Chapter 84: The Chaos of Battle

At last, Chen Qi cast a final glance at the quest item provided by the Lady of the Mists. After preparing his food and clothing, ensuring he met every requirement, he clicked the text. Set out!

You face the howling gale, relying on your Black Rain Boots, undaunted by the distant chaos, as you dash down from the city wall! With a great leap, you vault from the wall to the ground. The Little Lantern Shadow Fox follows at your right, providing cover!

Your White Dove soars ever higher. Battling the storm, the dove reaches the high tower and surveys the entire city below. Everyone is converging on the city center, gathering at the colossal statue of the Calamity Hunter! Atop the statue, a figure in a white robe directs the sinners into the mists, orchestrating this dreadful storm as though conducting a symphony, driving it to its terrifying climax!

You surmise that this must be the mastermind behind the sinners’ plan—The Kin-Eater. The white-robed figure stands before the statue, gripping a blood-red staff, from which power surges forth!

With the Lantern Petal Badge in hand, Chen Qi felt no anxiety about the Jail Hunters arriving to arrest the criminals. He spun his blade restlessly. To reach the city’s heart, he would have to keep a close eye on this white-robed conductor. From the text’s analysis, it seemed likely that his true aim was also the Lord of Mist City’s treasure. This white-robed figure was surely his greatest obstacle, and the title “Kin-Eater” inspired no trust.

You swiftly bound across the rooftops of shattered houses, coming to rest atop the ruins of a theater. A thousand meters ahead lies the very heart of the sinners’ battle—and of the city itself!

The intense exertion leaves you gasping for air.

You quickly regain your composure, standing atop the abandoned theater, taking advantage of the lingering mists to survey the scene below.

Scarlet flames lash out from the distance, setting the ruins ablaze. Hundreds of pitch-black chains lash through the searing fire, surrounding the area like a tempest. Twenty Jail Hunters, executors of punishment, have arrived!

Boom!

Assailed by the Jail Hunters, the flames blazing in the chests of their black armor rise to their peak. All who stand in their way shall be punished! The hunters’ chains drive into the ground, weaving a massive iron net. A prison of chains is forming, poised to shatter the defenses set by the Kin-Eater and the sinners!

The sinners and their allies launch their attack...

The frenzied sinners resist with all their might, yet are instantly impaled by chains, held fast! One after another, sinners are ensnared, blood spraying as each opponent falls!

Chen Qi watched the texts unfold. For now, the Jail Hunters held the upper hand. But the sinners’ trump card remained unrevealed, and the true terror of the storm had yet to manifest.

In the next instant, as if in answer to his thoughts, a new line appeared:

The wind howls fiercely. Atop the statue, the white-robed man intones in a deep voice: “O terror born of the River of Death, you now possess the power to awaken—cease your hiding...”

Chen Qi stopped spinning his blade and focused on the text. A calamity was about to awaken.

Beneath the towering Calamity Hunter statue, mists surge forth. The statue begins to crumble, and with Mist City’s center as the heart, the ground starts to fracture!

The earth splits apart. Chen Qi read the text—what was being summoned?

Boom!

Mist surges from underground. Watching it all, he realizes—the beast of calamity mentioned by the Lady of the Mists had always lain hidden beneath the central statue.

As the ground collapses, a new domain is revealed below—a meticulously constructed subterranean palace, with a pitch-black gate standing out starkly.

Guided by the Epitaph Page in your hand, you sense that the trial lies just beyond that door!

This was the entrance to the trial! Blade in hand, Chen Qi knew he must find a way to reach it. He needed to wait for the right moment.

You lift your head to the sky. The mists of the entire city coalesce above a single point, absorbing every wisp.

That black point swiftly reaches its critical mass, and then...

A tempestuous gale erupts like a tsunami!

The frail beacon atop the high tower is instantly extinguished, and even the gleaming smiling moon in the sky is swallowed by the storm.

The miststorm surges across the land.

Let all fall silent...

Morningstar’s Appraisal: You are now within the calamity, in the weakening miststorm.

Calamity Type: Weather-based.
Calamity Level: ???
Description: “It” will take you away, grant you eternal peace. All you must do is relinquish your mortal flesh.
Introduction: A terrifying weather-type calamity, spreading mist outward. Once within the mist, your sense of direction will be greatly diminished. Should your resolve waver, your body will undergo irreversible petrification, resulting in death and transformation into a Mist Statue (which will serve as material for expanding the mist’s range).
Note: Mental resistance can stave off the mist’s petrification.

Miststorm...

Chen Qi studied the text—this was the weather calamity that had destroyed Mist City! Based on the information so far, he should be able to withstand it; his Morningstar Blessing granted formidable mental resistance in the darkness.

The mists surge onward like a ravenous beast, making straight for the Jail Hunters.

Boom!

Under the mist’s assault, the hunters’ attacks grow feeble, their senses dulled.

The Jail Hunters roar in defiance, sending scalding chains from their armor toward the black point in the sky! To stop them, the white-robed figure brandishes his staff, directing the sinners to attack the Jail Hunters...

Desperate for survival, the sinners hurl themselves at their foes, launching wave after wave of savage attacks!

Sounds of collapsing buildings echo around you! You hold your breath, pressing as close to the center as possible. The mist thickens, and all you can hear is the din of battle and furious shouts!

You gaze into the heart of the storm, your hand clutching the blade trembling faintly. In this miststorm, do you advance?

Yes.

The true melee had begun! The Jail Hunters were ensnared by the calamity, while the sinners, driven by desperation, launched their assault.

Since he was already within the storm, why not plunge deeper still? Chen Qi opened his game panel and used the White Dove’s Eye to scout ahead!

You send the White Dove diving below, searching for the location of the trial! The Epitaph Page continues to guide you.

Focusing intently, you scan your surroundings. You take a deep breath and leap into the ruins beneath the center, charging into the mist.

As you advance, the mist shapes itself into countless faces, whispering in your ear, urging you to abandon these futile efforts—you could never reach your destination. Yet your resolve remains unbroken, the flame in your heart guiding you ever onward!

With the Night Traveler’s Cloak and Mist Ring, you advance rapidly...

Guided by the Epitaph Page, you sense you are drawing ever closer. Ignoring the mist’s whispers, you press on.

Lines of text cascade by—he was steadily approaching the trial’s gate.

You sense the trial’s gate opening before you. Just as you are about to arrive, you suddenly halt...

What’s happening? Startled, Chen Qi looked to the text.

In the distance, before the gate, a voice rings out: “Has the taint of too many Goblet Calamities caused even the gate to reject me? Yet after all these years, this seal is so feeble.”

You hold your breath—it’s a familiar voice, none other than the white-robed man. You sense a kinship in his aura. You see his face clearly beneath the white robe; it is as rigid as a puppet’s, as if he wore a perpetual smile mask.

The sinners’ leader was also after the Lord of Mist City’s treasure! Chen Qi considered this—encountering him here was hardly surprising.

Trouble...

Reaching the gate was not the true difficulty. The real challenge lay in contending with this formidable white-robed figure. He had to find a way to slip past him.

The white-robed man senses your presence, standing before the treasure trial’s gate. He waves his hand: “Are you the rebels among the sinners? Your usefulness ends here. Everyone, stop these two sinners. Do not let them interrupt my opening of the gate.”

Two sinners?

Chen Qi tensed, reading on.

You sense gazes upon you from within the mist. Then, a voice sounds behind you.

“Cellmate, do you have a heart yet...?”

You turn around—it’s the little ghost who once asked to partner with you. Her tiny, beckoning-cat hand is turning to stone as she clings helplessly to your sleeve.

(End of chapter)