The Cult Faces Crisis! Three-Way Siege

In one of River City's safehouses, a pale-faced man in a black robe patterned with fiery clouds sat in a bright, spacious room.

He had a rugged face and a beard covering his chin. Holding a bottle to his lips, he gulped down the liquor.

"Ah!"

He set down the bottle, speared a piece of roasted meat with his fork, and mumbled as he chewed:

"Black Bear is dead? He died on a perfectly ordinary trip to the night market... Fuck, let me see who's trying to steal my prize!"

He propped his legs on the table and snapped his fingers. A young blonde, blue-eyed woman in a gorgeous cheongsam with slits running all the way up to her thighs walked in.

She slowly approached the man, her eyes dull and vacant, like a robot.

"Transmit the footage from before Black Bear died."

The man ordered.

The woman in the cheongsam nodded slightly. Her originally lovely face suddenly wrinkled, then split open down the middle. Spirituality gathered within it, forming an image.

The man's casual gaze widened the moment he saw the person in the image. After staring blankly for a while, just as he wanted to keep watching, the image abruptly cut off.

"Gasp... Yellow robes?... Could it be... the King in Yellow?

What the hell is wrong with that guy?! He actually dared to wear those clothes out in public!

Could an incarnation of that being have descended into the human world?!"

The man's expression instantly turned terrified. The bottle in his hand slipped to the floor without him noticing, and even the sharp shards of glass piercing his palm went unnoticed.

"..."

"...The King in Yellow! He has appeared!"

This wouldn't do...

He could not delay any longer. It was time to make a move. The King in Yellow had appeared in River City, and no one knew how things would develop from here. The unification plan could only be carried out ahead of schedule...

Countless thoughts flashed through the man's mind. He hurriedly pulled out his phone and made a call. After nervously giving a few instructions, he hung up, stood, and put away the tattered blood-red battle flag on the table. As he walked outside, he said:

"The Ghoul Cult took a hit recently. This is the perfect chance for us to strike! Notify the Calamity Serpent Society and the Grotesque Circus. Gather every available hand and swallow the Ghoul Cult first!

If they refuse to obey, beat them until they do!"

The woman in the cheongsam's split head automatically closed, revealing her beautiful smile once more. Following behind the man, she began making calls one after another.

"The Great Cataclysm a thousand years ago was also known as the Reign of Chaos of the Third Epoch. The gods began to fall, and Beyonders began appearing among humanity. Some could breathe fire, spit water, summon lightning, or transform into giants. After generations of inheritance, countless battles, and mergers, the Federation emerged, along with the three major orthodox churches above it.

They were the War God Church, which worshipped the 'Twilight Giant'; the Church of Nature, which worshipped the 'Holy Mother Tree'; and the Church of Knowledge, which worshipped the 'Darknight Sage.'

They stood above the laws of society. Some of their followers were assigned to the Special Affairs Departments in various cities to handle important matters. If powerful monsters appeared in human settlements, the church's powerhouses would personally step in to deal with them.

Generally speaking, every Guardian City had a Morning Star Tier powerhouse stationed there, and that powerhouse was usually a follower of one of the churches.

As for the main cities above the Guardian Cities, they housed certain powerful Unknown-Tier beings.

..."

Su Ziyu carefully read through the contents and gained a rough understanding of the changes in the Beyonder world over the past three years.

Besides the three major orthodox churches, there were also cults with all sorts of bizarre names. They appeared throughout the world and operated over vast territories. For example, the Ghoul Cult that Su Ziyu had encountered earlier was a relatively small cult, mainly active within the major Guardian Cities.

There were also ancient cults such as the Crimson Tongue, Calamity Serpent Society, Seekers Society, and Necromancer Society, whose areas of activity were unknown. There were even assassination organizations like the Black Tailor. Rumor had it that they worshipped an entity known as the Shadow Demon.

The book recorded that cults like the Crimson Tongue and the Calamity Serpent Society were active across the major Guardian Cities and the wilderness. As for the ancient Necromancer Society and Seekers Society, people had reportedly spotted traces of them at sea.

With the All-Seeing True Eye, Su Ziyu finished flipping through the hundred-plus-page book in half an hour.

To his regret, it contained no information about the Old God Cult. It seemed that this church was truly secretive, and most people might not even have access to it.

He took out the Octopus-Head Key he had bought earlier. That man in the Black Bear mask seemed to have noticed that the key was unusual as well, which made Su Ziyu even more curious about what secrets it held.

He activated the All-Seeing True Eye and examined it carefully. He only sensed spiritual fluctuations from the key. After considering it, he slowly fed a portion of his spirituality into it, letting it spread over the key's body in winding circles.

This time, the All-Seeing True Eye saw something unusual.

"Whoosh... whoosh!"

The waves surged like ferocious beasts. Looking up, he saw a vast ocean stretching endlessly before him. He could even smell the ocean's distinctive fishy stench when he slightly wrinkled his nose.

"Whoosh... whoosh..."

The waves rose again before slowly falling. Something seemed to be hidden beneath the sea at the very center. Simply staring at that spot made Su Ziyu's heart palpitate.

And this was merely an illusion formed from a trace of spirituality.

Once the spirituality dispersed, the scene before him gradually faded away and dissolved.

Su Ziyu felt as though he had suddenly returned to land from the sea, yet a fishy smell seemed to cling to his body and refuse to leave.

He grabbed his collar and sniffed it for any unusual scent. It seemed that the scene just now had altered his five senses to a certain extent!

Su Ziyu put the key away and nodded slightly.

The strange phenomenon that had just appeared was enough to show that the Octopus-Head Key was no ordinary item.

However, he had no leads for now. He would keep it stored away and ask someone about it when he had the chance.

After putting away the Octopus-Head Key, Su Ziyu thought of the man in the Black Bear mask he had encountered at the night market.

The bystanders watching the show might not have noticed, but Su Ziyu had gone through a real battle and had the Void Shadow Beast deliver information to him. He had learned some secrets that others did not know.

That man in the Black Bear mask was most likely not human. He was like a puppet—impossible to kill. In the end, it was only after a tiny centipede-like segmented insect had been destroyed that the Black Bear man's life was truly ended.

Su Ziyu vaguely felt that he had once again been drawn into some kind of conspiracy.

Rubbing his temples, he reflected on how strange everything had been lately. As he sorted through his thoughts, he suddenly received a message from Rage...

"Interesting... Time to practice my swordsmanship."

The corners of Su Ziyu's mouth curled upward.

In the southern district of the city, the Ghoul Cult's former safehouse had been turned into a resting place after the Rage Knight captured it with an undead army.

But tonight, it was exceptionally lively.

"Li Kangming, submit to our Calamity Serpent Society. The great Sea Serpent God will watch over you forever!"

A blue-haired young man spread his arms and shouted.

"Look at you now. No people, no territory. What's the point of staying with that cult?"

Another member of the Calamity Serpent Society spoke up as well.

A man in a clown costume stepped forward. His face was painted with grotesque makeup in patches of red and yellow. Tossing a small ball in one hand, he said in a shrill voice:

"Hehehe, join our Grotesque Circus! The Mother of the Grotesque is watching you! Wouldn't it be wonderful for us to play happily together?"

Behind those two cults stood a group of followers in black robes marked with fiery cloud patterns. The woman in the cheongsam from earlier was leading them.

"Why waste words with them? Can't we discuss annexation after we kill them all?"

The woman in the cheongsam sneered.

The blue-haired man and the clown both seemed somewhat afraid of her and did not dare say anything further.

More than a hundred members of the Ghoul Cult stood behind the Rage Knight. They were all former subordinates who had been recruited by Rage.

They did not know much about the changes that had happened to the Rage Knight. They only knew that their master seemed to serve some important figure called the Burial Venerable.

But they had stayed here for so many days without even seeing a shadow of that important figure, and many followers had begun entertaining thoughts of rebellion.

Especially since they were facing the combined siege of several cults.

Most of them were panicking inside.

The blue-haired man seemed to notice that as well. With a cold smile, he continued:

"Let me give everyone a piece of advice. Nothing good will come from following the Ghoul Cult.

No matter how powerful Li Kangming is, can he withstand the assault of three cults?

Hahaha, this is simply ridiculous!

Those of you who want to flee, those of you who do not wish to fight, step forward now.

If you can turn the weapons in your hands against Li Kangming, then after we finish the purge,

you will have a chance to join one of the major cults.

Hehehe, seize this opportunity, everyone..."

His voice was incredibly persuasive, like a Wall Street securities manager selling junk bonds.

Many followers raised their heads, as though making some sort of decision.

The smile on the blue-haired man's face became even more unrestrained. His eyes were filled with the contempt and disdain of someone enjoying a spectacle, while the followers he had brought also wore scornful expressions.

The clown stopped spinning the little ball in his hand and glanced over, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.

The woman in the cheongsam leisurely lit a cigarette, as though watching a farce.

"Ah!"

No one knew who it was, but someone finally let out a muffled roar, as if venting all the pressure in their heart. The followers who had once belonged to the Ghoul Cult actually turned their weapons on their own companions.