Chapter 481: Fire Element Evil God

Chapter 481: Fire Element Evil God

The Magic Weapon Summoning Book contained many small functions, things like a computer, which Zheng Yichen had worked hard to dig out. So reminders or things like memo prompts? There had been a memo function before, but that was manual. Zheng Yichen thought about it, and it seemed a whole bunch of other trivial little functions could be added too.

Things like a camera function, music function, and so on. Songs? Zheng Yichen knew way too many songs. His mental energy strengthened his memory, so he could recall every song he’d ever heard. Even if some songs changed flavor when translated and sung in another language, one thing stayed the same: the music itself!

Play some energetic music in battle, and fighting power increases by at least a few percentage points. If, when fighting desperately, there was some intense music that made your skin tingle and pumped you up, surely combat power could climb another few percentage points?

Of course, if someone accidentally played the wrong music at such a moment, deflating the determination to fight desperately, that was another matter. But Zheng Yichen thought about it; when life and death hung in the balance, something like deflation probably wouldn’t happen, right?

He pondered carefully… maybe…

Anyway, Zheng Yichen noted down all these little functions. Then he glanced at the mountain stronghold, which Moser had thoroughly searched and then set ablaze. The sequence of plundering wealth and finishing with arson was shockingly well-practiced. As for the fire, Moser explained it was to keep the empty stronghold from being taken over by new refugees or bandits.

Even refugees taking it over could turn into bandits. So burning it all down was necessary. Otherwise, a fully intact fortification would be way too attractive. Moser specifically added that he’d thoroughly checked the area; there was no risk of triggering a huge wildfire. His experience was staggering!

This guy clearly did big things.

After wrapping things up at the stronghold, Zheng Yichen continued towards Stone Forest. Unexpectedly, Moser followed.

“My way too,” he told Zheng Yichen.

“Uh… okay then,” Zheng Yichen said. Having someone from the Sanctuary Church tagging along, even if not an openly acknowledged member, still made Zheng Yichen feel a bit unsettled. After all, his knowledge of Dark Executors was limited to what Dan Marina had told him: Their operating principles were basically similar to regular church members, but with many differences. The most obvious one was their methods!

Take the stronghold business. A normal Sanctuary Church knight might kill some, but definitely not as absolutely as Moser. He’d eradicated any future trouble, making sure those guys couldn’t even become ghosts. He used Dark Power to reduce them to only their True Spirits, then plundered their wealth and set the mountain ablaze… Someone unaware might mistake this for Dark Church operatives cleaning out other villains!

“Heading to Stone Forest?” After traveling together for a while, Moser seemed to remember something and asked directly.

“Yeah,” Zheng Yichen nodded. Since his trail wasn’t hidden and Moser had guessed, he just admitted it.

“Alright.” Getting his answer, Moser fell silent. Zheng Yichen took a longer look at this man whose face looked resolute and whose clothes screamed a life of hardship. Yet, observing more closely, Zheng Yichen felt Moser might be secretly a bit of a show-off…

After all, signs of this tendency were everywhere – in his intentionally aged Magic Cycle and other aspects.

While walking, Moser suddenly slammed the brakes. His sliding vehicle kicked up a huge cloud of dust, forming the perfect backdrop for his stop. The look was way cool! See! That alone convinced Zheng Yichen his guess was right.

“The wailing of the dead… We part ways here,” Moser told Zheng Yichen without looking back.

“Same way, same way,” Zheng Yichen replied dryly to Moser’s back. After saying that, he really wanted to shout that he smelled Soul Material nearby!!

He never felt he had enough!

“…Harvesting souls is a bad habit,” Moser stated.

“I don’t keep their True Spirits. Since those things will just dissipate, I might as well take them,” Zheng Yichen argued. “Using souls stained with sin helps make up for their past crimes.”

Moser shook his head, his tattered cloak flapping loudly in the wind. “That line of thinking has no fundamental flaw, but it’s an attitude ripe for corruption.”

“Trouble is, I have no reason to fall. I’ve got money, I’ve got abilities, and no reason to curse the heavens and blame everyone else. What good would corruption do me?” Zheng Yichen yawned.

“……” Moser stopped talking, even revved his engine harder. Zheng Yichen clearly sensed annoyance radiating from Moser’s back. This conversation couldn’t continue!!

Zheng Yichen chuckled inwardly, then followed without another word. They reached a village still smoldering. After checking it over, Moser frowned. “It’s a Cult. Probably one tied to a Fire Element Evil God.”

He glanced back at Zheng Yichen. “Want to hear more?”

“Of course, I’m listening,” Zheng Yichen replied, finding Moser’s extra question a bit baffling. He was genuinely interested. What was the point of asking? Afraid he’d interrupt? Or did Moser suspect Zheng Yichen might know the answer already and risk embarrassment by continuing?

Zheng Yichen knew a fair bit about Evil Gods from books, but his real-world experience was slim compared to people actually dealing with such cases. So Moser just scanning the burned village and concluding a Fire Element Evil God involvement made Zheng Yichen very curious.

Simply because fire was involved?

Tsk, if that was the case, bandits killing and looting, then casually starting a fire, could easily pin it on an Evil God.

Moser scooped up a handful of ash. It seemed to stir to life on his palm. A red, ring-shaped burn mark slithered down towards his hand. His glove immediately turned to ash, but just before the mark touched his skin, it was blasted back by an unseen force, crumbling back into ordinary ash on the ground.

Zheng Yichen observed carefully. The entire village’s ash differed from normal charred debris. These ashes seemed subtly alive, a faint characteristic hard to spot unless closely studied.

“An Evil God hidden for probably over ten years,” Moser continued, kicking aside some ash as he walked deeper into the village. He kept speaking while moving, “The Evil God’s presence was very well concealed. No lingering traces of madness. Inexperienced investigators would likely be misled. Accidentally touching the occasional ash would cause trouble later.”

“However… an Evil God remains an Evil God. No matter how well hidden, this place was just… too clean. Not a single scrap of remains.” Reaching the village center, Moser pulled a short sword from under his cloak and plunged it into the ground. He dragged up something resembling a burning charcoal. The whole thing was ash-grey. The moment it emerged, it began shedding crumbling flakes non-stop, looking ready to disintegrate.

“A textbook traditional operation.”

“Uh, could you explain in more detail?”

“…Fire-related Evil Gods differ from those directly affecting the mind. Their power manifests similarly to Magic, yet it’s more polluting. Sacrifices also aren’t purely blood sacrifices. Hmm, and definitely not as simple as lighting a bonfire.”

As the charcoal-like mass crumbled, the active ash remnants throughout the village instantly stilled, like bulbs switched off, becoming ordinary grey powder. Traces previously covered by ash were revealed. Zheng Yichen saw many ‘sitting spots’, mostly arranged like starlight encircling their position!

This immediately reminded Zheng Yichen of something that had caused a stir before his transmigration… that Falun Gong thing. Looking closely though, the spots weren’t entirely orderly. Some were chaotic… almost like…

Moser walked to one such spot and lightly waved his black short sword, blowing away the ash to reveal faint scratch marks. “Signs of struggle.”

Could you let me finish my thoughts before speaking?

Zheng Yichen stared expressionless at Moser. “If we know it was an Evil God, and this seems to be a recent sacrificial ritual, shouldn’t we actually do something useful instead of wandering around?”

“Hmph.” Moser coughed lightly, shifting awkwardly. “They can’t escape. The number of cultists I’ve personally dispatched could circle this village dozens of times.” Hearing this, Zheng Yichen twitched. It sounded boastful, perhaps secretly showy, but it also carried a weight of… truth. “I have a pretty good idea which Evil God this is. Let’s go.”

Leaving the now pointless abandoned village, Zheng Yichen shook his head. Such tragedies weren’t rare in this Otherworld. While they lingered here, many similar events likely unfolded elsewhere. Unable to stop it all, the only approach was to deal with each case encountered.

Moser seemed highly experienced in such matters. Given that… might as well team up. Zheng Yichen declared he’d dealt with cultists directly before too; one more didn’t matter.

“Speaking of earlier, that ‘wailing of the dead’ you mentioned… I recall people sacrificed by an Evil God ritual leave nothing behind?” Zheng Yichen asked. By ‘nothing’, he naturally meant non-physical elements. Soul-level stuff. Not just souls, but even True Spirits and the Negative Power generated from suffering become absorbed into the ritual. For others, these were pollutants.

For an Evil God, they were valuable nourishment.

“Experience,” Moser stated flatly without turning. Whether concealing embarrassment or for other reasons, Zheng Yichen wasn’t sure, but the fact Moser spotted it before he did suggested it wasn’t just grandstanding…

Moser’s tracking skills were impressive. Relying on subtle clues he’d discovered but not revealed at the village, he relentlessly tracked them to their target. As they got close, even without Moser’s warning, Zheng Yichen used his Mana-enhanced senses to ‘smell’ a faint, prickly heat lingering in the air…

An Evil God was still an Evil God. Even long-established ones, masters at hiding their presence, leaked subtle anomalies in places. Normal beings catching these anomalies would feel an unsettling discomfort. After all, Evil Gods were fundamentally distortions.

The dry heat Zheng Yichen detected wasn’t like being in a Fire Element-rich environment. It was a heat infused with corruption, making one’s soul feel scorched and warped. Zheng Yichen could even see some nearby trees veined with dark crimson streaks resembling drying lava.

“A ‘gift’ left by a Fire Element Evil God after a sacrifice,” Moser said grimly, lightly touching one of the glowing scorch marks on a tree trunk with his finger. “Even the environment got slightly affected. Seems that Evil God was quite pleased with this sacrifice.”

“Well if it’s so pleased, why not send those who pleased it right to its side?” Zheng Yichen pulled out the Magic Weapon Summoning Book and slapped it. Projections of Frostmourne, Azure Wrath, or other Ice Attribute Magic Arms were great against fire-based foes.

“Good thought,” Moser nodded, drawing his black short sword. He thrust it into the ground. A web of black tendrils, like dark spider silk, rapidly spread forward. Where they touched the scorch marks carrying dark crimson firelight, the air filled with intense crackling explosions. It was the polluted Fire Element Evil God’s Power clashing with Moser’s released Dark Power.

Though Dark Power, it served to cleanse the Evil God’s Power here. Leaving it be would let those fiery streaks spread, eventually corrupting the whole area. The Sanctuary Church would then have to expend extra effort purifying it later. Clearing it now meant less wasted resources. The longer it stayed, the greater the purge cost later.

Moser’s ‘purification’ naturally alerted the hidden cultists. Because the Evil God’s Power was widely affecting the area… either a ‘gift’ leak, or… the Evil God fancied this location. As for which one… fifty-fifty odds. Moser, tired after the mentally taxing tracking effort, opted to skip deduction and fight now!

His expanding network hit firm resistance. A blast of scorching heat erupted from the dense trees, smothering and forcibly dispersing the spreading Dark Power Moser commanded. Frowning sharply, Moser noted the sheer force of the counter-push… Had they snagged big prey?

He prepared to amplify his power. Zheng Yichen had already launched his Frostmourne projection. The sword radiating sinister cold hit the expanding fiery aura and exploded. A widespread frost temporarily suppressed the firestorm. Yet, the area already engulfed had been transformed.

The trees still ‘lived’, but their leaves were yellowed and veined with glowing red lines like leaping flames. It mimicked the intricate burn patterns left on paper turned ash. Thicker, similar veins crawled up the trunks. Despite this, corrupted, not dead. Twisted by Corruption.

“Hold on… Self-destruct Magic Weapons like that costs a lot of power… Never mind, go ahead.” Moser started to warn against this unusual tactic for normal Magic Weapon Summoners, but stopped mid-sentence as he watched Zheng Yichen casually pull another Frostmourne projection from thin air. Ordinary users wouldn’t do this, but perhaps a dragon would.

Since it’s a Projection, exploding it didn’t harm the original Magic Weapon. Just consumed massive Mana. Would a dragon worry about Mana cost? Judging by Zheng Yichen’s ease, apparently not.

Before Moser finished his sentence, Zheng Yichen threw a second Frostmourne. Then a third. Moser watched expressionlessly. The fiery aura initially demanding serious effort to contain was now forced back rapidly by Zheng Yichen’s barrage. The third throw made it begin shrinking. The power of an Evil God wasn’t invincible – it retreated before overwhelming force. Seeing Zheng Yichen appear ready to lob five… seven… ten more, each freezing explosion potent, the fire aura naturally recoiled. It was a Manifestation of the Evil God’s Power itself! Whatever controlled it could surely ‘see’ this!

“Merely suppressing it isn’t enough. Can you breach it?” Moser glanced at his own black short sword and asked Zheng Yichen. As a Dark Executor, a branch of the church, he lacked the ‘purity fixation’ of regular members. Interacting with Zheng Yichen, who had ties to a Sorceress, wasn’t interacting with the Sorceress herself. No big deal.

“Can do. But I want some loot,” Zheng Yichen stated. He’d seen parts of Irene’s idle notes researching Evil Gods – including ways to siphon Evil God’s Power. Irene’s work was top tier – Zheng Yichen trusted the method. Lack of practical experience? Didn’t matter. His unique ability meant any captured Evil God’s Power became his!

“The Evil God’s Power related stuff… Forget it. You’re not human; you’re likely fine.” Moser felt he overthought it. Even if corrupted, wouldn’t the Sorceress backing Zheng Yichen notice? Evil Gods were repulsive, yes, but most posed less threat than Sorceresses. “Proceed.”

Zheng Yichen swung Frostmourne. Flooded with immense Mana, frosty light solidified around the blade. Within this frosty aura, countless twisted, ice-blue faces materialized. Moser frowned slightly. These visages were souls imprisoned within the weapon!

Though only a Projection, massive Mana infusion had forcibly revealed the trapped souls within. This evil Magic Weapon – Frostmourne – Moser knew, but could do little against it. Anyone could summon it. Killing with Frostmourne trapped souls and strengthened the blade. Slowly for one summoner. But with many users?

Despite newer magic weapons appearing, Frostmourne remained the fastest-growing mid-level weapon, rivaling higher-level Magic Arms! It was incredibly popular. Seeing the tormenting faces on the ice-bound projections, Moser sighed faintly. The weapon wasn’t wrong. The fault lay with the Creator. Yet it wasn’t just him… it was demand. This weapon perfectly met the needs of killers or power seekers.

Empowered Frostmourne sliced downwards. A frosty path erupted across the ground. Meeting the fiery aura, a violent reaction ensued. Though not completely extinguishing the firestorm, it carved a clear passage through the hellish heat. Moser charged in first.

Stepping onto the frigid path, chilling shrieks from the souls bound within Frostmourne echoed faintly in his ears. The blade’s frost fused with the accumulated Negative Power of trapped souls, enhancing its power further, thus increasing its allure for power hunters!

Ignoring the unsettling screams, Moser plunged through the wall of fire. His cloak seemed to combust, engulfed not in red flames, but a manifestation of intensely concentrated Dark Power in flame-like, inky tendrils – his shield against the corrupted environment dominated by the Evil God.

The first sight: a ‘man’ body covered in fiery scorch marks. Lines seeped glowing, liquid fire within. He was vaguely humanoid. But a cultist who’d accepted an ancient Evil God’s Power – unlike newer cults like the Demon Sword Cultist – was bound to look far from pleasing…