Chapter 31: You Are My Faith (XII)

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Chapter 31: You Are My Faith (XII)

Shang Ke leaned against the cushions with his eyes closed, resting. His wound had already been rebandaged, and he had changed into a white shirt. The collar hung slightly open, allowing half of the Crimson Skyfire beneath it to faintly show through. Several strands of long hair fell loosely around him, spilling across the carpet.

Tylor gathered a lock of his hair into his hand and suddenly said, “Shang Ke, once the sealing is complete, come live with me. Let me take care of you.”

Shang Ke opened his eyes and looked at Tylor’s serious expression before smiling. “I can take care of myself.”

“You know what I mean.” Tylor’s gaze remained fixed on him, faint sparks seeming to flicker within his crimson eyes.

“Tylor, don’t forget that you’re a prince.” Shang Ke lowered his gaze toward Pupu, who was sleeping beside him.

“I gave up my right of succession when I came of age. Now I’m merely an ordinary member of the imperial family.” Tylor’s tone was solemn. “I may not be able to give you an openly recognized place at my side, but I swear that for the rest of my life, I will be faithful to you alone.”

Shang Ke’s heart stirred. This man seemed to fall in love with him in every world. He clearly retained no memories of their previous lives, yet somehow, among the countless people in the world, he always managed to pick Shang Ke out and then hand him his heart.

Ignoring gender and status, his unwavering devotion was almost impossible to resist.

Shang Ke knew that his heart had already begun to move. He desperately wanted to have a relationship with this man without holding anything back, but before all three missions in this world were complete, he couldn’t make him any promises.

“I’m sorry. I can’t promise you that.” A delicious feast had been placed right in front of a starving man, yet he could only ruthlessly push it away.

“Is it because of my status, or because I’m a man?” Tylor’s gaze slowly traveled over Shang Ke’s brows and eyes, lips, jaw, Adam’s apple, and collarbones.

“No,” Shang Ke replied. “It’s because of my identity—and my gender.” As a professional who specialized in running headfirst toward death, he felt that he first needed to dump the Grim Reaper, that scumbag who kept chasing him, before he had any right to lay hands on another promising young man. (Grim Reaper: Scumbag? Want to see if I kill you right now?)

“Your identity can’t be changed.” Tylor bent down, hooked an arm around Shang Ke’s waist, and murmured beside his lips, “But gender… perhaps that’s something we can overcome.”

His words disappeared between their lips as a hot tongue slipped into Shang Ke’s mouth, entwining with his and sucking insistently.

“Don’t move.” Tylor stopped Shang Ke from pulling away and said hoarsely, “Careful. You’ll wake Pupu.”

While Shang Ke hesitated, Tylor’s lips traced along his jaw, settled against his Adam’s apple, and then continued downward…

“Tylor!” Shang Ke hissed quietly. “That’s enough.”

Tylor lifted his head from Shang Ke’s chest. Seeing the ripples of emotion in his eyes, the corners of his lips curved slightly. “Shang Ke, it’s not as though you feel nothing for me.”

I’m already having a hard enough time resisting! Could you please stop seducing me?!

Shang Ke stiffened his expression, doing his best to look cold and unapproachable.

Tylor reclined beside him and pulled the blanket that had slipped to Shang Ke’s waist back up. “Don’t worry. Even if I wanted to do something, this isn’t the right place.”

Shang Ke shot him a look, slid farther down against the cushions, then turned his back on Tylor and went to sleep holding Pupu.

Tylor gazed at the two figures curled together and did not look away for a very, very long time…

Kaiser’s group continued onward and encountered several more expedition parties along the way. Just as Fili had said, not a single group remained intact. Without exception, all of them had suffered demonic invasion; the only difference was the severity.

Even though Shang Ke did his best to help, he could save only a very small portion of them. Eventually, he became so weak that he could barely walk, forcing Tylor to strictly forbid him from treating anyone else.

Five days later, their group had expanded to more than sixty people, and they finally reached the center of the Abyssal Marsh.

At last, everyone saw up close the Devil’s Tree that had plagued the continent for thousands of years.

It stood more than a hundred meters tall, with a trunk over fifty meters around, so massive that it would take roughly thirty people joining hands to encircle it. Its branches stretched and intertwined overhead like an enormous open umbrella, while its leaves were formed from masses of condensed demonic energy that burned fiercely like black ghost flames.

Everyone felt as though they had stepped directly into hell. Darkness swallowed their vision, and apart from dense demonic energy, there seemed to be nothing else in the world.

The pressure radiating from the Devil’s Tree made it difficult to breathe. Their minds shook, their hearts churned, and their legs seemed frozen solid, too stiff to move.

Fear, cold, pain, oppression… nearly drowned them all.

Their minds grew hazy, as though they had fallen into an endless nightmare with no power to resist.

Of the more than seventy people present, barely two or three still retained some measure of clarity.

Shang Ke grasped Tylor’s hand and drew the demonic energy out of his body while reminding him, “Magic Crystal.”

Tylor steadied himself and pulled a transparent Magic Crystal from his pocket.

At least three Magic Crystals were required to form a barrier.

Shang Ke then drew the demonic energy out of Kaiser. Together with Simbi, the horticulturist—who had actually been the first person present to break free from the demonic invasion—the three of them were just enough to form the first barrier.

Each of them held a Magic Crystal and poured the power of their faith into it.

The Magic Crystals gradually began glowing white. Within the oppressive darkness, their flickering light resembled tiny fireflies.

Illuminated by that light, more people gradually regained consciousness. With great difficulty, they took out their own Magic Crystals and joined the growing circle, pouring their faith into them.

Fili, Max, Amy, Youri… As one crystal after another lit up, the radiance of their combined faith grew increasingly brilliant.

Although Shang Ke had managed to gather only four of the original seven sealing warriors, this expedition now had many new sources of support. Their individual faith might not be as powerful as that of the original seven, but combined together, it should still be enough to seal the Devil’s Tree.

Unfortunately, because Shang Ke had protected them throughout the journey, most of them had never truly undergone the trials and tempering of demonic energy. Now, suddenly standing at its very source, they were invaded almost instantly—and the invasion went deep.

One after another, they transformed into lower-ranking apostles, completely lost their reason, and began attacking everyone around them indiscriminately.

The thing Shang Ke had feared most had finally happened.

Tylor immediately stopped channeling his faith and shouted to the others, “Kaiser, all of you keep sealing the Devil’s Tree. I’ll protect you.”

He drew his weapon and placed himself in front of Kaiser and the others. At the same time, he told Shang Ke, “Stay close to me. Don’t go too far.”

Holding Pupu, Shang Ke nodded.

The demonic corruption spread like a plague. Within only a few minutes, half the group had been affected.

Tylor led four or five others into fierce combat against the maddened victims, while screams, clashing blades, furious roars, and countless other sounds tangled together in chaos.

Shang Ke looked around. At present, thirteen people had successfully lit their Magic Crystals, but sealing the Devil’s Tree would require approximately five hours. With Tylor and the others’ strength, handling a few dozen enemies should not be impossible. Unfortunately, other lower-ranking apostles were undoubtedly still hidden within the darkness. The Devil’s Tree would never simply allow humans to seal it without resistance.

Even if there weren’t ten thousand apostles of the Devil’s Tree scattered across the continent, there were surely at least five thousand. As for people in the initial and intermediate stages of demonic invasion, they were practically countless. The Devil’s Tree could not possibly summon all of them back, but several hundred was entirely plausible.

They were only one step away from completing the mission, and no matter what, Shang Ke refused to let everything fall apart now.

He walked behind Youri and removed the harp from his back.

Youri’s entire attention was focused on his Magic Crystal, so he didn’t notice what Shang Ke was doing behind him.

Holding the harp, Shang Ke sat cross-legged on the ground and raised his head, quietly watching Tylor fight for a moment. Then he took out a Magic Crystal and handed it to Pupu beside him. “Pupu, hold onto this and don’t let go, okay?”

Pupu cupped the crystal in both hands and nodded solemnly.

Shang Ke smiled and stroked her little head, then placed his fingers against the strings and slowly began to play…

The moment Tylor heard the familiar notes, he whipped his head around. Sure enough, Shang Ke was sitting not far away with the harp in his arms, playing.

“Damn it!” Rage flashed through Tylor’s eyes. Has this bastard lost his mind? Absorbing demonic energy here, at its very source—no matter how powerful his faith is, there’s no possible way he can suppress a torrent like this!

But Tylor could no longer stop him. More and more apostles were pouring in from every direction, and their position was becoming increasingly desperate.

A fierce gleam flashed through Tylor’s scarlet eyes. With his shining longsword in hand, he charged toward the enemy like a savage beast, composing a bloody dance with his blade against the beautiful melody of the harp.

Dark, mistlike tears spilled from Shang Ke’s eyes, and demonic energy coiled around him as though he sat within black flames. His already fair skin had turned almost luminous, his lips were as red as fresh blood, and his long hair moved despite the absence of wind. He looked like a deity born from hell, seductively beautiful and eerily inhuman.

Every note carried the power of his faith, gradually drawing the demonic energy from everyone around him into his own body. Within the darkness, those currents formed brilliant streams of light.

Shang Ke’s eyes were completely swallowed by darkness, and even his hair seemed to burn like ghostly black flames. Black tears traced down his pale face, each drop dissolving into a tiny flower of mist before vanishing into the air.

Those who had only recently succumbed to demonic invasion gradually regained their reason, while even those who had already become apostles began falling into confusion one after another.

More and more recovered fighters joined Tylor’s side, and the battle slowly began to turn in their favor.

The harp continued to sing, its melody winding gracefully through the darkness, sometimes clear and soaring, sometimes soft and low. Around them, demonic energy churned violently beneath the music, colliding head-on with the faith gathered by the expedition.

At that moment, dozens of figures suddenly burst from the darkness.

They were swift, powerful, and every single one was a King-level Apostle. Their surprise attack was devastating; within only a few minutes, three of the glowing Magic Crystals were extinguished.

The demonic energy inside King-level Apostles was deeply stabilized, so Shang Ke’s music had only limited influence on them. Once again, the expedition was plunged into danger.

Shang Ke slowly lifted his gaze, black mist surging within his eyes. His fingers accelerated across the strings, and the music became urgent and fierce, wave after wave crashing forward like a raging sea.

There was only one thought left in Shang Ke’s mind: Even if I die, I cannot let the sealing fail!

The power of faith within the music suddenly intensified, sweeping toward the King-level Apostles like a hurricane.

Realizing the threat Shang Ke posed, several of the apostles immediately broke away and charged toward him. Tylor appeared in front of Shang Ke in an instant, raising his sword horizontally and refusing to allow anyone to take even one step closer.

As time crawled forward, more and more corpses accumulated on the ground. The air became thick with the stench of blood, but the demonic energy was decreasing. Little by little, light began returning to the world that had once been swallowed by darkness.

Just as success finally seemed within reach, four of the remaining ten Magic Crystals abruptly went dark.

At least seven different forms of faith were required to seal the Devil’s Tree. With only six crystals remaining, the sealing could not succeed. The demonic energy that had been steadily retreating surged back with renewed violence, and the backlash nearly overwhelmed the final six as well.

Was this it?

Despair gradually appeared in everyone’s eyes.

No. There was still hope.

Shang Ke’s harp had not stopped.

Everyone turned toward the music and froze in horror. Shang Ke’s entire body had been swallowed by demonic energy, his figure indistinct and wavering like a reflection upon water. Only the harp glowing with the light of faith and his five blood-soaked fingers remained clearly visible.

The golden strings were smeared with blood, and the flesh of Shang Ke’s fingers had been torn raw. Even so, he never stopped playing, and the melody remained as smooth and beautiful as ever.

Everyone’s eyes burned, and tears began falling before they could stop them. There was no one present suffering more than he was.

If he had not given up, what right did any of them have to surrender?

They gathered themselves once more, and the light of their faith suddenly blazed brighter.

Tylor looked toward Shang Ke, pain filling his eyes. At last, he understood what Shang Ke’s faith truly was.

It was—Sacrifice.

The greater the sacrifice, the stronger his power of faith became.

That was why he never feared the demonic energy: every single time he fought against it, he did so prepared to die.

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