Fang’s absolute control over the entity within him is something that completely defies Li Ang’s expectations.

Sitting on the shoulder of his burly wife, Shizuka, who is sprinting through the air, Li Ang falls into deep thought, contemplating how to face and interact with Du Fang. In truth, although Li Ang knows Du Fang’s strength is only that of a high-level Dream Weaver with the combat capability of a City-State level, he is forced to treat him as a National-level Dream Weaver. This is not because of Du Fang’s combat power, but because of the Fallen God residing within him.

"It’s truly enviable. Possessing the power of a god is a form of talent in itself..."
"In our country, it's fine; there aren't many Dream Weavers who have awakened the power of gods. But abroad, such Dream Weavers are popping up like bamboo shoots after a spring rain."

Sighing, Li Ang feels a genuine sense of envy. He and Shizuka have endured years of grueling training just to barely reach National-level combat strength. Meanwhile, Du Fang did nothing; simply by awakening the power of the god within him, he easily obliterated the Fallen God avatar deployed by the Divine Core Organization.

"No wonder the Divine Core Organization is obsessed with the power of Fallen Gods."
"The power of gods is indeed mesmerizing," Li Ang murmurs.

"Man, why do you have so much nonsense to spout?"
"You sound like a woman!"

Below, the burly Shizuka expresses her dissatisfaction with her husband's constant chattering. Li Ang freezes, forgetting that his wife has an exceptionally high capacity for receiving his words—which is also the foundation of their seamless cooperation.

"Have you forgotten what the President of the Night Sect said?"
"No matter how strong a god's power is, it is still a god's power. Only by becoming strong oneself is one truly powerful!" the burly Shizuka says in a muffled voice.

Li Ang: "..."
The President of the Night Sect is just brushing you off; his eyes are the power of a god himself. He already possesses a god's power, so naturally, he can claim that relying on oneself is the only true strength. He says that while standing, feeling no pain, but you’re following him and not feeling any pain either? Li Ang naturally dares not say this out loud; he fears that if he did, his wife would immediately deliver a massive back-suplex, followed by a "Mount Tai" crushing blow.

However, Li Ang remains silent. Du Fang, who is controlling the air to fly alongside them, interjects earnestly: "That makes a lot of sense! I also believe that only one's own strength is true strength!"

The burly Shizuka laughs heartily: "Little brother Du Fang is truly a kindred spirit! Much better than my own man!"

Li Ang: "..."
Foolish woman, Du Fang also has a Fallen God inside him; what kind of kindred spirit are you talking about?

The three travel at great speed. With the obstacles gone, it takes only a few minutes to get from outside the city to the interior. Soon, they see the giant crater on the highway. They see the struggling Zhao Lingyin and the bruised and swollen Zhang Changlin.

The White Jade Priest stands alone, his terrifying pressure heavy, as if a storm is about to break. Opposite him, the armed forces of Jiangling City have formed an airtight blockade. Dense rows of soldiers with rifles raised, green-shelled tanks, and mounted artillery batteries stand ready. Dream Weavers of Jiangling City stand among the troops, fingers pressed to their brows, releasing their Dream Spirits. The countless Dream Spirits connect and flow like a continuous coastline. Jiangling City has prepared for war—a war against one man.

The White Jade Priest above the crater is currently in a trance. He has kept a thread of his Dream Spirit perception connected to the area outside the city to monitor the Fallen God avatar. However, the avatar has provided no feedback. There is only one explanation: the avatar has been destroyed.

The eyes beneath the White Jade Priest's mask widen in disbelief. "Impossible. Even an intermediate-level National-level Dream Weaver couldn't easily defeat the Fallen God avatar!"
"The avatar’s body is made of special materials brought from forbidden zone Dream Disasters, incredibly durable and capable of bearing the power of a Fallen God!"
"Such an avatar could not be shattered so easily. At the very least, Li Ang and his wife couldn't do it!"

The seven-masked White Jade Priest trembles. It is a tremor of disbelief. He ignores Zhang Changlin, ignores Zhao Lingyin who blocked his strike, and ignores Tang Nai and the vast army behind her. He turns his head to look outside the city.

There, the sound of air being pierced whistles toward them. Li Ang, his wife, and Du Fang are flying over. In the White Jade Priest's pupils, the figures of Li Ang and his wife are reflected, but finally, only Du Fang’s figure remains. He seems to understand something. Perhaps it wasn't Li Ang and his wife who killed the avatar. It was... Du Fang!

He stares fixedly at Du Fang with unprecedented vigilance. "Azure Dragon... you killed him too, didn't you?" the priest says. He raises his hand, pointing at the blood-soaked Zhang Changlin in the deep pit, who is busy puffing on a cigarette. "His strength couldn't possibly kill Azure Dragon, let alone an Azure Dragon that had activated a small Divine Core. An Azure Dragon with a small Divine Core could take on at least ten of him!"

Zhang Changlin: "..."
Why target him? What did Zhang Changlin do wrong? "Take on ten of him"—if you're so arrogant, why not say a hundred Zhang Changlins!

The air around Du Fang ripples. He looks at the White Jade Priest indifferently, tilts his head, and asks: "Do you... have any fireworks on you?"

As soon as these words are spoken, the surroundings fall into instant silence. Even Li Ang and his wife look over in astonishment. Fireworks... what does that mean? He couldn't be referring to the small Divine Cores, could he?

The White Jade Priest begins to laugh. Though he wears a mask, everyone can sense how hideous the expression beneath it must be. "Fireworks? Yes! I have plenty!" The White Jade Priest sneers. "Calling a small Divine Core a firework... you certainly have guts!"

The White Jade Priest stares at Du Fang. The killing intent in his eyes is undisguised, but there is even more greed. Because the White Jade Priest, just like Azure Dragon before him, has realized how incredible the Fallen God within Du Fang is. To be able to kill an Azure Dragon that had activated a small Divine Core proves that the Fallen God within Du Fang is terrifyingly powerful! The Divine Core Organization is scouring the world for powerful Fallen Gods; such an entity is the organization's most prized prey.

"I not only have them, I have two!"
"The fireworks you speak of."
"Are you tempted?"

The White Jade Priest stares at Du Fang, his eyes filled with a look like he is watching prey. Once he deals with the traitor Vermilion Bird in the city and extracts the small Divine Core from within her, he will naturally possess two.

In the air, Du Fang floats, controlling the air. He raises an eyebrow slightly but ignores the priest's words. He pulls a blood-stained pencil from his pocket. The pencil vibrates slightly. Suddenly, Du Fang's vision begins to change. His eyes seem to span a vast distance in an instant, seeing the situation in his own neighborhood within the city.

He sees the disheveled Lin Liuli, he sees the White Jade Priest in the white mask, and he sees his sister-in-law, who has a strange, crazed smile on her face.

"La la la la, someone came to kill my brother-in-law, so I'll kill him!" the sister-in-law chants. She looks up, her long, straight black hair revealing a pure face. "Brother-in-law, can I kill him?" she asks, as if inquiring across space.

Du Fang is stunned. He didn't expect there to be another White Jade mask priest in his neighborhood. A shadow clone technique? However, faced with his sister-in-law's question, Du Fang doesn't hesitate for long and nods: "You can kill him, but we are within the system, we are Dream Weavers with status, so you must kill him with reason and evidence."

A brighter smile spreads across the sister-in-law's pure face: "Brother-in-law said to kill with reason and evidence?"

Then, the sister-in-law lifts the soul-drawing Du Fang made, points it at the White Jade Priest, and asks: "Look at this drawing, who does it look like?"

In the neighborhood, the eyes behind the White Jade Priest's mask are filled with fanaticism, mixed with a hint of caution, as he stares at the sister-in-law. "A wild Fallen God? And a wild Fallen God manifested in reality?" Is this a question to win the favor of a wild Fallen God? As the sister-in-law holds the drawing and asks him, he stares at the hedgehog-haired stick figure, ponders for a long time, and answers: "A hedgehog?"

The smile on the sister-in-law's face freezes, her gaze turning chilling. The White Jade Priest pauses—was the answer unsatisfactory? "A hedgehog getting poked in the butt?"

Sister-in-law: "..."

...

Above the highway, Du Fang, holding the pencil, was originally looking forward to it, but upon hearing the White Jade Priest's answer in the neighborhood, he covers his face.

"Reason and evidence."
"Kill him."