The Lone Wanderer

The eerie winds ravaged this enclosed underground space, plundering the stench of blood and the loopholes of death. Believers who vanished in the darkness transformed into wisps of black mist, merging with the invading, churning "miracle," making the miracle even more powerful.

The door was scratched, and bursts of soul-piercing laughter rang in the ears of the believers.

"We never imagined our foolishness would lead to such divine punishment."

In the candlelight, Amber stood quietly in the center, near the Tree of Reception.

The firelight flickered, almost igniting the hem of her clothes. Her tone was calm and icy, as if the events that had transpired had slowly revived her earthly nature.

I was deceived.

Everyone was deceived, including the Saintess who was supposed to set an example for believers and guide them.

This is her dereliction of duty, and she will pay the price for it, but before that...

Amber raised his head, his gaze piercing through the roof of the altar, as if he were seeing the man who was full of lies in the void.

Before she loses her position Saintess, she will find this liar, hand him over to the Wood God for judgment, and preferably... subject him to a slow, agonizing death, chopping off his arms, then his legs, and finally, in his terrified gaze, pulling out his tongue as punishment for lying.

"Amber, Mr. Klaus, if there's something outside, don't force your way in," the blond boy said, catching his breath.

In fact, he didn't need to say anything; every believer inside the altar could hear the voices coming from outside.

"How many people... have had their abilities unsealed?" Amber asked softly.

In the silence, someone answered, "It's all off."

Ruben in the far corner, let out a cold laugh upon hearing this.

The others immediately noticed him, but the atmosphere was delicate. The underground support existed precisely because of the seal on wisdom and ability. Now that the Wood God had removed the seal, how would a group of villains who had committed unforgivable crimes on earth maintain that clear hierarchy?

Tree Witch, Saintess, leader.

Do these things still really matter?

The answer is no.

Just as Ruben realized the Tree Witch's trap when he released his own intellectual seal, the believers present gradually diminished their awe of the Saintess and others, returning to the very beginning when they only had reverence for the Wood God who had given them new life.

Under such circumstances, no one would point out Ruben's disrespect anymore.

"What are your thoughts, Mr. Ruben?" Amber glanced at Ruben in the shadows, his usual sunshine and joy gone.

"There's a limit to stupidity. Now, I'd like to see what you all are capable of." Ruben's lips curled into a smile, showing no trace of admiration for Amber.

Amber knew that Ruben must have realized Roy's wrongdoing in advance for some special reason, which would explain why Ruben and Roy had a heated argument as soon as Ruben returned to the underground. And this special reason could only be related to the Wood God.

So now, Ruben is actually the one who received special treatment from the Wood God, and he is also the most innocent, the most trustworthy, and the most charismatic leader present.

Amber didn't intend to refute his words, but instead went along with it, saying, "Then let's see. With so many of us chasing just two people, if we can't do it... then we're just too useless, aren't we?"

The believers remained silent, an awkward atmosphere permeating the altar.

Finally, another person who had once been the center of attention spoke up. Klaus shed his naivety and kindness, revealing his innate ruthlessness. He clenched his fist and chuckled, "Now that everyone's abilities have been unlocked, what to do is self-evident, isn't it?"

The unsealed believers are essentially ghosts; their decaying, empty bodies beneath their robes can disintegrate and reform like mist. So, after calming down for a while in the altar and realizing what had happened, they were no longer so afraid of the ghosts surrounding them.

If they can't fight, they'll have to fight; their fate is still uncertain.

The madness in their very bones corrupted these already vicious people. They turned their gaze to the altar door. At one moment, a believer broke away from the group and pushed open the door with the aura of a lone traveler.

This is a sign that more and more believers are breaking free from the groups that bind them and heading towards their former selves.

"Amber, let's see who has the best skills." The number of believers at the altar was dwindling, but Ruben remained. He gave the Saintess a cruel smile. "Whoever finds Roy can do whatever they want with him. What do you say?"

"I agree," Amber replied calmly.

She could already foresee what the Underground City would be like next.

With evil spirits running rampant, these believers are bound to clash with them. But while fighting the evil spirits, they will also expose the swindlers hiding in the city.

The only thing to be careful about is that if Ruben is not wrong, it means that Roy and the vengeful spirits can indeed coexist peacefully, and he may be hiding under their protection.

But it doesn't matter, she'll find him eventually. Once Roy is exposed, she'll make Roy pay the price, even if it costs her her life.

What's even more troublesome is another outlier. She's already asked around, and no one has seen anyone other than Roy —a stowaway who has been hiding from the very beginning!

In a pitch-black corner, another person remained, silently listening to the entire conversation.

Jiang Jieleng hugged his plush rabbit, his face expressionless.

His rabbit wasn't as comfortable to hold as before because its fur was stained with a lot of blood, making it sticky and covering his hands.

A chaotic battle is about to break out.

When Ruben and Amber had nothing more to say, the boy turned and left, silently walking out of the altar through a door that had been opened by someone else.

The demons surrounding the altar were drawn away by the worshippers who came out. Under the worshippers' conscious control, they dispersed, thus preventing the demons from swarming in and killing people quickly.

This actually made things easier for Jiang Jieleng, since his privileges weren't that significant; at most, the curse Yu Xing left in his body would make the ghosts a little more wary.

These believers prefer to go it alone, which gives him more room to maneuver, so it's good news.

Jiang Jieleng blinked.

If this were a game of chess, he would have to be the mastermind... But the general's move would have to be decided by Yu Xing or Yu Fengchen, who were nowhere to be seen at the moment.

In the wooden tubs in the reception area, the water, which was always warm, cooled into an icy substance.

One of the main characters that many believers outside were searching for was humming a strange little tune as he took a cold bath, changed into a clean robe, and proceeded unhurriedly.

"Ghost Tree is unhappy when one little puppet dies~ Ghost Tree is unhappy when two little puppets die~"

The haphazard tune sounded meaningless, yet Yu Xing was unconsciously humming it happily.

"How many little puppets must die before Ghost Tree becomes afraid?"