Volume One: The Soul-Drawing Gourd and the Flame Spirit Lantern Chapter 112: Phantom of the Desert

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The blood moon hung high in the sky, a harbinger of boundless killing intent!
Gu Mo lay hidden in the shadow of a small sand dune, staring blankly at the mountain of corpses and sea of blood before him.
A flood of questions surged in like a roaring tide, leaving no room for respite.
Were all these bodies members of the White Lotus Sect?
That couldn’t be possible!
How could so many have been slaughtered by foreign ninjas?
It was well known that the White Lotus Sect was no ordinary congregation; its vast number of disciples were all extraordinary beings.
Moreover, each of the sect’s demon-like members possessed unique supernatural skills. How could they have met such a tragic fate?
If these beings didn’t even put up a basic fight, they must be utterly inept!
In stark contrast, the ninjas wielding katana swords seemed unscathed!
Killing so many so effortlessly—didn’t their conscience prick them?
These were living souls!
The answer was inevitable: these ninjas were killing machines, nothing but beasts! No matter what, these people from the tiny island nations had long since lost their humanity!
Unexpectedly, after so many years, a massacre scene like this had reemerged.
But then, why hadn’t they encountered these dead bodies in other areas?
Could it be that all the victims were holed up in the laboratory?
What exactly was being researched in that lab?
How had Brother Mao escaped so easily?
And why did these foreign ninjas tirelessly come here?
It was known that these ninjas were protecting several researchers. Could there be something extraordinary hidden within the abandoned warships and submarines?
In a flash, Gu Mo furrowed his brow and connected the dots.
Of course! The Underworld Divine Artifact!
Xiao Yulou had mentioned the Underworld Divine Artifact earlier, hadn’t he?
But how had these long-stationed overseas ninjas received this news?
Could Hua Qianyu be the mole leaking information?
Without inside help, how could these foreign ninjas have found the Well of Gods and Demons?
That Ancient Bridge Village was already a dilapidated, desolate place. Such a forlorn village was commonplace in the country!
How did Hua Qianyu know about the Underworld Divine Artifact?
Given the cruel torture she endured in the lab, perhaps she had glimpsed secrets she shouldn’t have known!
With this realization, Gu Mo’s spine chilled.
Damn—it was terrifying!
This woman was truly the White Lotus Sect’s “ace among aces,” lying low for ten years solely to gather intelligence?
Damn impressive dedication!
Brother Mao Min Wenhua must have been wracked with regret upon uncovering all this.
No contact with this woman at all!
Having learned from experience, Gu Mo immediately made this decision.
But the matter was far from resolved.
Thus, Gu Mo and the other three lay hidden in the shadow of the sand dune, continuing to observe.
…
A sudden, proud wolf’s howl ripped through the night sky.
(This entrance was undeniably dramatic! But wouldn’t it reveal their location?)
Gu Mo, lurking in the dune’s shadow, was momentarily stunned before turning toward the sound.
At the same time, the ninjas standing before the derelict warship reacted as if ice had been thrown into hot oil, drawing their blades in unison.
Bathed in the moonlight’s soft veil atop the opposite dune was a robust black silhouette, crouching low.
Looking closer, the figure stretched its neck with pride, howling directly at the blood-red full moon.
A pair of blood-red eyes gleamed deeply like rubies against the black night, filled with eerie red light and boundless murderous intent!
The chilling howl and the strange moonlight foretold that something momentous was about to unfold tonight!
Yet the shadow was much larger than any wolf, and its crouching posture clearly indicated it was a person crawling on the dune!
Still, something about this person was decidedly abnormal! (Of course, who would normally behave like this?)
Could Li Hetang’s colleagues also be such freaks?
With this thought, Gu Mo whispered in a voice as soft as a mosquito’s flight,
“Damn—wolf… or a husky? Why the thieving gleam in those eyes?”
The remark nearly made the three others laugh out loud.
Beside them, Li Hetang’s face turned ashen upon hearing the familiar wolf howl.
He furrowed his brow deeply, gazing intently at the black figure.
‘So this bastard whom Xiao Yulou spoke of is… this troublemaker!’
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But why had this troublemaker come?
Could he freely roam the Well of Gods and Demons?
Or was he carrying out some mission!?’
With that thought, Li Hetang held his breath, unwilling to reveal his presence to the figure opposite.
‘Damn!’
He cursed silently at the strange shadow.
‘No matter when, this bastard never knows what “low profile” means!’
Without further ado, the mysterious black shadow immediately became the focal point of the desert’s heartland upon appearance.
Gu Mo and his companions, confused as they were, could only hold their breath, keep low, and continue watching.
…
In the blink of an eye, the ninjas before the old warship drew their gleaming blades.
“Taikixiuu!” (Enemy attack!)
One ninja suddenly shouted.
A ninja with hands clasped behind his back raised a hand to signal—he seemed to be the team’s leader!
Those with fierce glints in their eyes raised their katanas horizontally across their shoulders, pointing the tips toward the sound’s source, and began to sprint forward with hurried steps, emitting eerie shouts.
From the viewpoint, the ninjas’ hurried steps looked somewhat comical.
After the wolf howl shattered the night, the black shadow on the dune suddenly flickered, leaving behind a residual afterimage.
Gu Mo drew a sharp breath.
Damn—that’s strong!
Truly powerful!
At that speed, catching a bullet would be impossible!
Thud-thud—thud-thud—
The sound of footsteps stepping on fine sand echoed through the desert heartland, but it was impossible to discern what kind of movement technique the strange shadow employed!
“Hayaku!”
After a sharp cry, seven or eight ninjas charged forward, throwing shurikens at the shadow.
Swish-swish-swish—
Over a dozen shurikens of various types flew swiftly toward the shadow, streaking bright white trails against the night sky.
Rustle-rustle-rustle—
The strange shadow merely turned sideways, causing the shurikens to embed themselves harmlessly in the sand.
So fast!
Not even the fastest boy could match this speed!
At the critical moment, the shadow flashed again and vanished instantly.
Gu Mo and his companions were stunned, their jaws nearly dropping. Only Li Hetang sneered disdainfully within.
The next moment, a katana-wielding ninja was suddenly grabbed by the throat and lifted high.
Under the moonlight, the muscular black shadow held the ninja’s throat with one hand.
Ugh-ugh—
Pained howls arose. The other ninjas hurled shurikens toward the abyss.
Swish-swish-swish—
Once more, the eerie shadow used the raised ninja as a shield against the incoming shurikens.
Puchi—
Over a dozen shurikens pierced the ninja’s back, staining the black night clothes with blood. Blood blossomed upon the sand beneath like flowers.
Looking down, two cross-shaped shurikens were even stuck in the ninja’s backside.
That was damn funny!
A ninja from the tiny island nation, supposedly deadly accurate, couldn’t even spare a comrade’s backside?
Right!
They called themselves… Japanese!
“Amai da!”
The ninja pierced by many darts cried out in shock.
Seeing this, Gu Mo drew in another breath.
So strong, truly strong!
Was this still human?
This was clearly a bloodthirsty lone wolf!
The next second, an even bloodier scene unfolded.
With a sharp sound, the strange shadow opened a huge blood-soaked maw and bit deeply into the ninja’s neck.
Blood spurted instantly!
Such a scene added a grim vitality to the dull desert…
“Dada da!”
The ninja bitten on the neck wailed incessantly, struggling wildly. But with his throat firmly grasped, escape was impossible.
Damn, was this ninja sent by monkeys to entertain?
Being throttled without resistance, and from the cries, it seemed he was enjoying it!
The captured ninja wailed in pain several times before the bloodshot-eyed shadow released its deadly bite, lightly pinching the ninja’s neck with three fingers.
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Crack—
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The unfortunate ninja immediately met his end.
“Baka yarou!”
An angry curse rang out, enraging several katana-wielding ninjas instantly!
At a glance, these furious ninjas held their katanas upright before them, their free hands clutching several spherical objects.
In a flash, they threw the spheres to the ground.
A booming explosion sounded!
Dense smoke suddenly rose over the desert’s heartland, blocking even the moonlight!
Gu Mo chuckled softly.
“Damn, is this Naruto? So even modern ninjas like this style? Just wonder if they can use fire jutsu!”
The scene shifted swiftly. Small sand mounds about a dozen centimeters high abruptly formed beneath the moonlit veil, rushing toward the strange shadow.
With a sharp hiss, cold gleaming katanas suddenly sprouted from these tiny mounds.
The proud shadow merely glanced with blood-red glowing eyes before lowering its body to meet them head-on.
Thud-thud-thud!
In a few steps, the shadow leapt onto one of the small mounds, raising its right hand and thrusting down fiercely.
Suddenly, a sharp sound!
The ninja hidden beneath the sand was pulled out by the shadow.
Looking closely, the shadow stood proudly on the sand, its right hand piercing through the ninja’s chest. Blood immediately flooded the scene!
The ninja died without even a sound.
Gu Mo swallowed hard in the shadow’s cover.
This was too brutal!
Meanwhile, the small sand mounds curved tightly, encircling the shadow from all directions.
Clinking sounds rang out as iron chains, about the thickness of forearms, suddenly shot out from beneath the sand, locking the shadow in place!
Seeing this, Li Hetang and Gu Mo both felt nervous for the shadow.
After all, the enemy of my enemy is my friend!
Soon, ninjas emerged from within the veil, tightly binding the shadow with iron chains in multiple layers.
After a volley of Japanese curses, the ninjas gripped their katanas and lunged fiercely at the shadow.
At the critical moment, the strange shadow suddenly sank its body and vanished into the veil.
Only seven or eight iron chains remained above, tangled in the sand.
The approaching ninjas scowled, irritated that this shadow also knew ninjutsu.
In a flash, a tense sound rang out.
The iron chains under the veil suddenly tightened straight, snapping sand aside.
The ninjas gripped the chains tightly, sweating profusely.
They realized a great force resisted them from the other end of the chains.
At this point, the ninjas braced themselves, wrapping the chains hard around their arms and digging their feet into the sand, attempting to pull the shadow creature out.
But the shadow beneath the sand twisted like a powerful motor, relentlessly winding each chain.
These eight ninjas from the tiny island nation were elite and well-trained. Yet, together they could not subdue a single shadow?
This was strange!
Rustle-rustle-rustle!
The eight ninjas tugged fiercely but failed to drag the shadow out; instead, they were pulled and slid across the sand.
Soon, the battlefield was marked with eight sand trails stretching in different directions.
At that moment, one ninja shouted angrily at the katana in his hand, yelling incoherent curses at the veil.
“Baka yarou, kuniyaro!”
Nearby, another ninja dropped his katana and chains and turned to flee.
Under the eerie moonlight came the traitor’s wails.
“Otosan, okasan!” (Dad, Mom)
The rest shouted curses at the deserter.
Five meters... two meters...
As the sliding steps neared, the remaining seven ninjas raised their katanas high and stabbed fiercely into the veil.
Suddenly, a tremendous force pulled all eight ninjas into the veil.
In the blink of an eye, a towering blood pillar erupted from the sand!
Seeing this, Gu Mo and his three companions tensed, sweating bullets.
“Damn, what the hell is going on!”
The blood moon silently observed everything in the desert’s heart…
(Chapter End)
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