Myriad Realms Gatekeeper

Mythical level entry!

Shen Ye was shocked to his core, and his first reaction was to immediately devour it.

"Devour it, quick!"

He yelled inwardly, urging rapidly.

But a glimmer of light emerged from the void, displaying a new prompt:

"Some kind of power deep within Zhongzhou City catalyzed your power, manifesting as an entry through your 'Evaluation Entry,' and your own premonition."

"This entry only serves as a warning, and cannot be devoured."

Shen Ye's smile abruptly froze.

His abilities...had drawn on the power of the Magical Realm here to give him a warning.

This kind of situation had never happened before.

—Could this be considered some sort of premonition of my own?

People say a twitching left eyelid signifies riches, a twitching right eyelid signals disaster, and this entry of mine is probably the Otherworld enhanced version of that premonition.

Tsk.

Be careful!

He took a deep breath, trying to remain calm.

Tool man...

Why this term?

And it's "an assessment manifested from thousands of years of the history of the Human Race's survival and despair"?

Shen Ye fell into deep thought.

Nangong Sirui, however, narrowed his eyes and said, "The light above your head was too faint and dissipated too quickly; I couldn't make it out. You?"

"I didn't see it either," said Shen Ye.

Nangong Sirui waited a moment, then looked up at his own head.

There was nothing there.

"Seems I'll have to go look for it by myself," he sighed.

"Then go ahead."

"Hmm, we'll meet later. Let's see who will get the 'name' here first."

"It's not a big deal."

"Let's make a bet, offspring of the Chaotic Heaven Gate."

Nangong Sirui waved his hand towards Shen Ye and made his way leisurely into the crowd, quickly disappearing in the distance.

Shen Ye stood in place, watching the other's receding back.

What he didn't see was—

a deep red eyeball quietly emerged behind him, trembled slightly, and then rapidly burrowed underground, disappearing from sight.

By this time, ten seconds had passed.

The entry vanished.

Shen Ye felt a twinge of regret.

—He had a strong feeling that something was terribly wrong.

Wasn't this supposed to be a welcoming party?

What exactly was going to happen?

To be honest, no matter how powerful Song Qingyun was, wasn't she just a student from Azure High School?

How could she possibly create a red entry?

"Found you."

A woman's voice echoed eerily by his ear.

Shen Ye snapped back to reality, searching around him, but he saw nothing.

A wisp of crimson thread suddenly flashed through his gaze.

It came quickly and left just as rapidly.

If you weren't paying attention, you might even think it was an illusion.

But this crimson thread—

Shen Ye was all too familiar with it.

After a moment of silence, he changed direction and followed the path where the thread had shimmered.

He passed through the bustling spacious streets.

Entered the quiet and silent alley.

At the end of the alleyway.

A girl with curled hair stood there, quiet and alone.

"You've gotten stronger since we last met."

The girl spoke.

She toyed with the crimson thread in her hand, her gaze full of scrutiny.

A long line of text appeared above her head:

"Destroyer of the great myriad worlds, Master of the Weeping Demon Prison, the Cursed Spirit King, commanding all spirits to fall from the stars."

...It was her.

"Where's Zhao Yibing?" Shen Ye asked.

The girl didn't answer.

She raised her hand, checked the watch on her wrist, and muttered to herself:

"It's six thirty-two in the evening, not too bad; I still have a few minutes to talk to you."

After saying that, she finally looked at Shen Ye and smiled:

"I've changed bodies, now I am called Yun Ni, we are in the same grade."

"Yun Ni..." Shen Ye repeated.

He remembered now; she seemed to have sent a friend request at one point.

But he had rejected it because he didn't know her.

To think that she was actually the Master of the Weeping Demon Prison.

"You wanted to see me for something?" Shen Ye inquired.

"I originally wanted to give you a surprise after the bet was settled, but some things have accelerated," the girl said.

She looked up at Shen Ye, sighed, and continued:

"Did you know? After all beings die, their actions in life are weighed, and then their next destination is decided."

"Like going to Heaven or Hell?" Shen Ye asked.

"Yes—But there's a situation where even souls guilty of the most heinous sins don't go to Hell, but instead get the chance to be reincarnated."

"That situation is—"

She spread her hands, mimicking an explosion: "the world goes 'pop' and is destroyed; both the good and the bad lose their chance to complete their lives, making their final judgement impossible."

"What are you trying to say? There's a problem with our bet?" Shen Ye asked.

"You're fairly quick to catch on,"

The girl put away the crimson thread from her fingers and said, "You might not live to see the moment the bet starts."

"Why not?" Shen Ye said.

"I can't say," the girl showed a hint of playfulness, "I'm on their side now, so I can't tell you."

Shen Ye pondered for a bit, then said, "Something's going to interrupt everything."

The girl pursed her lips, gesturing for him to continue.

"…like forcefully pressing the pause button during a game, or a performance being abruptly cut off."

"Tonight," Shen Ye spoke faster, "you definitely have some regrets, which is why you came to see me before the bet starts."

"Regret what?" Yun Ni asked.

"That I get taken out by someone else, or that I'm no longer a possibility as your thrall."

Shen Ye went on, "Something must be interrupting the bet, and you see it as your loss, so you came to give me a warning."

The girl laughed softly.

"You, it's no wonder you were chosen as that what—you call, a True Disciple," she said with a sigh. "By the way, have you ever played online games?"

"I have played," Shen Ye said.

"Right now, you're like a newcomer who's just created a character and is ready to make a big splash."

"Unfortunately, you don't know that others have been operating in the game for hundreds of years, and it's coming to an end."

"There's a phrase for this—"

"Born in the wrong era."

"This isn't a story, not an epic, not a movie, but reality."

"So you have no time to grow, you're going to be stifled immediately."

"But I really want to have you, to have you and your soul, your willing consent, your undying loyalty."

"So let it be."

The girl stuffed a piece of paper into a crack in the wall and then brushed past Shen Ye, walking out of the alley.

"Are you planning to help me?"

Shen Ye asked.

The girl stopped in her tracks, the corners of her mouth slightly raised.

"I've placed bets on both sides, no matter which of you loses, I win."

"Of course, if you're willing to swear loyalty to me now, to serve me with your soul, I do have a way to save you."

The girl looked at him for a while and then shook her head, "It's just too bad you're not willing."

"Then it shall be."

She waved at him and slowly walked out of the alley.

The alley fell silent once more.

"Betting on both sides..."

Shen Ye repeated to himself, went over to the wall, and pulled out the paper.

On it was a map.

A map of Zhongzhou City.

No—

If you look closely, it was the city's underground tunnels.

In several underground chambers marked with skulls, the word "Dangerous" was scrawled in hasty handwriting.

Within the dense web of tunnels, only one inconspicuous, hidden path among many was marked with arrows, leading all the way to an exit outside the map.

On the blank space of the paper was written a line of text:

"Act according to Song Qingyun's will, and perhaps you'll have a slim chance of survival."

Shen Ye looked back and forth a few times before pocketing the piece of paper.

He became lost in thought.

A few minutes later.

Lights flew across the sky, illuminating the dark alleyway.

Two maids, holding lanterns, floated in the air.

"Young Master Shen, we've finally found you—"

"Our two young mistresses invite you."

Shen Ye looked back and saw the two maids were the same ones he had seen on his way to Xirang Middle School before.

One maid said, "Newcomers must complete their tasks and gain something in the tunnels of Zhongzhou City to finally enter the welcome party."

The other maid said, "Young Master Shen, thanks to our young mistress's grace, you can go straight to the party; she's waiting for you."

"Lead the way," Shen Ye said.

The two maids gave a slight bow to him and then flew slowly into the sky together.

A mocking smile played on Shen Ye's lips.

Fly?

Are they still testing me at a time like this?

They must be out of their minds!

He activated the ring, releasing the Ghost Fire Motorcycle, waited for the two maids to fly a distance away, then straddled the bike and revved the throttle.

The motorcycle roared angrily as it shot into the night sky, chasing after the two with lightning speed.

"You're too slow," he called back to them with a smile, then twisted the throttle again, overtaking them and speeding through the night sky even faster.

The sky.

The depths.

A Floating Island.

Radiating with lights.

Full of distinguished guests.

Shen Ye noticed that many scions of noble families had already settled down here.

They hadn't undergone any sort of test.

Hmph—

This really is uninspiring.

He circled the Floating Island once, taking in everyone present.

In front of the softly glowing fountain stood a girl, surrounded by others like a goddess, chatting and laughing with several peers.

Song Qingyun!

The roaring of the motorcycle suddenly drowned out all other sounds.

Ghost Fire drew a long trail of blazing flames in the sky, piercing through the relaxed and festive atmosphere of the party, and came down heavily.

"Brother Shen Ye!"

Song Qingyun greeted him with a light smile.

"Hello, you said you had something to look for me for. Here I am," Shen Ye responded with a smile, too.

As they talked, the entire Floating Island fell into silence.

Everyone's eyes were on the two of them.

"Yes—"

Song Qingyun seemed to remember something, sat down her glass, went behind the crowd, and came back pushing a wheelchair.

In the wheelchair sat a girl who looked similar to her but appeared somewhat frail and listless.

"My sister is quite mischievous. She impersonated me and recorded a video, which others exploited," Song Qingyun began.

"I'm apologizing on behalf of my sister."

"Sister, do you have anything to say to him?" Song Qingyun looked down at the girl in the wheelchair.

The girl bore a striking resemblance to Song Qingyun but had a completely different demeanor and temperament.

Where Song Qingyun shone brightly, full of vigor, like the moon high above, admired by all, the center of attention wherever she was,

the sister in the wheelchair was much more reserved.

She seemed tranquil and subdued, and even a bit slow-witted.

The girl bit her lip, looked up at Shen Ye, and spoke in a frail voice:

"I'm really sorry. I just wanted to have some fun, and I never expected to cause such a big mess, Brother Shen Ye."

Song Qingyun also chimed in, "My sister is just a normal person. She doesn't have any real strength to kill someone. Please don't take it to heart, Brother Shen Ye."

With these words, the surroundings gradually warmed up again.

The matter was clarified.

This had nothing to do with Song Qingyun.

An unintended mistake by the Song family.

A careless mistake by a normal person.

If Shen Ye had come to seek retribution, then naturally this normal girl would bear the brunt of his wrath.

And this normal girl was just a pitiable young girl after all.

Shen Ye looked at the girl in the wheelchair, a mix of emotions in his heart.