Chapter 135: Chapter 134: Despair Descends
Translator: 549690339
Legend has it that there exist vast grinding stones as heavy as the earth in the underworld, capable of crushing any soul into fragments, regardless of how powerful they’ve become. The Reincarnation Grindstone Formation Jiang Li taught the siblings manifests this folktale.
However, what Jiang Li currently guided the brother and sister to set up was an understated variant.
The Reincarnation Grindstone Formation seemed like a world of its own—an area separate from the rest of the world’s environment. Its gravity was ten times stronger, flattening the whales and making it difficult for them to even raise their fins.
Once again, ruthless ice spears appeared in the sky. With the extraordinary acceleration provided by gravity, they rushed towards their target with a frightening speed. The soldiers of the Yong Gu Area only managed to see a white flash before the whales, which were about to break free from the ice spears, were pinned back to the ground with new spears.
This time, mounted even deeper! There was no way the whales could struggle free!
These previously unbeatable whales were now like fish on a chopping board, thrashing their tails but utterly helpless, ready to be slaughtered.
The upper and lower Formation grinded endlessly, the suffocating pressure inexorably squeezing the whales, reducing them little by little into shards.
New Formations appeared in the sky, stirring thunder and fire. Roaring thunder descended like simultaneously fired cannons, its power surpassing any cannon fire.
Though the fourth-level zombies were tough, the army’s weapons couldn’t penetrate them. Meanwhile, Yong Gu Area’s army discovered that the explosive thunder had split the whales’ hide.
“Huff… huff..” Luo Ying panted heavily. Even though he had reached the Foundation Establishment Stage, he was still remarkably fatigued. However, his eyes were full of light, filled with vigor, “Finally, we activated the grand Formation.”
This Formation was designed to kill those at the Nascent Soul Stage. Although the Formation chiefly drew from the spiritual energy stored in the cores, the monks also needed to pour in a startup amount of spiritual energy.
Even with this, it almost drained the early-stage cultivators of Foundation Establishment.
Though Luo Zhu was drained of power, an unusual flush of excitement had arisen in her. Her once paled cheeks now flushed a delicate pink. Even if she hadn’t experienced the desperation of the end times as deeply as her brother, she could still conceive from his narration the kind of catastrophe these zombies would bring to humankind.
Now, the most threatening whale zombies were on the verge of death. The other threatening zombies had not yet matured, so the crisis would ultimately be resolved. There would no longer be the threat of families scattering, of a virgin auctioned off for a box of biscuits and water, of living people merely waiting for death…
No one wanted to confront the zombies. It was indeed nice to play the hero in a world teetering on survival, but who’d prefer an apocalypse deprived of games, novels, comics, and TV dramas over a peaceful era?
Even the amateurs of Yong Gu Area’s army could see that in front of the Formation, the whale was utterly defenseless.
Thunder split the whale’s skin, gravity crushed their bones to dust, and their cores were exposed to the air. More than a dozen whale cores had already been pulverized, and the leakage of their spiritual energy further enhanced the might of the Formation.
Every time they had to contend with a horde of zombies, they had to worry about the cores. They could only sever the zombies’ heads, which limited the power of the Formation. This time, however, the three had no intention of leaving the cores behind.
To kill the whales in the Formation was already difficult enough. If they got greedy for the cores and reduced the Formation’s power, it would be inauspicious if the whales broke from the Formation.
Suddenly, a whale tore free from the ice spears’ bounds. Its massive body thrashed like a fish tossed ashore; the earth rocked and the ground cracked.
Jiang Li frowned.
This whale rolled over to its companions, not to save them, but to eat their cores.
With every core it swallowed, it regained some strength. It would then roll to its next companion and repeat the process.
“J- Jiang sir… ” Luo Ying’s heart rose to his throat as he saw what was happening, and Luo Zhu also looked anxiously at Jiang Li.
The grand Formation was now a death trap. Anyone who entered would die. Even if the brother and sister wanted to stop it, they could do nothing about an enormous whale weighing almost a thousand tons.
In order to stop this whale, they would have to dismantle the grand Formation, smash the cores themselves, and deny the zombie whale of its source of strength. But many whales in the Formation were still fiercely alive! If they dismantled the grand Formation, all remaining whales would immediately counterattack.
This particular whale was undoubtedly a misfit among misfits, endlessly consuming the cores of its companions.
The whales that lost their cores died, but the sight didn’t bring joy to anyone at the scene.
The more cores it consumed, the greater the likelihood it could evolve.
“Focus the thunder on this beast.’
The thunder pounding the whales originated from the second Formation— the Demon Extermination Thunder Formation. The two siblings were able to manipulate the Formation to increase the chances of thunder striking down on this particular whale.
Employing all their spiritual energy, the two controlled the Demon Extermination Thunder Formation.
Boom
Boom
Boom
The frequency of thunder strikes changed, with roughly half that should have hit other whales landing on this one. As a result, this whale was so brightly illuminated that it was difficult to look directly at it.
This whale endured the booms of thunder and oppression of gravity, steadily moving its body. It even flipped itself, so its belly was the target of the thunder. Even though the thunder posed a threat, it endangered its brain core only temporarily.
It maneuvered its hefty body around, continuing to consume the brain cores of its companions.
“Focus the thunder on the remaining living zombies.” Jiang Li changed his order. Since they could not straightforwardly kill this whale, they decided to destroy all remaining brain cores instead.
There was a speed contest happening – the speed of the thunder destroying the brain cores versus the speed of the whale consuming the brain cores.
“Phew… All the brain cores have finally been shattered.”
Luo Zhu sighed in relief. Just as she was about to share a few celebratory words with her brother, she noticed both her brother and Mr. Jiang looking grimly at the whale, who was lively only moments ago but now lay unmoving.
The whale let out a whale song, its dismembered flippers visibly re-growing at a remarkable speed, its body inflating exponentially as well.
It flapped its wings, allowing the thunder to strike as it pleased. The formation could no longer contain it, its gaze, filled with fury, was pinned on Luo Ying and Luo Zhu.
The worst-case scenario had happened.
…Fifth order…” Luo Ying’s face became grave.
There was no need for any detector; Luo Ying was far too familiar with this kind of momentum. It was reminiscent of the power that only the top-class zombies of his past life possessed.
They failed to kill the zombie whale but unintentionally ended up aiding it in its evolution!
A fifth-order zombie represented a formidable strength that could obliterate humanity.
Even though there had been fifth-order zombies in their previous world, there had also been fifth-order enhancers among humans who could barely put up a resistance.
However, now, Luo Ying and Luo Zhu were the strongest among humans, only at the second order.
This gap was insurmountable!
Watching the zombie whale soar towards them, Luo Ying knew that they were doomed this time.
“Mr. Jiang, do you think I still have a chance at rebirth?”
Jiang Li regretfully shook his head: “The energy of the Ascension Ladder fragment may not be able to save you another time.”
“I see.” Luo Ying wasn’t surprised by this answer. After all, rebirth opportunities were scarce; there was no way it could be a repetitive event.
He looked at his sister with pity; despite making great efforts to save her, it turned out to be all for naught.
However, Luo Zhu was content. Although her brother never explicitly told her, she was well aware of her fate from his narratives – there was never her presence, indicating her early demise in their previous world.
Living for an extra four months in this world, she was very satisfied. “Don’t be too pessimistic.” Jiang Li made the motion of patting Luo Ying’s shoulder, though he couldn’t actually touch him.
“From today on, you have a new title, Shadow King Buddha.”
“Huh?”
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