Hell Secret Poison

"Looks like the fight can't go on." Seeing the golden rain cease and the brilliant stars reclaim the sky curtain, Yinzhi patted Igola's rear like an experienced veteran, wrapped her arms around his waist, and said, "Let's go. Let's chat with them." Igola glared at her, but still carried her on his back and flew over. Coincidentally, Harvey came over as well, carrying Yejian on his shoulder. By now, Harvey had exited his cold flowing fire state, returning to his dark-skinned, curly-haired bricklayer appearance. "You look much better as a corpse," Igola remarked. "Thank you," Harvey said, thoroughly pleased. "I think so too." Yinzhi covered her mouth and giggled, while Igola rolled his eyes in exasperation. Longyuan's side and Lehuai's side had each occupied opposite ends, but upon seeing the actions of Igola and the others, they drew closer as well. The four factions faced each other, keeping a safe distance between them. "Lehuai, my condolences. As a fellow demon brimming with emotion, I know you must be hurting," Yinzhi said. "But you'll have to endure it, because this is just the beginning. Sooner or later, you'll be completely out of the running, so you'd better get used to it early." "I don't care at all. I foresaw this long ago." Lehuai was the only demon standing ahead of his sorcerer; the Curse Elf girl floated behind him. "You were just lucky this time, Yinzhi. Your sorcerer knows Yejian's sorcerer. Otherwise, we definitely would have ganged up on you first." When Igola and Harvey had joined forces earlier, the demons had naturally recognized right away that they were in cahoots. Lehuai said this not because the other sides had forged a secret alliance, but ganging up to freeze out the Gospel team had always been an unspoken consensus. Yejian tilted his head and smiled faintly at Yinzhi, clearly concurring with Lehuai's statement. Yinzhi raised an eyebrow. "Yejian, our cooperation went so well this time. How about we team up from now on to take down these misshapen, ugly monsters?" "Sure," Yejian smiled. "I don't mind." Lehuai folded his arms over his chest, calmly watching their mutual intrigue. "Boring." Longyuan turned to leave with his young sorcerer. "Next time we meet, we'll decide both superiority and life and death." Lehuai and the Curse Elf girl departed in silence. After exchanging a brief word with Igola, Harvey also left with Yejian. Watching their departing figures, Igola asked, "Was there any point to probing them like this?" "No point at all. I just wanted to see the other demons." Yinzhi patted Igola's head. "Not everything has to have a purpose, Little Igola. You shouldn't always have your head full of schemes and conspiracies. Your brain will rot. "Still, some meaningless things might become meaningful at some point. The key is to accumulate bit by bit, to push things forward step by step. Sooner or later, stones become mountains that cannot be shaken, and streams converge into rivers that cannot be stopped. Isn't that far more interesting than petty schemes?" Igola nodded thoughtfully. Yinzhi burst into laughter. "I was just making things up, and you actually took it seriously? Look at you, thinking I was saying something profound again. That's an illness, you know—you need to get it treated. Pretty girls talk nonsense too, after all! "Let's go. Time to head back to Amilo." They flew all the way back to the hiding spot where Amilo was concealed. Igola had set up trap miracles all around Amilo, sufficient to thwart any sudden assault by the Six-Nation Legions. Because Amilo had previously drunk from Yinzhi's chalice, Amilo's own chalice had naturally remained behind, and by now it was filled with nectar. Taking Amilo's chalice, Yinzhi turned her head to look at Igola. "Just to be safe in case I fall asleep right after drinking this, I'd better tell you now, Little Igola. Don't worry, I'm not warning you against making a move. I trust Little Igola completely. You'll definitely take great care of a sleeping pretty girl." Igola raised an eyebrow. "Tell me what?" "Something meaningful." Yinzhi brought her lips to the rim of the chalice, her tone abruptly changing. "Will you choose to follow me, or choose to be crushed to death by Hell?" [Hell Secret Poison] [Infected Count: 160] [Poison Intensification: 160%] [Current Effects: 1. Sorcerer's four void wings grow at extreme speed (At 300% intensification, receives extreme enhancement; at 100%, receives relief; at 50%, converts into a beneficial effect); 2. Non-sorcerers (those completely unable to connect to the Void Realm) rapidly forget this secret poison and related details until awakened once more upon becoming a sorcerer; 3. Immediately upon a sorcerer's four wings becoming complete, the Hell-bearing ritual is initiated.] When Yaxiu clearly saw the details of the Hell secret poison, he finally understood why Weixi had been so unwilling to deduce it all along. The most terrifying aspect of the Hell secret poison lay in its inevitability. Your void wings would instantly become obediently precocious, growing at breakneck speed every second of every minute. It looked like an absolute dream for any sorcerer, yet the moment the four wings were complete, Hell would immediately crash down upon your head. It was like final exams, death, growing up—all those fates you could never stop. You couldn't stay in this semester, you couldn't keep living, you couldn't stay a child; you had to move forward. Anywhere else, a sorcerer could only wait powerlessly for Hell to descend, which was why Weixi had said they were doomed. But as fate would have it, they were in the Country of All Stars, which gave them a sliver of breathing room. "Miracles that snap void wings are only common in Hell; mortals can hardly ever do it," Weixi said. "Yet the mysterious chains of the Country of All Stars happen to allow us to snap our void wings at no cost. "Though it causes tremendous damage to the soul, that's trivial compared to death. It's just..." In the past, Weixi would have laid bare that cruelest of truths without hesitation. Perhaps she was a bit tired, though, as she suddenly lost the mood to play around and said offhandedly, "You know what I'm going to say." "I know," Yaxiu murmured. "Still, why are there so many people infected by the Hell secret poison?" "Because once you step into the divine realm, automatic growth of void wings is no longer a bad thing." Weixi explained, "Although demigods can completely consume the secret poison, most demigods choose to keep the Hell secret poison, treating their void wings as an infinitely regenerating sorcery resource." By this time, they had left the building and stepped onto the street outside. Vehicles were jammed along the roadway, and pedestrians lay unconscious on the sidewalks. But now that the rain had stopped and the skies had cleared, they would likely awaken soon. "I'm leaving." Niya spoke up out of nowhere. Everyone was taken aback, and Feili immediately grabbed her hand. "Why?" "Isn't being a wanted criminal reason enough?" Niya replied flatly. "But Yaxiu can definitely protect you!" Feili said earnestly. "Don't you trust him? There's no need to leave at all. I'd come hang out with you every day and practice swordsmanship with you!" Niya seemed slightly swayed, but shook her head nonetheless. "I won't accept any help from him." "B-but, what if you treat it as me helping you?" Feili had a sudden flash of inspiration. "Yaxiu promised to grant all my wishes! My wish is for you to live somewhere safe and comfortable. You wouldn't be accepting his help, you'd be accepting mine!" "Do I look like someone who deceives herself?" Niya's tone turned cold. "I'm not like you. I won't be some little pet kept by someone else." Feili blinked, mumbling, "I can fight alongside Yaxiu!" "Then you're a combat pet, happy?" Niya shook off Feili's hand and glanced at Yaxiu. "I'm off." "Yeah." Yaxiu had anticipated this, and waved goodbye to her. Niya had refused his help from the start; even though their relations had softened now, she still wouldn't accept it. What she cared about wasn't something like comfort, but a hidden refuge where she could feel at peace. Even if she truly trusted Yaxiu, she couldn't change her habits overnight. But now, if she ran into trouble, there was at least a chance she might ask Yaxiu for help. With that in mind, Yaxiu called out, "Niya, wait! Let me give you my phone number." Hearing Yaxiu's words, Niya only walked faster, even breaking into an outright run. Left with no choice, Yaxiu signaled Weixi and Feili to wait where they were, then sprinted after her. Seeing Niya turn into an alley, he turned in after her. The footsteps in the alley soon subsided, because the person running ahead had already stopped and was waiting. "Why did you run so fast?" Yaxiu walked up to Niya and asked, puzzled, "I just wanted to give you my phone number so you can reach me if something comes up." Niya retorted, "Nothing will come up." "I mean, if you run into trouble later—" "I told you, I won't have any trouble!" Yaxiu blinked, hesitating for a moment. "Then you can reach out to me even if nothing's wrong." This time Niya didn't argue back. Yaxiu waited a moment, then said, "We don't have a pen. Aren't you going to take out your phone to save it? I'm worried you'll misremember." "...My phone broke a long time ago." Niya turned her head away. "SIM cards require real-name registration, which I don't have." Yaxiu thought about it, then shoved his own phone straight into her hand. "Then use mine. I'll get a new phone tomorrow and send you the number, or you can just call anyone in the contacts: 'Feili', 'Rose', 'Weixi', 'Blonde Auntie', or 'Dark-Skinned Son'. Every single one of them can reach me." Niya furrowed her brows. "You have a son?" "...Those are two of my friends. They respect me as they would a father, which is why I labeled them like that." Niya checked the phone and raised an eyebrow. "Your pet and your maid message you an awful lot." "That's Feili!" Yaxiu said more sternly. "Jokes are one thing, but in normal conversation, don't call her that." "Pet, pet, pet, pet, pet! She's your pet!" Niya bristled instantly. "I'll say it if I want! What right do you have to boss me around?!" Yaxiu sighed. He glanced toward the mouth of the alley and said, "Let's leave it at that, then. Stay in touch, stay safe, and see you next time." When Yaxiu turned and took one step, two steps, three steps, that familiar resistance tugged from behind again, as if something had caught hold of him. He turned around to see Niya gripping the hem of his clothes. "Is there something else?" Niya lightly bit her lower lip. Her eyes looked down at the ground, glanced up at him, and immediately drifted away again. "I'm leaving." "Yeah." Yaxiu nodded. "I know, and I'm not stopping you." Niya's face flushed red, and her voice rose a notch. "I'm leaving!" Yaxiu pondered for a moment, then ventured tentatively, "You don't actually want to leave? Are you waiting for me to ask you to stay?" "No! I'm definitely leaving! I will never accept even a single shred of help from you!" Niya declared resolutely, "I'm not like that p... like Feili!" Yaxiu was utterly confused. "Then what on earth do you want?" Niya pressed her lips tight. Beneath her red hair, the face bearing a cross-shaped scar showed both embarrassment and anger, yet her eyes fixed timidly on Yaxiu like a newborn fawn's, veiled in a faint, misty glaze. "I'm leaving," she repeated weakly, on the verge of tears. Yet three fingers of her right hand still gripped the hem of Yaxiu's shirt, as though if he didn't understand today, she wouldn't let him leave today. 'If I'd known it would come to this, I should have studied under Igola...' Looking at Niya, who was putting on a brave face yet looked so lost, Yaxiu still didn't completely understand, but he vaguely sensed what she wanted. With one hand around her waist and the other slipping into her hair, Yaxiu gently pulled Niya into his embrace. He could feel her body tense with extreme nervousness, but truth be told, he was very nervous too. Not only could he not comprehend Niya's feelings, he didn't even know what his own feelings were supposed to be. Niya stood motionless as a block of wood. She didn't reach out to hug him back, only pressed herself silently and tightly against his body—so forcefully that it almost felt as if she were trying to push him away. Yaxiu felt exasperated yet helpless, so he simply held Niya tightly, her petite frame almost melting into his embrace. After an indeterminate time, Yaxiu heard two soft coughs from against his chest. He immediately let go, and Niya swiftly pulled away from his embrace, turning around so only the back of her head faced him. "I'm leaving." With that, Niya quickly made her way down the alley, her red hair fluttering and her steps light. Even without seeing her face, one could sense the lingering good mood in her stride. Yaxiu scratched his head, turned, and walked out of the alley, only to spot Weixi leaning against the wall at the corner of the entrance. "Say whatever you want to say," Yaxiu said with a curl of his lip. "It's still your day off, so do as you please." "Nothing of the sort. I don't think you did anything wrong at all. On the contrary, I think you did the right thing." Weixi patted his shoulder. "Carpe diem, after all." "What do you mean?" "I assumed you understood what I meant," Weixi said leisurely. "Niya is Sword Princess's projection, isn't she?" Yaxiu hadn't expected to hide it from the Spectre Prophet anyway, so he nodded. "That's it, then. Having a substitute is better than having none at all." "I never viewed her as a substitute." Yaxiu stared hard at Weixi. "And words like that are forbidden." "Say whatever you like," Weixi poked Yaxiu's chest with a finger. "But do you truly understand our situation? "Only in the Country of All Stars, where void wings can be snapped, can we avoid the descent of Hell. Once we return to reality, our void wings will grow at breakneck speed, and when that happens, we will be forced to face the advancement ritual. "In other words," for some reason, a sadistic pleasure surged in Weixi's heart once again, and she laid bare that brutal truth directly to Yaxiu: "If you are willing to stay in the Country of All Stars, you can go on living. "But if you insist on returning to reality just to reunite with Sword Princess and Witch..." Then waiting for you is nothing but Hell.