The old man turned his head, his gaze meeting Gao Tiankai's. If one ignored the murderous aura of the black-robed figures behind him, the scene would have a touch of the warmth of a traveler returning home.
The moon, peeking through gaps in the clouds, illuminated their faces. The light and shadow flickered, and everything plunged back into darkness.
*Crack—!*
Amidst the rolling clouds, a bolt of lightning split the sky.
"You little brat, I'm impressed you found this place. Alright, you still remember what I've been craving, shows you have a conscience."
Zhang Huaijie turned and walked into the lighthouse, fanning himself with a palm-leaf fan. Gao Tiankai followed him slowly.
A dozen black-robed figures also attempted to enter, but the old man's gaze fell upon the lighthouse doorway, and he said calmly:
"Those who cross the boundary, die."
Gao Tiankai shot them a look, and the displeased figures remained where they were.
Inside the lighthouse, a stone table held an oil lamp, a telephone, a water cup, and several expired newspapers.
"Cough, make yourself at home."
"Caught a cold? Old Zhang, at your age, you can't afford to be reckless. You've been guarding the Boundary Gate for over a decade. The Guild should be providing you with a comfortable retirement."
Gao Tiankai casually sat on the floor and uncorked a bottle of Wuliangye. The potent aroma of the baijiu filled the small lighthouse space.
"Hmph, you didn't bring any snacks? A good wine needs peanuts to truly shine."
"I did, of course. It's just that the place you used to love is closed. The owner took his wife back to their hometown to have a baby and is taking a week off. What bad timing."
Gao Tiankai smiled and poured both cups full.
The lamplight wavered, creating ripples on the wine's surface, reflecting their distorted, blurred faces.
"What bad timing..."
Old Zhang lowered his eyes, picked up a cup, and downed it in one go. The spicy, strong liquor flowed down his throat, its lingering aroma filling his mouth, warming his stomach, and seemingly alleviating his coughing discomfort.
"Old Zhang, when are you retiring?"
"You little brat, you're after my meager pension, aren't you? Give up early, it's not enough for you to buy these two bottles of good wine."
"Hehehe, keep your pension for Duan Chen to buy a car. What I'm after... is the sea you're guarding behind you."
"Hmph, you little brat, the Boundary Gate is not something you can covet."
"What if I insist on going today?"
The smile on Gao Tiankai's face gradually disappeared, his sinister eyes fixed on Zhang Huaijie.
"Die."
Old Zhang threw his head back and downed another cup of liquor.
"Just kidding," Gao Tiankai squinted and smiled, then refilled both cups. He pushed one towards Old Zhang and downed the other himself.
"Ahhh, this Wuliangye is amazing," Gao Tiankai exclaimed, looking at the distorted, blurred world through the glass cup.
"Back in the day, I reminisced with Duan Chen, 'Ascend to the highest temple, protect the peace of home and country, and sweep away all injustice in the world'... But Old Zhang, there are so many injustices in the world."
*Rumble—*
Thunder boomed, followed by a torrential downpour.
"It's raining."
Old Zhang put down his cup and stood up. His voice remained calm, as if discussing everyday matters. "Su City's rain is always fierce. If you don't leave now, you won't be able to get back."
Gao Tiankai paused, then stood up and bowed respectfully to Zhang Huaijie. His lowered head was hidden in shadow, so no one could see his expression.
Then he straightened up, turned his back to Old Zhang, and his voice turned as cold as an arctic frost.
"Old Zhang, I apologize for this."
Instantly, several psychic barriers materialized out of thin air, binding Zhang Huaijie in layers.
Zhang Huaijie waved his palm-leaf fan, and a hurricane swept out, shattering the psychic barriers.
"You little brat, your strength has tripled. Aren't you afraid of not being able to digest such rapid progress?" Old Zhang's feet lifted off the ground, and he hovered in mid-air, looking down at Gao Tiankai.
"No matter how fast I improve, I'm still no match for you."
Gao Tiankai moved his hands, and powerful psionic pressure surged forward. But Old Zhang waved his fan leisurely within it, completely unaffected.
"You, at your age, are still so passionate. You're really not leaving any room for us youngsters."
"The northeastern winter is biting and cold, so most people born in that land have a fire that's hard to extinguish," Old Zhang smiled faintly.
*Boom—!*
The collision of power created a deafening roar.
Coupled with the deafening rain outside the tower, it composed a heart-trembling symphony.
"Below the first rank, I am invincible. Above the first rank, it's an exchange of lives. You little brat, you're still far from it."
A powerful gust of wind intensified, crushing the psychic energy. Gao Tiankai was swept up by the hurricane and flung out of the lighthouse.
Outside, a fierce wind raged, lightning flashed, and thunder roared. The dark sea churned with wave upon wave of monstrous breakers, within which strange points of light flickered.
The black-robed figures guarding the gate had vanished. Taking advantage of Gao Tiankai distracting Zhang Huaijie, they had already leaped into the East Sea, transforming back into their true forms as sea monsters and swiftly diving towards the seabed.
Deep beneath the sea lay a Boundary Gate.
Legend said it sealed a wisp of the evil god's soul.
This gate could only be opened by the flesh and blood of believers, and the Spirit Hunters who guarded it were beings at the pinnacle of human power, divine envoys granted authority by the gods and drawn into the grand game.
To cross their threshold was as difficult as ascending to heaven.
Several sea monsters swam desperately. Finally, they spotted a gate suspended in the depths of the abyssal sea.
The gate was surrounded by countless living shadows, emitting an aura of extreme decay and malevolence. A single glance was enough to lose one's mind, leaving the eyes hollow and a chilling, inexplicable smile on the lips.
They began to swim mechanically, their bodies writhing with a speed and in postures and angles impossible under normal circumstances, driven as if by sheer desperation.
The Boundary Gate responded. As the moment of believer sacrifice approached, it seemed to open a minuscule sliver of an opening. Evil energy seeped out, yearning to embrace the sacrifice.
But just then, a powerful force struck from the sea.
*Boom—!*
The sea was whipped up by the gale, and several colossal waterspouts rose to the heavens, intermingling with the lightning and thunder in the sky, creating a scene of exaggerated, bizarre apocalyptic grandeur.
The phantom of a pure white chess piece faintly appeared behind Zhang Huaijie.
He sat cross-legged on his palm-leaf fan, suspended amidst the roaring waves.
With the power of a wind god, he commanded the heavens and earth.
"Wind Shatters the Nine Heavens—!"
The dragon-like waterspouts ground the sea monsters into foam, which then mingled with the torrential rain and sprinkled back into the sea.
The sliver of the Boundary Gate slowly closed. The dark shadows no longer stirred, gradually returning to a state of calm.
Gao Tiankai stood by the sea, gazing at the sky, a desolate and helpless smile appearing on his face. "Still so passionate at your age. When will we youngsters ever get our chance?"
Zhang Huaijie descended, and the two stood in the torrential downpour.
Rain fell from the heavens and the earth. Beyond the rain was boundless darkness. Only the last lighthouse, its strong beam flashing rhythmically, cut through the night and rain like a knife.