The six people hiding in the corner watched as a troop of heavily armed US soldiers futilely pulled their triggers against surging waves of undead creatures, their faces contorted in terror as they witnessed their comrades being torn apart and devoured.

"Where in the hell did these things come from? How could monsters like this appear in New York?"

A young soldier kept firing short bursts from his rifle, but no matter where the bullets struck the monsters, at best, it only caused their advance to slow down slightly. "Weren't we told our weapons were the most advanced, equipped with specially crafted ammunition? Why isn't it working?"

These dozens of soldiers were all equipped with the same MI6A4 as the one in Zhang Hengguang's hand, and Ye Wen could even sense a trace of holy light power emanating from the rounds leaving the barrels. It seemed all the American soldiers were using demon-breaking weaponry, yet it still couldn't guarantee they could eliminate the monsters before them.

Flores frowned, looking on. "The aura of death on these undead monsters isn't intensely strong, but they seem to possess another form of energy that prevents the fragile death aura within them from being destroyed by bullets imbued with banishing power..."

Ye Wen narrowed his eyes, realizing the Italian Paladin was correct. He hadn't paid much attention to these slow-moving, stiffly moving monsters earlier, but now...

"This is more complicated than we imagined!" Zhang Hengguang's expression was somewhat strange. As a true cultivator, he sensed a familiar aura emanating from these undead creatures. "These monsters seem to possess the power of talismans!"

He wasn't entirely sure, but everyone agreed with Zhang Hengguang's conjecture. Otherwise, there was no explaining how these soldiers, equipped with numerous demon-breaking rounds, couldn't handle a group of low-level undead creatures, needing massive amounts of ammunition just to knock down a single common zombie.

"Let's go, no need to watch any longer!" Ye Wen observed for a while and was certain the final outcome for this squad of US soldiers was death. Surrounded by numerous undead creatures, even if they managed to break through, only more terrifying monsters would await them in this dangerous manor.

"Go? Aren't we going to save them?" Claire looked at Ye Wen in shock, unable to comprehend how he could stand by and watch a group of living people be attacked by monsters while he calmly walked away.

Ye Wen glanced at Claire and merely stated, "I have no need to save people who might turn their guns on me!" Regardless of whether Claire understood, he strode toward the large house.

He kept the situation he perceived through his divine sense a secret from everyone, but he believed both Flores and Zhang Hengguang would understand the meaning behind his words. Perhaps the only one who didn't grasp the situation was that clueless little policeman.

"Those are people—how can you be so cold-blooded?"

"If you want to save them, feel free to go ahead yourself; I won't stop you!" Ye Wen shrugged, and suddenly the silver-white Beretta pistol appeared in his hand. He raised it and fired forward.

Bang!

A figure staggered out from the darkness; Ye Wen's shot had missed.

"Damn it, I missed!"

This was Ye Wen's first time firing a gun. He had assumed that with his current physical condition and coordination, becoming a sharpshooter would be easy, but only after actually firing did he realize bullets wouldn't travel in a straight line according to his will.

After confirming the target with a second shot, the swaying figure shuddered, but there was no other reaction. Ye Wen clearly felt a neutral and peaceful energy counteract the spiritual power in his bullet when it struck the zombie.

He fired two more shots. This time, Ye Wen not only felt it more clearly but also confirmed that the energy originated from the zombie's core. Once Ye Wen was certain, he stopped shooting. With a casual wave of his left hand, a flash of purple light appeared, and everyone watched as the zombie lay motionless on the ground. Upon closer inspection, the monster had been split cleanly in two at the chest.

"W-What just happened?"

Claire hadn't even grasped what occurred before a blur of purple flashed, and the monster was bisected. Looking around, Zhang Hengguang looked shocked yet reverent, while Flores' expression was serious; he no longer looked as relaxed when looking at Ye Wen as he had previously.

Ye Wen, the focus of everyone's attention, simply walked up to the corpse and examined it. He saw a yellow talisman paper inside the section he had cleaved open.

"Is this it?"

The corpse was foul and disgusting; Ye Wen had no intention of touching it directly, so he used his Purple Qi Sky Net to lift the talisman from a distance. The paper unfolded in the air, revealing the drawn spell.

Zhang Hengguang walked over to examine it and finally judged it to be a relatively common protective charm, nothing rare in itself. However, if it were used purely to nullify the spiritual power in bullets and protect that tiny bit of death energy, then even this lowest-grade undead creature would become difficult to deal with.

"At best, those US soldiers relying solely on spiritual bullets must continuously impact and deplete the energy of this talisman. Only after exhausting the talisman's protective spiritual aura can they truly harm the monsters' core essence."

"Why would a dark mage understand Eastern talisman arts?" Flores found it strange that this situation occurred. What perplexed him even more was: "Although Mudrak is a notorious dark mage, as far as I know, Mudrak, who is several hundred years old, has always considered himself a true nobleman. Using the undead—something completely unsuitable for a noble—to protect his residence is strange enough, let alone incorporating Eastern talisman arts?"

When everyone looked at Flores, the Italian shrugged. "This fellow is stubborn and old-fashioned. He is unlikely to study Eastern magic, which is not in the same system as dark magic!"

"Then... the only explanation is that besides Mudrak, there is also a Necromancer skilled in necromancy and a Daoist skilled in talisman arts in this large house... we can understand it that way, right?" Ye Wen dispersed his qi, and the talisman floated lightly to the ground. Everyone looking at this flimsy piece of paper felt the road ahead was becoming increasingly difficult.

Only Ye Wen and the two women seemed unconcerned, shrugging and continuing toward the large house. "It's meaningless to discuss this now; let's keep moving! Once we meet the dark mage, all the answers will be revealed!"

Seeing Ye Wen so calm, Zhang Hengguang gained some confidence. Only Flores frowned deeply, wondering if he should retreat first and request the Vatican headquarters to send more people for assistance.

Against a dark mage, Flores was confident that with Zhang Hengguang and the inscrutable Easterner helping, they had an 80% chance of defeating or even killing him. But with the addition of a Necromancer and an Eastern cultivator, the situation became as tricky as that incident in Europe years ago—an event where the Church lost two Paladins and suffered numerous severe injuries to resolve.

This time...

"Will I die here today?" Flores strode forward, murmuring a prayer in his heart before quietly saying, "May the Holy Light be with me!"

The voice was so low it was almost imperceptible, but as the words left his lips, Flores seemed transformed. The holy aura emanating from him caused the approaching undead creatures to actively retreat, and the broken sword hilt in his hand responded strangely, emitting a soft, gentle glow.

"This..."

Ye Wen turned back to look at Flores. "Paladin, you are truly the brightest beacon in the darkness. Now everyone knows we are here!"

Standing before the villa's main door, the tightly shut entrance seemed to tell all visitors to leave. But Ye Wen didn't care; instead, he cracked his knuckles, his interest piqued, and remarked, "When I played Resident Evil, I always had one major grievance: why the hell did this door always require a key to open?"

The others watched Ye Wen, unsure what he intended to do.

"I've always wanted to do this!" With a sudden, powerful kick, the closed door acted as if it had been struck by a speeding car. It instantly broke away from its hinges, shattering into a pile of tiny fragments that scattered far and wide. "...Or blow it open with a rocket launcher..."

"That kick of yours seemed no different from a rocket launcher!" Zhang Hengguang didn't say it aloud, but his expression clearly conveyed that meaning.

Hua Yi and Ning Ruxue didn't seem surprised by Ye Wen's action; they didn't think it was strange at all. It was Flores and Claire who stared at Ye Wen with their mouths agape, as if looking at a monster.

"That door... seemed to be solid wood..."

"Is that so?" Ye Wen's response made it sound as if he had merely broken a pile of foam. But to him, solid wood and foam were indeed no different.

Stepping into the villa, Ye Wen suddenly felt a strange sensation—as if something was calling out to him. He turned to look at the others and noticed that besides himself, no one else reacted, leading him to believe this feeling was unique to him.

He exchanged glances with Ning Ruxue and Hua Yi. Though unspoken, the two women understood Ye Wen's meaning: stay close and don't get separated.

Once inside the house, faced with a mansion so vast it seemed ridiculously large with countless rooms, they momentarily didn't know where to start. Ye Wen, however, said nothing and headed directly for a room off the main hall.

Flores glanced over and prepared to follow, but just then, several US soldiers rushed in. The sudden encounter startled both parties. The soldiers immediately raised their weapons. On this side, only Claire was shouting, "Don't misunderstand, we're on the same side!" while the others ignored the three battered soldiers.

Ye Wen stopped and glanced over. In that pause, the feeling calling to him intensified.

"Interesting!"

He turned back to Claire and said, "If you want to chat with them, do so for now. I'm going to look around!" Without waiting for Claire's reply, he took the two women and opened the door, walking straight in.

Zhang Hengguang turned back to look at Claire and Flores. He eventually received a brief reply from Flores: "I'll stay here to look after her and will catch up with you shortly!" Then he chased after the senior master, hoping to catch up.

But at that moment, the seemingly ordinary wooden door changed. Creepy, giant white bone fragments interlocked, suddenly adding a layer of colossal bone door onto the original structure. That wasn't all; the green smoke emanating from the bones warned everyone: This guy is toxic.

"Damn it!"

As soon as Zhang Hengguang saw this scene, he immediately realized this was a trap set by the dark mage and the necromancer, intended to separate them and annihilate them piece by piece. Fortunately, the senior master's power was unfathomable; even if separated, he should be fine. Perhaps he needed to worry more about himself and Flores.

Retreating to their original spot, Zhang Hengguang and Flores exchanged a look and began discussing their next move. The three soldiers, who had barely escaped death, were still sweating while staring at the ominous giant bone door.

Meanwhile, the moment Ye Wen stepped past the doorway, he sensed something was amiss. The door behind him closed as if it had a will of its own, and then a chilling, evil energy emerged from the other side. Everything confirmed his initial judgment.

Ning Ruxue and Hua Yi looked at each other. Finally, Ning Ruxue spoke. "Senior Brother, should we break this door open and rejoin the others?"

The enemy clearly intended to separate their party, so the best course of action seemed to be thwarting their plan by staying together.

Ye Wen, however, shook his head. "This fellow named Mudrak seems to want a private conversation with me. Since he has invited me with such sincerity, it would be impolite to refuse him outright!"

The calling in his mind sounded again. Ye Wen only needed to follow his intuition to find the thing—or person—calling him.

A spacious room contained two large sofas with a coffee table between them, upon which a cup of clear tea had already been poured using porcelain ware.

He walked over and sat on a sofa, looking at the person sitting opposite, drinking black tea. This was a typical European man, his golden hair perfectly combed, not a strand out of place. His blue eyes, like the deep sea, gave one an immediate sense of unfathomable depth.

"Adam van Mudrak?"

Ye Wen's question caused the person opposite to shift his gaze onto him. After gently setting down his teacup, he pointed to the tea before Ye Wen and said, "This is a fine tea produced in your homeland, and the brewing method follows your customs. I trust you won't find it unfamiliar!"

Mudrak wiped his already fair and clean hands, then leaned back into the sofa. "I imagine you are also wondering why I summoned you here, but I believe we have common ground to discuss... Before that, please allow me to introduce another friend."

Mudrak snapped his fingers, and a small door in the corner opened. A relatively young-looking Eastern man emerged. Ye Wen immediately guessed upon seeing him: "He must be that Daoist!"

Unexpectedly, Mudrak pointed to the Eastern man standing beside him and smiled. "If it weren't for your countryman, perhaps this conversation wouldn't be happening! He told me a great deal about your Eastern cultivation world, which allowed me to discover the basis for cooperation between you and me..."

"Cooperation?" Ye Wen picked up his teacup. The rich aroma of the tea made him almost forget he was in the enemy's stronghold. Taking a small sip, the scalding tea invigorated him; it was undoubtedly high-quality tea, with no additives (like poison).

Putting down the cup, Ye Wen also adopted a formal posture. "I don't see any basis for cooperation between us!"

He wasn't clear on what this fellow was plotting, especially with a Necromancer hiding in the shadows... Thinking of the Necromancer, Ye Wen's nose twitched slightly, and he frowned as he looked at the countryman. He smelled a strong stench of decay from this person and faintly sensed a hidden aura of death.

"You... are the Necromancer?"

This discovery somewhat surprised Ye Wen. He hadn't expected the Necromancer to be his own countryman.

The young-looking Eastern man seemed slightly surprised, then smiled and cupped his hands toward Ye Wen. "Senior is indeed formidable; you discerned my nature at a glance!" He then bowed respectfully to Ye Wen. "This junior, Liao Tong, greets the Old Senior..."

Ye Wen scrutinized him again, simultaneously probing with his divine sense. He finally discovered that Liao Tong not only carried a subtle necrotic aura but also extremely rich spiritual energy—a feeling similar to the internal force of Daoist practitioners, quite akin to the spiritual energy emanating from Zhang Hengguang.

"So this fellow cultivates both Eastern Daoist arts and Western necromancy. No wonder I didn't sense the aura of death initially; it must have been masked by his profound spiritual energy cultivation!"

However, Ye Wen found it strange. The intense spiritual energy radiating from this person indicated he must have lived for quite some time, so why did he so confidently address Ye Wen as 'Senior'?

Perhaps sensing Ye Wen's confusion, Mudrak produced a crystal ball from somewhere. "I have laid out magic throughout this villa; I can observe everything happening within it through this crystal ball!"

Liao Tong took over from Mudrak. "This junior clearly saw the scene where the Old Senior used sword energy in the courtyard! That single move reveals the depth of the Senior's cultivation... Therefore..."

Ye Wen nodded, indicating he understood. He recalled that in the cultivation world, age is difficult to gauge by appearance alone, making the simplest, most direct method to estimate a person's cultivation time based on their prowess. In this era where true fortuitous encounters are rare and one must cultivate slowly, this method is quite logical.

"Then, what is it you wish to discuss by calling me here?" This was what Ye Wen cared about most; otherwise, he wouldn't be sitting here calmly drinking tea. However, the next sentence nearly made him spit out the tea in his mouth...