Times Have Changed

Guanyin Mountain.

In the past, Guanyin Mountain had also been known as Balifen Mountain. Hundreds of years ago, a tribe called Balifen had lived in these mountains. But as time passed and the years flowed by, Balifen Mountain became Guanyin Mountain. Its exceptionally favorable terrain, however, had also attracted countless local burial sites.

Guanyin Mountain was still Guanyin Mountain.

But Balifen Mountain had probably become Balifen Grave Mountain.

As the Byakhee beat its wings and approached Guanyin Mountain, layer upon layer of dense miasma gathered in the sky without anyone noticing. Even in broad daylight, tiny insects swarmed through the fog. Threads of sinister energy coiled through the clouds, accompanied by the occasional sound of faint chewing.

This final obstacle didn't look easy to get past. Beneath the clouds, between the mountains, corpses infested with venomous insects had been roused from death and wandered aimlessly along the mountain paths.

Little Shiyin was still asleep. She probably wouldn't wake easily before they reached their destination.

"I'd guess our talismans might come in handy right about now." Yu Zhiwei eyed the thick miasma blanketing the sky in the distance. "This isn't Chen Family Village yet, but it's clearly covered by the power of evil. The talismans might be able to fool it. We've got five, anyway, and there are six of us. Leaving one person outside shouldn't be a problem."

"Restricted-area items are best saved for the areas they're meant for." Jacob waved a hand. Standing on the Byakhee's back, he stretched his limbs a little. "I've been reciting scriptures all night. My bones are stiff. Why don't you let me give this a try?"

"Can you handle it?" Yu Zhiwei gave him a look, then instinctively glanced at little Shiyin. "...Is this your area of expertise?"

She might have meant stealing the divine power from little Shiyin. That would be a world-shaking feat worthy of a top bunk next to Karthus—not that the degree of its greatness mattered, but it would certainly shake the world. Anyone who tried it would become a legend passed down through the ages, even across all the worlds.

Fortunately, none of them were the kind of idiot who'd stab their biggest supporter in the back right in front of her.

"I'm not that reckless." Jacob raised a hand slightly toward the distance. A glow appeared in his palm, and the Main God's description of the Profane Priest enhancement echoed in the memories of the Celestial Team's members.

The biggest difference between Profane Priests and Priests was that the latter had to pay extra for every spell they learned. The former, however, could directly steal a deity's divine power and gain a set of ready-made divine spells. The risk was high, but so was the reward. Before stealing divine power, a Profane Priest had no idea what spells he might get. But if he planned around the target deity's divine domains in advance, he could generally get what he needed.

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

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

"Seventh-circle divine spell: Flame Storm!"

Flames suddenly surged into the air.

They were pure white, blazing hot, and filled with holy energy.

They erupted above the dense mass of miasma and spread in every direction in an instant. As the Holy Shroud on Jacob's body gave off a faint golden glow, the flames—which normally wouldn't have covered more than half an acre—suddenly expanded, stretching farther and farther outward.

The seventh-circle Flame Storm now had the effect of an eighth-circle Cloud Burning Art. At Jacob's command, it rolled back and forth over the mountains, scorching everything in its path. Thousands upon thousands of insects and miasma clouds were charred and carbonized with every pass. By the time the spell ended, nearly half the miasma blanketing the sky above Guanyin Mountain had been cleared. Even the enormous Guanyin statue deep in the mountains had begun to emerge into view.

"Whew..." A smile touched Jacob's lips as he wiped a little sweat from his brow. Even with the spell's damage reduced to expand its range and duration, channeling it for so long had taken a serious toll on his stamina.

"I'll rest for a bit, then I can cast it again in a few minutes—"

His voice caught in his throat.

Right before his eyes, the miasma and swarm of insects he'd cleared away began to replenish at a visible speed. Their black color didn't just return; they grew a little denser than before. And in the next moment, the insect cloud boiled over.

Whoosh—

The black cloud of miasma and insects rushed toward them. Then—

It missed.

The Byakhee's teleportation ability had come in handy.

When space stabilized again, the Celestial Team's Reincarnators had been transported to an open hill several kilometers away. They'd reacted pretty quickly.

Jacob stared at the miasma swarm in the distance, which seemed to be making a point of disrespecting him. His face flushed, and his temples throbbed. He reached into his pocket, about to pull out some mysterious trump card. But before he could, he caught sight of Yu Zhiwei's smile.

"Like a drop in the bucket, huh?" He had to admit, sometimes she really was asking to be hit.

A few seconds more, and the mysterious trump card in Jacob's pocket might come in handy against her forehead.

"Um... could we try using incendiary bombs?" Valentina hurried to offer him a way out. "I bought a small ammunition synthesizer before. As long as the ammo doesn't cost side-quest points, I can synthesize it directly using simple materials like metal and soil..."

Si Ming suddenly turned to her.

"Can it make a nuclear bomb?"

"Um... I think the most it can make is a nuclear grenade. And that would take a long time..."

Si Ming remembered that a micro-nuke cost something like D-rank plus 500 points, perhaps a little more. Its effects should be roughly on par with the one in the Star Wars movies.

No loopholes to exploit. What a shame.

But the interruption had given Jacob a chance to find a way to save his pride.

"Turns out a deity's commission isn't so easy to complete after all." He sighed, his usual gentle expression returning. "That exalted being asked us to escort their avatar to that mountain... Whew. Looks like I can make up for the battle last night, when I couldn't get involved."

But Si Ming gently shook his head.

"We may not have to fight our way through." He said, "Maybe there's an easier option."

He reached out and took a phone from his Dimensional Ring.

It was a phone he'd picked up off the street in the city earlier, one that nobody seemed to want.

He glanced at Jacob, who shrugged to indicate that he should do as he pleased. So, right in front of all the Celestial Team's Reincarnators, Si Ming dialed 110.

The corners of Yu Zhiwei's eyes began to twitch. As someone from 2007, she was left speechless, caught between wanting to speak and having nothing to say.

But after less than two seconds, the call connected—and the other end was silent.

"I'm the professor," Si Ming said evenly. "I'm the one who solves problems."

"I need you to immediately launch a bombardment of the area around Guanyin Mountain. Don't damage the area around the Guanyin statue. Of course, if you have enough missiles, you could load them with herbicide... No, just use conventional firepower."

There was no answer. He hung up.

His companions stared at him. Four of them exchanged baffled looks.

"Um..." Jacob said uncertainly. "I knew the outside world would take action, but aren't you expecting a bit too much from them? Usually, they'd need at least half a month of meetings first. Even with help from a righteous deity, it'd still take a week, and then there'd be the troop movements..."

He was European. This was normal.

Valentina looked even more confused.

"...Wait, Professor, you just called China? They actually trusted your call instead of thinking it was a scam? And responded that quickly?"

"I feel like you're thinking something pretty rude, Ranger." Yu Zhiwei, who'd been caught between wanting to speak and having nothing to say, suddenly gave Valentina's tall boot a light kick. "Do you think my country is really that slow?"

"But before I came here, I saw several cities in your country gridlocked badly enough to cause accidents... wasn't that right? That one called Hanoi, and, oh, that city called Seoul... Before that, a friend recommended a Chinese restaurant to me, but the curry and rice dishes took ages to come out..."

Yu Zhiwei's eyes widened slowly, and her mouth fell open. She stared at Valentina as her delicate features twisted toward utter collapse. Maybe no one had expected this to be the first time she completely lost it—and right here, right now.

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

"Ranger." Anyone could see how hard she was trying to hold back her feelings. "Did you ever pay attention in geography class?"

"Sorry, I didn't major in geography at university... Is that something you're supposed to study in general?"

It was as if an invisible string had suddenly snapped.

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

"...Did I say something wrong?" Valentina looked at her helplessly. "Um... when we get back, I'll buy you curry?"

Yu Zhiwei's fair face flushed again. But though she had so much she wanted to say, all she could manage was a weak, weary reply.

"Sh... shut up." Weak, but firm.

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

Beside them, half of Jacob's face twitched as he struggled to hold back his laughter. Song Tian remained as impassive as ever and changed the subject in the most straightforward way possible.

"The bombardment hasn't arrived," he stated.

But Si Ming glanced at his phone and shook his head.

"Don't rush. Give the missiles a moment to fly."

One second. Two seconds.

At the far end of the sky, vast clusters of crimson stars suddenly appeared.

Then—

Boom—!!!

Flames burst forth, and blazing fire covered the entire mountain range.

Si Ming then raised the phone in his hand, its screen displaying the time.

"It's already 2022," he said.

"The times have changed, everyone."