Your Soul Belongs to Your Lord, Your Flesh Belongs to Me

"Sir, may I have a moment of your time? I would like to tell you properly about our Heavenly Father and Savior, the great King of Infinity, the Pale Lord."

Listening to the cloaked man's fanatically sincere voice, Gu Xin's expression turned exceedingly strange.

Good heavens! It was actually a cult!

Gu Xin was stunned. After living for eighteen years, he had finally encountered a real cultist!

A living, breathing cultist!

This world revolved around swords and magic. Under the imperial system, the balance between royal authority and divine authority had always remained delicate.

The Great Xia Empire practiced an extreme form of imperial rule. Although the emperor did not reject religious sects, neither did he promote them. His attitude was highly ambiguous.

Take the Church of Light, for example. While it had established branches within the Great Xia Empire, its followers were not particularly widespread there.

But when it came to cults, the Great Xia Empire cracked down on them with exceptional severity.

There was practically no restraint. Once cultists were discovered and reported by civic-minded citizens, the enforcement squads would be dispatched at top speed to eliminate them.

And the rewards for reporting them were exceedingly generous—the kind of payout ordinary people simply could not refuse.

So although he had always heard of cultists, this was Gu Xin's first time seeing one in person.

If he remembered correctly, Yin City had carried out a small-scale crackdown a little over a month ago. Its main purpose had been to wipe out some cult organization that had appeared from nowhere.

And the result had apparently been a resounding victory. Could this guy be one of the remnants?

"King of Infinity. That sounds pretty impressive."

Gu Xin sighed.

"Of course, sir! Once you understand my lord's nobility and greatness, you too will revere His existence!"

Seeing Gu Xin's interested expression, the cloaked man's voice grew extremely excited. Even his body trembled beneath the cloak.

Good lord, was this what a fanatical cultist was like?

"Could you tell me about him?" Gu Xin tilted his head.

"Of course! It would be my honor, sir."

Beneath the shadow of the hood, Gu Xin could vaguely see a pale chin—pale as that of a corpse.

"My lord is the great King of Infinity. He is the ruler of the land of death, the master of the pale realm, an eternal existence who governs souls and reincarnation!"

"Past, present, and future—all bear His presence. He dwells within the endless pale lands, and His radiance shines across heaven and earth."

"Impressive, impressive."

Gu Xin applauded, his praise utterly heartfelt.

The cloaked man said nothing, but his body beneath the cloak seemed to be trembling even more violently.

"Since the Pale Lord is so powerful, why have I never heard of him before?" Gu Xin asked in confusion.

If not for Gu Xin's pure, innocent gaze and puzzled tone, the cloaked man might have thought he was being sarcastic.

And sarcastic right in front of a devout believer like him, no less.

"Why would my great lord care for empty fame? But this rotten world needs His descent! Followers of evil gods run rampant, and the Unclean act without restraint. They need pale judgment!"

The cloaked man gritted his teeth. Thinking of the hard days since becoming a follower of the Pale Lord, tears welled up in his eyes.

Especially with the Church of Light and the Great Xia Empire targeting them together—it was too hard, truly too hard!

"Then can I join you?"

"Of course you can! Believe me, sir, this is the wisest decision you will ever make!"

The cloaked man was incomparably excited, though he forcibly suppressed his emotions to avoid appearing too improper.

Pale Lord above, I have finally found another believer for You!

However...

"If you wish to join our sect, sir, you must first undergo the initiation ritual."

"An initiation ritual?"

"Yes. Once you complete the initiation ritual, you will be able to feel the lord's presence. His gaze is always upon us, and we shall remain with the lord forever!"

"Do we have to go now?"

Gu Xin showed a trace of hesitation.

"Of course. It will not take much of your time. The process will be quick. Could it be that, like those fools, you do not truly wish to join us? That you are unwilling to worship my lord?"

By the end, a concealed madness had crept into the cloaked man's voice.

"Fine. The sooner the better, then. Otherwise, my mother might come looking for me."

Gu Xin reluctantly agreed, though he mentioned that his family might worry about him.

And those "fools" the cloaked man spoke of seemed to have been unfortunate victims.

"Hehehe. It seems you have a mother who cares deeply for you, sir. How enviable. May my lord bless your family."

"Please follow me."

The cloaked man chuckled darkly, then turned and walked into the alley.

Gu Xin naturally followed after him.

"Senior, what should I call you?"

"You may call me Asma, sir."

Asma? That was not a name from the Great Xia Empire.

Gu Xin understood at once. No wonder he had never heard of this so-called Pale Lord before. These cultists had indeed come from another country.

Following the cloaked man named Asma through several turns in the alley, Gu Xin eventually arrived at a small house.

Gu Xin's expression became a little strange, because this small house was only a few hundred meters away from his shop.

Well, well. So there had been a cultist hideout right near his home all along?

That was certainly something.

After entering the small house, Asma went into the inner room and pressed skillfully against a wall that showed no trace of anything unusual.

A mechanism activated, and a tunnel appeared in the corner of the room.

How shady could they get? Did people still use basement designs like this nowadays?

Gu Xin inwardly mocked them, but his face remained composed. Looking curious and obedient, he stayed close behind Asma.

The basement was not dark. Magical fluorescent stones had been placed along both sides of the passageway.

However, whether because they were poor or simply used to it, the fluorescent stones were of poor quality and few in number, leaving the passage dim.

After walking for several minutes, Gu Xin could only say that these cultists were truly good at digging. They had dug remarkably deep.

"Mr. Asma, what is that?"

Gu Xin's gaze quickly landed on an iron cage not far away. A blue-haired girl with twin tails was locked inside, hugging her knees as she curled up in the corner.

"Please do not concern yourself with her. That child is a cultist unwilling to revere my lord. She is perfect for use in the monthly sacrifice, as an offering to my lord," Asma said coldly.

Perhaps hearing Asma's voice, the blue-haired girl lowered her head even further. Deep despair enveloped her.

A sacrificial offering?

Gu Xin raised an eyebrow and shifted his gaze to the other side of the basement.

There was a magic circle drawn in blood. At its center lay several shriveled corpses.

"Mr. Asma, are you the only believer here?" Gu Xin looked around but found no one else.

"No, Ula is here as well. Look, sir, he has arrived." Asma pointed to the left.

A man in a black cloak approached. Like Asma, he wore a black hooded robe, but he was holding a cup of instant noodles and eating from it.

"Asma, who is this guy?" Ula frowned.

"A new member willing to join us," Asma replied briefly. He was preparing to perform the initiation ritual.

"Only the two of you?"

Gu Xin's smile gradually became brighter.

"There were originally more than a dozen other followers, but they have already perished in battle against the Unclean." Asma's voice was sorrowful and furious.

The Unclean referred to the enforcement squads?

If so, then the crackdown in Yin City a month ago must have targeted this Pale Sect.

"I see. How truly sad."

"Yes, but their souls will surely remain at my lord's side."

Asma's tone was fanatical.

"That's right. But I think that still isn't enough. Mr. Asma, you love your lord so dearly, so how about I send you and Mr. Ula to accompany your lord as well?"

Gu Xin flashed them a broad smile.

"?" Asma.

An eerie purple void rift burst open in the ground behind Gu Xin. A huge, savage, evil head slowly emerged from the rift, terrifying and grotesque.

The void creature's heavy breathing echoed through the underground space. Its immense, crushing pressure made even the air seem thick and murky.

Baron Nashor!

"Your souls can belong to your lord, and your flesh can belong to me. What do you think?"

Before the stunned eyes of Asma and Ula, the black-haired youth stood beneath Baron Nashor's monstrous head, his smile still as innocent and sunny as ever.