In the prison.

Asai played with the bone ball in his hand, his eyes tightly shut.

He could hear the inner thoughts of everyone in this prison, and he even felt he could sense the heartbeat of the city.

Although a city isn’t typically described as a living thing, he could genuinely feel the pulse of every life.

The signals radiating from each person’s brain coalesced into a vast, shimmering ocean of memories and light.

Asai heard hurried footsteps as two inhuman beings entered the prison.

They whispered among themselves.

Their intentions were sinister.

They were uneasy.

“The Demon-Hunting Group’s judge might be coming. We need to deal with this trouble before then.”

“Damn, this meddlesome fellow.”

“Such a small fry, do we both need to come for this? Just find any excuse to kill him.”

“The master from the Barrett family wants us to bring him over.”

Asai stopped his movements and slowly opened his eyes, his pupils empty and lifeless.

He began to speak, and although he wasn’t addressing anyone in particular, the evil sorcerer knew Asai was talking to him.

Because he was the only one here who could listen to Asai’s confessions.

“You’re right.”

Evil sorcerer: “What am I right about?”

Asai: “When one bone demon is discovered in a place, it means there’s a whole group of them.”

The evil sorcerer laughed: “Of course, these monsters don’t just appear out of thin air, do they?”

“Ever since that evil demon Anhofus created bone demons, these things have spread throughout Yinsai like a plague.”

“The Temple of Truth thinks they can eradicate these monsters through encirclement, it’s utterly ridiculous.”

“What’s frightening isn’t the bone demons, but death itself.”

“The majority of people are those who fear death and cling to life. What’s faith compared to that?”

The Temple of Truth surely knew this method couldn’t completely solve the problem, but if they didn’t suppress and prohibit it, wouldn’t these monsters gradually replace the Trilobite Men?

The king would be a monster, the nobles would be monsters, even the Trilobite Men would be monsters.

It would be a world where long-lived monsters enslave all Trilobite Men.

Asai didn’t discuss this issue, he just said, “I’m going to leave.”

The evil sorcerer thought Asai was dreaming: “How will you leave?”

Asai said softly: “Someone will take me out.”

The evil sorcerer mocked him: “You’re just a poor boy from the countryside, who would come to bail you out?”

“This is a prison for special criminals, the most heavily guarded place in all of Anho City. You think you can get out alive?”

“Stop dreaming.”

Asai didn’t argue. The sound of approaching footsteps had already reached his ears, signaling the arrival of his unexpected liberators.

Two richly dressed individuals stood at the prison door, accompanied by guards, looking inside with their heads held high.

They felt the dampness of the prison and smelled its stench.

Their faces showed disgust, and they tightly covered their noses.

Their gaze swept across the cells, finally resting on a figure crouching in the farthest corner, his back to the door, hiding in the shadows.

He was thin, exuding a gloomy aura.

One of them pointed: “Take him away.”

The cell door opened, and Asai, wearing shackles, was lifted by several soldiers as if he were a corpse being dragged away.

He was pulled towards the outside without any reaction.

The evil sorcerer, thinking someone had really come to bail Asai out, excitedly pushed his head against the cell door, shouting at the people outside.

“Take me with you!”

“I want to get out too, take me along!”

“I’ll do anything!”

He shouted at Asai: “Save me! I want to get out too.”

“I don’t want… I don’t want…”

“To die here!”

Unfortunately, no one paid him any attention. He could only watch, his hopes crumbling, as Asai was taken beyond the prison walls – a freedom he had yearned for endlessly.

Asai was stuffed into an iron prisoner transport cart, then taken to the outskirts of the city.

The cart arrived at an estate. Servants forcibly took Asai down and brought him into the manor.

A gathering was taking place inside the estate, with most of the attendees being bone demons.

Anho City, the largest city in northwest Yinsai, had long since become a den of monsters. Many of the upper-class nobles and important figures had abandoned their Trilobite Man identity to become monsters.

Asai was brought before an altar and thrown to the ground.

This was a dark hall dedicated to the God of Knowledge, surrounded by a circle of cloaked members. Their gazes were lofty, looking at Asai as if he were a sacrificial animal.

The leader looked at Asai with fury: “The murder of a Barrett family member will be punished with the utmost severity.”

Unlike what ordinary people knew, the Barrett family had not fallen into decline.

They were still the secret controllers of Anho City.

Asai finally perked up: “You must be the people from the Immortal Society!”

He looked at the president of the Immortal Society: “And you.”

“You must be that Ghost Cult member who was wanted by the Temple’s Demon-Hunting Group years ago. I didn’t expect you to survive, and even become a bone demon.”

“You’ve even established such a powerful organization, secretly controlling Anho City from the shadows.”

It turned out that the Barrett family member who had joined the Ghost Cult years ago hadn’t completely died, but had transformed into a powerful bone demon. It was through him that the baron had obtained the power of monsters.

The previously chattering members of the Immortal Society immediately fell silent, and the president looked at Asai with utmost seriousness.

“Did Vallen Barrett tell you this?”

“It seems you know quite a lot. It was indeed correct of me to have you brought here.”

Vallen Barrett was the previous baron, the first bone demon to die at Asai’s hands.

Asai nodded: “Thank you for bringing me out. Otherwise, I really wouldn’t have been able to leave that prison.”

Everyone burst into laughter. They were about to have more sacrifices brought in for the ritual to please their god.

But Asai pressed against his leg and slowly stood up.

He held one hand to his temple, then showed a pained expression.

“Buzz!”

An intense mental shock spread out, enveloping the entire estate.

Those bone demons felt their brains buzzing, and they fell from their seats one by one.

They knelt on the ground, facing Asai, as if paying homage to their king.

They tried desperately to resist this power, but couldn’t move at all.

These members of the Immortal Society felt as if they were being pressed down by a great mountain, and their hearts felt the same.

They looked at Asai in terror, expressions of disbelief on their faces.

Especially the president of the Immortal Society, who lay on the ground, his mouth open, gritting his teeth with an incredulous look.

Each word he spoke carried immense pressure, making him stutter like someone with a speech impediment.

“Fourth-level God’s Grace?”

“Bone Field?”

“How is this possible? This is Anhofus’s Bone Field, how could it reappear in this world?”

The president of the Immortal Society knew the origins of bone demons. He knew the past of Anhofus who created bone demons, and he knew that only one person had ever possessed this Bone Field ability.

However, Asai didn’t have the power of a fourth-level God’s Grace as he imagined, but he was gradually able to influence the tumor in his brain through consciousness, utilizing part of Anhofus’s former power.

Xiao’s promise to the God of Knowledge – that his methods would prevent Asai from having the power to complete the experiment flawlessly – was clearly somewhat exaggerated.

It’s also possible that Xiao did this deliberately.

This Bone Field might not be so powerful against priests, at least they would have ways to resist.

But it was entirely different for these bone demons, as if it were a supreme king commanding his servants.

As a price, Asai completely lost his eyesight.

However, this didn’t seem to be a big problem anymore. He didn’t need eyesight to see this world more clearly.

Asai limped, step by step, towards the president of the Immortal Society.

His empty gaze looked at the president, this figure who stood high above others in Anho City, now trembling before him.

Like an insect that could be crushed at will.

Perhaps in the past, Asai would have felt smug about such a powerful feeling, proud and self-satisfied with his power.

But now, this wasn’t his focus.

He had already noticed his own extraordinariness, and the unreasonable aspects of his life.

Asai’s lifeless gaze put immense pressure on the president of the Immortal Society, who found himself trembling.

“God’s Grace Priest?”

“My lord!”

“Stop, stop, we didn’t know your identity.”

“Who exactly are you? How could someone like you appear here?”

“Are you from the Temple of Truth? Or from the Sacred Mountain?”

“Impossible… impossible… I’ve never heard of someone like you.”

Although the president of the Immortal Society held a lofty position in Anho City, he clearly wasn’t an important core figure in the Ghost Cult, let alone knowing anything about the Path of Wisdom experiment plan.

In his eyes, the previous Asai was just a country boy who had come to Anho City to chase his dreams.

In his view, there were only a handful of God’s Grace Priests in the world.

But clearly, Asai didn’t belong to any of them.

Asai: “Who am I?”

“I don’t know who I am either, but I will find the answer.”

Asai had no intention of taking them as servants. Firstly, his power was unstable with huge flaws, and secondly, this Immortal Society was a subordinate organization of the Ghost Cult, he couldn’t possibly control them.

Asai raised his hand, and a powerful distorting force was born directly inside these bone demons, crushing these monsters into powder.

“Crack, crack, crack.”

The sound of twisting and breaking, accompanied by agonized wails.

Although this was already outside the city, under Asai’s special Bone Field mental domain power, these monsters didn’t even have a chance to reveal their true skeletal forms before Asai.

Asai swiftly and mercilessly annihilated all the bone demons of the Immortal Society, absorbing their power into himself as they fell.

The bone ball in Asai’s hand kept expanding, growing larger and larger.

From the bone ball, a pair of arms unfurled and a pair of bone legs extended, taking shape before his eyes.

A large skeletal puppet materialized before Asai.

The skeletal puppet faced Asai and raised its hand blade.

“Clang!”

Asai’s shackles were cut off, and he finally stood freely on the ground.

Asai bent down, feeling around, and picked up the chains that had bound him.

An expression finally appeared on his face: “At last… it’s broken!”

It wasn’t just the chain on his feet that had broken, but also another invisible shackle that had been binding him all along.

That night, a riot broke out in Anho City’s prison.

An extremely powerful entity attacked the prison, and in an instant, bones grew and burst out everywhere, crisscrossing in every corner.

The explosive power in that moment tore apart the prison, also killing some prison guards along with all the criminals imprisoned there.

Only one prisoner escaped alive, and that was the evil sorcerer Polik who had been imprisoned here for many years.

The cellmate who had been imprisoned with Anhofus.

Evil sorcerer Polik fled the prison in panic, completely terrified.

He had witnessed countless people being pierced like blood gourds, the entire prison turning into a purgatory, a sea of blood.

He ran wildly through the streets in the darkness, finally seeing a familiar figure at the end of the road.

A guy wearing a trench coat, leaning on a cane.

Polik looked at Asai, stunned for a moment.

Then he immediately realized something, his mouth gaping wide.

He called out to the shadow in the darkness: “Asai?”

In the shadows of the street, beside Asai was an incredibly powerful skeletal puppet.

That puppet knelt on the ground, bending down.

Its terrifying figure and aura made Polik feel cold all over.

It was hard to believe that the person before him was his dull, corpse-like cellmate.

The skeletal puppet wasn’t a bone demon, but like the puppets of other Seal Priests and God’s Grace Priests, it was an extension of power, thus not bound by the oath of monsters.

Polik slowly approached, finally seeing the outline clearly.

“Is it really you?”

Based on the hellish situation in the prison just now, and that powerful skeletal puppet.

He could basically guess that all this was done by the person in front of him.

Polik was dumbfounded. Not only had he not guessed that his cellmate was a figure possessing such powerful abilities, he hadn’t guessed that the other was such a ruthless character.

Asai, seeing Polik’s stiff expression and posture, spoke.

“After being locked up for so many years, is there anything you still want to do?”

“Or do you just want to survive?”

Asai turned away, leaving behind a few words.

“If you still want to regain your former glory, then follow me.”

“If you just want to live, then let’s say goodbye here!”

Evil sorcerer Polik watched Asai’s retreating figure, leaning on his cane, his steps slow and somewhat awkward, but firm without any hesitation.

In that silhouette, he also saw himself, a failure crawling out of the mud.

He remembered the scenes of himself incessantly talking about his past glories in prison, proudly puffing out his chest as he spoke of his ambitions from his youth and young adulthood.

Even when he had become a stinking bug in the mud of the prison, he had never forgotten his past.

He was a priest who would stop at nothing, but the more he was like this, the more it proved that he had once had the wildest dreams.

“Wait for me, I’m willing to go with you.”

“No matter what you do, even the craziest things, I’m willing.”

He chased after without hesitation, shouting as he ran.

“Asai! What kind of person are you really? Who… exactly are you?”

On the other side.

Xiao stood at the top of a high tower not far away, watching Asai who had finally broken the first shackle.

A smile appeared on his face as he slowly stretched.

“Interesting things are about to begin!”

He sighed: “It’s a pity that the God of Knowledge has hidden most of Anhofus’s important memories deep within the Door of Truth.”

“Otherwise, I might have been able to see the real Anhofus, to meet this genius who created the four-part secret technique of the God’s Grace Stone.”

“It seems that my god is quite afraid of him!”

It was he who had delivered those bone demons of the Immortal Society into Asai’s hands, and it was also he who had let Asai escape from his cage.

Two days ago, he had already sent the news of the successful Path of Wisdom experiment to the God of Knowledge.

For the Little Person in the Bottle, Asai no longer had any use.

When he reported the success of the Path of Wisdom experiment, it was time for the experimental subject Asai to be reclaimed.

Xiao waited for a day in the hidden temple of the God of Knowledge, but no divine oracle came to reclaim the experimental subject Asai.

He knew that not only was Asai no longer of use, but he himself was also of no use anymore.

The God of Knowledge must have already sent someone to Anho City to reclaim both him and Asai.

Previously, Xiao had been guessing that this person might be Original Sin, or it might be Truth.

Just now, he had received news.

The Truth High Priest had left the Abyss Kingdom and was heading towards the Sacred Mountain.

Thinking of the Truth High Priest, Xiao couldn’t help but mutter.

“Door of Truth!”

“It’s coming at just the right time.”

He walked towards the bottom of the high tower, which was inside an iron workshop. Below, numerous workshop buildings could be seen.

Several people were already waiting for Xiao at the bottom, awaiting his next instructions.

“Divine Contract Lord.”

But Xiao looked at these Ghost Cult members kneeling on the ground, who viewed him as the king of the dark world, and said.

“The things that follow are no longer under my management.”

“The Truth High Priest is about to arrive. Everything here is handed over to him.”

The people below exchanged glances, not understanding why the Truth High Priest would come here. Wasn’t he always in the Abyss Kingdom?

“Lord Truth?”

“Why is he coming here?”

Xiao’s gaze swept over the Ghost Cult members prostrated before him, their heads pressed against the cold stone tiles.

“Of course, he comes bearing the will of God.”

He imitated the tone of the Little Person in the Bottle, speaking to these Ghost Cult members in a lofty manner.

“What?”

“Do you want to defy the will of God?”

With these words, he scared these Ghost Cult members half to death.

Several people didn’t dare to speak, not even daring to move.

Xiao straightened up: “How can mortals fathom the will of God, and how can mortals defy the will of God?”

When Xiao said these words, there was a playful tone in his voice.

Xiao couldn’t resist the power of the Little Person in the Bottle. He knew that if he was caught, he would certainly be doomed. The only good news was that the Little Person in the Bottle couldn’t easily leave the Sacred Mountain, and would most likely have to send others to deal with him.

By releasing Asai, Xiao was aiming to attract the attention of the Little Person in the Bottle.

Such a mad genius who had personally created the Little Person in the Bottle should be the one who understands best how terrifying it is.

At that time, the most anxious would be the Little Person in the Bottle. It would definitely be eager to do everything to put Asai, or rather Anhofus, back into its bottle.

The Little Person in the Bottle was worried about Asai losing control, and the Anhofus of the past returning.

But Xiao wasn’t worried.

Even if Anhofus was really as formidable as the rumors suggested, even if he made a great comeback against the odds and became a legend, what did that have to do with him?

He already possessed fourth-level power, he had found the Path of Wisdom.

His greatest enemy now was the legend at the source that had bestowed upon him the mythical bloodline.

That monster trapped in the bottle.

Only when it died could Xiao calmly embark on his own Path of Wisdom to legend.

Xiao walked past the Ghost Cult members step by step, muttering to himself.

“I hope you can live up to your reputation, at least attract more attention for me.”

After saying these words, Xiao transformed into a shadow and disappeared into the night.

The Ghost Cult members stood up, finally breathing a sigh of relief.

“Has Lord Xiao left?”

“He might have gone to another place with the divine oracle. We can just wait calmly for the Truth High Priest to arrive.”

Sacred Mountain.

The Truth High Priest had hurriedly returned from the Abyss Kingdom after receiving the divine oracle. Now, he climbed the Pilgrimage Stairs, his steps measured and cautious. He passed through the statues of two generations of Kings of Wisdom, only stopping when the God-Servant City came into view.

“Great God of Knowledge!”

“Your servant, the humble follower who believes in truth, has come to hear Your will.”

The Light of Original Sin burst forth from the mountaintop, and the shadow of legend appeared behind the Sacred Mountain, looking down at the Truth High Priest.

“Truth, go to Anho City now.”

“Kill Xiao.”

The Truth High Priest raised his head in surprise, not understanding what kind of order this was.

“Kill Divine Contract?”

“God, why?”

The God of Knowledge disdained to explain to a servant. Hearing a servant dare to question its divine oracle, its tone immediately changed.

“Are you questioning the will of God?”

The Truth High Priest’s face showed an expression of fear and unease: “I wouldn’t dare, Great God of Knowledge.”

“I will go to Anho City now and kill that traitor who has displeased God.”

Good gracious, in one sentence, the other party had been labeled a traitor.

However, the Truth High Priest’s next words were: “But Divine Contract’s power far exceeds mine. I’m not confident I can deal with him.”

The shadow of legend spoke again: “I give you full authority over the Door of Truth. Xiao’s divine blood comes from me, before the Door of Truth his power will lose all effect.”

“Kill him, let him turn into a ghost and return to my realm.”

At this point, the shadow of legend suddenly paused.

“Also, bring back the experimental subject of the Path of Wisdom.”

The Truth High Priest didn’t know about the Path of Wisdom experiment. He raised his head and asked, “The experimental subject of the Path of Wisdom?”

Little Person in the Bottle: “You don’t need to know too much. You just need to know.”

“It’s a… mortal named Asai.”

“Bring him back, at all costs.”