Chapter 121: The Crimson Flame Golden Qilin

Dacang Town was eerily abnormal. The vast town was devoid of any trace of life; there were no living people, nor were there any corpses. Only vast, sprawling patches of blood remained, creating a deeply unsettling scene.

Bai Yan and Zhang Yunyi were well-versed in dealing with followers of the Demon Gods and exotic beasts, possessing extensive experience in such matters. Based on the evidence at the scene, both concluded that the residents of Dacang Town had either been slaughtered or captured, and were now long gone, moved to some unknown location.

It had been twenty hours since the secret realm began to expand. That was more than enough time for Wan Canglong to have fled. From any logical perspective, Wan Canglong had no reason to linger in Dacang Town.

Leading his group, Bai Yan arrived in front of a hotel. The golden sign, though largely shattered, still allowed the name to be made out: "Jinyuan." The front glass doors were pulverized, both lying twisted on the steps, while layers of congealed blood covered the ground, a truly shocking sight.

Entering the lobby, they were met by the reception desk. Behind it stood a pale gold glass wall, divided into geometric diamonds by beveled lines, still bearing the hotel's name. The front desk was in utter chaos: computer screens were overturned, the telephone handset dangled off the hook, chairs were toppled, and the floor was stained with large pools of blood and various footprints.

Gao Wu’s gaze fell upon the golden glass wall. This tacky, nouveau-riche style was quite popular in small counties. The diamond-cut glass fractured the reflected light into distorted images, giving the lobby an eerie, sinister atmosphere—much like a low-budget, old-fashioned horror film.

"Search every floor. Inspect every room thoroughly," Bai Yan ordered the officers beside him. As the leader of the temporary task force, he had been granted partial command authority. The inclusion of mobile communication vehicles ensured short-range wireless connectivity, allowing reports to reach the command center within a minute via two relays. With Song Chunqiu overseeing operations, the military would not have followed Bai Yan's orders blindly otherwise.

Over a hundred elite soldiers, moving in groups of five, conducted a comprehensive search of the Jinyuan Hotel. To ensure nothing was missed, they even performed cross-indexed searches. Twenty minutes later, all teams regrouped in the lobby with nothing to report.

The three martial arts masters—Bai Yan, Zhang Yunyi, and An Ziru—were disappointed. They had brought Gao Wu along specifically to locate the hub of the spatial anomaly as quickly as possible. Past experience suggested that such voids were almost always linked to Demon Gods, and this particular outbreak was likely triggered by a ritual performed by Wan Canglong.

Yet, Gao Wu’s initial assessment had been wrong. The masters did not blame him; after all, they had been unable to find it either.

Bai Yan looked at Gao Wu. "What do you think? Should we search again?" He wasn't mocking him; the matter was of critical importance. He had to consult Gao Wu because the decision had been his. At a time like this, personal pride was irrelevant; finding the altar was all that mattered.

Gao Wu pondered in silence. Through his Yin Spirit, he could see black smoke above the hotel, carrying the unmistakable scent of destruction and death. He was certain this aura was identical to the Demon God energy at the Dragon Claw Peak secret realm, both originating from the so-called Qilin King. It was simply bizarre that no such aura existed inside the hotel. He had sent his Yin Spirit out to scout inside and out, yet found nothing amiss, despite seeing the black demonic energy surging into the sky from the outside.

He suspected a hidden basement or a secret room within the walls, but his Yin Spirit, which could easily penetrate matter, had revealed no such mechanisms. For a moment, Gao Wu was truly perplexed. Where was the altar hidden?

Fearing that Gao Wu might feel discouraged by this setback, Zhang Yunyi comforted him, "Don't be anxious. Followers of Demon Gods are cunning; this might just be a diversion." He then turned to Bai Yan. "The town is heavily damaged with many signs of combat, yet there isn't a single corpse or a trace of exotic beasts or aliens. It’s very strange."

An Ziru shook her head; she had never encountered such a situation and dared not make any rash assertions.

"It is forty kilometers from Dacang Town to the entrance of the Dacang Mountain secret realm, and the scope of this spatial anomaly is nearly two thousand square kilometers," Bai Yan noted. "In such a vast area, there are too many places Wan Canglong could have chosen." He paused, then added, "Why don't we head to the military camp guarding the entrance?"

The military camp was specifically tasked with guarding the secret realm and was staffed by experts, including a Martial Master. No matter how terrifying the spatial anomaly might be, a strong military force would not be easily wiped out. An officer spoke up, "We have already sent a forward unit to Camp 0310 with a communication vehicle. If there are survivors, we will have news soon."

Bai Yan nodded and looked back at Gao Wu. Gao Wu sighed, resigned. "Perhaps I was wrong."

"It's alright. Demon Gods are unpredictable," Zhang Yunyi consoled him, while An Ziru added, "Don't carry the burden. We couldn't see anything either."

Bai Yan patted Gao Wu’s shoulder, offering an encouraging look. "Let's head to the camp then, and leave the town to the hunters for a more thorough search."

Behind the pale yellow diamond-patterned glass wall, Wan Canglong watched their subtle expressions and listened to their conversation. The invisible spatial barrier, created by his mirror space, functioned like a one-way mirror, allowing him to observe the lobby while remaining invisible and undetectable to those on the other side. He had combined his Wuji Divine Weapon with the spatial barrier to create this mirror wall, sealing the entrance perfectly.

Seeing the group meticulously searching the hotel made Wan Canglong nervous. The ritual was more than halfway complete; he only needed to commune with the Qilin King once more to have the deity bestow his power, allowing his Wuji Divine Weapon to fuse with the Red Flame Golden Scale. This would elevate his weapon to the peak of the sixth level, laying the foundation for the seventh. At that point, even without the Demon God’s blessing, he could contend with Martial Masters. If he fully refined the weapon, he might even advance to a Martial Grandmaster, or perhaps even a seventh-level Martial King with the god's grace.

He had no path of retreat; he had to push forward. He glanced at the Wan family disciples surrounding him—all were covered in blood, their eyes filled with the ferocity of bloodthirsty beasts. He actually despised this mindless brutality, but he had no choice. The constant killing and large-scale blood sacrifice, guided by the Phantom Slayer, were eroding their sanity.

Wan Canglong felt a pang of regret, but it was too late. It was the Hunter Association’s fault for forcing his hand with their secret investigations. His gaze lingered on Gao Wu, still wearing the Scarlet Eye, and he barely restrained himself from attacking. With the three Martial Masters present, he couldn't risk it while his ritual was at such a critical stage.

The altar, a four-meter-tall metallic pyramid, stood in the center of the lobby. Curled atop it was the Phantom Slayer, a giant silver spider with a woman's torso, its legs sharp as blades. Beneath it lay the Red Flame Golden Scale—a scale from a seventh-level exotic beast, the Red Flame Phase-Shifting Golden Dragon.

Surrounding the altar were piles of corpses, the hotel carpet soaked through with blood. Nearby, black-armored insect-men were feeding on flesh like scavengers. Among them stood Romo, an insect-man whose armor was a pale, refined white, revealing handsome, human-like features and bright, intelligent light-blue eyes.

Romo sensed Wan Canglong’s gaze. "Why? Do you wish to act?" he asked, his voice possessing a magnetic, broadcast-quality resonance.

"No," Wan Canglong replied, bowing formally. "I only wish to complete the ritual as soon as possible. I am grateful for your help, Lord Romo. You shall be rewarded."

"Think nothing of it. It is all for the glory of the God Lord," Romo replied with a polite smile. Despite his outward courtesy, Wan Canglong was wary of him. Though his ancestors might have been human, this branch of the race had mutated beyond recognition. By the Alliance’s standards, this high-level insect-man was already a fifth-level Martial Master, possessed of terrifying innate talents.

With two hours left to complete the ritual and refine the scale, Wan Canglong felt he would soon hold the upper hand. Once the searchers lowered their guard, he would strike out with his thousands of insect-men and give them a massive surprise.

Just as he was discussing this plan with Romo, he sensed a sudden, violent shift. A force pierced through the spatial barrier of the mirror wall. With a Martial Master’s keen spirit, he recognized the incoming projectile—an artillery shell. He was too late to dodge and could only desperately unleash his Source Field to protect himself.

The other Wan disciples were even slower. Before they could react, a 155mm howitzer shell detonated within the enclosed space. The violent blast tore the black-armored insect-men in the front to shreds, and two of the Wan disciples were cut apart by shrapnel. The metallic altar shook violently, but the Phantom Slayer’s innate power managed to hold back the brunt of the shockwave.

Wan Canglong had just exhaled in relief when another thunderous roar echoed. A second 155mm shell shrieked through the spatial barrier and slammed into the hall.