The Gatekeeper

"Exactly, exactly!"

Since they were able to rally around Frederi, they naturally had to put on a show.

"I'd like to see how he dies."

The hook-nosed man said maliciously.

This was actually quite normal, as participating in the Demon Assessment was always a narrow escape with nine deaths and one life.

"Whoosh!"

Hermes bypassed them.

He paid no heed to the malicious or curious gazes of the others;

they were nothing more than a bunch of dead people anyway.

Hermes had only one goal in his heart, and that was Blocking Gold Saber.

"Wuwuwu!"

A black wind suddenly swept across the desert, and in the distance, Blocking Castle was abruptly shrouded in the sand-filled sky.

As he got closer and closer to the ancient castle, Hermes felt a powerful aura.

"Could this Fort Master Zhe Lan have known all along that we were coming?"

He couldn't help muttering to himself in his heart.

Demon Castle was indeed the most powerful organization in the Hell Plane, but that didn't mean every castle in Hell was powerful.

Whether a Demon Castle was strong or not often still depended on the influence of the current fort master or city lord.

"Wuwuwu!"

Gale winds howled!

The aura faintly emanating from the distant Blocking Castle made Hermes feel a wave of discomfort.

"Why do I feel... this aura is somewhat similar to the one on Saba the skeleton man?"

The closer he got to Blocking Castle, the more that aura made him feel wave after wave of pressure.

Yet Hermes had no intention of retreating; instead, his resolve grew even firmer.

He knew that this aura was very likely emitted by the many guardians inside the ancient castle.

"Could the master of the ancient castle also be cultivating the Edict of Death?"

In Coiling Dragon World, elemental laws had traces to follow, but the Four Edicts had always been symbols of ancient mystery.

Even here in Hell, the Destruction Supreme Plane, those who cultivated elemental laws far outnumbered those who cultivated edicts.

The sheer numbers were incomparable!

"Huhu!"

Flying at extreme speed, the sound of the wind by his ears was sharp and fierce.

Yet no matter how long a road was, it always had an end.

Finally, Hermes and the other Demon Assessment participants all arrived at the outer perimeter of the ancient castle.

They hovered in front of the heavy gates of Blocking Castle, staring fixedly at that open, massive door.

The heavy door was covered with complex and obscure yellow runes, radiating a mysterious and ancient aura.

"They've broken in?"

Just as he was stunned for a split second, over a thousand Demon Assessment participants swarmed forward.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!"

Hermes did not swarm forward; he went straight inside.

Because he didn't even have that split second of hesitation, seeing the open door, he flew straight into it.

"Rumble!"

Just as Hermes and the thousand-plus Demon Assessment participants closely following him flew into the castle.

The castle gates slammed shut.

The yellow sand and black fog in the desert began to churn ceaselessly at the same time.

A gust of wind blew past, leaving nothing behind in place.

The castle and the Demon Assessment participants had all vanished.

As soon as Hermes entered the castle, he felt an atmosphere completely different from the outside world.

There was no fierce wind or scorching sun of the desert here; they were replaced by a chilling cold and a sense of oppression.

The interior of the castle was dim, with only occasional torches casting flickering light and shadow on the walls.

He vigilantly looked around, finding that the interior structure of the castle was intricate, with corridors and rooms seeming to be laid out without any pattern.

Hermes knew this might be a labyrinth specially designed for defense by the master of the ancient castle.

"Where on earth is Blocking Gold Saber hidden?"

Hermes thought to himself, Where the hell did the promised sand bandits and the promised Blocking Gold Saber go?

Damn it, this Demon Assessment might be another trap!

He was utterly speechless.

Sometimes, Hermes truly couldn't help doubting whether he had some kind of hidden disaster-prone constitution.

Everywhere he went was a pit!

That encounter in the Bis Volcano Group had already been his most peaceful one.

Yet if Salasis hadn't been a physical combat maniac, and if the Volcanic Giant hadn't liked a tough guy like him,

it probably would have been another bloody storm.

"Never mind that for now; I must do my utmost to complete this assessment mission."

He had to find the target as quickly as possible, otherwise once the other Demon Assessment participants also found clues, the competition would become even more intense.

Since the intelligence was flawed and omitted details, Hermes couldn't afford not to think of the worst-case scenario.

What hundreds of sand bandits? Thinking for the worst, there might just be a few.

"Stop thinking, charge!"

Just as he was about to break through the earthen walls of Blocking Castle, a deep chuckle echoed through the castle, as if something was secretly watching Hermes and the others.

Hermes's intuition told him that the owner of this laughter was by no means simple.

Perhaps he was even the master of the entire Blocking Castle.

And also the most terrifying one.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!"

Dozen of figures appeared, and they were none other than that group of Demon Assessment participants.

A thousand people, plus the Star Demons bringing the total to well over a thousand, meeting inside Blocking Castle was truly inevitable.

"Welcome to Blocking Castle, brave Demon Assessment participants."

A hoarse voice suddenly rang out, "I am the gatekeeper here, and if you want to obtain Blocking Gold Saber, you must first pass my test."

Holy shit! There really is a problem! This damn gatekeeper, how did he know the mission item is Blocking Gold Saber?

Is there a mole in Demon Castle, or is there a mole among this group of Demon Assessment participants?

Hermes was startled.

His first reaction was naturally to accuse the others.

The people from Demon Castle, as well as those participating in the Demon Assessment.

"Don't move, everyone don't close in on each other. I have reason to suspect that someone among you is a mole."

Someone shouted loudly.

It also voiced the thoughts of most of the Demon Assessment participants.

Hermes exchanged glances with the other Demon Assessment participants, and they could all see the wariness and resolve in each other's eyes.

They knew this would be a battle of life and death, and only the strongest could survive.

The gatekeeper's figure gradually emerged in the darkness, wearing a tattered dark-gray robe.

He wore a ferocious mask on his face and grasped a scepter in his hand.

Anyone who didn't know better would have thought they had arrived in a medieval wizard world; was this guy doing cosplay?

"Come on, let me see your strength." A hint of amusement laced the gatekeeper's voice.

Hermes clenched his fists.

He could feel the souls of the other Demon Assessment participants fluctuating.

Clearly, they had also been driven slightly autistic by this bizarre development.

Yet Hermes knew this was merely a beginning.

There might be even more dangers awaiting them in this Blocking Castle.

"Then let's begin!"

Hermes said in a deep voice.

His figure suddenly accelerated, charging toward the so-called gatekeeper.

The other Demon Assessment participants were not about to fall behind either, unleashing their own ultimate moves one after another to launch an attack on the gatekeeper.

Blocking Gold Saber!

No matter how bizarre the unfolding of this mission was, the token of the Demon Assessment was Blocking Gold Saber anyway.

Only by obtaining Blocking Gold Saber would the assessment mission be considered complete.

Otherwise, forget about everything else.

"Rumble!"

Flying sand suddenly filled the entire Blocking Castle, instantly obscuring the vision of Hermes and the others.

At the same time, faint black mist billowed outward.

Before the battle had even truly triggered, the castle was already echoing with intense collisions and energy fluctuations.