Chen Zhou chuckled and took the three merman pearls.
There were too many onlookers, and Bai and Xiaoye ran over as well.
The two of them held two clusters of sword intent, one black and one white; these were the origins they had awakened during the battle at the provincial capital.
"Please accept our loyalty, Lord."
Chen Zhou reached out to take them as well; accepting one was no different from accepting three or five.
They were all working for him, and since they had come to him voluntarily, he could not show favoritism.
Song Zi'an watched with envy, and the Nine-Age Crane was also very anxious.
It used its long neck to push Yu He toward Chen Zhou.
Yu He stumbled from the push and turned back to glare at the crane.
"A Ling, what are you doing?"
The Nine-Age Crane let out two squawks, its eyes filled with urgency.
'Follow the Lord of Evil Spirits, and you will be safe in the future!'
Yu He understood its meaning.
Yu He rolled his eyes.
"I am only four years old and a cook. I do not need to go out and kill anyone; the City of the Wrongfully Dead is perfectly safe."
The Nine-Age Crane ignored him and continued to push.
Yu He had no choice but to walk up to Chen Zhou, take a deep breath, and close his eyes.
A cluster of soft light emerged from his chest; it was the origin soul of his reincarnation.
Chen Zhou accepted it as well.
Yu He opened his eyes, feeling the extra connection within him, and grinned.
He turned back to glare at the Nine-Age Crane.
"Are you satisfied now?"
The Nine-Age Crane squawked and nodded vigorously.
A crowd of people was competing to offer their origins, making the scene incredibly lively.
Encouraged by the gazes of Xiaoyun and Tuoba Feng, Lian also quietly squeezed to the front of the crowd.
She kept her head down, not daring to look at the people around her, while holding a shriveled, grayish-white object in both hands.
It looked like a heart.
It had been withered for unknown years, yet it still pulsed weakly.
"Lord."
Her voice was tiny, almost inaudible.
Chen Zhou looked at her with a gentle gaze.
"What is it?"
Lian's hands were trembling.
She did not dare to look up, staring fixedly at the heart in her hands.
"I... I want to be like them..."
"I want... I want to follow the Lord."
Chen Zhou was taken aback.
He had not expected that Lian would have such thoughts.
She was a divine remains, a fallen deity, a being that had once been supreme.
Although she had become like this, her essence was ultimately different from the others.
Chen Zhou looked at her and asked, "Why?"
Lian's hands trembled even more violently.
She opened her mouth, her voice strained.
"Because the Lord gave me a name."
"The Lord let me see flowers and let me eat sweet fruit. You let me know that living can be so beautiful."
She finally looked up, and a flicker of light actually appeared in those grayish-white eyes.
"I have lived for a long, long time—so long that even I do not know how long it has been."
"But no one ever... never..."
"Only the Lord..."
Her voice choked up, and the black lines on her lips twitched, making her expression look somewhat distorted.
Yet she still struggled to continue.
"I want to give my heart to the Lord."
"I will do whatever the Lord tells me to do."
"I will go wherever the Lord tells me to go."
"I want to follow the Lord... forever and ever..."
Chen Zhou remained silent for a moment before saying patiently and softly, "Actually, you do not have to do this."
"You are different from them."
"You were once a fallen deity. If you can recover your godhead, you might be able to restore your former glory."
"You do not have to become anyone's subordinate."
"You can walk your own path."
Lian froze for a moment.
She lowered her head, looking at the shriveled heart in her hands.
Then she shook her head.
"Lord."
"Glory belongs to others, just as it did in the past. I am just Lian, a corpse, the Lian named by the Lord."
"I also have some power, and I want to follow by the Lord's side."
She looked up, and tears were actually shimmering in her grayish-white eyes.
Chen Zhou asked, "Are you certain?"
"You must think this through; there is no regretting this."
Lian's eyes instantly lit up.
"I will not regret it, I definitely will not."
"Thank you, Lord!"
She held the heart high with both hands.
Chen Zhou took the heart; it felt cold to the touch yet was still pulsing slightly.
He was already holding a large pile of his followers' origins.
Chen Zhou tossed them into the air, guiding these origins toward the General-Summoning Platform.
In an instant.
A brilliant light shot into the sky from the depths of the City of the Wrongfully Dead.
The system began to spam notifications.
【You have obtained a seventh-stage Ghost Attendant — Cangming (Eastern Region Merfolk)】
【You have obtained a sixth-stage Ghost Attendant — Cang Che (Eastern Region Merfolk)】
【You have obtained a third-stage Ghost Attendant — Yusai (Yin Commander)】
【You have obtained a seventh-stage Ghost Attendant — Black Impermanence (Yin Commander)】
【You have obtained a seventh-stage Ghost Attendant — White Impermanence (Yin Commander)】
【You have obtained a third-stage Ghost Attendant — Yu He (Heavenly Chef)】
【You have obtained a seventh-stage Ghost General — Lian (Nüba)】
...
【Seven of your Devout Believers have undergone faith sublimation, transforming into Fanatic Believers.】
【One of your Devout Believers (Nüba) has undergone faith sublimation, transforming into a Saint.】
Chen Zhou was slightly stunned.
He was not surprised by the Ghost General; Lian was a deceased deity and an evil spirit, so her starting point was much higher than the others. It was normal for her to become his subordinate god directly.
But Nüba?
Chen Zhou remembered the legends from his past life, where Nüba was the daughter of the Yellow Emperor, a goddess dressed in green.
Later, for some reason, she could not return to the Heavenly Realm and could only remain in the mortal world.
After her death, she turned into a Drought Demon, leaving a thousand miles of barren land wherever she went.
Was Lian like that too?
Chen Zhou had thought Lian was just an ordinary goddess in life, but he did not expect her to have such a significant identity.
Was she an Emperor's daughter?
However, these were legends from Chen Zhou's past life, and applying them directly here might not be appropriate.
There was also a high probability that this Nüba was not that Nüba.
As Chen Zhou was reflecting, the others were still immersed in the joy of having their wishes fulfilled when they suddenly heard a long tolling of a bell from the distance.
Dong— Dong— Dong—
The midnight bell rang.
"The New Year is here!"
Someone shouted.
Then, the entire plaza erupted.
"Happy New Year!"
"May we all live well in the coming year!"
"May the Bone God protect us!"
"Long live the Lord!"
People hugged and blessed one another; some cried while laughing, while others laughed while crying.
Hong Ling held Shitou's hand, and the two looked at each other and smiled.
Jian Huaishuang stood to the side, holding a cup of wine and looking at the starlit sky with a slight upward curve of his lips.
Su Xue was surrounded by a group of little demons as she gently handed out red envelopes to everyone.
Poison-Wing tried to squeeze in but was pushed out by the little demons, making him stomp his feet in frustration.
Wu Gou sat cross-legged on the ground, holding a bowl of meat soup and slurping it loudly.
Piao stood beside him, also holding a bowl, taking small sips with her eyes shining brightly.
Zen Master Ku Chan led a group of wealthy merchants, toasting every table with a face full of smiles, wishing everyone a prosperous New Year.
Rate on N.U.
