Chapter 226

In the central area of ​​the first level inside the Black Tower Gate, there is a separate circular area, thousands of meters in diameter, with a flat and open view. It is surrounded by an impenetrable alloy electric grid, which is the arena of the gatekeeper BOSS.

The passage leading to the next level of the Black Tower stands straight in the center of this arena, resembling a magnificent and sacred pillar of light that pierces through heaven and earth from bottom to top.

Suddenly, a large amount of scarlet blood mist, which the system called "pollution," surged out from the ground, like a floodgate being opened. In the blink of an eye, it crossed more than a dozen streets on the first floor and rushed wildly towards the tower access passage.

boom!

The white beam of light shook violently!

The blood mist surged and billowed, its arrogance spreading as it climbed upwards along the pillar of light, polluting the area.

The surface of the polluted light pillar turned black inch by inch, like tree roots that had been eaten by grubs and were rapidly decaying.

The pillar of light groaned under the strain, on the verge of collapsing—

At the critical moment, White and Yan Chuyi rushed to either side at the same time.

Golden light instantly rose from the ground, forming a golden light curtain more than ten meters high, which, like a city wall, isolated the blood mist and firmly protected the passage!

With the removal of restrictions on the regional map, players who discovered they could use their skills were overjoyed.

Captain Xu and other top members took the lead, deploying a barrier to fill the gaps in the golden light, while shouting loudly.

"Those with purification abilities, lead the way, and the rest of you follow!"

Just as several [Purification] players were about to make their move, they caught a glimpse of a vibrant green vine out of the corner of their eyes.

They have a deep psychological trauma from this thing; they were so frightened that they jumped to the side.

As a result, the dense vines swept past them swiftly, not even glancing at them, and rushed aggressively towards the blood mist.

The vine tide was like a pack of thirsty, bloodthirsty beasts, rampaging through the surging blood mist, its branches stretching outwards and its bark bursting open, greedily sucking the blood mist into its body.

The thick, almost impenetrable blood mist gradually lightened in color as it was devoured by the tide of vines. Undeterred, it retaliated and shredded the vines.

Countless tiny seeds, the size of beans, fell from the debris, and the moment they hit the ground, new vines sprouted, their branches twisting upwards.

Blood mist and vines clashed. The former flowed endlessly, while the latter sprouted anew from old branches.

In the fierce battle, some vines withered and some blood mist shattered, yet a delicate balance was achieved.

Captain Xu yelled at the stunned players, "Let's go! What are you all standing there for?"

The players, as if waking from a dream, followed the path cleared by the vines and reached the white pillar of light that led to the top of the tower as quickly as possible.

Knowing their own limitations, they realized that staying would not only be of no help but could also hinder others, so they moved on to the next level without hesitation.

Xu Ji used his divine power to replace the golden light curtain and erect a barrier in front of the passage. Seeing that Yan Chuyi and the other person had no intention of retreating, he shouted urgently, "Quickly, Chuyi! It's not safe to stay here!"

Yan Chuyi knew that the current crisis could not be resolved by running away.

He had just used his mental power to search the underground, trying to find the source of the pollution and destroy it, but suddenly discovered that the wisps of scarlet blood mist actually came from the black tower itself.

As long as the Black Tower exists, pollution will continue to erode it until the nation is destroyed.

“They don’t need to erode the entire tower,” the young commander beside him suddenly asked. “What would happen to the whole building if the foundation of the first floor were destroyed?”

It will collapse.

This is where the system's sinister intentions lie.

They simply cannot withstand the upward spread of pollution. Once the first layer collapses, the entire black tower will instantly fall like dominoes.

Yan Chuyi replied almost without pausing, "I'll stay."

The situation seems dire, but the solution isn't hard to find. A crucial clue in the system information is that the pollution source will only erupt if the boss guarding the gate dies.

In other words, as long as someone can replace the gatekeeper BOSS and continue to guard the first floor, the pollution can be suppressed.

Ordinary players might not be able to do this, but Xie Xubai can intrude on the rules to interfere, which is a perfect match for his expertise.

White nodded: "Then I'll trouble you."

Now that the Seventh Apostle has appeared, they are likely to encounter other apostles in the future, and he himself cannot guarantee whether they will be friends or foes at that time.

But one thing is certain: if the two sides are on opposite sides, he, who knows the apostle members inside and out, will have a greater advantage in climbing the tower.

The players gradually withdrew, and Xu Ji and his companions held up the barrier to wait for the two of them to pass.

White suddenly realized that the Seventh Apostle had disappeared. He searched around for his whereabouts, but then suddenly heard a scream.

He was startled and quickly looked toward the source of the sound.

A vast expanse of red mist, like a tiger pouncing on its prey, engulfed the unsuspecting Seventh Apostle. The surrounding vines trembled violently, and in the blink of an eye, a large area withered and died!

"Hill!"

In a moment of desperation, White rushed over.

The golden light flashed like lightning, forcefully cleaving a path through the surging red mist. Withered branches piled up into a small, dark brown hill in the clearing, with two legs sticking out, seemingly struggling to conceal the dying body of the Seventh Apostle.

White approached the Seventh Apostle and began to peel away the withered branches.

However, as soon as I grabbed it, I could tell from the feel that something was wrong; it was empty inside, there was nothing there!

In an instant, the young commander's face darkened; he had actually been fooled.

He used the same self-inflicted injury tactic he had used before.

White narrowed his eyes, glancing left and right with extreme danger, and finally spotted the Seventh Apostle on the arena.

Seeing his face darken, Hill almost reflexively shuddered in fright, but without pausing for a moment, he resolutely rushed into the guard post.

It is similar to the eye of a formation. The reason why the pollution was suppressed before was entirely due to the gatekeeper BOSS suppressing it at that crucial point.

Don't forget, Hill is a demigod, which means that he can, like Xie Xubai, disrupt the rules to some extent and temporarily take over as the first-level gatekeeper boss.

The moment he stepped into the checkpoint, an irresistible pressure swept across the red mist!

The earth shook violently, the sky trembled, and the rampant crimson blood mist was instantly sucked into the magic gourd like a monster. In its unwilling struggle, it retreated rapidly back into the cracked earth like a tornado.

The fissure in the ground closed up, restoring everything to its original state, leaving only ruins and broken walls on the ground.

Yellow-green vines languidly wandered through the ruins, like patrolling guards, occasionally catching a bit of pollution seeping from the ground and swallowing it.

Although the area was devastated, peace was completely restored.

White assumed Hill wouldn't dare to harm him, but he never expected that Hill had set a trap to distract him, all in order to sacrifice himself to take over the role of the gatekeeper BOSS.

Yan Chu had one foot on the guard post, only one step behind the Seventh Apostle.

In theory, anyone could take on the role of the gatekeeper boss, and the identity could be changed at any time, but he was still shocked.

The boy who used to only cause trouble has suddenly started taking responsibility, which is as strange as "The Kid Quiet Down".

He frowned: "You... tell me honestly, have you gotten yourself into any other trouble?"

Does killing a few confirmed traitors count? The Seventh Apostle didn't dare say this at all, feeling flustered under Yan Chuyi's gaze.

He immediately widened his eyes, looking aggrieved, and turned the tables on her: "White! How could you think of me like that?"

"I killed the boss guarding the gate, so can't I be the one who feels guilty and wants to atone for my mistake?"

Yan Chuyi was too lazy to listen to his nonsense and said coldly, "Tell the truth. You know I can sense your emotional fluctuations."

The Seventh Apostle suppressed the urge to bury his face in his hands and crouch down, licked his dry lips, and finally spoke the truth: "Alright, alright! Actually, it's a deal!"

"White, I believe you've also noticed that if the pollution originates from the Black Tower itself, then the first level will have the pollution, the second, third, fourth... every level will have it! You're not clay, you can't easily divide yourself into hundreds of parts to suppress all levels. If you really do that, dispersing your power, then you've fallen into the system's trap. We all know that what it fears most and wants to kill most is you!"

The Seventh Apostle said, "I will stand here in your place so you can conserve your strength to deal with truly formidable enemies. The first level is so important that you cannot entrust it to other players; only a demigod like me can defend it!"

The young man spoke with great pride, as if he were the only one capable of it all.

But those who have witnessed his terrifying strength know that he truly has that ability.

Yan Chuyi watched him quietly. The Seventh Apostle forced a confident expression, held his head high, and met his gaze.

After a short while, the former asked, "Having become the gatekeeper BOSS, have you experienced any discomfort? For example, mental confusion or hallucinations?"

The Seventh Apostle's smile suddenly became more genuine: "No, can't you sense these things at a glance?"

Regardless of the type of pollution, how could there be no impact at all when you're so close to the source of pollution?

However, Yan Chuyi examined the Seventh Apostle thoroughly and found nothing unusual.

Just then, an unmissable gaze descended, and Yan Chuyi, as if sensing something, looked up at the sky and met Yan Shuo's calm and profound gaze.

Although he didn't explicitly state it, his direct gaze clearly conveyed a strong desire for praise.

Hmm... it seems His Majesty the Black King has also contributed a lot to suppressing pollution.

In front of so many people, Yan Chuyi couldn't possibly go to Yan Shuo's sea of ​​consciousness again.

The evil god, who always did good deeds anonymously, stared at him stubbornly.

Helpless, he could only secretly release a wisp of his spiritual energy and rub it against Yan Shuo's cheek, as if leaving a kiss.

A barely perceptible smile immediately appeared on Yan Shuo's lips.

The black mist enveloped the golden spiritual energy, gently embracing it.

He did not linger, but turned and left, holding Xie Xubai's fragmented soul.

Xu Qingran and the [Gravity] player were unaware of the Black King's personality. They had been worried ever since they saw Xie Xubai unconscious. They wanted to chase after him, but Yan Chuyi stopped them in time.

Yan Chuyi turned to look at the expectant Seventh Apostle and asked earnestly, "What kind of deal are you referring to?"

Hill paused for a moment, then smiled affectionately in a drawn-out aria, "Don't worry, I only need you to answer two questions, it won't cause you any harm."

Yan Chuyi: "Go ahead and ask, but if it's a question that can't be answered, I can't tell you the answer."

Hill wasn't angry at all; on the contrary, he was very happy.

He would have been very disappointed if Yan Chuyi had agreed without thinking, because that would have only meant that the other party was not prepared to answer seriously.

But White is White, so he will never be disappointed in anyone.

Hill exclaimed happily, "Then I have one more request: I want you to answer these two questions with a white face!"

His cheeks flushed slightly: "That face looks more imposing... no, I mean, more serious."

The two split souls were speechless, their voices deafening: "..."

The young commander, who had been waiting with his arms crossed, sighed softly, stepped forward, lifted his eyelids, and glanced over indifferently, saying exactly one word: "Ask."

Hill was so frightened by his cold tone that her legs trembled, but her face flushed red, and her eyes sparkled with admiration.

If White hadn't been able to read minds and confirm that the child didn't have those feelings for him, he would have really doubted him...

No, this gives me goosebumps. Stop, stop.

Hill, having had his fill of euphoria, changed the subject: "My first question is, why, out of so many people in the Apostle Guild, are you so... ruthless and heartless towards me?"

When he said this, his tone suddenly changed. Although his face still had that smiling, sweet look, he instantly transformed from a delicate dodder into a ferocious, man-eating flower.

“I’ve observed this for a long time, and I’m sure it’s not my imagination. There are people in the guild who are more unruly than me, even more vicious, cruel, and unforgivable, but you’re only exceptionally harsh on me. Even punishments from above have to go through you first,” Hill said. “Can you tell me why? And why do you say you hate me?”