"Good. Very good."
Ling Liu nodded expressionlessly, took a step back, and withdrew the Light of Salvation from his hand. "Since you possess such loyalty and backbone, then go on your way together with Ji Jue..."
Darkness boiled. Once that sliver of candlelight receded, one bizarre palm after another stretched out once more.
At the summons and command of the faint candlelight, a gigantic rotting face with exposed bones vaguely emerged from the direction in which thousands upon thousands of arms were extending. Crack... crack crack...
Amid the sound of bones grinding together, the taboo beast nurtured by countless curses over countless years slowly drew near. Palm after palm tugged at Ling Shuo, pulling his soul free.
It opened its mouth excitedly and inhaled deeply. A foul, fishy gale surged forth, exposing its disorderly teeth. Upon those teeth, a twisted face wriggled ceaselessly, wailing at the top of its lungs.
Just like that, it lightly tossed Ling Shuo into its great maw of darkness.
The end of curses—the Mouth of Destruction—snapped shut!
Then...
Crunch!
The taboo beast froze in place.
The giant face seemed stunned. Within its pitch-black eye sockets, a trace of confusion emerged. For the first time In My Life, it felt the pain of a chipped tooth. Instinctively, it opened its mouth, shut it again, and chewed, but the sharp edge caught between its teeth only grew more Ling Li. It even pierced its gums and shattered its teeth, bringing a burst of piercing pain.
The taboo beast roared, chewing and biting madly as black blood sprayed out without end.
From within that great mouth of darkness, a strand of silver glimmer silently emerged.
Beneath the sticky black blood and teeth, Ling Shuo was nearly shattered. He twitched and convulsed. Between his fingers, the glimmer flared brightly