“The Judge” Xia’er and Zero Pound Purchase.
Behind the figure shrouded in black flames, another shadow could be seen, trembling slightly.
It was Yulis, also a “Missionary,” just like Jiti.
Was this still the same composed and reliable girl from before?
Yulis had not noticed that she had subconsciously taken half a step back.
Just now, she felt fear that she hadn’t experienced in a long time…
Yes, she felt a bone-chilling fear from deep within her heart.
This feeling made her limbs stiffen, like a young deer encountering its natural predator.
Although she couldn’t see the scene before her, Yulis sensed emotions almost identical to Jiti’s.
No matter if it was Xia’er’s calm tone, the information pouring out one after another, or the casual recounting of slaughtering cultists… Even just describing it made her feel nauseous.
Could this person really be the Holy Maiden?
Even the cultist “Missionary” Jiti was nearly driven mad by her demonic words.
Thinking back to Xia’er’s casual and decisive killing of the guards at the door without hesitation…
Although faint, Yulis clearly sensed Xia’er’s emotion when she killed, which was a sense of relief and enjoyment…
As if she had been suppressing the desire to k*ll all along.
Should she really bind her to the church?
No…
Does she even have the ability to do so?
Until she threw the potion to Xia’er, Yulis believed she could control the situation.
But now, she no longer had such confidence.
Lifting her head, Yulis faced Xia’er’s direction.
Though she couldn’t see what was happening, she could sense a powerful spiritual flame burning ahead, and she clearly felt the violent potion energy catalyzing a more violent emotional entity, growing stronger bit by bit.
Had she… created a monster?
Why did Xiaer’s replication ritual feedback seem so exaggerated just from killing a few people? Even killing a second-level “Missionary” shouldn’t cause such fluctuations.
There were only two possibilities:
Xia’er had performed this replication ritual multiple times before, using this method to k*ll more people.
The other possibility was that Xia’er truly was the chosen Holy Maiden, the chosen “Avenger” pathway Holy Maiden.
Yulis controlled her white shadow to slowly move away from the burning spiritual flame, clenching her fists, a bead of sweat sliding down her temple.
Which possibility was it?
Should she destroy this ritual?
Before it was completed…
In the end, rationality overcame fear, and Yulis slowly loosened her clenched fist.
Multiple times exceeding the replication ritual?
This was impossible.
Xia’er had obtained the potion and replication ritual not long ago, she definitely didn’t know what the “Judge” replication ritual was like.
Earlier at the inn, Xia’er had asked her how to increase the success rate of the replication ritual, proving that Xia’er was performing the “Judge” replication ritual for the first time.
Moreover, Yulis had only seen such a replication ritual twice before.
Once was when the Holy Maiden drank the “Reformed Monk” potion, and the other was when an elderly priest in his nineties drank the “Reformed Monk” potion.
The Holy Maiden needed no explanation; her simple completion of the replication ritual surpassed others, akin to the goddess feeding her directly.
The ninety-year-old priest, through diligent service for almost a lifetime, repeatedly performed the “Reformed Monk” replication ritual, constantly practicing asceticism and helping others bear pain, finally drinking the “Reformed Monk” potion when he was near d*ath, creating an almost divine spectacle.
If this could be quantified and applied inversely to the “Avenger” pathway, under the premise that Xia’er was not the Holy Maiden, she would need to k*ll at least tens of thousands of people to match her beliefs…
This was impossible. How old was she? Killing three a day would take ten years, right?
Yulis let out a sigh of relief.
She convinced herself.
Xia’er was indeed the Holy Maiden.
She should try to persuade her to join the Salvation Goddess Church.
Otherwise, without restraint, the future consequences of Xia’er’s abilities were uncertain.
Different from Yulis’ internal struggle, Xia’er was currently struggling in a burning space.
In front of her, corpses, brains, carpets, and luxurious decorations… everything was covered in black flames.
Her clothes were torn apart in the flames, bandages disintegrated into ashes, revealing her unhealed burns underneath.
The originally burned arm, stimulated by the black flames, spontaneously combusted, the black bl**d oozing from the wounds acting as a fuel, driving the flames higher.
This was completely different from the feeling of becoming an “Avenger” before.
Previously, in the sea of fire, the physical pain and burning almost masked the chaotic delirium in her mind, making her burn with the flames of revenge inside and out.
But now, she only felt a soul-burning pain.
Voices louder than pain bombarded her brain, the black flames seemingly merging with her flesh, burning and reshaping her body continuously.
In the black flames, a burst of bl**d mist exploded from her side, black bl**d splattering out like an evil spirit eager to escape its cage, burning as it emerged from Xia’er’s body.
Ssssh—
Parts of her body exploded, black bl**d arms trying to emerge from within, causing intense pain that momentarily restored Xia’er’s sanity.
What… is happening…
Xia’er forced herself to look down, seeing a hand covered in black bl**d struggling to emerge from her abdomen, waving towards her chest.
The hand pointed to…
System!!!
Xia’er shouted with all her might in her heart. The [Other Realm Page] on her chest disappeared with a silver flash, returning to the warehouse.
Suddenly, Xia’er felt a reduction in mental pressure, and the black arms wildly flailing around seemed to lose their target, beginning to sway irregularly.
Return…
Xia’er struggled to lift her arm, pressing down on the black arm piercing her abdomen, pushing it back into her body bit by bit.
Bang—
When the arm was pushed back, black flames burned at her abdomen, sealing the wound and reconstructing her flesh.
Return…
Bang—
Bang—
Mechanically, Xia’er pressed the arms back one by one, each time causing a strong black fire explosion.
Gradually, Xia’er’s strength was depleted, and she no longer had the energy to lift her arm.
Bang—
Xia’er collapsed into the black flames, lowering her head, her consciousness gradually fading.
Potions mixed with flesh turned into black arms emerging from her neck and back, resembling a human form burdened with countless withered branches.
“Xia’er…”
An ethereal voice echoed in Xia’er’s mind, sounding like her own but indistinct in the illusion.
This voice struck Xia’er like a bolt of lightning, activating her “Calm Thinking,” and she suddenly opened her eyes, taking a deep breath.
Shadow!!!
Xia’er could no longer produce any sound, but her inner cry seemed to have an effect.
In the black “mud” on the ground, four burning shadows rose slowly, these similarly n*ked shadows having almost the same appearance and form as Xia’er.
They took a synchronized step forward,
Squatting beside Xia’er, she slowly extended her arms and embraced Xia’er in the center.
Bang!
A powerful gust of wind exploded outward from Xia’er, bursting through the black flames that enveloped her like a cocoon, turning them into boundless fire that dissipated with the wind.
Xia’er saw other colors before her eyes again; she witnessed everything around her before it was consumed by the black flames.
Her chest felt scorching hot. Looking down, she saw the scar-like marks on her chest, resembling burnt-out letters, and noticed brain matter and bl**d on her knees and legs.
Her strength rapidly recovered within her body, but the buzzing in her mind had not diminished much. Xia’er’s ears were filled with the constant hum, making it impossible to hear anything else.
Oddly enough, she did not feel too much pain—compared to her previous delirious mutterings.
The chaotic sounds inside her head were incomprehensible, except when certain words caused a sharp pain in her brain. Otherwise, it was like a cacophony of screams and suppressed noise.
Xia’er slowly raised her head, and suddenly, her eyebrows furrowed slightly.
She seemed to sense the source of those screams and the dark noise.
Xia’er slowly reached out. The kneeling shadow supported her arm and body, helping her stand up. bl**d and brain matter trickled down her knees and hands.
Four burning shadows turned back with Xia’er, looking towards the source of the black noise.
It was Yulis, standing behind the broken desk.
At this moment, Yulis’ chest heaved violently. Her pale gray pupils looked bewilderedly at Xia’er, her face filled with terror.
She opened her mouth, seemingly trying to say something, but Xia’er couldn’t hear what she was saying.
“Yulis…”
Xia’er stretched out her right hand toward Yulis. She was desperately thirsty, her voice hoarse, and she wanted to ask Yulis for a potion made by Adelle.
She had never been so eager for that mint-scented potion.
But Xia’er didn’t expect that as soon as she spoke, Yulis’ figure began to flicker. In a blink, it was replaced by a ghostly white shadow.
Moreover, the replaced shadow existed for only a second before it was quickly sucked away, dragged into the tunnel behind and disappeared without a trace.
Just another potion to recover… Is it really worth it?
Xia’er frowned slightly.
However, after Yulis’ figure vanished, the muffled screams in Xia’er’s ears weakened somewhat. She could now hear some faint sounds.
Had she just sensed Yulis’ emotions?
Did she also gain the ability to perceive emotions?
Why then, did Yulis’ emotions contain such eerie howls and deep-seated fear?
Had Yulis lost control over her magic potion?
The shadow beside Xia’er handed her a clean handkerchief. Xia’er took the handkerchief and wiped the brain matter and bl**d off her hands.
But no matter how much she wiped, some bl**d still remained.
Xia’er turned her head to look at Jiti, who was lying on the ground. Her head was still in the state it was when Xia’er had crushed it, and the carpet was soaked with bl**d.
It seemed that the black flames during the replication ritual did not affect the outside world.
But her clothes had been burned… This left Xia’er somewhat puzzled.
With a thought, the four shadows ran in four different directions, disappearing inside the office.
Soon, one of the shadows returned with a clean maid’s dress in hand and came back to Xia’er.
It was clearly the dress worn by the red-chip masked maids of Derton Manor. Xia’er had seen it many times. This one seemed new, though it was a bit large for her.
Since her clothes had been burned away by the black flames, Xia’er could only use this dress to cover herself.
Wearing the black-and-white maid’s dress, without suitable shoes, Xia’er had to walk barefoot for now, though it didn’t significantly hinder her movement.
There was still time… Should she try the Spiritual Summoning?
Xia’er looked at Jiti’s shattered head, pondering.
In Jiti’s fragmented skull, something was gestating, seemingly material extracted from Jiti’s body.
This kind of material or potion extracted from someone else’s body carried the original owner’s mental pollution. Xia’er had no way to handle it, so taking it would be useless.
Even if she took it, Xia’er wouldn’t spend Mortality Points to exchange for a twice-polluted material.
To her, it wasn’t worth it.
Using second-tier Extraordinary flesh or potion materials for sacrifice seemed too risky.
She had barely advanced “Avenger” Xia’er to “Judge” Xia’er. She didn’t want to go through that pain again.
If possible, she wanted to safely pass the next 24 hours and save this progress.
For now, Xia’er still felt somewhat confused about using second-tier abilities.
The voices in her head were too numerous and disordered, making it hard for her to focus on distinguishing which fragments of knowledge were her abilities and which were meaningless ramblings.
At least she couldn’t do it smoothly now.
If she could successfully save this progress, Xia’er would consider upgrading Calm Thinking after she went out, just in case.
Of course, provided that the upgrade wouldn’t deplete her Mortality Points.
Xia’er’s gaze shifted away from Jiti’s body.
Jiti’s body couldn’t be used for sacrifice yet, so she would carry it for now.
Xia’er planned to use some low-tier materials for sacrifice to see what would happen.
Luckily, Derton Manor had plenty of low-tier materials.
Now that the cultist running the manor was dead, weren’t the items in the underground exchange zone free for her to take?
It was time for some zero-pound purchases.
A black-clad maid shadow handed Xia’er Jiti’s black-chip mask. Xia’er put it on after receiving it.
With the mask on, Xia’er stepped onto the bloodstained carpet, walking towards the door.
As she opened the door, the shadows behind her dragged Jiti’s body and held her potion materials, following Xia’er.
Plop, plop—
Xia’er’s footsteps left bloodstains on the wooden corridor. Soon, new footprints gradually faded, mixing with dried bl**d and dust, solidifying on the bottom of her feet.
This feeling made Xia’er uncomfortable. She frowned, thinking about whether there was anything she could use to wash her feet.
However, she knew how to navigate the stairs to the Underground Sanctuary. After all, there was only one spiral staircase.
But how could she get down from the third floor to the first floor? Where were the stairs?
Unexpectedly, Xia’er got lost in the vast manor once again.
Just as Xia’er was about to send a clone to search, she heard hurried, heavy footsteps coming from the corner ahead.
Was it a maid, a gambler, or one of the dealers?
As the footsteps grew closer, the delirious mutterings in Xia’er’s head became increasingly intense and clear.
She could sense the shock and sorrow in the jumbled language.
When the footsteps turned the corner, these voices turned into screams and fear.
“Lady Jiti!!!”
An overweight middle-aged man almost instantly knelt on the ground, his face filled with terror and sorrow as he looked at the terrifying young girl in front of him, wearing a black mask.
Behind the girl, a bl**d-soaked headless corpse was being carried upside down.
He didn’t recognize the bizarre barefoot girl in front of him, but she seemed to know him.
“Marcello… yes… you’re alive here…”
“Where are the others, Marcello?”
“Where are they?”
Kneeling on the ground, Marcello felt a sudden burning sensation in his neck, followed by a loud spiritual alert in his mind.
Next to his shadow, a standing teenage shadow had appeared, holding a burning black axe, pressing it against his shadow’s neck.
