The Captains' Bizarre Deaths

Gu Jianlin's left hand hung naturally at his side. The illusory silver-white chains had already slipped free from his right wrist, floating all around him in midair. Only he could see them.

The Non-Existent Lock, minimally released.

It didn't consume much spiritual energy. It merely erased his presence on the transcendent level.

He didn't know what inheritance path the intruder might follow, but it was best to be prepared.

Something seemed to have been inserted into the doorknob. It began to turn ever so slightly.

Gu Jianlin thought, So this Fallen can pick locks.

The door silently swung open, and a short, thin shadow slipped inside. Without making a sound, it crept toward the bed.

It was as nimble as a monkey.

Gu Jianlin watched him from behind, then silently approached as well. He raised his hand and brought the blade down!

A wet squelch. Blood spurted out.

The monkey-faced man had been stabbed in the back, but he didn't scream. He turned around, enduring the pain, and his palm ignited with pale ghostfire!

At that moment, Gu Jianlin lowered his head and watched as the man's ghostfire-wreathed palm pressed against his chest.

At the same time, he felt his life force rapidly evaporating.

The Divine Sacrifice Fire.

What a coincidence. Infighting among Divine Priests.

Gu Jianlin raised his own hand. Pale ghostfire ignited in his palm, and he pressed it against the other man's head!

Sacrifice!

The two Divine Priests burned each other with the Divine Sacrifice Fire, robbing one another of their life force.

Their vitality was pulled back and forth between their bodies.

Gu Jianlin felt a vast amount of life force drain away, only for it to surge back into him the next second.

Even more than he had lost.

Almost twice as much!

They were both first-tier Divine Priests, so in theory, their strength should have been comparable.

But the key was that Gu Jianlin had Dual-Core Drive. In other words, he had twice the output, completely overwhelming his opponent!

The monkey-faced man's vitality rapidly dwindled. He realized what was happening, terror spreading across his face as he instinctively tried to scream.

But Gu Jianlin pulled the dagger from his back and slashed his throat.

Blood spilled.

His choked moan was swallowed by the night.

After an unknown amount of time, the monkey-faced man's eyes bulged, and the light of death surfaced in them. His body withered completely, like rotting bark. His breathing and heartbeat stopped, and he died without understanding what had happened.

Gu Jianlin gently lowered him to the floor, feeling the vigor coursing through his body.

That was the advantage of the Divine Priest Path.

He didn't even need to eat to stay energized.

He only needed to suck the life force out of others.

And after advancing to the first-tier Life Controller, the power of his Divine Sacrifice Fire had grown stronger.

"According to the information provided by the Deep Sky Network, a first-tier Life Controller can extend the Divine Sacrifice Fire across a five-meter radius, slowly draining the life force of lower-level life forms within that area. Is it some kind of barrier or domain?"

Gu Jianlin pressed his hand to the floor. Pale ghostfire seeped into it, and countless twisted black talismans spread in every direction. Illusory flames ignited at the four cardinal points, forming a sinister sacrificial array.

Its range, however, reached a full twenty meters.

Through Life Perception, he sensed that every insignificant living creature in the area had been drained.

Mosquitoes, ants, and the like had all died.

So that was how it worked.

He understood now.

If he wanted his other abilities to become as overwhelming as Life Perception, he'd probably have to wait until his next advancement.

"Even outside of Ancient God Transformation, I can create Ancient God Blood." Gu Jianlin felt the chaotic life force inside him gradually merging with his own. But its level of mutation was too low to condense into Ancient God Blood.

He also gained a deeper understanding of why the Divine Priest Path was the easiest to lose control on.

Normally, one couldn't use the Divine Sacrifice Fire against a Fallen like this.

Once they absorbed that chaotic life force, they would most likely lose control themselves.

Gu Jianlin wasn't afraid of that.

He possessed the power of an Ancient God. He was a source of contamination himself.

But as the chaotic life force entered his body, the Black Kirin deep in his consciousness began to stir.

It seemed ready to undergo Ancient God Transformation at any moment.

Gu Jianlin forcibly suppressed the urge to transform, gathered his belongings, and left the room.

The corridor was pitch-black. It seemed the entire inn had lost power. Even the long street outside was dark, without a single glimmer of light. He could faintly sense a thick fog spreading and swallowing the dilapidated stronghold.

The fog had rolled in.

Black mist accompanied by a strange, ominous aura howled in the gale.

Gu Jianlin narrowed his eyes. His instincts told him something was wrong with Black Cloud Stronghold. It wasn't just because the place was a mix of all sorts of people. He sensed a trace of something from another world.

The world of the Ancient Gods.

Gu Jianlin turned and left. The door to the room next door was ajar, as though someone had just gone inside.

He approached quietly and slipped in.

Nie Xiangsi was still sleeping lightly in bed. As if sensing something, she opened her eyes.

In that instant, terror filled her lively gaze.

A burly man stood at her bedside. She had no idea when he had appeared. He was about to swing the giant axe in his hands!

"Die."

Someone spoke softly.

The burly man suddenly groaned, as if he had taken a heavy blow to the head. Blood poured from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth.

A sharp dagger thrust out through his chest, accompanied by a gush of thick, foul-smelling blood.

With a wet squelch, the blood would have splattered all over Nie Xiangsi if she hadn't been under the covers.

Gu Jianlin clutched the dagger, panting. The backlash from Ghost Curse had struck him too, leaving his face covered in blood.

Despite his severe injuries, the burly man still hadn't died. Without hesitation, he turned and hefted his giant axe.

Terrifying power gathered within him.

In Gu Jianlin's vision, the shadow of a Wandering Warrior appeared behind the man, fierce and formidable.

The Samurai Path excelled at close combat. Don't meet it head-on.

Gu Jianlin immediately raised his right hand. A black bell hung from his fingers, releasing a dark halo. A tremendous sound, like the tolling of an ancient bell, burst forth, sending waves of overlapping ripples through the night.

The Soul-Pacifying Bell, minimally released!

The burly man was struck as if by lightning. His mind roared, as if his soul had been shattered.

Even Nie Xiangsi was affected. She groaned, her face turning pale.

The Soul-Pacifying Bell didn't distinguish between friend and foe.

But there was no helping it. Gu Jianlin thought he really wasn't suited to having teammates. Without hesitation, he pulled out the dagger and plunged it into the man's heart again. His other hand ignited with pale Divine Sacrifice Fire.

Sacrifice!

Gu Jianlin pressed his hand to the man's head. The pale ghostfire devoured his life force.

After a long while, the burly man withered all over and fell to his knees.

Gu Jianlin withdrew the Divine Sacrifice Fire, returning to peak condition.

The chaotic life force coursed through his body, silently absorbed in its entirety.

He was still far from condensing even a single drop of Ancient God Blood, but he had plenty of patience.

Killing two people felt no different to him than killing two chickens. He didn't know why he had such nerves of steel.

The girl on the bed seemed to have passed out. In the darkness, he could hear her even, steady breathing.

"Quit pretending to be asleep."

Gu Jianlin said softly, "It's me. Those on the Priest Path recover quickly. That blow just now won't have hurt you. Now, follow me and find the others."

With that, he turned and left without hesitation.

In the darkness, Nie Xiangsi's pretty face visibly flushed.

When she had sensed the ambush, the other person had appeared without a sound and killed the enemy with a swift, decisive strike.

But it had been too dark for her to see anything, and the toll of that bell had briefly knocked her out.

She hadn't even seen the Divine Sacrifice Fire.

So she had no idea what the person's intentions were. She'd simply pretended to faint on the spot to see what would happen.

She hadn't expected to make such a foolish mistake.

Gu Jianlin's arrival left her embarrassed, but it also gave her a sense of security.

And this young man seemed different from the others.

Nie Xiangsi had a lot of support among the newcomers, and she was gentle and shy by nature, inspiring affection.

Most people looked after her.

If anyone else had been there, they would surely have rushed over to fuss over her, helped her gather her things, and wiped away the blood.

Of course, Nie Xiangsi didn't think she needed special treatment.

It was just that Gu Jianlin's attitude toward her was a little too cold. She was already prone to shyness, and now she felt even more flustered.

His tone had been calm, but she couldn't shake the feeling that he disliked her.

"Come on, Xiangsi. You can do this! You're the best. You have to do your duty as a doctor."

Nie Xiangsi encouraged herself and hurriedly climbed out of bed to put on her shoes.

"Move faster."

Gu Jianlin had just stepped out when he leaned back around the doorway. "Bring your supplies."

Nie Xiangsi lowered her head and murmured, "Okay."

The corridor was too dark. To be safe, Gu Jianlin didn't turn on his phone's flashlight. He stood by the door, carefully sensing the rhythms of life in the darkness, then suddenly fell silent.

He had realized that the rhythms of life in the neighboring inn had all vanished.

The life signs of every captain seemed to have been swallowed by the black fog.

Many in the seventeen-person action team had life rhythms that were extremely faint as well.

As though they were gravely injured.

Nie Xiangsi followed behind him, carrying a supply box. Seeing him stand there in silence, she cautiously asked, "What's wrong?"

"Something's wrong with this mission. Get ready to treat the wounded."

Gu Jianlin said calmly, "Can you do it?"

Nie Xiangsi met his gaze, pressed her lips together, and nodded. "Mm."

·

·

A tremendous roar sounded from the distant corridor!

Flames burst through a door, lighting up the dark street.

Three charred figures were blasted against the corridor wall.

Amid the burning flames, Yan Ye stood in the room with his arms crossed. His white suit was spotless, and his expression was cold.

A burst of scorching breath escaped his lips, and the flames in his throat gradually died out.

The Celestial Master Path's ability was to control the elements.

Yan Feng emerged, holding a blade in his right hand and a headless corpse in his left. His face was full of contempt.

As for Mu Ziqing, she had been well protected and was still calmly drinking her coffee.

At the end of the corridor, the faint tremor of a sword rang out and vanished in an instant.

A fierce flash of cold light streaked through the night. Razor-sharp sword energy tore through the door, cleaving the corridor wall apart. In the firelit darkness, a corpse cut in half at the waist could still be seen being hurled downstairs.

Blood poured down like rain.

Tang Ling stood amid the downpour of blood, a zither case on her back and a silver-white iron sword in her hand.

A chill sword aura swirled around her, keeping even a single drop of blood from touching her.

The Sword Sect Path's core ability: sword energy converted from the mind!

All six of them saw one another in the firelight.

Through Life Perception, Gu Jianlin could tell there were no enemies left on this floor.

Before anyone could say a word, a scream rang out downstairs.

Gu Jianlin recognized the voice.

Cheng Youyu!

"Move."

Gu Jianlin was the first to head down the stairs, carrying a chair in one hand.

After the fight, he'd decided that daggers weren't very useful. A chair made a better club.

Realizing a teammate was in danger, Nie Xiangsi hurried after him.

"Did we come under attack?"

Yan Ye watched them leave in the firelight and said, "Ziqing, get ready to cast a healing spell."

Mu Ziqing set down her coffee and said calmly, "Understood."

Yan Feng, however, was looking at the white-haired girl opposite him. He was just about to say something.

But Tang Ling went downstairs without a word, not even considering acknowledging him.

Yan Feng opened his mouth, then said nothing.

"Forget about your love life for now."

Yan Ye said coldly, "Let's go see what's happening downstairs first."

Yan Feng pursed his lips. "Got it."

When Gu Jianlin rushed downstairs, he had already expected what he would find, but he still fell silent.

By the first-floor restroom, Cheng Youyu and Zhang Cheng stood nearby, their faces ashen.

Cheng Youyu in particular let out a terrified scream and trembled violently.

At the far end of the restroom, Chen Chen had been pinned to the wall by an iron sword thrust through his head.

Blood splattered like paint.

The scene was horrific, and there wasn't the slightest trace of a struggle.

This was a vice-captain, a Tier 3!

And he'd died just like that, for no apparent reason.

"Vice-Captain Chen..."

At the sight, Nie Xiangsi's pretty face turned deathly pale. She instinctively started toward him to try to save him.

"There's no need. He's already gone."

Gu Jianlin stopped her. "There'll be plenty of others for you to save soon."

Nie Xiangsi froze. "What do you mean?"

Gu Jianlin glanced at her and said calmly, "I mean there are still enemies."

Something about this struck him as strange.

Through his Life Perception, he'd sensed all the captains' Life Rhythms vanish at the exact same time.

That included Lu Zicheng and Chen Qing.

In other words, if they really had been killed, someone had managed to kill them all simultaneously.

If that were the case, there was no reason for rookies like them to still be alive.

So something was definitely off.

Cheng Youyu and Zhang Cheng also recovered from the shock of what they'd seen. Their faces were pale, and they trembled slightly.

Death had come too quickly. No one had been prepared.

Of the seventeen people, they'd found eight so far. They still didn't know what had happened to the rest.

"Get ready. They're coming," Gu Jianlin said quietly.

As soon as he finished speaking, someone screamed.

Someone was thrown down from the third floor, blood spraying everywhere on impact.

"Ether Association lackeys, I suggest you all stay put—unless you want your companions to die."