Proofreader&Editor: Lotas
A fierce wind, laden with snowflakes, filled every corner, uprooting the large trees lining the roads and tossing them chaotically into the air.
Not only that, bricks, street lamps, bicycles, billboards… countless items were lifted into the wind, tumbling rapidly through the blizzard as if they were clothes in a washing machine.
Within this ten-mile radius, it was as if the apocalypse had arrived.
If it weren't for Squad 136 setting up a large-scale No-Restrictions Zone in advance, many innocent lives would have been caught in the storm and met with tragic deaths. Now, the significance of the No-Restrictions Zone became evident.
Within this spatial canvas, no matter how fierce the battle, it would not affect the outside world in the slightest.
Lin Qiye had to plant his straight sword into the ground to barely stabilize his form and prevent himself from being swept away by the fierce wind. The world before him was a vast expanse of white, and in such a blizzard, it was difficult to see the surroundings clearly.
"So this is the 'Sea' level Forbidden Ruin? It's terrifyingly dreadful…" Lin Qiye frowned deeply.
In his psychic perception, the members of Squad 136 were also trapped by the blizzard. Fortunately, no one was blown away and they all remained in place. Although they couldn't see each other, they were not far apart.
"Xiaonan!"
Wu Xiangnan's voice came through the snow, muffled.
A faint white light emanated from beside Lin Qiye, and then he felt his body sink as the resistance from the wild wind disappeared, as if a thin membrane had formed on his skin, perfectly negating the force of the wind.
Not only that, but the visibility obscured by the flying snow also gradually cleared.
Lin Qiye looked down and realized that his skin was also emitting a faint white light.
Wu Xiangnan, also radiating white light, walked out of the blizzard, completely unaffected by the surrounding winds, and went to Si Xiaonan's side, ruffling her hair.
"Well done."
"What is this…" Lin Qiye asked, puzzled.
"The 'Unrelated Gauze' can adhere to the surface of one's skin, isolating the external environment's effects on oneself, and it can also heal injuries and provide a certain level of defense," Si Xiaonan stood up straight and huffed arrogantly. "Although it's not some powerful Forbidden Ruin, it can still be useful at critical moments."
Under the protection of the Unrelated Gauze, the others also stood up, their gazes turning towards the figure walking slowly through the snow with a long halberd…
Han Shaoyun looked at the people who were ignoring the blizzard with a trace of admiration in his eyes. Then, as if he thought of something, his eyes dimmed again.
Chen Muye stood at the forefront, his hands on the hilt of his sword, his cloak flapping wildly in the wind, his eyes calm as still water.
"Are you the captain of this squad?" Han Shaoyun stopped in front of Chen Muye.
"Yes."
"You're a qualified captain," Han Shaoyun paused before continuing, "More so than me…"
"I've heard a bit about the Gusu City Night Watchman squad," Chen Muye's voice floated through the blizzard, "It's said that five years ago, the Gusu squad directly encountered the 'Murmur' from the Ancient God Church. Out of eight members, three died, three were severely injured, one was left with a lifelong disability, and the captain, Han Shaoyun, disappeared. Two years later, he reappeared as a Devotee…"
Han Shaoyun's brow furrowed slightly, "What are you trying to say?"
"I want to know… are you a true Devotee, or a false one?" A glint flashed in Chen Muye's eyes, "Did you join the Devotees with an ulterior motive? Are you a spy…"
"You're overthinking it." Han Shaoyun calmly interrupted Chen Muye, "Once a Devotee, one can only be a Devotee for life. Their Soul Contract is more terrifying than you can imagine. Whatever thoughts and purposes one had before joining, they all vanish upon signing the contract… becoming completely their puppet."
"Then you…"
"If one day, your teammates were nailed to a cross, and you only had two choices: either fight to the death and die with your teammates, or give up all dignity and freedom to save the lives of others… what would you choose?"
Chen Muye's brow furrowed deeply, "They forced you to sign the contract with such methods?"
"The methods of the Ancient God Church are even more brutal than you can imagine," Han Shaoyun shook his head, the snowflakes swirling around him growing denser, "No matter who I was or what I've been through, now, I am only the sixteenth seat among the Devotees, Han Shaoyun…
I can't go back."
As he finished speaking, his 'Sea' level Psychic Power erupted, and a terrifying Suppression soared into the sky!
Chen Muye's hand on the hilt of his sword trembled slightly from gripping too hard, his knuckles turning white. He stared intently at the man holding the long halberd before him, his heart filled with desolation…
After a moment, he took a deep breath, and his twin swords slowly unsheathed…
"I understand…" he said calmly, "I will show no mercy to the Devotees."
In the howling wind, the corners of Han Shaoyun's mouth lifted slightly.
With the twin swords unsheathed, a faint ghostly light appeared in Chen Muye's eyes, and a dark circle rapidly expanded around him, bringing an extreme chill to the land!
Within the black Forbidden Ruin, the outline of a blood-red palace loomed behind Chen Muye, and at the very top of this palace hung an ancient and mysterious plaque.
— The Hall of Yama!
As he stepped into this Forbidden Ruin, Chen Muye's demeanor suddenly became deep and eerie!
Lin Qiye was also swept into Chen Muye's Forbidden Ruin, the icy breath entering his body, causing him to shiver uncontrollably.
"What is this…"
"The captain's Forbidden Ruin," Wu Xiangnan said calmly, standing beside Lin Qiye, "Forbidden Ruin Sequence 037, 'Black Impermanence'."
"037?" Lin Qiye was taken aback.
Up to now, aside from Cao Yuan's Sequence 031 'Black King Annihilation', this was the highest-risk Forbidden Ruin he had encountered. He hadn't expected the captain to possess such a level of power.
If the Forbidden Ruins before Sequence 030 belonged to the power level of Deities, then 'Black Impermanence', ranked seventh among the deities, was definitely one of the top Forbidden Ruins in the Great Xia!
With such a high-ranking Forbidden Ruin, the captain should have been in one of those special squads or in the Night Watchman team of Shangjing City. How could he have come to the small Cangnan City to become the captain of Squad 136?
In front of the Hall of Yama, Chen Muye, holding his twin swords, walked on the black water surface, slowly approaching Han Shaoyun.
Han Shaoyun stared blankly at the scene before him, taking a long time to react, and then he spoke in shock:
"Black Impermanence? You… are Chen Muye?"