"Since you've already been exposed to a supernatural incident, I can disclose this to you for now."
After Chen Qing spoke, she suddenly looked at the man collapsed on the ground: "Something isn't right."
Her dark pupils abruptly dilated and were replaced by pure whites. After observing for a moment, she urgently said, "Be careful, Level 3 Mental Pollution, severe genetic deformation!"
At that moment, Gu Jianlin was stunned.
The cool and elegant assistant in front of him had vanished, replaced by a figure draped in a white wizard robe, holding a withered wooden staff in one hand, a crystal ball in the other, with a skull necklace hanging from her neck.
She looked like a witch straight out of Western legends!
Not only that, this witch was extraordinarily tall—easily two meters in height!
"Step aside. If you hesitate any longer, that guy is going to bite your neck off from behind."
Lu Zicheng's indifferent voice echoed: "Originally, I intended to keep him alive for questioning, but with this level of deformation, there's nothing more we can do."
Gu Jianlin looked at the man again and was instantly shocked.
At this moment, Lu Zicheng had transformed into what appeared to be an ancient warrior clad in pitch-black armor, seemingly forged from steel. The scales on his armored skirt shimmered with a ghostly light. Strapped to his back were a spear and a sword, exuding an imposing, brutal dominance.
His figure was enormous, towering as high as a two-story building, filling the air with tremendous pressure.
As if an illusion, the witch and the warrior's spectral silhouettes faded away without a trace.
The profile sketches of their personas were replaced by reality.
In the distance, Li Changzhi stood up, convulsing, with bruises beneath his skin oozing blood. Despite all his limbs being shattered, he twisted up like a misshapen insect, with spikes of bone erupting from his body.
He moved on all fours, blood spurting from his grotesque form.
His face had completely disfigured, resembling a horrifying giant insect, drooling uncontrollably.
Gu Jianlin stared in shock, stumbling backward step by step. This creature was something he absolutely couldn't contend with.
Around Li Changzhi's feet, the ground was shattered from his stomping.
In an instant, he surged forward with terrifying force, and a heavy Volkswagen car was rammed and sent flipping multiple times on the ground, producing an unbearable, wrenching sound as it nearly broke apart.
The ground was left scarred with several deep craters.
Gu Jianlin could only perceive a black shadow flashing before his eyes. His brain couldn't keep up.
At this moment, Lu Zicheng suddenly moved, stepping forward like a phantom to block his path.
The wind blew, making his pitch-black long coat billow dramatically.
The insect-like monster that Li Changzhi had become charged at full speed, its massive mandibles opening wide, spewing a foul, sickening stench.
Blood and saliva splattered everywhere.
Lu Zicheng's expression remained indifferent. He cast the creature a cold glance and then performed an unexpected action.
He extended his hand and snapped his fingers.
It sounded like muffled thunder exploding in the clear sky, or like air compressed and detonating outward.
In the void, ripples spread like water waves as overlapping blasts of air collided, roaring like explosive thunder.
Li Changzhi's head exploded at that moment, brain matter spraying, blood splattering everywhere.
The headless, deformed corpse fell to the ground with a thud, kicking up dust.
Gu Jianlin was silent, his worldview once again subjected to a severe shock.
"I thought he'd be a tricky opponent, but it turns out he's just a fallen Magician of the First Order."
Lu Zicheng turned around. His long black coat remained spotless, free of any filth or dust. A bright smile remained on his face as he casually remarked, "Now, do you believe that I'm not a bad guy?"
The facts spoke for themselves, leaving Gu Jianlin at a loss for words. His ears were still ringing from the earlier explosions, the sound buzzing faintly.
"Don't be so nervous. In the Ancient God Realm, there are things many times more ferocious than this."
Lu Zicheng shrugged. "Didn't you see them when you crossed over there?"
Gu Jianlin hadn't expected that this man already knew about his crossing.
The five people he had encountered in the Ancient Tomb must have feared turning into such creatures, which is why they sought the Ancient God's Blood so desperately.
But he hadn't seen anything when he crossed over. He was simply trapped there, with nothing at all.
"In any case, welcome to the real world, kid."
Lu Zicheng smiled. "Let me formally introduce myself again. I'm Lu Zicheng, and my Inheritance Path is Ancient Martial. This is my assistant, Chen Qing; her Inheritance Path is Spirit Medium, or you could call her a Witch. As you've seen, we are Ascenders from the Ether Association."
Ether Association, Ascenders.
Gu Jianlin hadn't expected to encounter them so soon.
He said nothing, silently dropping the pistol in his hand.
Simultaneously, the sound of police sirens approached from every direction.
Chief Zhou's voice, filled with fury, echoed through a loudspeaker across the scene.
"Drop your weapons immediately and surrender! You're surrounded. I repeat, you're surrounded! Lay down your weapons and release your hostages—this is your only way out!"