A wisp of Sun Yan's specter drifted out from the Earth Shrine and appeared before the blood spat out by the residents.

The blood exuded by the residents shimmered with an indescribable array of colors, dancing like flames. Sun Yan could sense that this blood seemed to possess life force, with countless active elements pulsating within.

"Such terrifying power," Sun Yan remarked warily.

As he reached out and placed his hand upon the blood, the unknown life activity within the blood began to immediately contaminate his ethereal Earth God form.

Fortunately, the power of Sun Yan's Earth Shrine was not to be underestimated. By slightly exerting the effect of the Earth Shrine, he completely dissolved this bizarre life activity.

This force possessed an exceedingly peculiar invasive ability, capable of occupying all matter; according to Sun Yan's analysis, even plants could not escape its influence.

It was imaginable that all living beings in the entire San Francisco were affected by this force, with life and death hinging on the whim of that Ancient God.

This was unlike anything Sun Yan had ever witnessed; the Ancient God summoned by Klein exceeded all his prior understanding of divine spirits.

He bestowed a blessing from the Earth God on all residents in the Youma Community, ensuring that they would not be influenced by the Ancient God again for a short time, thus preventing them from doing anything dangerous.

Sun Yan collected his thoughts; by this moment, a sudden change had occurred at the Kettel Building.

As a large mass of San Francisco citizens flocked towards the Kettel Building, visible changes took place on its exterior.

Colorful vines entwined the building's facade, radiating an eerie luster.

Occasionally, birds collided with the building, yet there was no scene of birds shattering the window glass.

Instead, the birds immediately disintegrated into lumps of flesh, merging with the entirety of the structure.

And those who had reached the base of the building unhesitatingly hurled themselves against the remaining flesh on the building's surface.

The arrival of these people was akin to a sacrifice; one could envisage a monster composed of the flesh and blood of the entire populace of San Francisco quietly coming into existence.

It was only a matter of time before it fully manifested.

"Master, what should we do?" Crow Yidan inquired.

"Find a way to stop it; I have a bad feeling. If that Ancient God manages to sacrifice the entire citizenry of San Francisco, we might find ourselves in a situation beyond salvation," Sun Yan decided resolutely.

Then he turned around, left the room, took the elevator, and exited the hotel.

Just as he stepped out of the hotel entrance, his notebook in the pocket suddenly vibrated.

A task has come!

——

Side Quest [Hunt!]

Difficulty level: ★★★

Task description: When you encounter another Tomb Guardian, you come to realize that you are not the most extraordinary being. Every Tomb Guardian is either the best adversary or ally. If you cannot become allies, then there is no other path but one.

Task requirement ①: Retrieve Tomb Guardian Klein's notebook.

Task requirement ②: Complete the second contamination (0/1).

Task reward ①: According to the contaminated Divine Temple, receive a random corresponding exclusive magical treasure.

Task reward ②: Admission ticket to the Grand Sacrificial Society.

——

Sun Yan looked at the contents appearing in the notebook, his expression showing a mix of surprise.

He had possessed the notebook for so long and had never seen a dual reward before.

Moreover, this mission was very special; it was a battle entirely among the Tomb Guardians. For a Tomb Guardian, the notebook was of utmost importance.

Losing the notebook meant losing control over the graveyard, which was undeniably as crucial as one's life.

If Sun Yan wanted to retrieve Klein's notebook, he would have to step over his corpse.

But at this moment, there was no other choice.

Merging into the crowd, Sun Yan immediately headed towards the Kettel Building.

The rooftop of the Kettel Building.

Klein stood at the edge of the rooftop. Beside him were Jamebi and old Enzo, who should have long been dead, as well as Hutton, who too had undergone the transformation by the Blood of the Old Gods.

"Soon, this entire city will completely belong to us. Then, under the guidance of the Ancient God, we can conquer the whole of North America, and the entire world will bow under the rule of the Ancient God," Klein said loftily, surveying the ground below.

"What about that Eastern person? He must still be in San Francisco. Sacrificing him to the Ancient God would make a perfect offering," Jamebi grinned, baring his teeth.

"No hurry. Under the light of the Ancient God, no one can escape, even if he's a Tomb Guardian. I'm rather curious about the Divine Spirit backing him," Klein said, retrieving his notebook and glancing at it for a moment. He then couldn't help but chuckle, "Interesting, so this is another function of a Tomb Guardian's notebook."

Evidently, he too received a task from the notebook at that moment.

...

When Sun Yan and Crow Yidan reached the base of the Kettel Building, the location had completely transformed from how it looked during Sun Yan's previous visit.

A layer of repulsive flesh covered everywhere, while human heads writhed unconsciously atop it, having melded with the flesh.

Sun Yan dashed inside the building, suddenly feeling a shadow overhead. He swiftly crouched, his reflexes astonishingly quick.

A thick branch swung out above his head, and when Sun Yan turned to look, a great tree had inexplicably taken root in the corner of the lobby.

The surface of this tree was covered in various heads, both human and animal.

They snarled menacingly at Sun Yan, swinging branches to attack him.

Sun Yan immediately pulled out the remaining half of the Ruyi Golden Cudgel, sweeping it to break the branch directly.

Even though the Ruyi Golden Cudgel was no longer in its prime, it was still the Stabilizing Needle, making it a suitable temporary weapon.

Moreover, wielded by Sun Yan, this Ruyi Golden Cudgel exhibited a miraculous synergy of 1+1>2.

As he smashed the branch, seeing the monster intending to persist, Sun Yan promptly aimed the Ruyi Golden Cudgel at it.

With the Thunder Power within him erupting, lightning shot through the Ruyi Golden Cudgel, condensing into a point that pierced through the monstrous tree's body.

Crackling!

With a slash to the left and right, Sun Yan instantly severed the monstrous tree into two sections.

The cut glowed red, with flames engulfing it.

"The Thunder Power of the Nine Dragon Five Thunder Seal paired with the conductive Ruyi Golden Cudgel makes a useful combination, compensating perfectly for my lack of ranged offensive capabilities."

Sun Yan swung the Ruyi Golden Cudgel in his hand, nodding in satisfaction.

At this moment, he couldn't help but feel like a recent graduate from Hogwarts, though the power of his magic wand far exceeded those little wooden sticks used by wizards.

Crow Yidan perched on Sun Yan's shoulder, feeling profoundly impressed by Sun Yan's power.

Thunder is a formidable force among divine spirits, which is why figures like Thunder God Thor and Thunder God Zeus hold immense power within their respective mythologies.

Ascending the staircase onward, the interior of the building remained unaffected, appearing rather normal.

Should Klein be anywhere, Sun Yan surmised the chance of him being on the rooftop to be the highest.

Upon arriving at the circular hall, which required an elevator to reach the top floor, the ceiling suddenly shattered, and a shadow swiftly descended, crashing down not far ahead of Sun Yan.

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