51. Endgame(1)

Uriel was swiftly moving towards Yannan Mountain, which was the direction of the Ghost Gate.

Fifteen years ago, he came out of the Special Management Bureau and met the Gu couple on the mountain road of Yannan Mountain. Presumably, he was going to find the Ghost Gate.

Yan Ling and the others did not know what he intended to do at the Ghost Gate, but it certainly won’t be anything good.

The setting sun completely descended below the horizon, and the night fell. The pitch-black sky hid all the stars, and the moon was obscured by dark clouds, barely visible.

Apart from the people tracking Uriel, Yan Ling notified others to gather at Yannan Mountain.

Uriel’s abilities mainly affected people’s minds, and the more people there were, the easier it was for him to exploit loopholes. After careful consideration, Yan Ling decided to take only a few people who were good at dealing with illusions up the mountain, while the others stayed at the foot of the mountain.

The people tracking Uriel continued to follow without alerting him. Once Uriel entered the mountain, the rest of the team would immediately block the mountain paths to prevent ordinary people from entering.

“Take me with you,” said Rong Xiaoxian, fanning herself lightly with her fan. “I know the location of the Ghost Gate.”

Qiu Rong looked at her attire, from the cape to the petticoat supporting her skirt, and her small high heels.

The skirt was a blue-and-white porcelain qipao modified version of Lolita, and the white color was easily stained.

Rong Xiaoxian smiled and said, “Take care of yourself, little wolf cub. Don’t you werewolves have to prepare a set of replacement clothes when you transform?”

Qiu Rong: “…”

Why does she have to bring this up again?

Rong Xiaoxian has fought against Uriel before, and his demonic tricks to bewitch people’s hearts cannot affect her. Since Little Glutton volunteered to join, Yan Ling had no reason to refuse.

Rong Xiaoxian adjusted her tassel cape and said, “You all wait here. I will go and guard the Ghost Gate. Hopefully, you can successfully deal with Uriel without letting him get close to the entrance of the Ghost Gate.”

“In case he does come looking for trouble, I’ll use a couple of moves, and you guys hurry over,” Rong Xiaoxian turned around to showcase her exquisite skirt and shrugged, “I really don’t feel like fighting while wearing a skirt.”

Yan Ling: “…”

Yan Ling: “Alright.”

After giving instructions, Rong Xiaoxin folded her fan and turned to head up the mountain. Her pace was neither fast nor slow, but her figure quickly disappeared on the road.

“So where is the Ghost Gate exactly?” Qiu Rong looked at the empty mountain path.

Yan Ling shook his head. “If there’s a problem, she’ll give a signal.”

The regular vehicles traveling on Yan Nan Mountain Road quickly passed, and the checkpoints were manned by the personnel from the Violation Handling Department. 

There weren’t many cars on the mountain road at night, and occasionally one or two vehicles passed by, appearing no different from usual.

At a certain moment, the detection device distributed by the research institute emitted a red light, and at the same time, Yan Ling received a message.

Uriel had entered the range of Yannan Mountain.

The issue with the Detection Device 2.0 was that its detection range was too large, and it would respond to even the slightest movement, making it difficult to determine Uriel’s exact location.

Yan Ling waited for a while, and the people at the foot of the mountain reported that their detection device had lost its response, while the one on the mountain still had a red light. Uriel should have already moved up the mountain.

Qiu Rong, who was driving on the mountain road, stopped. At this point, his own instincts were more reliable than the occasionally unreliable detection device.

The disguised vehicles in various directions all stopped, and everyone carried a transmitter as they individually entered the mountain to search for Uriel’s traces.

Yan Ling unfurled a pair of bat wings and smiled at Qiu Rong. “Do you want me to carry you?”

Qiu Rong: “…”

Qiu Rong pinched the tip of his wife’s wing. “Don’t worry, I can keep up.”

“Then I won’t wait for you,” Yan Ling said, flapping his wings and disappearing into the night sky.

A glimpse of dark gold flashed in Qiu Rong’s eyes as he closely followed Yan Ling, running into the forest.

As the people entered the mountain, they followed the predetermined route to search inside. Uriel seemed to have sensed that something was amiss and concealed his presence once again.

Yan Ling slowed down his pace, with Qiu Rong above and him below, carefully distinguishing the various scents in the forest.

Both Qiu Rong and Yan Ling received messages from the others, but nobody had found any trace of Uriel.

The atmosphere became somewhat tense for a moment.

Qiu Rong and Yan Ling continued to search deeper into the forest according to the original plan when suddenly, a faint starlight appeared deep in the woods.

It was a light point resembling a firefly, slowly drifting closer as if searching for something.

Qiu Rong made a gesture, and Yan Ling, who was flying in the air, descended and landed beside him, partially blocking his view.

The two observed the unusual light point for a while and simultaneously said, “Dream demon?”

Yan Ling raised his hand, and sure enough, the “firefly” that was disoriented in the forest seemed to have found its direction and flew straight towards Yan Ling.

Before the two could react, the “firefly” dove into Yan Ling’s palm and disappeared.

Soon, their familiar “light orb spirit” emerged from Yan Ling’s fingertip.

The small light orb was several times larger than the “firefly” and more energetic. It affectionately circled around Yan Ling once before swiftly darting into the forest.

The dark environment made it easier for Qiu Rong and Yan Ling to identify the direction of the small light orb. This time, they didn’t need to take a detour. They followed the small light orb deep into the forest, a scene that felt familiar.

Qiu Rong glanced at the glowing entity in front of him and then looked up at Yan Ling, who was completely focused on chasing after the glowing entity.

…In the end, they were still chasing after a “laser pointer”!

Muttering to himself, Qiu Rong sprinted alongside Yan Ling. The small light orb didn’t run too far ahead and before long, it led Qiu Rong and Yan Ling to a person.

The person was one of the individuals selected to search for the demon in the mountain.

The young man was bewildered when the small light orb stopped him. He reached out to catch the small light orb to figure out what it was, but he was startled by Qiu Rong, who emerged from the grass.

The young man and Qiu Rong, covered in leaves, stared at each other and then looked up at the elegant Yan Ling hovering in mid-air. Confused and lost, the young man asked, “Co-Commander? What’s going on?”

The small light orb confidently stopped in front of the young man, and Yan Ling descended back to the ground. He stared at the young man and asked, “Have you encountered Uriel?”

The young man shook his head honestly and said, “No, I haven’t encountered anything along the way.”

Qiu Rong looked around, estimated the distance, and raised an eyebrow. “Which route did you take to get here?”

The young man pointed behind himself and said, “It’s over there.”

“That’s strange then,” replied Qiu Rong with a half-smile. “According to the assigned route, you should still be quite far from here.”

Before he could finish speaking, Yan Ling attacked the young man. The expression on the young man’s face showed no flaws as he cried out in panic, “Ah! Commander! Commander! It’s me! It’s really me!!”

Yan Ling narrowed his eyes, the blood sword in his hand continued to stab forward without hesitation. Qiu Rong also moved to block the young man’s escape route.

The young man fell to the ground, huddled up, and suddenly felt dizzy. Several unfamiliar yet familiar scenes flashed through his mind, but he didn’t have time to think about them.

As he watched the blood sword coming down, he didn’t feel any pain. He peeked through the gaps between his arms and found that Yan Ling was still holding the sword, but he wasn’t pointing it at him; instead, he was pointing it behind him.

Cautiously, the young man turned around and unexpectedly came face to face with an ugly dog with drooling fangs and bloodshot eyes. The stench from its mouth rushed toward him.

The young man screamed again, vomiting and dodging, rolling and crawling until he hid behind Yan Ling.

Yan Ling: “…”

He looked quite disgusted.

At this moment, the young man also realized — he had seen Uriel from the beginning!

When he received the order to enter the mountain and got off the car, he saw Uriel waving at him from his own car’s hood. Before he could send a signal, his vision went black, and all memories related to Uriel disappeared instantly.

After that, he wandered in a daze until he saw Qiu Rong and Yan Ling, which made him partially sober.

Uriel was holding his dog and crushed the little light spirit that was reporting information. He gritted his teeth, glanced at Qiu Rong behind him, then fixed his gaze on Yan Ling, and sneered, “Long time no see, poor little thing. Have the humans finally decided to let you out of the research institute?”

Yan Ling’s sword was still pointed at Uriel, unmoved by his provocations. Without looking back, he said to the young man, “Notify everyone to leave the mountain. You should leave too.”

Uriel had been able to attach himself to these people unnoticed. Leaving them on the mountain would only be like offering himself a feast.

The young man, unable to bear the pain, covered his throbbing head and stumbled towards the exit. Uriel could only watch coldly as the young man left in front of Yan Ling’s sword, while his dog stood up and barked.

Uriel cursed lowly, tugging on the rope.

With a slight sound behind him, Uriel, who was cursing at the dog, immediately turned around to face Qiu Rong. He calmly took a punch from Qiu Rong, meeting his fierce gaze, and smiled, “Little one, don’t be in such a hurry.”

However, neither Qiu Rong nor Yan Ling wanted to exchange more words with him. Yan Ling’s blood sword followed closely behind Qiu Rong, slashing towards Uriel.

Uriel, restrained by Qiu Rong, found it difficult to dodge. He cursed, “Stupid dog! What are you standing there for!”

The three-headed dog let out a fierce roar, standing in front of Yan Ling.

The three-headed dog was no longer a puppy. It was now almost as tall as a person, with a massive body carrying three heads. Its fur was matted and oily, as if it had just rolled out of a sewer, emitting an indescribable foul odor.

Yan Ling: “…”

He paused for a moment, his sword about to strike.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Uriel unfurled a pair of wings covered in black feathers from behind him. Clearly, these were the original wings of a demon, and controlling them felt even more natural. Uriel smoothly escaped from Qiu Rong’s grip.

Yan Ling’s sword finally swung down, cleanly severing one of the three heads of the dog.

Black blood splattered, and with a flap of his wings, Yan Ling soared high into the air. The putrid black blood didn’t touch him, instead falling to the ground with a sizzling sound, corroding the nearby vegetation like strong acid.

Yan Ling’s blood sword also emitted a sizzling smoke.

With a cold expression, Yan Ling shook his hand, forcefully flinging off the black blood that clung to the tip of the blood sword.

Qiu Rong’s human strength was too weak. Taking advantage of the fact that the three-headed dog had lost one head and was still in a frenzy, he transformed back into a wolf form.

Silver-gray fur covered him, and deep golden eyes carried a touch of bloodlust. A gigantic wolf, even larger than the three-headed dog, appeared under the moonlight.

Unbeknownst to them, the dark clouds dispersed, and a bright full moon settled atop the treetops. It was instinctual, and Qiu Rong let out a long howl as a wolf.

The three-headed dog fell silent at the sound.

“You deal with the three-headed dog. I’ll go kill Uriel,” Yan Ling stated firmly, not allowing any objections.

At this moment, bubbles of blood popped out from the neck where the three-headed dog lost its head. It looked increasingly bizarre and unsettling. In just a moment, the blood bubbles surged like boiling, and the severed neck of the three-headed dog slowly extended, as if it was about to grow a new head.

Given Yan Ling’s cleanliness, he certainly wouldn’t want to touch the three-headed dog again. Qiu Rong didn’t argue further and pounced toward the three-headed dog.

As Yan Ling chased after Uriel, he reminded him, “Don’t use your mouth, or I’ll never want to kiss you in this lifetime.”

Qiu Rong: “…”

Qiu Rong: “…” *howl!*

The alpha wolf silently retracted its fangs and instead swiped at the dog’s head with a claw.

In the book that Qiu Rong and Yan Ling flipped through together, it was recorded that the Hellhound had the ability to be reborn and was not easily killed.

To kill this dog, not only did one need to destroy its three heads, but also destroy its heart before it grew a new head.

Uriel seemed to have no intention of directly confronting Yan Ling. He defended himself while swiftly flying in one direction.

The three-headed dog followed Uriel as they ran, and along the way, Qiu Rong knocked off one of the dog’s heads.

However, the dog’s head grew back quickly. In just a short while, the head Yan Ling had cut off had already grown back halfway and was not far from fully regenerating.

Yan Ling was also annoyed by Uriel’s constant fleeing. He decided to first sever Uriel’s wings, preventing him from flying any further.

Qiu Rong took the opportunity to slap away the dog’s half-grown head. He dodged the splattering blood and, in his peripheral vision, noticed that Uriel, who was evading Yan Ling’s attacks, seemed to slow down for a moment.

The timing was spot-on.

…It was as if the attacks on the three-headed dog also affected Uriel.

That momentary hesitation allowed Yan Ling to injure Uriel’s wings, although he couldn’t sever them directly.

Qiu Rong avoided the retaliatory strike from the three-headed dog and focused on its last remaining head. With no intention to hold back, he leaped over the charging three-headed dog and swatted away its final head with a claw.

Due to the angle, Qiu Rong inevitably got splattered with some dog’s blood.

Fortunately, the alpha wolf’s fur, like steel needles, was waterproof. Taking advantage of his wife’s inattention, Qiu Rong quickly shook off the fur.

Restoring his cleanliness and tidiness.

As the third head hit the ground, Uriel’s movements slowed down once again.

The injuries sustained by the three-headed dog were affecting Uriel!

Qiu Rong, seeing this, wanted to seize the opportunity and finish off the three-headed dog’s heart. However, Uriel, who had also been wounded by Yan Ling’s slash once again, noticed the situation of the three-headed dog.

Dodging Yan Ling’s attack, Uriel cast a resentful gaze at Qiu Rong and shouted, “The couple I killed fifteen years ago!”

Qiu Rong paused for a moment in his attempt to find a vulnerable spot behind the three-headed dog.

Uriel gave up on chasing and stopped to launch a counterattack against Yan Ling. He blocked Yan Ling’s sword strike and wickedly smiled, saying, “You must be their son; I can smell it.”

“That couple, I will never forget them in my lifetime. They were truly kind people…”

“Qiu Rong!” Yan Ling shouted.

Unfortunately, Qiu Rong couldn’t hear Yan Ling’s voice at this moment. Under Uriel’s narration, his mind seemed to relive the scene from fifteen years ago.

His mother’s kindness being used in such a way.

“In fact, at that time, I was in a hurry and didn’t plan to kill anyone again. But those unfortunate couples happened to cross paths with me…” Uriel’s words were interrupted by Yan Ling’s attack. However, his purpose of disturbing Qiu Rong had already been achieved. He approached Yan Ling and whispered, “You better pray that I don’t have the time for you. Just a little more provocation, and your little boyfriend will end up like his father.”

“…Easily killed by me without much effort.”

Yan Ling’s sword missed its mark, and he shouted once again, “Qiu Rong!”

As the scene he had witnessed once before unfolded before his eyes, Qiu Rong’s heart was not as easily swayed anymore.

When Yan Ling called him again, he heard it.

Gritting his teeth, he stared at the scene before him. Similar moons overlapped, but the world before his eyes and in his ears were completely different.

Qiu Rong let out a roar of anger, breaking free from Uriel’s illusion.

At the same time, a beam of light pierced through the headless three-headed dog that was thrashing on the ground.

A direct hit to the heart.

Qiu Rong, who had just regained consciousness, Yan Ling, who was about to attack, and Uriel, who was coughing up blood from the backlash, all looked towards the treetops.

Under the full moon, the Glutton dressed in an elaborate Lolita gown lowered her archery stance.

She pointed her fan at Qiu Rong from a distance, and said loudly, “Little wolf cub, you can’t afford to be distracted at a time like this.”