(Two chapters in one; please vote with your monthly tickets.)
Western Continent, the Dark Hut headquarters.
In an inconspicuous side hall within a secluded courtyard, seven Dark Hut disciples in Daoist robes waited in chairs behind their desks. When they saw Grand Cultivator Xiao Shouzhen enter with Raphael, they immediately rose and bowed.
"All right, sit down," Xiao Shouzhen said. "We've invited the Demon Lord to tell us about the situation in the other world."
The seven Dark Hut disciples sat up straight.
There were five men and two women, all in their twenties or thirties. Their eyes were bright and their expressions solemn. Though their levels differed, they were all the elite of the Dark Hut's elite.
Raphael began describing the Forsaken Land of the Gods. When the seven learned that the place they were going had known only night, never day, for thousands of years, and that lightning flashed in its skies at all times, a hint of surprise crossed their faces.
Even Grand Cultivator Xiao Shouzhen was somewhat startled, though he did not show it.
"Each of you must bring a battery-powered lamp and keep yourself in its light at all times," Raphael said. "Otherwise, you may vanish without any explanation, or encounter monsters in the darkness.
"You can give me the batteries you purchase in advance. I'll ask the god to take your supplies to the other world first.
"You'll also have to bring your own food. The food there is contaminated. Eating it for a few days won't have much effect, but you certainly won't find it appetizing."
He paused before continuing, "As for your enemies this time, there are five Beyonders at the late Deification Realm or early Void Refinement Realm-they aren't called cultivators there, but Beyonders.
"There are also several hundred Beyonders at