Chapter 122: Immeasurable Merit

With a thunderous boom, steel and flame raged in unison.

The matter replicated by the mirror space retained 99% of its physical properties. The semi-enclosed hotel lobby was subjected to another bombardment, the sheer intensity of which shattered the hearing of most of the black-armored insectoids. The impact of the explosives and shrapnel dealt a devastating blow to the swarm; in an instant, flesh and blood were splattered everywhere in a gruesome display.

Rama and Wan Canglong remained remarkably calm. The first shell had caught them off guard, but by the time the second struck, both had activated their source-energy fields to shield themselves. Neither the shockwave of the exploding gas nor the flying shrapnel could penetrate their defenses.

Wan Canglong said to Rama, "Master Rama, I leave it to you to hold them off for a while. I need only three minutes to refine the Crimson Fire Golden Kirin and release the Phantom Slayer."

Rama offered an elegant smile. "No problem."

With a flick of his mental energy, he emitted a whistle, the ultra-low frequency sound transmitting commands with surgical precision to every black-armored insectoid. Thousands of the creatures, which had been occupying the five-story hotel, paused their feasting and charged out toward the space entrance in waves, following the signal.

A kilometer away, two self-propelled artillery pieces had finished their second reload.

The surge of insectoids was met head-on by a barrage of shells, turning large swaths of them into a mist of blood. Yet, such terrifying bombardment could not repel the ferocious creatures. The black tide faltered for a moment, only to surge forward again with even greater savagery.

Gao Wu, watching from tens of meters away, felt his scalp tingle. These humanoid beings, covered in black chitin, possessed physical strength and reaction speeds generally on par with mid-to-low-level martial artists. However, their fearless, swarming charge resembled a vast, endless cloud of locusts.

Several heavy machine guns, already set up, began to rake the area. Where their muzzle flames pointed, insectoids were blown apart. Within seconds, at least hundreds had been killed. The efficiency and brutality of modern firearms were on full display; at this rate, the entire group would be annihilated in minutes.

However, this favorable situation was soon disrupted by several pale-colored insectoids. They stood side-by-side, using their own source-energy fields to forcibly deflect the machine gun fire. Taking advantage of this opening, a massive wave of insectoids poured out.

Bai Yan, An Ziru, and Zhang Yunyi watched from the sidelines, none of them intervening. Their goal was to destroy the altar, followed by capturing or killing Wan Canglong, and finally rescuing any survivors. They would not waste their strength on low-level fodder. Since Gao Wu had located the space entrance and confirmed there were no signs of survivors inside, they had no need for restraint.

It turned out Gao Wu’s judgment was exceptionally accurate. The mirror wall was a secondary entrance to the space, which still held a large number of insectoids. It had to be said that eighteen-year-old Gao Wu was remarkably composed, managing to suppress his desire to show off until they had left the hotel. That buffer had allowed them to prepare properly, and now, those preparations proved essential.

The martial arts masters abandoned all optimism, waiting only for an opportunity to storm in, destroy the altar, and execute Wan Canglong.

The soldiers on the perimeter were prepared, aiming and firing with their automatic weapons. Among the insectoids were some who possessed the strength of warriors, capable of using source energy to resist modern firearms. But source energy was finite. Under such constant suppression, they could hold out for no more than a minute or two.

Seeing the situation turn dire, some insectoids scattered in all directions, using the dense maze of buildings as cover. The military did not pursue, concentrating their fire on the insectoids emerging from the entrance to inflict as many casualties as possible.

Gao Wu was not idle. He raised his two Golden Thunder Eagles and began to fire.

Shooting moving targets felt quite good, especially when the targets were such grotesque monsters—he felt no pressure at all. Relying on his formidable mental strength and his familiarity with the handguns, Gao Wu targeted only those insectoids without source-energy protection, scoring a precise headshot with every bullet.

The Golden Thunder Eagles used high-caliber rifle ammunition with high-explosive propellant, far exceeding the performance of standard rounds. At a distance of three or four hundred meters, the bullets possessed immense power; even the chitin shells of the insectoids could not withstand such force.

After several rounds of shooting, the insectoids were either killed or had fled, leaving behind only the largely collapsed hotel lobby.

At this moment, Shen An arrived. Since Wan Canglong was here, there was no need for him to remain on standby at the command center. With the four martial arts masters gathered, they conferred briefly and prepared to launch an all-out assault.

To prevent an ambush, Bai Yan ordered the self-propelled artillery to fire once more. Amidst the roar of the guns, two shells struck the space entrance with precision—but both warheads were instantly reflected back.

Bai Yan reacted the fastest. He drew his sword and slashed horizontally; a cold, brilliant flash of light cut through the air, causing the two reflected shells to explode mid-air. The partially collapsed hotel lobby was rocked by the blast again, sending bricks and dust flying as the entire building shuddered.

Gao Wu lost all desire to get closer. Shells traveled at nearly six hundred meters per second, and with their forty-kilogram weight, the kinetic energy released was terrifying—yet it had been reflected by the expert inside. Even if a source-energy field could dissipate the kinetic energy, the opponent's strength was unfathomably high.

"There's another master! Everyone, be careful!" Bai Yan barked a low warning before charging inside, his body and sword becoming one.

This earned Gao Wu’s respect. Bai Yan liked to take the lead, but when things got real, he truly dared to face the danger. An Ziru and Zhang Yunyi followed him in.

Shen An looked at Gao Wu and the surrounding soldiers and shouted, "Everyone fall back to the bridgehead! Prevent any alien creatures or beasts from escaping!"

In battles at the level of martial arts masters, modern firearms were of little use. Furthermore, the secret realm severely interfered with wireless electronics, rendering high-tech weaponry almost useless. Remaining at the entrance would not help; it would only be dangerous.

The soldiers retreated in an orderly fashion under unified command, and Gao Wu pulled Song Mingyue back as well. However, unable to resist the spectacle, he risked danger and projected his Yin Spirit.

The Yin Spirit, condensed from crimson light, flashed into the space entrance.

To Gao Wu’s surprise, the two sides had not yet clashed. Bai Yan, An Ziru, Zhang Yunyi, and Shen An stood in a line. All four masters were equipped with full sets of biochemical combat armor, their faces protected by sealed helmets. The armor was sleek and streamlined, with only minor differences between them. Most importantly, they were perfectly sealed, completely isolating the wearer from the outside environment. The void of a secret realm could easily contain lethal toxins or exotic bacteria, making such full-body protection a necessity.

Fortunately, the masters were easy to distinguish: Bai Yan wore silver armor, wielding a four-foot sword. Shen An and Zhang Yunyi wore black armor, one using a saber and the other a sword. An Ziru wore cyan armor, her three-foot short staff extending into a three-meter spear under the infusion of source energy.

It was the first time Gao Wu had seen martial arts masters fully equipped. Through his Yin Spirit, he could see the acupuncture points all over their bodies shining like stars, their source energy tightly linked with the biochemical armor to form a unified whole. With the armor's enhancement, the masters could circulate their energy more steadily with less consumption, and their efficiency in releasing it likely increased several-fold. In this state, a set of biochemical armor could increase a master's combat power by at least three to five times.

Then there was Wan Canglong, wearing a suit of crimson-gold armor. The design was crude, looking like little more than a vest thrown over his body. The armor radiated wisps of black energy, clearly an exotic artifact infused with the power of a demon god.

In fact, the entire hotel was filled with black energy reeking of death, and one could only guess how many corpses were hidden within it. A massive, silver-white spider lurked in the black mist, its eight blade-like legs curled into a ball, only its crimson eyes darting back and forth. This terrifying spider had no physical form; it reeked of the demon god's aura, very similar to the scent of the Death Angel. Gao Wu realized it was a powerful spectral entity.

Finally, there was a man in white armor. He was handsome, with light blue eyes that looked somewhat like the foreign bloodlines of the Divine Federation, but the armor appeared to have grown directly out of his flesh—he was clearly an alien insectoid. His acupuncture points were glowing brightly, his source-energy radiance even three parts stronger than that of the human masters. In that regard, he was no different from a human.

At the center of the black energy was a tower-like metal structure, presumably the sacrificial altar. Mysterious, sinister divine power flowed from it, and it seemed to have a certain connection to this special mirror space.

Gao Wu observed from the side with his Yin Spirit, seeing through both sides of the confrontation. Yet, neither side noticed his presence. The miraculous nature of the Yin Spirit was fully displayed in that moment.

"Wan Canglong, fleeing is one thing, but you’ve murdered so many innocent civilians. You truly deserve to die!" Although Bai Yan could not see the situation on the upper floors, his mental field sensed that the five-story building was packed with corpses. Despite his extensive experience, this was the first time he had witnessed such a cruel blood sacrifice. He felt an absolute urge to kill Wan Canglong.

Wan Canglong sneered with disdain, "Your Bai family lives in luxury, enjoying endless resources. Did your wealth fall from the sky? It’s nothing more than squeezing the blood and sweat from the lower classes to fatten yourselves. Don't play the saint!"

"My family earns its wealth according to the rules, unlike a dog like you who clings to a demon god. Die!"

Bai Yan had no interest in debating with Wan Canglong. He flicked his Baixiao Sword, and under the surge of his source energy, the cold light of the four-foot blade flared violently.

The surging sword light could not harm the Yin Spirit, but the sword intent condensed within it dealt damage to it. Gao Wu did not dare look any further and hurriedly withdrew his Yin Spirit. He had passed through the mental fields of martial arts masters before, but those had been in a relatively static state. The sword intent released by Bai Yan at full power was capable of harming his Yin Spirit.

This close-up observation had taught him a lesson: no matter how curious he was, he would not risk his Yin Spirit again. To be safe, he checked his Book of Boundless Merit to ensure he hadn't been injured.

But he soon noticed something amiss: for some reason, his merit had increased by over fifty thousand. Opening the pages, he saw a string of entries: +9050, +9937...

Gao Wu quickly realized the cause: these merits came from the twenty-six black-armored insectoids he had just killed. Upon reflection, he understood the causality—because the insectoids had killed people, his act of killing them had granted him a massive amount of merit.

It was a pity that the remaining insectoids had fled so quickly, disappearing into the complex web of buildings in the blink of an eye.

Under the command of two major-general-level martial arts masters, the military began an orderly retreat to the bridgehead in the south, guarding the entrance to the secret realm. The immediate priority was not to chase the fleeing insectoids, but to prevent them from escaping into the real world and causing secondary destruction. Furthermore, the battle between masters was at a level where low-ranking soldiers could not help; any involvement would lead to massive casualties.

Gao Wu thought for a moment and then led Song Mingyue back to a point a hundred meters away. His position faced the collapsed hotel and the entrance to the mirror space. He was still reluctant to give up, hoping to see if there was an opportunity to help.

Wan Canglong deserved to die, and the man was practically a walking fountain of merit. He wanted to try...

(Seeking monthly tickets at the end of the month!)