Chapter 156 - 22: The Kind of Person the Shadow God Would Like

To deal with the various gods he summoned, Bald Qiang’s backpack was always filled with all sorts of offerings.

After all, the gods from the East were easier to handle. Those deities had the demeanor of wise elders; sometimes they didn’t even require offerings and would even give a bit of guidance before leaving.

The gods from other places were a bit more troublesome. Going back on their word was the norm, and if you didn’t prepare offerings in advance, you were guaranteed to get tricked.

Chewing on a peach from his backpack, Bald Qiang said, "The gods you can summon vary from instance to instance. In some places, you might summon a great god like one from the Thunder Department. In others, you might only be able to call upon some minor spirits. The wild monkey I have on me right now is one of those."

"Is it useful? It doesn’t seem very reliable. Also, can you please not scratch your ass while you’re talking?"

"It’s the monkey. Just bear with it."

"Then do it somewhere else!"

Bald Qiang walked away sullenly and moved to the center of the square.

The huge square was empty, but as you got closer, you could see grooves carved into the ground. The array required for some kind of ritual had been etched here.

Even after fifty years, the ritual was still active. Its seeping power had even affected other areas, allowing the plague to spread to every city in the south.

"It’s a shame I couldn’t summon a True God, only a monkey. This kind of spirit has decent fighting prowess, but it can’t help analyze the ritual. I’ll have to do it myself. Duan Fei, protect me."

"There are no enemies here."

"There will be, soon. This ritual has an anti-reconnaissance effect. The moment it’s scrutinized, things will pop out and start attacking us to protect the ritual’s secrets. So you’d better get ready beforehand. We’ll start after we’re prepared."

"How long will you need?"

"At least an hour."

Duan Fei nodded, then decisively activated his ultimate move, [Spiritual Armor].

Using the Spirit Attribute granted by his Transcendence, Duan Fei immediately activated [Random Summoning], calling a certain acquaintance to this place.

’Come on, powerful hero, mighty Servant! A big-sister-type from next door with a special Charm would be best, and it’d be even better if her name had "Snow" or "Maiden" in it!’

’If I get lucky and summon that one Deity, this instance will be a free win.’

’Appear, my partner!’

The power of his Spirit projected into the Void, burning fiercely like a beacon.

This light radiated out to multiple instances, calling to people Duan Fei had previously encountered.

A few people had already begun to answer his call. One of them touched the light and arrived.

After a flash of white light, an old man in a white suit with a white beard appeared and slowly got up from the ground.

Looking at him, Duan Fei said with confusion, "Weird. Seeing him makes me suddenly crave some fried chicken."

"Weird, me too. Is it Thursday? If it is, my senior brother owes me 50 bucks."

The old man who had just arrived shook his head and waved the cane in his hand. A faint blue Magic Power flickered like a spectral light, allowing him to recover from the discomfort of his arrival.

No chanting, no gestures—he could cast Magic just by lightly waving his cane. His mastery of Magic was truly remarkable.

Although Duan Fei had only seen him once, the memory of him being knocked to the ground with a single punch was deeply ingrained.

The newcomer was none other than Yue Hua’s grandfather.

Dressed head-to-toe in a white suit, the grandfather seemed to be the very definition of white. He surveyed his surroundings, then crouched down to examine the ritual symbols on the ground.

"What a wicked Array. This is a gate-opening ritual, used to summon some kind of external entity by means of sacrifice. There’s an unsettling presence in the air. This unpleasant feeling can affect one’s mind. We must leave this place as soon as possible."

After analyzing the situation in a few moments, the old man pointed at Duan Fei and Bald Qiang and said, "You two, protect me. I’m going to survey the Array here. Something might happen in the process. You just need to hold on for five—no, three minutes."

As the president of the Merlin Company, the old man spoke clearly and calmly, yet his tone was impossible to refuse.

Standing beside Duan Fei in confusion, Bald Qiang asked quizzically, "Who’s this guy? He seems pretty incredible."

"The president of the Merlin Company. I’ve met him once before."

"You seem to know a lot of people."

"That’s how it is for outstanding people."

As they spoke, the grandfather had already begun pouring Magic Power into the Array, activating it.

The moment the Array was activated, Duan Fei felt his surroundings blur.

The eyeballs he had seen before materialized out of thin air and lunged toward the old man.

They weren’t large, but their numbers were astonishing.

The eyeballs seemed to sense that the old man was doing something detrimental to them. They completely ignored Duan Fei and Bald Qiang, who were standing right beside him, and charged straight for him.

But with a gleeful laugh, Bald Qiang tore off his mask. The face beneath it was already covered in golden fur. He bared his teeth in a snarl, looking just like a monkey.

Pulling a wooden staff from his backpack, Bald Qiang leaped high into the air, raised the staff, and smashed it down on the nearest large eyeball.

It was a powerful blow. The eyeball burst on impact, splattering a milky liquid all over the ground.

Having landed a successful hit, Bald Qiang didn’t stop. His figure spun like the wind, and in the blink of an eye, he was next to another eyeball, smashing it to pieces with his staff.

While Bald Qiang was eliminating the eyeballs, Duan Fei wasn’t idle either.

Two days in this world was enough for his Void Eyes to gather the power of the Void, allowing him to gain another Void Skill Point.

[Void Charging].

"Infuse all Void Energy into a weapon, imbuing it with the power of the Void. This greatly increases its power and extends its attack range. Each infusion lasts five minutes. The more Energy infused, the greater the weapon’s power.

Note: This Skill carries a risk of damaging the weapon."

The indestructible Crowbar once again showed its might. All the residual Void Energy was poured into it, making Duan Fei’s Crowbar emit the spectral glow characteristic of Spiritual Energy.

He spun around sharply. An eyeball ten meters away, preparing a sneak attack, was smashed by his Crowbar. The black Void Energy instantly evaporated the moisture within it, and it fell to the ground as a shriveled husk.

The eyeballs within a one-meter radius of it didn’t escape either. The [Splash] inscription on the Crowbar took effect, and the spreading shockwave still caused those eyeballs to burst, as beautiful as fireworks.

Although it was their first time working together, the two had perfect chemistry. Bald Qiang handled the large eyeballs, while Duan Fei took care of the smaller ones.

As soon as three minutes were up, the Array on the ground suddenly reversed, and the eyeballs that had just appeared vanished without a trace.

Dusting off his white gloves, the old man said calmly, "I understand now. Let’s go. We’re leaving."

Seeing the old man’s demeanor, both Duan Fei and Bald Qiang felt that the Shadow God would definitely like this person.