Myriad Realms Gatekeeper

"You can eat Giant's meat?" Shen Ye asked.

"This is to rebuild my physique, and for survival," the Skeleton solemnly said.

"Alright then."

Shen Ye sighed, had no choice but to pull out his Dusk Sword, and stepped forward to cut the Giant's meat.

——He always felt that the Skeleton had become somewhat different.

"Do you think this place is very dangerous?"

While cutting the meat, Shen Ye asked.

"Nonsense, you've already been marked for death by The Skinner and his master, do you think I'm not clear about the situation?" the Skeleton said.

"But I can't find that many Undead for you to restore your strength anymore," Shen Ye said.

"I haven't lost my strength, I just lack a physique."

"Is there actually a difference?" Shen Ye shrugged.

"It's hugely different," the Skeleton said.

"Okay, if you can join the battle, of course, I welcome it," Shen Ye said.

"I was too obsessed with my identity before, now I've come to realize, if life is gone, what's the use of identity?" the Skeleton said, reflecting on the situation.

"So you decided to do what?" Shen Ye asked.

"Don't call me for nothing, I need to do some preparations in advance, and hope they won't be necessary," the Skeleton said.

Mysterious...

Shen Ye muttered to himself, stored the Giant's meat into a ring, and then went back to Xiao Mengyu's side.

Xiao Mengyu, knowing that his compatibility leaned towards Necro, didn't ask further at this moment, but whispered:

"Be careful, the anomalies in the fog seem to be growing more frequent."

"We hide back in the cave," Shen Ye said.

Just as the two were about to re-enter the crack in the mountain, a surge of fog rolled in, enveloping the entire mountain.

The mountain disappeared!

Strange noises came from the location of the mountain crevice.

There were monsters already waiting there.

They were waiting for the two of them.

Quite terrifying...

Shen Ye turned to look at Mu Tou and asked, "Big brother, can you really take my exam for me?"

"Can!" A word surfaced on Mu Tou.

"What if you get taken down?" Shen Ye asked again.

"I'll grow back somewhere else, it's just that your score will be awful," small characters surfaced on Mu Tou.

Shen Ye shook his head.

Forget it, let's take the exam myself.

"Quick, look at the cards," Xiao Mengyu said from beside him.

Shen Ye drew a card, and saw a line of small characters emerge:

"The Tide of Lamentation is raging."

"All examinees who have not yet reached the island are eliminated, totaling 163 individuals."

"Combat assessment is now underway."

"Description: Even with the help of Divine Statues, you still need to prove your strength. Please continue to battle in the Tide of Lamentation until you find a truly reliable shelter."

The next instant.

The fog surged forth, engulfing the two of them.

"Be careful, I feel there are monsters all around,"

Xiao Mengyu shouted.

Shen Ye stood back-to-back with her, about to speak, when suddenly a massive force struck.

He saw nothing but darkness, and could only muster all his strength, pouring Attribute Points into his Strength, and pushed out with a palm.

Boom!

With the enhancement of the Dharma Eye, his Thunder Shock Palm, now thrice as powerful, hit something with a thunderous noise.

Shen Ye was also sent flying by the force.

Not good!

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that Mu Tou was just hit by something else and had already rolled away to an unknown location.

Shen Ye somersaulted in mid-air, his physique turning into a series of water-like elusive shadows, landing on a pine tree.

"Xiao Mengyu?"

He shouted loudly.

Thump.

A soft sound, Mu Tou rolled out from the mist, up onto a branch, and stopped beside Shen Ye.

——It decisively came running back to guard Shen Ye.

Shen Ye patted Mu Tou in thanks and looked into the fog again.

In the mist, there was only the wailing sound of Sword Qi, now in the east, then in the west, and at times soaring into the sky.

Xiao Mengyu was battling with something!

"Hey! Over here!"

Shen Ye shouted loudly.

The sound of Sword Qi did not follow, but gradually faded into the distance.

Something was wrong.

Why wouldn't she come to him?

It was always better for two people to fight together rather than one.

Shen Ye, holding Mu Tou, leapt up, following the sound of Sword Qi.

After rushing through the mist for a while, he saw a pine tree in front of him blocking the way.

Huh?

Shen Ye jumped onto the treetop and looked down.

The spot where he had just stood still bore a footprint covered in mud.

——That was the same tree he had just left!

So——

The fog made people lose their sense of direction?

This was troubling.

How could he rendezvous with Xiao Mengyu?

His pocket vibrated slightly.

He quickly took out a card to see, and a line of small characters appeared:

"Your team has disbanded."

"Xiao Mengyu has sent you a team request."

In the blink of an eye, Shen Ye reacted.

Xiao Mengyu had gained the "Team Leader" capability in the rookie deck.

Once the team was formed, she could teleport team members to her side!

At this moment, without a team, her strength was sealed by seventy percent.

——She was risking danger to find him first!

Shen Ye immediately said, "Agree!"

Whoosh——

He disappeared from his spot and appeared next to Xiao Mengyu, shouting, "Block!"

He threw Mu Tou directly at the object.

Crack—Thump!

Almost instantly, Mu Tou was bitten by a shadow and then repelled.

"Good thing you came, my strength was sealed just now, I would have definitely not been able to block that hit."

Xiao Mengyu spoke with a calm demeanor.

Shen Ye looked across and saw a giant python with a horn on its head.

At this moment, the giant python, having failed to strike, withdrew and coiled up on the ground, raising its head high while flicking its tongue and staring at the two of them.

"Notice anything? Their attacks are all designed to repel, aiming to scatter us,"

Shen Ye said.

Mu Tou rolled back from a distance and stopped at his feet.

"Now that you mention it, it does seem like that's the case," Xiao Mengyu said.

Upon teaming up, her strength surged again, doubling, as a chilling Sword Intent radiated from her.

"The fog will cause us to lose our way, so they want to pick us off one by one," Shen Ye added.

"I brought a lifeline rope to tie us together, but that would hinder our movements," Xiao Mengyu said.

"...I do have a method," Shen Ye said.

"What is it?" Xiao Mengyu asked.

Shen Ye walked behind Xiao Mengyu, his body shuddered slightly, and he suddenly disappeared.

"Where are you?" Xiao Mengyu exclaimed in surprise.

From the ground, a voice echoed from her shadow:

"I'm in your shadow."

"...This falls under the category of Strange Technique, have you mastered a Strange Technique related to shadows?" Xiao Mengyu asked in amazement.

Shen Ye replied, "Yes, this way it won't be able to see me, and—"

Mu Tou rolled and landed beside Xiao Mengyu.

With this setup, the offense had the aid of a great sword, Mu Tou provided defense, and Shen Ye was concealed within the shadow, ready to support dynamically.

Even if Xiao Mengyu were to be struck and sent flying—

Her shadow would not vanish due to the fog, nor would it be isolated and trapped separately from her.

This broke the isolating effect of the fog!

Xiao Mengyu's spirits lifted as she disregarded the Unicorn Black Python and flashed towards the woods.

"Our mission is to find the shelter, not to fight monsters,"

She explained as she ran.

Mu Tou sat on the great sword while her shadow spoke behind her:

"I know, but it's following us."

"Then kill it."

Xiao Mengyu abruptly turned around and charged at the Unicorn Black Python with all her might, thrusting her sword.

The Unicorn Black Python opened its mouth, revealing its fangs in defense, but was slapped by a hand extending from the shadow.

Thus, it didn't manage to block the attack.

Swish—

The Sword Qi pierced its body, followed by another slash from the great sword.

The Unicorn Black Python was sliced in two, writhing wildly on the ground for a while before it stopped moving.

In the midst of the fog,

Various sounds gradually receded.

After the duo successively killed the giant centipede, the giant, and the Unicorn Black Python, they seemed to have intimidated the monsters in the vicinity.

They all started avoiding the pair.

Xiao Mengyu, catching her breath, asked, "Where do you think the shelter could be?"

"We rode our motorbike across several mountains but didn't see anything that could be called a shelter," Shen Ye said.

"Then let's not climb mountains."

Xiao Mengyu nodded and continued to move forward through the fog,

After about fifteen minutes,

She suddenly stopped.

"What is it?" Shen Ye asked.

"Listen—" Xiao Mengyu tilted her head to listen and whispered, "There's a sound of a dog barking."

"I don't hear it," Shen Ye said, surprised.

"Listen again!" Xiao Mengyu insisted.

"Ah, I hear it now, there really is a dog. Could the dog be a monster too?" Shen Ye wondered.

"Not sure... but it seems to be getting closer."

Xiao Mengyu drew her long sword and took a defensive stand where she stood.

There was a sound of panting and whimpering ahead.

It gradually drew nearer.

"Who's there!" Xiao Mengyu shouted.

The fog stirred.

One man and one dog emerged from the fog, tumbling onto the ground and rolling a few times before standing up.

"Huh?"

Shen Ye whispered, "I know that guy; his name is Zhang Xiaoyi. He came to Yunshan Port with me."

"What about the dog?" Xiao Mengyu asked.

"I don't know the dog, but it seems it is not a dog," Shen Ye said.

Shen Ye thought for a moment, then leapt out of the shadow and helped Zhang Xiaoyi up, asking, "A Yi, what happened to you?"

"Huh? Shen Ye! Great, I finally found you—we're safe now," Zhang Xiaoyi said, gasping for air.

"Is a monster chasing you?" Shen Ye inquired.

Xiao Mengyu, sword in hand, stepped forward to protect both the man and the dog behind her.

"Not a monster, it's a Scion of the Noble Family who wants to kill me and Guo Yunye," Zhang Xiaoyi explained.

Shen Ye said with a chuckle, "You can't attack each other here."

Zhang Xiaoyi grabbed the dog beside him and said,

"Look!"

Shen Ye looked closely and saw that the dog was covered in wounds.

"Did the Scion of the Noble Family do this?"

"Yes."

"But this is just a dog, right? Is it your pet? Maybe the rules allow attacking pets."

"This is not my pet!"

"Huh?"

"It's Guo Yunye transformed into a wolf! It's not a dog!"

"Ha!"

Not only was Shen Ye astonished, but Xiao Mengyu also turned her head and gave the dog, no, the wolf, a second glance.

"Brother Yunye, I didn't expect you also transformed into a wolf," Shen Ye greeted with a bow, "Please turn back, and then we can discuss further."

To their surprise, the wolf just gave him a dismissive glance, proudly turned its head away, and continued to squat there, unmoving.

—It completely ignored him!

Shen Ye looked at Zhang Xiaoyi.

"Don't call him a wolf; he thinks he's a dog," Zhang Xiaoyi whispered.

"Ah?" Shen Ye whispered back.

"When he transforms, he has some issues with his memory, forgetting not only that he is human but also refusing to acknowledge he is a wolf, insistent that he's a dog," Zhang Xiaoyi whispered.

Shen Ye was stunned.

A man turned into a wolf, and then believed he was a dog.

That was quite spectacular.