Buffet Again

Chen Guan’s figure appeared out of thin air. The last remnants of purple radiance rippled away beneath his feet, and Baobao immediately rubbed its head affectionately against his trouser leg, perfectly playing the role of Bao Bao’s lackey.

“Are you all right?”

Long Ao was the first to rush over, his eyes sweeping over Chen Guan from head to toe.

An Changqing asked, “You were only inside for the blink of an eye. How did you come back so quickly? What exactly was in there?”

Given what An Changqing knew of Chen Guan, he would never have come out so quickly unless he had encountered some kind of accident.

“Chen Guan, what did you see?”

Qin Wu and the other students gathered around him at the same time. Every gaze focused on him like a searchlight, waiting for his answer.

Chen Guan organized his thoughts and began describing what he had seen during his brief stay.

“It seemed to be a battlefield. The sky was a frozen, dark red, and the ground was covered with the skeletons of gigantic creatures and shattered weapons.”

“At the center of the battlefield stood a throne made of bones, though half of it had already collapsed. There were also many tattered flags, all embroidered with the same emblem: twisted horns and an upside-down star.”

Long Ao, An Changqing, and the others were all baffled. They had never heard of such an emblem, and it didn’t resemble the flags of any ancient civilization.

Qin Wu shook his head as well. As a fourth-year student, he had access to far more information than the others, but he couldn’t dredge up the slightest clue from his memories.

“Doesn’t ring a bell. I’ve seen the totems of ancient civilizations and the markings of certain otherworlds, but none of them have anything like this.”

When Su Yuehe heard Chen Guan’s description, her clear eyes slowly blinked.

She repeated the words in a breath so faint that only she could hear it.

“Twisted horns. An upside-down star…”

“I think I know what that is.”

“I’ve seen that emblem in the books in my family’s study.”

“That is the mark of a demon god.”

“If I remember correctly, the demon god represented by that emblem is named…”

“Astaroth.”

“If that really was a war, then I think one side of it must have been Astaroth.”

Astaroth?

Long Ao furrowed his brows. “Why is it this guy again?”

An Changqing pondered for a moment. “So, when you went in just now, you were directly subjected to the impact of that thing’s will?”

Chen Guan nodded. It seemed that Astaroth had been the one to eject him.

Damn it. Why couldn’t it have been Baal as the hidden boss?

Chen Guan sighed inwardly at the missed opportunity.

Shan Heng’s calves trembled uncontrollably. The world behind his glasses spun wildly, and he felt as though his brain was about to burn through its limits trying to process a word that lay so far beyond his understanding.

What do you do when you’ve just left the newbie village and run into a demon god? Asking online. Urgent.

“Th-Then… what do we do?” His voice was already trembling with tears.

“The competition isn’t over yet, which means the school leaders believe we have a way to solve this.” An Changqing remained as calm as ever and analyzed the situation. “Or perhaps they simply want to see how we solve it.”

“But we can’t even get close! Even Chen Guan was forced back out!” Long Ao ran a frustrated hand through his hair.

“Perhaps I can give it a try.”

A voice came from behind Qin Wu. Everyone turned toward it and saw a familiar face: Huo Qixing, a third-year student.

“Captain.” Huo Qixing nodded at Qin Wu. “I recently learned a new technique that’s specifically suited to dealing with these old monsters. If I use it with all my strength, I can protect everyone, but it won’t last more than ten minutes. Once it’s over, I’ll be useless too. The attack will still have to come from all of you.”

“Prepare yourselves. We’re all going in together.”

Qin Wu’s voice was decisive. He could no longer allow one of his juniors to risk himself alone.

In the time it took to burn half an incense stick, Huo Qixing had completed his preparations.

A complex magic array composed of countless golden runes spread out around him. Its sacred, warm radiance enveloped everyone from Qinghua Academy.

“Ready, Captain.”

Huo Qixing’s forehead was covered in fine beads of sweat. Clearly, maintaining such a massive spell formation was no easy task for him.

Qin Wu nodded. “Move.”

He stepped forward first, setting foot on the scorched earth.

This time, there was no dizziness and no distortion of space.

The golden barrier wrapped around them like rippling water, carrying them smoothly into a blood-red world.

The stench of rot and blood surged toward them once more, but the sacred light protecting them weakened it considerably. It was no longer so nauseating.

The group stood upon the ancient battlefield. Beneath their feet was dark-brown, hardened earth, while in the distance loomed the silhouette of a shattered black city.

Everything was exactly as Chen Guan had described.

Only now could they see it more clearly.

The black throne built from countless bones still radiated a terrifying pressure, even though more than half of it had collapsed.

A vast will bore down on them from every direction, slamming into the golden barrier and sending ripples across its surface.

Huo Qixing grunted. The color drained from his face in an instant.

“Hold it!”

Qin Wu shouted in a low voice. Energy from his enhancement-type physique surged out through his body, helping Huo Qixing shoulder part of the pressure.

Long Ao immediately reacted as well, pouring his own aura into the barrier.

With the support of two top-tier enhancement-type fighters, the golden barrier stabilized at once.

“It’s no use.”

An Changqing watched the invisible will constantly battering the barrier and analyzed the situation calmly. “This is only the passive defense at the outermost edge. The farther in we go, the greater the pressure will become.”

“Someone has to establish a connection with this will.”

Su Yuehe raised her head and looked toward the sky, wisdom shining in her beautiful eyes.

What she had gained was more than the power of the Word Spirit. She had also inherited precious knowledge—

knowledge from the heroes of old.

“Just as Shan Heng said, this isn’t a physical attack. We can’t fight it with purely physical means either.”

“A connection?” Qin Wu looked at Su Yuehe. “Can your Word Spirit do that?”

Su Yuehe gave a bitter smile and shook her head. “My power was greatly depleted just now. Besides, the Word Spirit gives commands to reality. Against a purely spiritual imprint, its effect would be limited.”

Chen Guan pondered for a moment.

He felt like he could do this after all.

“Heh heh heh. Those annoying humans finally can’t see what’s happening in here.”

Baal’s irritating laughter rang out in his mind. Chen Guan knew that his external brain had arrived.

“Baal, do you have a way?”

“Of course. It’s incredibly simple.”

Baal spoke in a leisurely tone. Astaroth was an old acquaintance of theirs, after all.

Chen Guan said nothing, waiting for it to continue.

“Put simply, this thing is just a piece of Astaroth’s shed dandruff. I can’t believe you humans managed to preserve it.”

Baal’s voice was filled with deep contempt for its fellow demon god.

“If you want to connect with it, you have to make it think you’re one of its own.”

“Its mark still exists within you. You understand what I mean, right? As long as its will touches the core of your soul, you can follow that link and pull out the imprint of its source.”