Chapter 487 - -

Chapter 487: Chapter 484 - "Because We Are Allies.Su Ming’an hadn’t had a chance to speak before the guards pounced on him.

Spears and long knives emanating a faint glow stabbed violently toward him.

He held his palms upward, fingers splayed.

"Boom—!"

All those who had rushed toward him suddenly shrank down a notch.

Their armor struck the ground, and the spears smashed into the earth, along with their heads, all pressed down to the ground, their knees spurting blood.

Under the cover of night, they couldn’t utter a word, kneeling down like fallen leaves.

Su Ming’an, now with a 400% increase in strength and employing gravity suppression, fully replicated the prowess of Hui Shuhang from the past.

As he walked toward the stone fortress, two beams of light from soul stones suddenly lit up ahead.

Two unaffected figures, holding soul stones, crossed the gravitational barrier and stood before him.

Fengchang, his eyes full of blood, holding a Black Blade, and the Great Elder Fengle Zeven, slowly encircled him.

"We’ve been waiting for you," Fengchang said softly, his eyes weary.

"..." Su Ming’an looked at him, "What happened?"

"—Your Guide, Qianqian Zeven, has wrought this tragedy," the Great Elder stepped forward and said righteously, "Just this afternoon—she killed the benevolent Second Elder Tu Yuan who had gone to visit her, turned into a monster, and contaminated the entire stone fortress!"

He shouted, raising his emaciated finger, pointing to the stone fortress shrouded in darkness behind him: "—If you still possess the character to be chosen by the Divine Envoy’s Raven, then let Lord Raven kill her and end this catastrophe!"

Su Ming’an looked toward Fengchang.

Fengchang was looking back at him, his gaze unwavering.

"Is this why you wanted me to come to the First Tribe?" Su Ming’an said, "You want me to realize this and choose to kill her?"

"You’ve seen what she has turned into, she is a monster. It’s proven. Qianqian Zeven is the source of all calamities," Fengchang said, "It’s because she worshipped Jiu Shen that Qiongdi faces so many disasters. And the Raven on your shoulder is the only way to punish her."

Su Ming’an said nothing.

Fengchang took a step forward, still trying to persuade him.

"Originally, I could have killed you and gained favor from Lord Raven during the succession ceremony. But I... trust you. I don’t want to see you die. I’d rather envision the future of Qiongdi with you—if only you choose to kill Qianqian," Fengchang said.

His words were very clear.

If he had killed Su Ming’an, he could also have gained the following of Raven during the succession ceremony. Then, he could go find Bo’er, dead or alive, and Raven would destroy the Jiu Shen essence in her, ending everything.

But now, with Raven on Su Ming’an and Fengchang unwilling to kill him, he could only hope Su Ming’an would personally execute her.

"..." Su Ming’an closed his eyes.

The Skill of Ruler’s Favor that he had used earlier had indeed saved his life, causing the fully affectionate Fengchang to set aside his intent to kill him, even willing to share the Clan Leader position with him.

But Fengchang would never let go of his intent to kill Bo’er.

Because her living was a mistake.

After all, the survival of the race and the continuation of civilization is the greatest justice. Deity can be said to be an acknowledged value, ingrained in human subconscious, thus it becomes deeply rooted and turns into a faith.

So, whether on a factual level or a societal need level, Bo’er deserved to die.

The concept itself belongs to humanity, and whether it has value is determined by them.

And she was too "abnormal."

From the current situation, although Xiber might indeed have hidden reasons, it’s undeniable that she embraced Jiu Shen and transformed into a monster.

...But why did she choose to worship Jiu Shen? It’s all because she worshipped this god, recognized as an Evil God, that she was accused of bringing catastrophe and fell into her current predicament.

She said it was because Jiu Shen saved her when she was a child that she worshipped him. But according to the theories of Qiongdi, it’s clear she worshipped Jiu Shen first, and only then did Jiu Shen appear.

This line of logic, fundamentally makes no sense, unless Xiber deceived him again.

...She deceived him again.

As he opened his eyes once more, his expression subtly changed.

Now, it seemed very difficult for him to break through the situation. A 400% enhancement in Strength kept his combat power just below four thousand, still unable to defeat Fengchang unless he found a new, undiscovered Oracle that could double his Strength yet again, possibly enabling him to overrule the First Tribe.

"I..." Just as he was about to speak, he suddenly heard an intense "swhoosh——" sound.

It was like the sound of a balloon bursting, and now it emerged from behind him.

A swath of black light almost covering the sky shot across like a crescent moon, making him feel lighter as something fiercely pulled him back.

Several jet-black feathers, like swords, flew through the air, making a "thrust, thrust, thrust" sound as they landed on the ground in front of Fengchang and the others.

A pair of blood-red eyes opened in the night, glowing faintly like ghost fires.

It raised its neck and let out a shrill, long cry, like lightning tearing through the night. Its claws grabbed Su Ming’an from the ground and it turned to run into the darkness.

"Let him go!"

Fengchang leaped forward, his figure suddenly appearing in mid-air, and the Black Blade swung——

A terrifying rift that nearly tore apart heaven and earth emerged in the sky. Since the blade was aimed at the air and posed no danger to the Tribe members, he did not hold back at all, even the lingering black mist was dispelled by this strike.

It was like a deity tearing through the night in the sky. A deep black line flashed across the body of the giant raven, just as Yinke had grabbed Su Ming’an only to be struck by Fengchang, letting out a miserable cry.

Its back feathers were completely cut away by the strike, leaving no trace of flesh or blood, exposing the back bones melted halfway through, it lost the strength to fly and plummeted straight to the ground.

"Thump!"

At that moment, it released its claws, using its last strength to throw Su Ming’an far away.

The fierce wind roared past Su Ming’an’s ears, and he saw a figure standing in the direction of his fall.

He saw her golden, slightly curly long hair, still bright as sunlight in the mist, dancing like light spots on glass.

Noel stood there, still wearing the white gown of the Sacrificial Saintess. Threads were laid out all around, entwining the edges of the rooftops like a spiderweb, catching the rapidly falling Su Ming’an.

The threads were highly elastic, cushioning the impact of the fall. Su Ming’an turned over and Noel pushed him into a house.

"Listen closely."

Noel said, immediately locking the door.

"This afternoon, Edward was about to kill Xiber, but she suddenly awakened some power and ended up killing both Edward and Second Elder Tu Yuan, and then the Stone Fortress turned into this. Yamada Machiichi and Migael went in to check the situation, and haven’t come out yet, but they probably haven’t died since there are life signs inside the Stone Fortress," Noel explained the situation at a very high speed, crouching down while tapping on the stone tiles of the floor.

As he tapped, a passage slowly appeared in the corner.

Meanwhile, the light from the Soul Stones lit up outside, someone had noticed them here.

"Over here!"

"Break down the door! Now!"

The majestic voice of the Great Elder came from outside the door.

Noel raised his hand, transparent threads appeared, wrapping the whole house tightly, he was reinforcing the defenses.

Outside the door, the pitch-black Raven Yinke was summoned by Noel again. It spread its cloud-like wings, blocking the people trying to break in, its back still dripping with fresh blood.

"Yamada told me about you. You’re just one oracle short of breaking the game, right?" Despite having no involvement in Su Ming’an’s storyline, Noel had guessed everything correctly: "I just asked Zhou Lili. She said that there are tunnels at the First Tribe’s location, and during the sacrifice, she saw blood-stained pattern marks while passing through the tunnels. I suspect they are related to the oracle you need. I’ll open the tunnels now. Once you get in, find that oracle and come back up!"

"...Okay," Su Ming’an said.

Previously, he had indeed seen them—there were tunnels beneath the Stone Fortress, where Zhou Lili herself had been brutally left in the basement. It seemed that the area covered by these tunnels was not small and even included multiple basements.

If he could collect the last of the six oracles, his strength would reach 800%, definitely allowing him to effortlessly push through the First Tribe.

...But all of this had to be done before daylight tomorrow, before the end of the "Cursed Ghost and Humans" instance.

He had to find that oracle as soon as possible.

"What about you?" Su Ming’an suddenly asked.

"Me?" Noel paused for a moment: "It’s fine, they don’t know Yinke is my pet. Once I get you in, I’ll find a chance to return to the room of the Sacrificial Saintess. They won’t suspect me."

"Thank you for helping me," Su Ming’an said.

This time, Noel truly had been a great help. If it weren’t for Noel making a move now, he might have had to reset and look for another chance to quietly infiltrate the First Tribe.

Hearing his words, Noel smiled.

"It’s nothing," he said, pushing with a palm, and with a "click" sound, a stone brick firmly fit into the gap.

A sound of chains rubbing against each other rang out, and the entrance to the deep, bottomless tunnel appeared, like a dark, dry well.

"...Because we are allies."

Noel said:

"I’ll help you win to the end."

"—Boom!"

Outside, Yinke let out a pitiful scream as the Great Elder slapped its skull, producing a crisp "crack" sound.

Fengchang stood silently under the night sky, watching the scene, not making a move.

His cold, still eyes calmly watched the fallen Yinke, seemingly looking through its massive body to see the people inside the house.

"Fengchang! That outsider refuses to kill the cultist, Cici." Seeing him unmoving, the Great Elder immediately shouted: "In that case—we should kill him to regain Lord Raven’s favor!"

"He is just bewitched by Cici..." Fengchang said softly: "I want to persuade him again."

The Great Elder felt Fengchang was being indecisive and became furiously angry: "What bewitching potion has this outsider fed you? Fengchang Zeven! Remember your surname!"

"..." Fengchang remained silent.

He held the hilt of the Black Blade, but he never lifted his hand.

Seeing this, the Great Elder looked disappointed; he no longer tried to persuade Fengchang, but knocked aside the barely living Yinke and kicked open the door—

Inside, the room was empty.

Dust floated around, gathering thickly on the tables, as if the room had been vacant for a long time.

Several broken threads lay on the floor, having fulfilled their mission of buying time.

The entrance to the underground passage had been completely blocked. After Su Ming’an jumped down, Noel destroyed the entrance and successfully escaped.

"Damn, he’s made it to the underground passage. The underground is complex and also has that eerie array. How can we chase him now..." Seeing the collapsed entrance to the tunnel, the Great Elder’s face darkened.

At that moment, footsteps suddenly sounded from behind them.

A youth dressed in a hoodie, hands in pockets, slowly approached.

"Don’t chase after him," Su Rin said. "He will change your world."

The Ruler turned back, looking at him.

"If you don’t want Qiongdi to continue to suffer... then don’t stop his every action," Su Rin said. "Although your feelings are sad, you do favor him, don’t you? Just trust him this time."

"Nonsense!" the Great Elder, flushed with anger, exclaimed. "An outsider will only bring disaster to Qiongdi! All these years of stability in Qiongdi have been thanks to the blessings left by Bai Shen, and should not be changed by mere humans!"

"I once thought that too," Su Rin spoke evenly. "I also believed that the world no longer needed change—because considering the bigger picture, I had the ability to control everything that was happening, I... had the ability to bring happiness to most people, letting them survive."

"Then he came."

"He muddled my world, claiming ’The world doesn’t need a dictator who controls everything but needs freedom and change.’"

"I didn’t believe his nonsense, nor did I think it was right. But for your world, from what I observe now..." he said, "a change might be better. Your so-called Bai Shen might not necessarily be the omnipotent deity you worship. Deities... have many hidden secrets."

The Great Elder, infuriated by Su Rin’s rebellious words, became livid; but the Ruler turned away directly.

He indeed did not chase after him but he did not give up either.

"Lock down the Inner City," he said. "If he comes up from the underground, he will definitely appear in the Inner City. We... just need to wait."

"What about Qianqian Zeven?" the Great Elder asked.

A cold light flashed in the Ruler’s eyes:

"Her turning into a monster inside the Stone Fortress is good, it saves me the trouble of looking for her. We wait first, if that outsider trips on the array and dies in the underground, the Raven will choose me, and on the eighth day of the succession ceremony... we just kill Qianqian directly.

...She deserves to die."

"What if that outsider doesn’t die?" the Great Elder said.

The Ruler glanced at the night outside the window. A cold wind whistled, and the black mist, thick like ink, lingered outside unabated.

He smelled the curse that perpetually existed in Qiongdi, like maggots gnawing on bones.

The curse is the source of all disasters.

Jiu Shen intensifies all the calamities.

Therefore, by obtaining the Raven and killing Qianqian, the days in Qiongdi will be much better.

In the face of the absolutely correct elements of sustaining civilization and retaining tribal survival, personal emotions seem particularly irrelevant.

"If he is still unwilling to kill Qianqian," said the Ruler, his tone indifferent.

He withdrew his hand, pulling out a sugar coated in a plastic wrap from his bosom.

The candy’s wrapper was covered with burn marks and the candy within must have spoiled, appearing rather unappealing.

His hand twisted slightly over the candy.

The wrapper peeled off, and the candy melted.

He watched as his fingers gradually held nothing.

Moments later, he looked up, his voice mellow:

"I will kill him with my own hands."

"...just as he demands that I kill Qianqian with my own hands."