"The time has come."
"I... the Maggot Priest, shall open this world's hunting grounds, to appease the great 'Shadow of Gloom,' may She bestow... endless might."
"Hiss hiss hiss—"
The head, tangled with countless maggots, gradually transformed into an ordinary human face.
Within his eyes, two worlds existed.
One was reality, Blue Star, where colossal figures emerged from the gray fog.
The other was beneath reality, the Ghost Realm, where numerous 'little pets' were prepared, hoping… that the prey of this world would like them.
Hiss… cackle…
…
"Meet the enemy!"
"Meet the enemy!"
The ghostly evils surged like a tide, but after fighting for most of the day, both investigators and ghost evil hunters had grown considerably more experienced in facing large numbers of them.
Having just rested briefly, their stamina had recovered significantly.
This resistance seemed not difficult.
"Hell's Gate is just this? Seems not difficult, Captain Xing."
The Ghostfire Hand pressed down a ghostly evil with a slap, and immediately, someone nearby used their awakened ability to finish it off.
Tempered by the battlefield, each of them had changed.
Xing Jinglei also felt this wave wasn't strong, but his mentor had specifically instructed him to accompany the Investigation Bureau, which must have a reason.
It wasn't that simple.
"Do not be careless."
"If it were this easy, why would the Special Forces and the Investigation Bureau make such a grand mobilization."
…
"If it can end easily, naturally it's a good thing, but I fear… it cannot."
The mysterious email had predicted the time and location with absolute accuracy.
And indeed, like the other five Hell's Gates, it had opened at the same time.
Huang Hongtian wouldn't believe there was no trickery involved.
He turned his head, "Observing the battlefield will be up to you."
Luosha nodded, spread her crimson and black energy wings, and soared into the sky.
Not far away,
An Jianyou commanded,
"Number One, charge forward and tear open the tide of ghostly evils!"
"Number Three, hold the line, spin the twin hooks!"
With her command, the ghostly evils could execute more tactical maneuvers. An Jianyou, who had been holding back her awakened ability 'Amplification,' finally unleashed it at this moment.
It enveloped Da Hei Number One 'Bone Knight' and Number Three 'Stitched Monster.'
Instantly, the Bone Knight was unstoppable, capable of taking down enemies of the same level with just a few shots. The Stitched Monster became a spinning vortex of destruction, annihilating everything in its path.
This sight was awe-inspiring.
The seemingly delicate Miss An had once again broadened their horizons.
An Jianyou simply stared into the distance and said, "Instructor, I've opened the path, but I might not be able to maintain it for much longer."
"Mm."
Hei Dao responded faintly, dragging his demon-slaying greatsword, he advanced step by step.
With each step, he moved faster.
He transformed into a gust of wind, charging fearlessly into the vast tide of ghostly evils.
As he plunged in, monsters flew up one after another, a crimson line endlessly extending through the gray-black tide.
"Damn it! This old man is charging too!"
Xing Jinglei clenched his brass knuckles, ignoring the scattered shouts of "Boss, don't be reckless," "Captain, you can't!" and launched himself forward like a cannonball, his fists swinging continuously at full power.
Cannon fist, cannon fist, cannon fist, cannon fist!
Rumble—!
It was as if countless cannonballs had landed, plowing the earth again and again. Dust filled the sky, and ghostly evils exploded. Xing Jinglei himself was like a battle tank charging in.
His eyes were fixed on the man trailing the crimson glow.
Surrender? Impossible!
Not far away, in mid-air.
Watching the two figures charge into the tide of ghostly evils, Luosha's blood boiled.
As the captain of the Special Forces, how could he stand by while civilian awakened individuals fought desperately? He grabbed his walkie-talkie and spoke to Director Huang, "I'll leave the subsequent command to you."
He then descended like a cone, diving diagonally.
Charge! Charge again! Keep charging!
At first, it wasn't difficult. This tide-like surge of ghostly evils didn't seem very strong. Luosha weaved through, moving with the wind, breaking through like a sharp edge.
Everything seemed smooth, but at a certain moment, suddenly,
Boom—
The ground cracked, and a colossal worm burrowed out. He pulled himself up sharply.
A piercing shriek echoed from the sky as a massive, human-faced bird dive-bombed towards him… Luosha dodged its pounce with a horizontal thrust, piercing half of its wings, and black feathers drifted down.
Suddenly, a blast of azure ghostly flames whizzed from nearby, like a net.
It was the ghostly flames of a Three-Combined Ghost Lantern, but this one belonged to the enemy!
The azure ghostly flames grew larger and larger in Luosha's eyes.
A shockwave from the side blasted the ghostly flames away, narrowly missing him.
"Thanks!"
The three of them, working together, could instantly kill ordinary three-star ghostly evils.
However, the number of three-star ghostly evils in this area had increased, and they seemed to have learned to cooperate with each other.
In the sky, on the ground.
Walking, flying, crawling.
Melee, ranged.
Their penetration into this position not only made them unable to advance but also meant their kill count for three-star ghostly evils hadn't increased for a long time.
They could only injure, but not kill.
Unless it was a life-for-life exchange, but that was impossible.
"This situation is not right, it's as if someone is controlling these ghostly evils," Luosha said. "Perhaps not as finely tuned as Miss An, but look closely, the surrounding ghostly evils are preventing us from advancing, not pushing outwards."
"Captain Luo is right!" Xing Jinglei seconded.
Hei Dao said nothing, continuing to fight, his demon-slaying greatsword never stopping, but the ghostly evils were like a high wall, stubbornly blocking their path.
And they were constantly narrowing their scope.
Suddenly,
The gray fog in the distance seemed to breathe again, expelling more ferocious figures, and above the fog, ripples appeared on the water's surface.
It reflected a scene like a mirage.
It was like a mirror; the other side was also a desolate forest, also filled with ghostly evils, but upon closer inspection, one could see… the number of ghostly evils in the mirror was ten times, even more, than outside!
Ghosts crammed with ghosts, constantly surging.
But among them were several incredibly large and terrifying figures.
Like small mountains.
Like gods of destruction.
Even a gaze across spacetime sent chills down one's spine, an icy sensation that shot straight to the crown of their heads.
"Wh-what is that?"
"Another world?"
"Hell's Gate, does it truly connect to hell?"
The ghost evil hunters and investigators trembled.
They hadn't faced them directly, yet they couldn't control their fear.
Director Huang's premonition of disaster grew even stronger.
He had mobilized awakened individuals from all sides early on to eliminate surrounding ghostly evils and push forward, but now, it seemed they were still a step short.
Hell's Gate was not far, yet it felt like a chasm separated them.
They couldn't cross.
Yet the monsters in the mirror seemed about to emerge, and likely controlled by some unseen hand. If such a monster were to rampage…
"Stop them at all costs!" he roared.
Many special forces members shouted.
However, often, things do not change according to human will.
The mirage above the gray fog gradually cleared, and suddenly, a dazzling bolt of lightning struck down, piercing the night sky and shattering the clamor.
Boom—!
…
A quarter of an hour ago,
On the mountain, Fang You gazed around.
Roaring ghostly evils entered his sight, and the surrounding map also unfolded before him.
Yet the map showed nothing special.
He couldn't find anything unusual in his field of vision.
But there had to be something. The mirage in the sky grew clearer, and this entrance to the Ghost Realm seemed to be forcibly pulled open and stretched wide.
To accommodate several four-star ghostly evils passing through.
Four-star!
Several of them!
Fang You's scalp tingled. He scanned inch by inch, simultaneously calling out Little Huan to search together.
Search! Hurry! Faster!
Where exactly is it?
Fang You's gaze swept quickly and paused slightly at one point.
The three-star ghostly evils in his field of vision were somewhat quiet.
Excessively quiet, they hadn't moved at all.
Ghostly evils were always hyperactive.
The colossal figure of this ghostly evil blocked his view. He quickly shifted to another position.
He saw it!
He activated the skill 'Detect'!
"Flesh Altar"
"Effect: ???"
The specific effect couldn't be detected, but it was an anomaly, different from a ghostly evil.
Found it!
"Little Huan, count the three-star ghostly evils that haven't moved!"
"Understood, Master."
"The count is complete. There are eight locations within the field of vision. Here… here… here… and here…"
She directly accessed the detection map, enlarged it to the maximum, and marked them one by one.
Fang You scanned them one by one.
The next moment, he dispelled the colorless state of the lamp and white robe, and unleashed lightning from his hand, which exploded with a roar.
…
Boom—!
Director Huang looked up.
The lightning flash was fleeting, but the night no longer seemed dark.
The maggots in the darkness looked up, their human-like faces showing surprise.
"One node… has been destroyed."
"How can this be…"
Rumble—!
Another bolt of lightning descended, illuminating his increasingly astonished face.
"This cannot…"
Rumble—!
Rumble—!
Rumble—!
Wave after wave of blue-violet lightning, carrying terrifying destructive power, annihilated the colossal three-star ghostly evil and blew the flesh altar to smithereens.
Above the gray fog, the mirage began to blur.
Frightening ghostly evils let out low growls, growing fainter.
"Did it succeed!"
Director Huang's face lit up with joy.
"It's the instructor!" An Jianyou's smile bloomed, a mixture of relief and pride as she searched around.
The investigators, special forces members, and ghost evil hunters let out a long sigh of relief. The bone-chilling cold was receding.
Suddenly,
They felt as if they had fallen into an abyss again!
Crack—
The blurred mirror cracked, and small white insects poured back in a stream. An inconspicuous figure became gaunt.
Simultaneously, from the cracked mirror, a terrifying figure emerged.
It resembled a centipede, burning with fierce black flames, twenty to thirty meters long. Half of its body stood upright like a tall building.
Around it, any ghostly evil that touched its body ignited with black flames.
Turning into ashes.
"Ah—!"
An awakened individual screamed, trying to gouge out his own eyes, but in the next moment, his entire body spontaneously combusted.
Ignited by black fire, he instantly turned into ashes.
The black flames continued to spread.
Fear continued to spread.
"Hunt… this is all delicious… offer sacrifices to the great 'Shadow of Gloom.'"
The gaunt maggot person let out a wild laugh.
The laughter suddenly stopped.
A brilliant blue-violet lightning beam pierced the night sky.
A figure holding lightning emerged from the distant mountaintop.
One step, two steps, three steps, as if walking on a bridge between heaven and earth, reaching the clouds, plucking the dazzling lightning, like a god of thunder, casting down a divine punishment.
Boom boom boom boom rumble—
Nine lightning dragons descended, unleashing world-ending might, enveloping the black-flame centipede that resembled a skyscraper.
The fire receded.
The lightning raged.
The dazzling lightning bloomed like a flower of destruction.
For a moment, the world was bathed in blue, highlighting the majestic figure above the clouds.
…
ps: From now on, I will change to two updates of 6k words, the total word count remains the same.
ps2: The operations intern has created a group. The group number is in the description. Interested friends can join. Although, I, the little author, never frequent group chats, I have dedicated all my time to writing, hmm~!