INHA Chapter 127

Days passed peacefully for another half month. During this time, a suspected sentient tiger appeared but did not harm anyone. The local villagers promptly reported it and the handlers took the tiger away. Everyone was curious about the tiger’s fate and continually inquired about it from the authorities.

The next day, the authorities responded, confirming that the tiger had indeed become sentient. However, since it had only recently gained consciousness, it was taken to the elders of the demon clan for education and training.

Additionally, the Anomaly Handling Bureau found a teleportation array. This time, however, the evil tree was particularly massive, prompting the bureau to mobilize many handlers, including Xu Dongyou, who joined in resolving the crisis after half a month.

Meanwhile, Zhu Yuan sensed something ominous and contacted the bureau, indicating the need to be prepared—the so-called Lord of Darkness was likely getting ready to unleash a significant attack.

The Anomaly Handling Bureau quickly grew tense and entered a state of readiness, informing the public to stay quiet at home and report any unusual occurrences immediately.

Time passed and about half a month later, contact was suddenly lost with a city engulfed in thick gray mist. No one knew how the Lord of Darkness had achieved this.

Fortunately, the Anomaly Handling Bureau in that city could still communicate with the outside world using spiritual energy, informing them of the situation inside.

The gray mist shrouded the entire city. They were keeping residents calm while continuously sealing away the resentful spirits. The city was overrun with resentful spirits and many people were hiding at home, with only a few thousand triggering killing events.

Despite the city’s substantial police force, there were only about fifty handlers, making it impossible to handle so many resentful spirit incidents.

Clearly, this was a conspiracy.

The Anomaly Handling Bureau suspected that the Lord of Darkness had figured out Zhu Yuan’s presence and was using this method to force him into action. However, the more they tried to draw him out, the more they had to avoid falling into a trap.

Fortunately, there were countless sealing stones within the sealing array. After obtaining Zhu Yuan’s consent, they urgently mined these stones to create powerful offensive weapons, which they used to eliminate the resentful spirits throughout the city.

All the residents were saved.

During this time, the Lord of Darkness sensed the power of the sealing stones and mistakenly believed it was Zhu Yuan attacking. An extremely terrifying black mist soon spread across several cities.

Everyone followed the official order to stay inside, but they could hear footsteps outside as if something was lurking nearby.

Some bold individuals quietly pulled back the curtains and saw countless shadowy figures on the street, their faces pale and expressions eerie. It was even more terrifying than the resentful spirits they had witnessed before, sending shivers through their very souls.

At the same time, everyone heard a chilling voice emanating from the black mist in the sky. The sound was bizarre and chaotic, causing those who heard it to cover their heads and scream in madness.

They had completely lost their sanity.

Only those who covered their ears and retained some level of rationality managed to resist the influence, desperately trying to call for help.

But many of the police officers were also going mad; it seemed the world had plunged into chaos at that moment.

On the streets, countless people were violently smashing things and fighting each other, as if the peaceful world had suddenly transformed into the apocalypse.

A young couple hiding in their home couldn’t help but cover their mouths, clinging to each other in terror.

An elderly man was wildly smashing objects, banging on the bedroom door, and shouting, “Open the door! Why won’t you open the door?!”

Inside, a girl and an old woman desperately covered their mouths, blocking the doorway against the once-kind old man, who had suddenly turned into a strange madman!

The entire world was spiraling into madness.

The black mist obscured the sunlight, plunging the world into complete darkness.

Survivors opened the internet and saw messages from the authorities.

【This is a catastrophe for humanity. Everyone must not pull back the curtains! Immediately use earplugs to block your ears; do not look, do not listen, and do not speak. We will resolve the crisis outside as soon as possible. Do not let fear and anxiety take hold or the enemy’s power will grow stronger, making it even harder for humanity to defeat it.】

Everyone’s eyes fell on the last three words.

Defeat it.

Could it be that the Anomaly Handling Bureau couldn’t kill that monster?!

Panic and unease immediately spread in his heart, transforming into an invisible black mist that floated into the sky, becoming part of the darkness and gathering more power.

The entity felt itself growing stronger, laughing maniacally and shouting chaotic words that no one could understand.

Xu Dongyou grew anxious and quickly called his parents. His biological parents were visiting Father Xu and Mother Xu. He worried about how they were doing.

He wished he could fly back immediately, but was also afraid of getting caught outside, filled with regret.

“Pick up the phone, pick up the phone.”

Xu Dongyou silently urged, and after several seconds, the line connected. He heard Mother Xu’s trembling voice: “We’re all fine. How about you and Zhu Yuan?”

Only then did Xu Dongyou relax, replying, “We’re fine too. Mom, you all must not go outside. Close the windows and curtains tightly. No matter what happens, stay quiet and don’t open the door.”

“Okay, we understand. You and Zhu Yuan be careful. We’ll wait for you to come back.”

Xu Yangchen happened to be at home as well, which eased Xu Dongyou’s worries. After hanging up, he turned to Zhu Yuan, who was gazing intently at the black mist, looking more serious than ever.

Xu Dongyou walked over and asked softly, “What’s wrong?”

Zhu Yuan snapped back to attention and said, “I sensed a familiar power from this black mist.”

Xu Dongyou inquired, “Then, what are you going to do next?”

Zhu Yuan smiled faintly. “Of course, I will eliminate it. I was able to defeat it once before and I can do it again. This world will never fall into its hands.”

Xu Dongyou was momentarily stunned, feeling confused.

Zhu Yuan reached out and tapped Xu Dongyou’s forehead. A surge of information flooded his mind. He instantly understood everything.

It turned out that the so-called Lord of Darkness behind this was one of the deities who created the world.

Zhulong and another deity were part of the three great powers of creation, but their purpose was to toy with this world. When the demon race and other beings rose to prominence, humanity was on the brink of extinction.

To protect this world, Zhulong eliminated that deity and the Lord of Darkness. However, the Lord of Darkness, having nested in darkness, retained a sliver of power to await a resurgence.

Zhu Yuan, having been outnumbered, was injured and driven mad by the Lord of Darkness’s power, resulting in his self-imprisonment.

Meanwhile, most of the demon race that had followed Zhu Yuan into battle had perished, leaving only a few to assist humanity through its most difficult moments.

Thousands of years quickly passed and the few demons from back then had now become elders, like Elder Bai and the others.

Now, the Lord of Darkness, relying on evil to gather strength, was preparing to return and annihilate the world once again.

Xu Dongyou never expected Zhu Yuan to be one of the creation deities; while he found it hard to believe, he felt even more admiration for Zhu Yuan.

However, now that Zhu Yuan was going to confront the Lord of Darkness again, Xu Dongyou was worried that Zhu Yuan’s strength had not fully recovered. He said, “I’ll go with you.”

Zhu Yuan was taken aback and shook his head. “What you need to do now is unite with everyone, including the demon race, to eliminate the evil entities in the streets. Try to weaken its power as much as possible. We must avoid increasing everyone’s fear, as that will only make it stronger.”

Xu Dongyou pressed his lips together. “Okay, I understand.”

Although Zhu Yuan did not want Xu Dongyou to face danger, the situation had become dire. If he failed, everyone would perish, including this world.

Thus, Zhu Yuan had to let Xu Dongyou go out. Most people would be driven mad by the Lord of Darkness’s power, but those with strong willpower, especially Xu Dongyou, who carried the fates of both the demon and human races, were impervious to evil.

Whether they could win this war depended on Xu Dongyou and those who had not succumbed to madness.

Then, Zhu Yuan transformed into a red light and vanished, appearing in the sky above the black mist as his true form. The colossal Zhulong shone like a deity, blindingly radiant.

The formerly mad crowd gradually ceased their chaos, staring blankly at the sky, falling silent one by one.

The people inside the house constantly reminded themselves not to look outside, no matter what happened.

Until many noticed that Xu Dongyou’s livestream suddenly started. Instinctively, they clicked in and saw Xu Dongyou standing on the street, using his power to seal the evil entities.

Besides him, there were many other rational staff members also sealing the evil beings.

Everyone could only understand the current situation outside through Xu Dongyou’s livestream. He looked directly into the camera, knowing that many confused and frightened people were watching. He spoke firmly, “I know you are all scared. But at times like this, we must strengthen our resolve and resist fear.”

He raised his head to the sky and then shifted the camera. At that moment, everyone could see a strange black creature fighting a majestic Zhulong in the sky, its head and tail sometimes disappearing into the clouds, sometimes reappearing.

It resembled a mythological drama.

But everyone understood that what appeared in the livestream was not fake; it was happening in reality.

They were all dumbfounded.

Was there really a creature like Zhulong from mythology in this world?

Xu Dongyou pulled the camera back and said, “What you just saw is the ancient Zhulong. It defeated this monster long ago and it can do so again. But our fear will only become nourishment for this creature, making it stronger.”

He conveyed the importance of this matter through the livestream, hoping everyone could rekindle their faith. This time, the outcome would depend on humanity.

Xu Dongyou shifted the camera again and everyone could see a fox with six tails in the distance vanquishing evil entities, along with a creature resembling a white deer leaping around to help.

Even further away, there was a creature resembling the legendary Bai Ze, continuously treating those who had gone mad, helping them regain their calm.

All the demon race had come out to help.

This world had reached a critical moment and Xu Dongyou needed everyone to unite and strengthen their belief!

“Everyone, dispel the fear and darkness in your hearts! This world cannot remain in darkness forever. Each of our strengths may seem small, but they are endless. Now, Zhulong needs each and every one of you. Please work hard to control your fear and protect this world.”

Xu Dongyou kept speaking, encouraging everyone to overcome their fear. The director and others were helping, and no one remained hidden in the shadows, trying to survive.

Every staff member, even the police, was doing their best to help.

This scene ignited a strong belief and anger against the Lord of Darkness in the hearts of those who had originally been trapped in fear.

These staff members, police officers, and even the officials—along with the demons—were risking their lives to protect this world. All they needed to do was overcome their inner fears and not give that monster more power.

Such a simple task—how could they possibly fail to accomplish it?

Humanity would never bow before a monster. What was fear? What was being afraid of? In the worst case, they could die, but they would not let this world be destroyed!

People clenched their fists, the fire of defiance shining in their eyes. One by one, they emerged from their homes to help bind those who had gone mad. While they couldn’t resist the evil entities, they could ensure that the staff wouldn’t be harmed or hindered in sealing the evil beings.

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