I slay evil in the Department of the Supernatural

Chapter 168, Section 167: The Power of Town Land! A Clash of Three Forces!

Just one minute after Xu Lindong and his group continued upstairs, they all stopped on the stairs again.

Everyone looked grim, and some even had barely concealed panic and unease in their eyes.

One of Lü Yang's Sequence Ten Zombies looked around and was the first to speak: "Captain Xu, something's wrong with this staircase. It must have been tampered with."

Although he was a Sequence Stem, he had already mastered the Ghost Step and Ghost Howl abilities of zombies, making him quite formidable in combat, almost on par with Tang Lei.

He had just used the Ghost Step to move quickly, and a full minute had passed, yet he still hadn't been able to get from the third floor to the entrance of the fourth floor staircase.

In fact, even without Lü Yang's reminder, everyone present clearly noticed the abnormality.

Originally, everyone chose to go upstairs via the stairs to avoid the potential dangers of the elevator.

Unexpectedly, nothing went wrong with the elevator, but things started to get strange on the stairs.

Logically speaking, even an ordinary elderly person could easily walk slowly from the first floor to the fourth floor in one minute.

However, these team members, who were in their prime and possessed extraordinary strength, not only failed to get from the second floor to the fourth floor, but even the entrance to the third floor that they had seen earlier seemed to have disappeared.

The journey from the third floor to the fourth floor has taken so long, yet there is still no end in sight.

"Someone is sabotaging us in the shadows."

Qiao Zheng snorted coldly, a glint of cold light flashing in his eyes, "The power that can directly change the terrain and landform is probably the power of the land."

Before he finished speaking, his body suddenly became ethereal, attempting to transform into a wandering spirit and pass through the wall.

But just as his figure touched the wall...

"Bang!"

An extremely powerful surge of extraordinary energy erupted from within the wall, forcefully pushing him back and causing him to stumble and fall to the ground.

"Don't move! This is a mutated being of Sequence Eight."

Xu Lindong gave a cold shout, his face darkening.

He instantly detected the extraordinary power fluctuations emanating from within the wall.

That's the extraordinary power of Sequence 8, and this level of strength is top-tier even among Sequence 8. It's definitely not as simple as just breaking through.

The Heavenly Dao Manifestation that relied on the "divine paintbrush" to exert some of its land-related abilities was at most a Sequence 9, making it relatively easy to deal with.

But what they are facing now is a real land with strength firmly established at Sequence 8.

Judging from this method, it is most likely still "urban land".

"Sequence Eight!"

Everyone's face turned grim.

Facing a Sequence 8 mutated being is not as simple as just being one level higher in cultivation.

Because the other party is not an extraordinary being, but a product of the transformation of the sinkhole god.

Moreover, judging from its appearance, it has probably been entrenched in this supernatural hospital building for quite some time, and may even be able to mobilize the power of the entire building to enhance itself.

Such an opponent is not just a simple Sequence 8; on the contrary, their strength will only continue to increase, becoming more and more troublesome.

"Only by finding her true form can she pose a threat."

Xiao Mufeng calmly analyzed, "If we can't even figure out where it is, we'll be the ones in danger."

"But now the entire landscape has been altered, and the entrance to the fourth floor is nowhere to be found."

Pan Chao chimed in, "No wonder those Heavenly Dao figures insisted we take the elevator—it seems only the elevator can get us to the fourth floor."

.

"That's not necessarily true."

Tang Lei shook his head: "The abnormality in the stairwell is clearly intentional on the part of the other party."

The female director had already noticed we were going upstairs; if we had actually gotten into the elevator—the situation would likely have been even worse.

The group exchanged opinions in hushed tones, and an atmosphere of anxiety was quietly growing.

Finally, everyone's eyes turned to Xu Lindong.

If anyone present could break the deadlock, it would undoubtedly be the Captain-General, who wields the power of three paths.

While everyone was talking, Xu Lindong had already spread out his gatekeeper power, carefully searching for any possible entrances in the building, looking for a breakthrough.

To prevent patients from jumping out of the windows, the stairwells of this mental hospital building have no windows.

There are no windows, no doors.

They were like trapped in a constantly looping box, unable to find an exit to the fourth floor.

His extraordinary senses had now extended more than 300 meters, yet he still hadn't detected any aura from the portal. Instead, he sensed a chilling phenomenon.

The terrain beneath his feet was continuously stretching and extending.

The staircase seemed to have a life of its own, endlessly repeating its upward and downward motion.

Clearly, the female director's power was still in effect, aiming to trap them completely in this place.

Xu Lindong's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately understood:

This is the reorganization of "town land" boundaries and the ability to create "street mazes".

It was activated at this moment.

After all, he was also preparing to be promoted to a town landowner, so he was naturally very clear about the landowner's abilities.

He opened his eyes and said in a low voice, "The staircase space is now being folded and looped infinitely. The orientation, floor height, and number of steps have all been altered."

We think we're going up or down, but we're actually just going in circles within the same area.

"Even the entrance to the third floor that we just saw is nowhere to be found now."

He paused for a moment, his sharp gaze sweeping across the wall: "I suspect that the other party is a civil official who acts as a door god," using the literary and moral illusion of Wei Zheng's school.

She interfered with our sense of direction and spiritual judgment. Even if we made marks or memorized routes, the marks would be erased by the earth's energy, making it impossible for us to ever reach the fourth-floor entrance.

"It's even possible—"

Xu Lindong said coldly, "The sign we just saw on the third floor is actually on the fourth floor."

It has been altered by the civil servants; we have already missed our chance to get in.

"So what do we do now?" Chen Yu couldn't help but ask.

Even she, a veteran who had investigated the periphery of mental hospitals many times, couldn't help but feel tense at this moment.

If it weren't for my professional ethics, panic would have already spread.

Xiao Mufeng spoke again at this moment, calmly analyzing the situation.

"Every extraordinary ability has a weakness. Weaknesses can be exploited, and even if we can't find a weakness, as long as our power can temporarily overpower the opponent, we can forcefully create an opening. That's our opportunity."

Everyone looked at her, a hint of surprise flashing in their eyes.

This little girl, number ten in the sequence, was clearly the weakest in spirit and energy, yet she remained calm in such a desperate situation and pointed out the key to breaking the deadlock.

Indeed, some of them are quite impressive.

Just then, a series of light and disorderly footsteps came from upstairs and downstairs at the same time.

Although they were still far away, Xu Lindong was the first to sense it. His expression hardened, and he said in a deep voice, "It's the manifestation of the Heavenly Dao. There are quite a few of them, and they're coming for us."

His gaze swept in the direction of the voice, his tone grave: "This female director possesses more extraordinary abilities than I anticipated—this should be a combination of the Kitchen God's report of blessings and the Land God's command, forming a local communication ability."

"It can command the soldiers in its jurisdiction, the wandering ghosts along the way, the kitchen gods of the house, and the wandering gods of the streets and alleys to cooperate in patrols and take action."

"Now she has summoned all the patients in the mental hospital who are manifestations of the divine will."

He paused, then continued, "Clearly, Xiao Mufeng was right. She also knows her own weakness and is afraid that we will work together to break through the confinement of the corridor, so she brought in these patients to distract us."

"Damn it, I'm not afraid of the evil being being strong, I'm afraid of the evil being having a brain."

"No wonder this female director can manage to manipulate a group of male patients so well."

Everyone's face turned grim.

This is the terrifying aspect of the existence of Sequence 8 alienation in special locations.

What's terrifying is not only the creature itself, but also the entire place and all the alienated creatures around it that it can manipulate.

Everyone was experienced and had spontaneously and quickly spread out to prepare to confront the mentally ill patients who were approaching from upstairs and downstairs at the same time.

Qiao Zheng stared at the figures gradually appearing in the reflection on the wall above, his face ashen: "There are quite a few. At this rate—we'll all be worn down and die here!"

At this moment, Xu Lindong's voice rang out decisively: "Don't panic, leave the matter of breaking the deadlock to me."

He glanced around and said, "I need at least five people to help us forcefully break through the barrier of this staircase and create a weakness. The others will be responsible for blocking the manifestations of the Heavenly Dao upstairs and downstairs."

Everyone was stunned for a moment.

At a time like this—do we still need to divide our forces?

Originally, if everyone worked together, they might have been able to barely suppress the female director's extraordinary power and create a slight opening.

Now half the people are facing the enemy, and the other half are assisting Xu Lindong.

Can it really overwhelm that alien existence of Sequence Eight?

Despite their doubts, based on their trust in Xu Lindong's formidable strength and the fact that the captain's orders could not be disobeyed, everyone immediately nodded.

"Captain Xu, I'll listen to you."

"Time is running out."

"7

Xu Lindong directly called out, "Tang Lei, Lü Yang, Ding Jian, Pan Chao, and Wang Shuo, the five of you come with me. The rest of you stay here to deal with the manifestations of the Heavenly Dao."

He didn't select all his strongest fighters, but only chose Pan Chao, while the rest dealt with the mental patients attacking from above and below.

This arrangement itself reveals his absolute confidence in his own strength.

No one raised any objections, and the order was executed immediately.

Qiao Zheng led his men to block the Heavenly Dao figure descending from upstairs, while Chen Yu led his team to intercept the strange figures surging up from downstairs.

The two teams deployed their defensive lines from above and below, leaving the middle section of the stairs empty.

Pan Chao and the others all looked at Xu Lindong: "Captain Xu, how do we fight?"

Xu Lindong looked at the opposite wall: "If there's another door in this building," he thought, "it's definitely hidden behind this wall."

"I will directly impact the wall later, triggering a clash of supernatural forces, forcing that female director to use her own supernatural power to fight me head-on."

"Join me, unleash your full power to blast this wall! Combine your strength to create an extraordinary impact and forcefully tear open an opening!"

"Shooting at a wall?" Ding Jian's lips twitched. "This is the first time I've ever heard of a superhuman shooting at a wall—isn't that 'sunbathing the wall'? Are you kidding me?"

Xu Lindong's eyes suddenly turned cold: "Do you think this is the time for jokes?"

Ding Jian felt a chill run down his spine and quickly straightened up, saying, "No problem!"

Although the others felt uncertain, time was of the essence, so no one asked any more questions and immediately nodded in agreement.

The next second, Xu Lindong had already moved.

He held the shield in one hand, and two extraordinary powers within his body surged forth, causing his aura to rise steadily.

The "opening gate" inside the body is activated instantly!

"Buzz!"

The instant his power surged, he charged forward like a bull charging into battle.

His blood and qi were boiling, and a gigantic, extraordinary human-like phantom suddenly appeared outside his body.

It resembled a crimson mountain of blood and energy, its muscles bulging and solid as steel.

boom!!!

The phantom image slammed into the wall along with him!

The entire wall shook violently, causing the stairwell to sway and dust to erupt.

A fierce, extraordinary power erupted from within the wall, rushing back and causing Xu Lindong to stumble. His qi and blood illusory image twisted violently, and cracks appeared in the ground beneath his feet!

The extraordinary, mountain-like aura surrounding him twisted and rippled, causing the ground beneath his feet to crack and almost push him back a step.

Even with the fusion of the powers of Heaven and Man, the "Opening Gate" amplification could only be achieved by relying on the power of Heaven and Man.

Even so, he still couldn't overpower this female director of Sequence 8.

The opponent's extraordinary power is indeed top-tier among Sequence 8.

But the moment he stepped back, the five teammates beside him attacked simultaneously.

A burst of extraordinary power erupted, crashing into the wall.

The five extraordinary forces merged with Xu Lindong's illusory blood and qi, transforming into an even more ferocious impact that forcefully resisted the counter-force surging from within the wall, forcibly forcing it back and eliminating it.

However, this is only a temporary stalemate.

The staircase was still extending endlessly upwards and downwards, and the outline of the door had not yet appeared on the wall.

The power to reshape the other side's territory was not truly shaken.

Meanwhile, the battle at the top and bottom of the stairs had completely intensified.

Qiao Zheng, Chen Yu, and others fought desperately to intercept them, blocking the figures manifested by the Heavenly Dao outside the steps.

However, these figures are extremely powerful, among them are top-level stove officials who have mastered the "Descendant of the Stove God". The crimson stove fire surges and rolls in, igniting anything it touches.

Furthermore, a figure of the Heavenly Dao, possessing the power of a door god, manifested, with streaks of golden-red patterns spreading out like chains, attempting to interfere with Xu Lindong and his group's assault on the wall.

However, in just two encounters, three players have already been injured.

These figures manifested by the Heavenly Dao are at least at the ninth rank in terms of strength, and there are more than ten of them.

At that moment, Xu Lindong held nothing back.

The combined power of the two forces amplified the "opening" effect, and with the energy resonance of the five people behind him, although they were unable to completely suppress the female director, a brief stalemate had been achieved.

"Now, all we need is to add fuel to the fire!"

The next instant, the dormant extraordinary power within him erupted!

The power of the ninth-order ghost surged forth from his limbs and bones like the River Styx bursting its banks.

This force merged wildly with the forces of Heaven and Humanity.

The power of the Triads has been fully unleashed!

His body was surrounded by distorted light and shadow, his figure seemed illusory, but suddenly a huge, mountain-like phantom of extraordinary human energy rose from his body.

Meanwhile, totem tattoos of Shencha and Yulei appeared on his chest and back.

Its body was a mixture of gold, red, and cyan, its aura was unpredictable, its coldness was tinged with grandeur, and its majesty was mixed with ferocity.

The moment the three phases were activated simultaneously, Xu Lindong's aura surged, and the shield in his hand slammed into the wall like a meteor falling to earth!

"Crack—Boom!!"

The wall immediately cracked, sending debris flying everywhere, and the entire stairwell shook violently.

The extraordinary force that was retaliating behind the wall was forcibly repelled.

Inside the stairwell, the ever-extending, looping steps suddenly twisted and contracted.

A strange force that had been enveloping this place was rapidly dissipating.

Even the Heavenly Dao manifestations that were pressing down on Qiao Zheng and the others, making it hard for them to breathe, mysteriously disappeared one after another, as if they had been forcibly dragged back upstairs.

But at that very moment!

"clang!!!"

With a piercing bang, the shield seemed to have struck some kind of heavy metal, sending countless rust fragments and sparks flying everywhere.

"What?"

Xu Lindong's pupils contracted.

Within the cracked wall before them, the outline of an elevator was clearly visible.

This was the very one they had avoided taking before.

After forcing back the force that was suppressing the female director, what appeared was not a portal, but an elevator.

This was clearly another remedy employed by the female director after she could no longer withstand the pressure.

She altered the layout again, bringing out the elevator, still forcing them to use it.

Xu Lindong's eyes flashed with coldness, and a sneer appeared on his lips: "So, you're planning to switch to a different game?"

His gaze swept behind him.

Most of the human figures manifested by the Heavenly Dao have disappeared.

He immediately understood.

This female director's power was no match for all of them, especially after he unleashed his Tri-phase power!

She is only able to temporarily trap them here by taking advantage of the location, the harassment from these mental patients, and her extraordinary power that is a level above hers.

However, these suppressions are not insurmountable. As Xiao Mufeng said, the weaknesses have now been exposed.

He had just forcefully turned the tide, interrupting and weakening the opponent's control over the stairwell structure by a large margin.

"Captain Xu, what do we do now? Take the elevator?"

Pan Chao looked at Xu Lindong, his expression filled with surprise and uncertainty.

At this moment, Xu Lindong's aura was so terrifying that it made people's hearts tremble, as if he could crush him to death with a casual wave of his hand.

No wonder they were so confident.

But how did this guy cultivate? The gap wasn't this big before, but now just standing next to him, you can feel a suffocating threat of death.

"Cultivating all three paths simultaneously—is it really that powerful?!"

Xu Lindong slowly withdrew the three powers within his body, and his aura gradually recovered.

His gaze swept over the elevator visible through the shattered wall. After a moment's thought, he calmly said, "Pan Chao, Ding Jian, you two come with me into the elevator. The rest of you go and support Qiao Zheng, blocking the figure manifested by the Heavenly Dao."

"Why split up troops at this time?" Wang Shuo wondered in surprise.

However, Xu Lindong, as the captain, had already given the order, and it was clear that he had weighed the options beforehand.

Without saying a word, Pan Chao and Ding Jian immediately followed.

Seeing this, Wang Shuo said no more and, along with Lü Yang and Tang Lei, turned around and rushed up and down the stairs to fight.

Xiao Mufeng whispered a reminder from the other side: "Captain, please be careful."

"rest assured."

Xu Lindong casually pressed the elevator button, his tone calm and composed, "We're in the elevator, and you're in the stairwell, but we're all fighting the same enemy, which is that female director."

Although we were positioned separately, we were still fighting her simultaneously, and our strength was not divided.

He turned to look at everyone and smiled, "Be smart and watch out for her tricks."

"If we could repel her once, we can repel her a second time."

As soon as he finished speaking, the elevator doors opened with a "ding".

Xu Lindong stepped into the elevator, followed closely by Pan Chao and Ding Jian.

"The next time we clash will be when we take down her true form."

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