Chapter 172: Soden

Stepping out of the last spatial fragment, the group appeared in a vast square. Surrounding the square were buildings with tightly shut doors.

“Spatial fragments again.”

Oriana’s beautiful eyes flickered:

“Perhaps…”

“The entire inner city of the City Lord’s Mansion is composed of spatial fragments from the Twelve Zodiac Palaces, so no matter how we investigate, we can’t find any concrete information.”

“Miss,” the Blood Knight looked to the side:

“Look over there.”

Not far away, the Ghost-Faced Knight and the Holy Sanctuary’s Second Elder were busy doing something in front of a passage.

It seemed like…

They were setting up an ambush!

Just not sure who the target was.

“It has nothing to do with us.” Oriana’s gaze lingered on the Second Elder for a moment, a hint of fear flashing in her eyes:

“Let’s go!”

“Let’s find Soden.”

City Lord Soden wasn’t hard to find.

They weren’t the only ones who came here, there were others. The surrounding doors had been opened one after another.

Some rooms were filled with gold, silver, and jewels; some rooms contained calligraphy, paintings, antiques, and even other…

Behind the main door in the center lay a corpulent corpse.

The corpse was like a mountain of flesh, emitting a strong stench. Bugs and flies were crawling and flying all over it, having long lost its breath of life.

“A Demigod’s body!”

“Duke’s Bloodline!”

“He really is dead!”

“…”

Several Grand Knights holding torches looked at the decaying flesh in front of them. Not only did they not feel disgusted, but their eyes lit up with greed, as if they were looking at a sumptuous feast.

To them, what lay before them wasn’t rotting flesh.

But a stairway to heaven!

As long as they obtained the bloodline contained within the corpse, they could break through their current limits and become Legends.

Their strength would greatly increase, and their lifespan would double.

“Go!”

Several people quickly rushed forward.

The torches in their hands were clearly some kind of marvel. Within the range of the halo, insects and flies died one after another.

It was precisely because of these beast-repelling torches that they were able to overcome the dangers they encountered along the way and reach this point.

Just as they were about to pounce on the corpse, several large hands suddenly appeared, firmly gripping them in their palms.

“Bang!”

With a squeeze of the palms, a terrifying force erupted, instantly crushing the Grand Knights’ bodies into a shower of blood.

“Ugh…”

The flesh gently swayed.

A cold, deathly, and terrifying aura quietly emerged, like a dark cloud spreading in all directions.

“My dear subjects…”

The rotting corpse slowly stood up, revealing a skull half-eaten by insects and ants, and empty, black eye sockets.

A mouth without teeth opened and closed mechanically, its ‘gaze’ sweeping over everyone, finally landing on the team from Death City.

Or rather,

On Oriana!

“Little Anna, you’ve come.”

“Uncle… Soden?” Oriana instinctively stepped back, her face pale:

“You’re not dead?”

“I’m not dead, you seem a little disappointed.” The giant corpse grinned, revealing a terrifying expression:

“Let me guess!”

“You came here, like them, to obtain the Demigod bloodline in my body, right?”

Pointing to the others in the square, the corpse sighed:

“Little Anna, I held you when you were little. I never thought you’d want to devour your uncle’s body.”

“It’s truly…”

“Heartbreaking!”

Sacred Technique ━ Thousand Buddha Hands!

The giant corpse twisted in a bizarre posture, arms extending from the rotting flesh, striking in all directions.

Each palm formed a strange hand seal, carrying terrifying power and immense pressure as it smashed down.

Hand seals filled with holy aura, a rotting body, terrifying and grotesque flesh and blood arms…

Everything was so bizarre and twisted.

“Bang!”

“Boom!”

“Rumble…”

Energy roared in the square. In an instant, nearly ten people were slapped to death by the hand seals.

The corpses, flesh, and blood on the ground turned into a torrent of tiny streams, converging towards the corpse.

Within a few breaths, Soden’s giant body had devoured them all.

“You!”

Oriana’s beautiful eyes widened:

“Evil God!”

She didn’t sense any familiar aura from him, but a strange feeling instead.

It wasn’t the aura of the God of Slumber.

“Yes.” Soden, nourished by flesh and blood, grew even larger. He slowly stretched his arms:

“The aura of gods is always so fascinating, whether it’s a true god or a so-called Evil God.”

“It was you!” Oriana’s heart skipped a beat, as if she had realized something. She cried out:

“You awakened the Evil God’s will!”

“Hmm…” Soden lowered his head, his black eye sockets staring intently at Oriana:

“Little Anna, you’ve grown up.”

***

“You guessed right. I used the Demigod blood in my body to awaken the consciousness that the Eye Demon left in this world, and I obtained what I wanted from Him.”

“Step…” Oriana took a step back, her face pale:

“Are you crazy?”

She finally understood why the Evil God’s will had revived to such an extent. Clearly, the Moon Goddess’s barrier enveloped this world, suppressing the power of Evil Gods.

It turned out,

Someone had submitted to an Evil God!

“Crazy?” The corpse-like Soden shook his head gently:

“I’m not crazy!”

“This world is heading towards destruction, maybe it will collapse soon. I just don’t want to die with it.”

“Little Anna!”

He extended his hand, his face serious:

“Join me. Using the Demigod blood in our bodies as a guide, sacrificing all the Merfolk, we can summon a part of the Eye Demon’s main body to this world and receive His favor.”

“You’re really crazy!” Oriana shook her head:

“Submitting to an Evil God, everything about you will be controlled by Him. Don’t you understand this?”

“Haha…” Soden laughed loudly:

“So what?”

“Could it be that you think without Evil Gods, we can truly control ourselves and do as we please?”

He looked around, shaking his head gently:

“Humans are slaves to greed, servants of the gods, bound by their flesh. They have never been truly free.”

“What’s the difference between submitting to an Evil God and being a servant of a true god?”

“When my Lord, the Eye Demon, occupies this world, we, as His meritorious subjects, will definitely be bestowed with infinite life and boundless power. At that time, even if we are slaves or servants, what does it matter?”

“Uncle,” Oriana sighed:

“You’re crazy!”

Then she waved her hand:

“Kill him!”

“Heh…” Soden grinned:

“It doesn’t matter if you’re unwilling.”

“I know Mevia won’t come here. Since you’ve come, do you think you have a choice?”

“Boom!”

Before he finished speaking, two powerful auras collided in the air.

*

*

*

“Clang, clang, clang…”

In the illusion created by the Ghost-Faced Knight, two figures clashed rapidly, the sound of metal clashing against metal echoing endlessly.

The Second Elder had also cultivated Sacred Breath, his Battle Aura purified. However, the Sacred Technique he mastered was quite ordinary.

It wasn’t Heavenly Wolf Phantom Demon Fist, nor any other top-tier Sacred Technique, just an advanced version of the combat technique Ring of Protection.

However,

His swordsmanship was extremely solid.

Each move, honed through countless battles, had reached a state of perfection. The Battle Aura cultivated over 150 years provided ample energy support.

Perhaps he lacked powerful, explosive techniques, but his resilience was unmatched, his swordsmanship overwhelming with its uprightness.

Angel’s Sting!

Holy Judgment!

“Clang…”

Their swords collided, the two figures crossing paths, turning to engage once more.

Late Stage, First Circle!

Karl’s eyes flickered, a hint of surprise in his heart, but it quickly vanished.

He was the Second Elder of the Holy Sanctuary, with access to countless resources. It was normal for him to have Late Stage, First Circle cultivation.

But,

So what?

Holy Demon Transformation was a Sacred Technique that shone even during the War of the Gods, and he had already cultivated the Bronze Body.

Even without using magic, he could steadily maintain the upper hand.

“Clang…”

The sword shadows in front of him suddenly intensified.

Waves of Sword Aura roared towards him, abruptly solidifying as they approached, transforming into a sharp sword beam that pierced directly at Karl’s forehead.

Accompanying it was a devout, pure, and unwavering Sword Intent.

“Good!”

Karl couldn’t help but praise, instinctively raising his sword to block. At that moment, a familiar voice rang out.

“Careful!”

Hmm?

Karl’s heart trembled. A water sphere materialized out of thin air, lightning flickering as he teleported several meters away.

First-Circle Spell ━ Tidal Force!

First-Circle Spell ━ Thunder Wings!

His reaction was incredibly fast, shifting his body in a flash, but his arm still felt numb.

In his original position, a black sword appeared, along with a figure filled with sharp killing intent.

Black Sword Milia!

The Desecrated Knight hunted by the Holy Sanctuary!

And Yana.

It was Yana who had warned him of the danger. Otherwise, Karl might have been in real trouble.

“Heh…”

Glancing at them, Karl shook his head and chuckled:

“What’s this?”

“The Holy Sanctuary can cooperate with a betrayed Desecrated Knight?”

“As long as our goals align, we can cooperate.” The Second Elder was clearly not a stubborn person. He swung his sword lightly, his expression serious:

“Guardian, have you really made a pact with an Evil God?”

Evil God?

By your understanding, I myself am probably an Evil God!

“Boom!”

Before he could speak, a gust of violent wind roared towards them, even causing the Ghost-Faced Knight to interrupt the illusion.

“Evil God!”

Oriana’s scream came through:

“Let’s work together! Soden has been corrupted by the Evil God, he’s become a puppet! Let’s kill him together!”

Hmm?

The group was stunned.

“Guardian,” the Second Elder frowned and said:

“We can join forces too. We’ll deal with our own matters after taking care of Soden.”

“Heh…” Karl shook his head:

“You really are… adaptable.”