A moment later.
The crimson whip, with two extra streaks, slashed forward.
Shen Heng entered the cave once again, into the temple that the Black Rat had set up.
The temple was no different from the previous days; it was still spacious and clean.
The ancient and enormous Black Rat statue still stands quietly at the back of the cave.
I looked up and gazed upwards for a while.
Shen Heng finally lowered his gaze.
He pushed the few Fourth Tier Black Rat he had risked collecting to the front, then lay down on the spot.
"By the Black Rat God, our Black Rat Clan has encountered several difficulties in its development, and we hope you will provide answers!"
After saying that, Shen Heng continued to lie on the ground, waiting.
Soon, a vague, inexplicable sense of connection welled up in my heart.
Without looking up, Shen Heng continued, lying on the ground.
"We want to know how to lead other lives away from that world, away from that real world outside of this one!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Shen Heng lay firmly on the ground.
He didn't know if this temple could grant him anything from beyond this world, but he didn't need to know; he just needed to ask for the answer he needed.
If possible, then the answer can naturally be obtained.
If it's not possible, then asking is pointless.
Moreover, there weren't many Black Rat brought in, and asking each additional question would be a waste of the value generated by those Black Rat sacrifices.
He couldn't directly sense it, but Shen Heng inexplicably felt a pressure on his body that suddenly intensified after he asked the question.
He remained motionless, lying there.
Until a certain moment, as if struck by inspiration, he raised his head.
A line of minimalist text floated silently before the statue.
'Utilizing Distortion rules'
Really?!
Shen Heng couldn't help but show a slight surprise and delight on his face.
Although he did wonder if the world and the temple were formed by that rule, and whether the results produced by that rule would have an effect on the outside world.
But to be honest, he didn't really have high hopes!
after all...
The joy quickly vanished, and Shen Heng stared at the line of words with a serious expression.
Utilize Distortion rules.
It sounds simple, but based on what I remember now, isn't that Distortion — the Authority of Jörmungandr?
Utilize its rules?
Even if he didn't remember the other memories, Shen Heng understood that even if he regained his memories, he probably wouldn't be able to do this.
Or, to put it more bluntly...
If he had this, he wouldn't have been trapped here for so long.
The figure lay down again, and Shen Heng asked,
"So how can we make use of that rule?"
Quietly wait.
After a while, Shen Heng looked up.
There was nothing in front of the empty statue.
My prayer just now failed.
Or to be more precise, the items offered in the sacrifice were not of a corresponding value to what was desired.
Shen Heng frowned and pondered for a while, then knelt down again.
"Lord Black Rat God, please tell me, where is that rule?"
A moment later, an invisible wave struck again.
Shen Heng raised his head.
What comes into view is a line of even more concise text.
'Bottom of the mine'
The writing slowly faded away, along with the inexplicable connection that had been established.
Shen Heng stared blankly at that spot.
Does the bottom of the mine refer to Underground Demon?
This was not much different from his previous guess; the Underground Demon was indeed formed from Distortion rules!
However, aren't this temple and that Forest Demon also subject to Distortion rules?!
Or is it...?
Only that one can be linked to the previous questions, meaning only that one could potentially be used by me!
Shen Heng's eyes darkened as he pondered.
To be honest, of the three Distortion stories, the one that's easiest to communicate with and the easiest to exploit is this temple!
Given enough resources, it can grant you anything you ask for!
So, here's the problem?
Do we need enough supplies?
Shen Heng pondered.
Neither of his two prayers at the temple satisfied him.
The items here are ridiculously expensive. Last time, they set up a random portal that only went out at night, which was bad enough, but this time they only asked two questions.
Shen Heng suspected that if he wanted to bring those figures out of his memory, he would probably have to sacrifice all the Black Rat in the entire Black Stone Valley for even a tiny chance of success!
Let's not even discuss how much that tiny bit actually is.
The problem is that by the time this temple appeared, more than half of the high-level Black Rat in Black Stone Valley had already disappeared.
Therefore, the answer points only to the Underground Demon because the Black Rat in Black Stone Valley are no longer sufficient to fulfill the required price?
What is the Forest Demon?
Vaillant, not enough?
Shen Heng paused, as if the memory of that wave, which seemed to threaten to engulf the entire Black Stone Valley, reappeared before his eyes.
Judging from their performance, the Underground Demon do indeed seem to be the strongest!
Why?
Because it appeared earlier, did it mean that more power was gathered there?
After pondering meaninglessly for a while, Shen Heng's gaze grew even more somber.
Utilizing Distortion rules— Distortion rules are equivalent to Underground Demon —but how... how can those things be utilized?
Unlike this temple, which has clear rules for exchange; and unlike the Forest Demon... although they don't seem like they can communicate, at least they can speak; and the Underground Demon...
Could you try sacrificing Black Rat or other Calamity Beast, like you did at the temple?
Or perhaps...
Shen Heng paused, and the black wave that seemed to engulf the entire world reappeared before his eyes.
Did they let the enemy flood the entire Black Stone Valley?
Well... putting aside the question of how I can let it engulf the entire Black Stone Valley while I'm all alone, the key question is how I can survive in that situation, and once I'm alive, how can I use it to get everyone out of there?
One question after another surfaced in Shen Heng's mind.
After a while.
He looked up at the enormous statue in front of him and slowly exhaled.
"..."
Silence, deathly stillness.
A gentle breeze was blowing quietly across the fields.
The sunlight shone down, but it did nothing to warm any of the Calamity Beast.
They huddled together, one after another, shivering slightly.
They seemed very scared, but they were actually okay.
What's truly frightening is the even greater Calamity Beast lurking not far away.
They didn't even dare to lift their heads, one after another pressing their heads to the ground, trembling. Many of the Calamity Beast were covered in red bloodstains on their bodies and feet.
These are the Calamity Beast that were allowed to survive during the previous riots because they collapsed early and knelt down.
Of course, even so, there were still a large number of Black Rat around them, watching.
Moreover, his eyes were filled with malice.