In the banquet hall, golden light spilled down from the vaulted ceiling, bathing every face in a warm, gentle glow.
Curious, probing, scrutinizing, admiring... All eyes converged upon Bai Zhou in unison. Prominent figures outdid one another in projecting genial, friendly expressions, while countless muted conversations hummed together in a steady murmur.
Crystal glasses clinked softly from time to time. The rich aromas of roasted foie gras and roasted pork knuckles drifted through the air. Chefs in tall white toques sliced steak behind food stations and snipped the shells of king crab legs. Silverware and porcelain chimed crisp and clear, and servers bearing trays glided through the crowd like fish weaving through water...
It was a lively, bustling scene.
Bai Zhou met their gazes with an impassive, calm expression, prompting these figures of high standing to marvel inwardly: as expected of a young talent chronicled into Tinghai's history, capable of remaining completely unflustered at such a young age in a setting like this. He truly possessed the demeanor of a commander.
In truth, however, Bai Zhou was cursing up a storm in his head.
There's an unholy monstrosity at the party, don't you people know?!
You so-called big shots, a bunch of self-proclaimed high-level Extraordinaries safeguarding Tinghai's reality... how did you manage to let a King of Wicked Desires—or rather, a quasi–King of Wicked Desires—slip right in?!
Moreover, considering Picasso's gruesome demise, Bai Zhou had good reason to suspect that this quasi–King of Wicked Desires was probably on the verge of dropping the "quasi."
Bai Zhou had no idea how the Principal had managed to recover so quickly and advance even further after entering reality...
Fortunately, the Principal still had reservations; mingling among the crowd, he showed no immediate intention of approaching Bai Zhou.
"There isn't the slightest aura of a King of Wicked Desires on this Principal anymore," Crow said with a furrowed brow. "How strange. When we saw him at the foot of Zhenlu Mountain last time, he still carried a trace of the Ruin Realm's wicked desires."
Hearing this, Bai Zhou glanced at Crow beside him and suddenly felt that a King of Wicked Desires sneaking into a gathering of humans wasn't so unacceptable after all.
After all, there was already an invisible mystery person right here whom no one else could see...
Bai Zhou heard Crow's voice murmur faintly by his ear:
"Yet now... this man looks entirely like a human. And what's more, a human above Level 6."
Crow appeared thoughtful. "It seems something definitely happened while we weren't looking—something that allowed him to slip into someone's clothes and become that person."
Bai Zhou's heart tightened. Even Gem Witch sensed his vigilance and suspicion, casting an inquiring glance his way.
"Don't be nervous. This Principal might not have assumed this person's identity just for you... He might simply want to blend into this world," Crow analyzed. "After all, once a King of Wicked Desires is exposed, the authorities will relentlessly hunt him to the ends of the earth... Perhaps no one imagined he would dare infiltrate this very banquet."
'This Principal truly has tricks up his sleeve...' At that moment, the Principal's image grew even more enigmatic in Bai Zhou's mind.
"Still, risking his neck to attend this banquet—he probably is here for you," Crow said, her eyes flickering. "If the opportunity arises, maybe you could go talk to him."
'Talk to him?' Bai Zhou said nothing, only giving Crow a faint, sullen look.
"I actually understand your reservations, and I know this man is exceedingly dangerous... But I believe you can tell that he doesn't seem to harbor malice toward you," Crow said, narrowing her eyes. "After all, he had plenty of chances to strike at you, yet not only did he hold back, he even intercepted Picasso on your behalf."
Bai Zhou understood that reasoning.
Yet Bai Zhou was even more acutely aware that it was this very Principal who had transferred the gatekeeper identity to him to pull off a golden-cicada-sheds-its-shell escape from the Inverted Ruin Realm. To a certain extent, he had pushed Bai Zhou straight into an unavoidable collision course with the demon, setting him up for a massive trap.
Yet he had also genuinely helped Bai Zhou, and more than once.
On one hand, those not of one's kind are bound to harbor different intentions; on the other, the man had repeatedly shown goodwill of his own accord...
Someone with unknown motives, cryptic behavior, and erratic whims that defied deduction... was precisely the type of person Bai Zhou wanted to deal with least. Otherwise, one day he might be sold out by the man and still cheerfully help him count the money.
"Didn't he say so at the foot of Zhenlu Mountain? He has something to give you, and matters to discuss with you." Crow narrowed her eyes, her gaze shimmering. "I'm very curious—what could those be?"
Then, Crow offered comforting words: "With so many eyes on you at the banquet, even if this Principal possessed gall the size of the heavens, he wouldn't dare pull anything funny on you here."
Fair enough, Bai Zhou mused.
He indeed needed to have a good talk with the Principal to ascertain his motives and thoughts... and no setting was more fitting than tonight's banquet.
"Mr. Bai Zhou." A middle-aged man in a dark gray suit stepped forward, a glass of champagne in hand. His smile was measured to perfection, neither fawning nor aloof. "I have long admired your great renown. Meeting you tonight is truly an honor."
"Thank you." Bai Zhou took a token sip of the red wine in his hand.
"I am..." The middle-aged man had barely started to speak when others crowded in.
One, two, three... In the blink of an eye, a dense circle formed around Bai Zhou.
Each was dressed in formal attire befitting the gala, and just from their poise, gait, and bearing, one could tell they all came from extraordinary backgrounds.
These individuals, each capable of causing Tinghai to tremble with a stomp of their foot in the outside world, now gathered enthusiastically around Bai Zhou.
After all, Bai Zhou was tonight's indisputable sole protagonist.
Some introduced themselves, some proffered business cards, some probed with subtle hints, some made discreet inquiries into the details of Bai Zhou's past, and others merely wanted to make an impression.
Frankly, Bai Zhou was utterly unaccustomed to handling such occasions, but thankfully, he had Crow by his side.
Guided by Crow's whispered pointers, Bai Zhou responded with seamless poise, not at all like an eighteen-year-old youth, but rather like an old hand seasoned by years in high society's vanity fairs. Those surrounding Bai Zhou were privately astounded, finding him completely at odds with the simple, rustic boy described in their intelligence reports.
Who compiled this intelligence and character profile? When they got back, that intelligence officer would definitely be exiled to scrub aquarium gravel!
Suddenly, the crowd parted to either side like the waters of the Red Sea split by Moses in the Bible, opening a pathway.
"Mr. Bai Zhou... is that right?" Amidst the crowd's awed looks, someone approached at an unhurried pace, her voice aristocratic and indolent.
"And you are...?" Bai Zhou looked up. The woman speaking was walking toward him holding a champagne flute, followed respectfully by two suit-clad retainers with bowed heads.
She wore a crimson gown with a plunging neckline, trimmed with gold thread. Her long golden hair curled slightly at the tips, and her voluptuous, enchanting figure was impossible to ignore. At her collarbones hung a delicate ruby necklace, perfectly accenting the faintly visible porcelain cleavage.
Before Bai Zhou could react, Miss Crow beside him curled her lips in disgust at the sight of the woman's outfit, especially that revealing neckline. "What kind of getup is that... Indecent!!"
Despite Miss Crow's words, Bai Zhou noticed that not a soul dared let their gaze wander where it shouldn't; in fact, most guests present did not even dare look directly at this undeniable beauty.
The gown clung to her more like an imperial robe of majesty. Her walk was far from coy or swayed; it was formidable and commanding, as though she were simply showing off her figure with triumphant pride—which was perhaps precisely why Crow had instinctively taken an aversion to her.
Her chin was tilted slightly upward, an arrogance ingrained to the bone, like a noble princess. Her pendant, earrings, and other adornments were opulent in the extreme, and paired with the submissive attendants trailing behind her, she seemed like a royal sovereign gracing the room.
"Good evening, Mr. Bai Zhou. I am Yun Wanzhou of the Red Umbrella Group." This formidable "princess" proactively displayed warmth before Bai Zhou. "I heard you hail from a place called Wancheng. Bai Zhou of Wancheng, and I am Yun Wanzhou... Perhaps fate has brought us together."
There really was a wordplay there. Bai Zhou was speechless.
"Starting today, all of Tinghai will firmly remember the name Bai Zhou." She turned her head slightly, revealing the graceful contours of her neck. "Yet at times, that also brings a great deal of trouble."
"If you are interested," she said, offering Bai Zhou a business card, which he accepted, "the doors of the Red Umbrella Group will always remain open to you."
"And furthermore..." She winked at Bai Zhou, her gaze sly and full of meaning. "I, personally, look forward to becoming much closer with our Mr. Savior~"
Just then, a voice rang out nearby: "Don't listen to her!"
The crisp clack of tall boots striking the floor followed closely behind.
Dark green hair swayed as the newcomer arrived, dressed in a sharply tailored military-style formal suit. Golden buttons ran all the way to her collar, and a narrow leather belt cinched her waist, accentuating her tall, slender figure.
Upon her face, which combined elegance with solemnity, a sharp gaze swept over Yun Wanzhou before turning solemnly toward Bai Zhou, her spine held straight as a ramrod.
"Lin Xiao of the Black Star Group." She gave a crisp, clean self-introduction, then extended her hand to Bai Zhou for a handshake. Beside her stood a capable-looking female bodyguard in a suit with a single ponytail.
"I've heard about your feats—riding a tricycle onto the highway, taking down both a saint and a demon on your own... It is truly the stuff of legends, deeply admirable."
Saying so, she cast a glance at the woman in red embroidered with gold thread, frowning slightly. "A hero such as yourself must not be deceived by some people's superficial warmth."
"Yun Wanzhou of the Red Umbrella Group is a venomous spider that devours people bones and all. You can tell just by how much everyone fears her."
Amidst the hall's toasts and chatter, Yun Wanzhou of the Red Umbrella Group tossed her gently curled golden locks. Hearing the other woman's words, she took no offense, even offering a light laugh.
Yet that charming smile lacked the slightest warmth, the alluring corners of her mouth curving into a dangerous arc.
"Lin Xiao, why do you pop up everywhere?" she murmured airily. "Do you love trailing behind this young mistress so much? Tailing me like a shadow—it reeks of sheer jealousy."
"You're still the same as you were back then: ignoring the candy in your own hand just to snatch the lollipop from mine."
At this, Lin Xiao scoffed coldly. "Stop always bringing up childhood. We aren't that close!"
"Furthermore—"
"This time is different," Lin Xiao said, looking squarely at Yun Wanzhou. "Mr. Bai Zhou is not a lollipop that belongs to you. All of Tinghai owes him a debt of gratitude—and our families even more so."
Lin Xiao placed heavy emphasis on "belongs to you."
With that, Lin Xiao turned back to Bai Zhou, stood at attention with heels together, and respectfully offered a business card with both hands. "My father, the president of the Black Star Group, would very much like to meet with you."
"With so many eyes and ears here, it is inconvenient. Whenever you have free time, you may call the number on this card. A dedicated car will be dispatched to pick you up, or my father will come to visit you in person."
Bai Zhou: "..."
Taking the business card and looking at the two exquisite, weighty cards in his hand, Bai Zhou was momentarily at a loss for words.
How had he, an ordinarily low-profile kid from Wancheng, suddenly turned into such a hot commodity?
In a resplendent banquet hall lined with red carpet, beneath the scorching gazes of the onlookers, two heiresses of entirely different charms—one golden, one emerald green—were locked in open rivalry and subtle intrigue, all just to win his friendship and vie for his favor...
As a veteran fugitive accustomed to crouching on air conditioner outdoor units, sleeping in half-finished buildings, hiding in dumpster sheds, and not even daring to venture under bridge arches, Bai Zhou found this drastic shift profoundly disorienting.
No wonder adventurers sleeping rough in the wilderness regarded slaying the Demon King and becoming heroes as their life's ultimate pursuit; it meant an adventurer could move from the woods into the royal palace, live free of worldly want, marry the princess, and reach the pinnacle of life...
Life... Bai Zhou could not help but sigh inwardly. Life truly was a wondrous thing; a person could never foresee where they would be or what they would be doing just one week later.
"..." Not far off, Fang Xiaoxia whispered to Gem Witch beside her, "What are they doing?"
"Talking about grown-up business. Pay him no mind," Gem Witch said with a twitch of her lips, handing Fang Xiaoxia a cup of freshly squeezed apple juice. "Taste this... Oh, Xiaoxia, do you want some ham? I'll fetch some for you."
"Mm... I want to try that blue lobster," Fang Xiaoxia said, turning her head.
"A little shrimp eating a lobster?" Gem Witch shook her head, muttering wryly as she stood up to get the lobster, "Why torment each other so harshly?"
Fang Xiaoxia didn't quite catch the joke, then suddenly winced, sticking out her tongue with a miserable face: "This apple juice... is so sour!"
In fact, the two of them had also been surrounded by noblewomen earlier, but they quickly realized that the primary motive of those high-society ladies was to pry into their relationship with Bai Zhou.
Directly or indirectly, they wanted to use Fang Xiaoxia and Gem Witch to get acquainted with the star of the night, or even sought their help in introducing their own daughters to him...
Gem Witch and Fang Xiaoxia had zero interest in such schemes and simply couldn't be bothered to entertain them.
Instead, they devoted themselves to eating and drinking, sampling pork knuckle one moment and caviar the next—incidentally, Fang Xiaoxia despised the fishy taste of caviar.
Gradually, finding no traction, the noblewomen dispersed from their side.
In contrast, Bai Zhou was thoroughly troubled. The two women before him were hardly ordinary characters; responding to them required no small amount of mental gymnastics, and for the life of him, he couldn't find a way to slip away.
He even spotted the Principal standing among the onlookers nearby, watching his student besieged by two of Tinghai's most renowned heiresses. Looking thoroughly amused by the spectacle, the man had downed two glasses of champagne and half a bottle of Château Lafite.
How had it come to this? It was supposed to be a joyous victory banquet, a rare moment of relaxation. Two happy occasions brought together, so why had it ended up like this...?
A dazzling spread of food lay right in front of him; Bai Zhou desperately wanted to go over to the buffet tables and gorge himself in peace. After charging through the rainy night for so long, he had almost forgotten when he had last eaten...
"All right, girls." A voice drifted over from a distance, drawing near as its cadence trailed off. "Stop giving our Mr. Savior a hard time."
The crowd parted once again of its own accord. A woman approached holding a glass of red wine, her long crimson hair blazing like fire, draped in a pure white gown, her azure eyes mirroring the very hue of the sky.
Upon seeing the newcomer, the two heiresses who had just been baring their claws like spirited cats instantly lost their swagger. Whether the sultry Yun Wanzhou or the poised Lin Xiao, both turned notably subdued under her overwhelming presence.
For every movement of this woman was poised and magnanimous, carrying an elegant grandeur imbued with an authoritative conviction born of deep conviction. Every action of hers appeared profoundly noble, evoking images of ancient knights who symbolized justice.
Glancing at Yun Wanzhou and Lin Xiao, she offered a gentle smile. "Ladies, the protagonist of tonight isn't either of you. There is no need to keep stealing the spotlight here."
Though she looked about the same age, all of them in their early twenties in the bloom of youth, standing there, she inexplicably felt like the eldest sister among the three.
"Now then, pardon me, everyone." The young woman winked at Bai Zhou, then addressed the surrounding crowd: "Those upstairs wish to see Bai Zhou. I need to escort him over first."
Hearing this, the onlookers exchanged glances, yet none dared voice any objection.
Led by the woman, Bai Zhou made his way through the crowd while listening to her quiet explanation: "The Yun family of the Red Umbrella Group, the Lin family of the Black Star Group, the Luo family of the Zijing Group, and the Su family of the Blue Eucalyptus Group behind me are the four largest conglomerates in Tinghai."
"...Though soon, there will only be three."
Walking leisurely along the red carpet ahead, the woman quietly brought Bai Zhou up to speed: "The various members of the Luo family have already been placed under custody. The Zijing Group may appear intact on the surface, but it has reached its most precarious hour. At tonight's banquet, the Hall of Statutes will assemble everyone to deliberate on how to deal with the Zijing Group. Naturally, the remaining three conglomerates will be the biggest beneficiaries carving up the cake."
Saying so, the woman turned her head, her fiery crimson hair swaying softly as she winked at Bai Zhou behind her. "Thus, the prized jewels of the Yun and Lin family patriarchs naturally harbor gratitude and look upon you with great favor... Countless heirs of powerful figures and young elites have pined after them for ages, yet few have ever earned a second glance."
Bai Zhou finally understood. So they represented the other rival conglomerates. No wonder others held them in such awe, and no wonder they were suddenly taking such an active interest in him.
"A sudden shift in the winds, and your fame echoes through the realm," the woman teased. "Right now, in Tinghai's mystical world, the name Bai Zhou carries far more weight than any conglomerate. Everyone wants to see what kind of extraordinary being saved this city, yet when they actually come to the banquet, they find it hard to believe such a hero could be so young."
"Yet only romantic young maidens will believe it without hesitation the moment they lay eyes on you." She chuckled. "Youthful maidens believe most fiercely that a hero ought to be a young man. And those proud heiresses are just like ancient princesses—in their minds, they either remain unmarried or wed an incomparable hero worthy of them. After all, their dowry is half of Tinghai."
Bai Zhou blinked. The woman continued playfully: "If you could marry either of them, that conglomerate's vast empire spanning reality and the Ruin Realm, along with all their resources and pathway inheritances, would all be yours."
While they spoke, the two had left the crowd behind, arriving at a relatively quiet corner on the banquet hall's second floor. A round table stood here, laden with several refreshments. Elder Song, Director Qi, and Commander Qin were seated here, with an elderly man between them whom Bai Zhou did not recognize.
"Mission accomplished. The guest is delivered." The woman paused, turning toward Bai Zhou.
Only now did she formally introduce herself for the first time: "I am Su Xing—Su as in revival, and Xing as in awakening from a dream. I'd be delighted if you remember the name, but you're also free to forget it once you wake up tomorrow."
Her sky-blue eyes seemed to reflect a cloudless sky. Taking a deep look at Bai Zhou's face, she said softly, "I hope you have fond memories of tonight. Until next time."
Su Xing... Watching her retreating figure, Bai Zhou watched her flowing crimson hair burn like an ever-blazing fire in his vision. Indeed, it was a name easily remembered, and hard to forget.
"Snap out of it, lad." Elder Song's familiar voice brought Bai Zhou back to reality. He turned to find Elder Song wearing a teasing smirk. "How does it feel to be a hero? Surrounded by adoring crowds, toasted by beautiful women..."
Commander Qin of the FZDC was uncharacteristically without his lab coat today, his bird's-nest hair neatly combed. At this moment, he wagged his head. "A young man—this is how youth should be!" He added, "I don't think we should have called him up so early and interrupted his triumphant, glorious moment."
"Give it a rest, Old Qin," Director Qi of the Anomaly Investigation Bureau restrained Commander Qin. "The Chief has something to say."
The Chief...? Bai Zhou's heart tightened, his gaze immediately landing on the unfamiliar face seated in their midst.
An elderly man whose eyes gleamed with piercing vitality. Though his beard and hair were entirely silver, it only augmented his imposing aura of majesty. Sure enough, the man nodded at Bai Zhou and spoke in a deliberate voice: "Greetings, Bai Zhou. I am the Statute Emissary of the Tinghai Hall of Statutes, essentially the highest authority overseeing all matters of the mystical world in this city."
With that, he rose to his feet and extended a hand to shake Bai Zhou's. "Legends and miracles always exist in the mystical world, but in days past, we only heard of them as distant tales—rarely in a small place like Tinghai." He sighed with emotion. "For Tinghai to have someone like you is Tinghai's honor; yet that Tinghai forced such a figure to emerge is our grave dereliction of duty!"
Lowering his voice, he spoke in a solemn, heavy tone: "Had our official institutions not failed from within, you would never have been driven to such extremes... This is our failure, and every negligent party shall pay the price for it. As compensation, we hope to do something for you." The Statute Emissary's words were earnest. "Tell me, is there anything you need our help with..."
"Oh, right." As if recalling something, the Statute Emissary reached into his breast pocket and fished around. "I heard that earlier today, you mentioned to Old Song's secretary that you needed Major Luo's relics regarding potion lore... In truth, when sorting through the man's effects, we found no indication that he understood potions at all... However, we did discover this in a hidden compartment." The Statute Emissary drew out an aged, thick leather-bound notebook. "I do not know whether this is what you need."
The notebook was severely worn, its corners curled and frayed, the leather cover covered in fine scratches and unidentified dark-brown stains. Several deep indentations, looking like both script and gouges, were arranged in an uncanny pattern. It was thick—thick as a tome.
"Upon appraisal, this appears to be Wu Lao's notebook; it seems he gifted it to Major Luo." The Statute Emissary shook his head. "However, he encrypted it with rituals, and we lack the corresponding decryption method. If you require assistance, I can reassign some ritualists over..."
While he spoke, Bai Zhou had already carefully opened the old leather notebook. Sure enough, once opened, the pages were covered in indecipherable scrawls like talismanic scribbles, utterly illegible. If one stared closely for a while, the characters seemed to come alive and squirm before one's eyes. It seemed Wu Lao had applied an encryption ritual to his notes.
Furthermore, as Bai Zhou observed and examined it more closely, he discovered that across different pages and sections, distinct ritual locks had been used for encryption. If broken by brute force, the notebook would self-destruct the moment the rituals were destroyed.
'An impressive miniature ritual lock,' Bai Zhou thought to himself.
Yet by a stroke of luck, this was the one thing Bai Zhou did not fear.
For ritualists unfamiliar with the rite, cracking it was indeed fraught with peril, risking the destruction of the knowledge preserved within.
Yet Bai Zhou had no need to crack it.
It was merely a miniature ritual... He possessed Celestial Pivot.
However difficult it was, could it possibly be harder than restoring the walls of the Xiluo Empire?
Buzz...
Arcane depths swirled in his eyes as Celestial Pivot quietly initiated. Within three brief seconds, Bai Zhou's mind simulated over two hundred ritual permutations. Then, he discerned the trajectory of the rites upon the notebook.
Immediately following that, with a soft hum...
Celestial Pivot within Bai Zhou's mind morphed into the exact shape of the ritual on the notebook before him.
Synchronizing, interfacing...
Bypassing the superficial ritual locks, Bai Zhou saw the contents inside the notebook.
Like a fish plunging into an ocean of knowledge.
The first page was covered in dense lines of text, the handwriting hurried yet forceful, flanked by a few crude anatomical sketches depicting internal organs of some unrecognizable creature, annotated with bizarre numerals and symbols. The second page held experimental sketches for a ritual; the third, proportions of medicinal ingredients; the fourth, fragments of what seemed like lost incantations, alongside indecipherable, cryptic doodles akin to a personal code.
The fifth page, the sixth page...
Under the astonished gaze of the prominent figures, Bai Zhou flipped rapidly through the pages, using Celestial Pivot with every turn to bypass each new ritual lock.
'To think...'
The more Bai Zhou read, the more astounded he became, for the contents of this notebook were remarkably vast, eclectic, and profound. Beneath the ritual locks, the tiny script crammed into each single page contained the equivalent of nearly half an ordinary book, all compressed within. Not only rituals, but Wu Lao's occult studies on biological anatomy, his theoretical deductions for future research topics—and naturally, records of various magic patterns.
[Firearm Rapid-Fire Additional Magic Pattern], [Bullet-Curving Additional Magic Pattern], [Blade Armor-Piercing Magic Pattern], [Iron Wall Hardening Magic Pattern]... One had to remember that most enchanted equipment in Tinghai originated from the Armory, and the Armory's magic pattern craft stemmed directly from this very Wu Lao. His mastery of magic patterns was an undisputed pinnacle in Tinghai's mystical world!
Even after just a cursory browse, Bai Zhou felt profoundly enlightened, his heart shaken.
This notebook—it was very likely the culmination of Wu Lao's lifelong learning and the quintessence of his disciplines!
'Why would Wu Lao give such a treasure to a Major Luo who knew nothing about this field?' Bai Zhou muttered inwardly. 'Just how many clandestine transactions were involved here?'
Yet before Bai Zhou, someone was even more shocked than he was.
"This Bai Zhou is a ritualist as well?" Elder Song and the others exchanged stunned looks, their hearts reeling.
"He can... understand it just like that?" The Statute Emissary appeared even more flabbergasted. "So fast? Weren't there ritual locks?"
Before coming here, the Statute Emissary had consulted a ranked ritualist regarding the notebook. That ritualist, over fifty years old, had told him that the success rate of decrypting it was merely fifty percent, and even if successful, it would take more than two days. The old ritualist had marveled that Wu Lao was truly formidable, able to thwart most ritualists with casual miniature rituals on his notebook, forcing them to tread carefully for fear of ruining it.
—Yet now?
Could the gap between people truly be this immense?
Rustle...
Beneath the glittering chandeliers, Bai Zhou's fingers abruptly halted their flipping.
["Method of Ingestion for Tears of the Moon Goddess"...]
Bai Zhou's heart thumped violently twice.
—Found you!
The lifelong blood, sweat, and essence of Wu Lao—the former second-in-command and founding elder of the official secondary institution, the Armory, renowned as Tinghai's famous magic-pattern master and ritualist...
Along with what Bai Zhou currently needed, the proper ingestion method for the Tears of the Moon Goddess that he had longed for all this time—
At this very moment, all of it had fallen into Bai Zhou's hands!
***
On the same night.
While glasses clinked in the banquet hall, a dense fog crept over the quiet outskirts of the city.
Deep within the forest, a group of mysterious hooded, robed figures drifted faintly through the thick mist. They hovered inches above the ground, the hems of their robes motionless in the wind, like grotesque silhouettes congealed from the mist itself, distant and surreal.
These people were none other than the mysterious group who had inexplicably intercepted Big Mouth Luo Jiu and Picasso on the highway!
A crescent moon climbed into the sky.
The hooded man leading them came to a stop.
In the silent woods, fog billowed around him as he cradled something in both hands, lifting it toward the rising moon like a worshiper devoutly offering a sacrifice.
Drip, drip, drip! Blood fell to the earth.
The gauzy moonlight filtered down, hazily illuminating the contours of what the man held.
A head.
Luo Tunan's severed head.
The very head that should have been kicked into the mountains by the demon inside the pocket world, obliterated without a trace—now lay silently in his palm, eyes wide open, having died with grievances unresolved.
Then—
Squitch!
The man's right hand plunged into the severed neck of the head, fingers churning within with a sickening squelch as if hooking onto something, slowly dragging it out.
A living, fresh brain was gouged out intact.
Chhh!
Cerebral fluid splattered across the ground, the spinal cord trailing limp. The moss-covered earth was drenched in dark red blood and chilling white matter.
Thump, thump, thump...
The brain was still squirming, pulsing rhythmically in the hooded man's hand.
Satisfied, the man tossed Luo Tunan's hollow skull to a subordinate at his side, as though discarding leftover trash.
"A reward for you."
Chuckling twice, the hooded man spoke in an exceptionally hoarse, grating voice: "After all, without you, how could Luo Tunan's nine children—the nine organs of his perfect Saint Body—have been tampered with one by one by our hands?"
Hearing this, the subordinate who caught Major Luo's head with a dull smack slowly lowered his black hood, revealing a youthful face.
"It was all by your design," he answered with bowed head, devout and fanatical. "Your Highness Holy Son!"
As he spoke, he gripped the head in his hand. Major Luo's lifeless eyes bled, the unavenged dead man seemingly glaring with splitting fury.
Just yesterday afternoon, this youth had been on the third floor of the underground base, newly promoted to project director under Big Mouth Luo Jiu's appointment. Yet now, he was here, clad in a black robe, looking as though he had taken part in the ambush against Luo Jiu the previous night.
"Now then..."
The hooded man withdrew his gaze. He too pulled down his hood, revealing an unremarkable countenance beneath.
Yet at the center of his forehead sat the crimson mark of a crescent moon.
"The Saint dies; the demon feeds."
Facing the moon in the sky, the man raised the squirming brain high with both hands—
And then, slowly pressed it down atop his own skull!
As if donning a cap, the man clamped this ghastly, convoluted brain—slick with blood and cerebral fluid, thoroughly repulsive—firmly onto his own head.
Just like... donning a crown!
Squish!
Taking root immediately, countless gossamer tendrils erupted from the base of the brain, burrowing frantically into the man's cranium and scalp.
The brain seemed to turn into an octopus rooted upon his head, pulsing rhythmically while ravenously siphoning the man's brain matter.
The bizarre, abominable sight was enough to drive any onlooker mad. All the subordinates around him kept their heads bowed tight.
"Urrghh!" The man addressed as the Holy Son let out a low groan of agony.
Blue veins bulged across his forehead, and his bloodshot eyes bulged wide, yet within his contorted grimace lay a perverse sense of ecstasy.
"Standing at the pinnacle of the Heavenly Mandate Monster Pathway... [Black Box B-003, Brain in a Vat]..."
He said, "At last, the replication is complete..."
Rustle, rustle, rustle...
Beside him, an old man scribbled feverishly in a tome, his expression solemn and reverent as though recording the man's monumental achievements and an unsung epic wrought from the shadows.
After a long while, the man bearing the blood moon upon his brow pulled his hood back over his head.
The writhing brain atop his skull was hidden beneath the black cloth, but it gave him a grotesque appearance, his head visibly taller than anyone else's, twitching unnaturally at erratic intervals.
At this moment, His Highness the Holy Son had achieved a degree of symbiosis with this brain.
"Though there were a few twists and surprises... the 'useful Third Young Master Luo' has made his final bow, and Plan A has reached a smooth conclusion," the Holy Son said coldly.
"The prelude has drawn to a perfect close; the streams of countless destinies converge here, and the story's climax is about to unfold—"
"It is time for our Plan B to begin!"
Like an eerie funeral procession of walking corpses, the robed cadre resumed their march, gradually vanishing into the mist-shrouded depths of the forest.
Night winds swept through the trees. Behind the procession, in the far distance, gleamed the brilliant lights of Tinghai.
As the distance between them widened, only the Holy Son's owl-like, raspy voice drifted through the dense fog, like an ancient ballad echoing eternally through the trees:
"When the raven chants the hour of stillness, the blood moon shall descend once more upon the earth!"
For some reason, the Holy Son had placed heavy emphasis on the word "raven."
The forest rustled in the wind. The screeching owl-like sound finally faded alongside the eerie procession as they receded into the thickening dark of night.
Only the moonlight remained as before.
"Raven... Crow..."
"...Heh."
Chapter 226