Chapter 246: Angels

Chapter 246: Angels

Wen Ying gazed at the towering bronze door before him and slowly approached it. He raised his hand to caress the inscriptions on it. These were array patterns, indicating that a magical array was engraved on the door.

Turning his head, Wen Ying asked, "Does anyone recognize what kind of magical array this is?"

There were quite a number of people around them. Most of the powerful individuals who entered this time had gathered near him.

Xiao Fengkan shook his head. "The patterns of this magical array are highly intricate and profound. It's an ancient magical array that has been lost to time."

Vice President Lou Wangmiao, stroking his long, immortal-like beard, said slowly, "We had to refer to ancient texts to decipher the method to unlock the previous door. We'll need to do the same for this one."

Wen Ying's gaze returned to the door. The magical arrays he learned at Lucifer Demon Academy were only introductory level, and they had yet to delve into more profound ones. Judging from what he knew, this magical array didn't belong to the demons but rather to the human side.

An idea flashed through Guo Desheng's mind. "If this door leads to the core room, then the magical array on it is likely used to determine whether the person outside is one of their descendants, right?"

Wen Ying guessed that most people present had probably thought of the same thing but were reluctant to be the first to speak up, as doing so might leave a bad impression.

Guo Desheng became more convinced of his theory with each passing moment. Lou Wangmiao patted his shoulder a few times. "Young people really have sharp minds."

Guo Desheng scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "You're too kind."

Wen Ying: "..." There were actually quite a few fools nowadays.

Lou Wangmiao looked at Wen Ying. "The method to activate this magic array should be with blood."

Feeling the gazes from the people around him, Wen Ying lifted his right hand, rolled up his sleeve slightly, and condensed a metal needle to pierce his finger. He quickly pressed it against the door.

Those who saw only a single drop of blood flow from Wen Ying's finger: "...."

The surroundings fell silent as if someone had pressed the mute button. Everyone held their breath in anticipation.

After a long silence, Wen Ying retracted his hand. "It seems like it's not blood."

Wei Zheng, who was originally a member of the association but was now part of the Disaster Countermeasures Department's Attack and Defense Center Group Two, whispered softly, "Isn't the amount a bit ridiculous..."

Whose blood-based magic array could be activated with just one drop of blood? Wei Zheng didn't dare to speak loudly. Although he was impatient, he still had the basic ability to read the atmosphere.

With a demon's exceptional hearing, Wen Ying picked up on Wei Zheng's quiet complaint. He said casually, "I'll try using magic power." He knew that quite a bit of blood was needed; he had studied it before. In textbooks, when encountering a blood-mediated magic array, the most standard way of bleeding was to cut the palm of the hand, with specific depths and force indicated.

But how painful it was to cut the skin and let blood flow! Having lived a life of luxury recently, Wen Ying had grown unaccustomed to pain.

As he placed his hand on the bronze door, channeling his magic into it, he sincerely hoped that his magic would work this time.

However, he was disappointed. The great door remained motionless, and the magic he had offered dissipated into the air.

Xiao Fengkan suggested calmly, "Perhaps you could try offering more blood."

Wen Ying nodded, took out his enchanted weapon from his platinum-tipped ring, flicked open its blade, and without blinking, sliced open the palm of his hand. He then pressed it against the door.

Throughout the entire process, no one around him could discern his true thoughts.

...It really hurt. It had been a long time since he had engaged in a fight, so he wasn't used to this sensation anymore.

Wen Ying forcefully suppressed the contorted expression on his face, only allowing a slight crease to form between his brows.

While his attention was focused on hiding the ferocious look caused by the pain in his palm, those around him watched as the magic array patterns filled with red luminescence, each of them harboring their own thoughts.

Whispers soon drowned out the dull rumble of the door opening.

Wen Ying lifted his gaze out of curiosity, only to be instantly startled by the scene before him.

Within the room, the ceiling, walls, and floor tiles were all spotlessly white, not bleak but rather imparting a sense of warmth and purity.

In the center of the room stood a transparent pedestal, upon which rested a coffin-like object made of crystal. Next to the pedestal was a lifelike, transparent, and radiant tree, crafted from the same material.

Nothing else was present; the space was purely empty and vast.

The door opened inward, yet it was guarded by a layer of shimmering light. Wen Ying cautiously extended his hand, and to his surprise, it passed right through. He proceeded forward without any hindrance.

Xiao Fengkan approached with steady steps and mimicked Wen Ying's action, reaching out towards the shimmering barrier.

—He was stopped in his tracks.

The membrane, which resembled the glistening surface of the sea, appeared as an illusion before Wen Ying, but transformed into a solid wall in front of him.

Lou Wangmiao approached with a chuckle, speaking leisurely, "It seems that even with the key unlocking the door, we, uninvited onlookers, cannot enter. Angels truly live up to their reputation for intelligence, don't they?"

A fleeting expression of frustration and sharpness flickered across Xiao Fengkan's eyes before he returned to being the composed Knight Commander.

"You're quite right; angels are indeed cautious in their actions."

Upon entering, the door closed on its own, leaving those outside with no glimpse of what was happening inside.

Wen Ying didn't panic or rush to fly out upon hearing the door's movement. He calmly stood his ground and surveyed his surroundings.

This space had only one exit, the grand door. Elsewhere, it was an endless expanse of white - an utterly pristine, blank space.

After taking in his surroundings, Wen Ying first tended to his own wound, wrapping a bandage around the gash on his palm. Only then did he gradually approach the transparent platform.

Before the elevated platform, there were steps. Wen Ying stepped up one by one. When he reached the top after about twenty meters, he saw that there was only an crystal coffin placed ahead.

He approached the sarcophagus with great caution, stopping just one meter away, and peered inside. The coffin was enormous, as large as a bed, spacious enough for a demon or an angel to unfold their wings within.

Within lay a demon with silver-white hair and translucent horns, alongside an angel with jet-black tresses and pure white wings.

The angel cradled the demon in his arms. Ignoring the fact that both were exquisitely handsome, almost otherworldly, their condition didn't seem like death. It was as if they were merely sleeping.

Wen Ying instinctively held her breath as she looked at their faces, fearing that she might disturb them.

Despite the absence of life force, it was eerily akin to slumber.

Would they awaken? Was the peculiar arrangement of this room and the magic array at the entrance designed for hibernation?

But a Demon Mirror couldn't possibly live that long.

Just as Wen Ying was grappling with these thoughts, mist suddenly emerged from the angel's body, startling him. The bat wings flared open, propelling the figure backward off the dais.

The mist that had emerged from the angel gradually took on a human shape—it was the angel, and Wen Ying's pupils quivered slightly.

Z-Z-Zombie!

The angel gazed into the coffin at the demon for a moment before its gaze shifted to the stunned Demon Mirror outside the platform.

"You resemble her greatly," the angel rasped, its voice rough from disuse. "Your daughter would have been even more like her."

Wen Ying replied awkwardly, "Uh, sorry, but I might not have children because I'm gay."

The angel froze, its stunned state visible to the naked eye.

Wen Ying felt a slight awkwardness and twinge of guilt. He continued, "It's alright. My parents might still be able to have more children. I have two aunties, and even if they don't have any more kids, I have some cousins."

The individuals Wen Ying mentioned sneezed in succession.

The angel's stunned expression quickly faded, either from acceptance or comfort after hearing Wen Ying's words.

"She does have quite a sense of humor," the angel remarked.

Wen Ying's feelings were mixed. He had imagined angels to be more divine and less... emotionally human.

Behind the angel, four pairs of white wings emitted a gentle glow, yet the angel's expression was vividly human-like.

Even within the pillar of light, Hai Lige appeared more godly than this angel.

For a moment, Wen Ying doubted the angel's authenticity.

Seemingly sensing Wen Ying's thoughts, the angel coughed, composed itself, and sat straight on the coffin. Addressing Wen Ying, it said, "I'm delighted that you found your way here. There's still time to stop Wu Mixiu."

Unfamiliar with the name, Wen Ying asked, "Who is Wu Mixiu?"

The angel fell silent for a moment before slowly saying, "It's my colleague."

Wen Ying: "!" Damn, he almost swore out loud.

An angel's colleague was also an angel, right?! That angel... Wait, Wen Ying's mind quickly raced as he realized that it wasn't the church's higher-ups who wanted the angel to descend to the human realm; it was the angel itself who had the desire to do so!

The information was overwhelming, and Wen Ying's brain couldn't process it all at once.

The angel began to recount some matters with a nostalgic tone.

"Wu Mixiu was originally the angel who loved humans and the human world the most, but now, he's destroying what he loves for the sake of his love."

"We were created by the laws, our consciousness akin to that of newborns. After being sent to the human world to be reincarnated as humans, we grew up with human ways of thinking. Originally, we believed ourselves to be favored children of heaven, destined to protect the world. It wasn't until we were approaching the end of our lives that we gradually remembered that our souls were not human."

"When we recalled this, we only had one or two years left to live. Upon death, we would revert to stars and return to the heavens, watching over the human world until chaos erupted again. Then, we'd reincarnate as humans with no memories to protect the world once more."

It sounded quite tragic, like they were mere tools, Wen Ying thought. Soon, he abruptly noticed something, staring in astonishment at the angel. But you're not in heaven now, are you?

The angel smiled. "I truly adore Wen Ling. I don't want to watch her from outside the human world alone. I want to enter the cycle of rebirth with her."

Wen Ying surveyed the surroundings. "So you built this place to resist the Law?"

The angel nodded appreciatively. "After completing it, I placed the life-expired Wen Ling in the coffin and sealed the entrance. The Law couldn't call me back."

"After I sealed the door, this body soon perished, but my consciousness and power remained here," the angel's tone turned somber. "Occasionally, I could regain clarity and sense the outside world. A year after my death, my colleagues also passed away and were taken back by the Law. But the following year, I sensed Wu Mixiu's power on Earth."

"Perhaps he loved the hustle and bustle of the human realm too much, or maybe he couldn't endure just being an observer. He found various ways to secretly communicate with the Church's exorcists, asking for their help to return to the human world."

"For thousands of years, I've been monitoring his actions. It was at his behest that the Church has historically suppressed news about demons."

"He instructed the church to gather divine stones, which they cultivated using secretive methods, to serve as vessels for descent."

" Cultivating a vessel requires an abundance of pure Divine Stones. However, with the barrier between the two realms blocking access, the human realm's demonic essence is scarce. Without demonic energy to absorb, the Divine Stones began consuming the negative emotions of those who are aware of their existence. Impure Divine Stones cannot be nurtured into viable vessels."

"The Divine Stone can only absorb negative emotions from those who are aware of its existence. To prevent the stone from absorbing people's negativity, the Church began erasing the existence of demons, and in doing so, also erased their own presence."

Wen Ying interjected with curiosity, "If he already has a vessel, why would he still incite the Church to wage war against the Demons?"

"Due to the insufficient demonic energy in the Human Realm and the constraints of its laws, the world is too peaceful, rendering angels unnecessary. There are no loopholes in the laws for Wu Mixiu to exploit, thus preventing him from breaching the barrier and entering the vessel. This barrier not only separates the Demon Realm but also bars the entry of angels."

Wen Ying clenched his fists. "So he orchestrated all sorts of demonic chaos to mislead the Law into thinking that demons were invading the human world?"

The angel spoke softly, "To be able to return to the human realm with his memories intact, he's become somewhat delirious. He doesn't know that I've always been aware of his actions."

Wen Ying found another point of confusion. "In thousands of years, why didn't you tell those exorcists who aren't part of the Church?"

"Umm..." The angel hesitated, "As you know, this spatial gateway is only accessible through that door. And once it closes, it can only be opened from the outside. Don't worry, you can leave. Once it's opened from the outside, it can also be opened from the inside."