Chapter 47: Blocking the Door
Dark and profound, as he walked into the pitch-black passage, Su Xiao sensed the chaotic spatial fluctuations around him.
It felt like passing through a curtain of ink-black water. Dim light gradually emerged from ahead, and the air became turbid, as if decayed. This was the deepest part of the Dark Prison.
Tendrils of black smoke drifted from Su Xiao's body. Moonlight cast down from above, revealing a blood-red full moon hanging in the sky. Around this blood moon, it seemed as if viscous blood was seeping out, dripping downward.
The ground was a grayish-black expanse, formed from intertwined tree roots. A throne, over ten meters tall, stood several hundred meters away. After Su Xiao clearly saw the scene ahead, he leaped backward with all his might, his body quickly submerging into the chaotic space behind him.
"Roar!"
Countless howls rang out. Dense running sounds emerged from ahead as a horde of pitch-black Dark Demons, their bodies covered in blood-red patterns, charged forward.
A dark beam tinged with red light crashed down with a booming sound, distorting the spatial passage. After a deafening explosion, everything subsided.
At the shattered entrance to the Dark Prison, a group of Old Hunters were about to enter the spatial passage when they saw Su Xiao leap back out from inside.
"Bai Ye, what's this?"
Madam Xiang asked, her eyes full of confusion, not understanding why Su Xiao had returned.
"..."
Su Xiao didn't speak. The reason he returned was simple: the Ancient God, along with a host of Dark Demons, were waiting on the other side, blocking the way. Soul, Fat Clown, and other followers of the Ancient God were all there.
Fight through all obstacles and kill his way over? The Ancient God waiting at the deepest point? Not at all. That Ancient God was leading its followers to block the door. If Su Xiao hadn't reacted quickly enough, he would have been dragged down there and surrounded.
Ancient Gods aren't like final bosses in games, always waiting at the deepest point to be defeated. Although Ancient Gods are all uniquely ugly and have few words, that doesn't mean they lack brains.
The current Ancient God was particularly troublesome. It had the only entrance tightly blocked. As long as the Array Realm wasn't destroyed, it was invincible.
Keep in mind, this Ancient God was constantly recovering its strength. Every second that passed, it grew stronger. So, it could afford to stall.
Su Xiao had anticipated this situation, which was why he entered the spatial passage first, rather than sending Bubu Wang to scout ahead. Bubu could indeed blend into the environment, but when it passed through the spatial passage, it would inevitably create fluctuations. With Bubu Wang's survivability, it would be instantly killed by the Ancient God.
There was only one way to solve the current predicament: sacrifice the lives of the Hunters.
In the Watch Guild, there were a total of 12,519 active Hunters, including 2,480 New Hunters, 9,762 Senior Hunters, 275 Old Hunters, and 2 God Hunters.
All the Old Hunters that could be recalled had been brought back, totaling 160 present. The rest were either recovering from injuries or too far from headquarters.
A total of 6,780 Senior Hunters and 1,058 New Hunters had been mobilized. These Hunters were either inside the headquarters or waiting on the surrounding wasteland.
Unless absolutely necessary, these Hunters wouldn't be sent charging into the spatial passage. But given the current situation, there was no other choice.
"This time, I'll go first."
Ta Balde unstrapped the spiral sword from his back, preparing to lead the charge.
Dense footsteps came from behind. Hunters in various outfits and of different ages walked forward, forming four rows behind Ta Balde. Given the width of the spatial passage, charging in with four rows of Hunters at once was the limit.
Low curses were heard. Some Hunters complained about the Watch Guild, others cursed the enemy. Did all these Hunters have the resolve to face death? Not really. Some of them couldn't even figure out why they had joined the Watch Guild to become Hunters. They weren't fearless of danger; they were just used to it.
"Follow me!"
Ta Balde roared, his heavy footsteps carrying him into the pitch-black spatial passage ahead.
Experience had proven that as long as someone led the way, things became much easier. Hunters weren't a rabble. They would complain and curse, but when it was time to charge, they were reliable.
One by one, Hunters rushed into the spatial passage, the rear ranks quickly pushing forward. Just then, half a corpse flew out of the spatial passage, crashing straight into the wall on the diagonal side. With a loud bang, splattered blood stained the wall red.
"Don't be afraid!"
A Hunter with a twisted expression roared. Although he shouted this, he was actually the most panicked among everyone present.
A total of 7,838 Hunters charged into the spatial passage. This was just the first wave. Su Xiao, along with Bubu Wang, Amu, Baha, and 80 Old Hunters, also rushed into the spatial passage. As for Madam Xiang and the remaining 80 Old Hunters, they were the last wave.
As soon as he passed through the chaotic spatial fluctuations, Su Xiao heard screams and roars coming from ahead. The terrain ahead was very open, with thousands of Hunters locked in a chaotic battle with several hundred Dark Demons.
Don't think the Dark Demons were few in number. They had all been baptized by the Ancient God's power, making them stronger than Senior Hunters, let alone New Hunters.
Dark beams tinged with red light shot forward from ahead. The Ancient God was still seated on its throne, but above it floated over a dozen giant eyeballs. These giant eyeballs had tree roots growing on their exteriors, and their pupils continuously fired beams. What made things more troublesome was that these beams could split apart, almost carpet-bombing the area.
Ta Balde was in the crowd, with several Dark Demon corpses lying nearby. Seeing Su Xiao arrive, Ta Balde strode over. His mission was to escort Madam Xiang, not to kill Dark Demons here.
"Bai Ye, I'll leave this place to you."
Ta Balde rushed past Su Xiao with large strides.
"Pumpkin Head, don't get lost this time."
Baha, perched on Amu's shoulder, shouted. Hearing this, Ta Balde, who was charging forward, nodded heavily.
Madam Xiang and 80 Old Hunters emerged from the spatial passage. Even at this moment, Madam Xiang still walked with graceful steps. In terms of bearing, few women could match her.
"The air in the Dark Prison is really bad, eek~"
Just as Madam Xiang's aura was on full display, Ta Balde picked her up and threw her onto his back. Before he had run a few steps, his full-body armor caused Madam Xiang great discomfort.
Ta Balde, who had remained single to this day, didn't care about Madam Xiang's bearing at all. He just wanted to get her to the vicinity of the Array Realm's sub-structure as quickly as possible.
Previously, the Dark Prison had been sealed. Under normal circumstances, Su Xiao couldn't possibly know where the Array Realm's sub-structure was. But he did know, and he had even seen it in a photo. Beini had played a crucial role in this; she had been lurking in the Dark Prison all along and played a key role at the critical moment.
On the throne, the Ancient God shifted its gaze, looking at Ta Balde running into the distance, along with the group of Old Hunters. Seeing the direction they were heading, it raised its right arm, covered in exoskeleton, and pointed at Ta Balde in the distance.
Bang!
A dull sound came from beside Ta Balde. He lunged forward in a rolling motion. He wouldn't fall for the same trick twice.
The Ancient God on the throne looked down at everything. The tree roots beneath its feet surged, and the next instant, it appeared in front of Ta Balde, looking down at him with no emotional fluctuation in its eyes. This wasn't the Ancient God's own spatial ability, but the power of the throne.
Ta Balde abruptly stopped. Facing the Ancient God, which was four meters tall and covered in exoskeleton, he could sense that his life might end here. His body felt very heavy now, but if he didn't use most of his energy to protect Madam Xiang, she would die instantly.
Madam Xiang didn't even have the qualifications to face the Ancient God directly. Just meeting its gaze could cause her death, even though she was an artificial World Child. The gap in strength was too great.
All the Old Hunters behind Ta Balde stood motionless. It wasn't that they didn't want to move, but an invisible force field was suppressing them. Just standing was already an achievement.
Just as a dark red blood light was about to pierce into Ta Balde's helmet, a sound of wind breaking came.
Thud!
Su Xiao suddenly appeared and delivered a straight kick toward the Ancient God. Just as the kick reached two meters beside the Ancient God, a sharply angled barrier appeared, blocking Su Xiao's kick.
A shockwave spread, shattering the surrounding invisible force field. Ta Balde turned into a blur and disappeared from the spot.
Su Xiao leaped back a few steps, putting distance between himself and the Ancient God. His long sword pointed diagonally at the ground. His battle with the Ancient God had already begun.