Chapter 172: Zuo Dan

Chapter 172: Zuo Dan

Stepping out of the final spatial fragment, they emerged into a vast plaza surrounded by buildings with tightly shut doors.

"Another spatial fragment," someone remarked.

Aria's beautiful eyes sparkled, and she said, "Perhaps..."

"The entire inner city of the City Hall is composed of spatial fragments from the Twelve Star Palace, which is why we couldn't find any specific information no matter how we investigated."

"Miss," Blood Knight said, looking to the side. "Look over there."

Not far away, Masked Knight and the Second Elder of the Holy Temple were busy at the entrance of a passageway.

It seemed like...

A trap had been set!

But the target was unknown.

"It has nothing to do with us." Aria's gaze paused on the Second Elder, and a hint of apprehension flashed in her eyes. "Let's go!"

"Find Zuo Dan."

Finding Lord Zuo Dan wasn't difficult.

They weren't the only ones who had arrived; others were there too, and the doors of the surrounding rooms had been opened one after another.

Some rooms were piled high with gold, silver, and jewels, while others held various books, paintings, and antiques, among other things.

Behind the central gate lay a corpulent corpse.

The body was like a mountain of flesh, emitting a strong stench, with insects and flies crawling and buzzing over it, having long lost any signs of life.

"A Demigod Body!"

"The Duke's Heritage!"

"He's truly dead!"

"..."

Several Great Knights, holding torches, looked at the rotting flesh before them. Instead of feeling disgusted, their eyes lit up with greed, as if they were gazing upon a sumptuous feast.

To them, what lay before them was not decaying flesh but a ladder to heaven. Obtaining the bloodline hidden within the corpse would allow them to break through their current limits and become legendary.

Once they achieved this, their strength would greatly increase, and their lifespan would double.

"Charge!"

Several people rushed forward quickly.

The torches they held were clearly rare artifacts, and within the range of their glowing auras, insects and flies dropped dead.

It was because of these beast-repelling torches that they had managed to overcome the dangers along the way and reach this place.

Just as they were about to pounce on the decaying body, several large hands reached out and clutched them tightly in their palms.

"Bang!"

With a terrifying burst of force, the Great Knights' bodies were crushed into a bloody mist.

"Ugh..."

The decaying body twitched slightly.

A cold, deathly, and terrifying aura quietly emerged, like a dark cloud spreading in all directions.

"My dear subjects..."

The bloated corpse slowly rose, revealing its head, half-eaten by insects, and its pitch-black, hollow eye sockets.

The toothless mouth moved mechanically, and its 'gaze' swept over the group from Death City, finally settling on Aria.

Or, to be more precise, on Aria herself!

"Little Anna, you're here," the corpse spoke.

"Uncle Zuo Dan?" Aria asked, her legs trembling slightly, and her face showing no signs of vigilance. "You're not dead?"

"I'm not dead, but you seem a little disappointed," the enormous corpse grinned, revealing a hideous expression. "Let me guess why you're here."

"You came here, like them, to obtain the Demigod Blood from my body, right?" She pointed at the others in the field, and the corpse sighed. "Little Anna, when you were little, I used to hold you in my arms. I never thought you'd want to share my body too."

"It's..."

"Heartbreaking!"

Holy Technique—Thousand Buddha Hands!

The massive corpse contorted in an eerie manner, and arms extended from the decaying flesh, striking out in all directions.

Each palm formed a bizarre seal, carrying with it terrifying force and overwhelming pressure.

The sacred hands, the putrid body, the horrifying, grotesque flesh...

Everything was so bizarre and distorted.

"Bang!"

"Boom!"

"Rumble..."

The force of the blows reverberated through the field, and within an instant, nearly ten people were struck dead by the hand seals.

The corpses, flesh, and blood on the ground transformed into a flowing stream, rushing towards the enormous corpse.

In just a few breaths, Zuo Dan's massive body had devoured it all.

"You!" Aria's beautiful eyes widened.

"Evil Deity!"

Aria didn't sense the familiar aura she knew within Zuo Dan. Instead, she felt a foreign presence, one that didn't belong to the God of Death's Embrace.

"Yes." Zuo Dan, nourished by the flesh and blood, grew even larger. "The divine aura is always so enchanting, whether it's a true god or an alleged evil deity."

"It's you!" Aria's heart raced, as if she had realized something. "You awakened the evil deity's will!"

"Ugh..." Zuo Dan lowered his head, his black eye sockets fixed on Aria. "Little Anna, you've grown up."

"Your guess is correct. I used the Demigod Blood within me to awaken the will of the Eye Demon that remains in this world, and I obtained what I desired from it."

"You..." Aria took a step back, her face paling. "Have you gone mad?"

She finally understood why the will of the Demon God had revived to such an extent, despite the Moon Goddess's barrier enveloping the world and suppressing the Demon God's power.

It turned out that someone had sided with the Demon God!

'Mad?' The decaying Zuo Dan shook his head gently.

'I'm not mad!'

'This world is heading towards destruction, and it may not be long before it collapses. I just don't want to die with it.'

69shu8.com

'Aria...'

He reached out his hand, his face serious.

'Come with me. With the Demigod blood in our bodies, we can use the Merfolk as a sacrifice to summon a part of the Eye Demon's main body to this world and gain its favor.'

'You've truly gone mad!' Aria shook her head.

'By siding with the Demon God, everything will be under its control. Don't you understand this?'

'Haha...' Zuo Dan laughed.

'So what?'

'Do you think that without the Demon God, we can truly be masters of our own fate and do as we please?'

He looked around the room and shook his head gently.

'Humans are slaves to greed, servants of the gods, and bound by their physical bodies. They have never truly been free.'

'What's the difference between siding with the Demon God and being a servant of the righteous gods?'

'Once my master, the Eye Demon, takes over this world, we, as his contributors, will surely be granted infinite life and limitless power. Even if we become slaves or servants, what can they do then?'

'Uncle.' Aria sighed.

'You've gone mad!'

She waved her hand.

'Kill him!'

'Heh...' Zuo Dan smirked.

'It doesn't matter if you don't want to.'

'I know Mavia won't come here, and since you're here, I thought you had a choice?'

'Boom!'

Before he finished speaking, two massive auras clashed in the air.

'Ding ding dang...'

In the illusion created by the Masked Knight, two figures clashed at high speed, and the sound of metal clashing filled the air.

The Second Elder had also cultivated Holy Breath, and his battle aura had been purified. However, the Holy Technique he mastered was quite ordinary.

It wasn't the Celestial Wolf Phantom Fist or any other top-tier Holy Technique, just an advanced version of the Guardian Ring battle skill.

But, his swordsmanship was extremely solid.

Each move, perfected through countless practice, had reached a flawless state. The battle aura he had cultivated for over 150 years provided ample energy support.

Perhaps he lacked the ability to unleash sudden bursts of power, but his resilience was exceptional, and his sword skills were impeccable.

Angel's Spear!

Sacred Judgment!

'Ding...'

The two swords clashed, and the figures crossed and sidestepped, engaging in close combat again.

Late First Rank!

Karl's eyes flashed with surprise, but he quickly regained his composure.

The Second Elder was from the Holy Temple, with an abundance of resources at his disposal. It was normal for him to have the cultivation of a Late First Rank.

But, so what?

The Divine Demon Transformation was a Holy Technique that had shone even during the war of the gods. Karl had cultivated the Bronze Body.

Even without the aid of Witchcraft, he could steadily maintain the upper hand.

'Clang...'

The sword shadows in front suddenly intensified.

Streams of sword energy roared towards him, and as they approached, they condensed into a sharp sword beam aimed at Karl's forehead.

Accompanying it was a sincere and pure sword intent.

'Good!'

Karl couldn't help but praise, and subconsciously raised his sword to block. Just then, a familiar voice sounded.

'Be careful!'

Hmm?

Karl's heart trembled, and a ball of water appeared out of thin air, and he teleported several meters away in the blink of an eye.

First Circle Sorcerer - Tidal Force!

His reaction was swift, moving his body in the blink of an eye, but his arm still felt numb.

In his original position, a black sword appeared, along with a figure exuding a fierce killing intent.

Black Sword Melia!

The blasphemy knight pursued by the Holy Temple!

And Ana.

It was Ana who had just warned of the danger, or Karl might have been in real trouble.

'Heh...'

Scanning the group, Karl shook his head.

'Can the Holy Temple cooperate with a traitorous blasphemy knight?'

'As long as our goals align, we can cooperate.' The Second Elder was clearly not a stubborn person. He waved his longsword and said solemnly,

'Guardian, have you truly had dealings with the Demon God?'

Demon God?

According to your understanding, I myself am probably a Demon God!

'Boom!'

Before he could finish speaking, a violent gust of wind roared towards them, even interrupting the Masked Knight's illusion.

'Demon God!'

Aria's scream echoed.

'Let's attack together! Zuo Dan has been corrupted by the Demon God and become its puppet. Let's kill him together!'

Hmm?

The group was taken aback.

'Guardian.' The Second Elder frowned and said,

'We can also join forces. After we deal with Zuo Dan, we can handle our own matters.'

'Heh...' Karl shook his head.

'You're really good at adapting to the situation.'

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end