78: Chapter 78 Even if dark clouds can obscure the sun, the gloom is only temporary.

Zhang Mu, using his Shadow Technique, stood on the roof of a skyscraper, gazing at the distant tower spire that had been shattered.

After spending seven days and using dozens of various potions, he had finally managed to make the scene barely meet his expectations.

Withdrawing his gaze, he looked down at the street.

The crisscrossing streets, where not a single person had been seen for seven days, now resembled a calm fish pond into which a stone had been thrown; big fish and small fish were leaping out of the water, making for quite a lively scene.

"Are they preparing to evacuate the citizens?"

Observing soldiers standing at various traffic junctions, directing citizens to evacuate the city in an orderly fashion, Zhang Mu was lost in thought.

This was something he hadn't expected.

In his view, the lightning that had just struck looked frightening, but it was all guided by his own Mental Energy and wouldn't strike anyone.

It was all aimed at empty parks, courtyards, and the like.

Things had gotten a bit out of hand.

Zhang Mu felt a bit awkward and looked up at the sky.

There were still a few bolts of lightning brewed by the potions in the dark cloud layer that needed to be used up.

The lightning released by the potions was quite different from the ones he unleashed himself.

The latter was formed by his own magic power, like two cups of clear water that, when poured together, would seamlessly merge into one, indistinguishable from each other.

But the former... that stuff was like ink; it would stain the clear water black.

Zhang Mu didn't want to test whether the panel's resurrection function was effective in reality; if he lost, the stake would be his own life.

He had to use them up quickly and then hurry to get the "Tribulation" over with, otherwise, he would be putting the soldiers and citizens through too much trouble.

After pondering for a moment, he used his Mental Energy to guide the remaining bolts of lightning, striking the asphalt road surface that the citizens and soldiers had passed by not long ago.

This stuff was cheap and quick to repair; compared to fixing houses, it was certainly much easier.

With only one bolt of lightning left, Zhang Mu gazed at the cloud layer where the lightning glow was almost invisible, activated his Transformation Technique, and turned into the appearance of Immortal Xu.

Then, he took out four or five bottles of potions from his inventory.

These included ones that amplified magic power, ones with effects similar to the wind-element magic—Levitation Technique, and so on.

He pulled out the corks and downed them all at once. Zhang Mu raised his hand to wipe away the remaining droplets of liquid from the corner of his mouth: "It's truly strange. I've been brewing medicine for seven days and haven't seen Frederica come to find me. Where could she have gone?"

"Didn't she go to the tavern? That shouldn't be right. That female elf has a low tolerance but a huge craving; she definitely would have gone for a drink after returning to the city."

"I'll go look for her in the city once I finish up here."

Muttering to himself, the invisible Zhang Mu flew toward the Municipal Building, pondering in his mind the lines he would say in a moment.

...

Municipal Building, conference room.

The old man in the Zhongshan suit, the Bureau Chief, and Ye Ming sat around the conference table.

Their actions were similar, with their fingers intertwined on the tabletop. No one spoke; in the conference room, where the windows had been shattered by the thunder, only the howling wind was blowing.

A long time passed.

"Boom—"

Another peal of thunder that almost shattered their eardrums.

The old man swatted away the secretary's hand covering his ears and rushed to the window in a few steps.

In the distance, a bolt of lightning as thick as a water bucket, carrying a terrifying momentum as if to pierce the earth, descended from the dark black clouds.

The Bureau Chief followed behind the old man: "Old Leader, don't stand by the window; it's dangerous."

The old man ignored him completely, gripping the windowsill with both hands. His palms were pierced by the sharp, stuck glass shards, and blood flowed along the palm lines toward his wrists, staining his cuffs red.

"Tribulation..."

"It's too late, it's too late!"

"Old Leader." The Bureau Chief held his shoulders, trying to pull him back to the conference table: "It's alright, the citizens are already being evacuated. And, and didn't Immortal Xu say that he would handle the Tribulation!"

"What kind of nonsense is that!" The old man was furious, turning around to slap him on the head, "The people are ours; if we don't think of a way to solve it ourselves, you're counting on Immortal Xu?"

"Why should Immortal Xu help you survive it?"

"Are you going to blame Immortal Xu even if people die?!"

"I didn't mean that!"

The Bureau Chief had been beaten by the old man since he was a child. Although he hadn't been slapped by him for many years, he was now very skillfully covering his head and scurrying away.

Perhaps because of his age—there was no denying getting old—the old man was panting after chasing a few steps, bending over and resting his hands on his knees to catch his breath.

This frightened the Bureau Chief, who hurriedly ran back to help the secretary assist the old man to sit down: "Don't get excited, Old Leader, don't get excited."

Over there, the "adults" were making a fuss.

Here, the three "children" couldn't get a word in, so they had to huddle together.

"Ye Ming, will we be struck dead by lightning?" Zhao Qi asked with a sorrowful expression.

"I don't know." Shaking his head, Ye Ming felt a bit worried inside as well. How was Lin Miao doing now?

For these seven days, his mobile phone had been confiscated, so he couldn't contact Lin Miao, nor did he know if she had safely left the city.

"Yue Ruo." Ye Ming's eyes were filled with worry, "Once we are free to move about, can Lin Miao also join the Special Investigation Bureau?"

"As long as she passes the interview and the re-examination."

"I'm saying, is this the time to be concerned about that?" Zhao Qi slapped the table, "What if we get struck dead by a bolt of lightning?"

"Then we're done for." Yue Ruo retorted.

Zhao Qi grabbed the fabric of his chest, his facial features contorted: "I don't want to die here; it's too lacking in style."

"At least, at least let me beat up that money-grubbing bastard Taoist and that stinking bald monk before I die!"

"Boom—"

Another violent peal of thunder interrupted their conversation.

Everyone instinctively turned their heads to look out the window. A bolt of lightning, connecting heaven and earth and thicker than the previous ones, flashed by in an instant.

Gazing at the dark clouds still flickering with electric light, a word instinctively surfaced in their hearts.

Majestic heavenly might.

As they were watching in silence, the mobile phone in the secretary's pocket rang.

He pressed the answer button on the screen.

It was from the person in charge of the troops who were currently evacuating the citizens.

After a quick conversation, the secretary hung up the phone.

"Old Sun, it's a call from the military side."

"What do they say?"

"Lightning strikes have also appeared on the streets. Now all of Su City is in danger. They hope you will evacuate first; the car has been waiting outside for a long time."

"I'm not leaving!"

"The damn young soldiers haven't left, and you want me to leave first?!"

Old Sun slammed the table and stood up: "Back in the day, I rolled through piles of dead bodies on the battlefield; do you think I'm afraid of death?!"

"It's not the same, Old Sun." The secretary stomped his feet, "Your useful body..."

"What useful body?" Old Sun's temper flared, "I'm an old man of seventy; I can't lift a gun, I can't move a cannon, and in a few years, I won't even be able to walk steadily. What use could I possibly be!"

The secretary was about to persuade him again, glancing at the Bureau Chief, signaling him to hurry and help persuade him.

"Look out!" Zhao Qi watched outside the window and screamed in terror.

"Boom—"

Everyone instinctively looked out the window but could see nothing, only a blinding expanse of white.

Did the lightning strike in? Am I going to die?

They instinctively raised their hands to cover their eyes.

However, after waiting for a long while, they did not wait for their vision to go black.

Together, they slowly lowered their hands.

Outside the window, the back of Immortal Xu, with his graying hair half-tied, faced them, floating in mid-air as if standing on level ground.

The fierce wind was still howling, yet his robes remained completely motionless.

Turning around, Immortal Xu, whose appearance was not particularly handsome, had a smile at the corners of his mouth: "It has been seven days; how have you been, sir?"

Stunned for a moment, Old Sun finally realized that he had been saved.

He first replied with a wry smile: "Immortal Xu, looking at me like this, how could I be well?"

Then he hurriedly asked: "What exactly is this Tribulation?"

"People are a Tribulation, the earth is a Tribulation, and the heavens are also a Tribulation. A Tribulation is simply a disaster."

Compared to the mysterious explanation last time, this time, Old Sun and everyone understood.

Regardless of whether it was a disaster caused by people, the earth, or the heavens, it was all a Tribulation.

"How do we solve it?" Old Sun stepped forward, his face anxious.

Without answering this question, Immortal Xu smiled and asked again: "Sir, after this day, do you still wish to see immortal arts?"

Old Sun was stunned for a few seconds, seemingly enlightened, and shook his head: "I don't wish to see them anymore."

"But, Immortal Xu, you still haven't told me how to solve this Tribulation."

"I shall overcome it."

This was equivalent to saying nothing, but Old Sun didn't dare to say that out loud; he asked tirelessly: "How will you overcome it?"

"The heavens have their thunder that seeks to destroy life." Immortal Xu turned around, facing the rolling black clouds, "Then, I shall extinguish it."

Before the words had even faded, his figure shot straight into the sky.

"Even if dark clouds can block the sun, the haze is only momentary."

"The world wonders what constitutes an immortal?"

"I am an immortal!"

Throughout the entire city, the citizens rushing frantically out of the city, the soldiers responsible for directing traffic, and the six people in the conference room.

All heard the words drifting down from high above—a statement, a question, and an answer.

The figure in white robes gradually shrinking toward the horizon, with half-tied graying hair, danced wildly behind his head in the hurricane.

His not-so-tall figure, facing the sky-covering black clouds with hidden lightning, was so small it made one feel almost desperate.

But.

Old Sun and the others present, however, were filled with the opposite emotion.

"Being omnipotent is not what makes an immortal."

"Flying in the sky or escaping into the earth is not what makes an immortal."

"Moving mountains and filling seas is also not what makes an immortal."

Old Sun muttered to himself, then suddenly erupted, frantically slapping the Bureau Chief on the head to express the excitement in his heart.

"This is an immortal! This is what an immortal truly is!"