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

Chapter 513 The real master!
"What's up?"

"Last night, several villages to the north were attacked by evil spirits, resulting in heavy casualties. Lord Zhou has already led men to provide support and has sent me to ask for your help."

Without hesitation, Rowan immediately followed the soldier toward the north gate.

Outside the north gate, Zhou Qing was leading a dozen or so warriors from the Mysterious Bureau, fully equipped and ready to go. Seeing Luo Wen arrive, a hint of relief appeared on his face.

“Young Master Luo, last night, the three villages to the north—Qingshi Village, Liujiazhuang Village, and Hewan Village—were simultaneously attacked by evil spirits,” Zhou Qing hurried forward. “Dozens of people died, and many more were injured. Worse still, several evil spirits escaped into the nearby mountains and forests. We must eliminate them as soon as possible, or the consequences will be dire.”

“I understand,” Rowan nodded. “Let’s go.”

The team immediately set off, speeding towards the village to the north.

Along the way, Zhou Qing explained the details to Luo Wen.

"According to the survivors, at least seven or eight evil spirits attacked the village, all of them of low rank. They appeared suddenly under the cover of night, biting and killing indiscriminately. By the time the villagers reacted, heavy casualties had already occurred."

"Attacked three villages simultaneously?" Rowan frowned. "Aren't evil spirits usually solitary creatures? How could so many of them gather together?"

“That’s exactly what I’m worried about,” Zhou Qing said gravely. “Evil spirits usually live alone and rarely come in groups. This situation is very unusual, and I suspect… there might be a nest of evil spirits nearby, from which these evil spirits are emerging.”

Luo Wen thought to himself, "The evil spirits are increasing in number and their behavior is becoming more and more abnormal. This indicates that the influence of the ancient star beasts is intensifying."

About half an hour later, the group arrived at Qingshi Village.

The scene before my eyes was shocking.

The village was littered with broken houses and scattered debris, with large patches of blood on the ground. Several corpses were covered with white sheets, and villagers were weeping softly nearby. The air was thick with the stench of blood and burning, making one want to vomit.

"It's too tragic..." Ah Hu said in a low voice, his fists clenched tightly.

Zhou Qing stepped forward and found the village head. He was an old man in his fifties, pale-faced and with vacant eyes, clearly greatly frightened.

"Village head, which direction did the evil spirit flee in?" Zhou Qing asked.

"They fled... fled into the mountains to the north..." The village head pointed north, his voice trembling. "Those monsters... they captured several people... all young girls and children..."

"They've arrested people?" Zhou Qing's expression changed. "How many people have they arrested?"

"At least...at least five or six..."

Zhou Qing turned to look at Luo Wen, her eyes filled with anxiety.

“Evil spirits abduct people either to eat them or to reproduce,” he said in a low voice. “In either case, we must save them as soon as possible.”

“I know,” Rowan nodded. “Let’s go.”

The group did not linger in the village and immediately headed north into the mountains.

Rowan released his spiritual power, sensing the aura left behind by the evil spirit. The trace of that demonic energy was very clear, like a conspicuous clue guiding their direction.

"This way," Rowan pointed in a direction, "the evil spirits are fleeing this way."

Zhou Qing had no doubts and immediately led his team to follow.

The group moved swiftly through the mountains and forests. Rowan's perception was far beyond that of ordinary people; whenever they went astray or encountered a fork in the road, he could accurately point out the correct direction.

After walking for about an hour, they arrived at a relatively open valley.

Just then, a commotion arose ahead.

"Someone's there!" Ah Hu hissed.

Everyone immediately went on alert and quietly approached the source of the sound.

As they walked through a thicket of bushes, they witnessed a heartbreaking scene.

A middle-aged man was kneeling on the ground, clutching a blood-stained rag and wailing. His body was covered in wounds, and his clothes were tattered, clearly indicating that he had been in a fierce fight. Beside him lay a young man who had already died, with several deep claw marks on his body that exposed bone.

"My daughter... my Xiaoyun..." the middle-aged man cried out in anguish, "God, give my daughter back to me..."

Zhou Qing stepped forward, squatted down, and asked softly, "Fellow villager, which village are you from? What's going on here?"

The middle-aged man looked up and saw Zhou Qing and the others' attire; a glimmer of hope flashed in his eyes.

"Are you... from the Bureau of Mysteries?" he asked in a trembling voice.

“Yes, we are from the Mysterious Bureau,” Zhou Qing said. “Tell us what happened, and we will help you.”

The middle-aged man grabbed Zhou Qing's hand as if it were his last lifeline.

"Please, please, save my daughter!" he cried. "Those monsters have kidnapped my daughter! I chased them all the way, and just when I was about to catch up, another monster appeared... My nephew was... was..."

He couldn't continue, he just cried desperately.

Rowan stepped forward and examined the body on the ground. The young man's wounds were typical demonic claw marks, sharp and deep. Judging from the location of the wounds, he was likely attacked while protecting the middle-aged man.

"Fellow villager, did you get a clear look at what the evil spirit that kidnapped your daughter looked like?" Rowan asked.

The middle-aged man struggled to compose himself, choking back tears as he said, "It was...it was a monster that looked like a big dog, covered in black fur, with red eyes...It carried my daughter in its mouth and ran incredibly fast...I couldn't catch up with it..."

"Black fur, red eyes, looks like a big dog..." Zhou Qing frowned. "It should be a Dark Night Wolf, a low-level fifth-tier evil spirit. It's very fast and likes to travel in packs."

"Which direction did they go?" Rowan asked.

The middle-aged man pointed northeast: "Over there... I saw them go into a cave..."

"A cave?" Zhou Qing and Luo Wen exchanged a glance, both seeing the seriousness in each other's eyes.

If evil spirits lead people into their lair, the situation becomes even more critical. There are likely even more evil spirits inside, making it extremely dangerous to enter rashly.

But if they don't go, those who have been arrested will surely die.

“Lord Zhou,” Rowan said, “time is of the essence; we must act as soon as possible.”

Zhou Qing gritted his teeth and nodded, saying, "Okay, let's go!"

He turned to the middle-aged man: "Fellow villager, wait here for a moment, we're going to rescue your daughter."

"No!" The middle-aged man struggled to his feet. "I have to go! Xiaoyun is my only family; I can't just wait here!"

“Your injuries are severe; you wouldn’t be of any help if you went, and would only be a burden to us,” Zhou Qing said. “Trust us, we will definitely save your daughter.”

The middle-aged man wanted to say something, but seeing Zhou Qing's determined eyes, he finally gave in.

"Please...you must save Xiaoyun..." he sobbed, "She's only thirteen...she's my only daughter..."

“We will,” Zhou Qing patted him on the shoulder. “You wait here, we’ll be right back.”

The group continued onward, heading towards the cave.

As Luo Wen walked, he used his mental power to sense the situation ahead. The demonic aura was growing stronger, indicating that they were getting closer and closer to the lair of the evil spirits.

After walking for about half an hour, they finally saw the cave. It was a huge cave, with an entrance about five or six meters wide and three or four meters high. It was pitch black, and they couldn't see what was inside. There were some bones and scraps of cloth scattered around the entrance, and a strong, pungent stench filled the air.

“This is it,” Rowan said in a low voice. “There are at least seven or eight evil spirits inside, and… the presence of living people.”

"Living people?" Zhou Qing's eyes lit up. "Those who were captured are still alive?"

“At least a few are still alive,” Rowan said, “but their breathing is very weak; they must be injured or unconscious.”

“Then we must hurry,” Zhou Qing said. “We can’t let those beasts harm more people.”

He turned to the soldiers: "Get ready, we're going in. Ah Hu, lead the way, the rest of you follow closely, don't get separated. Young Master Luo, please bring up the rear."

“Okay.” Rowan nodded.

The group carefully entered the cave.

The cave was larger inside than it appeared from the outside, with a main passage that meandered and had smaller side passages on either side. The floor was covered with bones and feces, and the walls had strange marks that looked like they had been scratched by sharp claws.

"It stinks..." a soldier said, covering his nose.

"Don't make a sound," Zhou Qing warned in a low voice, "evil spirits have very sensitive hearing."

The team continued deeper into the area.

After walking about a hundred meters, a low howl suddenly came from ahead, accompanied by a woman's scream and a child's cry.

"It's those people who were arrested!" Ah Hu exclaimed urgently.

"Hurry!" Zhou Qing quickened his pace.

They rushed into a large cavernous space, and the sight before them enraged everyone.

This is a naturally formed stone chamber, about twenty or thirty meters wide. In one corner of the chamber, five or six people, covered in wounds, are bound with ropes. Among them are three young women, two children, and an old man. Their faces are filled with fear and despair; some are crying, while others have already fainted.

Before them, seven enormous black wolves were howling. These wolves were massive, standing over a meter tall at the shoulder, covered in black fur, with blood-red eyes and dripping sticky saliva. One of the largest wolves was pinning a little girl down with its paw, seemingly preparing to devour her.

"Stop!" Zhou Qing roared, drew his sword, and charged forward.

The giant wolf, its meal interrupted, turned angrily and let out a deafening roar at Zhou Qing. The other six giant wolves also stopped what they were doing and stared at the intruder.

"kill!"

The warriors of the Mysterious Bureau charged forward with shouts, engaging in a fierce battle with the evil spirits.

Rowan stood at the rear, observing the battle.

The seven Dark Night Wolves varied in strength; the strongest was only at the lower level six, while the rest were at the lower level three to five. The Mysterious Division's team should be able to handle them, but it would be quite difficult.

"Let's see how they perform first," Rowan thought to himself. "If the situation becomes critical, then I'll intervene."

The battle was very fierce.

The warriors of the Mysterious Bureau worked in perfect coordination, forming groups of three, providing cover for each other, and taking turns attacking the evil spirits. Their weapons were coated with a special potion said to suppress the demonic energy of the evil spirits. Whenever a weapon struck an evil spirit, a wisp of black smoke would rise from the wound, clearly indicating the potion's effectiveness.

Zhou Qing personally dealt with the largest night wolf. His swordsmanship was fierce, and his movements were agile, each strike hitting vital points. However, the night wolf's fur was extremely tough, and its reactions were incredibly fast, so Zhou Qing's attacks often only caused minor injuries.

"Damn it, this beast's skin is too thick!" Zhou Qing cursed inwardly.

Enraged, the night wolf opened its blood-red maw and lunged at Zhou Qing. Zhou Qing dodged to the side, but its sharp claws still managed to slash his arm.

"Lord Zhou!" the soldiers exclaimed.

"I'm fine!" Zhou Qing endured the pain and continued fighting.

On the other side, Ah Hu was locked in combat with two night wolves. His archery skills were so precise that he had already blinded one of the night wolves, but the other seized the opportunity to pounce and bite his shoulder.

"Ah!" Ah Hu screamed, and the bow in his hand fell to the ground.

"Ah Hu!" Two warriors rushed forward to help, forcing the dark wolf back.

The battle reached a stalemate. Although the warriors of the Mysterious Bureau outnumbered the demons, the evil spirits were formidable and extremely ferocious. Both sides suffered casualties, and the outcome was uncertain for the time being.

Seeing this, Rowan knew it was time to make his move.

He walked slowly forward and drew his longsword.

"Please step back, everyone, and let me handle this."

Upon hearing his voice, Zhou Qing was overjoyed and quickly called out, "Everyone step back and let Young Master Luo come!"

The soldiers retreated, making room for Rowan.

Upon seeing the new enemy, the seven night wolves turned and stared at Rowan. The largest night wolf let out a low growl, carrying a strong warning.

Rowan looked at these evil spirits, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

"brute."

He moved.

His speed was astonishing; he arrived in front of the largest night wolf almost instantly. Before the night wolf could react, his sword was already piercing its throat.

“Ah—”

The night wolf let out a mournful howl, its body convulsed violently, and then it collapsed to the ground with a thud.

The other six night wolves were terrified by this scene and retreated, their eyes filled with fear.

But Rowan didn't give them a chance to escape.

His figure moved like a ghost, each sword strike accurately piercing the vitals of the evil spirits. In less than ten breaths, all six night wolves fell, never to rise again.

A deathly silence fell over the stone chamber.

The warriors of the Mysterious Bureau looked at Rowan with shock and awe in their eyes.

"So...so strong..." Ah Hu murmured, clutching his injured shoulder, "This is a true master..."

Zhou Qing also took a deep breath and stepped forward.

"Thank you for your help, Young Master Luo," he said, clasping his hands in gratitude. "If it weren't for you, we would likely have suffered many casualties today."

“No need to be so polite,” Rowan sheathed his sword. “Let’s save them first.”

The soldiers rushed forward and untied the people who were bound.

The little girl was Xiaoyun, the middle-aged man's daughter. She was only thirteen years old, her face covered in tears and blood, with several scratches on her body, but thankfully she was not in any life-threatening danger.

(End of this chapter)