Chapter 30: Into the Darkness
Far beyond the city walls...
Captain Han stood alone before a tide of monsters.
The Frost Wolf Cavalry fought desperately around him.
Every sweep of his naginata carved through another Foundation Establishment beast.
Every command kept another section of the wall standing.
Then...
He felt it.
A chill unlike winter spread across his senses.
His head snapped toward the city.
"...Abyss."
His expression darkened.
"So they really succeeded."
The old captain cursed beneath his breath.
He had hoped the strange movements inside the city had merely been sabotage.
Instead...
It had become something far worse.
A summoning ritual.
His eyes immediately found the black creature floating above the rooftops.
The Hundred-Eyed Hollow.
Its cursed beams already scarred the city.
Captain Han understood the situation instantly.
"If I kill it..."
"...another one will simply emerge."
That was the cruel nature of Abyss Gates.
The summoned creature was only an anchor.
Destroying the anchor while the ritual remained active merely forced the gate to replace it.
The summoning formation itself had to be destroyed.
Only then would the gate collapse.
The problem...
Captain Han couldn't leave.
Not for even a single minute.
Nearly twenty Foundation Establishment beasts battered against the walls before him.
If he abandoned his position...
The beasts would pour into Mistforge.
Thousands would die.
His jaw tightened.
He had no choice.
He slammed the butt of his naginata into the battlement.
A massive tornado erupted beneath the Hundred-Eyed Hollow.
"Heavenly Cyclone Prison!"
The whirlwind swallowed the Abyss creature whole.
Its countless eyes immediately fired black beams in every direction.
The tornado shook violently.
It would not last long.
Captain Han knew that.
It wasn't meant to.
It was only buying time.
He turned sharply.
"Yun Ren!"
The young cultivator immediately sprinted over.
"Sir!"
Captain Han looked toward several nearby archers.
"You."
"You."
"You."
One after another he selected the strongest remaining Peak Mortal Realm warriors.
Ten in total.
"You are no longer defending the wall."
"You have another mission."
Their expressions became solemn.
Captain Han pointed toward the center of Mistforge.
"Find."
"The."
"Summoning Formation."
"Destroy it."
He looked directly into Yun Ren's eyes.
"Every moment you waste..."
"...costs lives."
Without another word...
He returned to battle.
His naginata swept forward once again.
Three charging beasts were torn apart.
The defenders behind him continued firing without pause.
Yun Ren immediately led the group into the city.
The streets had become unrecognizable.
Buildings burned.
Citizens hid inside homes.
Guards fought desperate skirmishes against scattered bandits.
Above them...
The imprisoned Hundred-Eyed Hollow continuously battered Captain Han's tornado.
Every impact made the swirling winds weaker.
"We need to hurry."
Yun Ren muttered.
Several minutes later...
The group reached the city square.
A familiar figure landed before them.
"Big Brother!"
Yun Che.
The brothers met in the center of the ruined plaza.
"You alright?"
"I'm fine."
"You?"
"Broke through."
Yun Ren smiled.
"I noticed."
There was no time for celebration.
Yun Ren immediately explained Captain Han's orders.
"We're searching for the summoning formation."
"We don't even know what we're looking for."
Yun Che's eyes narrowed.
He looked around carefully.
Then toward the streets.
Finally...
Toward the stone drains lining the square.
"...Underground."
Everyone looked at him.
"The formation."
"It has to be."
"It was never visible from above."
"The guards searched the city."
"The cavalry searched the streets."
"They found nothing."
He pointed toward the ground.
"But when it activated..."
"I saw the light."
"It came from beneath the city."
"The sewers."
The surrounding archers exchanged uneasy glances.
One quietly muttered,
"...Of course it's the sewers."
Yun Ren nodded immediately.
"Then that's where we're going."
He tightened his grip upon his spear.
"We destroy it."
"We stop the gate."
A voice answered from behind them.
"Sounds like a plan."
The brothers spun around.
A white Frost Wolf stepped calmly into the square.
Its fur was stained with blood.
Its breathing remained steady.
Upon its back...
Sat Tianyu.
No...
Not quite.
The face was familiar.
The confident grin unmistakable.
Yet everything else had changed.
Silver-white fur covered his arms.
A long wolf's tail swayed lazily behind him.
Golden eyes shone like twin moons.
Sharp fangs gleamed whenever he smiled.
Small horn-like ridges had begun forming upon his forehead.
His hands ended in black claws rather than fingernails.
He looked...
Half man.
Half wolf.
Perfectly balanced between both.
Yun Che stared.
Yun Ren forgot to breathe.
Neither brother spoke for several long seconds.
Finally...
Yun Che managed only one sentence.
"...What happened to you?"
Tianyu scratched one furry ear and grinned as though nothing unusual had happened.
"I broke through."
He shrugged casually.
"...And apparently this comes with the package."
Behind him, Bingya gave an amused huff, sounding almost proud.
The brothers exchanged another stunned look.
Neither had ever seen Lord Shen's legendary battle form.
Neither had known the Shen bloodline could transform its descendants.
For the first time in their lives...
They were looking upon the awakening of the Heavenly Frost Wolf Bloodline.
--------------------------
Tianyu caught Yun Che staring at him.
His golden eyes narrowed with amusement.
"What?"
Yun Che pointed at him.
"...Did your mother actually let you come here?"
Tianyu looked away for a moment.
"..."
"...No."
Yun Ren folded his arms.
"I assume there was a very inspiring speech before you left?"
"There was."
"What did she say?"
"'Stay in your room with your sister. You almost died. Don't move.'"
"And?"
Tianyu scratched the back of his furry neck.
"I thought about it."
"For how long?"
"...Three seconds."
Yun Che already knew the answer.
"You jumped out the window."
"I jumped out the window."
Bingya gave a long suffering sigh that sounded remarkably close to disappointment.
"My partner is an idiot."
"I prefer fearless."
"You prefer surviving because everyone else cleans up after you."
Despite everything...
Yun Che laughed.
"We're fortunate your stupidity worked in our favor."
Tianyu grinned.
"I'll accept that compliment."
The moment of humor vanished.
Above them...
The imprisoned Hundred-Eyed Hollow suddenly opened its enormous mouth.
A blinding white sphere condensed inside.
Captain Han's tornado groaned under the pressure.
"Oh no..."
The creature fired.
A pillar of pale energy crashed into the swirling prison.
The entire tornado shook violently.
For one terrifying second...
It almost collapsed.
Several black tentacles forced themselves through the weakening winds.
The countless crimson eyes upon them immediately opened.
"Down!"
Black beams swept across the city square.
The group scattered.
One beam struck a stone fountain.
The beautiful carving blackened instantly.
Then...
It began to rot.
Stone dissolved into foul sludge before collapsing entirely.
Another beam grazed a nearby building.
Wood darkened.
Walls crumbled.
Roof tiles disintegrated into dust.
No one wanted to discover what would happen if those beams struck flesh.
Captain Han's prison somehow endured.
Barely.
"It won't hold much longer."
Yun Che's voice was grim.
"We have to move."
Everyone nodded.
Without another word...
They rushed toward the nearest sewer entrance.
The moment the iron grate opened...
Tianyu stopped.
"..."
Bingya stopped beside him.
The Frost Wolf's ears flattened instantly.
Both master and partner made exactly the same expression.
Utter horror.
Yun Che blinked.
"What?"
Tianyu slowly covered his nose.
"...You people..."
"...actually live above this?"
Yun Ren looked confused.
"It's just the sewers."
"Exactly!"
"My senses are ten times stronger now!"
Bingya whimpered.
"I can smell everything..."
The wolf actually took several reluctant steps backward.
"I think..."
"...I'm dying."
Even during a crisis...
Yun Che nearly laughed.
"Go ahead."
"We'll start searching."
"I just need..."
Tianyu swallowed.
"...a moment."
He closed his eyes.
His newly awakened bloodline was still unstable.
Slowly...
His breathing became steady.
The overwhelming flood of smells gradually faded.
"There."
"I've dampened my senses."
Bingya looked at him hopefully.
"...Can you do mine too?"
"No."
The wolf looked utterly betrayed.
The underground tunnels stretched endlessly beneath Mistforge.
Ancient brickwork disappeared into darkness.
Water flowed slowly along narrow channels.
Every shadow looked suspicious.
Every echo sounded unnatural.
Yun Che knelt beside one wall.
"The formation has to spread beneath the entire city."
"So there should be multiple anchor points."
"Formation nodes."
Yun Ren nodded.
"We split up."
"Stay within shouting distance."
"If anyone finds one..."
"Call immediately."
No one argued.
Time was running out.
The search felt endless.
One tunnel became three.
Three became ten.
The deeper they went...
The heavier the air became.
Even Yun Che could feel something unnatural pressing against his mind.
The Abyss.
It was getting closer.
Then...
"I found something!"
One of the archers shouted.
Everyone immediately ran toward his voice.
There...
Hidden beneath thick layers of grime...
A crimson formation circle glowed upon the sewer floor.
Countless runes pulsed together.
At its center rested a dark crystal the size of a fist.
The archer didn't hesitate.
He drew his bow.
Ki gathered around the arrow.
"Break!"
The arrow struck the crystal.
A transparent barrier appeared instantly.
CLANG!
The projectile bounced away harmlessly.
The crystal remained untouched.
"Protective formation!"
the archer shouted.
"Over here!"
Before anyone else arrived...
A blur of silver fur rushed past him.
Tianyu.
Bingya beside him.
"Move."
The wolf accelerated.
Wind gathered beneath its paws.
Tianyu leapt.
His clawed hand shone with icy blue Ki.
"Frozen Wolf Rend!"
Five razor-sharp arcs tore through the barrier.
Cracks spread instantly.
Bingya followed.
His jaws slammed into the weakened shield.
It shattered like glass.
Tianyu's second strike pierced straight through the crystal.
The entire formation node exploded into fragments.
The crimson light flickered.
For one brief, glorious moment...
Everyone smiled.
"We did it!"
Then...
Something screamed.
Not above.
Below.
The sound travelled through every tunnel simultaneously.
It was neither beast nor human.
It resembled thousands of voices crying together.
The sound tore into their minds.
Every Mortal Realm archer collapsed instantly.
Blood burst from their ears.
Several screamed uncontrollably.
Others clutched their heads as though trying to stop them from splitting apart.
Their bows fell uselessly onto the wet stone.
Yun Ren staggered.
Yun Che nearly dropped to one knee.
Even Tianyu winced despite his newly awakened bloodline.
Far above them...
The Hundred-Eyed Hollow had broken through Captain Han's prison.
Instead of remaining above the city...
It had smashed directly into the ground.
Into the tunnels beneath Mistforge.
The scream echoed again.
Closer this time.
The darkness within the sewers seemed to come alive.
Something was coming.
And every instinct Yun Che possessed told him...
It had noticed them.