The Gatekeeper Clan underwent transformation.
Silver flower light covered blood, dispelling cave darkness.
A dozen fading lives lay in the blood pool.
A hundred figures stood beside the blood pool, exuding indifference.
The pungent blood scent, to them, smelled like fragrance.
The figure at the forefront, still showing red amidst silver light, withdrew gaze from corpses, walking towards the stone book embedded in the cave wall.
He reached the stone book, looking at the smooth open pages… blank.
This figure was the Gatekeeper Clan's Red Shadow, also the older brother of Blue Shadow guarding the Great Wall.
Clan transformation was orchestrated by him.
Of course, this was also the inevitable trend… he merely facilitated.
Red Shadow silently gazed at the stone book, then extended a blood-stained clawed hand, slowly pressing on a rectangular stone frame below.
"Now there's no need to hold back. Any threat, big or small, should be eliminated immediately."
Images and ancient script slowly surfaced on the stone book pages.
Lantern flowers, pea pods.
Metal spheres and human bodies.
Crowds gathering, herb emitting green light.
An ink flower quietly bloomed.
Red Shadow stared at the [Truth Book]'s revealed info, saying calmly, "Begin sweeping threats."
"Won't you inform your dear brother?"
A rough voice came… Ancient Claw.
He stood not far behind Red Shadow, gaze passing Red Shadow's tall frame, fixed on the ink flower among many images.
"No need."
Red Shadow withdrew his hand, and images on stone book pages turned into colored smoke threads, floating up, then disappearing.
"Have Spear Flower immediately prepare True Sight Eye transmission."
Red Shadow turned, looking at the hundred figures in the room.
In his sight, surging Nen lights emerged from each figure.
"Count is... five?"
…
Ancient Labyrinth City.
Three-sided walled buildings formed a 'dead-end enclosure'… the International Permit Agencies' sought herb was here.
The International Permit Agencies' team blocked the entrance, looking at the green-glowing grass clump… a rough glance showed at least a hundred leaves.
Perhaps this was... the International Permit Agencies' closest to [Hope].
Indescribable emotions galloped like wild horses in everyone's hearts… all knew what those faint green-glowing leaves represented.
That was treasure wealth couldn't measure, also bringing them a bright, new future.
Born into this world, whatever desired could be exchanged with that handful of herb.
Giles's gaze swept surrounding plants, fixed on the herb.
Kincaid, a non-combatant, fortunate to see the herb, silently retreated outside combat zone.
Regarding root plants and bulging pea pod plants, he had already reported reminders and analyses to the team.
Next, obtaining the herb was combatants' task.
He stood outside the combat zone, protected by over a dozen soldiers.
Suddenly, his expression changed… he looked down at the ground.
Soldiers guarding him also sensed tremors from the ground.
Slight shaking made fine sand grains jump.
"Wh-"
Kincaid uttered one syllable… rake-like roots burst before his eyes. In that instant, airwaves from roots emerging were within ten centimeters of his nose.
Sudden change stunned him.
In his vision, numerous roots stood upright, raking towards the International Permit Agencies' team blocking the entrance.
"Watch behind!"
Soldiers guarding Kincaid shouted warnings.
International Permit Agencies' soldiers focusing ahead turned back, seeing swift roots.
Yet, too late.
Roots swept past, scooping nearly a hundred International Permit Agencies' soldiers into the three-walled dead-end enclosure.
Sharp barbs deeply pierced soldiers' flesh, causing muffled screams.
But soldiers' pain tolerance clearly underwent special training, and even now, they could draw alloy blades, slashing at roots.
Clang, clang, clang...!
Sparks exploded on roots.
Surviving International Permit Agencies' soldiers stared blankly.
With current means, aiding was difficult.
Only Giles acted.
At the forefront, when roots came from behind, he decisively swung his staff, rescuing over ten.
However, he saw rescued soldiers' faces developing fine purple veins… he frowned.
He knew these dozen soldiers were poisoned by Brion… likely unsavable.
Roots pushed remaining people into the plant-filled dead-end enclosure. Soldiers struggling most fiercely now hung limply, exposed skin cyanotic.
Those still conscious, knowing escape unlikely, decisively took carried high-explosive grenades.
"Do not pull pins!"
Seeing this, Giles commanded gravely.
Over fifty soldiers remained conscious, and hearing Giles, they looked unwillingly at him.
Better die achieving something than die in vain!
This was the unspoken thought of soldiers taking grenades.
But before Giles's command, even stepping into death's door, they reluctantly lowered arms, abandoning pin-pulling self-destruction.
"Good," Giles's gaze deepened.
Giles understood soldiers' reactions upon entering the dead end. But this was the Ancient Labyrinth City, so if many grenades exploded, the noise would definitely attract many wandering Brion.
This was something Giles couldn't allow, especially with the herb so close.
In the dead-end enclosure, roots pulled poisoned soldiers towards 'pea pods'.
As soldiers neared, the plump pea pods suddenly split… five Brion dropped out, liquefying, directly enveloping soldiers' heads.
Soldiers with slight movement ceased once heads were enveloped.
After Brion completed parasitism, roots flung soldier corpses to the ground.
In just seconds, root-covered ground gained nearly a hundred parasitic wandering Brion.
Previously encountered Brion outside were naked… not Brion's preference, but because clothing on human bodies decayed over time, eventually disappearing.
Thus, freshly produced Brion parasitizing soldiers didn't perform striptease.
"Prepare."
Giles suddenly roared.
A row of soldiers holding firearms stepped forward.
"NX-Flame Rounds, fire."
Gun muzzles aimed at Brion suddenly emitted smoke.
Spherical rounds flew into the air, arcing, abruptly splitting, igniting mid-air, falling like fireworks towards Brion.