Chapter 394: Dark

Chapter 394: Dark

Feng Xiu was clearly very eager to obtain the [Angel Wings].

The Third Apostle had just informed him of the capture of the Ninth Apostle, and the next day, his people arrived in Zone 11.

"This is what you want."

The Third Apostle opened it and saw exactly what he had been looking for: the [Fallen Heart], an Epic-level material.

This was something he had long desired, a material that could potentially enhance the quality of his [Fallen Holy Knight].

To advance to the Epic level, quality was a significant hurdle.

If the quality did not reach the Epic level, no matter what he did, he could not truly advance to the Epic level and master Epic power.

This was why the Third Apostle was still at the zero-star Epic level.

Now, with this material in his hands, he had a chance to cultivate the [Fallen Holy Knight] to the Epic level and become a true Epic-level powerhouse.

However, he could not bring himself to be happy.

After all, his life was no longer in his own hands, and whether this material would belong to him was even more uncertain.

As the Third Apostle looked at the [Fallen Heart] with a mix of complexity and melancholy, the courier beside him showed a complete lack of tact.

"You asked for this, and we delivered. Now, it's time for you to fulfill your promise. Please bring your people and the item with me to Zone 8. Lord Feng has been waiting for you."

The moment these words were spoken, the Third Apostle lifted his head, his eyes as calm as ever, and silently stared at the person in front of him. The gaze made the person feel uneasy, and he instinctively took a step back.

"What are you planning to do? I am under Lord Feng's protection!"

The Third Apostle did not respond, but instead pulled out a syringe filled with black liquid from his pocket and slowly approached the man, who was terrified and backed away.

"Don't come closer, don't come closer, don't come closer... Ah..."

...

An hour later.

The man who had delivered the [Fallen Heart] to the Third Apostle walked out of the Zone 11 secret realm, clutching the spot where he had been injected, his eyes full of fear.

Indeed, in the past hour, he had experienced what might be the darkest moment of his life. The mere thought of the person he had just seen made him shudder uncontrollably.

"That person is a devil!"

Before he came, he could never have imagined that a simple delivery would change his life so drastically. If he had known what would happen, he would never have agreed to come.

But now, it was too late.

The devil's substance was already inside him, and whether he liked it or not, he belonged to the devil. Unless he wanted to die, he had no choice but to obediently serve the devil.

With a long sigh, the courier, carrying the box with the [Angel Wings], returned to Zone 8.

Upon his return, he was immediately summoned by Feng Xiu, who clearly placed great importance on this mission. Feng Xiu asked him many detailed questions, which the courier answered respectfully and honestly.

However, the courier did not have much information to offer. He could only report that the Third Apostle would bring the Ninth Apostle and Zheng Da Guang Ming to Zone 8 to atone for their actions.

Feng Xiu asked a few more questions, but the courier could not provide any further answers.

Seeing that there was nothing more to ask, Feng Xiu turned his attention to the [Angel Wings] the courier had brought back.

Feng Xiu immediately called the most skilled cultivator he could find in Zone 8 to appraise the [Angel Wings].

The cultivator spent over two hours, using more than ten different methods to thoroughly inspect the [Angel Wings]. The final result was:

This thing seemed to have no issues.

This should have been a reassuring result for Feng Xiu, but when he heard the answer, he became even more uneasy.

"It can't be without issues!"

If Zheng Da Guang Ming was indeed Li Wu, then the [Angel Wings] could not possibly be without issues. If the other party wanted to attack him, this would be the best tool.

Therefore, Feng Xiu did not believe that there were no issues with the [Angel Wings]. Insisting, he had the cultivator conduct another five hours of examination.

This time, the cultivator reached a different conclusion.

The [Angel Wings] might have issues.

"Lord Feng, after my examination, I found that the [Angel Wings] seem to have been slightly refined. The degree of refinement is minimal and would not be detected without a thorough inspection."

"What effect will this refinement have on its subsequent use?" Feng Xiu asked, getting straight to the point.

"In most cases, there won't be any impact. However, if the Angel Wings are frequently outputting energy, the appearance of refined items could potentially cause energy output interruptions or chaos, which would deal immeasurable damage to the ritual."

Hearing these words from his cultivator subordinate, Feng Xiu's lips curved into a smile.

As he had suspected, his guess was spot on.

There was indeed something amiss with the Angel Wings, and the fact that the other party could make such a subtle move, requiring the best cultivator in Zone 8 to spend a significant amount of time and effort to detect it, was a clear indication of their advanced cultivation skills.

This further confirmed Feng Xiu's previous speculation that Zheng Da Guang Ming was Li Wu, and Li Wu was Zheng Da Guang Ming.

At the same time, it also verified that Li Wu would definitely be present at the upcoming ritual.

"This makes me even more excited for the upcoming ceremony!"

Feng Xiu's murmur went unnoticed by the delivery man beside him, whose face displayed subtle and complex emotions.

...

While Feng Xiu was busy with various preparations, setting up a vast net to capture Li Wu, he never imagined that his plan would be exposed so quickly. On the very same day, news of his scheme spread, as if someone had driven a nail into his carefully laid trap.

In Zone 11, within the secret realm of the Zero Organization, Li Wu received the message from the delivery man and raised his eyebrows slightly.

Upon receiving the news, Li Wu was genuinely startled.

"Has this guy figured out my identity? And he's preparing a net for me?"

Fortunately, Li Wu's impulsive decision to take action against the delivery man saved him from walking into a trap. Otherwise, he might have found himself in a dangerous situation with no way out.

This incident also made Li Wu grateful that he had successfully researched the potion.

"Unfortunately, this potion isn't very effective against Epic-level experts. Even controlling an Archmage would require a substantial amount of legendary-grade materials."

If not for this limitation, Li Wu's task of dealing with the Zero Organization would have been much easier. He could have simply mass-produced the potion and distributed it to all members, gaining complete control over the organization.

However, while he couldn't achieve total control over the Zero Organization, he could still establish a faction within it.

Having successfully manipulated the Third Apostle and the delivery man, Li Wu tasted success.

He began to consider using the potion as a means to secretly develop his own faction within the Zero Organization. This idea wasn't born out of a desire to be a behind-the-scenes boss, but rather from the realization that having a force under his command would be incredibly convenient.

Whether it was for resource acquisition or intelligence gathering, having his own faction would be immensely helpful.

After careful consideration, Li Wu decided to take action.

While Feng Xiu was setting up his net for Li Wu, Li Wu also became busy.

He collected a large number of materials and began producing the black potion and the corresponding suppression potion.

Additionally, Li Wu contacted Seventy-Second.

To establish his own secret faction, Li Wu needed an assistant to help manage and handle trivial matters.

Currently, Li Wu had limited options for assistance.

In the end, Li Wu had no choice but to pick Seventy-Second.

This guy was average in strength and a bit of a coward, making him easy to manipulate. Most importantly, he had a clever streak, and if put to use, he might just barely be of some use.

As it turned out, Seventy-Second did live up to expectations.

After Li Wu brought him on board, he assigned him a few tasks, and Seventy-Second managed to deliver results that were somewhat satisfactory.

With his help, in just a few days, Li Wu's organization, Shadow, had its framework mostly established, all thanks to the Black Potion.

However, time was something Li Wu felt he never had enough of.

He had just finished setting up the organization's framework with Seventy-Second.

And already, news had arrived from Lord Feng.

Lord Feng's preparations were nearly complete, and the ceremony was set to commence in five days.

Upon receiving this news, Li Wu was faced with a choice.

With everything prepared, should he go or not? Li Wu didn't hesitate for long before making his decision.

"I'll go. They've prepared for so long; it's only right to play along and have some fun."

...

Time moved to November 23rd.

Two days remained until the ceremony.

On this day, the Third Apostle arrived at the base in Zone 8 with Zheng Da Guang Ming.

Welcoming them was the Thirteenth Apostle, Lord Feng's right-hand man.

"Why is there only one?"

Thirteenth examined the person the Third Apostle brought, whose body was covered in scars and wounds, so much so that even his mother wouldn't recognize him. Thirteenth furrowed his brows.

"The Ninth Apostle is still one of us. If I hand her over to Lord Feng, how can I explain myself to the Chief when he returns?"

The Third Apostle's words left Thirteenth speechless.

He glanced at the Third Apostle and then at Zheng Da Guang Ming. Without saying more, he waved his hand, signaling for the person in the Third Apostle's hands to be taken away, and then he escorted the Third Apostle into the base.

Just as the Third Apostle was being welcomed into the base, news had already reached Lord Feng.

Apart from the Third Apostle's arrival, they also received the results of Zheng Da Guang Ming's examination.

"His energy is completely ruined, and his bodily functions are severely damaged. His face is disfigured, and the only proof of his identity is a divine artifact of legendary quality or higher."

Upon hearing this, Lord Feng's lips curled slightly.

"A self-inflicted wound strategy or a body double?"

He wasn't sure which it was, but it didn't matter.

Regardless of the situation, everything would become clear when the ceremony began.

Subsequently, Lord Feng seemed to have forgotten about the Third Apostle and immersed himself entirely in the ceremony's preparations.

November 25.

The day the ceremony was set to commence.

Lord Feng smoothly completed all the preparations and began the ceremony as planned.

The ceremony wasn't held at his base but in a city within Zone 8.

Yes, a city.

And not just any city, but one with a population of over a million.

Over the past half a year, he had secretly modified the target city in various ways.

Currently, the city had been transformed into a massive central altar.

was it due to the agony of waiting for the ceremony?

Once the ceremony began, the entire city would be activated, and this city with its million-plus population would become the sacrificial offering.

He would use the lives of over a million people as a cost to heal his injuries and even enhance his power.

After the ceremony, the million citizens of the city wouldn't die.

But they would gradually be corrupted by evil energy, slowly losing their consciousness over the course of a month.

This was the method of the Zero Organization.

Extremely cruel and inhumane.

"Wouldn't any righteous person want to stop such a ceremony?"

Standing at the central altar in the city, Lord Feng smiled slightly and surveyed his surroundings.

Although he couldn't see Li Wu, he knew Li Wu was definitely there.

With his understanding of Li Wu and the naive youths living in Zone 1, he was certain Li Wu would have a severe hero complex and wouldn't just stand by and watch as these millions were sacrificed.

Not to mention, after sacrificing these millions, his enemy, Li Wu, would have his injuries healed.

So, he was certain Li Wu would make his move.

"Come on, don't you want to kill me? I'm giving you the chance to be a hero and take my life!"

As he spoke, Lord Feng spread his arms, and the ceremony beneath him officially began to operate...

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end