The three figures stood in a triangular formation, each wary of the others.
A terrifying power rippled outward, causing the black line tentacles in the vicinity to wither and die.
Below, the kneeling Shadow Lotus cultists were crushed by the sheer pressure, unable to breathe, and slowly suffocated to death.
Upon their deaths, their bodies jerked spasmodically as wisps of gray energy flew from within them, shooting into the dark clouds above.
The goat-bearded elder and the white-browed elder both squinted at the sight.
“So, this sacrifice ritual was orchestrated by your Shadow Lotus Church?”
“Hahahahaha!”
The black-robed elder burst into laughter, the light on his altar growing brighter and brighter.
“Who else? Great Wei has been camped here for so long, yet you haven’t made a move.”
“If we didn't lend you a hand, Great Wei’s reinforcements would have arrived by now!”
The white-browed elder smiled coldly.
“So you’re saying that because you killed nearly ten thousand of our Great Qi soldiers, I should thank you?”
“Naturally!”
The black-robed elder’s eyes gradually turned a deep red.
“Does a war not require deaths? You’ve lost ten thousand men, but has Great Wei lost any fewer?”
“A one-for-one, or even a one-for-two trade... strictly speaking, you’re the ones coming out ahead. Shouldn’t you be thanking us?”
The white-browed elder nodded as if in deep thought.
“When the higher-ups said you cultist scum would be joining the war, I felt it was inappropriate.”
“Why should snakes and insects assist in a war between lions and tigers?”
“Looking at it now, it seems I was right.”
As he spoke, streaks of white light began to glow at his joints.
The white light looked like a viscous liquid, not blinding, but clear even when stared at directly.
“What I despise most are cults like yours.”
“Never seeking progress, never thinking of how to make yourselves strong, only obsessed with taking shortcuts.”
“Sacrificing innocent people to evil gods for a sliver of possibility... Hmph, calling you rats in a gutter would be an insult to the rats.”
The white light on the white-browed elder intensified, and his gaze grew sharp.
The black-robed elder curled his lip.
“What would a brainless Martial Artist like you know?”
“If you had studied even a bit of history, you would know that the Zhou Era was built on the worship of gods!”
“The Zhou Rites that scholars constantly talk about—aren't they passed down from the Zhou Era?”
“So, what is the problem with us worshipping gods?”
With a cold face, the white-browed elder turned to the goat-bearded elder.
“What is your choice?”
The goat-bearded elder smiled, holding the paper in his hand.
“What? Do you want me to help, or do you want me to just stand by and watch?”
“The number of deaths on Great Wei's side should be even higher than Great Qi's, shouldn't it?”
The goat-bearded elder didn't respond directly, instead turning his gaze toward the black-robed elder as well.
Seeing this, the black-robed elder laughed so hard he almost lost his breath.
“Interesting, truly interesting.”
“Two camps fighting each other to the death are actually going to join forces to fight a helper like me?”
The white-browed elder cracked his knuckles.
“You should know the true purpose of this war. Even so, you still killed ten thousand soldiers from both sides.”
“Jiu Zhuo, are you trying to sabotage the promotion conditions for the [Grand Marshal]?”
The black-robed elder’s laughter became even more unrestrained.
“Promotion? Who cares whose promotion it is? Hahahahaha!”
“I’ve wasted enough breath on you two. It’s about time.”
Rumble!
Thunder flashed in the sky, bringing momentary light to the dark land.
“The Shadow Lotus descends, all hearts return!”
The elder roared with fanatical devotion. The dark clouds churned as soul energy merged into the sky.
Buzz!
Whoosh!
Crimson light pillars shot straight into the sky!
The corpses killed by the black line tentacles rotted instantly, their flesh and blood energy merging into the nearest red light and being fired into the clouds.
The infectious power of these red lights was immense, and the dark clouds began to turn crimson.
The black-robed elder’s expression grew increasingly manic.
“The Shadow Lotus descends, all—”
Before he could finish, the golden paired maces fell from the sky.
Boom!
The black-robed elder managed to dodge, but a large portion of his altar was shattered by the maces, sending shards of bone flying.
“You!”
He barely got the word out before a flash of white light appeared in front of him.
The white-browed elder had already closed the distance.
He threw a simple straight punch, looking almost like an old man doing morning exercises.
But that plain, unadorned punch carried the force of a mountain collapsing.
Boom!!!
With a single strike, the skull altar was reduced to dust!
A violent surge of air shot upward, punching a massive hole through the dark clouds.
The black-robed elder spat out blood, his internal organs displaced.
Yet, even so, he continued to grin hideously.
“The Martial Artist pathway... your close-quarters combat is indeed formidable!”
“I recall that the Sequence 4 of the Martial Artist pathway is called [Patriarch], isn't it?”
“Is this the boxing style you created? It’s somewhat interesting, but only somewhat!”
As he spoke, his body twisted and dissolved into darkness.
“Come, entertain me.”
...
Yin Yang was still sprinting, his speed bolstered by the [Wind Rider's Badge].
He had noticed the crimson light pillars, and in that moment, he felt a shameful surge of desire.
Reason told him to run. The 'meal' was almost ready, and unless a major change occurred, the evil god would definitely descend.
Who knew what kind of authority that god might hold?
If it were a god with significant authority, it would be incredibly dangerous!
But greed told him not to be afraid. With so much flesh and blood energy around, how could he sleep at night if he didn't loot a bit while passing through?
Yin Yang felt that while reason was right, greed also made a fair point.
Thus, he ran toward the outermost crimson light pillar, planning to grab a handful and bolt.
However, before he had gone far, that crimson light pillar vanished.
Yin Yang decisively changed direction, sprinting toward the next closest pillar.
The Red-Haired Ghost took to the air again. Sharing his vision, Yin Yang saw a dozen or so black-robed men dancing and singing around the crimson light pillar.
“Do it!”
The Red-Haired Ghost drew the flaming greatbow, and five flaming arrows whistled through the air.
Whoosh!
Boom!!!
The black-robed men were dead or dying before they could even react.
Their rank was Sequence 7 at most; they were completely powerless against the current Yin Yang.
Whoosh!
The Headless Ghost appeared out of nowhere, crushing the remaining survivors underfoot.
Subsequently, their corpses vanished, stored into the book box by the lantern-carrying ghost.
These transcendent corpses were all 'backup batteries' for Yin Yang.
Yin Yang was thrown forward once more by the lantern-carrying ghost, his hand reaching out to touch the crimson light pillar.
The pillar that had been shooting straight up instantly vanished as waves of energy poured into Yin Yang’s body.
Vitality energy was a massive supplement for pathways like the Axeman or the Strongman.
Although Yin Yang couldn't use this much vitality energy himself, he could convert it into sacrifices for his heroic spirits!
Just like that, surging vitality energy flooded into Yin Yang’s divine kingdom.
As the heroic spirits absorbed the sacrifices, his spirituality grew stronger, and a transcendent power within him began to stir.
The fifth ghost was about to awaken.
Rate on N.U.
