Fate's Choice: Livestream at the Start Summoning Billions of Ravens

three days later.

In western China, in the heart of the Taklamakan Desert.

This is a true forbidden zone for life, known as the "Sea of ​​Death".

However, in the heart of this ancient and unchanging desert, a temporary base with a metallic texture rose from the ground in just 48 hours.

Even above the base, three high-orbit reconnaissance satellites belonging to the military have completed an emergency orbit change, pointing their cold lenses at a vast area with a radius of fifty kilometers centered on the base.

In even lower airspace, several "Rainbow" series high-altitude long-endurance UAVs were circling along fixed routes, with high-precision electro-optical pods under their fuselages continuously transmitting real-time images back to the ground.

A surveillance network covering both the sky and the ground has been quietly woven together.

Chen Jianguo arrived at the command center with the technical team from the Ninth Bureau.

Inside the base, a state of first-level combat readiness was instantly declared.

The huge main screen is divided into dozens of independent monitoring screens, displaying every movement in the desert in real time, from the tiny movement of sand dunes to the density of dust in the air. All the data is being frantically analyzed and recorded.

Staff members in various uniforms worked rapidly at their posts, the sounds of typing and whispered reports mingling together, creating a highly tense atmosphere.

"Report: Wind speed in the target area is 3.2 meters per second, humidity is below 5%, everything is normal."

"All sensor arrays are functioning normally."

"Satellite images are clear, and no unusual targets were detected."

A Z-20 utility helicopter roared to life and landed steadily on the base's temporary helipad.

The hatch opened.

Wearing an ordinary white tracksuit, Jiang Ming, Mirror No. 1, walked down the gangway alone under the watchful eyes of a group of fully armed soldiers.

Instead of entering the base, he chose a direction, started walking alone towards the center of the boundless desert. His figure was as small as a black dot in the vast sea of ​​sand.

Half an hour later, another special plane with special markings roared in.

The plane landed at the base.

Zhang Ruoxu, a Taoist master with white hair and beard and an otherworldly air, entered the command center directly, accompanied by field staff from the Ninth Bureau.

Saber Li Bai didn't even wait for the plane to come to a complete stop.

At an altitude of 10,000 meters, the moment the cabin door opened, he stepped out.

His green robe fluttered in the gale, and his figure transformed into a straight green rainbow in the air, tearing through the clouds and falling directly into the depths of the desert.

The direction in which Qinghong fell echoed the direction in which Jiang Ming's Mirror Image 1 was moving.

Inside the command center, Zhang Ruoxu's arrival caused a small commotion.

He calmly surveyed the futuristic yet chillingly murderous room, observing the busy military personnel and the screens flashing with countless data points.

When the main screen clearly captured the image of Li Bai transforming into a rainbow and traveling a thousand meters in an instant, Zhang Ruoxu's eyes narrowed slightly.

He got it.

The nation attaches great importance to this competition today.

Meanwhile, in Rome, thousands of miles away, in a suite of a luxury hotel.

Jiang Ming was comfortably nestled in the sofa.

There was no physical screen in front of him, but through his soul connection with Mirror 1, a virtual spectator interface containing all sensory information was clearly unfolding before him.

He can see what Mirror 1 sees, hear what he hears, and even feel the dry wind in the desert.

"I hope we don't lose too badly..."

Jiang Ming muttered to himself.

Even if Mirror Image One Jiang Ming is enhanced by Jiang Ming's original body and reaches the same level as Li Bai, Mirror Image One Jiang Ming, who has no combat experience, is unlikely to be Li Bai's opponent.

......

In the heart of the desert.

The setting sun, like blood, dyed the rolling sand dunes a magnificent golden hue.

Jiang Ming Mirror No. 1 stopped.

About one kilometer directly in front of him, Li Bai's figure also appeared from the blue rainbow, standing quietly.

The two gazed at each other from afar.

The howling sandstorm suddenly stopped at that moment.

All sounds are silent.

Inside the command center, all the high-precision microphones clearly captured that sound.

"The Azure Lotus Sword, Li Bai."

Li Bai's voice carried an innate pride and unrestrained spirit.

"Jiang Ming, please give me your guidance."

Jiang Mingjing No. 1 nodded slightly in return.

Then he slowly raised his right hand.

The power of [Weathering With You] was used.

The sky has changed.

Within a radius of ten kilometers, the sky instantly changed from a cloudless clear sky to a gloomy one in just three seconds.

Thick, heavy dark clouds gathered from all directions, dense as lead, pressing down heavily overhead.

The temperature dropped by a full twenty degrees.

The dry, dusty smell in the air was replaced by a cold, damp atmosphere.

next second.

Splash!

A torrential downpour, which would have been impossible in the heart of the Taklamakan Desert, suddenly fell from the sky.

Large raindrops pounded furiously on the scorching sand, stirring up a cloud of white steam.

"Alert! Alert! Weather data is abnormal!"

"A 98 hPa drop in air pressure was detected in the central area within three seconds! The temperature dropped by 22.6 degrees Celsius! The humidity instantly reached 100%!"

"This is impossible! This completely violates the laws of thermodynamics! This is unscientific!"

...

Inside the command center, all meteorological monitoring equipment simultaneously emitted piercing alarms, and the data curves on the screens jumped wildly at a vertical angle, completely overturning all known meteorological principles.

Several meteorologists who had been urgently summoned stared intently at the screen, their expressions shifting from shock to blankness, and finally to utter despair.

Their worldview is being ruthlessly crushed.

Chen Jianguo stood in front of the main screen, his hands behind his back, his face ashen.

He didn't speak, but stared intently at everything in the scene with his sharp eyes.

In the midst of a downpour.

Li Bai remained standing quietly. Raindrops fell a foot away from his body and were automatically parted by an invisible force, leaving his blue robe completely dry.

He looked up at the leaden sky, a hint of approval in his eyes.

Jiang Ming Mirror No. 1 raised his hand again.

[Raven Summoning Technique] Activated!

"Hey——!"

From within the impenetrable dark clouds, countless shadow crows, composed of pure shadow energy, let out a piercing shriek and suddenly burst forth.

They had no flesh and blood, no physical form, and were entirely black, with only two points of scarlet fire burning in their eye sockets.

Thousands upon thousands, blotting out the sky.

They converged into a black storm of death, carrying an aura that could tear everything apart, and rushed madly toward Li Bai's location.

The Shadow Raven Legion crashed hard into the invisible protective sword energy surrounding Li Bai.

Like surging waves crashing against ancient, unyielding rocks.

The moment countless shadow crows came into contact with the sword energy, they were annihilated by the sharp intent contained within it, shattered into the most primal shadow energy, and dissipated into a cloud of black mist.

However, almost at the same time, from within the dark clouds, even more shadow crows were endlessly reborn, launching another charge one after another.

Endless and indestructible.

In the command center, Zhang Ruoxu looked at the shocking scene on the screen and spoke slowly. His voice was not loud, but everyone around him could hear him clearly.

"Neither alive nor dead, it is close to the Tao."

"Good tactic."

On the battlefield, Jiang Ming's Mirror Image No. 1 suddenly disappeared from the spot.

The next second, he appeared a hundred meters behind Li Bai in the sky.

Beneath him was a massive black throne formed by countless shadow crows circling, converging, and constructing.

【Raven Throne】!

Jiang Ming Mirror Image 1 sat calmly on the throne, looking down at Li Bai.

He pointed lightly at Li Bai's back.

[Celestial Judgment]!

Boom!

A bolt of purple lightning, thicker than a bucket, tore through the dark sky, carrying a violent aura of destruction, and struck straight at Li Bai.

Li Bai didn't even turn around.

He simply gripped the hilt of the "Azure Lotus Sword" at his waist with his other hand.

Just a moment before the purple lightning was about to strike him.

He drew his sword.

A seemingly ordinary cyan sword light gently swept upwards.

The violent purple lightning was precisely split in two the instant it came into contact with the cyan sword light.

It was cut open.

Like a piece of cloth cut in half by a sharp pair of scissors.

Two separate bolts of lightning struck the sandy ground dozens of meters to the left and right of Li Bai, respectively.

The high temperature instantly melted the sand, leaving behind two huge, bottomless, and mirror-smooth glass pits, each over ten meters in diameter.

A single sword splits the lightning.

Li Bai sheathed his sword, the whole process flowing smoothly like clouds and water.

He then spoke, his voice still calm.

"The lightning technique is good, but it lacks a bit of brute force and variation."

On the throne, Jiang Ming Mirror No. 1 did not answer.

[Plant Control (Advanced)] Ability activated.

Feature [Growth of All Things], activated!

Centered on Li Bai, within a one-kilometer radius of sandy land, countless plant seeds, suppressed for thousands of years by this sea of ​​death, were forcibly stimulated by a tyrannical life force.

The resilient red willow, the drought-resistant saxaul, and all sorts of other desert plants whose names I don't know are bursting forth from the sand.

They sprout, bud, and grow at a speed visible to the naked eye.

In just ten seconds.

This area has been transformed from a barren land into a dense forest with trees over ten meters tall and lush foliage.

The green ocean completely swallowed up Li Bai's figure.

The special ability [All Trees Are Soldiers] is activated!

The entire jungle came to life instantly.

Countless thick tree roots, like giant pythons from the ground, burst forth and frantically coiled towards Li Ma.

Countless sharp branches hardened like swords, piercing him from all directions with a whooshing sound.

Li Bai stood in the forest, facing this devastating attack, neither dodging nor avoiding it.

He took the wine gourd from his waist, tilted his head back, and took a big gulp.

As the spicy liquor went down his throat, his eyes held a hint of intoxication, and also a touch of heroic spirit.

He began to recite.

"Have you not seen the Yellow River's waters come from the sky, rushing to the sea never to return?"

[Azure Lotus Sword Song], activated!

As the poem was recited, an invisible, vast, and indescribable atmosphere spread out from him.

That wasn't energy, nor was it a shockwave; it was a kind of "concept" coverage.

All the wildly growing plants, all the strangling roots and branches, seemed to be fiercely washed away by an invisible force of time.

In that instant, they completed the entire process from sprouting from the soil to reaching their peak growth, and then withering and decaying.

The entire newly formed jungle was instantly reduced to a pile of rotten wood, scattered by the wind.

The moment the poetic imagery spread, Jiang Ming Mirror No. 1 activated [Elemental Avatar].

His body instantly disintegrated on the throne, merging into the torrential rain and disappearing without a trace, perfectly escaping the conceptual scouring.

The next moment, he reformed into human form amidst the rain curtain a hundred meters away.

Li Bai looked at the figure that had reappeared and raised his wine gourd once more.

He recited it again.

"Enjoy life to the fullest when you are successful, for you should not let your golden goblet stand empty before the moon."

This time, it was a sword intent completely different from before.

If the "Yellow River water" represents the unstoppable, ceaseless power of time.

Then "being happy to the fullest" is an ultimate grandeur and glory.

In the sky, all the fearless shadow crows froze in mid-air the moment they came into contact with this artistic conception.

The concepts of "shadow" and "death" that they represent are forcibly dispelled and purified by the grand and radiant atmosphere of "triumphant joy".

One after another, they vanished into nothingness without a sound.

The Raven Throne in the sky also disintegrated with the destruction of the Shadow Raven Legion.

The dark clouds that had covered the sky began to slowly dissipate.

The torrential rain gradually subsided.

Jiang Ming Mirror No. 1 slowly descended from mid-air, its feet landing on the damp sand.

Li Bai looked at him, but the Green Lotus Sword in his hand remained unsheathed.

He hung the wine gourd back on his waist, after all, this was just a friendly spar, not a life-or-death duel.

He began to speak.

"Today, we're evenly matched, aren't we?"

Jiang Ming Mirror No. 1 nodded.

"I've learned my lesson."

As soon as he finished speaking, his figure suddenly disintegrated, transforming into hundreds of shadow ravens.

The crows cawed loudly, took flight, and scattered in all directions toward the base.

Li Bai laughed freely, his figure transforming into a streak of blue light once more, soaring into the sky and retracing his steps back to the base.

On the vast desert, only two huge craters and a patch of sand soaked by rain remain, testifying to the earth-shattering duel that had just taken place.