Chapter 120: Qi Lei's Return! The Struggle for the Scepter! [6000 words]

“What on earth are these things?”
“If we had known earlier, we should have fled. Didn’t they say the guild was defending up ahead? How come monsters are appearing inside the city?”
“Sigh, these monsters are over level 40, and I’m barely over level 20. Any of these little beasts could kill me instantly. How are we supposed to fight?”
“We can’t get out of the city now. I’ve heard that outside the city there are only these kinds of monsters. We should head to a safe zone first; apparently, there are people there assigned specifically to protect civilians.”

Time passed little by little.

Nearly two hours had elapsed since the light barrier was activated and the entire city plunged into chaos.

The Jingmen Safe Zone had already initiated an emergency protocol. The city was divided into nine safe zones, each guarded by members of specialized guilds and battle zones responsible for civilian safety.

However, because the light pillar must be activated to unlock the secret realm for further contest, some top-tier explorers had to move northward, balancing between protecting civilians and vying for resources.

After all, not everyone was willing to stay behind to defend strangers. Most senior explorers from the major guilds were stationed along the northern front, leaving the city’s defenses more depleted than expected.

Although many had fled the Jingmen Safe Zone to seek refuge, more people remained, especially the elderly and children. Once monsters began appearing within the light barrier, the most vulnerable were these lower-level explorers facing imminent danger.

Jingmen Safe Zone, Panhu Square.

This was currently the largest safe zone in the city, anchored by two large plazas. Over twenty thousand people had sought shelter here, and multiple sectors had been established, yet the scene remained chaotic.

The east side of Panhu Square was guarded by a large group from Peach Blossom Dock, while the west side was held by Jingbei Industrial.

Other guild members were scattered around the edges of other safe zones.

Battlefish soared through the sky, providing support to the most pressured areas from time to time.

Yet his brows were tightly furrowed.

Because, aside from these ghostly entities, mutated civilians were sporadically appearing—bodies swollen into grotesque flesh giants, rampaging uncontrollably.

Most assumed these were monsters spawned by the special secret realm.

But Battlefish knew better. These were not newly emerged because of the secret realm; rather, these were things originally hidden within the Jingmen Safe Zone, now fully exposed.

The recent mysterious blood pill incident had long gone cold, but it seemed these blood pills had been circulating inside the safe zone for quite some time. Some individuals, having lost their minds, were concealed among the crowds.

Moreover, these were different from the disaster eight years ago.

Back then, most who consumed the blood pills simply lost control.

Now, however, they appeared to be organized in their movements.

These creatures had already caused massive panic, resulting in thousands of casualties—more than those inflicted by the ghosts.

“Boom!”

Suddenly, in the northeast corner of the square, a building collapsed under attack, drawing everyone’s attention.

Upon closer inspection, it was a ranger explorer perched on a high point who was being assaulted by a peculiar crystal element.

Soon, everyone noticed a strange phenomenon.

The ghosts, previously highly immune to attacks, began to gradually take form, transforming into semi-transparent crystalline states!

Not only could they still inflict significant damage, but they were now capable of reflecting some explorers’ attacks, making the situation even more perilous.

At Peach Blossom Dock, seven or eight monsters broke through and created a breach.

This led to a stampede among the civilians.

Coupled with a ravenous flesh monster eyeing the chaos, dozens were injured or killed.

For a moment, screams, crying children, and pleas for help filled the air.

The entire square was enveloped in a terrifying atmosphere.

Although Battlefish had been assisting in the fight, it was difficult for him alone to hold off monsters attacking from all directions.

Just then, a mage clad in black suddenly raised his hand, unleashing several ice crystals that impaled and immobilized five crystal monsters.

At first, everyone thought the black mage had arrived, but upon closer scrutiny, they realized otherwise. Behind the mage was another small team.

“Click.”

A crisp sound echoed from somewhere.

In the center of the square, a golden token appeared, radiating an aura that enveloped many civilians in the vicinity with a thin protective shield.

Though the shield offered little in terms of defense, it inexplicably instilled a sense of reassurance.

Some young explorers didn’t realize what had transpired, but veteran explorers and city elders trembled.

They were all too familiar with this skill and its opening gesture.

During past battles, there was someone who liked to toss such a command banner into the center before fighting began—but that person hadn’t been seen in the Jingmen Safe Zone for ages, and many had nearly forgotten this ability.

Battlefish lifted his head, gazing toward the newcomers’ location.

He hadn’t expected Qi Lei to return to the Jingmen area after all.

Qi Lei arrived with seven or eight people, stationed atop a clock tower, and soon leapt down to join the fray.

“Li Rongsheng, head north. The rest follow me south.”

This time, the forest cabin area had also been engulfed by the light barrier. With the chaos spreading throughout the Jingmen Safe Zone, it was only fitting that the commander was present.

Looking down at the surging crowd, Qi Lei’s body radiated a killing intent, though he quickly suppressed it.

One important reason for his return was that he had once again felt the surging power of the blood pill within himself. Judging from the energy signature, there was at least one creature hidden within the safe zone comparable to the monster from eight years ago.

Qi Lei wielded a silver spear. Upon landing, he executed a series of thrusts and sweeps, instantly cracking the crystals. Each strike hit precisely on the crystal’s weakest points. His silver-white armor glimmered like a legendary war god descended!

Behind him followed a girl in yellow, her face veiled with a cloth. She appeared frail, but she kept up tightly with the group without falling behind.

“Clatter.”

Amid the crowd, disorder persisted, but the command banner continued to exert its effect, even restoring some health to those nearby.

Though the monsters had grown stronger, Qi Lei’s actions rivaled those of Battlefish in efficiency.

With Qi Lei’s arrival and reinforcements, the situation quickly stabilized. No more mutated flesh beasts appeared, and even when some began to inflict harm, Qi Lei sensed them in time and dealt with them swiftly.

“Is that the commander?”
“Wow, amazing! So cool.”
“Qi Lei is here. This is serious.”

Some onlookers voiced their awe, finally seeing the legendary commander.

To most civilians, Qi Lei was a figure they rarely encountered and did not grasp the full significance of his presence—only astonished to see the real thing.

For the major guilds and higher-ups, however, Qi Lei had long been in seclusion, with rumors even claiming he had perished.

His formal appearance in the Jingmen Safe Zone was a powerful deterrent to schemers.

“Brother Lei,” Battlefish approached him once the area stabilized, concern etched on his face.

He knew Qi Lei’s true condition. Despite his vigorous demeanor, every time he used his power, he grew weak for a long time afterward.

Qi Lei was no longer young. In such circumstances, prolonged combat could be dangerous.

“I’m fine,” Qi Lei waved off the worry. “I’ll hold this sector with my team. You and Li Rongsheng focus on rescuing civilians, primarily moving eastward toward the Blood Butchery Guild. The blood pill power there is stronger.”

“If you encounter enemies, don’t hold back. Within this light barrier, not only killing ghost entities grants points, but eliminating those creatures should also yield points.”

“You don’t need to be confined here. Go with the black mage to compete for points. This light barrier is far more complex than we imagined—otherwise, so many flesh monsters wouldn’t have appeared so quickly.”

Qi Lei’s instruction for Battlefish to support elsewhere was also a strategy to allow him to contest the so-called sequence leaderboard, rather than being bogged down here.

Though Qi Lei was older, he naturally suppressed those consuming blood pills, so it made sense for him to stay, freeing other top explorers to gain points.

Qi Lei had already received system messages, but his thoughts were deeper. He sensed that the power he suppressed within himself was now recognized by the data panel for the first time, granting him a new berserk skill.

He suspected the light barrier’s purpose was not simply to generate a secret realm, but to integrate blood pill power into the data system’s management.

In other words, within this barrier, those behind the blood pills were finally acknowledged by the system.

They might even be the cryptic bloodline civilization appearing in the sequence rankings!

From the current situation, whether the Moonlight Civilization or the hidden bloodline civilization within the crowd, both were highly interested in the so-called scepter. Qi Lei naturally hoped that his own faction would top the points.

He quickly relayed the information to Yi Shen and personally joined the battlefield to free Battlefish. The secret realm’s countdown still had over twenty hours, meaning they would have to hold out here for at least a full day.

“It seems the monsters’ strength is indeed increasing.”

Yi Shen cleared monsters while receiving updates from the city.

The northern sectors of the Jingmen Safe Zone had stabilized, thanks to the presence of large guild groups and the established territory of Jingbei Industrial.

The western sector was steady. After the Peach Blossom Dock incident, many had evacuated early from the west.

The hardest hit areas were the south and east.

The south was dense with old buildings, ill-suited for defense or escape, while the eastern slums saw a surge of bloodline figures. Battlefish and others had gone to support there.

The Coordination Bureau had yet to receive any updates from “Little Ge,” who had not sent any messages. Yi Shen continued fighting the monsters in front of him, encountering the crystalline ghost types.

Despite the addition of true damage effects, Yi Shen found clearing them more troublesome than before. Some monsters lost only three to four thousand HP per hit and took thirty to forty seconds to fall.

“Their points are climbing fast too.”

Yi Shen glanced at the current sequence rankings, surprised to see that besides his own rapid progress, other civilizations’ scores were also skyrocketing.

More bizarrely, Yi Shen was actively clearing monsters, while the other two civilizations remained silent. Moonlight Civilization’s forces had not approached the light pillar, and the bloodline faction was evidently linked to the blood pill chaos within the city.

“Hm?”

Just as Yi Shen considered investigating the Moonlight Civilization further, he suddenly sensed a threat.

In the distant sky, two pale-golden figures rapidly approached him.

Yi Shen quickly realized these were two Moonlight mirror entities, but more refined and imbued with a special power that made him feel threatened for the first time.

The two golden Moonlight emissaries hovered in the air without attacking immediately.

Yi Shen recalled their ceasefire agreement during the Black Mist incident, but now the appearance of the scepter had evidently changed the stakes—this wasn’t a mere visit.

“Human mage, the scepter is not something you can touch. The Master wishes you to cease gaining points related to the scepter.”

One of the Moonlight emissaries spoke—a male mirror entity, indistinct in identity, but filled with a unique blue semi-spiritual energy, a fusion of two beings.

His speech was far smoother than when Yi Shen first communicated with them.

“And if I don’t stop?” Yi Shen replied, “Your so-called scepter has already greatly affected my world and created a secret realm.”

“I do not know what impact your acquisition of this artifact will have on our world, so I will not cease.” Yi Shen continued, “If you intend to break our agreement, I respect your choice—but then it will be a contest of strength.”

Had this been a mere secret realm, Yi Shen might have negotiated surrendering the scepter with some concessions.

But this situation far exceeded anyone’s expectations. The Moonlight Civilization had never disclosed that the scepter would envelop the entire Jingmen Safe Zone.

Yi Shen had wondered why they remained inactive in the Black Mist, but now it was clear they knew some of the scepter’s secrets and perhaps left traps unburied.

“We do not wish to break the agreement with you, but we also do not want you competing for the scepter. Our orders are to prevent you from gaining points.”

One golden emissary declared.

As Yi Shen prepared to continue clearing monsters, the emissaries unleashed twin moonlight blades, swiftly eliminating a ghost entity.

They clearly had damage reduction against these ghosts, but their focus remained squarely on Yi Shen.

Yi Shen glanced at them, raising his hand to cast two Rift Wind arrays and a Gate of Flames, but before he could finish, one charged at him while the other used an energy strike to interrupt his casting.

Yi Shen managed to summon only one Gate of Flames before the golden emissaries closed in. These two were clearly on a different level from the Moonlight mirror entities he had encountered before.

“Clatter.”

After days of combat, Yi Shen had gained experience. Enveloping himself in flames, he blinked to dodge attacks while counterattacking.

Soon, both golden emissaries began to steadily lose health, but surprisingly, their HP dropped even more slowly than the ghosts! Even the Gate of Flames inflicted only four to five thousand damage—no longer the overwhelming force it once was.

Instead, Yi Shen, pursued closely, had to draw his dagger to defend himself.

Thanks to his keen attributes and blink ability, he was not at a disadvantage, but if this continued, he would definitely be pinned down by these two.

These Moonlight mirror entities had inexplicably surged in combat power. Had Yi Shen blinked slower, he might have been struck outright. Both had formidable attacks, breaking his shield twice in under a minute.

Although brief, Yi Shen found their persistence frustrating.

He checked his data panel’s Sanctification skill.

He was reluctant to enter that state unless necessary, as it flooded him with information and left a hollow feeling afterward. He feared losing his humanity to the saintly state.

Still, to quickly end this fight, raising his attributes was essential.

After a brief hesitation, Yi Shen activated the skill.

As the golden emissaries pursued, a strange radiance enveloped Yi Shen. His vision deconstructed into silver hues.

Energy from the world converged upon him, and he felt his attributes soaring. Soon, he transformed into a silver-white form, easily resisting the emissaries’ assaults. His counterattacks now dealt significantly greater, flesh-hitting damage.

“Slash!”

Though not skilled with swords, Yi Shen had observed Battlefish’s use and could swing a few times.

With terrifying reflexes, he spun and suppressed the two golden emissaries. At this pace, he estimated it would take less than twenty seconds to drain their health bars.

“Clatter!”

However, at that moment, the emissaries underwent an abnormal transformation.

Yi Shen sensed a power connecting them to the depths of the Black Mist.

To his surprise, the two golden emissaries began absorbing Moonlight energy, turning silver-white like himself.

This energy shared the same origin as his Sanctification power!

The only difference was that Yi Shen’s attacks carried true damage, so he still held the upper hand.

“Who are you?”

Fighting them, Yi Shen sensed they were not two separate beings, but controlled by the same force. This power did not strike lethally but was testing him through their bodies.

The threatening power he felt was likely this golden radiance.

Unexpectedly, they did not answer but instead questioned him.

“Where does your power come from? Why do you possess my power?” the two emissaries spoke simultaneously, their voices perfectly synchronized.

“Your power?” Yi Shen frowned. The semi-spiritual beings in the Black Mist had mentioned that he possessed the Master’s power.

Yet these figures before him claimed he wielded their power?

(End of chapter)