畅想听

Chapter 2939: Heh Heh Heh, Gotcha!

There was an inexplicable bond between her and Song Shuhang, which led her to become Bà Sòng’s designated sentinel under the arrangement of Turtle Papa. If Bà Sòng were to die, she would sense it immediately.

However, a moment later, she sighed in relief—because Bà Sòng had honored their agreement. This time, when he died, nothing remained, not even a trace.

Even the energy from his body explosion had been purified, turning into a ‘fortunate encounter’ for all the spectators.

This meant that the Disaster Turtles wouldn’t need to travel far and wide to retrieve Bà Sòng’s remains.

The Disaster Turtle Sister nodded approvingly. “A good death—this is how he should die.”

Happy New Year, Dead Bà Sòng~

Inside the Core World.

Some of the more observant seniors in the “Nine Provinces Number One Group” remained calm.

It wasn’t that they had become accustomed to Song Shuhang’s ‘deaths’ and were now indifferent to them; rather, they noticed that the Core World was still functioning normally.

The Core World, in some aspects, could represent Song Shuhang’s current state.

If Song Shuhang had truly perished, with both his body and soul obliterated, the Core World they were currently in would inevitably collapse. The rules of the Core World, which operated in sync with Song Shuhang, would also vanish.

But now, the Core World was running smoothly… it was even purifying the energy of the ‘blood-red raindrops’ falling from the sky, ensuring that the ‘Bà Sòng legacy energy’ could be absorbed more efficiently by everyone.

Aside from the Core World, the “Cultivator Chat System” that relied on Bà Sòng’s existence was also running steadily, unaffected by Song Shuhang’s first explosion of the New Year.

So, these careful seniors could confirm that Song Shuhang was definitely safe and sound.

Though they didn’t know why he had exploded again, they were sure that Song Shuhang had entered the normal ‘resurrection process.’ Before long, he would be bouncing around again, full of life.

“But… isn’t Song Shuhang a Tribulation-Transcending Immortal now? Why would he suddenly explode like that?” The seniors in the Nine Provinces Number One Group exchanged thoughts via the “Cultivator Chat System.”

Who in the world could secretly assassinate Song Shuhang so quietly that he didn’t even notice?

“I don’t think it was an assassination. If someone could silently kill Song Shuhang, they would’ve already dominated the heavens and the earth, achieving Dao of Heaven,” Seven Cultivation Holy Sovereign replied.

“Senior White, any ideas?” Yellow Mountain asked while chewing on a pill.

“None.” Senior White shook his head.

Then, he extended his arm, glancing at his wrist. “Shuhang is fine. Although his Primordial Spirit Projection was affected for a moment, it has already recovered. He’s now in the resurrection phase.”

Hidden within Senior White’s arm was Song Shuhang’s Primordial Spirit Projection.

A moment ago, Senior White’s own Primordial Spirit Projection had disintegrated alongside Song Shuhang’s sudden explosion.

“Senior White, the New Year’s Gala will proceed as usual. Please host the event… I’ll be back soon.” Song Shuhang’s voice suddenly came from Senior White’s arm.

Hearing Shuhang’s voice, the members of the Nine Provinces Number One Group finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Though they had made educated guesses, they only fully relaxed after confirming that Song Shuhang was safe.

“Leave it to me. Fairy Snow Maiden, bring out the Year Beast.” Senior White called out.

Boom, boom, boom

As he spoke, another wave of ‘fireworks’ shot into the sky.

This time, they were actual fireworks.

Unbeknownst to everyone, someone had set off a row of fireworks and firecrackers by the lakeside and quietly ignited them.

The fireworks that shot up were dazzlingly beautiful, whether viewed from below or from the side.

“So pretty,” Soft Feather said as she gazed upward.

The fireworks continued to rise, their brilliance lingering.

After a long while…

The fireworks display ended.

The lights then focused on Fairy Snow Maiden.

She brought out a fierce beast with long antennae and sharp fangs.

The Year Beast, Xi!

No one had expected that Senior White would actually find and capture such a ferocious creature—originally, even Fairy Snow Maiden had only intended to catch a common, non-sentient Flood Dragon or something similar to serve as the Year Beast.

The Xi was a brutal beast without intelligence, driven purely by a desire to destroy everything. Because of its nature, it had long been hunted by cultivators, making it exceedingly rare in the current cultivation world.

What made it even more remarkable was that the Year Beast was delicious, with a particularly rich flavor.

Eating it would not only fill one’s stomach but also increase one’s cultivation.

Subduing demons and monsters to benefit the world, gaining power, and enjoying a tasty meal—it’s no wonder the Year Beast had nearly been hunted to extinction.

To survive, the Year Beast would need to be bred, but raising them had proven to be incredibly difficult. To date, there hadn’t been a successful large-scale breeding plan for Year Beasts…

At this moment, the Year Beast Xi had already been slain by Fairy Snow Maiden with a single stab to the throat in the instant everyone shouted ‘one’ and Song Shuhang exploded, the Fairy had struck, sending the beast into the afterlife.

“This Xi is a mutated variant,” Fairy Snow Maiden explained. “After I prepare it, anyone who consumes its flesh should sit down immediately to absorb the energy. Its blood and flesh offer a one-time ‘Blood Rebirth’ effect. This will work for cultivators at the seventh rank and below.”

A one-time ‘Blood Rebirth’ effect is nearly equivalent to a weak version of a ‘resurrection.’

After saying this, Fairy Snow Maiden pulled the blade from the beast’s throat.

A spray of pure energy in the form of blood mist gushed out…

The Year Beast Sacrifice began!

The Creation Law King started to play a tune in coordination.

Meanwhile, at the spot where Song Shuhang had exploded, the windbreaker that Song Fatball had transformed into was now draped over the shoulders of the dizzy Mechanical Maiden.

Su Clan’s Sixteen gently lifted the Mechanical Maiden.

Pavilion Master Chu’s ahoge moved over to Sixteen’s head.

Scarlet Heaven Sword, Nine Repair Phoenix Saber, Stone Tablet Fellow Daoist, and Phoenix Ruler Claw, among other attachments, also temporarily shifted to Spirit Ghost Fairy A’16.

In Song Shuhang’s absence, the Spirit Ghost Fairy essentially became Song Shuhang.

Su Clan’s Sixteen gazed off into the distance, her eyes fixed on the “Heavenly Emperor’s Palace.”

Within the depths of the palace, atop the Heavenly Emperor’s throne marked as “TWO,” a figure began to take shape.

It was none other than the recently exploded Bà Sòng.

At this moment, Song Shuhang hadn’t fully resurrected yet—he lingered between life and death, much like Schrödinger’s squirrel.

Inside his body, at the location of his Life Force Dantian, a rune on the forehead of the Immortal Whale Golden Core began to fade, leaving only an empty shell.

This was similar to Immortal Bone Revivals like Skylark’s.

However, Song Shuhang’s Immortal Whale Golden Core revival had a cooldown period. Once exhausted, it needed time for the color in the rune to replenish.

Song Shuhang silently sat on the throne.

He raised his palm, looking at the now-vanished red dot in his hand. “Heh heh heh, gotcha.”

“Senior Song, my mysterious island’s Heavenly Court fragment is coming!” The voice of the Island Master echoed in his mind.

“The ritual can now begin.” The Northern Emperor’s voice chimed in at the same time.