Invisible threads of spirit suspended every living being in the sky. Like puppets, they raised their heads in unison, moved their stiff bodies, and marched back the way they had come with identical strides.
Klein straightened the top hat on his head and looked toward the Vow Envoys of Great Vow Heaven that had appeared from nowhere on the horizon, condensed from Vow Power.
He closed his eyes and sensed his surroundings, then raised his right hand and snapped his fingers.
Snap.
A fine gray drizzle began to fall, but after a cool wind swept through, hair-raising laughter echoed across All-Heavens City.
"Fuxi Xuanhuang Celestial Worthy."
"Everlasting Joy Heavenly Lord."
"Blessed Dou Mu Immortal Venerable."
"Fuxi Xuanhuang Celestial Worthy."
Gray Fog suddenly filled every corner of All-Heavens City. Amid the most ancient, unknown terror, prayers murmured in chaos began to merge with cries both shrill and panicked.
Until...
They gathered into a cadence at once supremely sacred and profoundly blasphemous.
White, keratin-like growths appeared on the living beings' faces. Masks, Monocles, and mahjong tiles emerged one after another.
At last, their feet left the ground. Like strips of cured meat hung out to dry, they dangled from above, lenses flashing, mouths curving upward, eyes rolling white as they swayed.
The Vow Envoys that had taken Klein's form spread like a virus, infecting still more Vow Envoys appearing from thin air.
The battle, originally tilted in True Immortal Beiwǔ's favor, took an uncanny turn. Yet even the immortals, gods, and cultivators on Klein's side dared not act rashly. Some even hid inside the towers.
Klein's lips twitched. "This is ridiculous..."
His formal suit writhed into a translucent cloak. From beneath it slid a slick, transparent tentacle covered in intricate markings and studded with dice.
The tentacle flicked, yanking a yellowed page