What kind of technique is this?
Appearing out of thin air, without the slightest warning!
Yi Yueluoxi considered herself quite knowledgeable. Although not as exaggerated as she boasted, she had indeed witnessed the downfall of several worlds and visited numerous oases. The oasis she belonged to was a major power with extensive records, and she had perused many of them, yet still...
She had no idea what was happening!
As light particles converged, the man with a faint smile appeared, as if an illusion, a projection?
But it didn't seem so. Yi Yueluoxi could vaguely feel a pressure emanating from the man bathed in pale golden light.
He was real.
And not simple.
In a world he had just encountered, there existed such a powerful individual?
But she was a guide, a prominent figure from the oasis, and she had to remain elegant and composed.
Yi Yueluoxi regained her composure. "You must be the one in charge. Tell me, what paid services do you wish to purchase?"
The man in front of her pondered for a moment. "Regarding the Evil Gods, how much do you know?"
Evil Gods!
"I didn't expect you to have heard of the Evil Gods already."
She was slightly surprised. "I don't know much about the Evil Gods myself. I'll give you what little information I have for free."
Consider it a favor.
The potential of this world seemed to exceed imagination. Giving away something for free now would allow her to earn much more from paid services later.
She continued, "The Evil Gods reside in the deepest part of the Weird Realm, existing as beings indescribable by words. Only a few honorific titles are used to describe them, such as 'Shadow of Darkness,' 'Crimson Moon,' 'Twisted Black River,' 'Fallen Emperor,' and so on."
It seemed this silver-haired woman genuinely didn't know the specifics.
However, she added, "The Evil Gods are too distant. Even their cultists, who merely worship them, are a great enemy to us humans, regardless of which world or oasis they come from. Cultists are an absolute foe."
"Your world has just begun to collide with the Weird Realm, and you might think the true disaster comes from the Weird Creatures. Yes, there are a vast number of Weird Creatures, but they are ultimately monsters without intelligence. However, the sacrifices of the Evil Gods can control such monsters."
"Not only that, but normal worlds like yours are incredibly delectable in the eyes of the Evil Gods. Their sacrificers will spare no effort to offer their world to the gods they believe in, and they will continuously expand their cult."
"To give you a simple comparison, for normal humans to awaken, they must overcome numerous crises, where a single mistake could lead to severe injury or death. But cultists are different. Accumulating mystery is not difficult for them, and breaking through to higher levels is much easier. They are even safe from attacks by Weird Creatures."
Weird Creatures are monsters that naturally spawn in the Weird Realm, lacking intelligence.
Cultists, on the other hand, are transformed from humans, intelligent beings.
Awakening is easier, breaking through bottlenecks involves fewer dangers, and they can move freely within the Weird Realm, unlike us who find it difficult to tread.
When compared, it seems that awakened individuals on the normal path have no advantage at all, completely crushed by the Evil God path!
Fang You mused.
Xing Jinglei couldn't help but ask, voicing his thoughts, which was a brilliant question.
"Since cultists are so amazing, wouldn't everyone become one?"
If faith didn't cost anything, he wouldn't mind believing a little.
It was for strength and survival, nothing to be ashamed of.
However, Xing Jinglei felt it couldn't be that simple.
As expected, the silver-haired woman spoke, "You dream too much. Why are cultists universally hunted? Because cultists can no longer be called human. Even if they were human before, once they believe in an Evil God, their body and soul belong entirely to that Evil God."
"They will give everything for the Evil God, with fanatical devotion, not subject to individual will. In other words, from the moment you believe in an Evil God, you are no longer yourself."
Xing Jinglei thought for a moment and asked,
"What if we pretended to be cultists? Surely the Evil Gods can't pay attention to every believer."
"Indeed, they cannot. The vast majority of believers are dispensable to the Evil Gods, and they are even sacrificed from time to time. Pretending is possible, but if a promotion ritual has been performed... that is, the awakening ritual of a cultist, then you will be assimilated and beyond salvation."
She said.
If believing in an Evil God was not equivalent to death, why would they fear it like a scourge?
Hearing this, Xing Jinglei shivered as well.
The silver-haired woman continued, "The Evil Gods are unknowable. It is said that anyone who has directly gazed upon an Evil God has already died. But even their kin, servants, and believers are already terrifying and are great enemies to the humans of various oases."
"If the followers of different Evil Gods did not also hold animosity towards each other and engage in mutual slaughter, humanity might not even be able to survive in the gaps."
"Therefore, we guides offer you some hints, hoping that more powerhouses will emerge among humanity. Of course, for paid services, you still have to pay."
"The next question will be charged. Do you want to ask about awakening, awakening weapons, or reducing the side effects of Weird Artifacts?"
She watched with keen interest.
She was quite expectant; new worlds like this were often very rich, and the stronger one was, the more capable they were of obtaining these riches.
Should this guide raise her prices a bit later?
She mused, but the white-robed man in front of her said,
"Thank you for your hospitality. We'll be sure to come again next time."
"Your paid services are a bit limited. We hope that when we return, there will be a detailed list available for purchase."
After saying a few words, the four gradually moved away.
Yi Yueluoxi stood before the black stone tower, stunned for a moment, and then she vanished into the gray mist.
Wait a minute, was I just freeloaded?!
...
Leaving the black stone tower and walking another thousand meters, An Jianyou and the others returned.
After over an hour of exploring the Weird Realm, it was thrilling, dangerous, and exhausting. She felt she needed to go home and rest for a while.
As Hei Dao, An Jianyou, and the other two returned to the real-world training base, Fang You simultaneously returned to the Apostle dormitory.
He began to ponder.
From the guide named Yi Yueluoxi, he had learned many secrets. Some of these were things he had already suspected or had clues about. However, this experience had undoubtedly helped to piece together fragmented clues.
"From the current perspective, this silver-haired woman is likely a 'friendly force.' The credibility of her words is relatively high."
Of course, he couldn't believe everything she said.
Fang You himself possessed a considerable amount of information.
He had previously had clues about Evil Gods, cultists, and so on. Verifying these, he could confirm that what the silver-haired woman said was likely not inaccurate.
As for the paid services mentioned by the silver-haired woman, he wasn't entirely uninterested.
Firstly, the appeal wasn't that great.
Secondly, playing hard to get would prevent him from being ripped off, and perhaps he could even get a discount.
Next time, he would definitely be back.
"Based on the integration of existing information, the promotion ritual of cultists, if I'm not mistaken, is related to Evil God statues."
The Investigation Bureau had a similar statue.
His Spark also had one, though its face was cut off, and it was named the Faceless Statue. It was a Weird Artifact, not a native Weird Object.
"The second ability of the Evil God statue is that it can serve as the core for an awakening ritual. However, awakening through this ritual completely imprints the Evil God's mark, turning one into the Evil God's shape and plaything."
"The Faceless Statue, after studying it for some time, has not yet been able to create its own ritual, but I've managed to find some clues... I'll talk about that later."
"Currently, Evil God statues are poison to normal humans; the rituals are toxic. But to cultists, they are invaluable treasures!"
This world never lacked madmen.
Moreover, very few people were aware that cultist rituals would leave a mark and that their personalities would be altered.
For the sake of power, many awakened individuals might be tempted. Even without awakened individuals, the sacrifices of those who believed in Evil Gods could still bewitch ordinary people, nurturing them from scratch, which wouldn't take much time.
"No wonder the silver-haired woman said that cultists are far more dangerous than Weird Creatures. That statement isn't entirely accurate, but once an Evil God's sacrificer appears, they can rapidly establish a cult. They must be eliminated as early as possible. The longer it drags on, the larger this tumor, rooted in Blue Star and drawing sustenance from it, will grow!"
"However, cultists are different from Weird Creatures and not as easy to find. Last time, with the Maggot Man sacrificer, even though I blocked the entrance, it took three chases before I finally killed him."
One could imagine how stealthy these Evil God sacrificers were!
Difficult to find, but must be found!
If the sky falls, there will be tall people to bear it, but if Blue Star collapses, these tall people... now it's me.
"Xiao Huan, based on the current information, search for all events that might be related to cultists."
Xiao Huan projected a map onto the wall.
One area after another unfolded.
Last time, in a small city in Europe where there was a large number of missing persons, cultists were likely active.
This is the first.
Soon, a second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth location were marked. They might not be related, but since there was a possibility, they had to be investigated.
"Moreover, killing a few cultists has very little effect. We must find the source, that is, the Evil God sacrificer who came from the Weird Realm, or the Evil God statue, to truly eradicate this tumor."
"This means manpower is once again insufficient."
Expanding personnel and awakened individuals, along with the investigation, must proceed in parallel.
...
In a certain ancient castle in Europe.
The dim, flickering orange lamplight cast an eerie glow in the dimly lit environment. Countless men and women, with fanatical eyes, stared intently at the center.
A blood pool emanated mist, and a bizarre statue stood above it.
A white man in black robes stood on a high platform, looking at the fervent crowd before him, a slight smile on his lips.
All lambs.
All delicious.
He tilted his head slightly, his face filled with piety.
"Praise be to our Lord, the great Crimson Moon."
"You are the origin of all life, the master of the night sky, the creator of life."
"The Red Moon is your incarnation, and your glory will shine upon billions of worlds."
The voice of prayer echoed through the ancient castle, and the male and female cultists became even more fanatical.
They lined up and approached the blood pool.
The first person took off his loose white robe and leaped into the blood pool.
Splash—
The blood pool churned, and in a moment, the man who had leaped into the pool strode out. Compared to before, his muscles bulged, and fangs grew from his bared mouth.
"Praise the great Crimson Moon!"
"Praise the great..."
"Praise..."
One by one, believers entered the blood pool. During this process, many individuals exploded, their bodies turning into a pool of blood that merged into the pool. However, this did not daunt the other cultists, who, with fanatical fervor, leaped in.
This was power.
The taste of power was incredibly intoxicating.
Hee hee hee hee—
The naked cultists danced wildly.
The white man in black robes watched, his smile widening, and beneath the smile, tentacles subtly writhed.