Chapter 484: The Eerie Smile

Chapter 484: The Eerie Smile

“Wait, as long as you agree to… Ahhh!”

Moser felt speechless watching the Fire Element Evil God before him get smacked on the head by Zheng Yichen. Clearly a power ful Evil God, it had weakened to such an extent that Zheng Yichen’s slap completely robbed it of any fighting strength. A Magic Rune Array carved itself onto its body, siphoning away the Evil God’s power… no, not power, but something more essential.

This Magic Rune Array wasn’t a common type either. If it was specifically for Evil Gods, Moser believed he would have at least heard of it, even if he hadn’t seen it before. Yet this was his first encounter. It must be Sorceress knowledge once more.

“Speaking of which, this is an Evil God,” Zheng Yichen looked at the struggling fire entity, whose weakened true form resembled a small fire sprite. After being exposed, its fate was sealed. “From what you said, it was quite a successful one. Why did it only have those thirteen believers?”

“It’s not that there were none… they were all dead.” Moser picked up a piece of unburnt cloth fragment from the ground. Later, he found many similar shreds elsewhere. “Part of its followers were in that flesh world.”

“For it to sacrifice all its followers, whatever it wanted to fuse with must be extraordinary.” Zheng Yichen scanned the area, trying to find the object the fire Evil God had been attempting to merge with. However, after he completely eradicated the shattered flesh of that world, the place was pristine, devoid of any extra chunks.

“Let’s look around,” Moser said gravely. Halting the fusion had critically wounded the Fire Element Evil God. The other entity it wanted to merge with… since this Evil God was willing to sacrifice all its followers for it, that thing’s ‘quality’ must surpass this Evil God’s. That’s why it ignored the elemental incompatibility to force the fusion. Even if the attributes clashed, merging would grant it immense benefits.

The Evil God Zheng Yichen had smacked to the ground quickly lost its Human Form within half a minute, leaving only a faint, wriggling shadow incapable of uttering a sound. It looked like an invisible form of torture.

Moser didn’t care. It appeared pitiful now, but considering the Evil God’s deeds, he always felt the Sanctuary Church’s swift execution of such beings was far too lenient. Having them endure torment a hundred, or a thousand times over for their actions wouldn’t be excessive.

“…This?” While searching, Moser stepped on something soft. Frowning, he looked down. It was a woman’s arm, flawlessly pale skin, the kind only achievable through meticulous care, unremarkable on a Noble’s daughter, but utterly abnormal here. Moser’s foot shifted subtly. A tremor vibrated through the ground, exposing half a female body buried beneath the soil.

Dirt flew into the air, but Moser pressed his hand down, sending it back to cover the inexplicable woman again. Zheng Yichen happened to see this. “Huh? What are you burying?”

“What you’re holding is…” Moser stared at the fiery molten core Zheng Yichen carried over. It leaked an Evil God’s aura, but after Zheng Yichen applied a Barrier patch, the leakage vanished completely.

“An Evil God residue. Don’t worry about it, in my hands, it’s research material.” Zheng Yichen stored the molten core. Evil God Essence didn’t manifest with 100% certainty; otherwise, anyone could just perform a few Evil God Rituals to summon Evil Gods and farm materials, right? Essence could only be obtained from sufficiently powerful Evil Gods. Moser’s cheek twitched slightly. ‘Don’t worry about it’? How could he not!

Zheng Yichen looked at the woman’s hand emerging from beneath Moser’s foot. The scene looked vaguely like… disposing of a body? Mmm, pretty much that. Especially since the woman was naked, making it seem even more… well. Zheng Yichen studied the woman’s face, brow slightly raised. It seemed vaguely familiar, yet he was certain he’d never seen this woman before.

Moreover, he had eradicated everything flesh-related from the area. The remnants were fragments, so why was there a beautiful, intact woman’s body buried here? Even though she was underground, finding an unconscious beauty in the wilderness would excite any man. Zheng Yichen indicated his Alchemical Avatar felt nothing about such things. It was essentially assembled from metal and flesh, lacking many functions. As for Moser, judging by his quick burial attempt, interest seemed low. Something creepy – getting hooked would be asking for trouble. “What? Should we… take her back?”

“Take her back for what?” Moser shot Zheng Yichen a glance. The black dagger he held swept horizontally near the ground. Darkness Power exploded from the blade, instantly turning the mostly buried woman’s body into fine black powder, indistinguishable from the earth itself. Zheng Yichen’s mouth twitched. Harsh, but absolutely ruthless.

Stop him? No need. It was a bizarre thing. What reason did Zheng Yichen have to stop it? Besides, this woman might very well have been the target the Fire Element Evil God wanted to merge with. Evil Gods had no fixed gender, so the notion of a male-gendered Evil God getting bored and wanting to switch sexes via fusion didn’t apply. This woman must possess some special quality the Evil God coveted, making it worth sacrificing all followers for her. Another point: Zheng Yichen sensed no soul within her. The body was just an empty vessel. Keeping it served no purpose. Keep it to do what? Take it back as an inflatable doll?

He’d probably get beaten to death…

Also, she could well be a victim. So, letting her ‘return to dust’ was kinder… “Er… look at this…”

Feeling something beneath his foot, Zheng Yichen stepped aside. A detached hand lay there. He silently apologized and cast a detection spell. Hmm, still just a shell, no soul.

“Continue?”

Moser swung his dagger without hesitation. Another layer of black ash covered the ground.

…

“I give up.” Moser sheathed his dagger back into his cloak. After shattering over a dozen increasingly appearing female bodies, he realized it was futile. The vessel was bizarre. No matter how they destroyed it—incinerated it into nothingness—a new one would reappear!

He understood why the Evil God had risked forcing the merge despite elemental incompatibility. Inheriting this potent regenerative ability, even if restricted by the new body’s limits, was incredibly valuable.

Zheng Yichen extinguished the flame in his hand, also giving up. He just stared blankly at the currently buried woman’s head. It had appeared outside the soil several times after their first ‘clean-up’, only to be deliberately reburied by them. Ah~, let it be strange. They’d just burn it again.

But it truly demonstrated the meaning of what burns is reborn!

“Then… take the whole thing away?” Zheng Yichen suggested, inwardly musing that this body’s condition resembled Lily’s somewhat… a Corpse Puppet? So far, it hadn’t woken up. Hard to tell if affected by the Evil God fusion or simply existing in that state.

“Take it away.” Moser produced his Spatial Expansion Pouch, intending to store the body. But considering it might simply reappear elsewhere if ‘killed’ here, he decided to carry it normally. “Don’t you have some kind of sack?”

“Order one online, why ask me?”

“Oh, I forgot.” Moser nodded. He wasn’t planning to leave this bizarre thing to Zheng Yichen. Weird artifacts belonged with the Sanctuary Church. Giving it to Zheng Yichen, a researcher? Heaven knew what he, an unconventional researcher (as evidenced by his Evil God power collection), might concoct.

He purchased a body bag-like sack online. Just as Moser prepared to unearth the buried woman, her head-first buried self abruptly opened her eyes. She glanced first at the startled Moser, then at Zheng Yichen, revealing an eerie, seductive yet terrifying smile. Then, blood flowed from her seven orifices like a horror movie ghost… and she went limp!

“She’s gone…” Moser stated.

Zheng Yichen nodded. “Burn it.”

“Mhm… try again.”

This time, no revival occurred. But neither felt good. True, it hadn’t revived, but… the thing had been alive! It could seemingly suicide-trigger a reset. Letting this abomination loose into the world…

Night fell. Zheng Yichen and Moser sat before a campfire, a cooking rack above it. Silence reigned. After a while, Zheng Yichen spoke. “Well… er… let’s look on the bright side. Maybe that creepy thing wasn’t successfully fused? Without an Evil God’s influence attached, its potential harm might be less.”

“Is that self-deception?” Moser countered.

“A colossal mess either way, fretting won’t help.”

“You’re nonchalant. Oh right, you’re a Dragon, not Human.” Moser shook his head. That woman’s eerie smile troubled him deeply, especially how she focused extra attention on Zheng Yichen. Her final, dying glance and smile were directed at him.

“Like it doesn’t involve me? She smiled at me last!” Zheng Yichen rolled his eyes. That unsettling expression didn’t feel remotely innocent; seeing it might spark a delusional ‘she likes me’ thought.

“Could be positioning.”

“Eh? Want to swap spots if we get a replay chance?”

Moser swiftly shook his head. He enjoyed hunting troublemakers – Bandits, Cultists, etc. But he despised being hunted by bizarre, creepy things. While Magic could explain much in this world, plenty defied it. Similar to Earth in Zheng Yichen’s past: science explained much, but gaps remained. Perhaps insufficient scientific advancement? Here, Magic-defying phenomena might similarly be due to inadequate Magical development.

Regarding the woman? No explanation. He’d sent the details to Irene. Waiting for her reply now… hopefully adding to her colossal workload wouldn’t invite a backlash…

“So, I’m troubled too.” Zheng Yichen stuffed a roasted skewer into his mouth. His Alchemical Avatar had dulled senses, including taste, making him crave real food even more. Finding the flavor weak due to this dampening, he grabbed a jar of chili powder, layering it thickly onto the meat. Watching this, Moser’s eye pulsed.

Chili seared by the flames released acrid smoke that choked Moser slightly. Zheng Yichen seemed delighted, however. “So, enjoying tormenting someone via an Alchemical Puppet?”

“Oh, this body can feel things somewhat, but faintly. Not bothering you, is it?”

Does it look like it isn’t? Moser grabbed his own skewer. They hadn’t prepared this; purchased pre-cooked from an Online Store. Cook themselves?

Moser said he ate rations exclusively before the Magic Weapon Summoning Book improved his travels. Zheng Yichen nodded vigorously beside him. Deep penetration indeed – Sanctuary Church members used it! This was good!

“Anyway, about the woman, I’ve reported to the Church. If she resurfaces… well, each handles it their own way.”

Moser couldn’t follow Zheng Yichen perpetually. So, if Zheng Yichen encountered her first, he wouldn’t tell the Sanctuary Church. ‘Each their own way’. Admittedly, Zheng Yichen possessed greater resources. Yet, as stated earlier, replay or not, Moser didn’t want that smile directed at him.

Creepy stuff. Experience once? Enough. Repeated exposure was mentally exhausting, risking either breakdown or a very shaky sanity.

“Don’t assume I’m hell-bent on acquiring it.” Zheng Yichen shook his head. Just immortality? The woman’s body was relatively weak – somewhere between a Spellcaster and a Warrior, stronger than an ordinary Human, weaker than a Ranked Practitioner. Limited durability meant immortality just made it a persistent training dummy… Annie wasn’t lacking in that department either.

His interest paled compared to the newly acquired Evil God’s Molten Core.

“Hardly fascinated by that thing, honestly.”

“Oh.” Moser’s expression flatly indicated disbelief.

Deep in the night, several crows pecked at a corpse in the wilderness. Suddenly, their heads jerked up. Alert, their crimson eyes gleamed ominously towards a direction. One crow began a harsh caw, cut abruptly mid-sound. The birds writhed soundlessly, swiftly expiring.

A shadow flickered within the darkness. Covered by thrown-off clothes from the corpse, it stumbled and walked away. Scavengers soon discovered the leftover feast…

At dawn the next day, Moser, sprawled on his Magic Cycle, eyed the already awake (controlling his puppet) Zheng Ychen. What was he competing with an Alchemical Puppet for? Zheng Yichen could keep this thing active 24/7! They still traveled together. Why? Same destination.

Moser was also heading for the Stone Forest. The Evil God encounter was minor. “Forgot to mention earlier: Trouble has a tendency to find me.”

About half an hour into their ride, Moser dropped this unexpected comment. Zheng Yichen looked puzzled. “Seems more like you find trouble?”

“That too. So… new trouble incoming.”

Seeing Zheng Yichen’s piqued interest, Moser stated bluntly: “Not an Evil God this time!”

Zheng Yichen’s enthusiasm dipped. Other troublemakers were fine too, though! Harvesting souls… real insight into the nature of the Soul eased his conscience over truly deserving foes.

“And not very numerous!”

“How can you tell?”

“My power senses places of death well,” Moser explained briefly. “West… forget it, let’s proceed.”

After changing direction for a while, Moser frowned towards the distance. Zheng Yichen felt a ripple of Dark Power similar to Moser’s erupt there – likely another Dark Executor. Once the power faded, Moser abandoned the detour. Another Executor handled the issue. His presence served no purpose.

Better focus on the Stone Forest. The gathering there was chaotic. While most respected the Sanctuary Church’s fair rules, plenty rule-breakers existed. It was their job to remove destabilizing elements. Undoubtedly, most trouble aligned with the Dark Church or Dark Forces.

Resolving the Stone Forest’s issue was positive. However, the ‘spirits’ it produced significantly aided Dark Power users…

“Yo, check that way. Isn’t that the Dragon?” Around the temporary camp near the Stone Forest, a man with shockingly green hair pointed at an approaching figure. Though pedaling a simple bicycle, appearance recognition ensured no one underestimated him – even controlling an Alchemical Puppet! The true threat lay with the Puppet’s controller: The Dragon.

“Mhm…” Green Hair nodded, noticing his leader Oss’s complex expression. This was juicy! He nudged Oss excitedly. “Boss, you know him? That’s epic!”

“Well…” Seeing his companion’s curiosity wouldn’t relent, Oss recounted his past encounters with Zheng Yichen at the Border Great Wall. Green Hair clicked his tongue appreciatively. “Stuff at the Great Wall? I was there too! Lousy luck kept me from the main fight, though.”

He sounded genuinely regretful, deeply intrigued by Oss’s firsthand combat role deep within Undying Witch Sorceress’s battle sphere. Upon hearing about Oss’s ambush attempt on the Sorceress, he clapped his shoulder sympathetically. Who cared about honor ambushing a freaking Sorceress! Others froze in terror before her.

If possessing courage, few got that close. For most, her power was overwhelmingly crushing. Honestly? A glare might just kill you.

Oss not only succeeded in the ambush but severely disrupted her plans. That story was lifelong bragging rights!

“Kinda regret not teaming up sooner. Chances like that won’t come again,” sighed Green Hair. Personal experience forms strength. Knowing this story, potential rivals within their crew abandoned thoughts of challenging Oss’s leadership role. Luck? Luck counts. Besides, given identical circumstances by the wall, could others have pulled it off?

“It’s better that such encounters don’t repeat! Frequent Undying Witch Sorceress-level threats? This world would already be chaos!” Oss shook his head. Imagine: One day, the Sorceress targets the Border Great Wall’s Containment Barrier; another Sorceress does something equally catastrophic tomorrow.

Even if the Barrier’s indestructible, constant battering must weaken it… Though Sorceresses weren’t routinely sociopathic… Desperation breeds extremes?

Oss knew he was that type. Otherwise, he wouldn’t carry the title Cultist.

“He came alone. You know him, go make contact! Golden opportunity!” Green Hair pushed Oss out of the Temporary Camp entrance. Zheng Yichen’s target seemed to be the campsite itself. Oss hesitated momentarily at the gate before purposefully heading towards him.

Zheng Yichen’s identity was now semi-legitimized. Contact shouldn’t hurt. Establishing ties with a Dragon was universally desirable. Their prior collaboration, however unaware at the time, constituted unique rapport. Last encounter in Kaja offered no chance. Now, seeing Zheng Yichen likely staying nearby? Reconnect. Despite the status gap, efforts must be made. Failure still meant trying. Not trying meant regret.

Plus… even if he didn’t try, countless others swarmed seeking the Dragon’s attention!