Chapter 492

Deep night.

Outside the building where the Fang family lived.

Two figures, a man and a woman, crept out of the darkness.

"Found it—Jiang Qiong's address… it was on her original resume."

The woman let out a soft laugh.

The Wormwood Forest funded so many archaeological teams just to use them as cannon fodder.

But they naturally kept records of every member of each team.

"Then… let's begin. Whatever that woman obtained belongs to the Wormwood Forest!"

The man was eager, and in the darkness, a chorus of rustling sounds arose, as if countless insects were writhing.

"Wait… I have a bad feeling."

The woman suddenly spoke: "You know… I once found the dried-up spring source of the Fountain of Fortune in the Aether Realm. After performing the 'Return Ritual' and drinking a sip of the historical spring water of fortune… now, my Aether sensitivity warns me that danger lies ahead…" 【35】 She then pulled out a pouch and took out one ritual item after another.

The man fell silent. Though they were Gao Jie cultivators of the Wormwood Forest, having reached the rank of Qimingzhe, and wielded powerful Sacred Relics and Ritual powers, they dared not claim dominion over the mortal world.

Not to mention—even in mortal kingdoms, once an army unleashed artillery bombardment, they could hardly stand against it head-on.

Not to mention, the mortal world also harbored Longshengzhe, and other terrifying extraordinary beings.

In the mysterious realm, rank is not everything.

A Wanderer might carry the gaze of some deity!

"So what?"

The man's eyes flickered.

"So, I can first perform a precautionary 'Sunset Ritual'!"

The woman smiled.

The Wormwood Forest's extraordinary beings primarily follow the Path of History, and such practitioners excel at seeking and drawing power from secret histories.

By imitating the rites of great events, they borrow the hidden, immense power.

"The Sunset Ritual? You've actually figured it out?"

The man was startled.

The woman's voice carried a hint of pride: "When the Sunset Catastrophe erupted in the Aether Realm, I was nearby… I witnessed a divine sign! Though I dared not approach then, I later went to that place and studied for months… I believe I fully understand it, and have tested it several times—with excellent results."

"Legend says the Sunset Catastrophe was created by the Master of the Secret Sect," the man said, his gaze shifting.

"I think that's impossible… Such power—if it came from the Master of the Secret Sect, then he must be a deity… but a deity's avatar could never be so agile, nor interfere so broadly in the mortal world," the woman said.

It was clear they understood secret histories well, and knew secrets about deities.

In the hidden realm, knowledge is power!

Even "experience" and "memory" can become power!

"If so, then set up the ritual first. I'll move first—if I fail, you immediately activate the ritual's power."

The man thought for a moment and agreed.

The woman immediately pulled out a Sacred Relic—a jet-black ring. She gently stroked it, and a thick darkness enveloped a several-meter radius, hiding the scene from outsiders.

She then pulled out a pouch and took out one ritual item after another.

"I use white salt as a catalyst to declare this place sealed by a barrier."

The woman scattered a circle of salt, murmuring incantations in an ancient tongue—the mysterious language of "Gulan."

Next, she erected a small altar and placed a golden mask toward the east.

"We invoke the God of Sunset, requesting His manifestation of Sunset's might."

At the altar's center stood three straw dolls, symbolizing the offerings.

At this moment, the tiny faces of the straw dolls twitched with fear, as if the souls of living beings were imprisoned within.

The woman lit a candle and said: "The power of the Sunset Ritual is too great—I can only sustain it for three minutes… You must signal me within those three minutes. I will decide whether to activate or cancel the ritual based on your signal…"

"Hah, I think you're too cautious. Perhaps I alone can take them all down."

The man grinned confidently and waved his hand.

A flood of dense, jet-black insects surged forth, rushing toward Fang Xing's home…

Vast numbers of dense, pitch-black insects surged forth, swarming toward Fang Xing's home…

Inside the bedroom.

Fang Xing suddenly opened his eyes: "Who is praying to me?"

After breaking the Four Limits with the Secret Sect's martial arts, his status was already extremely high—equivalent to a Longshengzhe.

And Longshengzhe in this world were beings akin to demi-gods.

As demi-gods, they naturally possessed certain divine traits—for instance, hearing prayers made within a certain radius.

But a demi-god's range was small, likely less than half of Cuiting City, unless mediated through the Aether Realm.

Yet this voice was crystal clear, as if right outside the door.

Fang Xing projected his will, sweeping through the area—and suddenly smiled: "What is this? Praying for myself to hit myself?"

"Hmm… two Qimingzhe have arrived. Jiang Qiong probably can't handle them. I'll have to act myself…"

At that moment, a rustling sound came from the window.

In Fang Xing's perception, Jiang Qiong first hurriedly dressed and stepped out, then Fang Leng arrived in the living room, a revolver in hand.

"Not bad—both are alert… but unfortunately, the enemy they face now renders steam rifles useless…"

"Good, your vigilance is still adequate… but unfortunately, the enemy you now face renders steam rifles useless…"

Fang Leng was about to speak when the window shattered—and then… one after another, jet-black worms crawled in. Even though Jiang Qiong was a Secret Sect martial artist, no longer an ordinary person, the sight made her scalp crawl, her skin prickling with goosebumps.

Fang Leng was about to speak when the window shattered, and then… one after another, black worms crawled in. Even though Fang Qiong was already a Mijong martial artist and no longer an ordinary person, seeing this sight still sent chills down her spine, each inch of her skin breaking out in goosebumps.

Fang Leng gritted his teeth and threw a white talisman.

Fang Leng gritted his teeth and hurled a white talisman.

A burst of white light erupted, freezing the black insects in place—but soon they resumed their rustling movement.

A burst of white light erupted; the black insects froze in place, but soon resumed their skittering movements.

Fang Leng gasped.

"Your talisman is too weak…"

Fang Xing shook his head. He raised his hands—and for an instant, a jet-black sun seemed to rise.

Invisible darkness spread, and the insects instantly stiffened and died…

Moreover, through this corruption, Fang Xing saw a terrified man's figure linked by countless threads to the insects.

Moreover, through this corrosion, Fang Xing saw the terrified figure of a man intricately linked by countless threads to the insects.

Fang Xing extended one hand, as if plunging into darkness.

The man screamed as a jet-black palm pierced his chest—yet he still moved, struggling to flee.

"The attacker is severely wounded. Go find him and kill him!"

Fang Xing changed his mind—he decided to use the attacker as a trial for Jiang Qiong.

Jiang Qiong nodded. She too had seen the rising jet-black sun, and with Fang Xing's words, she felt a mystical connection form between herself and the attacker.

Through this link, she sensed him fleeing rapidly.

Through this connection, she sensed the man rapidly fleeing.

Jiang Qiong lightly stamped her foot and shot out the window.

Under the night sky, her figure moved like a spirit cat, chasing the attacker.

"Hmm… here it comes."

Fang Xing stepped to the window, his gaze fixed on a patch of darkness.

"What's coming?"

Fang Leng was uneasy—then he saw a "sun"!

A real "sun," rising like dawn over Cuiting City!

It was the woman of the Wormwood Forest, ruthlessly activating the "Sunset Secret Ritual!"

That was the woman of the Worm Forest, ruthlessly activating the "Sunset Rite"!

She lit the straw dolls with candle flame, watching their trapped souls scream.

Everything mirrored the Aether Realm perfectly!

"God of Sunset… bestow Your might and punish the unclean!"

The woman's face twisted into a cruel smile as she chanted in Gulan, summoning the ritual's power to strike down Fang Xing's family.

A cruel smile spread across the woman's face; she spoke in Ancient Lan, attempting to summon the rite's power to descend upon Fang Xing's family.

Her expression changed drastically—she saw a great sun plummeting… and its target was—herself?!

"No… God of Sunset, I perfectly replicated the secret history! Why is the ritual backfiring?!"

The woman screamed—and under the sun's radiance, she turned into a charred corpse.

The illusory sun descended, its light engulfing most of Cuiting City.

That night became the talk of countless people, named the "Sunset Night…"

That night became the talk of countless others, named the "Night of the Setting Sun"…

Fang Leng stared as the illusory sun faded and vanished—as if a hallucination—yet cold sweat dripped steadily from his forehead.

Knowing even a little of the truth, he truly understood the power that the setting sun represented.

He, who knew some of the inner details, truly understood the power represented by that setting sun.

If that ritual truly spiraled out of control, it could burn down nearly half of Cuiting City!

"The Sunset Ritual… an Aetheric rite…"

Fang Xing's lips twitched slightly, unsure how to respond.

Although Unusual Ones are mostly stubborn, he had never before seen someone use a replicated mystical ritual against themselves!

"Oh… previously, some Unusual Ones from the Path of History attempted to recreate Aetheric rites to gain great power."

"In past instances, I did not oppose them as I sought to explore the nature of the Path of History… but did they think one success meant they could succeed every time?"

"As an Unusual One, how could you be so careless?"

Just as Fang Xing was mentally scoffing, Fang Qiong returned dragging a man.

"I recognize him—he's 'Avis,' the secret benefactor funding our archaeological team… but he's actually an Unusual One, from the 'Wormwood Forest'…"

Fang Qiong's expression was cold: "Our archaeological teams are all expendable. Their goal is to find the tomb of the 'Blasphemer' Dai Wei… Dai Wei is suspected to be an Angel of the Shadow Path, long dead… the tomb we've unearthed this time very likely belongs to this Blasphemer."

Fang Xing glanced at Avis and saw his sanity had shattered.

The Shadow Path still holds a natural advantage in corruption and interrogation.

Fang Qiong's test was well executed.

"Sister… when did you become so skilled at interrogation?"

Fang Leng felt a storm of questions swirling in his head.

At that moment, the eastern sky began to lighten.

A steam locomotive rolled slowly in, and Shi Lei and a pale-faced Fang Fang stepped down.

Clearly, after a night of "observation," this little sister had fully grasped the cruelty of the Hidden World…

(End of Chapter)