A faint shimmer ignited from nowhere, illuminating the angular throne at the end of the darkness—along with the figure leaning indolently upon it, propping his chin on one hand, looking down in disdain.
A mocking laugh.
It struck the beast where it stood, leaving it paralyzed as if hit by lightning.
The face was impossible to discern; it was difficult even to tell what kind of entity it was—
Viscous, bizarre black fire surged and flowed, swallowing his face and body. Within the pitch-black Hole in his chest, the essence of the Great Sin shifted incessantly, wheeling endlessly without a fixed form.
What shocked the beast even more was the seven-pointed crown atop the visitor's head, sharp and savage, bristling with edge. It was so familiar. In all the world, throughout the entire mortal realm in this day and age, only one person bore such an appearance!
"Lu... Lu..."
Upon the altar, the beast's pupils trembled in terror. Shivering uncontrollably, it let out a shrill scream: "—Lu Changsheng!!"
No one answered.
The shadow of black fire merely looked down contemptuously and yawned in boredom.
Utterly indifferent.
Yet after the initial terror, rage, and resentment passed, something completely unexpected happened—unconcealable ecstasy surfaced within the beast's eyes.
Then words that surprised Ji Jue even further rang out before him.
"Evil Transmutation Cult, jurisdiction of the Source of the Golden Bough, Wuwang lineage—Deacon Kelbasu kowtows before the Sacrificial Lord Sage!"
Amidst the layers of restraints, the beast raised its head with all its might and began kowtowing madly. "May the Sage soon transmute evil into righteousness, ascend to the imperial throne, and rule the mortal realm!"
*What the hell?*
Ji Jue was stunned.
*Holy shit, 'one of our own'? Isn't the makeup of the Evil Transmutation Cult a bit too damn chaotic? How many factions have you crossed into?!*
All that could be heard was the endless stream of flattery pouring from the beast named Kelbasu. Impaled by the long nails, he kowtowed and fawned maniacally, growing so emotional that tears streamed down his face, sobbing uncontrollably. "Thank heavens! Your Eminence, you're finally back! Sob... sob... we've been squeezed so brutally by those old wolves!
"Sacrificial Lord Sage, you must stand up for us!"
Yet as he rambled on, he found himself unable to continue.
Because there was no reply.
There was only cold scrutiny and a downward glare. When his incessant babble finally ceased, amidst the mounting dread, he at last heard the callous voice coming from the throne:
"You have seen me?"
"Yes, yes! Seventeen years ago, when this humble one was promoted to deacon, I followed Hierophant Wuwang to attend your accession ceremony and had the honor of catching a glimpse of you in the crowd."
Kelbasu grinned in sycophancy, rushing to explain, "I never imagined that seventeen years later, I would have the honor—"
"I hadn't imagined either that the Cult was so full of talent," a laugh sounded from atop the throne. "To think you even bred a beast capable of lurking in the very heart of the Empire."
Just as Kelbasu was about to speak, he heard a mocking sigh from within the fiery shadow.
"Shehri must have gone to great lengths, didn't he?"
Instantly, he felt struck by lightning.
Tears poured down his face.
He finally understood why he had met with this sudden disaster, finally understood why he had been exposed.
The beast trembled and wailed in deep remorse. "The Sage misunderstands! The Sage misunderstands! When the Cult suffered that catastrophe, its core members scattered to the winds. To survive, this humble one had no choice but to play along with the wolves of the White Nation. But my heart has always belonged to the Cult, to you, Sage!
"For so long, I hid and ran only to preserve a useful body, to save this remnant form for the Sage's grand cause. This heart and this sincerity are witnessed by all the Sins!"
"Spare me the useless words," the cold voice cut off his declaration of loyalty. "Since We hold the Imperial Seal of the Realm, the Mandate of Heaven rests with Us. It falls naturally to Us to reorganize the Evil Transmutation Cult, achieve unprecedented feats, transmute evil into righteousness, and rebuild the Holy Dynasty.
"If an opportunistic fence-sitter like you truly wishes to forsake darkness for light, stop wearing down this seat's patience!"
The cruel shadow of fire atop the throne pushed himself upright and glared down. "—Tell me, where is that wild dog Shehri hiding?!"
Kelbasu froze stiffly, petrified on the spot.
His pupils trembled.
His mouth opened and closed, yet no sound came out. In utter panic, tears of blood nearly welled in his eyes. "May the Sage see clearly... this, this humble one truly does not know..."
Heaven knew he genuinely didn't!
Even if they both belonged to the Wolf Sin, wolves could never treat each other like family.
Even within the same faction, they remained deeply wary of one another.
One's own hideout was the secret of secrets—how could it easily be shared with others?
Though they both belonged to the pack born from the White Nation's collective corruption back then, how could a two-faced traitor like Kelbasu, who loved jumping from side to side, ever earn Shehri's trust?
A few months ago, after that cur Shehri rejoined the pack of the White Nation and usurped the alpha's position, he began mobilizing everyone to lurk around the White Nation's perimeter—including Kelbasu, who had been implicated by the Cult's fall and resembled a stray dog. It seemed as though they were preparing for something big.
Among them, Kelbasu wasn't even close to being a confidant; at best, he was merely an expendable tool kept on a single line of contact.
Stammering, he shuddered violently, feeling the gaze cast down from the throne's fiery shadow grow colder and colder. After hesitating again and again, he finally spoke:
"Though this humble one does not know where Shehri is hiding, I have a guess regarding that beast's scheme. It's just... just..."
His words halted abruptly. He peeked up at the fiery silhouette on the throne, trying to read its expression so he could bargain for a better price, only to hear a hearty chuckle.
"If you don't know how to speak, then die."
The fiery shadow flicked a finger. A wisp of black fire tore through the air and landed upon him. Amidst unprecedented agony, Kelbasu could no longer hold back a bloodcurdling scream!
The black flames, resembling the incarnation of chaos, instantly engulfed his fur, burning his flesh and soul inch by inch. No matter how he tried to regenerate, the fire clung like maggots in bone, taking root in his flesh and blood, erasing his existence at a visibly slow pace.
The beast convulsed in agony, howling and shivering.
"Mercy, Sage, mercy! This humble one dares not play games! It is only because of the pack blood oath that I couldn't speak freely! Have mercy, Sage, have mercy—"
"How amusing."
The fiery shadow laughed, resting his chin on his hand as he watched him weep and howl. "You do not fear the Sacrificial Lord Sage, yet you fear Shehri?
"Or do you think you still have the right to bargain before me?"
"Shangri-La!"
Kelbasu shuddered, shrieking at the top of his lungs. Instantly, he felt the burning fire come to a halt. Without pausing to gasp or wail, he poured out everything in a rush: "What Shehri is after must be the legacy and grace of the Lord of Mercy! He... he...
"He wants to retrieve the remains of the previous White King!!"
*Crack—crack—crack—*
Along with his frantic, disordered words, though the burning fire had subsided, Kelbasu's face convulsed violently, squirming and cracking.
A shattering sound rang out from within his soul.
The pack blood oath manifested from his soul.
The wolf pack was sworn together with each other's blood. The moment one joined the pack, they fell under the dominion of the blood oath controlled by the alpha wolf. Once the precepts were violated, they would no longer be tolerated within the pack.
Here, the Wolf Sin brought down the punishment for breaking the oath.
"S-Sage—"
Kelbasu's face twisted as bloody tears trickled down, wailing, "Sage, save me, save—"
Upon the throne, the fiery shadow remained indifferent.
He merely looked down coldly.
Only at the exact moment the beast fell into utter despair did the fire ignite once more.
Pitch-black flames engulfed him entirely. Like living things, they slithered through his soul, burning the crimson blood oath that tore at his spirit to cinders in an instant.
This was the Fire of Non-Fate!
All precepts, contracts, and bindings were nothing more than fuel before it. The flames that had once burned the Eternal Palace erased the backlash of the blood oath in an instant. Yet under Ji Jue's precise control, they did not spread further, instead preserving the outward presence of the blood oath.
It was as though nothing had ever happened.
Everything remained as it was.
In the dead silence, only Kelbasu was left drenched in cold sweat, weeping tears of gratitude and kowtowing madly. "Th-thank you, Sage, for your grace!"
Now, his gaze toward the throne was filled with incomparable awe, without the slightest daring to overstep.
"Speak. Continue."
The cold voice sounded once more.
Like a divine oracle descending from the high heavens, it brooked no disobedience.
"Yes, yes—"
With his face covered in snot and tears, Kelbasu offered a flattering smile and hesitated no longer, spilling everything like beans from a tipped bamboo tube: "The Sage's insight spans ten thousand miles! This humble one guesses: what that traitor Shehri covets is precisely the resurrection of the previous White King!"
*Resurrection?*
Ji Jue's fingers twitched slightly as he scrutinized the beast coldly. "He isn't dead?"
"He's dead!"
The beast answered decisively. "This humble one saw it with his own eyes—besieged by four White Stag Celestial-Humans, attacked simultaneously by three Sovereign Virtue Hunters... That usurper king died so thoroughly he couldn't be deader!
"However, before his death, the White King usurper had completely transformed into a full Wolf Sin, almost stepping into the realm of a Sage. His wolf-blood oath, channeled through a Great Sin ritual, took root in the territory of the White Nation and within the souls of every citizen of the White Nation, spreading endless venom and breeding a plague like Bloodthirst Syndrome.
"Unless an entire nation is subjected to ruthless extermination, the possibility of his return can never be eradicated.
"Moreover, before the usurper burned himself to death, he buried his corpse inside an independent Border Realm hidden outside the mortal realm, leaving behind a sliver of hope for his return...
"Back then, the White King surrendered to the Great Sin precisely because of the enticement and instigation of Shehri and the others. Shehri's hands must still hold some key that aids his resurrection!"
The more he spoke, the brighter his eyes grew, supremely certain:
"His return this time is definitely for this!"
Regrettably, the fiery shadow on the throne remained noncommittal.
He merely looked down with a chill.
After a long while, just as Kelbasu's heart was drumming frantically with anxiety, he finally heard the solemn, cold voice: "Speaking of which, it is indeed a minor nuisance. The White Nation is the land of dragon-rise chosen by this seat; there is no room for the schemes of these demonic clowns.
"This time, it is thanks to you. Otherwise, We would not have known how long We were to be kept in the dark."
"Precisely!"
Kelbasu kowtowed in wild joy. "Your Majesty's glorious light illuminates ten thousand miles! Demonic clowns like Shehri are merely fireflies compared to the blazing sun—mere clay chickens and pottery dogs, utterly fragile!
"This humble one is willing to serve as Your Majesty's vanguard, destroy the wolf den, and aid the Sage in rebuilding the foundation of our Evil Transmutation Holy Dynasty!"
"You do know how to read the room." The fiery shadow seemed to smile faintly, tapping his fingers against the armrest. "Very well. There is indeed a shortage of capable hands beneath Our command. Since you are willing to forsake darkness for light, go ahead and speak. Tell Us what else you have to offer, so as not to waste your sincere devotion."
At these words, Kelbasu beamed with joy, unable to suppress his ecstatic glee.
Had he not been pinned by the restraints, he would have danced with delight.
Without the slightest fear of betraying his master for personal gain, he was instead filled with longing for the future—how could following Shehri ever compare to following the Sacrificial Lord Sage?!
What kind of idiot was Shehri? Just a stray dog by the roadside, not worth a single strand of Lu Changsheng's hair!
Trash wolf den, don't even try to associate with me! I'm His Majesty's hound now!
Do you understand what an imperial hound is?!
Seeing the Sage ask, he immediately poured out all the assets, aliases, former gathering places of the pack, and even numerous guesses about the identities of others without holding back a single detail.
Both his invisible and visible tails wagged furiously, showing his sycophancy without reservation.
Toward the end, he heard the fiery shadow's voice: "For this operation, did Shehri not assign you any tasks?"
"N-no, he only told this lowly one to stay hidden and wait for the right moment."
Kelbasu shook his head, looking toward the fiery shadow with eyes full of anticipation. "If Your Majesty wishes to investigate, this lowly one is willing to run before your saddle and behind your stirrups, braving mountains of blades and seas of fire, smashing my body to pieces to serve the Sage!"
Instantly, laughter echoed from atop the throne.
It sounded deeply gratified.
"Worthy of being a pillar of Our Cult, a confidant of the Holy Dynasty. Such devotion is enough; why would you need to smash your body to pieces?"
The holy lord was greatly pleased. He rose slowly, looking down at the beast before him, smiling as he patted the dog's head. "It is rare to see such pure loyalty. From now on, you may go along with Lu Changsheng!"
Kelbasu was overjoyed. He opened his mouth, about to speak, but the smile froze on his face.
As the tidal black flames receded, the face revealed before his eyes was not the one from his memory. Instead, it was so young—completely different from Lu Changsheng!
Only those pitch-black eyes were profoundly dark and deep, like a bottomless abyss.
Looking down with cold indifference.
The Wolf Sin shuddered uncontrollably, his face stiffening and gradually twisting. "You—"
In that instant, between the five fingers that seized his soul, black flames erupted once more, swallowing everything!
Helping him fulfill his promise.
Go along with Lu Changsheng on the road to the afterlife!
Chapter 593