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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 76: Evil God
A thunderous roar echoed, not the sound of collapse, but a clap of thunder. Lightning struck down into a Mountain Valley, the sky above the valley shrouded in dark, oppressive clouds that hung low, as if they intended to crush the Mountain Valley beneath their weight.
Within the valley stood a Hall of Malevolence, its entrance carved into the mountainside. The door was shaped like a skull, its hollow eye sockets resembling the menacing gaze of a terrifying criminal looming over an empty fog.
The thick mist was damp, as if countless droplets had condensed within it. This humid fog enveloped the entire Mountain Valley; even the most taciturn individual would feel an urge to scream upon entering. Though it was still light outside, the atmosphere felt like a desolate midnight, the silence akin to that of a ghostly valley devoid of life.
From within came a tense voice: "Let us grow excited and begin to roar; only fresh blood and flesh can earn us the protection of the Evil God."
The voice emanated from a Sacrificial Hall, where in the center stood an altar. Atop the altar lay a stone bed, surrounded by towering stone lanterns known as Ritual Lanterns, each adorned with a ring of dried infant skulls.
In the center of each Ritual Lantern flickered blue flames. A naked girl was bound upon the sacrificial bed, her limbs shackled by iron chains. Terror was etched across her face as she screamed in fear, "Don't kill me! I don't want to die!"
Beside the altar stood a man wearing an eagle-masked visage. His cold eyes glinted from within the mask's eye holes. "Do not be afraid," he said. "You are the sacrifice; you should be grateful to the Suffering Evil God."
With that, he drew a knife and slashed her throat. Blood splattered across the sacrificial bed, which bore intricate patterns that became clearer as they soaked in her blood—patterns forming a skull with an open maw.
As the skull pattern emerged, the girl’s body became a desiccated corpse, as if her flesh and essence had been completely drained by the skull.
A Fierce Judgment Arbiter entered through a side door. The man beside the altar quickly knelt and reported, "Arbitrator, the ritual for sacrificing to the Evil God is complete."
The Arbitrator nodded expressionlessly. "Good, High Priest. Have someone clean up the body."
"Reporting to you, Arbitrator; there is an urgent matter that requires your attention," said a scout from the Hall of Malevolence who had knelt behind the Arbitrator.
Arbitrator turned calmly and asked, "What is it?"
The scout reported succinctly, "The Holy City Power Hall has completely collapsed, and the leader is dead under the rubble."
Arbitrator's expression tightened. "Is Jade Pavilion dead?"
The scout continued, "As far as I know, the leader found the girl with the Vermilion Bird Pearl." He clapped his hands and pointed as ten Yu Ren carried in a severely damaged Jade Coffin. "This was found in the rubble."
Upon seeing the lifelike corpse of the Vermilion Bird, Arbitrator suddenly trembled. "I thought it was just a rumor; I didn't expect it to be true. The Jade Pavilion hid this very well."
High Priest closely examined the Vermilion Bird's corpse. "This is indeed a real Vermilion Bird."
The scout said, "After finding this body, we brought it back. I wonder if it will help in reviving the Evil God."
Arbitrator replied, "It’s useless. A dead Vermilion Bird has no blood; only the hot blood of a living Vermilion Bird can revive the Evil God. There are two Vermilion Birds in this world—one is dead, and the other guards the ruins. I don't care much for Ruins Wealth, but we must obtain the remaining Vermilion Bird. Go find that girl; only she can locate the Vermilion Bird."
"Understood," the scout responded.
-
In the Doomed Holy City, many people were unaware of why the Power Hall had collapsed, and with the leader dead, discussions ran rampant among the citizens, who felt anxious and unsettled.
Chaos reigned in the Holy City. Many were unable to find Yuxuan. With the leader dead, Yuxuan should have stepped forward to calm everyone down, but he was nowhere to be found. Most of the soldiers in the Holy City were loyal to the former leader; with both the prince and princess missing, their anxiety was understandable.
At this moment, two Captains of the Guards found Zhao Zhangshi. Over these years, Zhao Zhangshi had become a trusted confidant of the leader, known for his timely and capable handling of affairs. Now, he was one of the few who could still be consulted.
"Captain," said, "Zhao Zhangshi, have you heard? Many people are flocking to the Holy City because they believe we've found the Vermilion Bird Pearl. If we don't do something, those people might turn the Holy City into a bloodbath."
The Vice Captain's face turned pale. "Pingyang City, near the Holy City, has already been burned down by some bandits gathering there. Zhao Zhangshi, what should we do?"
The Captain suggested, "Zhao Zhangshi, we can't just sit back and endure this. We can't let those people run rampant. We need to take the initiative."
Zhao Zhangshi found it amusing in his heart, but his face remained heavy. "Both of you, you might be mistaken. I'm just someone in charge of affairs here."
"Zhao Zhangshi, don't be so humble. Right now, you're the only one who can command the soldiers in the city," the Captain insisted.
Zhao Zhangshi feigned shock. "What are you talking about? Your emotions have clouded your judgment. We should quickly send someone to find the princess. We cannot abuse our authority; the citizens of this city still need your protection."
"But..." the Captain began.
Zhao Zhangshi smiled slightly. "These are trials given to us from above; we will get through them."
"You're right, Zhao Zhangshi. We must find the princess as soon as possible," the Vice Captain agreed.
Seeing that Zhao Zhangshi had his concerns as well, the Captain sighed and said, "In that case, let's find someone right away."
The two captains bowed and left.
As Zhao Zhangshi watched them depart, he made his way to the main courtyard of the Holy City. In the courtyard, there was a long corridor where he noticed a hooded figure approaching him discreetly. When they reached each other side by side, both stopped in their tracks.
The Hooded Figure slightly raised their head and glanced at Zhao Zhangshi. "Listen closely, Arbitrator has issued an order for you to find Lin Chuyu within a month. If you fail to do so, prepare to face consequences."
The Hooded Figure took a step and left.
Zhao Zhangshi's expression darkened. "A month? What kind of joke is that? But... it's not impossible."
Zhao Zhangshi slowly made his way out from a dungeon.
Under the bright moon, the Distant Friends Inn had already lit its candles. Ji Zichen lay on one of the beds in a guest room, groggily opening his eyes. "Hmm... where is this?"
Ji Zichen glanced around at the room's furnishings. "An inn? How did I end up here?"
As he lifted the covers and attempted to get out of bed, he moved too abruptly, causing pain to shoot through his shoulder injury. He gritted his teeth and noticed he was wearing a thin garment. Covering his shoulder, he felt the bandages underneath were tightly wrapped. Ji Zichen got out of bed and put on some clothes just as Shen Bifan entered from outside.
Seeing Ji Zichen awake, Shen Bifan's eyes reddened with joy. "Brother Zichen, you're awake! How do you feel? Does your wound still hurt?"
Ji Zichen rushed forward to examine Shen Bifan. "Bifan, how are you? Did they do anything to you?"
Shen Bifan was deeply touched by Ji Zichen's concern for him and smiled brightly. "I'm fine."
However, Lin Chuyu was not in the room, and Ji Zichen grew anxious. "Where's Lin Chuyu?"
Shen Bifan's gaze dimmed. "She's next door. I'll take you to see her."
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