Chapter 136: Protect the Archangel Tightly in Front of You (Requesting Monthly Votes!)

To speak of Heaven and Hell in the Infinite World, one cannot avoid mentioning the Lord of Sacred Light.

He is, in name, the second-most powerful supreme being of the Primordial Heavenly Court, a true double-flower red stick—even if his mind were shattered, he remains one of the most terrifying entities in the Infinite Multiverse.

His angelic legions are equally formidable, truly a world where legends are as common as dogs and half-gods walk the earth.

Not to mention Gabriel, one of the Four Seraphim, at least a Primordial Saint or even a High Saint—merely projecting a fragment of his thought-form would be enough to sweep clean every current Lunhui team.

And only a villain of the level of a Hell Great Demon Lord could possibly stand against such a being.

But… could this really be true?

It's not that Wu Xian is undervaluing himself, but given the current strength of Wu Xian and the Zhongzhou Team, this is simply not a scenario they are equipped to enter.

Unless the Main God is broken—or already under the control of the Primordial Heavenly Court, deliberately sending Lunhuizhe to their deaths—such a dire situation should not arise.

"Forget it. If I keep thinking like this, I might as well be delusional. Right now, the priority is finding people to gather intelligence—preferably locating Fan Haixin."

Wu Xian's eyes narrowed slightly, his expression grave.

"Let's assume the worst: if this world truly involves Heaven and Hell, then Fan Haixin, as a suspected earthly embodiment of Gabriel, would have seen a massive power boost.

Then all we need to do is keep him firmly shielded in front of us—there may still be a chance to complete our mission."

"Correct judgment."

Chu Xuan pressed a finger against his glasses and said calmly:

"Just now, the drone swarm located a village with human habitation. We may gather some useful information there."

"Excellent!"

Wu Xian nodded, then turned to Zhan Lan beside him: "No time to waste. Let's move faster—we must reach the village before nightfall, to avoid running into more strange things."

…

A few minutes later, on a narrow mountain path.

Like the Black Forest, the path was still shrouded in mist; the dirt road beneath was covered in dead leaves and fallen branches, faint traces of cart ruts and horse hooves visible.

"Is that it?"

Following Chu Xuan's guidance, the Zhongzhou Team walked three to five kilometers along the dirt road and finally saw a sizable village. Externally, it appeared ancient, perfectly matching the image of a medieval European town.

Seeing this, not only the newcomers, but even most of the Zhongzhou Team's veterans felt dazed.

After all, their previous horror films had all taken place in modern or futuristic settings—they had never before encountered such an archaic scene, evoking a strong sense of time travel to ancient times.

"Zheng Zhe, Xiaoyi, didn't you both say the air here felt pleasant?"

After entering the village, Wu Xian suddenly asked Zheng Zhe beside him.

"Yeah, at first I didn't notice much, but the longer I stay, the clearer it becomes—I even feel my vampiric energy has slightly increased."

Zheng Zhe scratched his head, trying his best to describe his sensation.

Li Xiaoyi felt much the same, saying that compared to the previous horror worlds, breathing the air here was a pleasure—as if it were the legendary celestial qi, invigorating and refreshing.

"I understand."

Wu Xian nodded inwardly, a faint golden glow appearing in his eyes.

It was not the Golden Eye activated—he was using the root power of "Yan Xi" to channel spiritual energy through his eyes, instantly seeing fine threads of black substance drifting in the air, absorbed into everyone's bodies with each breath.

Zheng Zhe and Li Xiaoyi's cases were the most obvious—these black substances, as if finding their home, eagerly burrowed into their bodies, highly active.

Wu Xian guessed this was due to their enhanced bloodlines.

After all, one was a vampire, the other a demon—even if they were counterfeit versions created by the Main God, they still possessed some affinity for darkness.

These black substances were the "qi" that nourished dark creatures; prolonged absorption would subtly enhance their power, causing the world's dark beings to grow stronger over time.

Clearly, this was unfriendly to ordinary humans—if unchecked, someday demons and monsters would overrun the land, pushing humanity from the top of the food chain.

Of course, that was the Church and the Holy Knights' problem—not the Zhongzhou Team's concern, unless they could resolve it incidentally after completing their main quest.

But that's a matter for later—set aside for now.

Soon, the eighteen of them entered the village. Beforehand, they had all changed into clothing appropriate to the era (obtained from the Main God), so they caused little disturbance; only their Asian faces drew brief curiosity from the villagers, who glanced twice and then ignored them.

By the way, Zhu Peng had refused to change his Daoist robe, so an unnamed Zhongzhou Team captain struck him with a palm strike, knocking him unconscious, then manipulated his body with a puppet talisman, forcing him to follow the team step by step.

This eerie sight terrified the newcomers, who dared not voice any further objections.

At least, not outwardly.

Not long after, the group found a well-run inn in the village.

The bustling hall glowed with candlelight, filled with travelers and villagers, clinking cups and drinking merrily, listening to adventurers boast and joining in the revelry.

Behind the bar, the owner beamed, clearly calculating tonight's profits.

At that moment, Wu Xian's group entered. Their large number immediately caught the owner's attention; seeing their clearly foreign Asian faces, his eyes brightened further.

Fat lambs arrived!

"Respected guests, what may I serve you? My humble establishment will do its utmost to satisfy you."

Wu Xian smiled slightly, pulling a crystal-clear blue gem from his storage item and slamming it onto the bar with a snap:

"We'll be staying tonight. Give us the best rooms, prepare several lavish banquets… and finally, I'd like to ask you some questions. If the information is accurate and satisfies me, there will be extra payment."

The glittering gem dazzled the middle-aged owner; upon hearing Wu Xian's final words, he instantly snapped awake, his tone becoming even more respectful, urgently instructing staff to attend to the Zhongzhou Team.

"What would you like to know? Don't think I'm boasting—in all the surrounding villages, there's nothing I, Bao En, can't find out."

"Really?"

Wu Xian raised an eyebrow: "Then tell me—have you heard the name Fan Haixin?"

"Fan Haixin!"

Unexpectedly, the owner's expression changed drastically upon hearing the name, his gaze toward Wu Xian and the others now filled with sudden understanding.

"Ah, so you're here for the bounty… too bad. Fan Haixin is a fugitive serial killer, wanted nationwide. The last time he was seen was two months ago—I have no idea where he is now."

"I see. Then forget it."

"Wait!"

The owner grabbed Wu Xian's hand as he moved to retrieve the gem, glanced around to confirm no one was listening, then whispered: "I don't have information, but I know someone who might— he's a professional intelligence dealer."

"Oh? Where is this person?"

Wu Xian asked, intrigued.

Upon hearing this, the owner glanced at the gem on the bar, then smiled and made a rubbing-fingers gesture toward Wu Xian.

The meaning was clear—extra payment required!

"Heh!"

Wu Xian smiled in return, then turned to Zhan Lan beside him.

She understood instantly, activating her telepathy, effortlessly invading the owner's mind, searching keywords "Fan Haixin" and "intelligence dealer." She quickly obtained the needed information—and simultaneously erased the past minute's memories. The entire process took less than five seconds.

At the same time, the owner's eyes glazed over for an instant; when he recovered, he beamed at Wu Xian with obsequious cheer: "Respected guests, what may I serve you? My humble establishment will do its utmost to satisfy you…"

————

Requesting monthly votes!

(End of chapter)