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

Chapter 512 Finding a Needle in a Haystack!

"A mid-level evil spirit!" Zhou Qing's expression changed drastically. "It's a Darkwing Bat! Scatter!"

The warriors immediately scattered to avoid the Darkwing Bats' attack.

But this evil creature was too fast, far exceeding their reaction time. With a sweep of its giant wings, it sent two warriors who couldn't dodge in time flying, crashing heavily to the ground and spitting blood.

"Damn it!" Zhou Qing drew his sword and charged toward the Darkwing Bat.

A burst of energy erupted from his body, and a faint light enveloped the blade as he slashed fiercely at the Darkwing Bat's wing.

"clang!"

The blade struck the dark-winged bat's wing, producing a metallic clang. However, the bat's wing only showed a white mark; it wasn't actually cleaved open.

"His skin is too thick!" Zhou Qing's face darkened.

Enraged, the Darkwing Bat let out a sharp screech, then opened its massive jaws and lunged at Zhou Qing.

"Lord Zhou!" the soldiers exclaimed.

Just at this critical moment, a figure suddenly appeared in front of Zhou Qing.

It's Roman Tam.

He shoved Zhou Qing aside, then raised his sword and thrust it towards the Darkwing Bat's large mouth.

Luo Wen used 30% of his strength in this sword strike.

"puff!"

The sword tip easily pierced the darkwing bat's upper jaw and went straight into its brain.

The dark-winged bat froze, the fierce glint in its eyes gradually fading. It swayed a few times, then crashed to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Kill with one blow.

A deathly silence fell over the surroundings.

Everyone was stunned, staring in disbelief at Rowan and the corpse of the Darkwing Bat at his feet.

"This...this is impossible..." Ah Hu's mouth gaped open. "One sword...he killed the mid-level evil spirit with just one sword strike..."

Zhou Qing got up from the ground and looked at Luo Wen in shock.

"Young Master Luo...who exactly are you?" he asked in a trembling voice.

Luo Wen sheathed his sword and turned to face the crowd.

“I have said before that I am a wandering swordsman,” he said calmly, “and I have not deceived you in this respect.”

He offered no further explanation. Although he had revealed some of his strength, he believed these Earth warriors wouldn't be able to guess his true identity. In their eyes, he was merely a top-tier expert hiding his true abilities—such people, though rare in the martial world, were not nonexistent.

Zhou Qing took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.

"Thank you so much for saving me, Young Master Luo," he said, clasping his hands in gratitude. "If it weren't for you, I'd probably be dead here today."

"It was nothing," Luo Wen said. "Lord Zhou, you're too kind."

He glanced at the cave entrance, a hint of seriousness flashing in his eyes.

“There’s probably something even more powerful inside this cave,” he said. “Lord Zhou, I suggest you retreat first and wait for reinforcements. With your current strength, venturing deeper into the cave is too dangerous.”

Zhou Qing was silent for a moment, then nodded.

“You’re right,” he said. “The situation today is beyond our control. Let’s retreat and report to headquarters.”

He turned to the soldiers: "Pack up and prepare to retreat. Take the wounded brothers with you, and we'll head down the mountain."

"Yes!"

The soldiers began packing up their equipment, preparing to evacuate.

Rowan stood there, gazing at the dark cave entrance, thinking to himself:

"The ancient star beast is inside... but it's not the right time yet. I need more information to formulate the next plan."

He decided to first return with the people from the Mysterious Bureau to learn more about the planet and the evil spirits. Then, he would venture alone into the caves to find the exact location of the ancient star beast.

The group began their descent.

Along the way, the soldiers' attitude towards Rowan changed noticeably. The previous disdain and wariness had turned into awe and gratitude. Ah Hu, in particular, had completely lost his previous arrogance and instead clung to Rowan like a little follower, constantly asking him all sorts of questions.

"Young Master Luo, who taught you your swordsmanship?"

"Young Master Luo, what kind of martial arts do you practice?"

"Young Master Luo, would you be interested in joining the Mysterious Bureau? With your abilities, you could at least become the deputy commander of a branch..."

Rowan just smiled and didn't give a direct answer.

Zhou Qing walked beside him, her expression thoughtful.

“Young Master Luo,” he said in a low voice, “I don’t know your true identity, nor do I intend to ask. But I can sense that you’ve come to Luoyan Mountain for more than just sightseeing.”

Luo Wen glanced at him and nodded slightly: "Lord Zhou's intuition is very accurate."

"and you……"

“I am indeed investigating the anomalies at Luoyan Mountain,” Rowan said. “As for the reason, please forgive me for not being able to disclose it at this time. However, Lord Zhou, rest assured, my goal and that of the Mysterious Bureau are the same—to protect the people of this land.”

Zhou Qing was silent for a moment, then nodded.

“I believe you,” he said. “If you need help, just ask. The Mysteries Bureau may have limited resources, but they are well-informed.”

"Thank you, Lord Zhou," Luo Wen said, clasping his hands in a fist salute. "I do indeed have some questions I would like to ask you."

"Please say."

"When did these evil spirits first appear?" Rowan asked. "I mean, what is the oldest record of evil spirits in the records of the Mysterious Bureau?"

Zhou Qing thought for a moment: "As far as I know, the oldest records of the Mysterious Bureau can be traced back eight hundred years. At that time, the Mysterious Bureau was newly established, with the purpose of dealing with suddenly appearing evil spirits."

“Eight hundred years ago…” Rowan frowned, “Before that, were there no evil spirits?”

“No,” Zhou Qing said. “According to historical records, eight hundred years ago, there were no evil spirits on this land. People lived peaceful lives. Occasionally, wild animals would attack people, but those were just ordinary wild animals, not evil spirits.”

What happened eight hundred years ago? Why did evil spirits suddenly appear?

“This…” Zhou Qing shook his head, “Nobody knows. The predecessors of the Mysterious Bureau have also studied this problem, but they have never found an answer. Some people speculate that something has changed between heaven and earth; some people speculate that something came to this land from elsewhere… but they are all just speculations, without any evidence.” Luo Wen’s heart stirred.

Eight hundred years ago...

According to Virtual Universe Corporation, the energy fluctuation was detected by a probe three hundred years ago. However, this does not mean that the ancient star beast only arrived on Earth three hundred years ago—it may have been here all along, only to be discovered three hundred years ago.

If the ancient star beasts arrived on Earth more than 800 years ago and began releasing energy from that time onwards...

"The timing of the evil spirits' appearance coincides with the arrival of the ancient star beasts," Rowan thought to himself. "This can't be a coincidence. The ancient star beasts must be the source of the evil spirits."

He then asked, "Lord Zhou, has the number of evil spirits changed over the past eight hundred years?"

“Things have changed a lot,” Zhou Qing said. “In the first few hundred years, the number of evil spirits was small, only a few appearing each year. But starting about a hundred years ago, the number of evil spirits began to increase. In recent decades, the increase has accelerated even further. Now, at least several hundred evil spirits appear every year, and the Mysterious Bureau is severely understaffed.”

"It started increasing a hundred years ago, and it's been increasing even faster in recent decades..." Rowan pondered.

This perfectly matches his prediction. The ancient star beasts are gradually awakening, releasing increasingly stronger energy, which in turn leads to a surge in evil spirits.

“If left unchecked,” Rowan thought to himself, “the number of evil spirits will only increase, and Blue Star will eventually be overwhelmed by them. And the day the ancient star beasts fully awaken…”

He didn't dare to continue thinking about it.

"Lord Zhou," Rowan asked again, "has the Mysteries Bureau researched the relationship between evil spirits and a certain kind of energy?"

"Energy?" Zhou Qing asked, somewhat puzzled. "What kind of energy?"

“It’s…” Rowan carefully chose his words, “…a power that is invisible and intangible, but definitely exists. Does such a power exist within the body of an evil spirit?”

Zhou Qing suddenly realized: "You mean 'demonic energy'?"

"Demonic aura?"

“That’s right. Evil spirits all possess a special aura within them, which we call ‘demonic energy,’” Zhou Qing said. “This demonic energy is different from the true energy we cultivate; it is evil and corrupt. Evil spirits rely on demonic energy to possess power surpassing that of ordinary beasts. The Mysterious Bureau has specialized methods to sense demonic energy, and this is one of our methods for finding evil spirits.”

“I see,” Rowan nodded.

It seems that the people on Earth have noticed the existence of that energy, but they call it "demonic energy" and do not know its true source.

"There's another question," Rowan asked, "Have you sensed which place has the densest demonic energy?"

Zhou Qing pondered for a moment: "If we're talking about the most concentrated places... it should be the lairs of evil spirits in various regions. Evil spirits like to gather in places with dense demonic energy, and over time, the demonic energy there will become increasingly concentrated. For example, Luoyan Mountain is one of the places with relatively dense demonic energy."

"Besides Luoyan Mountain?"

"Besides Luoyan Mountain..." Zhou Qing thought for a moment, "There are several other places in the Eastern Continent with dense demonic energy, such as the Netherworld Swamp in the south, the Bone Forest in the east, and Black Wind Mountain in the north. These are areas where evil spirits gather, and the Mysterious Bureau sends people to exterminate them every year."

Rowan wrote down these place names.

"Do these places have a common center?" he asked.

"A common center?" Zhou Qing paused for a moment. "Now that you mention it... it does seem like there is one."

He took the map out of his pocket and started pointing at it.

“Look, the Netherworld Swamp is here, the Bone Forest is here, Black Wind Mountain is here, Falling Goose Mountain is here…” He drew a circle on the map with his finger. “If you connect these places, they roughly form a circle. And the center of this circle…”

His finger stopped at a location on the map.

“It’s the Dragon Vein Mountain Range,” Zhou Qing said. “The largest mountain range in the Eastern Continent, said to be the location of the entire continent’s ‘dragon vein.’ The terrain there is treacherous, and few people venture in.”

Rowan stared at the location on the map, his mind completely clear.

"The location of the ancient star beast is very likely somewhere in the Dragon Vein Mountains," he thought to himself. "That's the true source. Luoyan Mountain is just closer to it, hence the dense demonic energy and numerous evil spirits."

“Thank you, Lord Zhou,” Rowan said, withdrawing his gaze. “The information you provided is extremely useful.”

“You’re welcome,” Zhou Qing said, putting away the map. “Young Master Luo, what exactly are you investigating? Can you tell me?”

Luo Wen was silent for a moment, then said, "Lord Zhou, there are some things I cannot tell you right now. But I can tell you that the anomalies at Luoyan Mountain, and even the increase in evil spirits throughout the Eastern Continent, may be far more serious than you imagine. I need more time to investigate before I can ascertain the truth."

"It's more serious than we thought..." Zhou Qing's expression was grave. "You mean, something major is about to happen?"

“I’m not sure,” Rowan said, “but I suggest the Mysteries Division increase its vigilance and prepare for the worst.”

Zhou Qing gave Luo Wen a deep look, then nodded.

“I will relay your words to headquarters,” he said. “Hopefully… it was just a false alarm.”

The group continued down the mountain.

Before dark, they finally returned to the foot of the mountain and then rushed back to Yunxi Town overnight.

Back in town, Zhou Qing arranged for the wounded soldiers to receive treatment, while he went to write a report. Luo Wen took his leave and returned to the Su family's cloth shop.

The Su family was overjoyed to see him return safely. Su Wan's eyes even reddened as she kept asking him about his experiences on the mountain.

Rowan briefly recounted what he had seen and heard, without revealing too many details. He only said that he had encountered some danger, but ultimately escaped unharmed.

That night, Rowan lay in bed, reflecting on what he had accomplished over the past few days.

"The ancient star beast should be located in the Dragon Vein Mountains," he thought to himself. "Luoyan Mountain is just the edge of its influence. If I want to find its exact location, I must venture deeper into the Dragon Vein Mountains."

But this is no easy task. The Dragon Vein Mountains stretch for thousands of miles, with complex terrain, making it like finding a needle in a haystack to find a sleeping ancient star beast within them.

“I need more precise location,” Rowan thought. “Perhaps… I can utilize the intelligence network of the Mysterious Bureau.”

He decided to continue his activities in Yunxi Town in the coming days, gathering more information from the Mysterious Bureau. At the same time, he would use his mental power to sense the energy fluctuations of the Dragon Vein Mountains from afar, attempting to narrow down his search area.

“There should still be enough time,” Rowan thought to himself. “Judging from the intensity of the energy fluctuations, the ancient star beast is still in a deep slumber, and it will likely take a long time for it to fully awaken. I have ample time to complete the investigation.”

He closed his eyes and began to meditate.

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Rowan was awakened by a series of urgent knocks on the door.

"Young Master Luo! Young Master Luo!" It was Su Wan's voice, tinged with anxiety.

Luo Wen got up and opened the door, only to see Su Wan standing outside, looking nervous.

"Miss Su, what happened?"

"Lord Zhou of the Mysterious Bureau has sent someone to see you," Su Wan said. "He says there's an emergency and he needs you to come immediately."

Luo Wen's heart skipped a beat. He quickly dressed and followed the Su family's shop assistant to the entrance of the cloth shop. A warrior from the Mysterious Bureau was waiting there, looking anxious.

"Young Master Luo, Lord Zhou requests your immediate attention at the North Gate," the soldier said. "Something terrible has happened!"

(End of this chapter)