The Times Have Changed

Chapter 50: The Times Have Changed

Guanyin Mountain.

In the past, Guanyin Mountain was also known as Balifen Mountain. Hundreds of years ago, a tribe called the Balifen lived together in these mountains. But as time passed and the years flowed by, Balifen Mountain became Guanyin Mountain, and its overly favorable terrain eventually attracted a large cluster of local burial grounds.

Guanyin Mountain remained Guanyin Mountain.

However, Balifen Mountain had likely already transformed into Balifen Grave Mountain.

When the Byakhee flapped its wings and approached Guanyin Mountain, heavy layers of miasma gathered in the sky without anyone noticing. Even in broad daylight, dense swarms of tiny insects flew together within the fog clouds. Wisps of evil, sinister aura lingered among them, accompanied by the faint, rhythmic sound of chewing that occurred from time to time.

This final barrier did not seem easy to cross. Beneath the clouds, among the mountains, corpses and remains—parasitized and reanimated by venomous insects—wandered aimlessly along the mountain paths.

Little Shiyin remained in a deep sleep; she likely would not wake easily before they reached their destination.

"I suspect the talismans we carry might just come in handy right now," Yu Zhiwei said, eyeing the thick miasma covering the entire sky in the distance. "Although this isn't Chen Family Village yet, it is clearly covered by the power of evil spirits. The talismans might be able to trick them successfully. Anyway, we have five talismans and six people; leaving one person outside is perfectly fine, you know."

"It's better to use items designated for specific areas in the appropriate zones," Jacob said, waving his hand. He stood on the back of the Byakhee, stretching his limbs slightly. "I've been chanting scriptures all night, and my bones are soft. Why don't you let me give it a try?"

"You can handle it?" Yu Zhiwei glanced at him, then subconsciously looked at little Shiyin. "...Is it your specialty?"

She was likely referring to stealing the divine power from little Shiyin, which was undoubtedly a world-shaking feat worthy of a top-tier seat in Karthus—the magnitude of the feat aside, it was certainly world-shaking. If someone truly wanted to act, they would surely become a legend passed down through the ages, even across the myriad worlds.

Fortunately, there were no idiots here who would backstab a thigh while standing right in front of it.

"I'm not reckless to that extent," Jacob said, raising his hand slightly toward the front. With a radiance appearing in his palm, the Main God's explanation of the Profane Priest enhancement echoed in the memories of the Celestial Team members.

The biggest difference between a Profane Priest and a Priest was that the latter had to spend extra points to purchase spells individually, while the former could obtain a series of packaged divine spells by directly stealing power from deities. The risk was high, but the rewards were equally generous. Although a Profane Priest wouldn't know what divine spells they could snatch before stealing the power, as long as they planned the target deity's divine domain beforehand, they could naturally satisfy their general needs.

Tyr was the God of Justice. His divine power leaned more toward punishment than protection.

And as a B-rank Profane Priest, the highest-level divine spell Jacob could use was...

"Seventh-Circle Divine Spell: Flame Storm!"

Flames suddenly surged upward.

Fierce, scorching, and filled with a holy aura, the pure white flames erupted from directly above the dense miasma swarm and spread in all directions in an instant. As the Holy Shroud on Jacob's body also emitted a faint golden light, the fire field, which originally wouldn't have exceeded half an acre, expanded violently, extending and surging toward the further boundaries.

The seventh-circle Flame Storm thus presented the effect of an eighth-circle Cloud Burning Art. Under Jacob's will, it rolled back and forth over the mountains, grinding repeatedly. Each trajectory charred thousands upon thousands of miasma and venomous insects. By the moment the divine spell ended, nearly half of the miasma clouds covering the sky over Guanyin Mountain had been erased, and even the massive stone statue of Guanyin deep in the mountains became vaguely visible.

"Hoo..." A smile appeared on the corner of Jacob's mouth as he raised his hand to wipe away the sweat on his forehead. Even if he had extended the casting range and duration by reducing the lethality, the long period of spell channeling indeed meant a massive expenditure of energy.

"I'll take a rest, and in a few minutes, I can fire off another one—"

His voice stuck in his throat.

Because right before his eyes, the miasma insect swarm that had been reduced by half was being repaired and replenished at a speed visible to the naked eye. The pitch-black color not only returned but even intensified slightly. The next moment, the sea of insects boiled.

Poof—

The black miasma insect cloud swarmed forward. Then—

It missed.

The Byakhee's teleportation function had come into play.

When space-time stabilized again, the Celestial Team's reincarnators had already transferred to an open hill several kilometers away. They had reacted quite quickly.

Jacob looked at the miasma insect swarm in the distance that had shown him no respect; his face flushed red, and his temples throbbed violently. He reached out, wanting to pull some great treasure out of his pocket. But before he could, he saw Yu Zhiwei's smile first.

"A drop in the bucket, huh?" It had to be said, this person was truly punchable at times.

Perhaps in a few more seconds, the mysterious great treasure in Jacob's pocket would be put to use on her forehead.

"Uh... perhaps we could use incendiary bombs?" Valentina tried to provide a way out for him. "I previously purchased a small ammunition synthesis machine. Basically, as long as it's ammunition that doesn't require side-quest points, I can synthesize it directly by filling it with simple raw materials like metal and soil..."

Si Ming suddenly looked at her.

"Can you synthesize a nuke?"

"Uh... it seems I can only synthesize nuclear grenades at most. And it takes a long time..."

Si Ming remembered that the price of a micro-nuclear bomb seemed to be D+500, and the reward points might be a bit more. The effect should be roughly equivalent to the one in the Star Wars movie version.

No loopholes to exploit, what a pity.

But this interruption allowed Jacob to find a way to soothe his own pride.

"A commission from a deity is indeed not something that can be completed easily," he sighed, his face immediately returning to its usual gentle appearance. "That Crowned One asked us to escort His manifestation to that mountain... Hoo, it seems the battlefield I failed to intervene in last night can be made up for today."

However, Si Ming shook his head slightly.

"It doesn't necessarily have to be a hard fight," he said. "Perhaps we have an even easier way."

He reached out and pulled a mobile phone from his Dimensional Ring.

It was a phone he had picked up from the street in the previous city, one that nobody wanted.

He looked at Jacob, and the latter gestured for him to do as he pleased. So, in front of all the Celestial Team reincarnators, he dialed 110 on the phone.

The corner of Yu Zhiwei's eye began to twitch. As someone from 2007, she was instantly struck by the urge to speak, only to hold it back, then feel the urge again.

However, within two seconds, the call was connected, and there was no movement from the other side.

"I am the Professor," Si Ming said in a flat tone. "I am the one who solves problems."

"I need you to immediately conduct a round of fire coverage on the area where Guanyin Mountain is located. However, do not damage the area where the Guanyin statue stands. Of course, if you have sufficient ammunition, you could also load the missiles with herbicide... no, just use pure firepower."

There was no answer from the other side, and he hung up the phone.

His companions watched him, the four of them almost all looking at each other in dismay.

"Hmm..." Jacob said, sounding somewhat uncertain. "I know the outside world would definitely take action, but aren't you expecting a bit too much from them? Generally speaking, they would at least hold meetings for half a month first. Even with the help of an Orthodox God, it would take at least a week, and then there's the mobilization of the military..."

He was European, so this was normal.

Valentina, on the other hand, looked completely bewildered.

"...Wait, Professor, did you just call China? They actually confirmed your call directly instead of treating it as a scam? The response was that fast?"

"I get the feeling you're thinking about something very rude, Ranger." Yu Zhiwei, who had been wanting to speak, suddenly gave Valentina's long boot a light kick. "In your eyes, is my motherland some kind of sluggish thing?"

"But before I came here, I saw several cities in your country congested to the point of causing accidents... didn't I? That city called Hanoi, ah, and that city called Seoul... Before, when my friend introduced me to Chinese signature dishes, the curry and the pilaf were served so slowly..."

Yu Zhiwei slowly widened her eyes and opened her mouth. She stared at Valentina before her, her delicate face gradually twisting in the direction of a breakdown. Perhaps no one expected that this person's first mental collapse would happen at this time, in this place.

She took a deep breath... a very deep one.

"Ranger." Anyone could see that she was trying quite hard to suppress her emotions now. "Your geography class... did you ever actually pay attention?"

"Sorry, I wasn't a geography major in college... is that something you usually have to study?"

It seemed as if an invisible string had suddenly snapped.

Yu Zhiwei's face flushed red, then faded, and she slowly closed her eyes. She waved her hand and shook her head.

"...Did I say something wrong?" Valentina looked at her, somewhat at a loss. "Uh... after we go back, can I treat you to curry?"

The fair face turned red-hot once again. However, Yu Zhiwei, who had many things to say, could only let out a weak, powerless sound.

"Shut... up." Weak, yet firm.

"Oh..." Valentina lowered her head, feeling aggrieved.

On the other side, half of Jacob's face was twitching as he tried very hard to suppress his laughter. Song Tian, as always, remained indifferent and shifted the topic in the most straightforward way possible.

"The bombing hasn't arrived." He was stating a fact.

However, Si Ming just glanced at his phone and then shook his head.

"Don't be impatient, let the missiles fly for a while."

One second, two seconds.

At the edge of the sky, large swaths of scarlet star clusters suddenly emerged.

Then...

"BOOM--!!!"

Firelight erupted, and scorching clouds of incineration covered the entire mountain range.

Si Ming then raised the phone in his hand, which was displaying the time.

"It is already the year '22," he said.

"The times have changed, everyone."