Chapter 166: Water Lilies, Moonlight, Snakes, and Death.

Chapter 166: Water Lilies, Moonlight, Serpents, and Death.

In the real world, within Longinus's base, *Eternal Canvas*.

Hekate was moving through one vibrantly colored oil painting after another, preparing to attend a high-ranking meeting to discuss whether to grant the Ill Fate Witch access to more classified secrets.

Familiar with the labyrinthine passages, she eventually stopped before a painting of a pond with water lilies. Beneath the serenely opening pale petals, ripples shimmered across the water's surface, reflecting a false yet pristine moonlight.

Hekate had no interest in admiring the scenery. Just as she was about to step out of the painting, her hand met only the rough, cold texture of canvas.

...What?

Frozen in shock for a moment, Hekate slowly realized: the passage to her destination had suddenly sealed.

This had never happened before. She tried moving left, right, and backward to return to other paintings, but each time, an invisible barrier stopped her at the edges.

At this moment, the night surrounding the water lily pond seemed endless, forming a beautiful, tranquil, yet despairing cage—trapping Hekate completely within the painting.

Not even the softest plea for help could escape.

"Ernos, my daughter."

Hekate's heart sank, but her face wore a motherly smile. She looked around as if addressing a child acting out from afar: "Is that you? Are you watching me?"

"If you have something to say, there's no need for such tricks. When I return from the meeting, I’ll come find you, just as I promised—to stay with you forever..."

To Hekate, this was merely her always-obedient tool suddenly acting up. It wasn’t a serious issue; a few soothing words would calm her precious child.

But this time was clearly different.

The Painting’s Reflection, which should have been ever-present throughout the painting realm, did not respond as usual—neither obediently nor weakly, nor with whimpered complaints of its suffering.

The water lily pond was silent, save for the petals swaying hypnotically, sending ripples across the water.

The chill of the night sky crept into Hekate’s body. Then, she suddenly snapped her gaze upward at the silver moon in the sky.

Had something in the moon... moved?

Squinting, Hekate caught a glimmer of silver light flickering, nearly indistinguishable from the moonlight. The full moon seemed to expand in the night sky as something approached stealthily under its glow!

Only when it drew near did Hekate see clearly through the hazy night mist—the shimmering points were scales reflecting a sinister glint!

One after another, silver snakes glided through the moonlight, their molten-gold eyes glowing eerily in the dark, like dazzling gold refined in fire.

Their movements were sinuous and graceful, deceptively slow. In an instant, their cold bodies coiled around Hekate’s neck and limbs, the icy touch shocking her to full alertness from her daze.

Instinctively, Hekate struggled, gripping the snakes tightly, trying to break free—but their bodies were unyielding as iron, only tightening further...

Even at Hekate’s level, where breathing was unnecessary for survival, she still felt a crushing blackness closing in!

The muscles beneath the snakes’ fine scales were supernaturally strong. Had Hekate not possessed divinity and been purely human, her neck would have snapped instantly, her head severed—a feast for the serpents.

At the same time, more snakes opened their maws, fangs sinking effortlessly into flesh like knives cutting through soft red velvet cake. Crimson "jam" oozed out, bringing excruciating pain as Hekate was consumed bite by bite.

Why... why had such an unexpectedly powerful enemy appeared in the world of paintings?

Hekate’s next reaction was to dissolve into countless glowing motes of divinity—retreating to disperse and flee, or advancing to invade the snakes’ eyes, disrupting their minds and engaging in battle.

Her form instantly grew translucent, scattering into shimmering jade particles. Some tried to sink into the water lily pond, hiding the essence of life to prevent total annihilation.

As long as... as long as a single mote remained...

Hekate clutched desperately to the thought—then she wouldn’t truly die!

The snake coiled around her neck lifted its head, noticing the scattering motes. With an impatient flick of its tail, it instantly confined the glow within a limited space.

The emerald sea of light quivered in terror as Hekate frantically searched her mind for related secrets.

A divine form resembling serpents, with power seemingly tied to a domain like "time"...

The more she speculated about the snakes’ origins, the more horrified Hekate grew.

Could it be... the newly ascended True God of the Fate Domain?!

Before she could fully process her despair, the sea of light steadied its voice. Enduring the agony of countless motes being devoured, she attempted to negotiate with this cold-blooded predator who had attacked without hesitation:

"Esteemed one... perhaps we could... talk?"

"We clearly belong to different domains, and we’ve never even met... Surely there’s no... irreconcilable conflict between us?"

Her voice was fragmented but earnest, dripping with sincerity.

The snakes exchanged glances, as if holding some wordless conference.

After several tense seconds of silence, one snake flicked its tongue, its voice mocking and unfamiliar:

"'Talk'?"

"No. When dealing with a cunning schemer, the best method is to never give them a chance to speak."

Another snake, fangs still stained with blood, swallowed a cluster of moss-green motes, its maw stretching into a ghastly grin as it added:

"Besides, intelligent life invented language for understanding and communication—but in the world of schemes, words exist only to deceive, plunder, and attack."

"So what is there left to discuss?"

The serpents writhed like a rising maelstrom in a stormy sea, their scales rustling with laughter-like whispers.

As they feasted, Hekate was powerless to resist. Every part of her divine form shrieked in agony.

In her sensory chaos, she felt as though flames were devouring her, burning her—as if the fire she had set upon the world a century ago had finally, after all these years, seared into her very bones.

Eventually, the rippling water lily pond stilled.

The feast concluded. The snakes withdrew like a receding silver tide, slithering out of the frame.

Outside the painting, Yi Fengchu—still clad in his seer's garb—leaned on his cane before the frame, posture relaxed yet upright, like a gentleman admiring art in a gallery.

But beneath the shadow of his white hood, his golden serpentine pupils gleamed with cold, beast-like focus as he watched the emerald sea of light churn, struggle, and ultimately succumb to being devoured.

"Hmm..." As his serpent fragments merged back into him, Yi Fengchu mused, "So it tastes like matcha cake?"

The glowing moss-like substance was soft, with a creamy texture—just slightly bitter.

To his palate, a touch sweeter might have been more delicious.

As he pondered, the last snake emerged from the frame, clutching an ornate old lantern in its jaws—Hekate’s S-grade Life Domain artifact, the "Rebirth Furnace."

Rubbing his fingers against the lampshade of the lantern, Yi Fengchu smiled faintly and let out a satisfied sigh, "Thank you for your hospitality, Lady Hekate."

The flame inside the lantern flickered, and Their figure swayed with the shifting light before vanishing entirely.

...

"One of the organization's high-ranking members was confirmed missing before yesterday's meeting."

"According to the tracing by an Ability user from the Time Domain, the last place she left traces was the 'Eternal Painting'—poor Hekate. She stepped into a portrait and never came out."

Elius listened to the veiled suspicion in the other's words, her delicate features shifting slightly as she raised an eyebrow.

In recent days, Elius had received no further contact from Longinus, likely due to some kind of observation or evaluation period.

Unexpectedly, the smiling man who had previously welcomed her reappeared—this time to investigate Hekate's death.

She quickly realized that Longinus was... suspecting that the identity of "Elius" had tampered with something inside the painting?

This was within Yi Fengchu's expectations.

After all, the "Eternal Painting" had never failed before, and Longinus had no idea that the new "Reflection in the Painting" was already an Attendant Deity of the Lord of Fate...

From their perspective, it probably looked like they had just shown their new partner during this trial period these dimensional gateways, only for a bizarre murder to occur shortly after.

Moreover, Hekate was no minor figure—her abilities were equally uncanny and formidable. Thus, the "killer" who could dispose of Hekate silently without even allowing her to send a distress signal or warning must have been exceptionally formidable.

Hekate was Rank 8 in the Conspiracy Domain, and the enemy who could make her vanish without a trace was either a Rank 9 false god vying for godhood or a Rank 8 powerhouse backed by a True God.

—And the Ill Fate Witch, who had been corrupted and possessed by the Fate Black Goat, perfectly matched the latter description.

The smiling man pulled a silk handkerchief from his pocket and pantomimed wiping away tears, lamenting, "Hekate has always been a loyal and core member of our organization. Her disappearance has left us all feeling unsettled, unsure of what to do!"

"Might you have heard of her name before?"

The red-haired witch lifted her teacup, the steam obscuring her expression as she replied indifferently, "I have only recently awakened and am unfamiliar with many people and affairs in the current occult world."

Before the smiling man could continue, Elius abruptly turned her gaze toward him, the slitted goat pupils within her black sclera radiating sinister energy that sent a chill down his spine.

She decided to seize the offensive, asking softly, "Coming to me with these questions—do you suspect me?"

Under the oppressive weight of her presence, the smiling man stammered, "Please understand, the organization takes this matter very seriously... This is merely standard procedure for every member..."

"Then I hope you uncover the truth quickly," Elius sneered. "If your ranks have already been infiltrated by the lackeys of True Gods, and you can't even distinguish friend from foe, then perhaps I should terminate our arrangement."

"Without your aid, I would simply need to exercise more caution, taking more time to reacquaint myself with the present circumstances and adjust my plans. Whether it takes ten years, a hundred, or a thousand—I can afford to wait."

Elius deliberately adopted this defiant posture, making Longinus prize their "alliance" even more and thereby reducing suspicion toward her.

Truthfully, if one thought about it carefully, Hekate hadn't even been killed by her...

It was Yi Fengchu's original self who was responsible—what did it have to do with the Ill Fate Witch?

With this in mind, Elius felt even less guilty.

As she spoke, her slender fingers, connected in articulated joints, tapped rhythmically against the table—*click, click, click*—the light sound carrying an inexplicable sense of urgency.

As expected, under this invisible pressure, the smiling man gradually forgot that he had come to suspect and observe Elius.

It was as though the roles of "investigator" and "suspect" had been reversed. Cold sweat drenched the smiling man's back as he hurriedly mustered a smile and said, "Please believe me, Longinus possesses both the strength and sincerity to stand as your equal!"

After uttering a string of pleasantries to show respect, the smiling man glanced at his watch, stood, and bowed to Elius, his tone carrying a newfound unconscious respect he hadn't even noticed himself:

"I've taken up enough of your time. I shall take my leave now."

"If you need to contact us for any matters, you may call my codename—'The Painted Smile'—toward the painting. I would be delighted to serve a lady such as yourself."

With that, he doffed his hat in a courteous gesture and retreated into the painting hanging on the wall.

Elius gazed thoughtfully in the direction where The Painted Smile had vanished.

The original self hadn't instructed Ernos to lock down all portrait dimensions and wipe out Longinus' faction in one fell swoop because they wanted to uncover the true nature and origins behind this organization.

She had a feeling that the core of Longinus was drawing closer to her...

"Hekate is gone—what of the seat she occupied within the organization?"

Elius propped her chin, tilting her head slightly as her crimson hair like dark flames spilled over her shoulders. "Shouldn't it be my turn to claim it now?"