Approaching

"The Black Sun Cult? Troublesome fellows have arrived."

Olivia sighed.

She knew just how terrifying a true cult could be; her own organization certainly didn't count!

"Yes, we clashed with them. They struck first. Curtis was scorched by their flames, and I used my firearms to disrupt them, barely managing to escape back here."

Barnard's eyes were rimmed with red.

"This is the second stage of the Path of Darkness, the ability of the Son of Burning. They can manipulate a bizarre flame that burns slowly and continuously, eventually consuming everything..."

Lin said with a cold face, recounting what she had once witnessed: "Ordinary medicine and water are useless. One must use rituals and spiritual power to purge it!"

"If that is the case, I can certainly give it a try."

Back in the Wasteland of Wild Woods cult, Olivia had received systematic training; when it came to the study of ritual magic, she was far more profound than Lin.

"That is no longer the main issue... Those black-skinned dogs have already stretched their claws into this place. I will never allow it; this is my Lord's city!"

Lin gritted her teeth and said.

"Do not be impulsive, Lin. We need more intelligence... However, if there is only one second-stage Son of Burning and no powerhouse who has undergone a life-leap, we might be able to attempt..."

Olivia offered some comfort.

Most extraordinary beings, as long as they have not reached a certain stage, still possess vital points and can be killed by weapons like firearms.

And here, this was their home turf!

"We are already quite far from the Black Sun Cult. The High Priest and the Dark Seekers will not pay too much attention. Having a mid-level Son of Burning in charge should be about right..."

Aaron thought for a moment and walked out of the department store building; he wanted to go scout the situation alone.

After all, establishing a cult was no easy task. If it were wiped out, finding suitable candidates would be a matter of luck.

"Besides, they won't be able to detect me. I am the best monitor."

Following the information he had just overheard, Aaron headed in a certain direction.

At the other end of the city.

Mas took out an expired can, pried open the lid, scooped out the luncheon meat inside, took a bite, and then tossed it aside in disgust.

Clack!

The metal can landed on the ground. A little girl who looked like a scavenger saw it, her eyes lighting up. She scrambled over, grabbed the can, and scurried back into the crowd.

In front of Mas was a survivor stronghold with about thirty people, including several elderly and children.

Mas's gaze fixed on them, and a woman hurriedly pulled the girl into her arms.

The little girl ignored everything else, began digging out the luncheon meat with her hands, took a bite herself, and then fed a piece to her mother.

"Not bad..."

Mas did not pursue the matter, only thinking with satisfaction in his heart: "They will make excellent firewood... Perhaps after one more Eclipse Ritual, I can advance to 'Dark Seeker' and become a big shot second only to the High Priest."

He stood up, looked at the terrified crowd, and wore a warm smile on his face: "Do not be afraid. We, the Black Sun Cult, are not an evil organization. On the contrary, we bring salvation... and extraordinary power!"

Looking at the few men who were clearly moved, Mas said even more smugly: "Did you see the flames from earlier? Join us, and you too can obtain that power!"

His expression turned serious as he shouted: "Our Lord [Black Sun] is the Lord of the Eclipse, the Undying Sun, and the only salvation in this world!"

"Only by strictly adhering to the Path of Darkness can we continuously draw closer to Him!"

"And I shall guide you into the gates of 'Darkness'!"

After the sermon, Mas walked out of the shelter with great satisfaction, two Black Sun cultists hurriedly following behind him.

"Your speech, sir, is almost comparable to that of the High Priest."

Rem, who had red hair, exclaimed in admiration: "I really want to see what those pieces of firewood look like when they burn... Once you obtain their spirituality, sir, you might be able to push for the rank of Dark Seeker, or even attempt to complete a great feat..."

"The materials for the Eclipse Ritual are too terrifying..." Mas scolded: "And... I know what you two are thinking. Using meditation and breathing techniques to stimulate spirituality is too slow. You want to obtain spirituality as quickly as possible to advance from 'Unburnt'?"

Mas looked at the two trembling men and sneered in his heart; he had seen right through them.

Within the Black Sun Cult, even the core 'Unburnt' could potentially become firewood.

However, once one reached the level of 'Son of Burning', things would be much better.

Look at last time; even when the High Priest held the Eclipse Ritual, he did not touch a single 'Son of Burning'. Aside from them being unsuitable, it was also because they were the backbone of the cult, the middle management.

And within the Black Sun Church, there was never a shortage of secret arts to plunder the spirituality of low-level extraordinary beings.

This led to the 'Unburnt' having no sense of security, trying every possible way to advance upward.

Strangely, even with such harsh rules, very few 'Unburnt' ever defected.

"Rem, that group from earlier, the ones who claimed to belong to a faction called the Light of Redemption, you need to go and scout them out!"

Mas thought for a moment and assigned a task: "Also... do not forget what the High Priest instructed us. Track down that 'Lin'. You must capture her and sacrifice her!"

"Isn't she just a girl?" Rem muttered: "Even if she is quite strong..."

"It is more than that. The High Priest even suspects that she is a favored one of our Lord's great enemy. Once we can offer her to our Lord, perhaps we shall all be blessed by the divine!"

A ruthless glint flashed in Mas's eyes. If possible, he wanted to sacrifice the target himself; in that case, perhaps he wouldn't even need firewood, and the Black Sun would directly promote his rank!

"My Lord... a great enemy?" Rem's voice trembled. "What kind of evil god is that?"

"The moon is Her avatar, and bloodshed is Her domain... I cannot speak Her full honorific, so I can only refer to Her as the 'Mother Tree of Flesh'... Remember... any follower of the moon is our mortal enemy!"

Mas's attitude was serious as never before.

Aaron was right beside Mas, having heard everything from start to finish. "As expected, it's just an expansion squad, but I didn't expect there to be a mission to capture Lin as well..."

He shook his head and looked at these cultists again. "Pity... Aike isn't here. Wait, this kid might have been implicated after last time and sacrificed already..."

"And these people—even if I redeemed them and cleansed the corruption from their bodies, I fear they would still worship and believe in the Black Sun. Simply put, they are too deeply poisoned; there is no saving them!"

Aaron felt that, in a certain sense, the prayer Lin had fumbled through was quite correct.

He was indeed the symbol of reason and free will!

For those Beyonders who had not yet lost their sense of self, his gift was salvation, the radiance of reason.

But for those believers who had already completely surrendered their faith to terrifying entities, they had long since discarded their free will, their minds altered by the subtle influence of the cult. Fundamentally, there was no possibility of redemption.