Chapter 249: The Landscape of the Inverted World

The night fell like a sheet of black cloth, and the abandoned parking lot looked especially eerie under the dim streetlights. The surroundings were unusually silent, with only the howling wind swirling in the air.

The air was filled with the smell of gasoline and Tie Xiu, mingled with the scent of damp earth. That odor had lingered here for a long time, but today there was another scent.

"Awooo."

In the wind came a faint wail, like a puppy's whimper, followed by a faint scent of blood.

The long‑rusted car let out a "creak‑creak" metallic squeal, making the people inside the van grow tense.

"They… came?" Jim said in a breathy voice.

Shi Yi nodded with difficulty, the blood at the tip of their nose just clotting, and in the search for Barbara, their Spiritual Power had also been damaged.

Everyone hid inside the van, not daring to utter a sound; in the dead silence, aside from occasional footsteps outside the vehicle and that puppy‑like wail, there was nothing.

Suddenly, the surrounding sounds vanished.

The people in the van breathed a sigh of relief, thinking the Monsters had all left, just as Jim was about to speak.

"Bang!!"

A huge crash echoed from the van, and the hard metal roof was pressed with several footprints by an unknown creature.

"Roar!!"

The shrill roar rang out, the van's glass suddenly shattered, and a thin, long black arm reached in, instantly grabbing Lucas and pulling him out of the vehicle.

"Lucas!!" Mike shouted anxiously, now everyone knew the Monsters had found them.

The group hurriedly opened the doors and leapt out, ready to rescue Lucas, but upon stepping out they discovered two Monsters still standing on the van's roof.

"It's those Demon High Roots!" Dustin shouted, his teeth trembling.

The two Monsters on the van saw fresh flesh as they ran down, immediately leapt forward, targeting Dustin who stood beside Shi Yi.

Shi Yi clenched their teeth, enduring brain pain, and reached out a hand.

The two indistinct black shadows roared like demons toward Dustin, their sharp claws like five daggers, glinting with death's light.

Shi Yi's forehead veins bulged, seeming to bear unspeakable pain. Their hands slightly opened, palms secretly gathering invisible power. As the Monster's roar drew nearer, their Spiritual Power, like a drawn bow, finally released the moment the Monster lunged.

There was no roar, no flash of explosion, only Shi Yi's palms thrust forward, an invisible force hurling the Monster straight through. The Monster traced two long arcs in the air, slamming into a distant concrete wall, which cracked like paper, and the Monster became deeply embedded.

Shi Yi's breathing was rapid, yet they dared not pause. That night, after fleeing the lab, they had witnessed the Monsters' vitality; such a level of attack could not kill them.

They hurriedly turned to the Monster that had seized Lucas, their Spiritual Power flared again, snapping the Monster's arm. The wounded Monster roared, and Lucas, seeing this, scrambled back to the group.

At that moment, the two Monsters that had been knocked into the air crawled out of the wall, seemingly unharmed, letting out roars as they leapt onto the van's roof, eyeing the group hungrily.

Shi Yi stood before everyone, like a mother lion protecting her cubs, glaring ferociously at the Monsters.

Dustin spoke again, trembling slightly, "Two more have come."

The others looked back and saw two more Monsters appear behind them; a total of five Monsters stood at different positions, completely blocking them!

"No," Shi Yi also realized, a hint of despair in their eyes; with so many Monsters, they had no chance—

As Shi Yi and the others struggled amid the Monster horde, Naimi Xisi had already crossed the gap. "Is this the Ying Ying Ming Jie?" Naimi Xisi sighed, gazing at the scene.

Hawkins's small town had hardly changed, but conversely, everything here was steeped in gloom.

On the ground, black vines spread arbitrarily, moving slowly as if alive, adding a touch of eeriness to the dead city.

Whenever red lightning streaked across the sky, illuminating dust‑covered windows, the city seemed to breathe for an instant, then fell back into deathly silence.

In this place, identical to a modern city, not a trace of life or vigor could be found. It was a colorless world, with only a gray sky, black vines, and occasional red lightning, forming a post‑apocalyptic tableau.

"The scenery is truly ugly, but it's not without its benefits."

Naimi Xisi stretched lazily, as if breathing fresh air after a long absence.

The Magic Net here was active; after his restored mana contacted the Magic Net, he regained a dazzling Arcane Power glow.

Seven‑Ring Divination spell — 【Advanced Probe】!

Naimi Xisi whispered the incantation, his pupils filled with a blinding white light, mana merging into the Magic Net, rapidly scanning like a radar.

"Found it." Naimi Xisi curled his lips; fortunately the child named Wei Er was not far, otherwise this simulacrum without a power gem boost would have been harder to locate with Divination.

!

"Tsk, caught but still not dead?"

Naimi Xisi activated teleportation, instantly appearing in the basement of a villa, where black vines had corroded a network of tunnels; Wei Er lay unconscious among countless vines.

"Roar!!"

Three chrysanthemum Monsters surrounded Wei Er, eyeing him, and launched an attack the instant they saw Naimi Xisi.

"Know nothing of life or death."

Naimi Xisi sneered, casually pointing at the three Monsters.

Five‑Ring Evocation spell — 【Instantaneous Flame Burst】!

In an instant, the three chrysanthemum Monsters' bodies were torn by invisible force, burning from within. Flames devoured their solid muscles, thick skin, and sharp horns and spines. Their roars abruptly ceased, replaced by anguished howls, yet they could not escape the Mage's judgment.

"Indeed, these Monsters, like ordinary shadow Monsters, all fear fire," Naimi Xisi mused, watching the three piles of ash.

Even within Juan Ce Long's vast memory inheritance, there was no record of such Monsters.

Although they appeared indistinguishable from ordinary shadow Monsters, Naimi Xisi knew their nature was far from simple.

Behind these Monsters existed a creature with extremely strong Spiritual Power, controlling their actions.

"Wait."

Naimi Xisi suddenly noticed that as the Monsters burned, the surrounding vines also trembled, as if feeling intense pain.

"Could it be that they aren't being controlled, but are monsters of a collective consciousness?"

Naimi Xisi was startled awake; this was also possible—these Monsters might lack strong Spiritual Power, yet combined they were not to be underestimated.

(End of Chapter)