Yanmen.
The Parrot perched in the Birdcage, preening its feathers.
The Cook, who had been sitting at the Bar Counter, suddenly vanished.
"Hm?"
The Parrot jerked its head up and stared in surprise at the Cook's Emptiness seat.
The next instant.
The Cook reappeared, looking utterly bewildered.
"What happened?"
The Vendor hurriedly asked.
"No idea. I felt my strength being adjusted for a moment, then the connection broke," the Cook said.
The three of them looked at the Parrot.
The Parrot was the Core Spirit. If anything changed in Yanmen, it was the one to ask.
But the Parrot looked puzzled too. It muttered:
"Damn it, who's messing with my people?"
It stretched its neck, raised its head high, tilted it, and peered into the distant Void.
A moment later.
The Parrot shuddered and flattened its bristling feathers.
"Holy hell. This is insane."
"That terrifying fellow's gone on a killing spree in the Mist Sea... Even the Power of Truth spilling off him is pouring into nearby Yanmen Components..."
"That's what caused this strange phenomenon."
Everyone was startled.
Just the Power of Truth leaking out had affected those scattered components enough to bring about a real change in Yanmen?
How terrifying did his power have to be?
"Will it affect us?"
The Retainer asked.
The Parrot kept staring into the Void and muttered:
"I don't know either. The thing is, that fellow... he's also an Aspect of Truth. By joining the ritual and killing, he's effectively taking charge of it..."
"Bloody hell, he has no idea that because he joined in—"
"What happened?" the three asked in unison with Qianqian.
"The Ancient God and the Universe both had to wake from their 'dead' state for an instant to answer him."
"The power of all Three Aspects of Truth has poured