As a whisper came from deep beneath the Cloud Ruins Bazaar, the Glass Monocle at Xue Yin’s waist suddenly emitted a blinding red light and shattered into powder under the invisible pressure.
At the same time, in the Lord’s Manor meeting hall of the Slag Highlands, Ryan was leaning over his desk reviewing documents.
He had been sensing Xue Yin’s surroundings through that monocle, but now everything was gone, the connection severed like a single cut.
“This is bad…”
Ryan stood up abruptly, knocking his chair over with a dull thud.
The powerful sense of annihilation and pressure that had come just before the monocle shattered still left him shaken.
That was a heirloom passed down through generations of the Marsai family…
Ailia entered from the side door at nearly the same moment.
Her symbiotic mark was linked to Ryan, and the moment his perception broke, she too felt that terrifying power.
“Something happened at Cloud Ruins Bazaar.”
Ryan nodded and strode out of the meeting hall, his wine-red hair scattering in the night wind.
“Issue the order!”
He barked.
The personal guard outside snapped to attention.
“Muster everyone in the Slag Highlands who can fight—archers, sappers, mages, the horned demon heavy cavalry! Bring the mine explosives. Full armament. Reinforce Cloud Ruins Bazaar immediately!”
Ailia stood on the steps, gazing toward the distant Cloud Ruins Bazaar, murmuring, “Hold on, we’re coming.”
At Cloud Ruins Bazaar, the daylight had died.
A dark purple barrier rose from the edges of the land, enveloping the entire circular depression, cutting off Cloud Ruins Bazaar completely from the outside.
All the familiar alleys and slopes twisted and deformed under the barrier’s influence.
The stone steps that originally led to the edge of the depression were severed out of nowhere; one step forward and there was the dark purple membrane of the barrier.
Three winged demon tribe members beat their wings, trying to escape upward.
The moment they touched the barrier, they let out bloodcurdling screams, plummeted straight down, and died on the spot.
Inside the trade guild’s back hall on the northern slope of Cloud Ruins Bazaar, the ground trembled violently.
Boom! The first explosion came from the direction of the West Market, followed by waves of screams from the crowd, the clash of metal, and the dull thuds of collapsing buildings.
“The West Market is fighting.”
He Lian said gravely, his gray-blue eyes looking out the window.
“The Red Wolf Mercenaries and the Grey Sparrow adventurers—these two groups usually can’t stand each other, but now they’re united, fighting a group of unknown people.”
Before his words faded, staggering footsteps came from outside the door.
An adventurer, supported by Jin, entered the back hall.
“Black… black robes… blood drained… all…”
His eyes were wide open, pupils frozen with something beyond fear.
Before he could finish his sentence, he collapsed and fell silent.
Something even more bizarre happened after his death.
The blood seeping from his corpse was instantly drained by an invisible force, vanishing before it could touch the ground.
“When I saved him at the trade guild’s main gate, he was already severely wounded.”
Jin gently laid the corpse flat on the ground and reached out to close its unblinking eyes.
Xue Yin was leaning against the table, one hand pressing tightly against the Demon Rose brand on her lower abdomen, the other gripping the table’s edge to keep herself from falling.
The burning pain had started the moment the forbidden spell was activated.
Xue Yin’s head throbbed as if splitting, her vision violently shaking.
A whisper came to her ears:
“My vessel…”
Since the forbidden spell began, the evil god had focused its entire will on Xue Yin.
Her body stiffened, knocking over the coarse pottery tea bowl on the table.
The sound of the bowl hitting the ground made Bai Li whirl around in alarm, but Xue Yin’s ears were filled only with that voice swelling—
Pure high elf bloodline, the body of a magical girl, wielder of the power of creation, the perfect vessel.
“You were born to belong to me…”
“Don’t resist… come home…”
“Your blood will nourish the new world…”
Seeing this, Jin didn’t hesitate for a moment.
He stepped forward and wrapped his arm around Xue Yin’s shoulder.
Her body went limp, leaning into his arm, breathing heavily.
Black flames silently ignited under Jin’s cloak, forming a faint barrier that barely blocked some of the pressure.
Bai Li took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down, and spoke quickly.
“Listen! There’s a crystal heart underground—the evil god Nephthys’s true body.”
“It’s been sleeping for over thirty years, relying on rare blood to try and revive. Those black-robed people are Oathbound cultists. The entire Cloud Ruins Bazaar has been preparing for the ‘Global Rite’ from the very beginning. Now that the forbidden spell is activated, it only needs a city-wide sacrifice and a pure vessel to be reborn.”
Bai Li’s finger pointed at Xue Yin in Jin’s arms.
She then walked quickly into the inner room, and after a moment came out holding a copper box.
Seven crystals lay quietly on a velvet pad.
“These are vein quartz, a very rare mineral crystal in the Demon Realm. It can temporarily block the evil god’s pressure from sapping life force—it’s the evil god’s bane. Unfortunately, through many channels over the years, I’ve only collected seven pieces.”
He Lian watched as Bai Li quickly distributed the quartz to everyone.
“You knew this day would come?”
Bai Li met his gaze, eyes filled only with pain and resolve.
“From the first day I learned the truth, I’ve been secretly searching for ways to resist.”
He Lian suddenly reached out and gently grasped her wrist.
He said nothing, but it spoke more than a thousand words.
Bai Li took the last piece of vein quartz from the box and placed it in He Lian’s palm, tears shattering in her eyes.
“All these years, I was the one who leaked information to the Oathbound. Miss Xue Yin, can you forgive me?”
Xue Yin looked quietly at Bai Li.
The vein quartz had slightly alleviated the pressure.
“If you ask me for forgiveness, I cannot say ‘I forgive’ on behalf of those innocent souls who have passed. Their silence is heavier than a thousand words. I have no right to pardon anyone for them, nor can I make any decisions for them.”
“But if you seek an answer from me, then begin the path of atonement this instant. Use the strength of your remaining years to repay your sins, and with a lifelong resolve, remember the innocent.”
Bai Li trembled all over, slowly stood up, and wiped away her tears.
He Lian gave her a deep look and said, “Can I entrust the South Camp of Cloud Ruins Bazaar to your help?”
“Don’t worry, I’ve already instructed the stewards to lead the trade guild guards to rescue them.”
Bai Li nodded.
“They are familiar with the South Camp’s terrain and detailed population distribution. They can protect your people.”
Outside the window, another explosion came from the West Market direction.
The firelight briefly illuminated the outline of the entire alley before being swallowed by the dark purple glow.
Jin tucked his share of vein quartz into his chest, his other hand still steadily holding Xue Yin.
“No time to waste. The urgent priority is to deal with the evil god and stop the forbidden spell. How far is the mine entrance from here?”
“Everyone, follow me. I’ll lead the way. It’s time to end this.”
Bai Li said firmly.
The moment the four stepped out of the trade guild’s back door, the night wind carried the stench of blood to their faces.
In the direction of the West Market, over thirty members of the Red Wolf Mercenaries and Grey Sparrow adventurers formed a defensive formation, holding their ground.
Inside the forbidden spell, the pressure made it hard for everyone to breathe; the formation’s collapse was only a matter of time.
In the East Alley, the private army Anvil tried to break out.
Orc cavalry charged, but when their mounts got within five steps of the Oathbound cultists, they suddenly stopped, limbs trembling.
After a sharp cry of misery, they fell to their knees.
The evil god’s pressure suppressed low-intelligence creatures more strongly.
The orc cavalryman was thrown off, lying on his back, his eyes reflecting the trajectory of a descending blood blade.
In the entire Cloud Ruins Bazaar, the resisters were like trapped beasts.
“Ordinary people can’t hold out much longer. Nephthys has fully prepared for this moment.”
Bai Li gritted her teeth.
“The evil god’s pressure grows stronger with each passing moment. Its power comes from the blood of the sacrificed. The more people fall, the stronger the pressure. If we don’t destroy the crystal heart in time, everyone in Cloud Ruins Bazaar will become its nourishment.”
“Enemies ahead.”
He Lian pointed at the narrow path that originally led to the mine entrance.
Three Oathbound priests blocked the intersection, with blood crystals set into their silver masks.
The first priest moved.
He reversed his blood blade and stabbed the tip straight into his own heart.
As his heart shattered, his body turned into a cloud of blood mist, instantly teleporting behind Jin and reforming.
This was the Oathbound’s forbidden technique—
Self-annihilation of the body, reborn from blood mist under the evil god’s forbidden spell enhancement.
Jin grabbed backward, his fingers passing through the blood mist.
Black flames exploded between his fingers, wrapping the mist and the still-uncoagulated flesh into fire.
“Don’t waste my time!”
His tone was cold as he looked at Xue Yin in pain in his arms, then he tightened his grip.
The black flames surged, burning the priest’s body from head to toe to ashes.
The second and third priests lunged simultaneously.
He Lian, with devastating force in his right hand, caught the second one by the neck and broke his lumbar spine with a kick.
Then, with equally lethal force in his left hand, he slammed the third one, shattering his spine segment by segment.
“This way now!”
Bai Li caught her breath while the others fought.
“The vein quartz won’t last much longer!”
Behind them, resistance continued in various parts of Cloud Ruins Bazaar.
And farther away, Ryan and Ailia were leading their army at full speed, raising rolling dust across the wasteland.
In the deepest depths underground, watching the four who were approaching, the evil god’s whisper grew even gentler.
“Come, my child… return to the warm home… your blood will give birth to a new world…”