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

Chapter 526 Naturally Resistant to Evil Spirits!

The next morning, it was just dawn.

Luo Wen was awakened by a series of urgent knocks on the door. He sat up and sensed two familiar presences outside the door—Lin Feng and Zhao Xue.

"Brother Luo! Open the door quickly! There's an urgent mission!" Lin Feng's voice was filled with anxiety.

Luo Wen got up and opened the door, only to see Lin Feng and Zhao Xue standing outside. Both were dressed in black outfits from the Mysterious Bureau, with weapons at their waists, clearly indicating they had come prepared.

"What mission?" Rowan asked.

"The Mysterious Bureau just issued an urgent mission," Lin Feng said. "A powerful evil spirit has appeared in Qingyun Town, and many people have already died. Deacon Chen specifically requested that you lead a team to deal with it."

"Qingyun Town?" Luo Wen frowned. "What kind of place is that?"

“About three hundred miles southwest of Tianqi City,” Zhao Xue explained, “it’s a town of moderate size, with a population of about twenty thousand. Reports say the evil spirit appeared three days ago; initially, only a few people went missing, but the situation worsened, and last night over a hundred people died at once.”

“Over a hundred people?” Rowan’s expression turned serious. “What level of evil spirits are they?”

“I don’t know,” Lin Feng shook his head. “The people we sent to investigate are all dead; they couldn’t send back any specific information. But judging from the horrific scene, it was at least a mid-level or higher evil spirit.”

Rowan remained silent for a moment.

For Lin Feng and Zhao Xue, evil spirits of mid-level or higher rank were already quite dangerous opponents. But the fact that they came to him meant that Chen Yuan believed he was capable of handling the matter.

“Okay, I’ll go change my clothes and we’ll leave right away,” Rowan said.

He returned inside, quickly changed into a black outfit, strapped on his longsword, and checked his belongings. Once everything was ready, he left the room.

"Let's go."

The three left Qingfeng Lane and walked quickly towards the west of the city.

It was just dawn, and the streets were nearly deserted, with only a few early-rising vendors preparing to open for business. The air was filled with the cool, dampness characteristic of the morning, and the occasional chirping of birds could be heard.

"Brother Luo, are you confident about this mission?" Lin Feng asked as they walked, his tone tinged with nervousness.

“It’s hard to say,” Rowan said. “Until we see the evil spirit, everything is uncertain. But whatever it is, we must prepare for the worst.”

“I understand,” Lin Feng nodded. “I won’t hold you back.”

Zhao Xue didn't speak, but her eyes were firm.

After exiting the west gate, the three of them walked along the official road.

Luo Wen didn't slow down, but he also didn't rush at full speed, maintaining a pace that Lin Feng and Zhao Xue could keep up with. Although the mission was urgent, if the two team members exhausted themselves during the journey, they would become a burden on the battlefield.

On both sides of the official road were vast fields of farmland, with golden ears of wheat swaying gently in the morning breeze. In the distance, the mountains were shrouded in a thin mist, appearing and disappearing like a light ink painting.

"How much do you know about the situation in Qingyun Town?" Luo Wen asked.

“I did some research last night,” Zhao Xue said. “Qingyun Town is an ordinary commercial town, mainly relying on the silk and tea trade. It has a population of about 20,000 and no particularly special history. The Mysterious Bureau doesn't have a branch there, only one patrol point manned by two officers.”

"What about the two officers?"

“They’ve gone missing,” Zhao Xue’s voice turned somber. “They were among the first group of people to go missing three days ago.”

Luo Wen frowned slightly.

While the members of the Mysterious Bureau weren't exactly top-tier experts, they were at least at the Qi Circulation Realm. The fact that even they were out of contact indicates that this evil spirit was indeed extraordinary.

"Are there any descriptions from survivors? What about the appearance or characteristics of the evil spirit?"

“There was one,” Lin Feng said, “a merchant who escaped from Qingyun Town. He said he saw something…something very strange.”

"Strange? How so?"

"He said it looked like a cloud of black mist, but inside the mist were many eyes and mouths. The eyes would stare at people, and the mouths would laugh. Then, the person it stared at would mysteriously disappear, as if swallowed by the black mist."

After hearing this, Luo Wen's expression turned serious.

“This doesn’t seem like an ordinary evil spirit,” he said. “It sounds more like…something special.”

"What do you mean?" Lin Feng asked, puzzled.

"Ordinary evil spirits have fixed forms, such as beast-like, insect-like, or ghost-like. But this evil spirit's form is not fixed, and it possesses the ability to devour. This characteristic usually only appears in two situations: either it is an extremely high-level evil spirit, or..."

Luo Wen paused, then didn't continue.

"Or what?" Zhao Xue pressed.

“It’s either something that escaped from that place,” Rowan said in a low voice.

Lin Feng and Zhao Xue exchanged a glance, both seeing confusion in each other's eyes. They didn't know where Luo Wen meant by "that place," but judging from his tone, it certainly wasn't a good place.

The three continued on their journey, speaking very little along the way.

The atmosphere became a little tense.

After walking for about two hours, the outline of a town appeared ahead.

That is Qingyun Town.

From a distance, Qingyun Town looked no different from any other town. The city walls were low, only about two zhang (approximately 6.6 meters) high, built of gray bricks and stones. The city gates were open, and there were no guards at the entrance. Wisps of smoke floated above the town, creating a peaceful atmosphere.

But Rowan frowned.

“There’s a problem,” he said.

"What's the problem?" Lin Feng asked nervously.

“Look closely,” Rowan said, pointing to the town, “there are no guards at the city gates, and no pedestrians on the streets. This should be the busiest time of day, but the whole town is as quiet as if it were dead.”

Lin Feng and Zhao Xue looked in the direction Luo Wen pointed and then noticed the anomaly.

Indeed, the town appeared peaceful, but that peace was unnatural. No one was moving, no vendors were calling out, and there was no vitality whatsoever. The few wisps of smoke rising from the same few fixed spots remained motionless, as if frozen in the air.

"This is...an illusion?" Zhao Xue said in surprise.

“No, it’s not an illusion,” Rowan shook his head. “The smoke from the chimneys is real, and the houses are real. But those people… they might not be human anymore.”

"What's the meaning?"

“You’ll find out soon enough,” Rowan said. “Now, listen to my instructions. Once we’re in the city, stay close behind me and don’t act on your own. Wait for my orders in any situation. Understand?”

"Understood!" the two replied in unison.

The three walked toward the city gate.

As they drew closer, the eerie feeling intensified. A faint, fishy stench permeated the air, mixed with an indescribable odor of decay. Dark brown stains lay on the ground, resembling dried blood.

Two corpses lay on the ground at the city gate.

They were two middle-aged men dressed as guards, their bodies shriveled, their skin grayish-white, as if all moisture had been drained from them. Their eyes were wide open, their mouths agape, their faces contorted in pain, clearly indicating that they had experienced immense fear before their deaths.

"How terrible..." Lin Feng gasped, instinctively gripping the knife in his hand.

Zhao Xue's face was also a little pale, but she did not back down and followed closely behind Luo Wen.

Rowan crouched down and carefully examined the body.

"The time of death was approximately two days ago," he said. "His vital energy was completely drained from his body, leaving not even bone marrow. This is not the method of killing by ordinary evil spirits." "Then what is it?" Lin Feng asked.

“Devour.” Rowan stood up, his expression serious. “This evil spirit can devour the life essence of the living and convert it into its own power. This also explains why it gets stronger and stronger—it keeps feeding.”

He looked into the city, a hint of seriousness flashing in his eyes.

"Let's go in and take a look."

The three of them passed through the city gate and entered the town.

The scene inside the town was even more bizarre than the outside.

The shops on both sides of the street were open, and the goods on the shelves were neatly arranged. The tables and chairs in the teahouse were also arranged in an orderly manner, and there was still warm tea in the teapots. Everything looked normal, as if people had just left temporarily.

But what about people?
The town of 20,000 people was now deserted.

"Where did everyone go?" Lin Feng looked around, his voice trembling slightly.

“Here.” Rowan pointed to the end of the street.

Lin Feng and Zhao Xue looked in the direction he pointed and were immediately stunned.

At the end of the street was a square, and in the center of the square stood a dense crowd of people. They stood there motionless, all facing the same direction, as if frozen in place by something.

"Are those...living people?" Lin Feng asked uncertainly.

“It used to be,” Rowan said.

He led the two slowly toward the square.

As they got closer, the faces of those people gradually became clearer.

It was a group of men, women, and children—merchants, farmers, women, and children. Their eyes were empty, their faces expressionless, and their skin was grayish-white; they looked like a group of walking corpses.

“They’re corpse puppets,” Rowan said in a low voice. “These people are dead, but their bodies have been controlled by evil spirits and turned into puppets.”

"So many?" Lin Feng's eyes widened. "There must be at least several thousand people, right?"

“Perhaps more,” Rowan said. “The entire population of Qingyun Town is probably under control.”

Zhao Xue gripped the sword hilt tightly, her face pale but her eyes resolute.

"Can these people still be saved?" she asked.

Rowan was silent for a moment, then shook his head.

"Their life force has been drained, leaving only empty shells. Even if the control is lifted, they cannot be revived."

A hint of sadness flashed in Zhao Xue's eyes, but she said nothing.

Just then, the group of corpse puppets suddenly moved.

They turned their heads at the same time, staring at Rowan and his two companions with empty eyes. Then, they opened their mouths and let out a strange laugh.

Hehehe...

Hehehehehe...

The laughter rose and fell, merging into a single sound that echoed across the empty square. It didn't sound like human voices; it sounded more like the mockery of some demon.

"They're here." Rowan squinted.

The air in the center of the square began to distort, and a thick black mist rose from the ground, growing larger and denser. Within the mist, countless eyes and mouths could be vaguely seen; the eyes were blood-red, and the mouths were filled with sharp teeth.

"interesting……"

A hoarse voice came from the black mist.

"Someone actually dares to come here. Are you from the Mysterious Bureau? Have you come here to die?"

Rowan did not answer, but instead released his mental energy to sense the strength of the black mist.

His expression changed slightly.

“Fifth level of the upper realm,” he whispered to Lin Feng and Zhao Xue, “You two step back, I’ll deal with it.”

"Brother Luo, we can help too—" Lin Feng was about to say something when Luo Wen interrupted him.

"Listen to me. This evil spirit is too powerful; you can't handle it. Your mission is to protect yourselves. If things go wrong, retreat immediately. Understand?"

Lin Feng gritted his teeth and nodded.

Zhao Xue didn't argue, but simply gripped her sword tightly, ready to fight at any moment.

The black mist seemed to take an interest in Rowan and slowly drifted towards him.

"Your aura is unique," the voice from the black mist said, "unlike the people of this land. What is your origin?"

“You don’t need to know,” Rowan said.

"Oh?" The black mist chuckled. "Such arrogance. Since you're so confident, then I'll show you what true fear is."

The black mist suddenly rushed towards Rowan.

The speed was astonishing; it arrived in front of Rowan almost instantly. Countless black tentacles emerged from the black mist, each covered with eyes and mouths, emitting piercing screams.

"Brother Luo!" Lin Feng exclaimed.

But Rowan did not back down.

A faint light shone from his body; it was a special energy formed by the fusion of genetic energy and spiritual power. As soon as the light appeared, the tentacles immediately hissed and retreated rapidly, as if they were being burned.

"This is—" the voice from the black mist exclaimed in surprise, "Your energy, why can it restrain me?"

Rowan did not answer, but drew his longsword and slashed at the black mist.

The sword light, like a rainbow, with a dazzling brilliance, cleaved directly into the black mist.

“Ah—”

The black mist let out a painful howl, its body thrashing violently. Its eyes and mouth twisted wildly, emitting all sorts of sounds—screams, wails, and curses.

"Damn it! Damn it!" the black mist roared, "What are you? Why can your power hurt me?"

“Because you are an evil spirit,” Rowan said coldly, “and my power is naturally able to subdue evil spirits.”

He swung his sword again, and another sharp sword light slashed towards the black mist.

The black mist dared not take the attack head-on and dodged rapidly. But Rowan's attack was too fast and too fierce, and it was still grazed by the sword light, letting out another miserable scream.

"Damn it!" the black mist roared, "Since you're so powerful, then I won't confront you head-on!"

It suddenly shrank, transforming into a black shadow, and disappeared into the group of corpse puppets.

The next moment, all the corpse puppets came to life.

Thousands of corpse puppets simultaneously lunged at Rowan and his companions. Their movements were no longer stiff, but incredibly agile. Their eyes turned blood red, they roared like wild beasts, and their nails grew long and sharp, making them resemble a horde of ravenous demons ready to devour their prey.

(End of this chapter)