Chapter 154 Behind the Door

Three days later.

A long whistle drifted across the sea, and a red-painted ship's bow rose on the horizon. The expedited cruising dragon boat entered the waters surrounding Jinye City. On the deck, the green-haired girl was filled with worry.

"We're at top speed, Your Excellency," the middle-aged captain whispered to her. "We expect to land in three minutes."

"Thank you for your help. May the dragon bless you."

Qi Su reached out into the wind, sensing the complex, turbid air currents. The restless magic of the Scourge, the damp air signaling a demonic passage, the stench of decay and the dark moonlight, the faint but unmistakable mist of death… She even spotted a smooth, even gully, as if struck by an Immortal machine.

She herself thought this conclusion was crazy, but it seemed that all the outsiders in the Shendong world had been to this island.

Qi Su sighed deeply, and in worry he began to doubt the meaning of his departure.

Three days ago at this time, Master Youyou's divination suddenly turned ominous, suffusing the entire divination array with a deep purple hue, eerily sinister. It happened to be a crucial period for the city lord's advancement, with numerous outsiders attacking from outside the city, leaving no one available to intervene. As a last resort, she, a temporary priest, hurried into the waterway and boarded a ship to provide support.

Qi Su knew she was there to find out the outcome. Three days was too long. Either Chu Hengkong and his men had triumphed over their enemies and survived, or not even their ashes would remain.

The dragon boats docked. The lighthouse had been down for some time, and the harbor was littered with the wreckage of stranded ships. The place, which should have been bustling, was deserted. Qi Su looked at the bleak scene, like a natural disaster, and her heart sank even deeper. But she could vaguely hear a voice calling. Amidst the rubble, a tall ice house stood, its roof adorned with a banner depicting Lord Huilong.

She jumped off the boat, and a middle-aged man with a bit of baldness and wearing a tattered coat ran out of the igloo.

"Do you know Guang Shi Qingye? Gulibo?" Sai Silun spoke incoherently, "Or Ji Huaisu... Chu Hengkong... Fander..."

"I know the last three." Qi Su ran over and showed his third-level priest certificate. "I'm Qi Su, their friend."

"Great! I've been trying to contact Huilong City, but there's no signal... First it was the mayor, then Black Moon..."

Qi Su told herself not to have any expectations, not to have any unrealistic fantasies. She mustered up her courage.

"Where are they now?"

Sethron lowered his head, feeling so sad and confused.

"I don't know," he repeated helplessly. "I don't know."

He led Qisu all the way to the center of the battlefield three days ago, recounting from his perspective the events of the past few days: the chaotic battle, the stone monster, the duel, the theft of the stone seed, the torrent of doom, the knights' rise, and then...

"I, I saw a black man. He laughed scary. Very scary," said Sethron. "He suddenly dispersed and turned into a cloud of evil bats. The bats flew into the ground, and then..."

"They just disappeared," said Sethron sadly. "Even the little animals disappeared."

Unease gave way to a different kind of panic. In a few words, Sethren sketched out an image she had heard before, a terrifying nightmare that had been rooted in the hearts of all righteous people. If it really was that evil god...

Qi Su patted his cheeks, forcing himself to focus on more hopeful thoughts. The process Saislun described seemed like a transmigration ritual initiated by an infusion of power. Randomly traversing Dust Island itself wasn't difficult, but targeted teleportation required establishing connections. This meant that there were hidden teleportation routes to other Dust Island within Jinye City, making support possible.

"Please take me underground."

Qisu and Saislun used the ice slide to descend underground, but contrary to her assumptions, there was nothing there. The knights' spirits had departed, and the black gate had vanished without a trace. Only traces of the battle remained in the vast underground cavity, and the stone walls bore the traces of the elemental agitation.

This didn't make sense. The Sea of ​​Illusions connected countless dust islands, and currents always existed. A passage once established was necessarily a two-way connection. She only knew one way to make a place accessible only to those who could reach it, but not to those who could leave.

The fog of history.

Qi Su thought of the past of the Kingdom of God, and her legs went weak and she almost collapsed to the ground. At this moment, her staff brushed away the dust on the ground, revealing a series of very faint numbers carved on the rock.

Qi Su pounced on it, looking intently. The number glowed faintly at her touch.

·

Beyond the countless dust islands, there is a sea of ​​illusions.

The empty sea is boundless, phantoms and relics float among the waves, and the dark moon is reflected on the sea, rising and falling with the gravity of the cradle.

At high tide, the sea carries countless illusions and relics to the island of dust; at low tide, it returns to the ocean, carrying the longings of countless lives. For countless ages, will and spirit have cycled back and forth in this simple way, witnessing the rise of countless powers and the fall of countless legends.

Now, another wave of phantoms, craving recognition, has risen to the surface, ready to ride the waves forward in search of their destined contractors. For lowly, ignorant, and naive demons, this is the only path to growth: to gamble, to risk fate, and to pray for good fortune to descend upon them.

As for those great demons that transcend the abyss, those beings at the top of the food chain, they have their own ways of extending their tentacles. However, the sea of ​​​​illusions is too vast, and the feedback from the fragmented spirits always arrives a little later...

A little later.

"--impossible."

Crossing the turbulent sea, past the shallows still tangible, deeper and deeper, until they reached the nearly lightless, icy depths of the ocean. That was the domain of ancient behemoths, a depth of deathly silence year-round. Some were enormous, some were as tiny as dust, some were hideous and indistinguishable, some were twisted and sinister, these ancient demons dwelt here, untouched by one another, each guarding their own territory.

This rule had existed for millennia, yet today, in a single moment, it was broken. The voice of the Ancients echoed from the depths, manifesting in a raging tide across the deep sea. The titans tried to escape, but their fate was unavoidable. The great demons caught in the midst were instantly annihilated and vanished into thin air.

Nothing survives where the torrent passes. After being weakened by the ocean, it will sweep across the entire world of Shendong, involving the fate of countless lives.

The giant that triggered the torrent, the true form of the Doom Demon lurked in the darkness, controlling its own emotions. Everything the clone had experienced was faithfully fed back to the original form: his failure, the knight's resurgence, and the self that was pulled away at the last moment... that neglected beholder...

"Twilight..."

It knew that look. Since the existence of Shendong Realm, only one demon could use such a method. But it witnessed with its own eyes that the library had already...!

Orlek no longer hesitated, and even abandoned his intention to meet the king. He would handle this matter personally, and would not tolerate any interference from anyone else. He set out, rising, his impossibly massive form surging towards the surface. Many daring demons, observing the unrest below, sought to devour the remains of the Ancients. They had barely submerged when they were caught in the aftermath of Orlek's actions, becoming fresh, less ancient corpses.

The more patient, more intelligent demons waited until Doom had long since left the ocean before cautiously descending to share the remains. Ambition, always quick to act, seized the oldest fragments and devoured them. Domination was a step slower, using its tentacles to gather up large swathes of remnant and ingest them.

"Lord Bad Luck is in a bad mood today." Ambition looked into the distance.

"It must be something big. It took action personally, but that was a long time ago!" said the fat demon, breathlessly. "You know... Oh, you've died another generation, you might not know... The last time Doom was deployed was during the war!"

"You mean the battle in Heavenly Prison?"

"Which other one could it be?" The more he spoke, the more frightened he became. "I think the Shendong world is going to be in chaos again!"

"Chaos is so good." Ambition is actually very happy. "With chaos, there is a chance to climb up!"

It devoured the large carcass first, then turned and bit off the ruling demon's head. As the second group of demons, moving a little slower, approached, it quietly left the area of ​​​​right and wrong and disappeared into the darkness.

In the upper reaches of the Sea of ​​Illusion, the turbulent currents swirled into a vortex. The lesser demons, eager to try their luck, met their greatest misfortune. Orlek's ascent shattered all attempts to land. It rose from the vortex, its movements suddenly slowing.

A pure white lightning struck out from the void, and the jump channel opened, and the lightning illuminated the cold and powerful steel figure!

The God-like Warmaster, Eternal Calamity, flew out of the folded space and hovered above the sea. At its fingertips was a beam of electrical signals, solidified by the energy field, like a constantly roaring electric insect.

"72 hours, 32 minutes, and 8 seconds ago, a near-death Imperial soldier sent a distress signal. Due to interference from the First Abyss, the signal failed to transmit. By the time my lieutenant detected a response, the coordinates had been completely lost," the Eternal Lottery reported. "Within 10 minutes of the signal's reception, unusual movements were detected in the Colorless Layer of the Sea of ​​Illusions, and the delusional demon Doom surfaced."

"Go away or die," Olek said. "I'll give you only one chance."

Naraka nodded very humanely and began the official written record.

"The delusional phantom 'Misfortune' is showing strong hostility. To recover important information about the singularity, we are requesting a temporary experiment."

It uses its own authority to approve: [Agree]

"3000/11/30, 11:42:09. Commencing the third direct contact test with W-001 Delusional Phantom 'Misfortune'."

A fierce battle erupted, unleashing a raging tsunami. Lesser demons were unable to detect the battle above the surface. Those drawn to the corpses rose to the surface, only to perish in the aftermath of the titanic battle. New demons rose again, devouring, dying, and growing, repeating the cycle of life and death, a cycle that revolved endlessly with the thoughts of the Shifting World.

·

After an unknown amount of time, Chu Hengkong woke up.

The bonfire illuminated the cramped cave, providing a little warmth for the lost travelers. Sparks danced in the air, brushing past the knight's small nose. Chu Hengkong realized he was lying on the ground, someone had thrown a blanket for them.

He immediately turned his head, but with such force that he bumped into Ji Huaisu's forehead. His partner cried out in pain, and he felt relieved. As he stood up, he realized their hands were still tightly clasped, and he couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed.

He used his tentacles to pull Finder out of his pocket. It took the Eye Demon almost half a minute to open his eyes.

"We're home?" Vander said dully.

A man's low laugh came from the campfire.

Near the cave exit, a gloomy, thin man was sitting against the wall. He was wrapped in bandages all over his body, and even his face was covered with cloth, like a survivor who had just been rescued from a fire.

Chu Hengkong picked up the blanket and spoke to the man, "Thank you. May I ask who you are?"

"Where is this?" Vander also asked.

The bandaged man said nothing, not even moving his eyes.

Chu Hengkong gave up the idea of ​​negotiation. If a man like this didn't want to talk, even if he said ten thousand words, he wouldn't be able to open his mouth. Ji Huaisu woke up angrily, holding his forehead, and looked around with a bewildered look on his face.

"What's going on?"

"I don't know." Chu Hengkong said, "Go out and take a look."

He pulled Ji Huaisu up and walked out of the cave, crouching. It was dark outside the cave, and they squinted their eyes habitually, trying to adapt to the night environment as quickly as possible.

But I still can't see anything.

There is no light in the world outside the cave.

Ji Huaisu released a tiny spark of pure fire, illuminating the surroundings. Then the pale desert emerged, and a desolate wind blew across the dead land, carrying the rustling sound of armor rubbing against each other.

A hunched and frail old soldier walked in the desert, using a tattered military flag as a cane. He saw the fire and stretched out his hand tremblingly, the light illuminating his pale and desperate face.

"The 34th counterattack has failed. The Knight's Holy Pillar has been extinguished!" He shouted hoarsely, "There is no more light. There is no more hope. Run! No matter where you come from!"

The old soldier's life was consumed by that cry. Unable to hold on, he collapsed into the sand. Several black birds descended like lightning, snatching up the withered corpse in their beaks. Their wings were the black of bones. As they soared, thunderclouds raged in the sky. Lightning fell like giant trees amidst the thunder, illuminating the bleak world with lightning!

There was no light, no fire. Beyond the pale desert lay jagged stone trees, a vast plain littered with weapons and corpses, and steep mountains pierced the sky. Atop the peaks shone a pitch-black full moon, bathing the eerie castle atop in its black light.

"Are you kidding me..." Vander's voice trembled, "Above our heads is... the First Abyss...?"

"Where is this?" Ji Huaisu turned around and asked, "Sir? Excuse me, where is this?"

Behind them, the man in the cave spoke for the first time.

"This is a wilderness named after despair, a deadly place ruled by fear. It is the territory of the Nightmare King and the domain of the Demon Slayer."

"Halvila, the nightmare city."

(Golden Leaf Brawl, End)

(Volume 2, not yet finished)

(Next chapter, Despair in the Wilderness, a grand series!)

(After a 5-day hiatus, serialization will resume next Thursday~)

(End of this chapter)