Blood-Eyed Black Shadow

Shhh!

Gubo quietly walked to the window, and the room fell silent again, with only the sound of light breathing.

"Prepare."

Gubo extended his arm, muttering softly.

The three of them quickly approached the window, looking down in the darkness at the figure staggering along under the streetlights.

An unknown, oppressive atmosphere gradually permeated the air.

It felt as though something terrifying could shatter this stifling tranquility at any moment!

In an anxious silence, Reilo also peered out the window. Just then, Gubo quietly reached out a hand, silently pulling Reilo behind him.

This casual gesture stunned Reilo.

Looking at the slightly hunched, frail figure of the old man before him, who stood like a mountain, his rough hand instinctively shielding him, the lingering resentment deep in Reilo's heart instantly dissolved, vanishing into nothingness.

"Mentor…"

Reilo felt deeply ashamed of his previous dark, complaining thoughts, his eyes inexplicably moistening.

His past actions were like those of a childish child, seeking praise and acting spoiled after a small achievement, only to complain when unmet, acting unreasonably.

From the perspective of a high-level scholar, what was there to pay attention to in his basic education?

As Reilo's mind churned with anxious thoughts, the solitary figure on the street had reached the end of the road, yet the target waiting to be hooked had still not appeared.

"Didn't take the bait?"

Liu Yan frowned and muttered, looking at Gubo.

Just as they were becoming anxious, suddenly, three dark figures, seemingly perfectly hidden in the darkness, silently crept towards the solitary figure.

"Heh heh, they finally came!"

Gubo let out a cold laugh, his spirit instantly invigorated. In a flash before Reilo's eyes, he disappeared as silently as he had appeared.

Reilo's eyes scanned the room, but he found no trace of his mentor.

Downstairs!

Three dark figures silently approached the lone pedestrian.

In the lamplight, from the pale skin inadvertently revealed, the pedestrian was a remarkably rare albino. He was holding a wine bottle and staggering along.

One of the dark figures suddenly accelerated, a blur, and lunged at the person!

"Meow!"

Just as the attacking figure's eyes gleamed with the expectation of a successful strike, the pedestrian suddenly let out a "meow" and transformed into a black cat, agilely escaping!

At the same time!

Beside the attacking figure, an aged hand silently emerged, gripping the back of his neck.

"Got you, little one, heh heh!"

A chilling voice caused the captured figure's pupils to shrink to pinpricks.

Grabbed by the neck by Gubo, with an incredibly agile twist of his body, the figure's head rotated 180 degrees. His mouth split open to an unbelievable extent, revealing bone-white teeth. A trace of blood-red light emanated from deep within his throat, as if he were about to unleash a terrifying final strike!

"Let's die together!"

Crack.

However, with the sound of a snapping cervical vertebra, the figure, who had been in the hands of the high-level scholar studying the profound meaning of evolution, fell limp and powerless like a specimen whose central nervous system had been severed on a dissection table.

Gubo let out a cold smile, casually tossing the corpse aside. He then turned his head, looking at the other two dark figures with a sneer.

The once rigid old scholar had now transformed into a terrifying shadow assassin!

The two dark figures were startled. Realizing what had happened, they stopped in their tracks and fled backward without hesitation, their movements fluid.

"Stay right where you are."

From atop the streetlamp behind them, a dark figure stood silently. It was Mentor Liu Yan!

Caw caw caw…

An astonishing amount of black smoke billowed from Liu Yan's wide sleeves, soaring into the sky. The smoke then separated into strands, transforming into hundreds of black crows. For a moment, the sky above the vast street was obscured by these crows, emitting a chaotic, noisy chorus of "caw caw caw caw."

An indescribable, chilling, and ominous aura instantly spread across the empty street.

These crows, sometimes intangible wisps of smoke moving at extreme speed, and sometimes solid, spat out gray smoke balls. The two dark figures were completely trapped by the flock of crows, struggling to cope.

Seeing this, Gubo's aged, stern face broke into a cold smile.

"Hmph, daring to cause trouble at the Grand Natural Sciences Academy. You won't need the church's judgment; I'll send you to see the God of Light myself!"

His body seemed protected by an invisible magnetic field. Then, Gubo's body gradually transformed into a mass of black shadow, drifting rapidly towards the two figures.

The trapped, masked figures clearly showed a hint of panic.

Knowing there was no escape, facing Gubo, who was transforming into an unmasked shadow and drifting towards them, one of the figures abruptly severed his own arm. As if feeling no pain, he raised it with his other hand, chanted an incantation, and began a mysterious sacrificial ritual.

Simultaneously, the severed arm transformed into a pool of blood with astonishing energy, flowing down from above his head. In an instant, it was about to form a blood-red cloak covering his entire body.

"Hmph!"

Gubo let out an old snort. Through some unknown method of control, the shadowy figure froze instantly, even the blood-red cloak about to descend halted in mid-air.

Silently, a pale hand reached out, tearing through the incomplete blood-red cloak like it was nothing. The shadowy figure let out a non-human wail.

"Aroooo..."

What followed was a bizarre scene!

As if ignited by an invisible flame, the masked figure's body began to spontaneously combust from within. It rapidly evaporated and spread from the point of contact with Gubo's fingers, turning into dust and ash in an instant. Yet, the black clothing remained completely undamaged, falling lightly onto the shoes on the ground.

In the darkness, onlookers who had been disturbed by the commotion let out gasps of horror.

Meanwhile.

A black crow spat out a smoke ball shaped like a skull. It landed on the face of the last masked figure, who was struggling to resist. Instantly, the figure's facial veins bulged, black blood vessels spreading rapidly. His body stiffened like ice and then, with a "bang," he fell rigidly.

From the moment the shadowy figures attacked Jiahei's disguised prey to the appearance of Gubo and Liu Yan, only a few breaths had passed. The battle was resolved, and one was captured alive.

In good spirits, Gubo reverted to his human form from his shadow state.

"Heh heh, let's see what kind of ghoul is under that mask. The Grand Duchy hasn't publicly executed a sorcerer in over a decade!"

Step by step, Gubo approached the masked figure paralyzed by the crow's ghostly fire. A triumphant smile spread across his aged face as he bent down to remove the mask.

Suddenly!

"Mentor, be careful!"

Reilo, from the third floor, seemed to have discovered something and, disregarding everything, let out a terrified cry, warning Gubo. His hoarse voice was incredibly clear in the vast, silent night.

Gubo reacted, transforming back into a shadow and instantly appearing over ten meters away.

At some unknown time, a shadowy figure wielding a bone staff topped with a spinal column had appeared next to the corpse whose neck Gubo had just broken. If one hadn't seen it with their own eyes, it would have been impossible to sense his presence. After silently taking the corpse, he looked at Gubo with blood-red eyes, let out a sinister snort, and swung his bone staff.

Simultaneously, above Gubo, a skeletal hand over ten meters long materialized, locking down the space below. Silently, it descended like swatting a fly.

BOOM!

The silence of the previous moment was replaced by earth-shattering thunder.

A nearly tangible sonic wave rippled outwards. Centered on the skeletal palm, the bluestone slabs of the street cracked inch by inch. Even though the street was wide, the impact still affected the marble buildings on the side. Cracks spread, and terrified screams echoed from within the buildings. Then, with a "rumble," the flimsy, dilapidated fourth floor instantly collapsed.

"Help..."

Cries for help, wails, and chaos erupted.

The scale of this battle had clearly surpassed Gubo and Liu Yan's control.

Even with Reilo's warning, Gubo, in his shadow form, narrowly avoided the attack. However, the only living captive he had just apprehended was completely crushed into pulp by the skeletal hand's strike, merging with the碎石泥土.

The spectral bone palm vanished.

Gubo took a deep breath, looking solemnly at the newly appeared shadowy figure, the mastermind behind the destruction of the evidence. If not for Reilo's warning, he would have almost been ambushed.

"Meddlesome."

Suddenly, those blood-red eyes glanced towards the three-story building. His pale, withered index finger pointed towards it, and he said in a low, sinister voice, "Death Touch."

Chilling dread!

This was a fear Reilo had never experienced.

It felt as if the ground beneath him was a bottomless dark abyss, and the coldness around him spread, completely locking him in, wanting to crush and devour him. His vision was filled only with an approaching darkness. Cold sweat had thoroughly soaked Reilo's back.

Gulp, gulp, gulp.

At this moment, Reilo seemed to hear his own heart pounding. His thoughts became exceptionally clear. Fear, along with adrenaline, instantly spread throughout his body. His heart almost roared aloud.

"Move, run, escape!"

The suddenly appearing mastermind had targeted Reilo.

Gubo was shocked and enraged. He flashed his shadow to rescue him, but it was too late. The black point of light was a dark fingernail, instantly shooting towards Reilo's chest!

"Eh?"

At the same time, the red-eyed sorcerer seemed to sense something and let out a soft hum.

Death Touch, the sacrificial nail, was not a consumable spell but a death sorcery that was gradually refined and upgraded by continuously absorbing the souls of living beings.

This Death Touch nail of his had sacrificed countless souls and had long since achieved spiritual connection. Just as he was about to casually sacrifice this squeaking little thing, he suddenly lost the connection?

"Ah! Ah! Ah..."

A brief moment of shock was followed by boundless pain. Reilo let out a heart-wrenching wail.

On Reilo's chest, the Star Core Necklace shattered, emitting a strange white light. Under the influence of the white light, the dark Death Touch nail rapidly melted. Countless semi-transparent, wailing skull heads, freed from their bonds, scattered in all directions, wailing in instinctive agony.

"No!"

"No!"

Two hoarse roars came simultaneously from the red-eyed sorcerer and Gubo. However, one was in pain for the scattered souls, while the other was concerned for Reilo.

Accompanied by a dazzling white light, these scattered souls were completely consumed by the light without even a whimper.

Fueled by the souls, the white light entered Reilo's bloody chest and disappeared without a trace. Everything returned to normal.