That Woman Descended upon This Woman!

Ye Huan was utterly dumbfounded. He was a young man from the modern era, well-traveled, knowledgeable, and possessed of immense psychological fortitude. What hadn't he seen? He truly had never seen this. *Wait!* His gaze shifted upward, fixing on the identity label floating above her head. The line that read "Black Tide Concealer" gradually blurred, slowly transforming into new words: *Assistant Archivist of the Flesh Archive (Ether Field...)* Ye Huan felt his breath hitch and hastily pulled his eyes away. The difficulty breathing stemmed from a drain on his mental energy. He could clearly sense that there was more text cut off after "Ether Field," but his current mental strength was simply insufficient to sustain such an appraisal. What was an Ether Field? "Hello," the woman spoke. "H-hello. I don't know what's going on... Everything was going so smoothly just a moment ago..." An innocent, bashful expression typical of an eighteen-year-old boy appeared on Ye Huan's face. The woman did not answer. She merely pressed her hand against the wall beside them. The wall instantly transformed into a churning mass of pure flesh and blood. An entire wall of it. Densely packed human faces constantly surfaced and sank away. Though composed of meat and gore, it resembled an abyss where human faces ceaselessly floated up, bulged outward, and submerged again to be replaced by others. "Found it," the woman said. A face emerged from the wall of flesh. It was Ye Huan's face. "Explain the circumstances of the last time you used the Ritual Fire. Remember, do not lie. I am very busy," the woman said. *The Ritual Fire.* Understanding dawned on Ye Huan in a flash. His Ritual Fire was "missing"! So she had come knocking to investigate what happened? No, that didn't seem quite right. In truth, if he hadn't come to inspect this stronghold, he wouldn't have run into a Black Tide Concealer, nor would he have triggered any of this. So had he walked straight into the lion's den on his own? Ye Huan suddenly looked down. Long, sharp fangs rose beneath his feet, gliding upward gently to close around his waist. With just a slight exertion of force, these razor-sharp horrors could effortlessly crunch an ordinary human in two. *Should I run?* Out of the corner of his eye, the elevator had vanished. Outside the window hung a colossal, blood-red crescent moon. Every now and then, massive, indistinct silhouettes swept across the sky. *—There's no running.* Ye Huan adopted a soft, timid tone: "Yesterday, after so much careful preparation, I finally completed the ritual. A total of three souls." "Good. Let me check." The woman reached out, pressing her palm against "Ye Huan's" face on the wall, seemingly retrieving information. "Indeed, that took place. You even received commendation." A faint smile touched her lips. Ye Huan seized the opening to add, "I once ran into an underground passage at the hospital, along with a person who clearly shouldn't exist. He demanded souls from me—could this be related to that?" "That cannot be determined yet. By the way, how did you find this place? I checked our records; no one informed you of this stronghold," the woman asked. Her words contained very little information. Yet every single syllable carried weight. It was practically certain that his visit here as an investigator had coincidentally crossed paths with a member of the Black Tide Cult. Only then had all this been triggered. The Ritual Fire had come from the modified Iron Hand technique, which originated from a Black Tide cultist. After completing the ritual, he had witnessed that gargantuan woman's head in the sky. Everything lined up! Yet— If he spoke the truth and revealed his identity as an investigator, what would await him? On the other hand, if he lied and was seen through, his fate would be grim. What should he do? *Stick to the truth as much as possible.* "After sacrificing those three souls, I came into a bit of money. So I started looking around for an apartment, never expecting I'd stumble right into one of the organization's strongholds." As Ye Huan spoke, he pulled out his phone and displayed his chat history with the rental agent before her. The woman studied it carefully, nodded, and suddenly asked, "Came into money? How much did you get for killing those three?" Ye Huan's heart skipped a beat. *How much money did I get?* That had nothing to do with determining why the Ritual Fire had disappeared. *She actually cares about money?* There was a way through this. Ye Huan immediately brought up his credit account balance. Up to this point, he was showing her nothing but the truth. At the very least, neither the number of sacrificed souls nor the credits in his bank account could be faked. "Over seven thousand..." the woman murmured in surprise as she stared at his balance. A fleeting daze flashed through her eyes. This sum actually combined the mining company's reward and back pay, his previous savings, and the cash taken off the three assassins. It truly was a massive sum. Considering a bowl of noodles cost a mere single credit, the purchasing power of credits was immense. Her title was Assistant Archivist. Generally speaking, above an assistant there should be junior, intermediate, and senior ranks. As an assistant, her pay was likely near the very bottom of their hierarchy. Even cultists were human. And humans needed money. Ye Huan lowered his voice. "Share and share alike. I'll give you half—please, cut me some slack. Once I complete the next ritual and climb higher in the cult, I definitely won't forget you." The woman glanced at him, as if seeking confirmation. Ye Huan gave a firm, resolute nod. Silence hung in the air. Yet Ye Huan had already made three things abundantly clear: First, everything he showed was real and unfeigned. Second, he wanted to climb the ranks of the cult—an ambition that obliquely proved his "innocence." And once his path forward was paved, it would trigger the third point: Third, as long as he reaped benefits, he wouldn't forget her; she would always get a share. The corners of the woman's mouth tightened slightly, a spark of light flickering in her eyes. At this moment, there was no telling what she was thinking or what decision she had reached. "All that we possess is dedicated to the Great Existence. Nothing I do will compromise my principles; it shall bring proper benefit to the Great Existence." After declaring this solemnly, she reached into the wall of flesh and drew out a squirming tome, flipping to a particular page. Standing shoulder to shoulder with Ye Huan, she read the contents inscribed on the parchment aloud: "'The loss of Ritual Fire is a common occurrence, categorized into nine cases.' "'Six of these cases warrant immediate execution. However, if the practitioner performed exceptionally well yet encountered demons, unknowable entities, or similar beings that seized the ritual flame, the special circumstance protocol shall be triggered.' "'In response to this special circumstance, the following measures shall be taken:' "'1. Summon the will of the Great Existence to bestow a higher-grade Ritual Fire;' "'2. Place a ritual trap upon the practitioner, which shall immediately activate upon encountering ether-type attacks to summon the Great Will for inspection;' "'3. The Great Will shall mandate a reciprocal ritual for executing this clause, which must be fulfilled.' "Do you accept?" "I accept," Ye Huan replied without hesitation. Because the woman stood right beside him, he could clearly read the other conditions governing lost Ritual Fire on the page. Indeed, eight of the cases ruled for immediate execution. This was his only path to survival. The moment he gave his consent, Ye Huan extended his phone beneath the flesh tome toward her. The woman looked down and saw the screen was already set to the transfer page. The amount entered below was 3,500. The recipient account field was empty, awaiting input. Without taking the phone, the woman held the flesh tome in one hand and swiftly tapped the screen with the other, entering an account number. She tapped "Confirm." Transfer successful. 3,500 credits deposited! "Next time I make it big and you come for me, please look out for me. I'll be sure to return the favor," Ye Huan whispered softly into her ear. These words, spoken at the precise moment the transfer went through, carried the greatest conviction. "Hush now. I am executing the clause. The Great Existence is descending," the woman said in a hushed, gentle voice. Ye Huan promptly drew his phone back, clicked off the screen, and slipped it into his pocket. Only then did the woman press her hand flat against the page. A burst of scarlet flame abruptly erupted from her body. The moment the fire appeared, eight armored skeletons clutching long sabers manifested out of thin air, dropping to their knees in unison as they chanted incantations. An invisible force surged from the flesh tome, channeling straight toward the heavens— The woman shuddered violently for several seconds. Suddenly, her pupils contracted into vertical slits, and her feet drifted off the ground as five-colored flames erupted from the floor, spinning ceaselessly around her. Her expression, appearance, and aura changed completely. Ye Huan's heart sank. This presence no longer belonged to her, but to *that* woman— The colossal woman's head he had pleased when he unleashed the flames to complete his ritual! That woman had descended upon this woman! "It really is you!" Ye Huan cried out in feigned agitation. "Why did you abandon me? Why did you reclaim the ritual flame? Did I do something wrong?" he pressed further. The woman gazed at him silently, her eyes sweeping over him from head to toe. "I was wondering how an ordinary human boy who had only cultivated Iron Hand... could possibly strip away my favor." "It seems it was not your fault." "The judgment this time was correct." She glided gracefully before Ye Huan and raised her hand. A dark green flame rose from her palm, burning noiselessly. "This flame is far stronger than your previous one." "Hold it well." "If anyone plots against this Ritual Fire again, I shall descend immediately to stand up for you." The woman glanced out the window, her brow furrowing. "This is already the limit. Touching the city's ether ceiling will trigger alarms—" "Serve me well." She placed the flame into Ye Huan's palm and murmured softly, "Conduct a ritual within one week and bring me the souls of one hundred people, and you may keep this incomparably potent ritual flame." Before her voice had fully faded, everything dissolved into nothingness. Ye Huan found himself still standing in front of the elevator. The corridor was empty. The apartment door was tightly shut. No man had stepped out to turn into a woman, nor was there any dark green fire. He stood in silence for a few seconds, then suddenly raised his hand. *Whoosh.* A dark green flame materialized above his palm. —It was real! Inside his mind, a message abruptly surged forth: *Extremely dangerous Ritual Fire detected. Please sacrifice it immediately to convert it into harmless skill points!* *This is for your own safety!* *It can still be sacrificed.* Ye Huan couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. Bringing one hundred souls within a week would let him keep the flame, but what if he failed to conduct the ritual and offer those souls? The outcome went without saying. Fortunately, he could sacrifice it to the tree! However, if he conducted another sacrifice like this and lost the Ritual Fire a second time— there likely wouldn't be any room left to talk his way out of it.