Chapter 113: Progression

The factory grounds.

A streak of black afterimage, like lightning, tore through the factory roof, whistling as it vanished into the churning mist.

Immediately after, a crawling shadow emerged from the hole in the factory roof, twisting and coiling around nothingness, spiraling upwards and following close behind.

A dark red maw writhed on the centipede's head. The next moment, countless shadows, like growing branches, burst from the maw, clawing at Han Meng's body from all directions!

Han Meng's black trench coat was covered in blood. He frowned at the rapidly approaching colossal shadow, gripping his gun in his right hand and repeatedly pulling the trigger. Deconstructing bullets rained down, destroying the surging shadows one after another.

Han Meng could feel his mental energy rapidly depleting. Simultaneously, his Judgment Domain was expanded to its maximum.

This wasn't Han Meng's first time challenging a higher-tier entity. Compared to his last encounter with the Red Paper Monster, dealing with this Shadow Centipede felt less strenuous. This wasn't because the Shadow Centipede was weaker in combat, but rather because Han Meng found the Red Paper Monster far more insidious...

The power of his Judgment continuously tore through the shadows in mid-air. Han Meng's figure maneuvered precariously through them, steadily ascending.

However, once his altitude surpassed a certain threshold, the massive black shadow ceased its pursuit, turning back and retracting into the scarred steel factory.

“It really doesn't want to leave the steel factory, does it...?”

Han Meng paused in mid-air, deep in thought.

The continuous struggle had nearly flattened the entire steel factory. As a Zone Three Enforcer, Han Meng naturally didn't want to see such damage occur, so from the beginning, he had been trying to lure the 'mother' entity away from the factory grounds.

But no matter which direction he tried to lure it, the 'mother' entity would automatically abandon the pursuit and retreat back into the steel factory once it went beyond a certain range... as if it had fully claimed this place as its lair.

The more this happened, the more difficult it became for Han Meng. To resolve the current troubles in Zone Three, he had to kill this 'mother' entity...

Yet, with so many centipedes gathered in the factory and the narrow terrain, it was almost impossible for a Tier 4 to kill a Tier 5. This was why the two had been entangled in battle for so long.

Just as Han Meng was contemplating a solution, a sudden change occurred!

Hundreds of Shadow Centipedes writhing within the factory grounds shuddered simultaneously, turning their heads towards a certain direction in the thick mist. Their dark red maws intensely constricted, whether from fear or excitement, it was unclear.

Han Meng looked in the direction they were staring, but saw nothing but dense fog.

Han Meng's brow furrowed slightly. Just as he felt puzzled, the 'mother' entity, which had been entrenched deep inside the factory, suddenly plunged as if insane into the factory's lowest depths, its form gradually disappearing underground.

The other Shadow Centipedes rapidly converged, following it closely towards the giant pit, like a black tide being drawn into a whirlpool.

Seeing this, Han Meng immediately transformed into an afterimage and gave chase.

He burst into the factory. The centipedes that had previously been filled with murderous intent towards him now seemed to ignore him entirely, relentlessly burrowing underground.

Following their trail, Han Meng stopped in a corner of the workshop. Before him was a giant pit several meters in radius. The edges of the pit were like ash-covered ground, as if stained by something.

“A rift where the Gray Realm converges?” Han Meng's frown deepened.

To his knowledge, even when the Aurora Domain encountered a Gray Realm convergence, the convergence point would at most last for half an hour before automatically healing... But this time, several hours had passed, and the convergence point was still open?

With the disappearance of the many centipedes, Han Meng's heart did not relax; instead, he became even more vigilant.

As long as this convergence point remained, other calamities could still emerge, even if not centipedes, then likely other disasters from the Gray Realm. Moreover, Han Meng distinctly felt that this Gray Realm convergence was abnormal.

He hesitated at the entrance for a moment, but a look of determination flashed in his eyes. With a light leap, he disappeared with the black tide into the grey depths of the pit.

“So fragrant... so... fragrant...”

The warehouse, engulfed in fierce flames, resembled a scorching alchemical furnace. Countless curled shadows quietly burned within it. A figure, charred black all over, with limbs like burnt matches, was sprawled on top of one shadow, frantically tearing at its flesh.

Audience Expectation: 1

Audience Expectation: 1

As Chen Ling devoured one shadow after another, the crimson in the ethereal eyes grew ever more vivid.

Dozens of Shadow Centipedes were incinerated in the fierce flames. Their flesh became Chen Ling's meal, their spirits swallowed into the void, leaving behind only puppet-like remains, respectfully curled on the ground.

After an unknown period, Chen Ling's eyes had been burned blind.

His hands fumbled for a moment over the charred 'roasted chickens,' but he couldn't grasp a single piece of meat. He could only stumble blindly, feeling his way to the side.

However, he had barely taken a step when his left leg shattered into carbon, and he collapsed onto the ground.

The fall further fractured his right hand, chest, and shoulder. He lay rigidly in the flames, like a mummified corpse awaiting death.

“Am I… going to… die…?”

Even the Blood Robe couldn't sustain Chen Ling's survival in the fierce flames for long. His life force, along with most of the Shadow Centipedes, was nearing its end.

The oxygen inside the warehouse was rapidly depleted, and an unprecedented sense of suffocation overwhelmed Chen Ling. He tried to crawl up and grab the surrounding 'roasted chickens,' but after struggling for a long time, he could only weakly sway in place.

Finally, he lay there motionless, as if he had completely resigned himself to his fate.

Those crimson eyes, amidst the fierce flames, silently observed everything. The fire completely consumed the last of the air, gradually extinguishing within the warehouse, leaving only faint flickers of light silently dancing near the door crack.

Actor connection lost. Performance interrupted.

Audience Expectation: 50

Current Expectation: 28

A few lines of charred characters flashed over the strewn corpses. A moment later, a strange red light extended from beneath Chen Ling's body, weaving like steps that stretched to the end of nothingness.

Above the sky outside the warehouse, a vermilion star flickered faintly. Surging mental energy erupted from Chen Ling's corpse!

He seemed to have broken through a certain barrier, his aura rising steadily, finally settling on the second tier of that twisted divine path, before slowly fading into nothingness...

In the darkness, the charcoal-like human corpse suddenly rapidly regained vitality. Flesh regenerated on the pitch-black carbonized remains, and the burned-out eyeballs regained their luster, as if something was about to break free from this withered husk, emerging from its cocoon!

His fingers slightly curled. As his eyelids opened, a pair of hollow, eerie eyes were revealed to the air!

He slowly rose to his feet, his large red opera robe spotless.

The next moment, an eerie and chilling laugh echoed within the dead silent warehouse.