Whoosh…

Aside from the churning of the black, filthy ocean, the entire white Audience Space was utterly silent.

Wu Wang’s gaze remained fixed on the gray eyes of the 【Spirit Venerable of the Sea of Desire】.

Even as the waves surged, he stood as firm as a mountain.

“Interesting…”

A moment later, the Spirit Venerable of the Sea of Desire smiled.

With her smile, the Sea of Filth roiled even more violently, as if cheering for her pleasure.

“A mere mortal, trying to fathom our thoughts.”

Her voice seemed to emanate from the profound depths of the sea, making Wu Wang’s head buzz.

“Tell me, don’t you think you deserve to die?”

But Wu Wang’s gaze did not waver in the slightest.

He simply grinned.

“Perhaps. But before I die, allow me to have some fun. I wonder if you can tell… the only thing I truly fear is boredom.”

Faced with his arrogant words, the Spirit Venerable of the Sea of Desire did not answer directly.

She was somewhat astonished.

There wasn’t a shred of falsehood in the mortal’s words. He feared not even death, yet he was afraid of meaningless boredom.

“Hahaha… I think I know why you were unwilling to become the Representative of those two bird-men with different-sized eyes.”

“Yes… they call themselves the protectors of 【Order】.”

“And isn’t order the greatest boredom of all?”

Snap.

The moment her voice fell, the Spirit Venerable of the Sea of Desire snapped her fingers.

【Mary’s Call】 floated out from Wu Wang’s pocket.

She stroked the key gently. At a speed visible to the naked eye, its color changed from brass to grayish-white.

“I can feel your desire to find some fun.”

“This is very good. Take little Mary and release your desire.”

With that, the key appeared out of thin air in Wu Wang’s hand. He could feel that the item now contained even more of the 【Spirit Venerable of the Sea of Desire】’s power.

Her figure, however, began to grow blurry.

The grayish-white gauze that veiled her grew increasingly thin, as if the tantalizing sight it concealed would be revealed in the next second.

The Spirit Venerable of the Sea of Desire suddenly seemed to sense something. She raised her head, looking toward the far end of the extending ladder.

Her lips parted in a seductive, bewitching smile that could make a man burn with lust.

“Go back. I have already attached a wisp of my divine will to the Mary.”

“Don’t disappoint me…”

Rumble…

She hadn’t even finished speaking.

The Audience Ladder extended once again, forming numerous thrones made of wailing, stacked skulls. These thrones then merged, creating an even more colossal skull.

It stood in the center of the Sea of Filth, a jarring, out-of-place sight.

The surface beneath Wu Wang’s feet suddenly vanished, and he could no longer stand upon the foul sea.

As he fell into the water once more, he didn’t have the sensation of sinking. Instead, his thoughts and body began to gradually dissipate within the Audience Space.

He was being sent back to Aiguyi Town.

In the final instant before he was sent away, Wu Wang saw something else.

Beyond the abrupt Skull Throne, a being made entirely of spiraling black holes was walking down the Audience Ladder.

Just a single glance was enough.

Familiar whispers echoed in his ears, his skin began to itch, and his organs felt as if they were twisting into knots.

But before the changes could truly begin, the Red Vertical Pupil on his wrist blinked gently.

Wu Wang returned to normal.

Through the haze, he seemed to hear the 【Spirit Venerable of the Sea of Desire】 speaking to someone.

“Little Circle, Masochist, don’t even think about interfering with my lovely believer.”

“He is searching for his own desire.”

“Besides, you’ve broken the rules.”

Little Circle? Masochist?

Holy shit! Could it be that 【The Twisted】 and 【Suffering】 have detected a heretic like me?!

What am I, some kind of big shot? Do I really rate having two great gods come to arrest me personally? Isn’t this just using a cannon to kill a mosquito?!

The next second, the entire Sea of Filth began to boil.

The white Audience Space devolved into a battlefield for the clash of divine wills.

Wu Wang’s consciousness immediately crashed.

A moment later, his vision returned to the light.

The first thing he saw was the nun’s flawless face, looking at him with a mix of hope and worry. She was so close that he could almost feel the warmth of her breath.

Hey, sister, can’t you have a little sense of personal space? What are you trying to do, sticking your face right up to mine every time!

The nun gasped softly as his eyes opened.

“Ah! You’re awake! How was your Audience? Did my Lord give you any instructions?”

Seeing Wu Wang awaken, she hastily put on a pious expression.

Hearing her words, Wu Wang’s expression became a little unnatural.

Well, uh, I met your boss’s rival in your boss’s office, and we even took a cold bath together.

Is that something I can tell a High Priest like you?

Of course not!

Based on the Spirit Venerable’s final actions, it seemed she would step in to block 【The Twisted】 and 【Suffering】.

As for what “breaking the rules” meant, Wu Wang had too little information. It was likely on a level far beyond his current comprehension.

In any case, her message seemed to have only one meaning.

Go wild!

Wu Wang composed himself.

“Praise the big boss.”

The 【Spirit Venerable of the Sea of Desire】 is the source of Mary’s power, and I’m the holder of the Mary. Calling her ‘big boss’ isn’t too much to ask, is it?

Looking at the nun’s imploring eyes, which seemed moist enough to shed tears, Wu Wang cleared his throat.

“Ahem, I did indeed see Her. And I took the liberty of asking about you.”

“She bestowed a divine oracle. This endless, cyclical suffering is meant to make you recognize yourself.”

The nun wore a confused expression, her brows furrowed in puzzlement.

“Recognize myself? I am the High Priest of Suffering of Aiguyi, Her pious believer, a survivor of the Day of Extinction. I know very well who I am.”

Hearing this, Wu Wang grinned.

It was a subtle smile, the smile of a predator whose prey had just walked into the trap.

He shook his head and sighed.

“No, no, no. She wants you to understand the true meaning of suffering.”

“Does anyone feel happiness just by suffering for no reason?”

“Of course not. Suffering must bring about some kind of change that makes people happy. That is what makes them piously believe in it.”

As he spoke, Wu Wang climbed out of the bathtub. He walked to the window and pointed toward the town entrance, where the Merfolk had first appeared.

“Look. Matthews does not believe in Suffering, but through the 【Miracle of Suffering】, he gained his wife’s health. How does he feel?”

“He is happy.”

“His wife used the 【Miracle of Suffering】 to gain the power to kill her husband after he turned into a Merfolk. She became stronger, but how does she feel?”

“She is not happy.”

“The same suffering brings about different feelings. Do you know why?”

The nun shook her head in a daze. She had never considered such things. In her eyes, suffering was just suffering, merely the price to pay for a miracle.

Wu Wang sighed.

“Because the true goal was not achieved! If the wife’s 【Miracle of Suffering】 could have changed her husband back to his original self, would she still be so grief-stricken? She would have thought stabbing herself twice was completely worth it. She would have happily continued to suffer.”

“Similarly, what is your true purpose for being trapped in this Groundhog Day?”

“Is it to witness suffering?”

“Or is it to save everyone?”

“Tell me, what do you want to obtain? What is your desire?”