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

Chapter 511 Awaiting Reinforcements from Headquarters!
"That's enough," Zhou Qing said in a deep voice. "Ah Hu, prepare to shoot!"

The young man with the bow on his back—Ahu—had been waiting for a long time. He drew back the bowstring, and a gleaming arrow was aimed at the giant lizard's head.

"go to hell!"

The arrow shot through the air at a speed that was almost invisible.

"puff!"

The arrow struck the monitor lizard in the eye and pierced deep into its brain.

The monitor lizard let out a shrill roar, its body convulsed violently a few times, and then it collapsed to the ground, never to move again.

"Well done!" Zhou Qing smiled with satisfaction. "This evil spirit has been eliminated."

The soldiers cheered and congratulated each other.

Rowan also went forward to examine the corpse of the monitor lizard.

As he got closer, he became even more certain of his judgment—this was no ordinary beast.

There was a faint energy fluctuation emanating from this giant lizard, very similar to the one he had sensed before. Although much weaker, the essence was the same.

"This thing..." Rowan thought to himself, "It should be related to that ancient star beast."

He recalled the records. When ancient star beasts slumber, they continuously release faint energy fluctuations. These energy fluctuations affect the surrounding environment and may even cause some organisms to mutate.

This giant lizard is very likely a mutated creature created by the energy of an ancient star beast.

"Young Master Luo," Zhou Qing approached, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Luo Wen said, regaining his composure. "I admire the skills of Lord Zhou and everyone else."

"Haha, you flatter me," Zhou Qing laughed. "This is just a minor evil spirit, nothing to worry about. The real danger lies with the high-level evil spirits; a single misstep could wipe them all out."

"High-level evil spirits?" Rowan asked casually, "Are evil spirits also divided into levels?"

“Of course,” Zhou Qing nodded, “Evil spirits are divided into three major levels: lower, middle, and upper, and each major level is further divided into nine tiers. This giant lizard is a lower-tier tier three evil spirit, which is relatively weak among evil spirits. But for ordinary people, it is already a deadly existence.”

"I see," Luo Wen said thoughtfully. "Are there other evil spirits in Luoyan Mountain?"

Zhou Qing's expression turned serious.

“There should be,” he said. “According to our intelligence, there’s more than one evil spirit appearing in Luoyan Mountain recently. Moreover, there are reports that there seems to be an even more powerful being deeper in the mountain.”

"An even more powerful being?"

“It’s just a rumor, nothing’s been confirmed,” Zhou Qing said. “However, there have indeed been more and more unusual occurrences at Luoyan Mountain lately. More and more people are going missing, and more and more evil spirits are appearing. I have a feeling that something is amiss.”

Luo Wen's heart skipped a beat. Zhou Qing's intuition was right—the anomalies at Luoyan Mountain were very likely related to the sleeping ancient star beast.

"Lord Zhou," Rowan asked, "how long has your Mysterious Bureau been dealing with evil spirits? Have these evil spirits always existed, or have they only recently appeared?"

Zhou Qing glanced at Luo Wen, seemingly considering whether he should tell him.

“The Bureau of Mysteries has existed for centuries,” he finally said. “Evil spirits have always existed in our historical records. However, in recent decades, the frequency of their appearances has indeed increased. Especially in recent years, almost every month a new evil spirit has been discovered. Our Bureau of Mysteries is severely understaffed, and we are overwhelmed with many tasks.”

"It started increasing decades ago..." Rowan silently noted this information.

According to Virtual Universe Corporation, the energy fluctuation was discovered three hundred years ago, and recent scans show a slight increase in energy intensity. If the ancient star beast is gradually awakening, then the energy it releases will become increasingly powerful, and the area affecting the surrounding environment will also expand.

"The increase in evil spirits is very likely a sign that ancient star beasts are gradually awakening," Rowan thought to himself. "These evil spirits are probably mutated creatures created under the influence of its energy."

He decided to continue following the Mysteries Bureau to see if he could find more clues.

After dealing with the giant lizard's carcass, the warriors of the Mysterious Bureau continued their journey deeper into the mountains.

Zhou Qing told Luo Wen that their mission this time was not only to eliminate this evil spirit, but also to investigate the cause of the anomalies in Luoyan Mountain. Therefore, they needed to go deep into the mountain to see if there were more evil spirits or other suspicious signs.

Along the way, Luo Wen and Zhou Qing talked a lot.

He learned that the Mysterious Bureau was the only organization on Earth dedicated to combating evil spirits. It was subordinate to the royal family and had branches throughout the country, responsible for monitoring and eliminating any evil spirits that appeared. Members of the Mysterious Bureau were all cultivators who possessed a cultivation method called "Qi Gong," which could unleash their inner potential and grant them superhuman strength.

"Qigong is divided into several realms," Zhou Qing explained. "The entry level is the Qi Induction Realm, followed by the Qi Circulation Realm, the True Qi Realm, the罡气 Realm, and the Innate Realm. Each realm is further divided into nine levels. I am at the third level of the Qi Circulation Realm, which is only considered average within the Mysterious Bureau. True masters must at least reach the True Qi Realm."

"Is the Innate Realm the highest level?" Rowan asked.

"It's said there are even higher realms above the Innate Realm, but that's just a legend," Zhou Qing said. "In our records of the Mysterious Bureau, the strongest predecessor was only at the ninth level of the Innate Realm. Moreover, that was hundreds of years ago; even experts at the Innate Realm are extremely rare now."

Luo Wen secretly did some calculations. According to the cultivation system of Blue Star, the ninth level of the Innate Realm is roughly equivalent to the eighth rank of the Planetary Realm. This is still a very low level in the universe, but for a low-level civilization like Blue Star, it is already considered a top expert.

“And what about evil spirits?” Rowan asked. “How powerful are the strongest evil spirits?”

Zhou Qing's expression turned grave: "The strongest evil spirit we've ever encountered was at the ninth level of the Upper Realm. It was a giant python coiled in the deep mountains of the Southern Continent, over a hundred zhang long, capable of spewing out poisonous mist covering several miles in a single breath. The Mysterious Bureau dispatched more than thirty experts, and it took them three days and three nights to finally slay it. In that battle, we lost more than a dozen elites, including two True Qi Realm experts."

“The ninth level of the upper realm…” Luo Wen nodded.

If the ranking system for evil spirits is similar to the ranking system for warriors in the Bureau of Mysteries, then an evil spirit at the upper ninth level is roughly equivalent to a planetary-level being. This is indeed the most powerful existence on Earth.

But if an ancient star beast were to awaken... that would be a completely different level of threat. Even if it were just a newly awakened ancient star beast with greatly diminished strength, it would still possess at least the strength of a domain lord, enough to destroy the entire Blue Star.

“I must find the location of that ancient star beast as soon as possible,” Rowan thought to himself, “confirm its status, and then report to the company.”

The team continued deeper into Luoyan Mountain.

Along the way, they encountered two more evil spirits—one a monster resembling a wild boar, and the other a large winged snake. Neither of these evil spirits was particularly strong, and the warriors of the Mysterious Bureau worked together seamlessly, quickly vanquishing them.

Rowan noticed that these evil spirits all possessed a faint energy fluctuation. Moreover, the deeper they went into the mountains, the stronger this energy fluctuation became.

“The direction is right,” Rowan thought to himself. “That ancient star beast should be somewhere on this mountain.”

As evening fell, the group set up camp for the night in a relatively flat open area. The soldiers lit a campfire and began preparing dinner. Zhou Qing, meanwhile, studied the map, planning the next day's route.

Luo Wen walked over to Zhou Qing and looked at the map in his hand.

"Lord Zhou, where are we now?" he asked.

“Here,” Zhou Qing pointed to a point on the map, “is roughly the middle section of Luoyan Mountain. If you continue forward, you’ll enter the core area of ​​Luoyan Mountain. The terrain there is complex, and it’s said to have many caves and underground rivers.”

“A cave?” Rowan’s eyes lit up.

If the ancient star beast is asleep, it is likely hiding in some underground cave. The cave can isolate it from external disturbances, providing it with a stable sleeping environment.

"Lord Zhou, have you explored those caves?" Luo Wen asked.

“We’ve explored some, but not many,” Zhou Qing said. “Those caves are too deep, and evil spirits often haunt them. We have limited manpower, so we dare not venture too far.”

“What if…” Rowan carefully chose his words, “What if the source of the anomaly at Luoyan Mountain lies deep within those caves?”

Zhou Qing raised his head and gave Luo Wen a deep look.

"You think so too?" he asked.

“I’m just guessing,” Rowan said, “but if the evil spirits increase as you go deeper into the mountains, then the source must be in the deepest part. And caves are the most likely places to hide something.”

Zhou Qing was silent for a moment, then nodded.

“Your deduction makes sense,” he said. “In fact, the headquarters of the Mysterious Bureau has similar speculations. They believe that these evil spirits may originate from some kind of 'source.' If this source can be found and destroyed, the number of evil spirits will be greatly reduced.”

"Then why not send someone to find the source?"

“It’s too dangerous,” Zhou Qing said with a wry smile. “If the source truly exists, it must be an extremely powerful entity. With our current strength, we are no match for it. Rushing in will only lead to our deaths.”

Luo Wen understood Zhou Qing's concerns. For martial artists on Blue Star, ancient star beasts were utterly insurmountable opponents. Even a master at the ninth level of the Innate Realm was nothing more than an ant before an ancient star beast.

“However,” Zhou Qing changed the subject, “headquarters has noticed the anomalies at Luoyan Mountain. It’s said they’re preparing to send a stronger team to investigate. If all goes well, they might find the truth.”

“I hope so,” Rowan said.

He did not reveal his true identity or purpose. He did not intend to let anyone know about the existence of Virtual Universe Company until the situation was fully clear.

As night fell, the soldiers took turns on duty, while the others went into their tents to rest.

Rowan lay in the tent, but couldn't fall asleep.

His mental energy was constantly sensing the surrounding environment, while also analyzing the information he had gathered that day.

“These evil spirits are mutated creatures created under the influence of the ancient star beast’s energy,” he thought to himself. “The increasing number of these evil spirits indicates that the energy released by the ancient star beast is becoming stronger. This means… it is gradually awakening.”

This is a dangerous sign.

If the ancient star beast fully awakens, Earth will face a devastating catastrophe. Even if a powerful being sent by the Virtual Universe Corporation were to arrive, they might not be able to kill it after it awakens. The best course of action is to locate it before it fully awakens and eliminate or reseal it while it is still dormant.

“I must speed things up,” Rowan thought to himself, “find the exact location of the ancient star beast as soon as possible, and then report back to the company.”

The team continued their journey early the next morning.

Zhou Qing decided to venture deep into the core area of ​​Luoyan Mountain to explore the caves. Although it was dangerous, he believed it was the only way to find out the truth.

The group advanced along the mountain path, the terrain becoming increasingly treacherous. Some sections were almost vertical cliffs, impossible for ordinary people to climb. But the warriors of the Mysterious Bureau were agile, using ropes and grappling hooks to painstakingly overcome obstacle after obstacle.

Rowan followed behind the group, looking quite strained. In reality, with his strength, these obstacles were nothing. But he had to disguise himself as an ordinary person and couldn't reveal his true abilities.

After walking for most of the day, the team finally arrived at the core area of ​​Luoyan Mountain.

This is a vast valley, surrounded by steep cliffs, with a dense primeval forest at its bottom. At the end of the valley, there is a huge cave entrance, dark and gloomy, like a gateway to the underworld.

"This is it," Zhou Qing said. "According to our intelligence, this cave is the largest in Luoyan Mountain, with interconnected passages extending deep underground. If there really is any source, it's very likely inside this cave."

The soldiers looked at the cave with tense expressions on their faces.

"Lord Zhou, are we really going in?" Ah Hu asked. "There are bound to be many evil spirits inside..."

“Let’s explore the cave entrance first,” Zhou Qing said. “We won’t go deep, just assess the situation. If it’s too dangerous, we’ll retreat and wait for reinforcements from headquarters.”

"Yes."

The team cautiously approached the cave entrance.

Rowan's mental energy was the first to probe into the cave, sensing the situation inside.

The cave was enormous, with the main passage about twenty meters wide and ten meters high, extending deep underground. Many branches branched off on either side, leading in different directions. The air was thick with a damp, decaying smell, mingled with a faint stench of blood.

And that energy fluctuation... was more than ten times stronger than the one outside.

"It's inside," Rowan thought to himself, "the ancient star beast is deep within this cave."

He was about to continue his investigation when he suddenly sensed something.

Something is rapidly approaching from deep within the cave.

"Watch out!" Rowan shouted, "Something's coming out of there!"

His warning came at just the right time.

No sooner had he finished speaking than a huge figure burst out of the cave.

It was a gigantic monster, resembling a bat magnified dozens of times. Its wingspan exceeded ten meters, its body was covered in black fur, its eyes were blood-red, and its mouth was filled with sharp teeth. It exuded a terrifying aura, far more powerful than any of the evil spirits encountered before.

(End of this chapter)