Apocalypse Forecast

"What... is that?"

Huai Shi stared down in astonishment, gazing into the dark abyss.

The moment the most superficial layer of the Mirror World's camouflage shattered, the entire mutated, vast underground world finally revealed its true form.

It was as if all the soil inside the entire circumference of the Xinhai subway line had been hollowed out, forming an indescribable depression and fissure beneath the massive city.

The subway line itself was its edge, and looking inward from it, one could only behold an expanse of void and darkness.

Above the subway line, the original ten subway stations extended out like cliffs, bearing ten crucial altars, half-suspended above the entire abyss.

As the fractures in the Mirror World dissipated, the people on the platforms undoubtedly observed each other.

Ten different battlefields.

Aside from the altar where Huai Shi stood, the battles at six other altars had already ended. Debris and blood were everywhere; the bodies of The Purified People who hosted the sacrifices were dismembered or even annihilated, and even the altars themselves had been destroyed.

The fights at three other locations continued, unresolved, but the situation was extremely one-sided. The Sublimators from Dongxia were slaughtering en masse, effortlessly crushing all resistance.

Amidst the efficiently executed slaughter, the middle-aged team leader looked back and paused when he saw Li Jian Amber. He then pointed at her with a serious and fierce expression—For making the mistake of 'acting without orders,' write your own report when you get back!

However, soon everyone's attention was captivated by something below the abyss.

It was a corpse.

A decaying corpse.

Even a blind person standing here could smell that pungent and sharp stench of decay, the nauseating scent slowly rising from the depths of the abyss.

Yet it was this that made it all the more unbelievable.

At this very moment, right before everyone's eyes, within that abyss, the colossal and terrifying true body of the Nine Phoenix, which loomed like a building, had completely decayed.

Dead.

Thoroughly dead.

What thing, after being torn to pieces and rotting to such an extent, would anyone believe it to still be alive?

But what in the world is going on?

Everyone had fought their way to the outside of the BOSS room, only to find the BOSS had hanged itself—forget loot, there wasn't even experience to gain… What the hell is there to fight for?

Anyone would know something was off, right?

Now, the lifeless black blood was seeping out bit by bit from its remains, gathering into a foul-smelling lake, nurturing swarms of nauseating maggots, with swaths of mosquitoes and flies landing and taking off like clouds.

Disgusting.

Yet amidst this sinister and grisly environment, a beam of light suddenly shone in the lake of black blood.

So pure, so glorious.

It was a resplendent gold.

As the earth trembled, countless fragments of the Mirror World stirred, and within that patch of darkness, the light burst forth, stinging everyone's eyes.

Mysteriously, everyone felt a sense of peace and tranquility in their hearts. Before that light, they felt an urge to bow down in worship, to witness a miracle.

Within the light, a pair of eyes, as if crafted from gold, slowly opened. A majestic shadow rose slowly from the boiling lake of black blood, as if breaking free from a shell and gazing upon this world.

Before these eyes, all things seemed as mere dust.

"What the hell?!"

Huai Shi's first instinct was to feel a chill, subconsciously wanting to step back, then noticing large patches of burns appearing on his skin. It was as if that gaze had scorched him.

Doubtless, that light is the bane of Yin Souls—no, more like a natural enemy... If even a slight amount of it were to sprinkle down, I would probably burn to death in that light, wouldn't I?

Feeling an inexplicable sense of crisis, Huai Shi instinctively hid behind Li Jian Amber. Behind her fiery red armor, he finally felt some relief and hurriedly put on his gloves and mask. Even if they aren't much use, it feels somewhat comforting.

He crouched on the ground, hidden behind Li Jian Amber. He didn't want to admit what a pathetic state he was in, but he was shivering terribly!

"Dapeng Gold Winged Ming King…" Li Jian Amber stared blankly at the light, her own Prajna Mask cracking open a fissure as she spoke in a hoarse and shocked voice, "No, in Dongxia, it is known as… Fifth Stage Stigmata·Dapeng Gold Winged Bird!"

"What's going on?" Huai Shi exclaimed in astonishment. "Is it an ally?"

"Hopefully, that's the case…" Li Jian Amber also cautiously retreated. The two of them nearly crawled under the steps, barely peeking out. Despite the sacred and majestic light descending, a heavy suspicion weighed on their hearts, making it difficult to face the terrifying conjecture.

If it isn't an ally, there's only one other possibility…

It's the Nine Phoenix…

Or rather, what used to be the Nine Phoenix.

Reflecting on the complex rituals she had observed and the various abnormalities that should never occur during the advancement to the Fifth Stage, Li Jian Amber finally came to a conclusion in her heart.

Therefore, this was even more unbelievable.

"It transformed its own path to sublimation?"

Just a little common sense made it clear that the Nine Phoenix's superior Stigma could never be the Dapeng Golden Winged Bird. Even though both were flawed advancements within the Dongxia Genealogy, the two were utterly different.

The difference was even greater than that between Dongxia's Phoenix and Rome's Phoenix.

At this thought, she suddenly raised her head to glance at the Abyss once more, and then quickly looked away, patting her chest in tremendous relief and gasping for breath.

"No, no, this isn't the Dongxia Genealogy's Golden Eye Wondrous Wings Bird King. It's the Fifth Stage Stigma that sustains a branch within the India Genealogy—the Garuda!"

"What's the difference between the two then?" Huai Shi was utterly confused. "Aren't they the same?"

"They're totally different, okay! Even if it's the same miracle, different traces will be left behind. Depending on the region and the Source it merges with, even the same miracle can present two completely different faces... The difference is like that between "Leaf Limit" and "Cinderella"!"

"Can you explain that in a way I can understand?"

"..." With a look of incredulity, Li Jian Amber stared at him for a long time before she finally sighed. "Simply put, Dongxia's Golden Eye Wondrous Wings Bird King naturally possesses the divine power of warfare and protection, was once worshipped as a protective national God, and must adhere to righteousness; otherwise, it definitely cannot succeed. Whereas the Garuda exists merely as a subsidiary to a God Spirit, and though it has its limits, its bestial side is more prominent, with fewer restrictions..."

Huai Shi immediately understood. "So to become the Dapeng Golden Winged Bird, one must be a hero for the country and its people, but to become Garuda, one only needs the right connections and resources, right?"

"Something like that." Li Jian Amber felt mentally exhausted. How could he have interpreted all I said in such a way!

But now the problem was huge.

She finally understood why The Purified People went to such great lengths to prepare such a complicated advancement ritual. The ceremony wasn't just for the Nine Phoenix to advance but also to forcibly move it from the Dongxia Genealogy to the India Genealogy, ensuring its transformation from Nine Phoenix to Garuda.

There was no need to guess the specifics.

With the Ranch Owner's divine power protecting its life, it just needed to forcibly erase its inherent Yin attribute, then forcibly correct and transform the Nine Phoenix's Stigma. After cutting off all unnecessary aspects and leaving behind a bare slate, it would then forcefully evolve towards another extreme using the massive amount of Source Substance accumulated over the years.

This also explained why it had so willingly shared its power with its believers—since it no longer needed it, it was better to recycle the waste.

But this wasn't just a reset and respec.

It was like forcibly turning a dog into a lion; this wasn't something mere cosmetic surgery could achieve.

It was essentially like being reincarnated and becoming a new bird.

Even with the Ranch Owner's backing ensuring it wouldn't die, this couldn't be done so carelessly, could it?

Moreover, what was the point? Even if successful, this approach would result in an inherently deficient Garuda. It would possess the Rank of the Fifth Stage but wouldn't even match up to the peak of the Fourth Stage—a loss far outweighing any gain.

But if this was the case...

"The Magic City Channel!" Li Jian Amber suddenly had an epiphany. "Indeed, by leveraging such a legend, not only could they effortlessly take advantage of the situation to gain a great deal of Deviation, but they could also make up for the deficit in one fell swoop..."

"What's going on, give me the details?" Suddenly, a dirty, dusty head peeked from beside her, blinking with curious little eyes. "Since it'll be a while before that creature emerges, why not chat a bit?"

"How can you not know this? How on earth does the Astronomical Society train you guys?" Li Jian Amber's mouth twitched under her mask. She fought the urge to kill this guy right there and then, took a deep breath, and tried to remain calm.

"I've only just started half a month ago," Huai Shi shrugged, pointing to the pile of ashes behind them. "Come on, Old Pal, I'll give you an ear from the victim, okay?"

It's all ashes now, what the hell is there to share!

Li Jian Amber's teeth clenched with an audible CRACK. After glaring at this son of a gun for a long while, she finally sighed in defeat. "Fine, my bad luck... I might as well educate the newbie."

"Alright then, go ahead." Huai Shi took out a little notebook to take notes. Meanwhile, the Garuda nearby had already been forgotten by them.

After all, what was to come was no longer something we could stop. In fact, if things went south, we wouldn't even be able to run away. Better to hide and see how things unfold.

A battle between immortals, how exciting!

Just like the Yingzhou People who find reassurance from watching Tokyo TV, for Huai Shi, unless Raven announced, 'We're toast, let's run!', nothing else mattered.

Better to listen carefully to the veteran's explanation.

"Simply put... among the Fifth Stage Stigmas, aside from the fillers and blank slates, the top tier ones will, to varying extents, inherit some divine features." Li Jian Amber, seriously seated and dusting off her skirt, continued, "This means they must pursue the Current Circumstances Correction Value."