Detective Agency of the Bizarre
Chapter 480 - 480 Three hundred thirty-seven

480: Three hundred thirty-seven.

End 480: Three hundred thirty-seven.

End There was no excitement from victory, only weariness that filled both body and soul.

Lu Li looked toward the regathered Human-faced Bug Swarm, feeling their emotions, and loosened his tightly clenched hand from Sequence 1.

Sequence 1 floated in front of Lu Li, its silver-coated barrel and the three fully blossomed roses elegant and beautiful.

The remaining Human-faced Bugs hesitated not and charged toward Sequence 1, seeking release for their souls.

A faint vortex formed in front of him, with Lu Li’s black hair flowing with the viscous deep-sea currents, and his black eyes slightly narrowed in quiet anticipation.

Without farewell or delay, the last Human-faced Worm collided with the Spirit-Calling Gun, dissipating into nothingness.

The surging flow of water stilled, and the viscous deep-sea returned to tranquility.

Lu Li had no more reason to stay here.

Stretching out his hand, Lu Li used a part of the Old Mother’s power within him to draw the Spirit-Calling Gun back into his hand and into its holster.

Lu Li gazed down into the abyss, which had not vanished with the demise of the Old Mother but had turned a darker, more obscure black than before.

After staring for a moment, Lu Li withdrew his gaze and floated toward the surface.

The dead silence of the viscous deep-sea was left with only the whispering that seemed to rise from beneath the abyss.

…

The body of the Old Mother was dying.

The blood-red flesh now turned the color of cooling magma, a dark crimson,

In front of the petrified statue of the Mother of the Marsh, ripples spread.

Lu Li’s figure emerged from beneath the rippling flesh, returning to the surface.

As the Old Mother faded away, the seal restraining the Mother of the Marsh weakened gradually, and the statue emitted a dark purple miasma that grew increasingly dense.

Apart from the Mother of the Marsh struggling to break free from the seal, Lu Li saw a spectral figure that should not be there.

Lu Li’s brows furrowed gradually, “Did you commune with the Inner World?”

With the power of the Old Mother residing within him, Lu Li found it hard to describe, and he didn’t know how to utilize this power, but the keen perception it brought allowed him to clearly sense the malevolent and ominous aura that Anna had just restrained.

Anna, sharing the same sensation, felt on Lu Li a similar obscurity and pressure as the Mother of the Marsh, as if facing a Superior and the very heavens and earth.

These were not good things for a human to possess.

Anna tilted her head slightly without responding to Lu Li’s gaze, “I must become stronger to protect you…”

“If the price is losing oneself, everything becomes meaningless,” Lu Li observed Anna.

Aside from the colder emotions in the depths of her eyes, she had not lost her nature.

This was perhaps good news, at least Anna hadn’t become worse.

The coldness in Anna’s eyes slowly dissipated, “If you’re worried about me, then stop taking risks…”

“I…

underestimated you…”

The low whisper that suddenly interrupted what Lu Li was about to say caused Anna’s expression to turn cold again, and the Mother of the Marsh continued to murmur,

“Frail humans…

actually able to…

kill the Old Mother.”

“It was the Old Mother herself who caused her own demise,” Lu Li said gently shaking his head.

Lu Li was like a playful child who had placed a ball on the edge of a slope.

Besides the initial gentle push, he did nothing else.

“How long will it take you to lift the seal?” Lu Li asked.

The dark purple aura emanating from the Mother of the Marsh did not grow any brighter.

After a brief pause, the Mother of the Marsh answered, “I…

cannot remove the remnants of the Old Mother’s seal.”

Lu Li paid attention to the more critical information and countered, “So you mean to say you cannot leave the seal on your own?”

The Mother of the Marsh paused even longer this time, slowly whispering, “Will you…

keep your promise…?”

“Our deal was to contend with the Old Mother, and now it is completed.

You are an Evil God dangerous to humans, and being sealed might be a good choice.”

The Mother of the Marsh remained silent for a long time, as if pondering how to reply to Lu Li and how to extricate herself from the dilemma.

“What must I do to break the seal?”

After a moment of silence, Lu Li suddenly spoke up.

“Your body contains the power of the Old Mother…

Give it to me, and it will become my strength…” the Mother of the Marsh whispered, “The power of the Evil God is too much for humans to bear, even you…

It is gnawing at and corrupting your consciousness, and one day, the Old Mother will be reborn in your shell.”

Lu Li sensed the obscure energy surging within him, noncommittal, “How do I return it to you?”

“Touch me…”

“Be careful.”

As Anna whispered a warning, Lu Li approached the stone statue and touched the towering effigy of the Mother of the Marsh with his palm.

The obscure power inside him was rapidly drained away, the dark purple halo intensifying, nearly swallowing Lu Li’s silhouette.

As the power dissipated, a sense of fatigue washed over his human body again.

Just as he was about to lose his balance and fall, a force from the Mother of the Marsh emanated, pushing Lu Li away, and Anna, who had been waiting, gently caught him.

“Gazing upon or touching my true form for too long will lead to madness…” the low voice of the Mother of the Marsh echoed through the seductive dark purple glow.

“I have lifted the seal, return to the surface, for I loathe this place…”

The glowing halo suddenly engulfed Lu Li and Anna.

Anna didn’t feel any malice from it, allowing the dark purple that filled her view to envelop them.

After several seconds, the misty aura dispersed, revealing Lu Li and Anna once again.

They appeared outside the vast Banyan Tree.

Lu Li looked up at the sky, where the ceaseless blood rain had stopped with the Old Mother’s disappearance.

Hopefully, the blood-red clouds would clear and bright sunshine would emerge.

“Is it over?”

“It’s over.”

Anna turned to look at the deep tree hollow, murmuring, “It seems we’ve been chased out…

without even a goodbye.”

The Mother of the Marsh hadn’t come out with them.

“That’s for the best.”

Lu Li stated calmly.

Humans and the Evil God were inherently antagonistic; if the Mother of the Marsh wished to keep her distance, Lu Li certainly felt the same.

“Let’s go.”

With a hand over his abdomen, Lu Li stepped forward, followed by Anna supporting him.

The encirclement by numerous silhouettes that suddenly emerged from the darkness didn’t allow their departure to be graceful.

Anna watched the approaching figures in black robes warily.

“The deal is already over, isn’t it…” The low voice of the Mother of the Marsh came from beneath the robes.

“You know too much, perhaps I should not let you leave the marsh…”

Lu Li didn’t answer, just silently watched.

Time flowed, and at a certain moment, the silhouette in the black robe shifted to one side.

“My Servants will escort you…

out of the marsh…”

It was more like a tit-for-tat retaliation for Lu Li’s earlier reluctance to lift the seal.

As if he had known all along, Lu Li spoke calmly, “I had agreed to something on your behalf before.

That stranded cruise ship in the stream, it wants to return to the ocean.”

“I will send it where it belongs…”

“Let’s go,” Lu Li said, turning to Anna.

“Wait,” the Mother of the Marsh suddenly whispered.

“Accept my gift…”

Lu Li looked down at the string of fiery red agate stone bracelet held up by the silhouette in the black robe.

The last time he saw it, it was on a lifeless, pale wrist.

“I have a question.”

Before departing, Lu Li had one more question that had arisen.

“Do you possess the memories of the Old Mother?”