Rustling sounds rose all around.
Listening closely, one could make out countless people whispering.
But their words were completely unintelligible.
Or rather-
The language they used was not human.
Xiao Mengyu's expression changed, and she swung her sword at the wall beside her.
The wall parted like tofu, revealing a room packed with corpses.
Every corpse had its eyes closed and a pained expression, its mouth rapidly and indistinctly chanting some sort of incantation.
As they chanted, bloody shadows appeared on the floor, eventually gathering beneath the man's feet.
"Now it's time to get serious."
The man waved a hand lightly.
Dense crimson threads appeared in the corridor, coming one after another, all slashing toward Xiao Mengyu.
Xiao Mengyu struck repeatedly with her longsword, blocking the crimson threads.
Yet as the chanting of the surrounding corpses grew louder, the crimson threads grew stronger, their speed becoming a blur.
Xiao Mengyu gave a soft snort. Several sword shadows surged from her longsword, instantly breaking through layer upon layer of bloody threads and slashing toward the man at the other end of the corridor.
The man stood motionless.
The endless crimson threads suddenly converged into a wall, blocking every sword shadow.
"It's no use. With the Blood Curse's constant reinforcement, my power keeps breaking through to new heights. Any move of mine can kill you. For example-"
"Bind."
The man enunciated the word.
In an instant.
Endless crimson threads emerged from the surrounding walls, all surging toward Xiao Mengyu.
-She was surrounded!
At this critical moment, Xiao Mengyu kept her longsword around her in defense, straining to trace seven Sword Blossoms.
The sword stopped.
All the crimson threads were wound around her longsword, while she remained completely unharmed.
"Fine swordsmanship, but-you can't use your sword anymore."
The man silently appeared behind her, thrusting his hand like a blade toward her fair neck.
From past experience, this move could kill his opponent outright.
The man could already smell the fragrance of the girl's blood and feel her tremendous vitality withering beneath his hand.
In that split second-
Gripping the sword hilt with both hands, Xiao Mengyu suddenly pulled downward.
She drew a short sword from within the longsword and thrust it behind her with a reverse grip.
A Mother-and-Child Sword!
The man's expression changed.
This strike seemed calculated in advance. When his hand pierced her neck, her sword would pierce his heart with perfect precision!
The man had no choice but to leap backward.
"Stop struggling. Amid this endless Blood Demon Evil Curse, I am invincible," he said, shaking his head.
"That remains to be seen."
Xiao Mengyu joined the short sword's hilt to the longsword's and gave it a light shake.
All the crimson threads were instantly severed from the blade.
Holding the hilt, she settled into a stance, poised to charge forward.
Gradually, the phantom of a blazing sun appeared behind her, and within it was a crescent moon.
The man had been about to attack immediately, but at this strange sight, he seemed to recall something, and his expression gradually grew grave.
"A blade with two edges, long on the left and short on the right, wielded through qi-this is called the Luo Fu Sun-and-Moon Veil."
"To think you've comprehended this supreme sword technique at such a young age. Fortunately, that divine sword isn't in your hands. Otherwise, I could only turn and flee."
The man clasped his hands together and shouted in a low voice:
"Blood Demon Myriad-Life Curse."
The chanting of the countless surrounding corpses suddenly grew louder.
Wisps of bloodlight sank into the man's body from thin air, making his aura continue to rise.
Several shadows silently appeared beneath his feet.
These dark shapes were so enormous that the floor could not contain them, leaving the walls of the entire corridor completely shrouded in black shadow.
"I will summon them, and your fate is already sealed."
The man spoke leisurely.
Xiao Mengyu's gaze flickered. She knew that all his power came from that incantation.
She wanted to destroy all the corpses, but he was already watching her closely, looking for any opening.
No one else could intervene in the battle to come-
It would decide both victory and defeat, life and death!
She could only draw a deep breath and shout in a low voice:
"Come on, then. Let me see just how powerful your Blood Demon Arts really are!"
Elsewhere.
Wearing a suit of armor supplied by Big Skeleton and holding a door as a shield, Shen Ye had already reached the first floor of the Hotel building.
"We need to hurry and escape somewhere safe, right?" Big Skeleton asked.
"You're kidding, right?" Shen Ye replied as he sprinted. "We're only one last step away from the truth!"
"But you can't take part in a battle on that level," Big Skeleton said worriedly.
-This kid couldn't die. If he died, Big Skeleton was finished too.
Thud!
Shen Ye kicked open an office door. Looking at the corpses sprawled inside, he shook his head and went to kick open the second door in the corridor.
"You're right. I'd die the moment I joined that fight-but we can help indirectly!"
Shen Ye said.
The second door was kicked open. Inside, apart from corpses, there was only some Firefighting Equipment.
"How would we do that?" Big Skeleton did not understand.
Shen Ye raised his foot to kick the third office door as he said:
"That guy keeps increasing his strength by relying on countless blood demon incantations, right?"
"Right-the reinforcement from the incantations keeps increasing, and his aura keeps rising too," Big Skeleton said with certainty.
The third office contained only corpses.
Shen Ye glanced inside, turned away, and said, "A Hotel this lavish should host banquets or events. It must have the things a Master of Ceremonies needs, so I've been looking for-"
He kicked open the fourth office door.
There it was!
He rushed inside, hung the equipment around his neck, switched it on, and tested the sound.
"What exactly are you doing?" Big Skeleton could not help asking.
It was honestly frustrating.
Despite all his battle experience, he could not even figure out what this kid was trying to do.
"Now it's time to test your world's strength, brother," Shen Ye said.
"What do you mean?" Big Skeleton asked.
"That Undead Talent, of course. Now we're going to use it to trample that 'Skinner's' ability and see which is stronger!" Shen Ye said.
"Obviously! That talent's origins are anything but ordinary. You have no idea what an enormous bargain you got!" Big Skeleton immediately said.
"Really?" Shen Ye asked doubtfully.
"If I'm lying, I'll chop my head off," Big Skeleton swore.
"You're already nothing but a head-but since you're so adamant, I'll trust you this once."
Shen Ye strode out and stood in the Hotel's first-floor lobby. Drawing a deep breath, he raised the Microphone in his hand.
The volume was already turned all the way up.
He roared at the top of his lungs:
"Friends from Hell, how are you all?"
An enormous wave of sound swept through the entire Hotel.
Dark Whisper activated the instant he opened his mouth.
Since Shen Ye had asked a question, any dead who heard it had to answer him.
So-
Would the Blood Demon Art prove stronger, controlling the corpses and keeping them chanting, or-
Could Dark Whisper break it and force the dead to answer?
Dead silence.
-The endless, sinister, magic-laden chanting that enveloped the entire Hotel abruptly stopped.
All the corpses had to stop.
The next instant-
"Good."
"Not good."
"In pain."
"Despairing."
"I can't believe I'm dead."
"Help me!"
The corpses spoke all at once.
-Skinner's Blood Demon Arts had been interrupted!
Upstairs.
Xiao Mengyu leaned forward and shot into motion with a boom, charging toward Skinner.
The man nicknamed Skinner wore a serene expression as he chanted in an elegant, modulated voice:
"Great Bloodthirsty Two-Headed Serpent Demon, you who have destroyed countless living beings, permit me to summon you here-"
"To defeat the enemy before me!"
Circles of intricate crimson runes appeared beneath his feet, erupting with bloody light that pierced the entire corridor.
The timing was perfect.
The moment Xiao Mengyu reached him, the Bloodthirsty Two-Headed Serpent Demon would appear!
He could attack alongside the Serpent Demon.
He had used this combination countless times, and it had never failed.
This time would be no exception!
The man silently held his breath, ready to meet his enemy.
A sudden change occurred-
A voice came from the Hotel lobby:
"Friends from Hell, how are you all?"
In an instant.
All the undead stopped chanting their reinforcement incantations.
The man's expression abruptly changed.
This is bad!
His timing was far too precise.
At the very instant I was about to settle the battle with the swordswoman, he suddenly stripped away every protective incantation on me.
The summoning's effect will be greatly weakened.
What a ruthless move, what a vicious scheme!
"Go-die-!"
Xiao Mengyu charged forward with a furious shout, layers upon layers of sword shadows appearing on her longsword.
There's no time!
The man gritted his teeth and shouted fiercely, "Come forth, Two-Headed Serpent Demon! I'll compensate you generously afterward!"
He pressed his hand against empty air.
Boom!
Bloody light exploded, and a figure appeared in front of him.
The man and Xiao Mengyu lowered their gazes at the same time, looking at the little blood-colored dog on the floor, less than thirty centimeters tall.
This was-
A Chihuahua?
The Blood Chihuahua glanced back at the man, then looked at Xiao Mengyu, who held a sharp blade before the little dog.
"Woof-whimper-"
Poof!
The little dog vanished with tail tucked between legs.
The man's heart sank to rock bottom.
The ritual had been interrupted, so he had failed to summon the Two-Headed Serpent Demon and had only summoned a Blood Chihuahua.
-Now he was in trouble!