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

Chapter 522 The Threat of Ancient Star Beasts!
"Brother Luo, you must come back safely," Lin Feng said.

“Mr. Luo, be careful,” Zhao Xue said.

Rowan nodded and turned to leave.

After leaving the headquarters of the Mysterious Bureau, Rowan no longer suppressed his speed and sprinted towards the east of the city at full speed.

His speed was astonishing; he was almost a blur, disappearing at the end of the street in the blink of an eye. Pedestrians on the road only felt a gust of wind pass by, unable to see what it was at all.

According to the directions given by Chen Yuan, Jingxin Temple is located on a mountain fifty miles east of the city. At Luo Wen's speed, he can arrive in less than half an hour.

Throughout the journey, Rowan felt very heavy-hearted.

Zhou Qing is dead.

That warm and cheerful middle-aged man, the mysterious inspector who had been so honest with him on Luoyan Mountain, died at the hands of evil spirits.

"Zhou Qing, I will avenge you," Luo Wen vowed silently in his heart.

About fifteen minutes later, a mountain appeared in front of them.

The mountain isn't high, but it's covered in lush, verdant trees. Halfway up the mountain, you can see the outline of a cluster of buildings; that must be Jingxin Temple.

But at this moment, a thin layer of black mist shrouded the building, making it look extremely eerie. A strong stench of blood and decay permeated the air, noticeable even from a distance.

Luo Wen slowed his pace, released his mental energy, and sensed the situation on the mountain.

He sensed the presence of that evil spirit.

It was an extremely powerful demonic aura, far more concentrated than any evil spirit he had encountered before. The demonic aura also contained a peculiar fluctuation, seemingly a remnant of some Buddhist cultivation technique.

"It really is a high-level rank," Rowan thought to himself, "and...it seems to be getting stronger."

He quickened his pace and walked up the mountain path.

The trees lining the mountain road were withered, their leaves yellowed and curled, their trunks covered with black spots. Scattered on the ground were animal carcasses, most of them rotting and emitting a foul stench.

“Evil energy is corrupting it,” Rowan frowned. “This evil spirit’s demonic aura is too strong; it’s already starting to affect the surrounding environment.”

The higher you go, the more serious the situation becomes.

When they reached the halfway point of the mountain, Rowan saw the first human corpse.

It was a young monk wearing a monk's robe. There were no obvious wounds on his body, but his face was distorted and his eyes were wide open. He had obviously been scared to death.

As you go further up, you see more and more corpses.

There were monks, warriors from the Mysterious Bureau, and ordinary pilgrims... Their deaths varied. Some were torn to pieces, some were smashed into a pulp, and some, like the first corpse, had no external injuries, seemingly killed directly by evil energy.

Rowan counted at least thirty or forty corpses along the way.

"This is too tragic..." A surge of anger welled up in his heart.

Finally, he arrived at the entrance of Jingxin Temple.

The temple gates were wide open, the plaque above them had fallen to the ground and shattered into several pieces. There were large patches of blood on the threshold, which had dried and turned black.

Luo Wen stepped into the temple.

Jingxin Temple was once a large temple complex with three courtyards, complete with a main hall, meditation rooms, a bell tower, and a drum tower. But now, it has become a ruin.

Houses collapsed, Buddha statues shattered, and ruins were everywhere. Corpses lay scattered on the ground, their blood staining the bluestone slabs. A thick, eerie aura permeated the air, making one feel oppressed and suffocated.

Rowan crossed the front yard and came to the middle yard.

In the center of the courtyard, he saw the evil spirit.

It was an old monk dressed in a kasaya, sitting cross-legged on a futon, his eyes closed, as if he were meditating. His face was withered, his skin was grayish-white, and he looked like a dried-up corpse.

But Rowan knew that this was no ordinary corpse.

The old monk exuded a terrifying demonic aura, several times stronger than what had been sensed before. A thin layer of black mist surrounded him, within which ghostly faces flickered and emitted mournful howls.

This is the evil spirit that Master Huiming transformed into.

Rowan stopped and carefully observed the evil spirit.

Outwardly, it looked much like an ordinary corpse. But Rowan's mental power could sense that it contained an extremely powerful force within its body. That force was constantly growing stronger, as if it were devouring something.

"It's absorbing the life essence of the dead," Rowan thought to himself, "No wonder it's getting stronger and stronger."

Just then, the old monk suddenly opened his eyes.

Those were jet-black eyes, devoid of white, only endless darkness. It stared at Rowan, a sinister smile slowly creeping onto its lips.

"Another one sent to their death?"

Its voice was hoarse and deep, as if it came from the depths of hell, sending chills down one's spine.

Rowan didn't speak, he just watched it quietly.

“You’re different from those others,” the old monk tilted his head, scrutinizing Rowan. “Your aura is very strong, far stronger than those ants.”

"Are you Master Huiming?" Luo Wen asked.

"Huiming?" The old monk let out a piercing laugh. "That old monk is dead. Now I am an evil spirit, a demon, the most powerful being in this land!"

It stood up, its robes fluttering without wind, and its demonic aura surged forth like a tide.

"I've slumbered underground for eight hundred years, and finally found a suitable vessel," it said. "This old monk has cultivated his entire life, accumulating profound spiritual power, which I can utilize. Once I completely devour his soul, my strength will rise to another level!"

"Eight hundred years?" Luo Wen frowned.

Eight hundred years ago, the evil spirit first appeared on Earth. Could this evil spirit be related to that ancient star beast?

"Where are you from?" Rowan asked.

"Where do you come from?" the old monk sneered. "I come from the abyss, from the darkness, from the dream of that great being!"

"A great being?"

“That’s right,” a glint of fanaticism flashed in the old monk’s eyes, “deep within the Dragon Vein Mountains, lies a great being. Its power is boundless, its will encompasses the entire world. We, these evil spirits, are all its avatars, its minions!”

Luo Wen was startled.

Sure enough, this evil spirit is related to the ancient star beast. The "great being" it speaks of must be the ancient star beast slumbering in the Demon-Suppressing Abyss.

“Your master is about to awaken,” the old monk continued. “On the day he awakens, all living beings in this world will submit to him! And I will become his most loyal servant, sharing in his glory!”

“Dream on,” Rowan said coldly.

"Dreaming?" the old monk laughed. "Ignorant humans, you have no idea what you're facing! That great being possesses power beyond your imagination! How could you ants possibly stop its awakening?"

“Then let me try,” Rowan drew his longsword. “First, I’ll start by eliminating you.”

"Destroy me?" The old monk's smile turned sinister. "You think you can?"

With a sudden wave of its hand, a terrifying demonic aura transformed into a black beam of light, hurtling towards Rowan.

Rowan dodged the attack by sidestepping. The black beam of light struck the wall behind him, blasting a large hole in it.

"Not bad speed," the old monk squinted, "but this is just the beginning!"

It clasped its hands together and muttered incantations. The next moment, dozens of black ghostly figures appeared around it, whistling as they pounced on Rowan.

The ghostly figures were incredibly fast and numerous, practically blocking all of Rowan's escape routes. But Rowan did not retreat.

He took a deep breath, and the genetic energy within him began to circulate. A faint light shone on his body, repelling all the ghostly figures.

"This is..." The old monk's expression changed slightly, "Your power is different from that of ordinary martial artists!"

Luo Wen did not answer, but flashed and rushed towards the old monk.

His speed was several times faster than before, almost becoming a blur. The old monk's eyes couldn't keep up, and he could only instinctively raise his palm to block.

"boom!"

The two attacks collided with a loud bang. The old monk staggered back several steps, a look of surprise on his face.

"Such immense power!" it gritted its teeth. "Just who are you?"

“You don’t need to know,” Rowan said coldly, “because you’re about to die.”

He drew his sword again, the sword light flashing like a rainbow, aiming straight for the old monk's vital point.

The old monk raised his palm to block, but Rowan's attack was too fast and too fierce; it had no time to fully defend itself. The sword light slashed a deep wound on its arm, and black blood gushed out.

"Damn it!" the old monk roared, "You actually injured me!"

An even denser demonic aura erupted from its body, and its wounds began to heal rapidly. At the same time, its strength also increased rapidly, breaking through from the seventh level of the upper realm to the eighth level.

“I told you, I’m constantly getting stronger,” the old monk sneered. “You can’t kill me!”

It spread its arms and let out a sharp roar. The next moment, the surrounding corpses began to move.

The corpses that had fallen to the ground, whether monks or warriors, all rose to their feet, becoming walking corpses. Their eyes were empty, and they emitted low growls as they lunged at Rowan.

"Go, my servants!" the old monk laughed, "tear this man to pieces!"

Rowan frowned slightly as he looked at the surging corpses.

These corpses, though not particularly strong, were numerous, and they had once been warriors of the Mysterious Bureau and innocent monks. He didn't want to harm them if possible.

But now there is no other choice.

“I’m sorry,” Rowan said softly, “I will let you rest in peace.”

He swung his sword, and a sharp sword aura swept across. The onrushing corpses were struck by the sword aura and fell to the ground, never to rise again.

The old monk's expression changed.

"What's in your sword energy..." it murmured, "that can purify evil?"

Rowan did not answer and continued moving forward.

His attacks grew faster and fiercer, giving the old monk no chance to catch his breath. Although the old monk was powerful, he gradually found himself unable to withstand Luo Wen's onslaught.

"Damn it, damn it!" the old monk roared. "I will not lose! I am a servant of a great being, how could I possibly lose to a mere human!"

An unprecedented demonic aura erupted from its body, and its strength surged once again, breaking through to the ninth level of the upper realm.

“This is my limit,” it gritted its teeth, “but it’s enough to kill you!”

It opened its mouth and spat out a jet-black bead. The bead exuded a terrifying aura, as if it contained endless darkness.

"Go to hell!" the old monk roared.

The bead shot towards Rowan at an unimaginable speed.

Rowan's expression turned serious.

He sensed that the energy contained in that bead was terrifying; if he were hit, even he would be injured.

He didn't take the hit head-on, but instead dodged to the side.

But the bead seemed to have an automatic tracking function; it turned in mid-air and continued to chase Rowan.

"There's no escaping it!" the old monk sneered.

Rowan frowned, stopped dodging, and turned to meet him.

He raised his longsword, and a dazzling light shone from its blade. That light contrasted sharply with the darkness within the bead, as if it were a duel between light and darkness.

"break!"

Luo Wen shouted and slashed at the bead with his sword.

"boom!"

The sword clashed with the pearl, producing a deafening roar. A terrifying shockwave spread outwards, collapsing all the surrounding houses.

When the smoke cleared, Rowan was still standing there, unharmed. The bead, however, had turned to dust and vanished into the air.

"Impossible!" The old monk's eyes widened, his face filled with disbelief. "How could you shatter my natal demon core with a single sword strike? What kind of monster are you?"

Luo Wen did not answer, but flashed and appeared in front of the old monk.

"You deserve to die."

He thrust out his sword, the tip piercing the old monk's brow with perfect accuracy.

The old monk froze, his mouth agape as if he wanted to say something, but nothing came out. His eyes were filled with fear and resentment, as if he couldn't believe, even in death, that he had been defeated by a human.

“Great…master…” it murmured, “I…have failed…”

Its body began to collapse, turning into a cloud of black mist that dissipated into the air.

As it disappeared, the black mist that had shrouded Jingxin Temple gradually dissipated, and the sunlight shone down again, dispelling the gloom.

Rowan sheathed his longsword, looked at the scattered corpses on the ground, and a complex emotion welled up in his heart.

Although he won the battle, the dead could not be brought back to life. Zhou Qing, the warriors of the Mysterious Bureau, the monks of Jingxin Temple, and the innocent worshippers... they all died at the hands of this evil spirit.

"Zhou Qing..." Luo Wen said softly, "Rest in peace."

He found Zhou Qing's body in the ruins.

Zhou Qing died a gruesome death, his body almost torn in two, yet his face still held a resolute expression. Beside him lay the remains of several evil spirits, clearly killed by him before his death.

“You fought until your death,” Rowan crouched down and gently closed Zhou Qing’s eyes. “Truly worthy of being an inspector of the Mysterious Bureau.”

He carefully collected Zhou Qing's body and then began cleaning up the battlefield.

The corpses that had been controlled by the evil spirits had returned to calm after the spirits died. Rowan collected them one by one, preparing to take them back for burial.

He spent most of the day finishing up all the cleanup work.

Then, he turned and left Jingxin Temple, heading towards Tianqi City.

As the sun set, golden sunlight bathed him.

His silhouette was lonely yet resolute as he walked step by step into the distance.

This battle made him realize the threat posed by the ancient star beasts even more deeply.

(End of this chapter)