CHAPTER 991: CHAPTER 184: LUO KOU TOWN, VOID REALM, DARK STAR CITY

Luo Kou Town.

Andrea docked beside the reef, the outline of the distant town flickering under a massive bonfire.

Undoubtedly, towns with old sewers are in their middle age, compromised and bizarrely close to joining.

The advantage is that Puxiu Ophelia and the Believers of the Shadow Church can also follow Lu Li into the old sewer, but the downside is there will be other bizarre entities in the town.

However, entering the old sewer from Luo Kou Town to go to the area of Midnight City is better than traveling on the surface—at least there is something called order in both the town and the old sewer.

At least on the surface.

The Tentacle Cultists stayed by the coast, building a camp to support Lu Li while protecting Andrea.

The Believers of the Shadow Church surrounded Lu Li, heading towards the source of the red mist, Luo Kou Town.

One mile out, where they could already glimpse the whole town, they were stopped by the local congregation, inquiring about their purpose.

Bishop Jon stepped out and answered for Lu Li, "We want to enter the old sewer."

"The cemetery at the end of the street."

The priest pointed the way for them, while warning these heretics, "The Lord is watching you."

Accompanied by the local congregation, Lu Li and his group entered Luo Kou Town.

The massive bonfire in the square radiated heat like the sun, casting everything in the town with a distinct pulsating red.

On the streets, aliens, hybrids, or other strange beings could be seen everywhere. They purchased items in shops and conversed with others as humans would.

An illusion of harmony.

"I like... it here," Ophelia whispered.

"Me too, it feels better than Vena Ice-Free Port and Midnight City!" Puxiu, following at Lu Li’s feet, echoed.

Lu Li quietly observed the town.

Unlike other towns he had seen, this one was not dominated by humans. Among the visible townsfolk or tourists, the bizarre entities nearly made up half the number.

This was not a good sign.

Whether humans were suppressed or killed, it meant they were diminishing, and the chaotic, unruly bizarre entities would gradually alter the town.

It wouldn’t be long before Luo Kou Town either fell into becoming a town of the Evil God or was devoured into a Weird Lair.

Lu Li’s gaze fell on the followers walking beside him. Some were pleased with the praise, while others were silent and felt offended.

Luo Kou Town’s situation was evidently quite severe.

As for where the bizarre entities came from, Lu Li found out as they neared the cemetery: scattered aliens moved on seemingly staircase-like grave extensions.

The old sewer brought it all.

The murmuring aliens glanced this way peculiarly, retreating in fear. Heretics were not to be provoked at any time.

The local congregation stopped beside the "grave," watching the group of heretics light torches and step onto the damp stairs.

Puxiu raised his head, staring at a half-buried remains in the soil of the wall until they were obscured by the overlapping shadows of the followers. As they ventured deeper into the passage, the soil layers gradually turned into clay and gravel.

After two minutes, they arrived at a damp, dim branch of the old sewer.

The path of the old sewer no longer matched the map, as Luo Kou Town, which should have been at the end, was no longer the terminal station.

The extended branch line steeply descended, spreading in the direction of the ocean, as if the scent of seawater could be detected from the dark southern branch diving into the deep sea.

Withdrawing his gaze, Lu Li approached the "guide" lingering before the entrance.

Three strange beings tried to flee in panic but were blocked by the Believers of the Shadow Church from behind.

"I need a guide."

Lu Li scanned their outlines.

"What is the fastest route and method to Midnight City from here?"

Luo Kou Town was several hundred miles from Midnight City, walking might take a week or even longer.

Two of the strange beings cowered, not daring to answer, while a half-human, half-spider with a grotesque lower body supporting a human-shaped torso clumsily replied with courage, "You can take the Insect Path and mine carts... If you know the existences of the Void Realm, you can use them to cross over..."

"Will you be our guide?" Lu Li asked it.

"I..." The fearful Spider Person glanced at the followers clad in church robes, trembling as it bowed its lower body, "It is my honor."

Even sensing that Lu Li was of human form, it dared not act, viewing Lu Li surrounded by heretics as a human favored by the Evil God.

The other two strange beings fled with relief, and the advance payment brought joy to the Spider Person, believing it wouldn’t be "purified" by this group of heretics.

On the way to the nearby Insect Path, Puxiu asked its former colleague, "Are you an alien too?"

"I’m a bizarre being..."

The guide with a grotesque lower body and a woman’s graceful upper body respectfully replied.

The woman’s upper half on its back served as its lure. During hunting, it hid its body underground, exposing the lure to catch prey.

Yet as the attracted ones became increasingly difficult to deal with, and companions died at the mouths of the "prey," hunting became extremely perilous. It and its kin sought refuge in the old sewer. Over time, their numbers dwindled, losing control of the branches, and being stealthily captured and eaten by other bizarre entities. With only it left to flee, it became a guide.

Old sewer guides were mostly weak bizarre beings unable to compete with stronger entities.

"What is the Void Realm?" Lu Li asked.

"The interlayer between Inner Worlds... bizarre entities." The Spider Guide struggled to find appropriate words to answer.

The Void Realm, like many Inner World interlayers, reached the surface world during the Weird Times. Since the Void Realm was much smaller than the surface world, they charged tickets, allowing bizarre entities to enter the Void Realm to move quickly through the surface world.

"Inner World..."

Lu Li pondered.

Undoubtedly, humans hardly understood the Inner World. Their perception of it was no different from unexplored deep seas.

Bishop Jon sensed Lu Li’s interest in the Inner World and softly explained what he knew about it.

The first thing to know was that all Inner Worlds were reflections of the surface world. They differed due to their varied connections with the surface world, much like shadows under different lights.

For example, the Merchant’s World.

Notably, Hell is the most well-known interlayer of Inner Worlds to humans; it is also the most closely connected or rather the first to invade among Inner World interlayers.

The Malevolent Spirit System’s Inner World, as the opposite sides of the superficial world, is well known to Exorcists.

As a projection, the Void Realm is countless times smaller than the surface world. A hundred miles on the surface barely covers a mile in the Void Realm, appearing like teleportation.

Unfortunately, the pollution pervades every Inner World interlayer, making it evidently unsuitable for Lu Li.

"What about the mine carts?"

"That’s the mine cart... around Dark Star City," the Spider Guide regretted not finding suitable words for description.

Dark Star City belongs to the bizarre entities, an underground city of bizarre beings, akin to the Midnight City of humans.

The Spider Guide’s personified expressions spoke of Dark Star City as humans would speak of Midnight City or Vena Ice-Free Port.

Lu Li unfolded the old sewer route map, with the Spider Guide pointing to Dark Star City located at the center of the Barren Lands—

The first section of the Insect Path soon emerged, and the guide led the way, using the Insect Path as a stepping stone to approach Midnight City.

Growing ever closer to that peculiar city, Dark Star City.