Chapter 185: Black God

Chapter 185 -181: Black God

The Evil Crow cried out in alarm.

Though he had never seen the Western Emperor, the Underworld had portraits of him.

It wasn’t because the Western Emperor was worshipped by King Yama and the other Yin Gods.

The main reason was that the last Human Emperor had relentlessly targeted the Western Emperor.

He had plastered wanted posters of the Western Emperor all over the Human World and the Underworld.

Putting a bounty on a god was a deep humiliation for a deity.

The Human Emperor’s actions served two purposes. First, it was a formal declaration of war against the Western Emperor.

Second, it was to show the Western Emperor’s lackeys in the Human World that their master’s name meant nothing there.

This campaign of opposition was quite successful.

That Human Emperor once mused that throughout the years since his ascension, he had witnessed the Western Emperor and Western Heaven walk a thorny path.

Thorny indeed.

Tens of thousands of Angels were sent to the guillotine, five Archangels were cast into the Underworld, and his faith in the Human World was stripped away…

Of course, the architect of all this suffering was that very Human Emperor.

Unlike the portraits, which depicted the Western Emperor with white hair, a white beard, and a spotless white robe, looking pure and flawless, the one before him was a black-clad version of the Western Emperor.

‘How can the Holy Son’s resentment look exactly like the Western Emperor?’

The Evil Crow couldn’t understand.

The Black God opened his eyes.

There wasn’t a trace of mercy in them, only a venomous hatred so thick it seemed ready to drip like water.

The Black God glanced at the Evil Crow and the seven Witches, then paid them no more mind.

He tilted his head to the sky and let out a bloodcurdling, savage roar:

“Human Emperor!!!”

…

「Imperial Capital, Beimang Mountain, Anomaly Administration Bureau.」

Archives Department, Antique Collection Room.

A young female Investigator, radiating youthful energy, hummed a tune as she fed a cat treat to a black cat.

Her free hand scratched back and forth at the black cat’s neck.

From the female Investigator’s perspective, she was just petting a cat.

But in the black cat’s eyes, being fed and massaged at the same time was a treatment befitting an Emperor.

“Meeooww!”

The black cat suddenly trembled, and then its fur stood straight on end.

“Ah!”

The female Investigator jumped in fright.

The black cat narrowed its eyes, suppressing its shock. All laziness vanished as it gazed south and murmured:

“The Western Emperor… has returned?

No, that’s not the Western Emperor.”

The black cat began to snicker:

“It should be called the Black God. Heh heh, how ugly, you old coot.”

The female Investigator blinked her eyes.

The recorder on her chest had already captured the black cat’s entire reaction.

…

「Anomaly Administration Bureau, Director’s Office.」

Cao Ye was scrolling through KuaiDou short videos.

The algorithm loved recommending some rather suggestive videos to him.

There was a mature woman in black stockings and a leopard print dress, writhing to a tacky DJ track.

“If I wear this leopard print for you, what time will you be home?”

Cao Ye said nothing, simply liking and saving the video.

Then there was a scantily clad young girl, winking flirtatiously at the camera:

“Alone at a nightclub in the Imperial Capital. Hope someone sees how strong I am.”

Cao Ye frowned, clicking ‘Not Interested’ with a look of disgust.

He wasn’t interested in this kind of young thing; he preferred married women.

Perhaps this was a Cao Family tradition.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.

The sound of knocking echoed.

Cao Ye closed the short video app.

“Enter.”

His female secretary, dressed in a uniform, walked in and handed him a tablet.

“Director, this is the real-time log for Prince Bright Lamp today. I think it’s quite important.”

Cao Ye’s expression turned serious.

This Prince Bright Lamp, although his name also contained the word “Prince,” was nothing like those Taiping Dao thugs who called themselves princes and princesses.

Prince Bright Lamp was a living Taboo Item from the archives’ collection, taking the form of a black cat with a red-tipped tail.

Cao Ye took the tablet from his secretary. As he watched the screen, his brow gradually furrowed.

“The Western Emperor?”

He slowly lifted his gaze to his secretary.

She, too, looked completely bewildered.

“Isn’t the Western Emperor the Supreme God from the legends of the West?

Why would Prince Bright Lamp say, ‘The Western Emperor has returned’?

Surely that legendary Supreme God couldn’t actually be returning to the Human World from another realm, right?

That’s just absurd!”

It was as absurd as someone claiming tomorrow was the end of the world.

Cao Ye shook his head.

“Lucifer and the Human Emperor have already appeared. What’s so absurd about the Western Emperor?”

The secretary fell silent.

True, with such legendary figures appearing so vividly in the modern world, how could it be impossible for the Western Emperor to descend upon the Human World?

Cao Ye muttered to himself:

“Why would he suddenly say something like that?”

Suddenly, a thought struck Cao Ye, and he whipped his head around to look south.

That morning, Li Mingyue had suddenly reported an anomalous incident in the South Sea.

Of course, Cao Ye trusted Li Mingyue’s judgment. After all, her eye had been a trade from Dusk; the girl was extraordinary.

So, Cao Ye had immediately dispatched Li Mingyue to handle it.

However, Cao Ye hadn’t assigned her much backup, only letting her take her own Blue Shark Investigation Team to the South Sea.

The reason was simple.

The South Sea was Dusk’s territory!

There was no need to waste manpower dealing with a Taboo Item that Dusk was bound to take care of anyway.

Besides, after this Taboo Item in the South Sea was handled, Li Mingyue’s record of achievements would get another entry.

Li Mingyue was his apprentice, his direct subordinate. Naturally, Cao Ye wanted the best for her.

‘Damn it…’

Cao Ye’s expression turned terribly grim.

“Activate Code Red combat readiness for the South Sea! Prepare the Level One emergency response plan!”

The secretary’s eyes filled with terror, but she didn’t dare hesitate and ran out of the office.

Cao Ye lit a cigarette and took a harsh drag.

‘I wonder if Dusk can handle this!’

Cao Ye fell silent for a moment, then exhaled the smoke and murmured:

“He should be fine. He’s the Human Emperor, after all.”

…

「South Sea, Twenty-Fourth Middle School.」

Sheriffs and the Military Officer Corps stood ready at the entrance.

Two fully armed Investigators stood guard on either side of the main gate like a pair of Door Gods.

By now, their captain, Divine Tear, had already led a team of Investigators into the school.

…

Inside Twenty-Fourth Middle School.

Li Mingyue and her Investigators had already caught up with the students.

“Captain! They’ve all been put under Hypnosis!”

an Investigator shouted.

Li Mingyue commanded:

“Wake them all up!”

She didn’t understand what Jin Meiting was planning.

Nor did she know what kind of anomalous event was manifesting at the Twenty-Fourth Middle School.

But she knew one thing—one fundamental thing.

Students were in danger, and they had to be saved!

No matter what den of dragons or lair of tigers this was, they had to get the students out!

The Investigators began calling out to the students, while others sprayed smelling salts near their noses and mouths.

Gradually, the students returned to normal, looking around in a daze.

Li Mingyue immediately shouted:

“Quick! Get them out of the school!”

The Investigators quickly escorted the baffled students outside.

The students were very compliant.

They too realized they had encountered something out of the ordinary.

This was especially true for the students of Class 6, Year 3, who had seen the Seven People.

Li Mingyue walked at the very back.

Her left eye glowed with an eerie blue light as she watched her surroundings vigilantly.

Li Mingyue was covering the rear.

Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through Li Mingyue’s left eye!

She cried out in pain and crouched down, clutching her left eye.

“Captain!”

An Investigator rushed to help her up.

Her other eye was filled with sheer terror.

‘The Eye of Hela is warning me!’

‘Something terrifying has been born!’

‘A calamity powerful enough to destroy South Sea City and even threaten places far beyond!’

Li Mingyue screamed:

“Get the students out of here, now!”

The moment the words left her mouth, a shrill roar filled with venomous hatred echoed throughout the Twenty-Fourth Middle School:

“Human Emperor! Come out and face me!”

A beam of utter blackness shot toward the sky!

An old man with a handsome foreign face, black hair, a black beard, and a black robe stood suspended in the void.

The moment he appeared, the sky turned pitch-black.

Light itself seemed to deliberately avoid the patch of sky where the black-robed man stood.

Li Mingyue’s face grew terribly pale.

‘What… is this monster?!’

‘Why does a single glance at him fill my heart with endless reverence?’

‘I even have the urge to kneel and worship him!’

It was like a flock of sheep meeting their shepherd!

The voice of the Anomaly Administration Bureau Headquarters liaison came through her earpiece.

After listening to the briefing in her earpiece, the corner of Li Mingyue’s eye twitched violently.

“The Black… God?”

The Black God’s gaze, full of resentment, swept over the area below.

“I can feel you!

Why don’t you dare to face me?

Where is your arrogance?!

You cowardly… Human Emperor!”

As if in response to the Black God, it began to rain.

The Black God stared levelly at the dark clouds in the distance, a cruel smile playing on his lips.

“I’ve been waiting for you.”

From within the dark clouds, a man’s indifferent voice sounded out:

“Are you the Black God or the Holy Son?

Heh, it doesn’t matter. You’re just a lingering poison from that era.

A… failure from Western Heaven.”

Li Mingyue’s eyes lit up.

‘It’s Dusk?!’

Li Mingyue turned back and yelled to her Investigators:

“Quick! Get the students out of the school!”

The Investigators scrambled to carry out her orders.

The students stared up at the sky with a mixture of shock, fear, curiosity, and awe.

The scene was exactly like something out of a myth or legend!