Chapter 531 - 294: Heretic

Chapter 531: Chapter 294: Heretic

Little Lu Cang.

Sigh...

’When did you learn a Ritual like this? And why are you so skilled at setting it up?’

Activating the Ritual for Pure White Descent also meant sacrificing one’s own life.

But with Kumironi here...

’Maybe... I won’t necessarily die?’

Summoning the Pure White Descent was the worst of all his plans, a final gamble for when he was pushed into a corner.

As long as there was any other hope, Lu Cang wouldn’t activate this Ritual.

He might not activate the Ritual, but he couldn’t be without it.

Even if only as a deterrent... it was necessary.

But the sense of unease didn’t leave his heart. Instead, it grew deeper and deeper.

"Sister Kumironi, what did you encounter in your last Trial?"

Kumironi thought for a moment before answering, "I encountered a blighted kingdom where everyone was afflicted with a terrible disease. It had plagued them for generations, making them exist like monsters."

"I cured them and saved those people."

’A disease, huh.’

In the second phase, the events one participated in would differ based on their score...

It wasn’t always a world-level event.

Unless, like Lu Cang, you had an absurdly high score of 3.2 billion.

The wind was calm and the waves were still. He couldn’t feel any sign of impending doom.

Lu Cang and Kumironi sat in the center of the island, chatting idly. They talked about their experiences in the Moon Sea and also about some lore concerning the Secret Sea.

Lu Cang’s current knowledge was vast enough that he could talk about anything and everything all day without getting tired.

But the oppressive feeling still lingered in his heart.

Soon, the midday sun began its descent to the west, and the sky grew dim and murky.

The Secret Sea remained calm. The so-called destruction never happened.

’Could it be... my Divination was wrong?’

’The Secret Sea won’t actually be destroyed.’

The thought flashed through Lu Cang’s mind, but could the intense, oppressive feeling from his Intuition really be false?

Suddenly, his Perception sent out a sharp warning!

Lu Cang sensed a beam of Light coming from a great distance!

’Light?’

In an instant!

Yelieya was already standing before Lu Cang!

Her eyes were cold and sharp.

She had already raised her sword to Lu Cang’s neck.

It happened in the blink of an eye.

Her Speed was too great. By the time she appeared in Lu Cang’s enhanced Perception Range, she was already right in front of him.

Yelieya’s Speed.

’It’s even faster than I’d seen before. Looks like she gained something from the last Trial,’ he thought.

Lu Cang had a sword pointed at his neck.

But his expression remained calm.

"Yelieya, what’s wrong?" Lu Cang asked, his voice laced with innocence.

Yelieya’s tone was icy. "You’re asking me what’s wrong?"

"Why are you at the center of a Pure White Sacrifice Ritual?"

"Are you planning to summon the Pure White Descent?"

"I heard the Secret Sea was facing destruction, but I never expected the culprit trying to destroy it would be you..."

The corner of Lu Cang’s mouth twitched slightly.

’This is a huge misunderstanding.’

Kumironi took a step forward and said to Yelieya, "It’s not like that."

"Little Lu Cang..."

"He only set up this Ritual for self-preservation."

Yelieya turned her head to look at Kumironi, her expression filled with confusion. "Kumironi, I remember you’re supposed to be from the Life Church."

"You’re Sophia’s Inheritor, so why are you colluding with someone from the Death Church?"

"You can’t possibly fail to recognize that this Ritual can summon the Pure White Descent, can you?"

"Aren’t you and the Death Church mortal enemies? How can you tolerate... something like this happening right before your eyes?" Yelieya’s voice held both confusion and a faint trace of anger.

Yelieya then turned back to Lu Cang. "I was originally wondering if you were the one who set up this Ritual."

"Perhaps you had just discovered it, arrived here, and were investigating the situation."

"But now it seems... you are indeed the one who created it."

Lu Cang let out a soft sigh.

WHOOSH—

In an instant, he vanished from Yelieya’s sight.

Azure Sky Stream—Fourth Form·Forgetfulness Void.

Yelieya froze, instantly forgetting who she had just been pointing her sword at.

She also forgot what she had just been doing.

Another instant later, an innocent-looking Lu Cang appeared on the other side of Kumironi.

"Sister Yelieya..."

"The person who set up that evil Ritual ran that way."

Lu Cang pointed off to the south.

Yelieya looked toward the south...

Lu Cang asked with concern, "Sister Yelieya, you froze right after you caught that person. What happened?"

Yelieya pressed a hand to her forehead.

She couldn’t remember what had just happened, only that she had seen an evil Ritual here.

Then, she had given chase.

She seemed to recall catching the perpetrator.

"Unfortunately... neither Sister Kumironi nor I have much combat power. Kumironi was the one who helped you snap out of it."

"But he already got away."

"Sister Yelieya, you have the greatest Speed here. You’re probably the only one who can catch him."

"As for the Ritual here, we’ll take care of cleaning it up and destroying it," Lu Cang said cheerfully.

Yelieya looked to the south, then glanced back at Lu Cang behind her.

’Something feels off.’

But she couldn’t put her finger on it.

She just nodded. "Mm..."

But just as Lu Cang thought he had successfully deceived her, Yelieya’s gaze fixed on Kumironi.

The words she had spoken just moments ago echoed in her mind.

"Kumironi is colluding with someone from the Death Church."

Yelieya murmured softly.

CLANG!

A flash of white sword light instantly collided with a War Spear crackling with Thunder!

She attacked without any warning.

And Lu Cang had blocked Yelieya’s attack in that same instant!

She had been attacking Kumironi.

Although Lu Cang had used Forgetfulness Void to make Yelieya forget him, and combined with his Unsolvable Mystery, he had indeed cleared himself of most of the suspicion.

However...

Yelieya hadn’t forgotten the words she had just said to Kumironi.

Kumironi couldn’t be forgotten, nor did she possess the Unsolvable Mystery Talent.

Lu Cang’s Unsolvable Mystery was only effective on himself.

Or on his own Summoned Creatures, those bound to him by a Life and Death Contract—things that belonged to him.

Kumironi was an independent individual.

She was not something owned by Lu Cang.

Naturally, it had no effect on her.

"Why are you stopping me?"

Yelieya’s eyes flowed with a sacred golden light as she met Lu Cang’s gaze.

"I am judging a heretic."

Lu Cang retorted, "It’s not your place to judge an Inheritor of the Life Church, is it? Yelieya, are you overstepping your bounds?"

Yelieya held her right hand out, her sword wreathed in Holy Flame, burning brightly. "I follow the justice of the Light. I have no regrets for my actions."

Yelieya questioned Kumironi, her words ringing like steel, "Kumironi, although I don’t remember who you were colluding with, do you believe that what you are doing is right?"

"Do you want to become a traitor to the Church, an apostate heretic?"

Heretic...

Standing behind Lu Cang, Kumironi’s heart felt incredibly heavy.

’Why am I being called a heretic?’

’Why am I being judged by her?’

’Is what I’m doing truly wrong?’

Kumironi looked at Lu Cang’s back. He stood in front of her, facing off against Yelieya.

Kumironi could sense that Lu Cang had no defenses up against her at all. If she were to launch a sneak attack on him right now, she would most likely succeed.

Thinking back...

It seemed Lu Cang was getting more and more entangled with Death.

’And yet, a being like him is supposed to be an evil that the Life Church must eradicate...’