Legend Management Bureau Chapter 180

[ … words ]

Du Yu finally understood what it meant when gods fought and mortals suffered.

Lightning, mist, fire, clods of dirt, fierce winds, and leaves crackled and flew wildly through the sky.

Two massive figures clashed in the center of the battlefield, their blows sending continuous tremors through the ground.

A mortal would lose their life from the slightest carelessness, likely dying without even knowing what kind of spell had killed them.

“Good heavens… how is this going to end?” Du Yu looked around anxiously, his mind racing for a solution. Although he had followed the legend’s records and orchestrated a battle between the one hundred thousand shrimp soldiers and crab generals and the one hundred thousand heavenly troops, he had now endangered both the Dragon Palace and Li Jing. Would those two come out of this unscathed?

Shiranui Asuka stepped onto solid ground, finally free from her seasickness, and breathed a sigh of relief.

“Asuka, keep a close eye on Xu Xian for me. Do not let him escape under any circumstances!” Du Yu instructed.

“Oh, got it!”

Xu Xian eyed Shiranui Asuka with a hint of wariness, well aware that this girl was not to be underestimated either.

Both young men were shirtless, revealing torsos covered in scars, and they were entirely barefoot.

They approached Du Yu with gentle smiles on their faces.

Du Yu was momentarily stunned. ‘Why are there people who aren’t monks in this temple?’

For that matter, were there two young men with such bright smiles in the Legend of the White Snake?

As the two young men drew near, they bowed slightly. The one in the lead asked, “Greetings, are you Du Yu?”

Du Yu frowned. “Who?”

“Du Yu. Have you heard this name?”

“Oh, you mean Du Yu,” Du Yu said with a nod. “I just saw him. He was right over there…”

Du Yu slowly turned his back to them, his expression turning icy as he discreetly pulled out a rapier.

Shiranui Asuka blinked in confusion. ‘What happened? Why did Du Yu suddenly draw his weapon?’

Without giving the two men any time to react, Du Yu instantly spun around and lunged with his rapier. However, the men were fully prepared and moved almost simultaneously with him. One of them simply reached out and grabbed the blade of the rapier barehanded, blood instantly bursting from his palm. The other man charged forward with a manic expression, throwing a vicious punch. Du Yu immediately channeled the power of Zhongli Chun and caught the incoming fist with his free hand.

Shiranui Asuka jumped in fright. ‘Why is someone attacking Du Yu? Is this part of the script?’

The two men smiled faintly. “As expected of you. You are much cleverer than we imagined.”

Du Yu sneered in return. “I have entered so many legends, yet this is the first time someone within a legend has spoken my real name. Just who exactly are you?”

“We are just two insignificant servants. Would you be so kind as to die right here?”

The man gripping Du Yu’s rapier clenched his fist tightly. Even though the sharp blade had completely sliced his palm open, he showed absolutely no intention of letting go.

“And if I refuse?” Du Yu asked.

“We knew you would decline, so we have come to help you pass on.”

The man holding the rapier suddenly yanked his wrist back. Caught off guard, Du Yu lost his balance and stumbled forward three steps. The rapier plunged straight into the man’s chest, yet his face remained completely devoid of emotion as he slammed his fist right into Du Yu’s face.

The sheer force of the blow was staggering, causing Du Yu’s grip on his rapier to loosen entirely.

“Senior Du Yu!” Shiranui Asuka cried out, rushing over to check on his injuries.

The lead man slowly pulled the rapier out of his own chest and licked the blood off the blade. “Asuka, relax. This will all be over soon,” he said.

Shiranui Asuka froze. “You know me?”

Far away in the Legend Administration Bureau, the crowd grew tense upon seeing this scene. Why would someone attack Du Yu without any rhyme or reason? Who were these people?

“Zhan Qisheng!” Dong Qianqiu roared. “Hurry up and help him!”

Zhan Qisheng nodded with a grim expression. He immediately channeled his magical energy, but just as he was about to cross over, a mysterious force violently rebounded him.

“Huh?” Zhan Qisheng was taken aback, having never encountered such a situation before. “Why can’t I enter the legend?”

He tried again, but the entirety of the Legend of the White Snake seemed to be enveloped by a bizarre power, completely barring outsiders from entering.

“What is wrong?” Dong Qianqiu asked.

“It is strange… there appears to be a barrier,” Zhan Qisheng muttered to himself. “This barrier feels like it was specifically designed to keep me out…”

Dong Qianqiu stared at the screen in disbelief. On the monitor, the scar-covered man slowly raised his head, staring directly into the camera as if making eye contact with Dong Qianqiu. “By the way, Dong Qianqiu, do not waste your effort,” the man said. “Before we arrived, we set up a barrier around the perimeter. Zhan Qisheng cannot enter this legend.”

At this, the assembled immortals could no longer sit still. It was clear that someone had come completely prepared to take Du Yu’s life!

“A-Asuka, we have a problem on our end! Zhan Qisheng cannot enter the legend. Can you save Du Yu?!” Dong Qianqiu shouted anxiously.

“Ah! I will do my best!” Shiranui Asuka instantly grasped the gravity of the situation. She whipped out her magical artifact and began vigorously ringing the bell.

The lead man slowly turned his head to look at his companion. “Little brother, what day of the week is it?” he asked.

“Today is Tuesday, older brother. Shiranui Asuka can summon either a Kappa or Tamamo-no-Mae,” the other man replied coldly. “A Kappa is not a combat-oriented Shikigami, and it likely transformed into a lotus leaf to carry Shiranui Asuka across the sea earlier. Now, we only need to be cautious of Tamamo-no-Mae.”

“Eh…?!” Shiranui Asuka gasped in shock. ‘How could they know that? The schedule I set with my Shikigami is a secret known only to us!’ However, her summoning art had already been activated. Left with no other choice, she braced herself and roared, “Shikigami Descent! Nine-Tailed Fox, Tamamo-no-Mae!”

As soon as her words fell, the surrounding air abruptly turned eerie.

A hand reached out from the empty air, followed by a very peculiar woman. Although she had an attractive face, her skin was quite tanned, and she wore a sports tank top that highlighted the sharp, defined muscles of her arms. She carried a massive boulder tied to her back with thick ropes, the stone completely plastered with talismans.

She did not look like a seductive fox spirit in the slightest; instead, she resembled a hardcore athlete.

Tamamo-no-Mae glanced back at Shiranui Asuka and asked, “Little Asuka, I told you before—if you call me out, it means you have accepted my confession of love!”

“Big Sister Tamamo-no-Mae!” Shiranui Asuka said frantically. “The situation is incredibly dangerous right now, we can talk about your confession later… Please, be careful!”

“Dangerous?” Tamamo-no-Mae turned her head, naturally locking onto her enemies. “Hey, what are you two men trying to do to the woman I love?”

“Greetings, Tamamo-no-Mae,” the lead man said slowly. “We never intended to harm Shiranui Asuka, nor do we wish to fight you. You are free to take your master and retreat to a safe place. We guarantee that no one else will get hurt.”

Tamamo-no-Mae let out a cold laugh. “I have heard that stalling tactic one too many times. The moment little Asuka and I leave, you will attack us in the back. Do you think I am stupid?”

The lead man let out a slow sigh. “If we do fight, I will pin you down from the front while my younger brother goes all out to attack the ‘Killing Stone’ on your back. If the Killing Stone shatters, the Nine-Tailed Fox will revert to her true form. At that point, we will not even need to lift a finger—you will lose your mind and kill Shiranui Asuka yourself, will you not?”

Tamamo-no-Mae froze, subconsciously clenching her fists. ‘What is going on?’

‘Even little Asuka does not know where my weakness lies. How could these two men possibly know?’

“L-Little Asuka, who are they?” Tamamo-no-Mae asked.

“I do not know either, Big Sister Tamamo-no-Mae…” Shiranui Asuka shook her head. “But they are extremely dangerous! They are trying to kill Senior Du Yu…”

Tamamo-no-Mae weighed her options carefully before saying, “Little Asuka, this is not something we can interfere in…”

“What?!” Shiranui Asuka was on the verge of tears from anxiety. “Why?!”

“B-Because…” Tamamo-no-Mae looked deeply conflicted. “I am afraid I am no match for them.”

The man referred to as the younger brother slowly stepped forward. “Brother, we cannot make Shiranui Asuka cry, otherwise we will attract Bankotsubo and Shuten-doji. Let us finish this quickly.”

“Understood,” the older brother agreed, turning back to face Du Yu.

Seeing that even Shiranui Asuka could do nothing against these two, Dong Qianqiu hurriedly sent a telepathic message to Medusa: “Emperor Medusa, Du Yu is in grave danger!”

Medusa, who was engaged in a fierce battle with Fahai, suddenly froze upon hearing this. She quickly scanned her surroundings and spotted Du Yu collapsed on the ground, with two strange men approaching him.

Without hesitation, she shrank her massive body, completely abandoning her fight with Fahai, and flew straight toward Du Yu.

The two men looked up, muttering almost to themselves, “The Gorgon is coming.”

“What do you think you are doing?!” Medusa roared as she dive-bombed toward them. “If you want a fight, you can face me!”

The older brother standing in front could not help but sigh. “It is just as the ‘Saint’ said. Killing Du Yu requires quite a bit of effort.”

The younger brother rolled his shoulders, loosening his joints. “It just takes time, not effort. I can easily repel the Gorgon by myself.”

The older brother nodded. “Yes, but be careful not to injure her, otherwise we will have no way to explain ourselves to the ‘Saint’.”

Medusa glared at the pair coldly, summoning a long spear into her grasp. “Power of thunder…!”

Before she could finish her sentence, the younger brother leaped forward with astonishing speed and slapped a talisman directly over Medusa’s mouth. The talisman seemed to melt into her skin, vanishing in an instant.

“My apologies, Gorgon. Please remain quiet for a moment.”

Medusa realized she was completely mute.

The spear in her hand, unable to receive her vocal commands, was utterly drained of its power.

The younger brother studied her for a moment and said, “Let us just leave it at this. She should not be able to interfere with us anymore.”

Medusa was horrified. ‘Why do these two have a method to perfectly counter me?! Just who in the world are they?!’

Medusa frantically pulled out numerous holy relics, but none of them displayed any power. Growing increasingly desperate as she watched the two men turn back toward Du Yu, she gritted her teeth in resolve. A bizarre, radiant light suddenly erupted across her entire body.

The older brother saw this and could not help but chuckle. “Little brother, close your eyes. She has not given up yet.”

Medusa’s form swelled drastically right before their eyes, completely transforming into the monstrous appearance of a demonic beast.