Evacuation (Two-in-One)

Lu Heng withdrew his hand from the door, his fingertips still stinging from the intense heat.

He didn't force his way in.

A mental scan swept across the entire giant door. There were no obvious guards behind it, but the door itself exuded a sense of repulsion, as if some kind of seal was preventing outsiders from entering. Forcing its way in wasn't impossible, but the noise would be too great, and if it alerted what was inside, the situation would become very troublesome.

He took a half step back and closed his eyes.

Blood Taisui spores seeped from his palm, spreading silently, and a dark red fungal membrane slowly covered his body. The membrane was very thin, almost transparent, and adhered to his skin, enveloping his body temperature, breath, and mental energy fluctuations. He was as if he were wrapped in an invisible film, and even his breathing was suppressed to a minimum.

He moved along the exterior wall of the building and found a crack in the wall. The crack was very narrow, barely wide enough for one person to squeeze through sideways. A dark red light shone through from inside, indicating that the crack led into the interior of the building.

Lu Heng squeezed in sideways.

The fungal membrane clung to the rock wall without making any friction noise. The inside of the crack was very hot, and the surface of the rock wall was so hot that it could be felt even through the fungal membrane, but the Blood Taisui had a certain resistance to high temperatures, and the fungal membrane was not melted. He moved slowly along the crack, keeping his mental energy very low, only probing within a few meters of his surroundings to avoid being detected by what was inside.

At the end of the crack was a spacious hall.

Lu Heng stopped at the crack, not going out immediately. He slowly poked half his head out through the fungal membrane to observe the situation in the hall.

The hall was larger than it appeared from the outside, with a high dome and dark red light flowing through the walls, like lava slowly flowing through the cracks in the stone. The floor was paved with neat dark red stone slabs, engraved with intricate patterns similar to those on the giant door outside. There were several thick stone pillars in the hall, and behind them, several figures were pacing back and forth.

It's Goblin and Green Demon.

But the number is very small.

Lu Heng frowned. He had originally thought there would be a large number of guards in this building, given its size and the presence of patrols around the perimeter. However, there were only three or four Goblin and two Green Demon scattered among the stone pillars in the hall, showing no signs of being on high alert.

He waited a moment, and after confirming that there were no more guards, he quietly moved along the wall to the edge of the hall and hid behind a stone pillar.

The fungal membrane completely concealed his presence, and the Goblin and Green Demon walked past him without noticing.

Lu Heng heard them talking.

"Hasn't the King come up with a solution yet?" a Goblin complained, his voice tinged with frustration. "What are we going to do? Our world is about to crumble."

The Green Demon beside him snorted, "It's all those guys' fault, shouting and yelling about invading Otherworld, but they failed. They lost so many of our excellent warriors and Priest."

"I wanted to go too, but I didn't have the chance," another Goblin sighed, a hint of regret in his voice. "If I had gone, I might have been able to get some benefits."

"What a load of crap." Green Demon cursed. "Those who came back were all crippled, and most of the Priest were dead. The king personally delivered that blow through the Portal. Who can really say what Gold Tier attack is? Anyway, we suffered a huge loss."

"What's the point of saying all this now?" the Goblin kicked at a pebble. "If the world continues like this, we'll all be doomed."

Lu Heng listened quietly without moving.

He gleaned several key pieces of information: the world was indeed breaking apart, and the invasion had cost a great many warriors and Priest, leaving the defenses severely inadequate.

No wonder the patrols weren't even finished; there were so few guards in the whole area. It wasn't that they were careless; they just really didn't have enough manpower.

Lu Heng's gaze darkened slightly.

He cautiously peeked out from behind the stone pillar, confirming that the Goblin and Green Demon were still complaining in the same spot, unaware of him. The Blood Taisui fungus membrane clung to his body, minimizing his presence, completely swallowing even his breathing.

He moved.

No knife was used.

Blood Taisui spores silently seeped from his palm, spreading along the ground like several dark red threads, crept along the cracks in the stone slabs, and approached the Goblin and Green Demon without a sound. When the spores touched their ankles, they were still unaware, still complaining about the king and the Otherworld.

The next second, the spores suddenly tightened.

Dark red Mycelium sprouted from the ground, instantly wrapping around their legs and spreading upwards along their bodies. The Goblin and Green Demon didn't even have time to make a sound before the Mycelium covered their mouths and noses, struggled a few times, and then became still.

The whole process took less than three seconds.

Lu Heng walked over, squatted down, and examined them. The Goblin and the Green Demon showed no signs of life, and the Blood Taisui was slowly absorbing their remains. He wasted no time, got up, and continued walking deeper into the hall.

At the far end of the hall was another door, smaller than the outer gate, but also engraved with intricate patterns. Faint voices could be heard coming from behind the door, and it sounded like there was more than one person.

Lu Heng pressed himself against the door, suppressing his mental energy to the lowest level through the cover of the fungal membrane, and slowly probed forward.

Behind the door was a larger space, with even more sound.

"... Can the Portal be repaired?"

"There aren't enough materials, and so many Priest have died. Who will preside over the ceremony?"

"Wang said, we'll think of another way..."

Lu Heng withdrew his mental energy and gripped the Star Blade tightly.

There were more creatures behind the door than in the main hall, but in his current state, with the Blood Taisui and the Star Blade, he should be able to handle them. He took a deep breath, tightened the Blood Taisui Sui membrane again, and after confirming that no breath was leaking out, he reached out and pushed open the door.

Before the person behind the door could react, the dark red Mycelium had already swarmed over.

The first to fall was a Green Demon with its back to the door. Mycelium sprouted from the ground, wrapped around its ankles, and spread up its legs, instantly enveloping its mouth and nose. The Green Demon only had time to let out a muffled groan before its body went limp.

The people inside were alerted.

"What is that?!"

A Goblin turned its head and saw a figure wrapped in a dark red membrane standing in the doorway. Its eyes widened in surprise. It raised its weapon, but before it could even shout, several Mycelium shot out, wrapped around its wrists and neck, and pulled it backward sharply.

The Goblin was pulled to the ground, Mycelium quickly enveloped its entire body. After struggling for a few moments, it became still.

The remaining Green Demon and Goblin reacted and began to scatter and flee. However, the hall was small and the Mycelium spread faster than they could run. Lu Heng did not chase after them. He stood at the door and controlled the Blood Taisui spores to seep out from his palm, like a dark red net that slowly covered the entire space.

A Green Demon tried to escape through a small side door, Mycelium seeped in through the crack, wrapped around its legs, and dragged it back. Another Goblin hid behind a stone pillar, Mycelium climbed up the pillar, hanging down from above and precisely covering its head.

In less than half a minute, the hall fell silent.

Seven.

Lu Heng counted them; including the six outside the hall, there were thirteen in total. It wasn't a large number, but it was enough for him. The Blood Taisui was absorbing these remains, and he could feel the spores slowly growing, the Mycelium thicker than before.

He walked to the center of the room and looked around.

This place resembles a council chamber. In the center of the room stands a massive stone table with a map carved on it, marked with symbols that Lu Heng cannot understand. Around the table are several stone chairs, one of which is noticeably larger than the others, with a complex emblem carved on its back, resembling a symbol of some kind of royal power.

Some tattered flags hung on the wall, their designs matching the insignia on the chair backs. In the corner lay a pile of weapons and armor, most of them badly damaged, as if they had survived a major battle.

Lu Heng walked to the stone table and looked down at the map.

The area marked on the map was large, with a red marker in the center, which should be where he was now. Several arrows surrounded the marker, pointing in different directions. One arrow pointed to the edge of the map, next to which were some symbols. Lu Heng couldn't understand the symbols, but he could guess that they were probably the location of the Portal.

The Portal is not completely closed yet.

The thought flashed through his mind. He recalled the conversation between the Goblin and the Green Demon— "Can the Portal still be repaired? We don't have enough materials, so many Priest have died." If the Portal could still be repaired, it meant that the people of this world might try to invade other worlds again.

Lu Heng frowned.

He didn't know where the Gold Tier King was, nor did he know the exact location of the Portal. But he knew he couldn't stay here any longer. Blood Taisui had absorbed thirteen remains, making his aura stronger than before, but if the Gold Tier King returned, he definitely wouldn't be able to stop him.

He reached out and touched the map on the stone table. As his fingertips touched the engravings, a faint energy fluctuation emanated from it. The map seemed to respond to his touch; the symbols on its surface glowed slightly, but quickly dimmed again.

Lu Heng withdrew his hand and did not touch it again.

He turned to leave, but paused when his gaze swept over the pile of broken weapons and armor in the corner.

One of them is a sword.

The sword was broken in half, but the hilt was exquisitely decorated, inlaid with a dark red gemstone. A faint light flowed within the gemstone, as if some kind of energy remained. Lu Heng walked over, squatted down, and reached out to grasp the hilt.

The hilt was icy cold to the touch, a stark contrast to the surrounding heat. With a gentle pull, the broken sword was drawn from the pile of weapons. The break in the blade was clean, as if it had been severed by a single stroke. The metal near the break was a charred black, as if it had been scorched by high temperatures.

Lu Heng stared at the broken sword for a while, then put it into his backpack.

He couldn't find the exact location of the Portal, nor the Gold Tier King, but the broken sword might be a clue. He left the council hall, returned to the main hall, and retraced his steps along the crack he had come from.

Outside the crack, the grayish-yellow dust was thicker than before.

Lu Heng stood at the crack and glanced back at the fiery red building. The building still stood there silently, with dark red light flowing slowly inside its walls, like a slowly beating heart.

He didn't know if there were any other people inside, nor when the Gold Tier King would return. But he knew he had obtained the information he wanted.

The world is breaking.

The Portal is not completely closed yet.

The Gold Tier king is still alive.

Lu Heng withdrew his gaze and turned to walk towards the mine. Su Meng was still waiting there. Although the Crimson Rock Mine was dangerous, it was at least safe in the short term. He needed to rest and digest the remains absorbed by the Blood Taisui before deciding where to go next.

The temperature inside the passage was still high, but slightly lower than before. After walking for about half an hour, Lu Heng saw the familiar outline of the rock wall ahead—the mine had arrived.

He saw Su Meng crouching at the edge of the mine pit from afar, with the Many-Treasure Mouse circling around her, its scanning probe flashing incessantly. Upon seeing him, Su Meng immediately stood up and waved.

"Boss! You're back!"

Lu Heng walked up to her and nodded.

"Are you alright?" Su Meng looked him up and down, and seeing no obvious wounds, breathed a sigh of relief. "Did you encounter any danger?"

"No," Lu Heng replied briefly.

He didn't tell Su Meng about the building, nor about the Gold Tier king and the Portal. This information was too complex, and she might not understand it even if he explained it; it would only increase her burden.

Su Meng didn't ask any further questions, pointing to the small mountain of Crimson Rock piled up in the mine. "Look, I've dug quite a lot! The Many-Treasure Mouse is very efficient; this is enough for me to eat for several days."

Lu Heng glanced at it and saw that there was indeed a lot. The quality of the Crimson Rock was not low, and it would take Su Meng and the Many-Treasure Mouse some time to digest these ores.

"You stay here," he said. "Don't go too far."

"Okay, boss." Su Meng nodded. "Where are you going?"

Lu Heng did not answer. He walked to the edge of the mine, found a dry spot to sit down, closed his eyes, and began to meditate.

The Blood Taisui absorbed thirteen remains and needs time to digest them. He needs to convert this energy into his own strength as soon as possible, because the Gold Tier King may return at any time.

Seeing him meditating with his eyes closed, Su Meng didn't disturb him. She squatted back down by the mine pit, letting the Many-Treasure Mouse continue scanning the surrounding ores, while she picked up a piece of Crimson Rock and slowly began to gnaw on it.

The mine was quiet, with only the faint buzzing of the Many-Treasure Mouse scanning and the low rumble coming from the direction of the volcano in the distance.

Lu Heng's meditation lasted for about two hours.

When he opened his eyes, it was already dark. The Blood Taisui had already digested most of the absorbed energy, and the bacterial membrane was thicker than before, with a significant increase in the number of spores. He stood up, moved his wrists, and felt much better than before.

Su Meng was still gnawing on ore when she saw him open his eyes and looked up. "Boss, you're awake?"

"Hmm." Lu Heng glanced at the sky; the grayish-yellow dust was thicker than during the day, and visibility was very low. "We'll take turns keeping watch tonight."

"Okay." Su Meng nodded without asking any further questions.

She knew the place Lu Heng was going to was dangerous, and she knew Lu Heng wouldn't tell her everything. But she didn't mind; all she needed to do was follow the big shot and cling to his coattails. As for the rest, she didn't want to care, nor could she.

Lu Heng walked to the edge of the mine and glanced in the direction of the volcano.

The fiery red building was hidden behind the dust and fog, out of sight. But he knew it was still there, like a time bomb, ready to explode at any moment.

He withdrew his gaze, sat down by the mine pit, and began his night watch.