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Chapter 61: The Cultists

In the still of the night, only the carved birds of decayed wood flew by.

Guided by these birds, Barnes, known as the Corrupted Hand, wandered through the wilderness and arrived at a hidden cave.

Since the fall of Diabolus and the loss of assistance from the Demon Race, the Cultists had faced a massive hunt by the Academy. Now, major cults dared not stay long in Academy City and could only hide in such corners to evade the spotlight.

However, as Barnes surveyed the figures in the cave, he raised his eyebrows in surprise. “I never expected there would be so many friends joining this hunt.”

The first to catch his attention was a new companion.

It was a monk, his bare torso charred and marked with crimson flame tattoos, sitting cross-legged with closed eyes, as lifeless as a sculpture.

His aura was the strongest among them, at the late stage of Sequence 6, on the brink of reaching Sequence 5.

Next, he spotted the familiar chestnut-haired girl from the Cult of the Evil Dragon, and a new boy from the Abyssal Stalker, cowering in the corner.

Finally, his gaze landed squarely on the old man draped in a deep green robe, standing motionless like a withered tree, his shoulders adorned with decayed birds. He was also the initiator of this hunt.

Withered Wood Vulture.

Barnes spoke nonchalantly, “According to the information from the imperial prince, the False King’s blood recently left the Academy, likely heading toward the Golden Sands.”

“Our opportunity is just around the corner.”

Unlike the enthusiastic Barnes, the old man opened his deep green eyes and interrupted his report with a questioning tone.

“Corrupted Hand, your task is to gather intelligence. Who gave you permission to act on your own?”

“Testing the waters is also part of gathering information,” Barnes chuckled at first, but soon his expression grew cold. “Besides, when have I ever needed your permission, old man?”

The old man’s brow furrowed slightly. “Foolish undead, you’ll only alert the enemy.”

“Oh really? If someone didn’t hide so much, would I need to strike early?” Barnes’s smile turned ever colder. “You never mentioned that this guy could crush Sequence 6!”

“And so what?” The old man was unperturbed. “When you need to know, you’ll know.”

“Old man, we only swear by the name of the Death God, not to you!”

Barnes’s smile faded as a chilling aura gathered around him. Behind him, a faint magic circle appeared, outlining a massive, twisted, and writhing skeletal figure.

As a frontline priest of the Necromancy Sect, he was merely Sequence 7, but empowered by the forces of the Death God, he could crush ordinary Sequence 7 opponents and even hold his own against those of Sequence 6.

However, the old man, also a frontline priest of All Things Wither, was not intimidated.

In response, decay spread, mist floated, and countless corrupted birds opened their deep green eyes, glaring hungrily at the pale mage.

Believers of the White Death God, hoping all things return to silence and revert to the purest state of bones, and followers of the Withered Mother Tree, aiming to shed the filthy flesh and merge into the beautiful natural flora for eternal life—their doctrines might seem similar, but they had severe divergences in key points, leading to countless disputes. They would never gather here if not for the False King’s blood.

Just then, the monk with flame tattoos suddenly opened his eyes.

A tremendous and searing pressure erupted like a long-suppressed volcano, causing both parties to shudder simultaneously, their expressions twisting in discomfort.

Even the young man in the corner in blue robes cowered, steam rising from his body with a hissing sound.

Amidst this terrifying heat wave, the chestnut-haired girl remained unaffected, smiling sweetly as she stepped between the two.

“Everyone, is now really the time to bicker?”

“For the first time in eighteen years, we have a common enemy. An enemy’s enemy is a friend.”

The girl surveyed everyone with her deep blue eyes.

“He has disrupted the grand plan of the great mother goddess.”

“He has stolen treasures gifted by the Death God.”

“He has also thrown the plans of the Abyssal Lord in the South Sea into chaos… and I truly understand your pain.”

At this point, a flicker of vicious hatred flashed in Mina’s eyes, her寒意 deepening, frost emanating from her body.

“Because he has equally ruined my king’s grand scheme and harmed many of my comrades.”

“We all want him dead. And we need to join forces to accomplish that. Any grudges should be set aside until then, right?”

The old man remained indifferent, yet he retracted his aura, returning to his withered state, responding to the girl’s stance with action.

Barnes snorted but chose not to contest further.

Of course, these were all just formalities.

The False King’s blood was a threat to any cult and also an extremely rare treasure.

For thousands of years, it wasn’t the first time major cults teamed up to hunt the False King’s blood, nor was it the first time they fought over spoils after a successful hunt.

If possible, Barnes naturally wanted to take the lead and devour the False King’s remains all for himself.

However, this False King’s blood was beyond imagination.

Even though Enwei barely reached Sequence 6, backed by the powers of the Death God, he was formidable enough to match the upper echelon of Sequence 6!

But Roy crossed the absolute gap of low to mid-tier strength, turning the tables on a Sequence 6 powerhouse!

Barnes had to admit the difficulties posed by the opponent, as facing him alone would be too risky.

However…

“We each have grievances against the False King’s blood, but it seems the friends from Flaming Eye have no real issues with him, right? Do we really need to mobilize the high priest for this?”

Sequence 6, source level three, could be called a high priest, with only a handful in any cult.

Remember that the cultists who acted in Academy City previously were merely Sequence 7 priests, barely reaching Sequence 6 under the support of dark godly powers.

The true combat power of a high priest could match that of a Sequence 5!

Admittedly, the opponent was strong, but the Flaming Eye was entangled in the conflicts of the Golden Sands and was gradually declining. Barnes wasn’t too worried, even thinking they were intentionally trying to snatch the spoils and feeling a dislike toward them.

The monk did not speak, but the girl immediately caught Barnes’s true intentions and smiled, “The Flaming Eye has recently been oppressed by the Golden Sands, merely seeking the False King’s blood dragon flame to strengthen themselves, not any other spoils.”

“Moreover, this generation of the False King’s blood is closely tied to various major powers; it’s not unlikely a strong protector is accompanying him. The arrival of our high priest is simply precautionary.”

After hearing the explanation, Barnes fell silent.

Meanwhile, the blue-robed boy in the corner, Octomaly Anwen, trembled as he raised a water-blue octopus tentacle.

“Um, big sister…”

“Just to be clear? Do you truly have enough certainty of winning?”

 

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