Chapter 25: Door-Breaking Devourer

Wu Xian assessed the effects of the longevity peach.

This thing could likely restore a dying person to full health instantly; even if two people shared it, the healing power remained astonishing.

After Shi Ji recovered.

He looked at Wu Xian with boundless gratitude.

“Brother Xian, thank you for saving my life—I won’t waste time with formalities. If you ever need me, I won’t refuse!”

Shi Ji spoke with utmost seriousness.

He knew clearly that without Wu Xian, he would never have survived this ordeal.

A terrifying figure was approaching at a slow pace.

Try to communicate? Surrender? Bribe…

In the flickering light, it was the face of a muscular man.

What is the point of our struggle in this blessed land?

The thin rope swayed left and right, the weight swinging freely; Qi Zhiyong smiled, and at the same time, a talisman ignited on its own.

With these three pieces of information, plus the fact that he had spent the night in an unmarked room and would not be attacked by the Door-Breaking Devourer, Qi Zhiyong’s chances of survival increased dramatically.

Wu Xian turned his head to look around.

No, there was not the slightest chance of victory—the divination result made clear that even if he used every trick at his disposal, he was still no match for this Door-Breaking Devourer.

“If we wait here until dawn, the only possible outcome is being digested by this mutated room, becoming part of those deformed flesh and blood!”

The rope remained motionless.

“Even if the Five Filth Gods are dead, this mutated environment still erodes us—we’re essentially hiding inside its belly.”

Upon hearing this, Shi Ji’s heart clenched.

Inside the door was a flesh-and-blood hell; outside, it was a den of dragons and tigers. The past few days had already proven that rooms with doors were sanctuaries—leaving them at night was suicide.

His face darkened instantly: “We must leave.”

Rope Hammer Method.

The blessed land is cruel and irrational, offering no hope; people are as insignificant as grass, and devils take pleasure in cutting it down—the only difference between devotees and ordinary people is that devotees live a little longer.

Wu Xian pointed around him.

“Don’t thank me yet,” Wu Xian waved his hand. “Have you noticed? The healing effect has stopped—our physical condition is worsening.”

But now was not the time to analyze this in detail.

Qi Zhiyong’s scalp prickled.

Shi Ji immediately opened the door; both of them retreated out of the room, and the twisted flesh inside did not pursue them.

Shi Ji froze, then immediately realized his gums were throbbing again.

This eased Qi Zhiyong’s tension slightly.

But this horrifying mutated room sensed their intent to escape.

So after joining the organization, he had once asked Jing Ke.

Move the clock’s hands forward by a certain distance.

He stared at the uncorrupted door, his spirits crushed to the lowest point.

The burning talisman was a divination spell.

So Shi Ji nodded, choosing to trust Wu Xian.

Fight him?

“That’s impossible!”

The surrounding flesh and organs writhed continuously; dangling skin twitched and spasmed; noses and mouths appeared everywhere, opening and closing; the air reeked of nauseating stench.

“Door-Breaking Devourer!”

…

The two quickly gathered their belongings and stood by the door, preparing to peer through the peephole first, to observe the outside and choose a safe moment to flee.

“This room was never marked—why? Why did it target me tonight?”

Just now, Qi Zhiyong asked three questions and received three highly useful pieces of information.

“Enough! Open the door now—I refuse to believe our luck is this bad, that we’d run straight into the Door-Breaking Devourer!”

If the blessed land is so terrifying and all participants will die eventually, is there any point in struggling? Better to end it ourselves than be tortured to death by devils.

Room 406.

Outside the door lay a dark, eerie corridor, the floor covered in mud and blood, the ceiling lights flickering uneasily.

This was the fourth floor—and heaven knew what monsters lurked on the streets at night.

This blessed land will end within five days.

“Fuck! We actually ran into it!”

Qi Zhiyong took a deep breath and spoke his final question.

“The remaining duration of this blessed land exceeds five days.”

But Wu Xian’s reasoning also made sense.

Qi Zhiyong murmured silently: “Jing Ke said, to live is the meaning…”

He immediately realized their previously established rules were flawed.

Bang!

A deafening crash interrupted Qi Zhiyong’s thoughts.

In the dim yellow light outside the door stood a towering figure—a massive, muscular body, a horrifying face, and an oppressive presence like a natural predator; Qi Zhiyong broke into a cold sweat.

Between possible death and certain death, they had only one choice.

And this devil could kill only one person per day!

These deformed things surged toward Wu Xian and Shi Ji at the door.

His face turned to shock—he spun around and saw the door shattered, splinters of wood embedded in his face.

Shi Ji froze: “Why? It’s not dawn yet—going out now risks encountering devils.”

“The Door-Breaking Devourer can kill only one person per night!”

Wu Xian muttered a curse under his breath.

Qi Zhiyong whispered to the thin rope: “With the items I currently possess, I can kill the Door-Breaking Devourer.”

The rope remained motionless; Qi Zhiyong frowned and continued.

Break the window and escape?

“Don’t you realize? Everything around us is alive!”

He had once harbored doubts.

The Door-Breaking Devourer is extremely powerful—direct confrontation means certain death.

This method is said to originate from the ancient Hezhe people: tie a small hammer to a rope, hold the rope’s end still, and ask three questions—if the rope moves after a question, the answer is true.

Qi Zhiyong!

Shi Ji’s face turned green; Wu Xian’s temples throbbed—they were not frightened by Qi Zhiyong, but by what stood behind him.

How to survive is what must be prioritized above all else.

Jabbing at these things with the copper spear, the spear worked well—each swing pushed back some flesh—but compared to the vast mound of flesh, it was like trying to empty the ocean with a cup.

Wu Xian smiled: “Then let’s begin preparing—better sooner than later.”

Qi Zhiyong sat cross-legged under the moonlight, holding a thin hemp rope, its other end tied to a heavy object, the object and rope hanging perfectly still.

The previously sleeping room awoke; all flesh trembled and writhed, like a giant meat sack about to close—skin, mouths, intestines…

After using this talisman, one may perform a divination; depending on the divination method, the effects vary—Qi Zhiyong used the method commonly employed within their organization.

Qi Zhiyong thought of many things.

But ultimately, only one plan was viable.

That was to divert the disaster!

The Devourer can kill only one person per night—so if Qi Zhiyong breaks open other doors, causing the Devourer to kill someone of lesser value, he can escape this fate!

(End of Chapter)