After the Cannibal Cult’s frenzied night feast

Akmanmon had awakened his ability, and the feeling of that power was an indescribable experience.

It was as if he had grown a third eye, observing the world from a completely new perspective.

Even this small addition of mind perception made him feel transcendent, as if he were no longer an ordinary person.

Akmanmon felt as if his heart, once imprisoned in a cage, had been torn open and set free. It was like a wild beast breaking loose, racing toward the boundless wilderness.

Having power made him feel courageous.

In the past, he dared not even dream. He was timid and hesitant, always living in uncertainty.

But now, all of that was behind him.

He walked at the front of the crowd, wearing a mask alongside the Cannibal Cult Chief, and did not need to hold his head high to feel confident.

It was not because of strength, but because of the confidence that came from thoroughly controlling his own body and will.

“From now on, you are a different Akmanmon,” the voice said.

From the corner of his eye, he glanced behind him.

Though the people behind him all wore masks, he could recognize several of them.

Many of these people had visited him before. They were all nobles of the Royal Court.

After this frenzied night feast, they had clearly become part of the darkness. Akmanmon, who once had no power or foundation, now had a path to transformation.

“The Cannibal Cult Chief is using me,” he thought.

“And I can use him, and them, as well.”

Just as when a person holds a sharp weapon, murderous thoughts begin to surface.

After gaining power, whether it was his own or borrowed, tangible or unseen, it silently urged him onward. It felt as though it was calling out, shouting from within.

“Use me quickly.”

“Use me to fulfill the unspeakable desires and evil thoughts in your heart.”

Some people can suppress it. Some are driven by it.

Akmanmon followed the Cannibal Cult Chief through a passage to a complex intersection. There, all the cloaked and masked figures nodded before parting ways.

But Akmanmon did not leave. He followed the Cannibal Cult Chief upward.

Along the way, he saw many Cannibal Cult members transporting items through the passage, carrying them to boats on the other side of the river.

They even used Divine Techniques and soil to fill in the hall of the frenzied night feast below.

Leaving the underground, they climbed the dust-covered stairs within the house and emerged onto the roof.

Akmanmon asked, “Why are we leaving?”

The Cult Chief replied, “For everyone’s safety.”

“That seems overly cautious,” Akmanmon remarked.

The Cult Chief gave a faint smile but did not elaborate. “Only the cautious survive.”

Akmanmon shifted the topic. “You said you found a way for people without talent to gain abilities, and you’ve proven it. What’s next? Can anyone practice Divine Techniques now that they have an ability?”

The Cult Chief nodded. “Most are accessible, though the temple’s inheritance techniques remain exclusive.”

He paused briefly before continuing. “That said, Your Majesty, we have our own methods. There is a faster path to power if the resources are in place.”

Akmanmon looked at him without speaking.

The Cult Chief had initially wanted to create suspense, but seeing Akmanmon’s expression, he directly took out the 【Cannibal Cult Secret Rituals】.

“Your Majesty, you are different from the ordinary nobility.”

“But I see the majesty of a royal bloodline in you.”

Akmanmon extended his hand, but the Cult Chief pulled it back. Akmanmon watched him closely, suspecting he was hesitating.

Instead, the Cult Chief handed him a glove. “You must not touch it directly.”

“You must wear leather gloves. It contains Abyss poison.”

“This ritual book is very important and absolutely cannot fall into the hands of others.”

Only then did Akmanmon put on the gloves. Though he appeared calm, flipping through the contents revealed his inner excitement.

The words, pictures, and strange symbols in the book each represented a key to the door of the supernatural world. Akmanmon previously could not enter through that door, but now he had pushed it open.

Akmanmon briefly scanned through it, then turned to the Cannibal Cult Chief.

“What does the curse of the Lord of Purgatory mean?”

The Cannibal Cult Chief replied, “Your Majesty, did you think breaking the limits of mortal talent to gain abilities would come without a price?”

The Cult Chief then told Akmanmon about his background.

“My name is Suero. My father was a somewhat famous physician.”

“I was born with an ability, but my talent was not particularly strong. I couldn’t enter the temple to become an attendant, and the famous ability user inheritances were unwilling to accept me.”

“I could only follow my father and become a physician, but I was always searching for a way to become an Ability User.”

“If others would not give it to me, then I would forge my own path.”

“Isn’t that how the ancient Ability Users carved out their own ways?”

“Weren’t those powerful Divine Techniques created by ancient Ability Users?”

Akmanmon looked at the Cult Chief.

Indeed, anyone who could rise from the bottom to the peak was extraordinary.

Anyone who could break the norms was truly extraordinary.

Regardless of their evil or righteousness, regardless of the will they held, they certainly possessed a talent and perseverance that ordinary people lacked.

He was just like Dark Moon from before.

Akmanmon thought of that man again. He deeply hated the man but also had to admit that he admired him.

He admired that kind of firm and powerful will, that kind of unfettered freedom.

“Some people’s will can break through constraints and obtain true freedom,” he thought.

“They can shatter everything.”

“They can even change this world.”

Akmanmon, who had always been imprisoned and lacked even physical freedom, had long yearned for that kind of strength and freedom of will.

The Cannibal Cult Chief, Suero, did not know what Akmanmon was thinking and continued talking about what happened later.

“I collected a lot of knowledge about Divine Techniques, but no matter what, I could only linger at the shallowest edge of power.”

“So, being skilled in medicine, I started to search for secrets within the body. I believed that the bodies of intelligent species held mysteries left by Divine Beings. This was the most powerful force, a power that surpassed everything.”

“One day, I gave in to the whispers of rumors and consumed corpses.”

“I wanted to find the power left by Divine Beings, the things mythology bestowed upon us.”

Suero’s face was filled with madness.

His expression was dark. His inhuman gaze showed no trace of compassion, and his own kind seemed to be merely materials for his experiments.

But Akmanmon just stood calmly beside him, seemingly unafraid of such a person.

Perhaps it was because they had both fallen into madness.

Next, Suero finally spoke about the curse.

“I searched within intelligent species for the power I wanted, again and again.”

“Until one day, I suddenly discovered that I had been cursed.”

“It was an intangible force entwined around my spirituality, like a guillotine suspended but not falling.”

“At first, I was terrified.”

“But after the fear passed, I began to think. Why not research and utilize this power?”

“This kind of power that could be felt, this tangible power, wasn’t it more direct than my blind search for other powers?”

“I just didn’t expect that after being cursed, my original experiments would make progress beyond imagination.”

“Through what the curse revealed, I uncovered the true secret of the body. I discovered the bloodline hidden within myself.”

At this point, Suero was extremely excited.

This discovery was Suero’s proudest achievement.

“The myths are true.”

“When Divine Beings created us, they hid supernatural bloodlines within us.”

“This is the source of our wisdom, the origin of our power.”

“It’s hidden in the deepest part of our bodies. If we can extract it and integrate it into our bodies, we can continuously grow stronger and break through limitations.”

This was the first time Akmanmon had heard such a theory, and he listened very carefully.

Suero continued, “At first, I did not understand where this curse came from.”

“But using this discovery, I spent only a few years becoming a Second-Rank Ability User.”

“Then I began to use rituals to summon Abyss monsters, kill them, and devour them.”

“This step went smoothly as well. I advanced to a Third-Rank Ability User.”

“I stood at the peak of mortals.”

At this point, Suero’s words began to grow somber.

“But at the same time…”

“I saw it.”

His low voice was filled with fear.

“That star burning with raging flames, the Divine Being seated on the throne, wielding a flaming whip to torture fallen sinners.”

“He was gazing at me, telling me my time was running out.”

“I eat people, He eats me. This is the curse, and it is also fate.”

After Suero finished speaking, he did not speak again for a long time.

Akmanmon suddenly spoke. “So that’s why you hurried to find us. You want to do something big.”

“Do you need manpower and vast resources to help you escape the curse?”

Suero looked at Akmanmon. “Correct.”

“To be precise, it is not to help me, but to help us.”

“The curse of the Lord of Purgatory is not just on me, but on all cannibals.”

“Believe me, if you could witness the scene of Purgatory with your own eyes, you would know that death is also a blessing.”

Akmanmon said, “You’re telling me these things in private. You must need me to do something.”

Suero replied, “I need your full cooperation. I can unreservedly teach you my knowledge and tell you how to gain power.”

“But I also need your unreserved support.”

“This is a deal, Your Majesty.”

Akmanmon was the King of Ten Thousand Serpents. Even if he was a king without any real power, he was still a king.

As long as he stepped forward, the Cannibal Cult would gain unimaginable resources, and its forces would rapidly expand.

Akmanmon asked Suero, “What do you want to do?”

The Cannibal Cult Chief Suero looked at the 【Cannibal Cult Secret Rituals】 in Akmanmon’s hand and then asked him a question.

“Don’t you think that curses are very similar to something else?”

Akmanmon thought for a moment before he suddenly answered, “Something invisible and intangible, spreading only among specific groups.”

“This power is rather like a plague.”

Suero was stunned. He clearly had not expected Akmanmon to make the connection so quickly. It had taken him a long time to connect the two.

A big part of that was because he had once been a doctor.

Yet now, Akmanmon had thought of it in an instant. Sometimes endless thinking is not as good as a flash of inspiration.

“That’s right.”

“My next experiment is related to this.”

“I don’t know exactly how the curse of the Lord of Purgatory formed, but by borrowing from this power, I have researched some things.”

“I can use these things to gain greater strength and create some truly miraculous things.”

“I need more powerful strength.”

“Only when power becomes stronger will a way to resolve the curse on us naturally appear.”

Suero’s completely inhuman gaze stared at Akmanmon, but Akmanmon could not see any idealism in it.

The other man resembled a wild beast, a madman who consumed corpses without hesitation.

Suero was utterly and completely insane.

After being cursed, his first thought was to find a way to use the curse. This led to the creation of the Cannibal Cult’s rituals.

Even now, he sought to harness the power of the curse to defy the fate imposed on him by the Divine Being he spoke of.

Suero held his bone scepter, looking longingly at Akmanmon.

“I need your help.”

“I need a vast force to complete my next experiment.”

Akmanmon did not speak for a long time.

Suero said, “Your Majesty, only those with power can control their own destiny.”

These words made Akmanmon look up.

Control one’s own destiny.

How desirable those words were.

Akmanmon said to Suero, “I will support you with all my strength, you madman.”

Suero laughed. “Your Majesty, are you not also mad?”

In the days that followed, Akmanmon delved into the 【Cannibal Cult Secret Rituals】 alongside Suero, gradually taking on the role of his experimental assistant.

He studied dissection and gained extensive medical knowledge. Through this, he uncovered numerous secrets about life.

He delved into various rituals, even mastering the art of summoning those abhorrent and fearsome Abyss monsters.

Not only that, but he also delved deeply into the supernatural knowledge preserved within the Royal Court, immersing himself in its mysteries.

His thirst for knowledge was identical to that of the madman Suero.

During one experiment, he summoned Abyss monsters and even devoured an Eagle Demon.

Akmanmon gained immense strength from it. In a short time, he advanced to a Second-Rank Ability User. He also mastered a Divine Technique connected to wind curses.

He frequented the Cannibal Cult daily and gradually became its second-in-command. The air around him grew heavy with a gloomy killing intent that intensified with each passing day.

Even the cannibals themselves were somewhat afraid of him.

Devouring supernatural beings was the most insane act, and in the entire Cannibal Cult, only Suero had succeeded.

Anyone who could devour a supernatural being, survive, and still maintain a semblance of rationality could not be truly rational.

Everyone knew that Akmanmon was undoubtedly a madman whose insanity surpassed even the wild imagination of others. He was nothing like the deranged Suero.

During each experiment, Suero was like a crazy artist, treating corpses, monsters, and Abyss species as his canvas.

He would stop to admire his work repeatedly during each experiment, chattering incessantly.

But Akmanmon always remained calm at his side, meticulously completing the experiments.

In comparison, the feeling he gave people was even more terrifying.

Suero was a madman, but at least he was a madman who still retained a normal appearance.

Late at night, Akmanmon had just fallen asleep in his bedchamber after returning to the palace. As the hours passed, he suddenly felt a chill spread through his body. By midnight, his entire frame began to convulse uncontrollably.

He sat up and lifted his long sleeve.

He saw his arm undergoing a bizarre transformation. Terrifying black feathers were growing from it, and his hand was beginning to swell, becoming like a claw.

Akmanmon immediately knew what was happening. “Not good.”

This was the aftermath of devouring that Eagle Demon. He still had not fully digested the power from that cannibalistic ritual.

Gaining power always comes with a price.

The price of extraordinary power is unimaginably high.

Akmanmon sprang to his feet, rushing to close the door firmly. He was unsure of what might happen next.

As Akmanmon reached the door, his power spiraled out of control.

Layers of black wings burst from his flesh and extended outward, instantly transforming Akmanmon into a monster.

Whoosh!

A gust of wild wind swept through, carrying with it a strange shadow that suddenly loomed over the palace.

The guards within the court immediately noticed the disturbance and converged.

“Over there!” one of the soldiers shouted.

“Look up! There’s something in the sky!” another voice called out.

“Intruder spotted!” an Ability User barked as more rushed out.

“Don’t let him get away!”

Before they could act, the figure disappeared into the sky in an instant, carried away by the howling wind.

Soon after, the palace guards uncovered an even greater issue. The King of Ten Thousand Serpents was missing.

“This is bad! The King is missing!”

The palace interior fell into chaos as everyone searched for traces of King Akmanmon.

Akmanmon had burst out of the palace, flying to the bank of the Shepherd’s River in an instant before falling into the water.

Not long after, several pursuing figures searched the surroundings before heading in other directions.

At the icy river bottom, Akmanmon seemed frozen like an ice block, but the abnormalities in his body gradually subsided.

After a long while, Akmanmon finally returned to his normal form.

By this time, dawn was breaking.

Akmanmon walked onto the street in his nightclothes, looking somewhat disheveled.

The street already had scattered figures at this hour, with vendors selling food by the roadside.

It was a type of noodle dumpling prepared with meat from Tooth Beasts. The dish was served in a bowl, steaming hot and releasing an especially inviting aroma on the cold winter day.

Akmanmon was utterly exhausted. He had endured a harrowing ordeal during the night and had barely managed to claw his way back from the brink of death.

Akmanmon said to the vendor, “Make me a portion also, please.”

Akmanmon did not know why he said the word “also.”

He felt this, even though he seemed to be the only one there.

Beside him, a female Witch Doctor was watching Akmanmon. Recently, the Supreme Divine Beings might have wanted to experience some folk flavors and often sent Witch Doctors out to buy mortal food.

Although spirit power could analyze and recreate food, using such methods in the mortal world seemed pointless.

So the Witch Doctors had become errand runners every day.

Looking at Akmanmon, the female Witch Doctor was suddenly reminded of someone.

Holy Hands Lester, who had once been her student.

Over time, he became known by another name: Stuen.

The female Witch Doctor suddenly spoke.

“Stop while you can.”

“This is a road of no return.”

Akmanmon only realized there was another person beside him when she spoke.

Just now, that person had been standing right next to him. Though his eyes had seen her, his consciousness had strangely registered her as nonexistent.

Reflecting on this now, Akmanmon suddenly felt a chill down to his core.

What kind of being was this?

“Who are you?” he asked.

The female Witch Doctor stood by the road. The two looked at each other.

The Witch Doctor scrutinized Akmanmon’s eyes, finally shaking her head.

“You are not him. His heart was filled with light, even though he ultimately fell into darkness.”

“Your heart is dark, never having a moment of light.”

Akmanmon suddenly clenched his fist. “Perhaps that’s because light has never shone in.”

The Witch Doctor picked up her filled wooden box and left.

In the end, Akmanmon never knew what kind of being stood before him.

But as he turned his head, he noticed the strange emblem on the Witch Doctor’s robe.

It was the God’s Form with hands outstretched, accompanied by mysterious circles and symbols.

That emblem was so extraordinary.

“God’s Form.”

While Akmanmon was dazed, the other’s shadow had completely vanished.

Akmanmon suddenly lost his appetite for food. He hurriedly returned to the palace through a hidden passage and then appeared before his people.

Those who had searched for Akmanmon all night immediately surrounded him, as if fearing he would disappear again.

“Your Majesty!”

“Where did you go?”

Akmanmon said, “I saw a terrifying shadow pounce down from the sky, so I hurriedly fled and hid in a concealed place.”

“I only came out when I saw it was light outside.”

The elderly Snake Person who served as the court teacher approached. Seeing Akmanmon was safe, he sighed in relief and patted his shoulder.

“It’s good that you’re alright.”

Akmanmon replied, “Teacher, I will be fine.”

The elderly Snake Person looked at Akmanmon and said something strange. “Akmanmon, why do I feel like you’ve become a different person lately?”

Akmanmon did not answer, but with the King’s reappearance, the chaos subsided.

The entire palace returned to order.

Akmanmon walked into his room, picked up a pen and paper, and began to draw.

Before long, he had drawn a mysterious emblem.

It was exactly the emblem from the back of the Witch Doctor’s robe.

Mooneclipse City

Recently, a series of unusual contagious diseases emerged in the city. The outbreaks quickly stirred fear among the residents.

The infected people displayed unusual symptoms. They developed unbearably itchy rashes that spread across their bodies. In some cases, parts of their skin hardened, resembling the texture of beast hide. Despite these alarming changes, the condition was not fatal.

Long had recently set aside all matters of the Contract Guild.

He had been looking into the cause of Kiton’s death. His investigation led him to that strange building, but in the end, he found nothing.

Now, with the outbreak of the plague, he was summoned again.

This plague appeared to have been caused by supernatural power.

As a result, it drew the attention of temple attendants, Witch Spirits from the Contract Guild, and Ability Users from the Royal Court, who began to address and investigate it.

However, since the infected were all ordinary people, these groups showed little genuine concern. If it were not for the connection to supernatural power and the recent anxious discussions among the populace, they likely would not have bothered to investigate or address the issue at all.

Moreover, they had no good solutions for this strange disease that seemed to be caused by supernatural power.

Each profession has its specialty.

Temple attendants practiced Divine Techniques, but most were enlightenment-type techniques.

Witch Spirits excelled at creating scrolls, possessing the power of seals.

The Royal Court’s Ability Users excelled in battle, using artifacts for close combat.

But when it came to treating illnesses, they found themselves completely at a loss.

As for investigating the source, having a large group of people proved ineffective. Everyone seemed more interested in passing the responsibility to others and engaging in endless intrigue.

“It might be a conspiracy by the Abyss Cult. We should conduct a major search. We will definitely find traces of those heretics.”

“How can you say it’s the Abyss Cult without even finding the source? We guard Mooneclipse City so tightly. Where would heretics come from?”

“It might also be an accident. Perhaps some monster died in the Shepherd’s River, and some people were corrupted by supernatural power, causing abnormal phenomena. There is no need for such alarm.”

Long grew tired of listening and left early.

He went to the cemetery again to pay respects to Kiton.

On the street, he again saw the mysterious figure he had encountered before.

“Sir,” Long greeted. “We meet again.”

Long waved to him, and the tall, mysterious man turned his head, nodding.

“Hello.”

Long had encountered him on the street several times recently and had even exchanged a few words with him.

The other was likely a powerful Ability User, which made Long feel they had much in common.

The Witch Doctor carrying a large box nodded to Long.

As they walked the same way, they began to chat.

Long casually mentioned his troubles. Kiton’s death was too sensitive to bring up, so he talked about the strange disease everyone knew about.

“Sir, you used to be a physician, right? Maybe you can make sense of this.”

“This disease is so bizarre. We’re completely in the dark.”

“What are we supposed to do? We’re good at a lot of things, but curing illnesses isn’t one of them. Honestly, I’ve got no clue!”

“And those bureaucrats in the Royal Court? They’re just passing the buck. They don’t want to deal with it, so they dump it on us to dodge the blame.”

What Long had not expected was that the other would offer him a suggestion.

“Someone will be passing through Mooneclipse City soon. They plan to travel to Suinhor via the Great Serpent Road.”

“You can seek him out. He can help you.”

“His name is Feathered Serpent.”

“He has the power of Spirituality Origin. This power can heal all kinds of diseases. It can even counter curses.”

Long was stunned, noticing a word in the other’s speech that seemed intentionally pointed.

“Curses?” Long asked, raising an eyebrow. “What do you mean by that?”

Hurrying along, Long raised his head to look beside him, wanting to ask more.

But the other had already vanished without a trace.

“Wait, hold on!” Long called out.

“Don’t just leave me hanging like that! I still have so many questions!”

Thinking the other had just hurried off, and feeling the urgency of the strange disease, he felt compelled to pursue him and ask more.

He decided to follow his memory and retrace his steps to the house where he had first encountered the other.

When he arrived, he was met with an unexpected sight. The house was gone, leaving nothing but an empty lot.

“Gone?”

“How is that possible?”

Long was stunned. He had seen many mysterious figures who came and went without a trace, but he had never seen a house that could do the same.

It was almost time to leave Mooneclipse City. The Witch Doctors had been busy lately, spending their days shopping extensively throughout the city.

They mostly purchased distinctive items, even artworks.

For example, there were white pottery jars in the style of the Royal Court of Ten Thousand Serpents, adorned with painted emblems that depicted various stories.

There were also paintings by unknown artists, who might never be known in their lifetime, but no one knew that their paintings would be displayed in the hall of the Creator.

There were also various handicrafts and curious trinkets.

After all, understanding the mortal world through mirrors was completely different from experiencing it firsthand.

These items would decorate the hall. Perhaps thousands of years from now, they would carry the weight of history within them.

Yin Shen stood beneath a painting.

The painting depicted the Mother of All Snakes and the Life Sovereign.

It was about the myth of the trial.

The Life Sovereign wanted to create a devout race, so she tested the faith of the Snake People. The Mother of All Snakes passed the first few tests but failed the test of the Winged People.

Yin Shen’s gaze was profound, as if able to see through time and reincarnation.

He suddenly spoke to the Witch Doctors standing behind Him.

“Stories become epics.”

“Epics become myths.”

“And finally, myths are all lost in time.”

Yin Shen’s voice echoed in the spacious hall, seeming out of place in the bright, new hall.

This was an ancient deity beyond description, the beginning of everything.

Just standing there, He seemed to represent ancient years, as if not standing in the present time but established in the past.

With His back turned, He said to the Witch Doctors.

“Now, you too can be called myths.”

The Witch Doctors immediately prostrated themselves. “Everything stems from your grace, God Yinsai.”

Yin Shen turned around, His gaze falling on the Witch Doctors, making them feel immensely heavy.

God Yinsai’s gaze seemed to see something, and He said to the Witch Doctors.

“I once said that divine beings with power can intervene at will.”

“This is the privilege of divine beings, the willfulness that comes with their power, and the pride that defines their lofty existence.”

“However, what we do will not necessarily reach the conclusion we want.”

“No one can know what the conclusion will be. No one can truly control all destinies.”

God Yinsai looked at the Witch Doctors.

“You think you are saving others, extending a hand to rescue this city…”

“But perhaps you have also planted a greater calamity.”

The Witch Doctors were entering the mortal world for the first time in this era, guided by God Yinsai.

As a result, they had yet to fully realize that they themselves had become myths.

They still thought, as before, that they were physicians searching for secrets as they walked and hurried across the earth.

Now they lay prostrate on the ground, trembling.

They were confused and at a loss.

But Yinsai did not say more. He just walked past the prostrated Witch Doctors.

“It’s about time to leave.”