Myriad Realms Gatekeeper

"I hope it's not too late."

After he said those words, the entire light and shadow image began to dissipate.

——But it's not enough!

He needed to know more information!

Shen Ye's eyes were fixed on the Wind Rune Chapter as he released "Moonlight Divine Illumination" again.

"Your spiritual power has been depleted by 9 points!"

"Current spiritual power remaining: 3 points;"

"——Continuous use of Dharma Eye has left you in a state of exhaustion."

The image in mid-air gathered once more.

But this time it wasn't the inside of the carriage.

The Wind Rune Chapter lay quietly in the depths of the stream as a hand scooped it up.

It was General Tazweil.

He looked at the rune chapter for a while, then let out a sigh and muttered to himself,

"Thought you could get away with such a rune chapter? I almost didn't make it myself."

Around him, the ground was exceptionally flat and vast.

Boundless.

No living creature in sight.

The image ended abruptly.

Shen Ye gasped for air, revealing a tired expression on his face.

Consecutive observations of the past through the rune chapter had depleted him of 16 points of spiritual power, indeed making him feel weary.

But the whole affair made him even more curious.

General Tazweil's tone had a hint of desperation.

What kind of Fallen Angel was he, and what exactly was he doing?

And why did the Wind Rune Chapter end up in the stream before landing in General Tazweil's hands?

No, he had to find out.

Even if he didn't acquire any high-level entries tonight, he still needed to know the truth!

Shen Ye withdrew 10 free attribute points and invested them into spiritual power.

"Current spiritual power: 13 points."

"Your condition has recovered."

Continue!

He fixed his gaze on the Wind Rune Chapter and activated Moonlight Divine Illumination.

The images piled up again before his eyes.

Shen Ye furrowed his brows.

This time, the image kept shaking.

Someone shouted loudly, "Hurry! Go faster!"

A woman's scream pierced the air, "It's too late, we can't escape, we're all doomed!"

"There's a stream ahead, jump in!"

Shen Ye saw a male Dark Elf leap high—

Whoosh.

He disappeared in an instant.

No splash was heard from the stream.

——Where did he go?

That was followed by a burst of agonizing wails.

The Dark Elf woman wearing the Wind Rune Chapter screamed again and dove headfirst into the water.

She dove towards the depths of the current.

In the process of diving, she clenched her teeth, forcefully pulled out a dagger, and plunged it deeply into her own heart.

Blood diffused.

The corpse gradually sank to the bottom.

All the light and shadows dispersed.

"Water..."

Shen Ye murmured, rubbing his eyes.

Using Dharma Eye three times in a row made his eyes sore and swollen, which was quite uncomfortable.

But there were also gains.

Firstly, the female Dark Elf preferred death over capture by something;

Remember, this is Hell.

If you die here, your soul will be consigned to Purgatory.

The horrors of Purgatory were such that even the Big Skeleton was reluctant to discuss it more than necessary.

Secondly, there was the presence of water.

"What does the presence of water mean? Do I get a chance?"

Shen Ye muttered to himself.

"What, want a drink of water? I remember you brought some drinks with you," the Big Skeleton said.

"No——I mean, we can't see anything on the ground, we need to look for places like streams and lakes——are there such places in Hell?" Shen Ye asked.

"Yeah, those aquatic beings who die will also come to Hell, so you can definitely find places with water."

"Let's go check it out!"

The Ghost Fire Motorcycle roared to life once again.

About an hour later.

The Ghost Fire Motorcycle stopped in front of a lake as smooth as a mirror.

The lake water was crystal clear to the bottom.

With one look, you could see there was nothing at the bottom.

"Be careful, it may look clear, but there might be monsters hiding," cautioned the Big Skeleton.

"You're right, I have to be cautious."

Shen Ye squatted down, placed his hand under the water, and pushed hard.

A Thunder Palm detached from his hand and slowly submerged toward the depths of the current.

Streaks of Thunder Light danced off the palm.

The water trembled imperceptibly.

"What is this for?" the Big Skeleton asked in surprise.

"Electrofishing——if there's anything alive, it'll surface with this shock," Shen Ye explained.

Both held their breath and watched the lake.

No response.

"Alright, are you going in?" the Big Skeleton asked.

Splash!

Shen Ye had already jumped in.

The lake water was bitterly cold.

He dived along the current all the way to the bottom of the lake.

The lakebed was clean, void of anything.

——If there were any items, his "Gate" ability would reveal a faint glow.

But there was nothing.

Shen Ye made a round and was ready to leave.

However, having traveled so long to find a lake, it was not easy to give up.

——General Tazweil discovered the Wind Rune Chapter underwater!

This proves that there are some differences between underwater and on land.

Should we just give up?

Shen Ye ultimately felt dissatisfied, loudly emitting bubbles:

"Is there!"

"Anyone!"

"Here!"

Several bubbles flew out of his mouth, quickly rising to the surface.

The Intermediate "Whispers of the Dark" Technique was cast!

But the surroundings were eerily silent.

After waiting for a few more moments,

Shen Ye shook his head, about to leave, when he suddenly saw a few bubbles also rising not far away.

——There was someone!

And they were dead!

Shen Ye's spirits lifted, and he immediately swam towards that direction.

It was a sunken depression.

Underneath, there was an accumulation of white residue that shifted slowly with the water's flow.

"Who created these bubbles?"

Shen Ye asked again.

Gurgle gurgle——

A few bubbles rose from the mud, ascending upwards.

Mud!

Shen Ye brushed the mud aside, revealing a crocodile head buried inside.

——A head was all that remained!

The ashen detritus floating on the bottom might have been its original body.

Without a word, Shen Ye grabbed the crocodile head, stored it in his ring, and then swam towards the surface.

A few minutes later.

By the water's edge.

The crocodile head was placed on the ground.

"Buddy, hello," Shen Ye said.

"Hello to you too, please let me stay a while longer. Purgatory is too terrifying, I don't want to go back so soon," the crocodile head spoke.

"How did you die?" Shen Ye asked.

"The situation was too dire, so I killed myself," the crocodile head said.

"What was the situation?" Shen Ye asked.

"A dire one. Everyone was perishing, so I had to kill myself," the crocodile head repeated.

Shen Ye: "..."

"This crocodile is quite strange, isn't it? It keeps repeating itself, but why?" the big skeleton quietly asked.

"That's called padding words—to extend its stay out of Hell, it is spouting nonsense with us," Shen Ye said.

"Leave that to me, it's simple," the big skeleton said.

It emerged from the ring, placed its hand on the crocodile head, and chanted a Spell in a low voice.

The crocodile immediately responded, startled for a moment, and then began screaming frantically:

"Ahhhhhh——"

"O august King of the Undead, please resurrect me!"

Staring at it, the big skeleton spoke in a deep tone, "Answer our questions honestly, or you can forget about the good stuff."

"Yes, Your Excellency!" the crocodile head replied respectfully.

Shen Ye came to a realization.

Among the Three Divine Skills of the Undead Race, he chose "Whispers of the Dark," while the big skeleton chose "Undead Resurrection."

If he were to use "Undead Resurrection" in Hell—

"If I resurrect it, its spirit will return from Purgatory to Hell, and then it needs to be resurrected in the mortal world to truly come back to life," the big skeleton explained.

"Got it, a tiered resurrection," Shen Ye said.

"Great lords, actually, as a Crocodile Man, I possess a unique Talent. I can see through the clouds in the sky, obstacles on the ground, as well as hidden murderous intent," the crocodile head began speaking incessantly:

"Last night, I was preparing to rest, but a strong unease in my heart prompted me to surface and look at the sky."

"That's when I knew something was wrong."

Recalling the manner of the dark elf male's death, Shen Ye couldn't help but ask:

"What did you see?"

"I saw the sky had changed."

"Stop padding your words, or go die," the big skeleton said gruffly.

"My apologies, great lords, the sky had indeed changed—I saw an endless sky filled entirely with heads."

"Saying heads might lead to a misunderstanding with the two great lords, to be precise, they were the heads of all races, humans, orcs, dragons, spiders, fish, elves, even treants—"

"These heads crowded the sky beyond the clouds in such vast numbers, their end was not visible."

"They all sported the same expression—"

"Hunger."

"Yes, my eyes do not deceive, I knew that look was one of predation."

The crocodile head took a breath and said:

"Sorry, may I take a moment to catch my breath?"

Shen Ye and the big skeleton exchanged a glance, feeling a chill run down their spines.

Just imagine—

The sky packed with heads, swarming densely, each wanting to devour everything on earth—

"Has Hell always been like this?"

Shen Ye asked.

"No," the big skeleton shook its head: "According to the ancient records of our Undead Race, Hell has many layers, where myriad tortures are used to cleanse sins and restore souls to purity."

"Even with various forms of harsh punishments, souls would not devour each other."

"Yes, I'm aware of that too," the crocodile head continued, "but those heads truly wanted to consume everything on earth, and they did so."

"I saw Lord Isaac's carriage."

"The carriage traveled across the lake at inconceivable speeds, escaping towards a distant place."

"But it was too late."

"Heads swarmed down from the sky, devouring everything."

"Every head was followed by a long tube, I don't know what it was, but they didn't spare the carriage."

"Lord Isaac was powerful and invincible, but he didn't last even a few seconds."

"He and his attendants, along with the carriage, were devoured into oblivion by the endless heads."

"I could tell, this type of devouring was complete, both soul and body, leaving nothing behind once consumed."

"Those heads churned over the land, plowing through it, and everything edible was devoured."

"The same was true underwater."

"At that moment, I thought—rather than being eaten and losing my soul, I'd rather suffer in Purgatory, where there was still that faint sliver of hope."

"So, while the other Aquatic Race members panicked, I deployed a Technique and killed myself."

"That is the whole truth."

Shen Ye looked towards the big skeleton.

The big skeleton shook its head and said, "Don't look at me, I've perused the ancient histories of the Undead Race, but I've never heard of such a thing."