Realizing that his intentions had been completely seen through and his Spirit Art hypnosis had been thoroughly blocked, Xiaowalus's face stiffened before filling with alarm.
"Sorry. I've been the lord for so long that I fell into my old habits without realizing it. I meant no offense. Please forgive me, Messenger!" The Lord immediately bowed to the boy in apology.
"Hmph." Ye Chen spoke with disdain in his eyes as he released the bloodied flesh between his fingernails and propped his cheek on his hand.
"But I did appear rather suddenly, so it's only natural you'd be suspicious. Let me show you my face."
As he spoke, Ye Chen pulled down his mask, revealing his human features in full to Xiaowalus.
"Ah!?"
Xiaowalus couldn't help shouting when he saw Ye Chen's true face.
After all, Frost White People looked completely different from him. And even after serving as lord of Frost White City for so many years, Xiaowalus had never seen—or even heard of—any other Sapien Race in this Eternal Winter Hidden Domain.
"Your... your appearance... Could you be from—!?"
The aghast Lord nearly dropped the wineglass in his hand as he stammered out his question.
"That's right. I come from a much wider world beyond this place. I belong to another race that worships the Abyss. I've revealed myself to you because I intend to expand the Abyss's territory."
Ye Chen paid no mind to Xiaowalus's shock and replied in a calm voice.
"Now, you believe who I am, don't you?"
Xiaowalus gaped for several dozen seconds, then slammed his head onto the tea table before him. With a bruise swelling on his forehead, he apologized to Ye Chen again:
"I believe you! I believe you're the Messenger of the Abyss! Please forgive my earlier rudeness! I'll do anything to make it up to you—!"
As he spoke, he repeatedly banged his head against the table. Cracks instantly spread across its surface, and blood welled from his forehead.
"Enough, enough. Stop doing pointless things like that. All I want now is to spread the Abyss across this world as soon as possible, and for that, I need your help as its lord."
Ye Chen waved a hand, signaling Xiaowalus to calm down, and steered the conversation back on track.
"Of course! Whatever you command, I'll do my utmost to carry out!"
Xiaowalus wiped the blood from his face with a handkerchief as he answered eagerly.
Ye Chen took a handkerchief marked with blue runes from his breast pocket and focused his mind. A sheet of white paper promptly emerged from the strange runes on its surface. Xiaowalus stared in astonishment, clearly unfamiliar with the concept of Space Storage, a General Spirit Art.
At the center of the paper was a strange Circle Array drawn in red ink, covered in obscure symbols.
Xiaowalus accepted the paper and studied the red Circle Array, then quietly ventured a guess:
"Is this the ritual array needed to summon the Abyss?"
"That's right. I don't know where you gathered all the miscellaneous information in this study, but it's nothing but worthless junk. Otherwise, you wouldn't have spent years at it without achieving a thing."
Ye Chen nodded, taking the opportunity to disparage all of Xiaowalus's past research.
"The array recorded on this paper is the correct way to summon the Abyss. I used it to summon the Abyss to my homeland."
With that, Ye Chen let out a cold, giggling laugh, truly taking on the sinister air of an evil overlord.
Xiaowalus stared blankly at the paper in his hands. Yet rather than feel offended by Ye Chen's taunts, he felt as if the clouds had parted to reveal the sun, leaving him with a clear, refreshing sense of understanding.
As long as he could summon the Abyss, Xiaowalus would be satisfied. He didn't care whether all his past efforts had been in vain; that was how deep his obsession with the Abyss ran.
"I need you to order your subordinates to go to the four corners of Frost White City—the northeast, southeast, northwest, and southwest—and draw a Circle Array with a ten-meter radius at each location, using this paper as a template and red ink. Then pour ten milliliters of your blood into the center of each array."
"Also, drive as many people as possible out of the city gates. Once the array activates, Frost White City will become the center of the summoning ritual, and every living thing outside the center will become an offering to welcome the Abyss. The more offerings there are, the happier the Abyss will be. Then we'll have the honor of watching it feast to its heart's content right here in your home."
Ye Chen gave a cold laugh as he walked over to the study's balcony doors. He gazed out at the darkening evening sky and gave Xiaowalus his final instructions.
"The summoning ritual requires precise timing. The arrays must be activated at exactly midnight. We have less than six hours left, but I'm sure someone as capable as you can get everything done, right?"
Xiaowalus paused, then repeated the ritual's key details under his breath several times, committing every step to memory. Only then did he bow solemnly to Ye Chen and make his promise.
"I won't let you down. I'll mobilize everyone and prepare the ritual at once! While I'm making the preparations, please rest here in the mansion. Just tell the servants what you need, and I'll have them do everything in their power to provide it! Now, if you'll excuse me, Messenger. Goodbye!"
After politely taking his leave, Xiaowalus hurried out of the study in a fluster and loudly rallied everyone on the estate. He issued several major orders, and before long, the once-quiet grounds were filled with hurried footsteps.
"Phew."
Left alone in the study, Ye Chen quietly breathed a sigh of relief. After pulling his mask back over his face, he left the room and coolly ordered the servant Xiaowalus had assigned to him, "While the lord is away, show me around this mansion and the grounds nearby. I want to see every last place."
The servant respectfully agreed, then led Ye Chen around, familiarizing him step by step with the surrounding buildings.
Once outside, Xiaowalus first ordered his Elite Guard to prepare the ritual arrays at the city's four corners. Then he urgently mobilized every guard in the city, ordering them to arm themselves and drive every resident out of Frost White City, regardless of sex or age.
The guards were baffled by this sudden, absurd order and demanded to know why.
But Xiaowalus couldn't be bothered to explain. With his voice brimming with Auling Power, he hypnotized them all, instantly turning them into obedient puppets.
Thus, the guards under Xiaowalus's control swept through the streets and alleys in groups, driving out residents from the roads, shops, and even their homes. They didn't spare even those using the toilet, roughly dragging them out and tossing them into the crowds in the street.
Xiaowalus's eviction order was carried out with fervor. Such a sudden, large-scale operation, imposed without any explanation, naturally provoked widespread discontent, and the people began rioting with weapons in hand.
But just as the guards struggled to contain the people's fury, Xiaowalus appeared in time. His resonant voice rang out once more, and he began to brainwash the crowd on a massive scale.
In the end, the people's fury abruptly subsided. They blankly lowered their weapons, lined up in orderly rows, and obediently walked out through the city gates under the guards' direction.
The sun set and the full moon rose. As the clock's hands turned round after round, the once noisy, boisterous streets of Frost White City finally grew quiet. Beyond the city gates, the plain was packed with people as far as the eye could see.
Ye Chen stood on the balcony outside the study in the Lord's mansion, gazing at the unrest gradually dying down in the city. Then he turned his eyes to the pale, cool moon in the night sky and remained silent, his gaze resolute.
The boy knew that soon he would reveal his true identity as a Hunter and begin his final hunt in this world. He had to do everything he could to bring this final trial to a perfect end. He absolutely could not disappoint his teacher.
Absolutely not!
Ye Chen steeled himself.
Before you continue