ATFBETIBM Chapter 724

Blue Star Era, May 20, 2024. Clear skies, east wind at level three, excellent air quality.

Bai Lixin originally thought his mood today would be as pleasant as the weather, after all, today was his wedding day with Dijia.

Dijia had left early in the morning.

From dawn, he was already receiving enthusiastic messages of congratulations.

Xia Chi: [Brother, happy wedding day!]

Tan Yue: [Wishing you a lifetime of happiness together.]

Li Cancan: [God Xin, be happy!]

Li Cangshan: [Boss, congratulations on your marriage!]

…

Bai Lixin went through each message and replied one by one.

The wedding was scheduled for the evening. Seeing that it was almost time, he got up, tidied himself, and prepared to head to the hotel.

The Blue Sea Hotel owned by the Sun family is a resort hotel located in the suburbs. Its name matches its setting, it was quiet, surrounded by forests and had a view of the sea at the back. The air quality was excellent, and there were no crowded areas or buildings around, making it an ideal spot for relaxation.

Sun Ning had arranged for a driver to pick him up, and as the car moved along the road, it gradually left the city and went towards the Blue Sea Hotel.

On the way, Bai Lixin casually chatted with the talkative driver, his gaze drifting out the window.

On the asphalt road in the suburbs, cars were continuously heading in the same direction.

It wasn’t a weekend or holiday, so why were so many cars headed this way?

Surely they weren’t all coming for his wedding, right?

Bai Lixin quickly chuckled at the thought.

No, that couldn’t be.

He had only invited a few people in Xia Chi’s world.

He was just overthinking things.

The driver glanced at today’s groom through the rearview mirror.

Compared to the nervous excitement of most newlyweds, this groom seemed rather calm.

The driver was initially prepared to keep the groom relaxed with conversation, worried he’d be tense, but it didn’t seem necessary.

He was completely at ease.

As expected of the person the two President Suns respected, his composure proved he was no ordinary person.

Soon, the car arrived at the Blue Sea Hotel.

As the vehicle passed the rear garden, Bai Lixin was stunned.

There were a lot of people.

The green lawn was filled with people.

Was there another event here today?

Hadn’t Sun Ning said the hotel was booked exclusively?

The thought quickly flashed through his mind, and he soon realized something odd.

Why did so many of these people look familiar? They seemed like players from the horror game?

What was going on?

With these questions in mind, the car drove through the hotel gates and stopped in the main lobby.

Sun Ning and Li Cancan were already waiting, and as soon as Bai Lixin got out, they surrounded him and led him inside.

After passing through the first-floor lobby, Sun Ning pressed the button for the fifth floor.

Today, both Sun Ning and Li Cancan wore beautiful evening gowns. Sun Ning wrung her hands nervously, while Li Cancan kept fiddling with her bangs.

Bai Lixin: “Those people outside…”

Sun Ning’s shoulders shook slightly. “Ah, they…they are…well…”

How was she supposed to explain this?

Bai Lixin: “Dijia’s doing?”

“Yes! The big boss said you wanted a lively atmosphere, so he invited all those people.” Sun Ning cautiously observed Bai Lixin’s expression. “Not all the guests have arrived yet, so it might get a bit chaotic. You…aren’t angry, are you?”

“Why would I be angry?” Bai Lixin shrugged and laughed. “I was wondering what he was doing mysteriously a few days ago, it turns out he was preparing all this. Even though I don’t quite understand his thought process, it’s still his heartfelt gesture. I’ll accept it.”

Sun Ning exchanged a glance with Li Cancan.

Sun Ning: As expected of God Xin, he’s truly unshakable.

Li Cancan: No, I think he hasn’t realized the full scale of this yet. He probably assumes the big boss only invited those players.

Sun Ning: …Makes sense.

The wedding was set to begin at 8 p.m.

By 7 p.m., Bai Lixin still hadn’t seen any sign of Dijia.

Just as Bai Lixin was wondering where Dijia was, a sudden loud noise erupted from outside the window.

With the loud noise came a slight tremor in the ground.

Exclamations could be heard from outside.

‘Was that an earthquake?’

Bai Lixin steadied Li Cancan and Sun Ning beside him and moved to the window to take a look.

One glance, and his pupils shrank.

A huge and terrifying tree which shouldn’t exist here had firmly taken root in the green lawn.

Its long branches stretched out, leaves rustling with a chilling sound.

From its branches, red spiders with four pairs of blood red eyes began descending from the sky, landing on the ground like raindrops. Screams erupted and people scattered in all directions.

Bai Lixin’s eyes sharpened instantly, and he subconsciously looked up at the sky.

Wasn’t the horror game supposed to have been destroyed completely?

Why were there game monsters appearing in the real world? And at his wedding, no less. Could it be that this horror game had somehow revived and even invaded the real world?

A faint white light flickered in his hand.

Just as Bai Lixin was about to leap out the window, the Tree Of Resentment outside shook its leaves with a loud rustling sound, and a thunderous voice echoed up to him: “The Tree Of Resentment is here to offer heartfelt congratulations to Lord Bai Lixin and Lord Dijia on their wedding. May you be united forever and grow old together!”

The white light in Bai Lixin’s hand vanished instantly. His mouth hung open, his expression stunned, eyes blank, his mind frozen.

He turned his head and looked at Sun Ning.

Sun Ning quickly looked away.

He looked at Li Cancan.

Li Cancan’s gaze flickered evasively, not daring to meet his eyes.

Outside the window, the red spiders huddled obediently beside the massive tree, not daring to move.

Bai Lixin gripped the window ledge in front of him with both hands, his fingertips faintly white.

After a while, he looked at Sun Ning. “Dijia?”

Sun Ning covered her face and nodded.

Bai Lixin took a deep breath. “It’s fine. Just the Tree Of Resentment, that’s all.”

Sun Ning lowered her head in silence.

A vague feeling of unease flashed through Bai Lixin’s mind.

Suddenly, startled cries rang out from the crowd again, this time coming from the other side.

Bai Lixin glanced at Sun Ning and Li Cancan, then turned to the opposite window.

This side faced the sea.

At this moment, the once-calm ocean surged with waves, and a strange column of water rose from the sea, twisting into the shape of a rainbow in mid-air before slowly connecting to the front of the Blue Sea Hotel.

Standing atop the water column was a beautiful woman, her hair flowing like a stream, in dreamy colors tinged with a faint blue glow.

The woman was dressed in an ocean-woven gown, holding a trident in one hand as she stood above a vast crowd.

Across the vast distance, she fixed her eyes directly on Bai Lixin.

The beautiful Sea Goddess inclined her head slightly towards Bai Lixin. “The Sea Goddess and the merfolk tribe come to celebrate the wedding of Warrior Bai Lixin and Lord Dijia. Wishing the two of you a joyous union.”

With a wave of her hand, countless water-formed flowers blossomed in the sky, their vibrant colors instantly illuminating the dark night.

Countless hideous merfolk with lamprey mouths scrambled eagerly out of the sea, making their way along the water bridge.

“Jiji wawa.”

“Guli guli.”

“Hulala.”

“Wajijiwa!”

Suddenly, a scream rang out from the ocean.

“Ahh! Such ugly merfolk! What kind of monsters are these?!”

Bai Lixin focused his gaze and noticed a splash of colorful hair not far from the water’s surface.

Beautiful merfolk with appearances close to humans gathered together, covering their mouths in surprise as they looked at the green-skinned, seven-gilled lamprey merfolk in the water.

The beautiful merfolk let out exclamations of astonishment.

“Has Master Bai Lixin’s living environment become so polluted that the merfolk have mutated to look this hideous?”

“Oh heavens, they’re really ugly. Just thinking about my species turning out this way makes me lose my appetite for sashimi.”

“Those poor merfolk.”

Bai Lixin: “…”

The green-skinned merfolk on the other side understood the beautiful merfolks’ remarks.

They no longer hurried across the water bridge but instead turned around to scrutinize the beautiful merfolk.

Moonlight poured over the sea, casting a beautiful white line across the water.

On each side of the line, one side stood the beautiful merfolk, and on the other, the green-skinned merfolk.

The merfolk from the two eras stared at each other, each sizing up the other.

On the green-skinned merfolk’s side:

“What ugly merfolk.”

“Are there really merfolk that look as grotesque as Bai Lixin? How can they even survive like that?”

“It shouldn’t be this way. Look at their skin, so fragile that a single stone could probably scratch it.”

“And look at their mouths. How can they crush a shell to eat the tender meat inside?”

“And their hair, it’s so long. What if it gets tangled in seaweed?”

“Exactly, fragile and ugly merfolk. I bet these merfolk won’t last more than three years before they’re extinct.”

Bai Lixin: “…”

‘Dijia, look at what you’ve done.’

‘You still don’t dare to show up! You’re afraid I’ll beat you to death, right?’

The Sea Goddess lightly descended above that white line.

She cleared her throat, her voice ethereal and gentle.

“Though it may seem sudden, allow me to introduce everyone.”

The Sea Goddess pointed at the green-skinned merfolk. “These are the merfolk species from ten thousand years ago. Back then, the ocean suffered great devastation, and it was these brave merfolk who saved it. They are the overlords and warriors of the sea.”

Hearing the Sea Goddess’s praise, the green-skinned merfolk puffed out their chests, showing off their teeth and muscles, embodying the spirit of Spartan warriors.

“And over here,” the Sea Goddess’s hand shifted to the beautiful merfolk, “are the descendants of the overlords and warriors of the ocean, the new generation of merfolk after ten thousand years. Over time, the appearance of merfolk has changed dramatically.”

Green-skinned merfolk: ???

Beautiful merfolk: ???

Bai Lixin: “…”

Everyone: “…”

Green-skinned merfolk:

“What is the Sea Goddess saying? Are these skinny, ugly merfolk really our descendants?”

“Damn, our descendants ended up this ugly? Just as ugly as that ugly Bai Lixin?”

“Just thinking about our descendants being this hideous kills my appetite.”

Bai Lixin: ?

‘Aren’t you going too far? Who are you calling ugly?’

Beautiful merfolk:

“No way, they’re our ancestors? Wasn’t our ancestor that beautiful statue?”

“Thank heavens I was born as a merfolk of this era.”

“Greetings, ancestors. We respect you greatly! But… thank goodness for evolution.”

One brave green-skinned merfolk cautiously swam forward and crossed the clear dividing line of moonlight.

The beautiful merfolk also gathered their courage and swam forward as well.

Finally, the green-skinned merfolk and the beautiful merfolk mixed together.

They stood at the two ends of the timeline, products of life’s evolution.

They were never supposed to meet, yet because of Dijia’s actions, they unexpectedly glimpsed the other end of life.

Curiosity, surprise, wonder, inquiry…

A range of emotions surged within the two eras of merfolk.

A green-skinned merfolk tentatively touched the skin of a beautiful merfolk. “So you have thick scales on your skin after all; it’s not as fragile as it looks. Although your body is smaller, your tails are larger—probably allowing you to swim faster?”

A beautiful merfolk also touched the chest of a green-skinned merfolk. “Ancestor, your muscles are so developed. Only a body like this could survive the harsh ancient times, right?”

Beautiful merfolk: “Without your strength, we wouldn’t exist today. You protected the merfolk species.”

Green-skinned merfolk: “You are the continuation of our lives. It turns out you are not as fragile as we thought.”

Someone started singing the song of the merfolk.

It was a song passed down from ancient times.

Gradually, more and more merfolk sang freely.

Their unique voices pierced the air, reaching every ear.

They embraced each other in the sea, and the guests were mesmerized by the song.

Bai Lixin let out a long, relieved sigh.

It was rare to see such a heartwarming scene, it almost made him reconsider Dijia’s death sentence—almost.

“Boom! Crash!”

Suddenly, the ground shook, and people’s screams shattered the peaceful moment.

Now what?

Bai Lixin held onto the window and looked outside again.

The once-flat lawn was twisted and full of pits, and terrifying bony hands broke through the soil.

They scrambled to climb out of the ground, and in no time, an army of Undead filled the area.

Leading the army was an Undead dressed in an ornate military uniform, with a massive energy core embedded in his exposed white ribs.

The Undead scanned the surroundings with their green eyes.

“This is the place, right?”

“It should be?”

“Wasn’t there supposed to be a wedding? Where’s the bride and groom?”

“Maybe we should ask someone? It’s so dark underground, and there were no signposts. What if we came to the wrong place?”

The Undead King grabbed a human nearby. “Is this the Blue Sea Hotel?”

The human shivered and nodded. “Y-yes, it is.”

The Undead King laughed heartily, spreading his arms and shouting to the sky, “The Undead King and his army have traveled from afar to attend the wedding of Lord Bai Lixin and Lord Dijia! May the newlyweds, though they could not be born on the same day, month, or year, at least die on the same day, month, and year! United in life, and in death, let them share the same grave!”

“My warriors, let’s liven things up! Show these humans the vigor and passion of the undead!”

“Yes, my king, of course, my king!”

Bai Lixin: “…”

‘Dijia, bring me your head!’