Overwhelming Victory!

Gu Jianlin felt that although he was clearly staring at the man, he was gradually becoming unable to sense his presence.

This was an irresistible kind of neglect, as if the man were being forcibly erased from the world.

You knew he existed, and you knew his name. You even knew exactly what he was going to do.

But you would still overlook him!

This was the Mythic Armament that Joker had always relied on to survive!

"Goodbye."

Joker laughed arrogantly, gathering his spiritual power as he prepared to use Teleportation to escape. "Next time we meet, would you rather see your mother's head or your sister's? Or maybe someone else's?"

After saying that, his pupils contracted for an instant.

Gu Jianlin expressionlessly took a square of folded tissue from his pocket.

He held the tissue between both hands, and a cluster of pale ghostfire suddenly ignited at his fingertips!

"Weren't you always curious about which inheritance path I belonged to?"

He spoke softly. "Curses."

The word, brimming with killing intent, echoed through the silence. Black, eerie runes suddenly appeared in the boy's eyes, spreading across his body like living creatures.

His body trembled in agony, almost convulsing. He looked like a sinner under a curse, suffering heavenly punishment!

The Divine Priest Path's basic ability: Ghost Curse!

At this stage, it used the enemy's bodily tissue as a medium to curse their life and soul!

It harmed both enemy and caster!

Although a Tier 0 Divine Priest could inflict only limited damage with a curse,

Gu Jianlin was different. Although he was Tier 0, he had Dual-Core Drive.

Double the damage!

Blood spurted out with a splat.

Gu Jianlin bled from all seven orifices, like a demon crawling out of hell.

Blood also burst from all seven of Joker's orifices, and the Mythic Armament he was activating was abruptly interrupted!

"I never said you could leave."

Gu Jianlin gasped violently. Staggering, he grabbed a flowerpot and ignited Divine Sacrifice Fire, drawing on its life force. He then pulled the Desert Eagle from his waist. There was one bullet left in the magazine!

He raised the gun, took aim, and pulled the trigger!

Bang!

At the critical moment, Joker's eyes turned dark with fury. A thick, bloody mist erupted from his back, and eight steel-hard spider legs burst out of his body, crossing in front of him in an instant.

With a sharp clang, the bullet struck one of the steel limbs and fell to the ground!

"I wasn't going to use this move, but you're asking for it."

Joker was indeed enraged. His whole body trembled and convulsed. Fine hairs sprouted across his face, and his pupils transformed into terrifying compound eyes.

"Deep mutation. So he really is a spider!"

Gu Jianlin stood motionless, his eyes narrowing. ☺💙  🍮🍪

A massive shadow rushed toward him, accompanied by a thick, bloody stench.

Joker leaped into the air, then plunged down from above.

"What tricks can you pull when faced with absolute strength?"

A fatal blow.

Gu Jianlin watched the shadow descend, yet didn't panic in the slightest.

By his reckoning, it should be about time.

·

·

Centered on the cafeteria, four black pestles—one each to the east, south, west, and north—punched through the ground with a thunderous crash. A dark curtain of light shot skyward from each, joining together.

The boundary-type Mythic Armament, Fengdu Luo Realm!

The four Vajra Demon-Subduing Pestles formed the boundary. The reality enclosed within temporarily became another realm. Only Ascenders with spiritual power could see what was inside, and only they could pass through the boundary.

Ordinary people, meanwhile, would be trapped as if caught in a ghostly maze, unable to cross no matter what they tried.

This Mythic Armament had been passed down since ancient times. There were thirteen sets in total, with one assigned to each district.

It was standard equipment for the Ether Association when carrying out missions in urban areas.

Someone shouted:

"I'm issuing this order as the team leader... Operation begins! Execute Plan A! All units, attention!"

He gave the order. "Get ready. Breach the door!"

The cafeteria's tightly shut doors exploded inward.

Gu Jianlin hadn't moved an inch when a massive arrow shot past, grazing his tousled hair!

Crack! The sound of flesh tearing.

Caught off guard, Joker was impaled by the huge arrow as he lunged forward, pinned alive to the wall.

Another iron spear hurtled through the air, piercing his left arm.

A gleaming katana flashed like a fleeting shadow and pierced his right arm.

Joker was pinned to the wall, blood flowing freely.

The first to rush in was a masked man. A pitch-black sniper rifle was strapped to his back. He gripped an enormous iron bow, and a quiver hung at his waist.

"Reserve Investigator Gu Jianlin, your mission is over."

His voice was stern as he ordered coldly, "I'm Zhang Cheng, leader of the action team. I hereby order the start of the purge! Medical team, treat the wounded. Everyone else, attack with full force!"

He nocked an arrow. The bowstring gave a sharp whine, as if about to snap, and three steel arrows sped forth.

Gu Jianlin steadied himself against a table and glanced at him. The man looked just like an ancient general wielding a giant bow!

Overlord Path, Tier 2, Hunter!

At that very moment, Joker's abdomen swelled. A huge amount of white strands suddenly sprayed from his mouth!

Spider silk!

An enormous quantity of silk burst forth. Each strand seemed incredibly tough, forming a web-like defense in midair. It directly stopped the arrows hurtling toward him, trapping them fast.

"Get ready. Wind!"

Zhang Cheng gave the order.

Two young men who looked almost exactly alike came to his side, as if cut from the same mold. Their hands formed seals before their chests. Then their chests contracted, their cheeks puffed out, and they exhaled!

A breath of hot air burst forth, instantly becoming a raging gale that tore at the spider silk crisscrossing the air!

Celestial Master Path, Tier 2, Warlock!

Four more Tier 2 Hunters crouched by the entrance. Their eyes were as sharp as eagles', fixed firmly on the spiderlike monster pinned to the wall. They drew their massive bows and fired!

Twelve arrows in total tore through the air with a shrill whistle.

The two Warlocks continued forming seals. Wind pressure swirled around the twelve arrows, and they pierced the spider's deformed body!

"Roar!"

Joker let out a shrill, pained scream as the gale ripped his body apart.

Three figures cloaked in hoods walked in. They carefully inspected the ground, then bent down and wiped the blood from the floor. Eerie black runes suddenly surfaced in their eyes.

With a bang, blood spurted from their bodies.

Ghost Curse Technique!

Divine Priest Path, Tier 2, Life Controller!

The body battered by the wind blades spurted blood once more, and Joker's roars grew weak.

In an instant, two women wielding katanas charged forth, slashing with frigid flashes of steel!

Samurai Path, Ronin.

Gu Jianlin had seen it on the Deep Sky Network before. It was a branch of the Ancient Martial Arts Path!

With a crack, all eight of Joker's spider legs were severed at the roots!

The last person to rush in was a round, plump man, accompanied by a familiar, extremely obnoxious voice, laughing mockingly.

Cheng Youyu!

"Move!"

The fat man was clearly from the Ancient Martial Arts Path. He leaped forward, charging like a tank. An immense, invisible force of energy coiled around him as he barreled ahead, like a bomb primed to explode!

Boom!

The wall collapsed, and his terrifying force erupted.

At that moment, Joker's bones audibly snapped as he was smashed into the rubble.

Ancient Martial Arts Path, Tier 2, Qi Refiner.

Cheng Youyu's style was completely different from everyone else's. The others were all disciplined operatives, while he was more like a street thug. Even after knocking down his opponent, he kept kicking him relentlessly.

"Die, you pervert!"

"You dare abuse small animals!"

"You dare stalk our school beauty!"

The fat man cursed up a storm as he repeatedly kicked the rubble.

The entire cafeteria shook with a rumble, and he even hurled insults at every generation of Joker's ancestors.

Only when the rubble had gone completely quiet did Cheng Youyu stop. Then he spat into it.

The action team's operatives all turned their heads, pretending they didn't know him.

Seeing the target defeated, Gu Jianlin still didn't relax. He felt there was more to it than this.

Joker still had at least one Mythic Armament he hadn't used.

Gu Jianlin wasn't unafraid of death.

Ever since he received that letter from Joker, he had been drawing up a plan.

The first thing to consider was why Deep Sky had sent a Tier 0 like him on this mission.

Bait.

As long as Joker revealed himself in front of him, someone would naturally come!

He had calculated everything from beginning to end.

Someone came up beside him and said timidly, "D-don't be afraid. You're safe now."

Gu Jianlin turned around and saw a charming, lovely girl with a ponytail, fresh-faced and beautiful.

She seemed embarrassed. Her pretty cheeks flushed faintly. Her blue-and-white sailor uniform accentuated her slender, graceful figure. Below her skirt was a pair of long, slender legs, her calves covered in short black socks above a pair of round-toed leather shoes.

"I-I'm Nie Xiangsi. The team leader asked me... to treat your injuries."

Nie Xiangsi wore a cross around her neck, seemingly marking her as part of the Western Priest Path. She pressed both hands against the boy's back and released a gentle glow, as if spring rain were nourishing parched earth.

Gu Jianlin thought the name sounded familiar, but he couldn't remember where he had heard it.

He looked at the girl again. She wore a black-and-white nun's habit and a tall veil, and she was still very shy.

Priest Path, Tier 2, Nun!

Ever since Gu Jianlin returned from the Kirin Immortal Palace, his profiling ability had changed. Whenever an Ascender used an ability, he could observe their supernatural form and approximate tier.

Generally, the more immense the supernatural form, the higher their tier.

The action team's tactical arrangement was quite reasonable. All fourteen of them were Tier 2, relying on sheer numbers.

Joker, also Tier 2, couldn't possibly defeat them.

Likewise, Danger Premonition wouldn't be triggered.

And that was exactly what had happened. Even after undergoing a high degree of mutation, Joker had been beaten without the chance to fight back.

They had crushed him effortlessly and ended the battle.

"Um, are you all right?"

Nie Xiangsi spoke softly. "I didn't expect a newcomer like you to hold out against Joker for so long. If it were me, I'd probably have been killed in five seconds, right?"

"You're medical staff, after all."

Gu Jianlin felt his wounds healing, and even the spiritual power he had expended was recovering. "Thanks."

This Western Priest Path really was amazing.

Just then, the other thirteen members of the action team turned to look at him, their eyes full of shock.

They couldn't understand how a Tier 0 Priest had managed to fight a Tier 2 Fallen to a standstill.

Cheng Youyu especially was stunned as soon as he saw Gu Jianlin's face. "Holy shit, isn't that Brother Lin?"

To prevent operational details from leaking, only the team leader knew the bait's identity.

Cheng Youyu was utterly shocked. Two days ago, he had learned that a new recruit would serve as bait to draw out the target.

He had even been gleefully wondering who the unlucky rookie was, figuring he must have offended someone in the higher-ups.

Going up against Joker, the kid would probably be doomed.

He never expected it to be someone he knew!

"Good to see you again."

Gu Jianlin nodded in greeting.

"Holy shit, Brother Lin! You were the bait?"

Cheng Youyu's eyes widened, and his jaw nearly hit the floor.

He looked at the blood covering the floor and the shattered chairs. Heaven knew how fierce the battle had been.

It was hard to imagine that the quiet, polite boy he remembered could have caused such a scene.

Gu Jianlin gave a quiet hum. "That was me."

Cheng Youyu froze for a moment, then realized what had happened. "Damn it! Deacon Nie is a real piece of work, making you the bait, Brother Lin? If something happened to you, what would I do about my placement exam?"

Gu Jianlin didn't know what to say. He only said, "Be careful. Joker still has another Mythic Armament."

"It's fine. So what if he has a Mythic Armament?"

Cheng Youyu waved a hand. "We've got this many people on him. How could we lose? We've got backup coming, too!"

"Shut up."

Zhang Cheng said solemnly, "Stay alert at all times. We can't confirm that the target is dead yet."

With him at the head, all the task force agents kept a safe distance and cautiously approached the ruins.

Suddenly, a faint, raspy chuckle came from within the ruins.

Silently, the temperature throughout the cafeteria seemed to drop.

Everything changed in an instant!