Chapter 365: Invincible Under Heaven, Enemy From Heaven!
"Hey, did you hear? Even some retired Magical Girls got caught in it!"
"Who?"
"That senior Magical Girl who saved Jiang Si and Keke before, Kingfisher."
"Huh? Didn't she even hand in her Magical Girl seed? I thought most retired Magical Girls were fine?"
"I went to her house last time and found out she swapped bodies with her daughter."
"Is that senior's daughter also a Magical Girl?"
"I don't know, but her home is in chaos now..."
"Well, swapping with her daughter isn't that big a deal, right?"
"It's a huge problem!"
"What problem?"
"Mainly ethical issues one and two..."
On the road to the Magic Kingdom, Magical Girls from the Central Bureau whispered among themselves, discussing the chaos of body swaps.
Most of the Magical Girls sitting in this vehicle were the same.
The blunder the Magic Kingdom had caused this time was simply too massive, affecting almost the entire New World, and even Chongxu hadn't been spared.
An Shiyu and Silver Lotus weren't very familiar with Kingfisher. Although they heard about Kingfisher swapping bodies with her daughter, they didn't pry further.
"No danger?"
Suddenly, Keke, who had been silent all along, asked a question.
The two Magical Girls who had been chatting about Kingfisher were startled, then looked at Magical Girl Keke.
Keke's reputation within the Disaster Control Bureau had been rising quickly recently. Whether it was her performance at Chongxu or her subsequent activities in places like Beihai and the Central Bureau, she had demonstrated formidable strength.
Especially in Beihai, where the Azure Cloud Sect's Shion fan club had essentially become Keke's fan club. The calls for Keke to join the Magical Girl Idol Project were now extremely loud.
She was something of a minor celebrity now.
However, everyone also knew about the current body swap situation. Almost no Magical Girl had escaped it, so it was easy to guess that Keke's body was likely controlled by someone else.
"Mm-hmm, of course, there's no life-threatening danger. Although the swap is a bit chaotic, since everyone is a Magical Girl, things can be worked out. As long as we have contact information, there shouldn't be any major problems in daily life..."
One of the Magical Girls was quite talkative and chattered on. "The main issue is that Senior Kingfisher has a bit of a complicated relationship with her daughter. So, there are some ethical problems, but they're just family matters. Senior Kingfisher will definitely be fine!"
"That's right, that's right! Senior Kingfisher is the legendary perfect Magical Girl, a gem-like morning star! I heard she's an amazing senior. Back then, anyone who became a Magical Girl and could team up with her was the envy of everyone! So she'll definitely be fine with raising a child."
Hearing this, Keke simply nodded. "Thank you."
The two Magical Girls were flattered and quickly waved their hands. "No need to thank us, no need to thank us. We're actually fans of Magical Girl Ruri. We've seen the footage of Magical Girl Ruri's battle at Chongxu. It was really cool!"
"That's right, that's right! I also want to become a reliable Magical Boy like junior Ruri in the future!"
A faint smile then appeared on Keke's face. "Thank you for your support. Keep it up."
The two Magical Girls with martial souls and Blooming stage cultivation looked at Keke's expression with mixed feelings.
Keke usually smiled quite a bit—foolish smiles, silly smiles, dazed smiles. They were cute, but nothing particularly special.
But now, with a different pilot controlling her, that smile gave a feeling of the sun breaking through the clouds.
It was like a rare and precious smile.
"We will!"
"That's right, that's right!"
After the two slightly boisterous Magical Girls quieted down, An Shiyu and Silver Lotus whispered, "So Jiang Si really likes Senior Kingfisher?"
"When Keke said it before, I thought she was joking."
"Kingfisher is a lifesaver."
Their whispering was overheard. Keke's indifferent voice interrupted their chat. "What's wrong with caring about a lifesaver? And Little An, you were also saved by Kingfisher. Don't forget."
Little An, who was controlling Silver Lotus's body, immediately beamed. "Mm-hmm, Little An will never forget!"
She had been hoping Jiang Si would call her that this whole time, so she kept emphasizing that he could call her Little An. She hadn't expected it to actually work. Since Jiang Si hadn't responded before, An Shiyu had thought she would fail.
"I, I also really like Senior Kingfisher! And if you call her Little An, you have to call me Yiyi."
"What does my name have to do with you?"
"No, you can't be biased!"
"This kind of thing is supposed to be biased!"
Jiang Si rubbed his forehead but didn't mind their quiet argument.
He had already gotten used to girls chattering in his ears back at the Azure Cloud Sect. Moreover, Silver Lotus and Little An were much more reserved than the Azure Cloud Sect disciples. Especially since they were in a car with other people around.
The two didn't dare speak loudly. They just argued in hushed tones, their tone not fierce, sounding more like friends grumbling to each other.
"Anyway, I will repay this debt properly."
"Don't say that. Someone before also said they wanted to repay Senior Kingfisher, but they almost got her family destroyed. Meanwhile, the ones who came to get revenge on her were all very restrained..."
What kind of Ding Xie horror story was this?
Jiang Si rubbed his own cheeks, which were Keke's cheeks.
This guy—as long as she kept a straight face, her cheeks would quickly feel stiff and even sore.
He couldn't tell if Keke's skin was thin or if she just needed more practice.
Jiang Si closed his eyes to rest. Silver Lotus and An Shiyu argued for a while before finally reaching an agreement.
After all, with enemies lurking everywhere, internal conflict wasn't wise. An Shiyu decided to help Silver Lotus get Jiang Si to call her Yiyi as well.
Then they started chatting with the two Magical Girls who had been talking about Kingfisher.
Once the conversation got going, as fellow Magical Girls, they naturally found many common topics.
Through self-introductions, Jiang Si learned that the talkative one, who seemed like an older sister, was called Milkshake. The one who always said "that's right, that's right," the "Yes-Girl," was called Blueberry.
Sounded like a delicious meal.
In reality, the two Magical Girls weren't very strong. One was just a Seedling, and the other was at mid-Blooming.
Nowadays, the New World's combat power was inflating faster than Beihai's currency. Blooming stage had already been phased out. In the Azure Cloud Sect, it was extremely difficult for a mid-Blooming stage to join the Inner Sect, let alone a Seedling.
This was how the big environment was gradually ruined by power creep—people were finding it harder and harder to get jobs...
"Why were you two invited to the Magic Kingdom?"
Silver Lotus and An Shiyu had spent considerable effort to get their spots. "Wasn't it difficult to get a spot in the Magic Kingdom?"
Milkshake said with a hint of pride, "Of course, it's because our bodies weren't swapped! As Magical Girls, that's pretty special, isn't it? Totally awesome!"
"That's right, that's right!"
An Shiyu and Silver Lotus exchanged glances, then looked at Keke—that is, Jiang Si. "Is it possible for some Magical Girls to be missed?"
"Unlikely."
Jiang Si said flatly. "Unless they aren't Magical Girls."
Even all the Azure Cloud Sect disciples had been caught. And based on the principle...
What was being swapped was the soul sealed within the Miracle Seed.
That meant anyone with a Miracle Seed would be swapped.
What Jiang Si had sealed within Shion's Miracle Seed was the Divine Sense that controlled the previous Magical Girl, Shion. This had caused the Divine Sense to swap with Keke.
"We really are Magical Girls!" Milkshake immediately produced her own Miracle Seed.
The milky-white Miracle Seed looked no different from an ordinary one.
But the energy flowing within it wasn't Pure Mana.
It was a Miracle Seed polluted by a Disaster Beast or a Witch.
"Your seeds are polluted, aren't they?"
Silver Lotus couldn't help but say.
Milkshake immediately retorted, "This isn't pollution. This is a very special twin martial soul!"
Jiang Si was slightly startled, then realized. "Did Xingxuan tell you that?"
Blueberry: "That's right, that's right... How did you know?"
Among those from the Disaster Control Bureau, the only one who kept mentioning twin martial souls was that Douluo fan.
And despite it clearly being twin spiritual roots, she stubbornly called them twin martial souls.
This practice of forcibly linking two completely unrelated things was something only that idiot would do.
"Anyway, Senior Xingxuan used to tell us about the Azure Cloud Sect's training methods for Magical Girls. She said to get ahead, you need to be special from the start. Having twin martial souls from birth gives a huge advantage."
"That's right, that's right. Back when we weren't even Magical Girls yet, Xingxuan taught us everything about Magical Girl cultivation. So when we finally became Magical Girls, we both got the most special twin martial soul Miracle Seeds."
Milkshake was gesturing animatedly, looking very happy. "Everyone at the Bureau is afraid of their Miracle Seeds being polluted by corrupted magic power. But we, as special twin martial soul existences, aren't afraid of pollution. This soul swap didn't even affect our Miracle Seeds!"
"That's right, that's right! Senior Xingxuan also taught us a lot about martial souls and soul skills. This time, we're not only coming to the Magic Kingdom to ask about the soul swap, but also to look for a hundred-thousand-year soul ring."
"There are many senior Magical Girls' Miracle Seeds in the Magic Kingdom, which are very important hundred-thousand-year soul rings for us!"
"I'm also about to ascend to Blooming stage!"
Jiang Si finally understood why Xingxuan hadn't been staying at the Azure Cloud Sect lately.
After all, most people in the Azure Cloud Sect knew about Douluo, but Douluo fans were few and far between. And not only were they few, but the vast majority disliked Douluo.
Especially after the appearance of the White Fox with the Blue Silver Grass, some fans of Gu Zhen within the Azure Cloud Sect even argued that the Douluo series was aiding the enemy and proposed banning it.
Xingxuan naturally couldn't stay there anymore. She had probably run back to the Bureau to continue her missionary work.
It seemed the results were good. She had successfully cultivated two little fangirls.
For a disciple who could go out and establish her own school, Jiang Si naturally had great admiration.
Much better than Harry Potter fans.
Although the two were on good terms, Thousand-Pinweed also knew a lot about Douluo and was one of the few Azure Cloud disciples with a positive attitude toward it.
The two people he had previously barely noticed instantly rose to the status of grand-disciples in Jiang Si's mind.
He could help them ascend along this journey.
Having ambitious grand-disciples was a good thing.
Just as Jiang Si was pondering how to help them ascend, the entire bus suddenly shook.
Everyone looked out the window.
A ladder of light was rising towards the sky. And in the sky...
The gate that had appeared in West China appeared again.
Then, around them, many Magical Girls from the West China Disaster Control Bureau appeared. Jiang Si was surprised to even see Blackberry. This Magical Girl leader, who should have been in South China, was here for some unknown reason.
Of course, there were also Magical Girls from the Azure Cloud Sect.
But only Qingluan was there from the Azure Cloud Sect. For some reason, Iris wasn't by her side.
But then again, those two weren't always together.
"Please get off the bus and proceed on foot."
Jiang Si's heart stirred.
Ascending the Heavenly Ladder!
This Magic Kingdom actually knew the proper etiquette. Could it be that they were also from my kind of background in disguise?
Everyone got off the bus and began climbing the heavenly ladder.
Blackberry and Qingluan, as representatives of the Disaster Control Bureau and the Azure Cloud Sect, led the way and announced:
"Welcome, all Magical Girls, to the Magic Kingdom. We will not enter the Magic Kingdom ourselves, but we will help take away those who are unqualified..."
But their gazes couldn't help lingering on Keke for a few moments.
However, neither of them said anything more.
It was time for official business.
Looking down, mist obscured the view of West China, leaving only the Magical Girls. Looking up, there was an endless void.
Walking on the heavenly ladder, the world around was vast, the scenery distant and hazy. They stood at the very center of heaven and earth, crawling upwards like ants. It gave a feeling of being a drop in the ocean.
Jiang Si keenly sensed that they had entered a special Mental Landscape Space.
"Although the quota has been relaxed, only Magical Girls with sufficient qualifications can step into the Magic Kingdom."
Hearing Qingying's statement, Jiang Si's eyes flashed with brilliance!
As expected, this Magic Kingdom was no ordinary place. It even had an entrance exam!
This was no different from ascending a heavenly ladder to enter an immortal sect!
Then the front of the heavenly ladder broke off, leaving only a barrier. On the barrier was reflected the image of the Magical Girl at the very front.
That Magical Girl snorted confidently and strode forward.
The further she walked, the greater the pressure. So she released more mana, pushing forward against the pressure.
The screen gradually displayed her information.
Age: Seventeen.
Rank: Blooming.
Beast Taming Talent: None.
Jiang Si was taken aback when he saw the Beast Taming label.
Then, a vast voice echoed from the heavens and earth: "Poor talent, and you're too old. Go back!"
"I'm only seventeen!"
The Magical Girl shouted, continuing to climb aggressively. Then something swooped down and blew her away.
A massive eagle grabbed the Magical Girl and rapidly descended, faster than a fighter jet!
Blackberry quickly flew over, moving like a meteor, rescuing the Magical Girl from the eagle's grasp and sending her downwards. So that was why escorts were needed.
Jiang Si glanced at the giant eagle, then saw a Magical Girl emerge from the gate. The eagle that had just fallen quickly flew back up at an unbelievable speed and landed on the arm of the Magical Girl who had come out from behind the gate.
"In the Magic Kingdom, we don't look at your mana, your magic, or your combat skills. We only look at your beast taming ability. In the Magic Kingdom, beast taming is everything. Without beast taming talent, you cannot enter the Magic Kingdom."
"I am the examiner for this time, a trainee with two and a half years of beast taming experience. This is my partner. Her name is Linlin."
All the Magical Girls gasped.
What kind of rule was this? Beast taming? Who knew what that talent was?
Even a Blooming stage Magical Girl couldn't pass.
The requirements were way too high!
Jiang Si's face turned extremely grim.
Beside him, An Shiyu and Silver Lotus immediately asked worriedly, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing."
How unlucky.
The Beast Taming Genre!
Jiang Si snorted coldly, only strengthening his resolve to destroy the Magic Kingdom.
Two more Magical Girls stepped forward but were both rejected.
This time, Qingying helped send them down.
The examiner sighed helplessly. "Looks like everyone's going to fail this time..."
When Blueberry stepped forward, no one paid much attention. They were still grumbling about whether the Magic Kingdom even wanted to let anyone in.
Suddenly, the barrier erupted with golden light!
Age: Fourteen.
Rank: Seedling.
Beast Taming Talent: Medium!
Even the examiner was a bit surprised. She glanced at Blueberry, her expression softening slightly: "Not bad, about the same as I was back then..."
Before she could finish, the screen suddenly erupted with red light again. The entire sky and earth were bathed in a magnificent crimson glow!
The gasps from the Magical Girls, which hadn't yet subsided, surged once more!
Qingluan and Blackberry forgot to send anyone down. They stood in the air, staring blankly at the red glow.
An Shiyu and Silver Lotus grabbed Keke. "So amazing!"
Even the examiner was stunned. She looked at the barrier, then at the girl standing next to Blueberry.
Beast Taming Talent: High!
From the gate behind the examiner came the clamor of chaotic, whispered discussions.
Then someone asked from the doorway:
"What have you raised?"
Jiang Si immediately looked towards the door.
So it wasn't just the examiner; there were many people from the Magic Kingdom watching.
A surge of anticipation and excitement welled up inside him.
On the other side, although Milkshake was curious about the voice behind the door, she scratched her head sheepishly. "To get soul rings, I raised several B-level soul beasts to A-level. I almost raised one to S-level. Senior Xingxuan always said that instead of relying on unsustainable wild soul rings, we should just start farming soul beasts. That way, we can produce soul rings sustainably. As long as we accelerate their maturation..."
The examiner's expression twitched.
Blackberry and Qingluan were both amused and exasperated. They immediately sent the Magical Girls in their hands downwards.
"Haha, so they're raising Disaster Beasts? That works too. I want this kid."
"You're stealing again."
"Whatever, you don't need them anyway."
The Magical Girls behind looked at Blueberry and Milkshake with envy. An Shiyu and Silver Lotus also whispered to each other.
"As expected, the Azure Cloud Sect's training method is better. They can find suitable talent in any direction..."
"Is Xingxuan from the Azure Cloud Sect too? I thought she was a Magical Girl from the Bureau?"
"She's clearly more influenced by the Azure Cloud Sect!"
Then, as Jiang Si controlled Keke to step forward, all the other Magical Girls' gazes immediately focused on her.
Even the examiner looked sideways, seemingly very interested in her.
It wasn't just the Magical Girls of the New World below who knew Keke's reputation. Within the Magic Kingdom, Keke's fame was also quite high.
Silver Lotus and An Shiyu clenched their hands, looking at Keke nervously.
"Go for it, Senior Keke!"
Milkshake and Blueberry above were cheering her on.
Jiang Si found it somewhat amusing.
Even Keke had juniors, and even fangirls.
Perhaps Keke's growth had already exceeded his expectations.
Only one step remained. Once she could cross it, he would never have to worry again...
Thinking this, under everyone's gaze, she walked towards the screen.
Age: Twelve!
Beast Taming Talent: Extreme!
Dead silence.
Just as Jiang Si was wondering if there had been a mistake.
The voices behind the door suddenly erupted in a torrent of gasps and exclamations.
"Extreme! It's Extreme!"
"That's right, it's Extreme!"
"And she's only twelve years old! Perfect timing, not too old!"
The Magical Girls on the heavenly ladder were relatively calm, not really understanding what "Extreme" meant.
Even knowing it was impressive, they were just in awe.
But behind the door, it was absolute chaos!
"She's mine!"
"What nonsense are you talking about! Keke is mine!"
"Her talent is obviously something only I can teach!"
"Get lost! You just snatched one!"
"Can High compare to Extreme? This is a genius that appears once in ten thousand years!"
Jiang Si clasped his hands behind his back and smiled faintly.
This felt right.
Using Keke's body to come to the Magic Kingdom was precisely for this moment!
Ascending to the Divine Realm, only to have the main gods fighting over him due to his extraordinary talent, even coming to blows.
If he hadn't used Keke's body, how could he have experienced this!
And regarding beast taming, although Jiang Si looked down on the Beast Taming Genre, he did have the Little Black Dragon, and The Emperor had taken the Golden Calamity Dragon as her master, which was also an S-class Disaster Beast.
Jiang Si might despise this field, but his talent was undeniable!
He would start directly from under the main gods and smash his way through the entire Magic Kingdom...
Jiang Si didn't rush forward. He waited deliberately, letting An Shiyu and Silver Lotus react and cheer for him excitedly; letting Blueberry and Milkshake above look at him with worship and joy; letting Qingying and Blackberry, who had just come up, stare at him in shocked disbelief, even as Qingluan whispered expectantly, "Keke, don't forget about my senior's Miracle Seed..."
Only then did Jiang Si nod with satisfaction.
Body swapping was absolutely wonderful.
If not for Keke's body, how could he have retraced the path of his ancestors!
However, just as Jiang Si took a step forward, he suddenly sensed something amiss.
The fierce wind of the heavens and earth suddenly calmed. Then, a wave of killing intent surged from behind the door.
Its target was Keke!
"My apologies."
An indifferent voice came from behind the door.
"Magical Girl Ruri, you must die."
Terrifying mana slammed towards her!
It was power that even Jiang Si had to regard with caution. It violently struck Keke!
If Jiang Si hadn't been prepared for this—being ambushed and struck down by enemies from the Upper Realms while ascending the heavenly ladder was also a standard trope—
He would have already been killed on the spot!
He just didn't know how Keke had offended the people in the Magic Kingdom!
Even so, Jiang Si was sent reeling backwards, directly falling off the heavenly ladder!
Silver Lotus and An Shiyu immediately jumped down after him!
But Jiang Si, controlling Keke's body, completely ignored the two girls who had jumped down for some reason. He stabilized himself in mid-air.
He strode through the void, step by step towards the Heavenly Gate.
"Do I have a grudge against you?"
The voices behind the gate fell into dead silence.
Then someone roared: "What are you doing!"
"Are you trying to make enemies of us all!"
"We finally got a genius Magical..."
"Shut up!"
The murderous, icy voice silenced the commotion behind the gate. "She must die. I said so. No one can protect her! This is for the sake of the World Tree!"
Jiang Si smiled faintly.
All within expectations.
If it were just Keke, An Shiyu and Silver Lotus might really be in trouble. But luckily, he was born cautious. Too bad for them.
So he strode forward, bursting with heroic spirit!
"You despicable brat! Come out and face me!"
Another strange wave of mana attacked.
This time, it seemed to want to directly sever the connection between Jiang Si and Keke!
But Keke's face only showed a faint smile. "Just playing petty tricks."
"Mental Landscape Expansion."
Blazing flames instantly swallowed heaven and earth!
The heavenly ladder turned to flames. The clouds turned to flames. The wind turned to flames. Everything was burning!
The gate slowly melted in the flames, revealing what lay behind.
It was a row of Incubators!
And among them, a pitch-black Incubator was now staring at the rampaging Keke in shock and rage.
This Mental Landscape Expansion had directly expelled all the other Magical Girls. The entire world began to shake.
This was also a technique he had mastered after getting used to the Mental Landscape.
Controlling who to include in the Mental Landscape and who to kick out was all within his manipulation.
Now, within the Mental Landscape of no other Magical Girls, the flames roared crazily and mercilessly. The Incubators were forced to transform one by one into Magical Girls.
"Who the hell are you!?"
Standing amidst the blazing inferno, Jiang Si slightly cupped his hands and said with a calm smile:
"The Endless Fire Domain. Medicine Elder."