Myriad Realms Gatekeeper

"It's no use, there are too many of them, Shen Ye!" the giant skeleton shouted loudly.

Shen Ye knew it was right, so he stopped the Thunder Light and waved to the heads in midair:

"Alright, you win, I'll play with you guys next time."

Just then, there was a new change in the sky.

Countless heads scattered with a loud boom.

A figure descended from the sky and landed not far from Shen Ye with a "thud."

It was a man with red hair, wearing a full set of crimson battle armor, his body draped in a black cape that fluttered in the wind.

What impressed Shen Ye the most was the man's back, which was covered with skull heads, large and small, looking like a small hill that weighed heavily on him, extending all the way to his shoulders.

These skulls seemed to be clustering around him.

They would occasionally open their mouths and breathe out thick black fog.

Thus, the red-haired man was enveloped in the mist, looking demonic and divine, his features indistinct.

"Wuuuu—Vampires? What a joke, just a vampire, why bother waking me up?"

"...Vampire, do you have anything special?"

The man yawned as he spoke.

Shen Ye stared at him, about to speak, but saw the other party had already irritably covered his ears.

—The skulls on both of his shoulders were incessantly yammering, and he didn't want to listen at all.

Shen Ye was stunned.

The aura emanating from this guy was too chaotic and powerful; he had never seen anything like it, but...

He seemed somewhat delirious...

"I have a skill that allows me to teleport through hell, to leave this place instantly and arrive thousands of miles away," Shen Ye said.

The red-haired man listened but before he could respond, the countless skulls on his back began to whisper in unison.

"Quiet!" the red-haired man turned and roared.

The skulls, not to be outdone, made sounds that were both sharp and fast.

The red-haired man grew furious, extended his hand to swat at the skulls behind him, and cursed with vile words as he did so.

Taking advantage of the moment—

Shen Ye pushed a door open and stepped inside, shouting:

"Teleport!"

Click.

The door closed, vanished.

Shen Ye returned to the Main World.

The park.

A secluded corner.

He quietly landed on the ground.

—The guy just now seemed a little out of it.

Hopefully, he'll stay that way.

"Hey, giant skeleton, what's the deal with the skulls on that guy's back?" Shen Ye asked.

"It's quite a sight," the giant skeleton sighed, "Generally speaking, having three heads already causes a lot of pain, but he had dozens of them; I can't imagine how he manages to live his daily life."

"No wonder I felt he was a bit off."

"Off? He's probably mad—but his strength must be astonishing, did you feel it?"

"Yeah, it made all my hair stand on end."

He released his motorcycle and patted the seat:

"Good boy, go charge yourself, and wait for me at home afterwards."

The Ghost Fire Motorcycle roared away.

At that moment, soft glows gathered in the darkness to form words that quickly appeared:

"This time, opening the door has earned you the Evaluation Entry:"

"Survivor."

"White Entry (Normal)."

"Description: In the face of danger, you are more likely to survive than the average person."

"—Surviving is not easy."

"Evaluation: You've learned about the disaster spreading in hell, but this secret has already been circulating there for a while, so you only received a normal evaluation this time."

"You can retain this evaluation entry and upgrade it in the future, or you can consume it to gain Basic Attribute Points."

There was no need to think about it.

"Consume," Shen Ye said.

"The White Entry 'Survivor' has been consumed, you have now gained 2 free attribute points."

"Your free attribute points have increased to: 15 points."

All the small letters disappeared.

Shen Ye sighed, feeling uneasy.

The events in hell were way beyond his understanding, and he had no idea how to deal with them.

And that red-haired man covered with skull heads.

What exactly was his existence?

"Should we go back to sleep now?"

The giant skeleton asked.

"I told my parents I'd sleep at the company," Shen Ye replied.

"Then shall we head back to the company? I remember you've got some crayfish frozen at the corporate dormitory."

"Sure."

No sooner had Shen Ye agreed when he felt his phone vibrate several times in quick succession.

It seemed someone had messaged him.

—Since he had been in hell without a signal, he only received the messages now that he was back.

He looked at his phone screen.

"Are you asleep?"

Song Yinchen.

The time was twelve seventeen past midnight.

Contacting me so late?

Considering safety, he should probably wait until tomorrow to reply to her.

"Not yet, what's up?"

Shen Ye typed and sent the message.

A photo came through immediately from the other side.

Nangong Sirui and himself, smiling at each other.

Beneath it was a line of text:

"Joined in unity, wishing a hundred years of harmony."

There was an emoji of a giggling face at the end.

Shen Ye felt a wave of weariness.

Not—

Did this matter really have such a big impact?

He had no choice but to explain the situation all over again.

Once Song Yinchen acknowledged she understood and promised not to joke about it in the future—

She sent a video call request.

Wait a minute.

Shouldn't you be sleeping at this hour?

Or is there something important you didn't mention earlier?

Shen Ye accepted the video call.

Song Yinchen instantly appeared on his phone screen.

The light illuminated her eyes, which resembled pools of water, brimming with mirth; her long hair was soft, her neck fair, a sight so dazzling it could blind.

"Brother Shen Ye, you're still not asleep this late--huh? The light where you are is so dim, is it a streetlight?"

"I'm in the park, but your side looks very bright."

"Heehee, I'm on a Flying Shuttle attending a meeting; it's been two days, utterly exhausting. I just got back home," the girl said.

A smile played on her lips, but her gaze swept across the brilliantly lit hall, and the respectfully waiting aides and servants.

No family members.

All of her family members were dead.

Even the Thirty-six Families had all lost their patriarchs, and were now electing new leaders.

These had to be approved by her, as head of the Song Family.

If the Song Family was to remain unshaken, it would need to coordinate relations with the outside world.

Everyone who died at Song Qingyun's hands required arrangements for compensation and pensions.

Alliance with the other Four Great Families.

Guarding against retaliation from the Ouyang Family.

Relations with the three major organizations.

Extraterrestrial planets were also on the offensive, and she had a meeting tomorrow.

...There was just too much to do.

Just then, someone walked in quickly to report some situation.

Song Yinchen shook her head.

The person then withdrew, standing by the door to wait.

--The area outside the door was crowded with people.

"Brother, why are you still in the park so late?"

She sat curled up in the chair reserved for the family head, resting her cheek in her hand, asking with curiosity.

"It's quiet here, good for practicing my boxing," Shen Ye fibbed.

"I'll be free tomorrow, may I visit you at your place?" Song Yinchen asked.

"Tomorrow I might have to get ready for school, won't be home for long," Shen Ye shrugged.

He hadn't finished speaking.

At the same moment, atop a mountain outside the city.

Yun Ni extended her hand, pressing into the void, and whispered softly,

"It's time for everything to end."

In the park.

Shen Ye, sensing something, suddenly looked at the crimson vertical stripe on his hand.

The stripe was emitting a torrent of light, which gathered into runes, and the runes formed an array.

--A Teleportation Array!

Shen Ye was furious.

Another challenger?

That damned Yun Ni!

Wait, he was still on a video call.

He hurriedly looked up and said to Song Yinchen, "Sorry, there's another girl looking for me, she's always so bothersome, let's catch up tomorr--"

He didn't finish his sentence, there was no time.

The circular Teleportation Array fully activated.

In an instant,

Shen Ye was sucked into the Array.

Clatter!

His phone fell to the ground.

On the other end.

Song Yinchen hung her head in frustration.

Another girl looking for him?

"Yinchen, that Summoning Array just now wasn't from our human race," Chaos Spirit Light reminded her.

Song Yinchen immediately realized her mistake.

She was so foolish!

What decent girl would look for him this late at night!

There definitely was a problem!

She suddenly stood up from the chair and exclaimed,

"So, something has happened to him!"

"You're just realizing that..." Chaos Spirit Light sighed softly.

Before she finished speaking, the Thousand Mountains and Waterfalls Map hanging on the wall circled around Song Yinchen--

She disappeared on the spot and appeared in the midst of the Dharma Realm.

Here was the expanse of the Thousand Mountains and Waterfalls, a verdant world.

Song Yinchen stood in front of a cascade, beckoning with her hand.

A Koi leapt from the water, rapidly growing into a fish over five or six meters long.

"Go to the Sixty-three Caves, straight to Qingzhou, fast!" Song Yinchen commanded as she mounted the Koi.

The Koi flicked its tail and dove into the water, following the waterfall downstream, penetrating the depths of the water, and swiftly swimming through a hidden Underground River.

Song Yinchen was anxious, her hand sweeping upward.

Colorful Chaos Spirit Light appeared in response.

"Can you transform into that Summoning Technique on Brother Shen Ye's hand?" Song Yinchen asked.

"I can, but you must know how to release it, I can only mimic that power; it will take the form of that Technique as you cast it," Chaos Spirit Light said.

"I observed the formation of the light into runes just now, there shouldn't be a problem," Song Yinchen said earnestly.

"Terrible..." Chaos Spirit Light let out a sigh.

"What? Is the enemy that terrifying?" Song Yinchen asked with a tense face, uneasy.

"No--I mean, as long as you can cast it," Chaos Spirit Light's voice carried a hint of admiration, "Let's go, we might still catch up."

The Koi quickened its pace.

Just ahead was the outlet of the Underground River.

...

Elsewhere.

On the mountain peak.

Shen Ye appeared silently.

A male voice sounded,

"Don't think about using your phone for help; that trick won't work anymore, we've jammed the signals."

A female voice followed,

"Don't try to escape through doors either; or else I'll kill your entire family--the whole Qingzhou City will be purged by my Curse."

Shen Ye's eyes narrowed slightly, looking towards the opposite side.

Yun Ni.

The Skinner.

"I thought there might be a new challenger--after all, you said you weren't ready for me to fight him yet," Shen Ye said.

"Sorry, things have changed too fast," Yun Ni pointed at the sky, "it's almost here; if I don't make a decision soon, I will have nowhere to be buried.

"That planet? What does it have to do with you?" Shen Ye asked.

"War is about to come, your world is heading towards destruction, and I must make a choice--"

"This is our final gamble between you and me."

"Either I take your soul with me, or you defeat my servant--anyway, let's conclude the gamble before talking about anything else," Yun Ni said.

She casually formed a Spell Seal.

Dark light emitted from her hand, enveloping the entire mountain peak.