Sequence 8 Specter

At Lin Shan's roar, everyone nearby immediately scattered.

But it was already too late. Darkness as thick as ink surged from the fluctuating node, enveloping the people around it in an instant.

Ordinary people had no resistance whatsoever to the darkness. Their bodies began to melt slowly, their eyes, mouths, and other organs falling straight to the ground. Moments later, they dissolved into pools of blood.

At the sight, the others turned deathly pale and screamed in terror. Some even had their legs give out and collapsed onto the ground, a wet patch gradually spreading beneath them.

No one laughed. Everyone felt a suffocating terror, including Lin Shan!

"Is this... Sequence 8?"

"Damn it! Of all times!"

Yet the specter's body gave off a strangely contradictory impression. It seemed to be stuck, with something pulling it back into the spatial node.

Lin Shan unleashed his power with everything he had. Pale golden light intertwined with red radiance, instantly tearing an opening in the darkness, like lifting one corner of a black cloth draped over them.

"Quick, get out from behind me!"

The darkness covered an enormous area. At least ten thousand people had gathered here. If they were all wiped out, the blow to the Human Race would be far too devastating.

Lin Shan would not allow that to happen! Especially not right under his nose!

"Didn't you hear me? Hurry!!! Hurry!!!" Lin Shan roared hoarsely. He strained so hard that two pitch-black tears of blood ran from the corners of his eyes.

Only then did everyone snap out of it, scrambling to their feet and running for the exit.

"Leave your things! Do you want your lives or your belongings? If you fail to get out and die, don't blame me!" Seeing people still staggering toward him with their luggage, Lin Shan laughed in fury. For a moment, he truly felt the urge to abandon them.

As the specter's body grew more complete, the pressure on Lin Shan increased. More and more people melted, and the black curtain he had lifted was gradually closing.

Creak, crack! Lin Shan's bones trembled. Unable to withstand the immense spiritual pressure, they began to fracture...

Some people dissolved into pools of blood as they ran, their two eyeballs lying in the blood and staring fixedly ahead. But more were lucky enough to escape. Ordinary people could not feel this pressure at all. Perhaps all of it was concentrated on Lin Shan...

He could feel that his bones were no longer merely cracking. They had begun to shatter, splinters piercing through his flesh. His entire body resembled a ridiculous blood-soaked hedgehog, black blood pooling across the ground.

He could feel his spirituality gradually draining away, while the specter slowly freed itself from the force pulling at it from behind, its body becoming complete.

His blood wing supernatural power had long since run dry, sustained only by the trickle that recovered, and Heart Light's spirituality was also gradually running out.

Lin Shan looked at the Red Lantern by his feet. After mastering Blood Wing and obtaining supernatural power, he had become able to control the Red Lantern fully, preventing its power from leaking out.

He channeled specter physique source into the Red Lantern. In an instant, the dark space was stained red, boundless flames blazing within it. Sizzling immediately rose from the darkness. Lin Shan felt the pressure ease by well over half, but the curtain was still gradually closing.

By now, few people remained inside. They had either died or escaped.

Those left were mostly people whose bodies had already half melted, with only half remaining...

Their wretched cries could be heard from far away. Even their screams were unconscious.

Seeing this, Lin Shan stopped holding on. He cast a long look into the center of the darkness, where he could just make out a huge blood-red face with a crescent mark on its forehead. The rest was hidden by the darkness.

With difficulty, Lin Shan crawled out through the gap, which was only half a meter high.

Once he emerged, the dark curtain closed instantly. When he looked ahead again, there was nothing there. His hand passed straight through when he reached out to touch it, as though everything he had just experienced had been an illusion.

Lin Shan knew that thing was right in front of him. He simply could not see or touch it, and even it could no longer affect him, as though they occupied two different worlds. It was inside, and Lin Shan was outside.

"Lin Shan, are you all right?"

Hearing Zhao Xiao An's voice, Lin Shan turned to look. Everyone he knew had come over except Yan Ruxin. She was probably looking after the children.

"I'm fine," Lin Shan said calmly.

"You call this fine?" Zhao Xiao An's voice trembled slightly. Any normal person would have died long ago in his current state, his entire body covered in bone splinters protruding through his flesh. How much willpower did it take not to even furrow his brow? She hurriedly pulled a ceramic bottle from her pocket and said, "This is the best medicine I've made. Try it, quickly."

"Where am I supposed to apply it? On my bones?" Lin Shan asked helplessly. Then he continued, "Don't worry, I'm fine. I'll recover after a while. I'm used to injuries like this."

As he spoke, he waved a hand and said, "I'm heading to the front. Don't stay together. Spread out. There might be other dangers."

Watching Lin Shan walk farther and farther away, the others sighed and dispersed, returning to their places.

Lin Shan walked along the crowd. Everyone who saw his condition moved aside in fright. Some of those he had just saved recognized him and quietly thanked him.

When he reached a certain spot, Lin Shan stopped. Ahead of him, the little child named Xiao Yuan was sobbing uncontrollably, while Yan Ruxin stood beside him, patting his back to comfort him.

Of the original seventeen children, only nine remained. The little boy who had been close to Xiao Yuan was gone too... It seemed they had also been caught in that specter domain. Nearly ten thousand people had been frantically squeezing their way out at the time; Lin Shan had had no chance to keep track of who was inside.

Yan Ruxin turned and saw Lin Shan. A trace of worry flashed through her eyes at his injuries, but in the end, she merely nodded to him and mouthed a thank-you.

Lin Shan nodded back, walked past them, and continued straight to the very front of the procession.

With everyone clustered together, the procession was now several times shorter. Although the chances of encountering danger had decreased, if danger did strike, the casualty rate would also rise severalfold.

They were fortunate. Apart from a few Fallen that attempted ambushes and were dealt with by Lin Shan in advance, they encountered no further danger.

The sun rose, and the fear that had lingered in everyone's eyes all night faded a little.

After a simple meal of dry rations, the crowd once again formed a long procession stretching several miles and continued on their way.

By now, almost all the bone splinters on Lin Shan's body had retracted inside him. Only a few longer ones remained unrepaired and exposed, while his once brand-new silk robe had been stained black with blood.

Ever since he fused with Blood Wing, his blood had no longer been real blood, but a manifestation of supernatural power. Its color had also become as black as ink.