Marvel: The other side of the double-passing door is Devouring the Stars

Chapter 504 Let's try another move!
"Hmm?" Rowan frowned and stopped in his tracks.

The smell of blood was strong and fresh, clearly from a recent killing. In a place like the Shadow Wasteland, killing was common—monsters would fight each other, and warriors would leave bloodstains when hunting them. But this smell was different; it carried a peculiar aura that Rowan found somewhat familiar.

"This aura..." Rowan mused.

He flew towards the direction of the bloody scent. Soon, he arrived at an open clearing.

Then, he saw something that shocked him.

Several corpses lay scattered on the open ground. They were in various positions: some lay on their backs, some prone, and some curled up in a ball. All of them bore horrific wounds, and blood stained the surrounding earth.

Luo Wenfei landed and carefully examined the corpses.

“It’s them…” His eyes narrowed.

These corpses were the five people who had tried to rob him earlier—the demon man, the blue-skinned man, the tall man, the woman with pointed ears, and the one who released the mental attack.

They are all dead.

Moreover, his death was extremely gruesome.

Rowan walked to the demon man's corpse and knelt down to examine it. A huge gash had been ripped open in the demon man's chest, and his heart was nowhere to be seen. His face still bore the marks of fear and despair, clearly indicating he had suffered immense pain before death.

“Wound…” Rowan frowned.

He carefully examined the shape and depth of the wound. The wound was strange; the edges were neat, but the inside was torn, as if something had pierced his chest cavity and then been ripped out.

“This wound wasn’t caused by a monster,” Rowan determined.

He had seen many wounds inflicted by monsters. Monster attacks usually had obvious features—claw marks, teeth marks, or traces of energy burning. But this wound had none of these features.

Rowan stood up and walked over to examine the other bodies.

The blue-skinned man's head was twisted off, his neck bent at an unbelievable angle. The tall man's abdomen was ripped open, his entrails spilling out onto the ground. The pointed-eared woman's limbs had been removed and neatly arranged beside the corpse. The last person, however, lay limp on the ground, his bones completely shattered, like a lump of boneless flesh.

Each corpse died in a different way, but all were extremely cruel and insidious.

Moreover, none of the corpses showed signs of monster attacks.

"It was done by a person," Rowan concluded, "and by someone far more powerful than them."

He looked around and saw signs of a struggle in the open space. There were messy footprints, broken rocks, and scattered weapon fragments on the ground. It was clear that the five men had fought desperately before they died, but obviously to no avail.

"A demonic man at the eighth rank of the Stellar level, along with four henchmen at the fifth to seventh rank of the Stellar level, were easily slaughtered..." Rowan's expression was grave. "The murderer was at least at the ninth rank of the Stellar level, and possibly even a Domain Lord level."

He remembered how the five men looked when they left—they were injured, but not in mortal danger. After escaping, they should have left the Shadow Wasteland as soon as possible and returned to a safe place to heal. How could they have been killed here?

"They encountered the killer during their escape," Rowan speculated. "The killer intercepted them, and then..."

He didn't continue, but the answer was already obvious.

A question popped into Rowan's mind: Who was the murderer? And why did they kill these five people?

If it were a robbery, the killer would have taken their valuables. But Rowan examined the bodies and found that their storage spaces were still intact, and the contents hadn't been touched.

"It wasn't for robbery..." Rowan frowned. "Then what was it for?"

An ominous premonition came to mind.

Something's definitely wrong with this planet.

Rowan stood up and looked around. The Shadow Wasteland was still shrouded in darkness, with nothing unusual in sight. But his intuition told him that some kind of danger lurked within this darkness.

"I need to get out of here as soon as possible," Rowan thought to himself.

He planned to return to the spaceship and then contact the Virtual Universe Company's base to report what had happened. If there was any real danger, the company would likely send someone to investigate.

However, just as he turned to leave, the armor's detection system suddenly sounded a piercing alarm.

"Warning! Abnormal energy fluctuation detected! Source: Underground! Distance: 10 meters!"

Rowan's expression changed, and he immediately leaped backward.

Right where he had just stood, the ground suddenly trembled violently. A crack spread from the ground, growing larger and deeper. Then, a huge claw emerged from the crack and slammed into the ground.

"What is that?!" Rowan's eyes were serious as he drew his Centipede Shadow Blade.

The claw was grayish-white, covered in scales, and each finger was half a meter long with sharp black claw spikes at the tips. It was larger than any other monster claw Rowan had ever seen before.

Immediately afterwards, a second claw emerged from the crack. Then, a gigantic figure slowly rose from the ground.

It was a humanoid creature.

It stands about four meters tall, with a robust build, and its body is covered in grayish-white scales. Its head resembles a hybrid of a lizard and a human, with slender eyes, a flat nose, and a large mouth filled with sharp teeth. Behind it grows a pair of vestigial wings, like two pieces of dried skin. Its tail is long and thick, ending in a bony spike.

After emerging from the ground, the creature stood in the center of the open space, scrutinizing Rowan. Its eyes were golden, with vertical slits in the pupils, radiating a cold and cruel light.

“Another prey…” the creature spoke, its voice hoarse and chilling, “Looks a bit stronger than the last few.”

Looking at the creature, Rowan felt a strong sense of crisis.

His armor was analyzing the creature's energy fluctuations, and soon the results came back:

"Energy level assessment: Domain Lord Level 1!"

Domain Lord level!
Rowan's expression changed slightly. A Domain Lord-level being was invincible to him. The gap between a Stellar-level and a Domain Lord-level being was even greater than the gap between a Planetary-level and a Stellar-level being. A single Domain Lord-level expert could easily crush dozens of ninth-tier Stellar-level martial artists. "Did you kill them?" Rowan asked, pointing to the corpses on the ground.

“That’s right,” the creature grinned, revealing a mouthful of sharp teeth, “These few pieces of trash were originally my prey. But they were too weak, not even worthy of my pleasure. I hope you can satisfy me a little better.”

"Prey?" Rowan narrowed his eyes. "What are you? Why do you hunt martial artists?"

"What am I?" the creature let out a piercing laugh. "I am the master of this land, the hunter of the darkness. You outsiders, trespassing into my territory, should be prepared to become my food."

"Food?" Rowan felt a chill run down his spine.

He suddenly realized something. Dark Star was the training base of the Virtual Universe Company, attracting a large number of martial artists every year for training. However, he had previously heard that Dark Star's disappearance rate was much higher than other training bases. The company had always assumed it was because the monsters there were too strong, but now it seemed the real reason might be…

"Are you here specifically to hunt down martial artists who come here for training?" Rowan asked.

"Intelligent," the creature nodded. "You warriors, with your delicious flesh and abundant energy, are the best food. Especially those wearing high-level equipment, who are usually stronger, make for an even more flavorful meal."

Its gaze fell on Rowan's Dark Abyss Armor, a greedy glint in its eyes.

"Your equipment is quite good," it licked its lips. "Looks like you're a big fish. Killing you will not only give me a good meal, but also a decent set of equipment. A win-win situation."

Rowan didn't answer. His mind was racing, searching for a solution.

He definitely couldn't defeat a first-tier Domain Lord in a direct confrontation. But if he simply tried to escape, he might still have a chance. The problem was, this creature emerged from underground, clearly very familiar with this land. Even if he fled, it was highly likely the creature would catch up.

"We must notify the base," Rowan thought to himself.

He quietly activated the armor's communication system, while simultaneously trying to stall for time: "How long have you been hunting martial artists here?"

"How long?" The creature pondered for a moment. "About... three hundred years. I've been here since this training base was established. In these three hundred years, I've eaten... well, probably several thousand martial artists. Your Virtual Universe Company really provides me with an endless supply of food, hahaha!"

Three hundred years! Several thousand martial artists!
Luo Wen was shocked. This creature had actually been lurking on Dark Star for three hundred years, devouring thousands of martial artists who came to train, and the Virtual Universe Company hadn't even discovered it!
"How did you manage to stay undetected?" Rowan asked.

“It’s simple,” the creature said smugly. “I only kill lone warriors, and I clean up the bodies completely, leaving no trace. Your people assume those missing warriors were killed by monsters or got lost; they would never suspect it was me.”

"Why didn't you dispose of the bodies this time?" Rowan pointed to the five corpses on the ground.

“Because you came,” the creature grinned, “I was just about to deal with them when I sensed you nearby. Your aura is far stronger than those five pieces of trash; you're clearly a more delicious prey. I decided to take care of you first, then we'll deal with the rest.”

The communication system was connected. Taking advantage of the pause in the other person's speech, Rowan quickly sent a message:
"This is Rowan, located on the edge of the Shadow Wasteland, attacked by a Domain Lord-level enemy! The enemy is a humanoid creature that specifically hunts martial artists who come for training! Requesting backup! Coordinates..."

"What are you doing?" The creature suddenly narrowed its eyes, interrupting Rowan.

It seemed to have sensed something.

“Send a distress signal?” It sneered. “Useless. Within my domain, all communication signals are blocked. Your distress signal simply won’t get through.”

Rowan's heart sank as he glanced at the armor's communication interface. Sure enough, the signal displayed "Send failed."

"You think you're the first one to try and call for help?" the creature sneered. "For the past three hundred years, countless people have tried to appeal to the outside world for help. But they have all failed. Within my domain, I am a god; I control everything."

It spread its arms, and a terrifying pressure erupted from its body. Centered on it, a huge domain slowly unfolded, covering an area of ​​several kilometers in radius.

"This is my domain—the Domain of Deathly Silence," the creature said. "Within this domain, all sounds, energy fluctuations, and communication signals will be devoured. You cannot call for help, you cannot escape; you can only obediently become my food."

As Luo Wen felt the oppressive aura emanating from this domain, his expression grew increasingly grave.

This domain was far more powerful than the Shadow Wolf's previous domain. Within this domain, his senses were severely limited, and many of the armor's functions were rendered unusable.

"It seems we have no choice but to fight head-on," Rowan took a deep breath and gripped the Centipede Shadow Blade tightly.

He knew that with his current strength, his chances of winning against a Domain Lord-level enemy were almost zero. But he wouldn't surrender easily. Even if he were to die, he would die like a warrior.

"Oh? You still want to resist?" The creature's eyes flashed with amusement as it saw Rowan's actions. "Interesting. Over the years, very few have dared to draw their swords in front of me. You're either very brave or very foolish."

"You'll know once you try," Rowan said coldly.

"Hahaha! Good, very good!" the creature laughed. "I like prey with backbone. That makes the killing more interesting. Come on, let me see what you've got!"

As soon as it finished speaking, it moved.

The four-meter-tall body transformed into a gray-white afterimage in an instant, rushing towards Rowan at an astonishing speed. That speed was faster than any enemy Rowan had ever encountered before!

"So fast!" Luo Wen's pupils contracted.

He had no time to dodge and could only raise his knife to parry.

"Ding!"

The Centipede Shadow Blade collided with the creature's claws, producing a deafening metallic clang. The immense impact traveled along the blade, making Rowan's hand go numb. His body involuntarily flew backward, carving two deep furrows in the ground.

"Such power..." Rowan steadied himself, shocked.

That single attack made him realize the immense gap between a Domain Lord-level being and a Stellar-level being. That creature's power was at least ten times greater than his!
"Is that all you've got?" The creature stood there, looking disappointed. "I thought you could give me some surprises, but it turns out you're nothing special."

"Is that so?" Rowan sneered. "Then try taking another move."

He channeled his genetic energy into the Centipede Shadow Blade, and the crimson patterns on the blade instantly lit up. Arcs of electricity crackled and popped across the blade.

"Blood Luo Eight Forms, Fifth Form: Blood Thorn!"

This is the most powerful attack among the Eight Forms of Blood Luo. Luo Wen poured all his genetic energy into the tip of the blade, and the blade light transformed into a blood-red line, crackling with lightning, piercing straight into the creature's eye.

(End of this chapter)