Time on the cruise ship passed quickly.

In the blink of an eye, it was late at night.

About twenty players gathered at the entrance to the passage leading to the Top Floor. They exchanged dismayed glances as a hint of surprise flickered in their eyes.

Yun Ze’s hand, clutching his pass, trembled slightly.

“How could it be such a coincidence?”

Only half of the people who had boarded the ship were left, and they had all received their passes at almost the exact same time. No one had gotten a head start. Everyone was back on the same starting line.

A coincidence like this… He smelled a conspiracy.

It was just that this conspiracy was far too deliberate. It was a clear message, practically laid out in the open to tell them that their wins and losses were nothing but a joke.

One of the remaining players spoke resentfully.

“Is the High Priest of Suffering toying with us?”

A moment later, Yun Ze shook his head.

“No, she has no need to toy with us like this. She’s warning us.”

The others looked at him, confused. A warning? What kind of warning was this?

However, the Poet of the Myriad Springs Division and a few others who knew Pending Death was the Saint Son of Desire showed expressions of dawning realization.

At first, they thought Pending Death had done something a hundred years ago that allowed Aiguyi Town to avoid its destruction. In their minds, the player Pending Death’s status had soared.

But now, it seemed this was all part of the High Priest of Suffering’s plan.

She must have needed a player compatible with 【Suffering】 as a sacrifice to achieve some kind of goal.

She sent Pending Death a hundred years into the past, saved Aiguyi Town, collected the 【Relics】, created this Ghost Ship, and orchestrated it so all the players would get their passes at the same time.

The High Priest of Suffering in this Instance was simply unfathomable. Almost everything she did was a warning to them.

【I know you are not ordinary Outlanders.】

【If you want the Relics, you will play by my rules.】

The step involving the collection of the 【Relics】 was especially revealing. Back in the town, it hadn’t seemed like much when the townsfolk talked about it. Only now did the players understand.

The High Priest of Suffering knew from the very beginning that they were after these 【Relics】!

Everyone’s expression turned ugly. Having their intentions seen through by an NPC created an invisible pressure that built in their chests.

They looked at the passage to the Top Floor, which was covered with an expensive carpet. At this moment, it looked more like a bottomless pit leading to the abyss.

Yun Ze sighed.

“Forget it. We’ve come this far; there’s no way to retreat. Right now, there’s nowhere else to go but upstairs. Let’s just accept our fate.”

His words shattered the arrogance in the others’ hearts. They all exchanged glances, sighed, and started walking upwards, like prisoners lining up for the execution ground.

They arrived at the entrance of the Hongmen Club.

The Poet of the Myriad Springs Division was the first to push open the main doors. He was immediately met with the sight of an exquisite crystal coffin placed in the most conspicuous position.

Beside it knelt a devout nun.

They were all familiar with this nun. Every one of them had gone through the Suffering ritual with her to enter this place.

Coupled with their earlier deductions, seeing her again now made their legs tremble.

“Welcome, everyone, to My Lord’s Advent Ceremony.”

Her voice was calm and serene.

“You will be the witnesses to this divine miracle.”

“And you will lay the foundation for the spread of His fame.”

As soon as she spoke, everyone’s faces turned even paler. They had considered that the High Priest of Suffering might be the final boss of this Instance, but they really hadn’t expected there to be an even bigger fish.

The being she believed in was going to descend here?

Opening the crystal coffin wasn’t the way to obtain the 【Relics】 at all. It was to awaken the 【Lord of Suffering】!

A player gritted his teeth.

“No… Impossible! This fragmented space can’t possibly withstand His advent!”

Don’t forget, they were all high-level players. Naturally, some of them knew of the Five Great Venerables. After arriving here and entering Aiguyi Town, some had already speculated that this was the domain of the 【Lord of Suffering】.

Now, it seemed the man himself was about to arrive.

But they still held onto a sliver of hope.

The nun glanced at the player who spoke, her pupils gradually turning blood-red.

“Cough, cough, cough…”

The man choked, a large amount of blood pouring from his mouth. It was as if his internal organs were churning inside his body, causing him unbearable agony.

“This is impossible…”

In a mere moment, he was on the brink of death.

The other players immediately fell silent, not daring to provoke the nun at a time like this.

Only then did she nod in satisfaction.

“My Lord has already fulfilled His promise to you Descenders. So where is your contribution? Aren’t you going to show yourselves?”

This sentence left the players dumbfounded. Show themselves? There were more big shots here?

A bad premonition arose in the hearts of the Poet of the Myriad Springs Division and the other players from the Tower of Order. The NPC was calling them Descenders directly. It was obvious she had been in contact with players before, perhaps even before they had entered this Instance.

They suddenly recalled the warning the Abnormal Affairs Bureau had issued to all major organizations some time ago.

【Calamity Cult Members are not just players; they may also include some NPCs from the Instance worlds.】

【Should you encounter NPCs who are aware of the existence of players during an Instance, you must be careful, as people from the Calamity Cult have likely infiltrated.】

The people this High Priest of Suffering was calling for… could they be Calamity Cult members?

Swish—

Just as the thought crossed their minds, a group of five Rogue Players walked out from the crowd. The panic on their faces was swept away, replaced by fanaticism and devotion.

“O great Lord of Suffering!”

“In the name of the Calamity Cult, we welcome your advent to this place!”

“Let Suffering spread throughout the Myriad Realms, and let all living beings cry out your glorious name!”

This time, the last bit of hope in the players’ hearts finally died. They never expected the High Priest of Suffering to actually have connections with the Calamity Cult.

Then what the hell was the point of playing?

They were facing the powerful High Priest of Suffering and perhaps even a Legendary Venerable with their own mortal bodies. Was it too late to turn around and jump off the ship?

Yun Ze’s expression turned exceptionally ugly as he looked at 【Jinxiu】 and 【Tangqian Yan】 among the five. He never thought that these two women, who had such a low profile, were actually undercover agents for the Calamity Cult.

If he had known, he should have strangled them back when they came out of their room covered in injuries!

Jinxiu knelt before the nun.

“O devout High Priest of Suffering, what do you need us to do?”

The mission they had received was to 【Help Him carry out His will in the battle of contention】. Due to a contract, their higher-ups couldn’t directly reveal His identity. They had only told the Calamity Cult members that when they were needed, His power would naturally descend.

At first, they thought “He” was some remnant of a mysterious power within the Instance that they needed to help grow stronger before destroying this place. But the nun’s words had led them to assume that “He” must be the 【Lord of Suffering】.

Otherwise, how would she have known their identities?

Swish—

Before the nun could answer, the lid of the crystal coffin slowly opened.

Everyone’s hearts leaped into their throats.

The fanaticism in the eyes of the Calamity Cult members grew even more apparent. They laughed maniacally.

“Great Lord of Suffering! Is it you? May your will echo throughout the universe!”

A handsome man slowly stood up from inside the crystal coffin. When Yun Ze and the others saw that face, their hearts skipped a beat.

As expected, it was Pending Death.

He had obviously been tricked by the High Priest of Suffering, sent a hundred years into the past to become the vessel for the 【Lord of Suffering】’s advent. His own consciousness had most likely been extinguished.

What a poor soul.

Then again, they shouldn’t pity him. Looking at the smiles on the faces of these Calamity Cult members, they would probably be joining him in hell any second now.

A strange voice came from the mouth of the man who had risen from the coffin.

“Children, this isn’t funny.”

Wu Wang opened his eyes to the sound of the Calamity Cult’s maniacal laughter. He laughed, too.

“I am not the 【Lord of Suffering】. I am the 【Spirit Venerable of the Sea of Desire】.”

“You can’t even get my venerable name right. It seems I’ll have to punish these false believers.”

He had finally baited these bastards out. It was all thanks to the information provided by that traitor.

Wu Wang’s thoughts couldn’t help but drift back to when he was scouring the town for the 【Relics】. A small, unexpected incident had occurred. He had found the traitor among the townsfolk from all those years ago.

And he had also discovered the problem with the 【Relics】.

The real scheme was only just beginning.