Chapter 46: The Twisted Soul

Chapter 46: The Twisted Soul

After teleporting back to the Magic Forest from the Ringed Magic Tower, Yu Sheng'an immediately summoned Eileen to outline the team's next research direction.

Yu Sheng'an said, "In addition to crops, add commonly used magic plants to the cultivation list. Remember, if you want to sustain long-term research, you must provide benefits to all parties. Only through mutual benefit can the Keville Empire continue supporting your work."

"Yes, Mr. Ajef," Eileen nodded, hesitating slightly before asking, "Mr. Ajef, are you leaving?"

"Yes, but only temporarily. The Empire has a deal with Vias, and I’ll be escorting the shipment. While I’m gone, if anything happens, go straight to Dandell—I’ve already informed him. And if you encounter another situation like the one with March, send me a message. Don’t be afraid of causing trouble. In the Keville Empire, I’m the one who gives others trouble—no one dares to trouble me. Don’t embarrass me, understand?"

Yu Sheng'an emphasized repeatedly, genuinely worried that Eileen might be bullied.

This girl, who had come from the countryside, was incredibly resilient—a good trait, but sometimes a double-edged sword.

If one didn’t show a bit of edge, even beasts would dare to bark at them.

The Magic Forest would play a crucial role in his food strategy, and he couldn’t afford any losses—not even in morale.

"I understand, Mr. Ajef."

Eileen nodded, her chest tightening. She had already guessed that her mentor would leave the Magic Forest, but she hadn’t expected it to be so soon.

"Alright, that’s all. Get back to work. Oh, and remember—research is important, but cultivation is even more critical. Don’t fixate solely on Wood Spirit. Pick another magic discipline that interests you, one with more self-preservation techniques, and focus on mastering it."

Yu Sheng'an couldn’t resist adding another reminder.

"I’ll work hard on my cultivation, Mr. Ajef."

Eileen placed a hand over her heart and bowed. As she turned to leave, she felt an overwhelming melancholy, her eyes growing hot and moist.

…

After Eileen left, Yu Sheng'an, seated in his high-backed chair, willed the internet interface to appear, checking for users near the Lanlun Mountains.

The results were disappointing—fewer than a hundred users were scattered across the entire mountain range, most concentrated along its western edge.

A quick glance revealed that the majority were demon hunters and mercenaries.

This left Yu Sheng'an somewhat disheartened.

He had hoped to use the Divine Perspective to observe Vias and make some preparations.

Officially, this trip was about escorting supplies, but in truth, he wanted to meet the Music God and explore the possibility of an alliance.

His low-cost grain strategy was insidious, but to execute it smoothly, he needed absolute military strength as a guarantee.

He didn’t need overwhelming offensive power—just enough defensive capability to protect the food supply. That alone would plunge his enemies into famine, leading to their collapse.

Yu Sheng'an needed allies to ensure high-level deterrence.

"Hmm?"

Finding few users in the Lanlun Mountains, Yu Sheng'an instead noticed a flickering red dot to the east, in the Kaman Union.

"What’s this?"

He activated the Divine Perspective, only to witness a scene so brutal it was hard to stomach.

Four men, their hands bound, were suspended from tall iron frames.

Below, a raging inferno blazed, its scorching tongues of flame unable to reach them, yet the searing heat steamed sweat from their bodies like boiling oil, as if they were being rendered.

...

Was this death?

The choking smoke and blistering flames blurred Raymond's consciousness. He no longer had the strength to chant the prayer, but mercifully, the agony of burning faded along with his fading awareness.

Countless fragments of memory flashed through his mind.

A childhood filled with hunger. A youth that worshipped brute force. A young adulthood spent fleeing his hometown in disgrace.

Countless scams and reckless squandering in brothels and gambling dens.

Until that mysterious young man appeared—and his life was changed forever.

Forced to leave the Keville Empire, he had initially thought the contract would be easy to fulfill. Just find some random village, swindle a few people, and the task of spreading the divine techniques would be done.

And so he did exactly that.

But he never expected that after hitching a ride with a merchant caravan through the Lanlun Mountains, the first old woman who offered him water would immediately betray him.

A mob of villagers, shouting in their dialect about "heretics," rushed over, seized him, and bound him to an iron frame to burn him alive!

No—worse than burning. They intended to refine him into a dried corpse, a warning to all who dared defy them.

Raymond was terrified. He struggled madly, but the chains were too strong.

Desperate, he prayed to the Internet God, but all he received in return were flickering internet pages.

He even tried calling for help on the Forum, only to be met with half-hearted skepticism and helplessness from those too far to intervene.

Amid the curses, howls, and condemnations of his companions, Raymond let out a bitter laugh.

What a fucking pathetic life I’ve lived.

Then, his consciousness plunged into darkness.

How long had it been? In the abyss of nothingness, a faint glimmer emerged. He suddenly felt warmth seep into his icy body.

Muffled voices reached his ears.

"These damned heretics still dare to come and deceive us? Asking for death! Damn it, now we have to deal with his corpse—what bad luck."

"Hey… does he smell good to you?"

"What?"

"I said, does he smell good? I haven’t had meat in two years. What if we…"

"But—this is a person—"

"Nonsense! He’s a heretic!"

"Well…"

The murmurs grew hushed.

In the rustling darkness, Raymond felt himself being lowered. Then, bound with straw ropes, he was carried away, swaying toward some unknown destination.

The light in the darkness grew brighter, and Raymond’s consciousness sharpened. He realized—this radiance was life force!

Yes, life force.

Under its power, his withered body gradually filled out. His heart began to beat. Strength surged through his limbs.

Within this torrent of vitality, he could sense connections to countless powerful, terrifying entities.

It was they who provided him with this inexhaustible life force!

They were abyss demons.

And they were also the soldiers of the Internet God!

Some demons ignored his attempts to communicate. Others lashed back with even more vicious intent, seeking to corrupt him. Still others tempted him, urging him to summon them.

"Pain—"

Agony yanked Raymond’s consciousness back to reality.

He suddenly opened his eyes to see two gaunt villagers, their faces twisted with greed, holding knives as they sliced flesh from his thighs.

The blades cut deep, the pain sharp—yet compared to the earlier burning at the stake, Raymond found this agony strangely exquisite.

It reminded him of the beauty of life!

"You want to eat my flesh?"

The low, calm voice jolted the two villagers awake from their frenzy.

They exchanged a glance before snapping their attention to Raymond’s head—where the man, now charred like cured meat, had opened his eyes and was staring at them with eerie composure.

Life might be beautiful, but this was his flesh.

"Ah—!"

The two villagers shrieked in terror, scrambling away on all fours toward the village.

But they had barely taken a dozen steps when a cold glint flashed—and their bodies split into four pieces.

A shadow demon materialized, licking the blood from its claws with relish. Two wispy souls writhed and wailed upon them.

"You enjoy souls, don’t you?" Raymond asked, gazing at the shadow demon.

Just a month ago, in that basement, their monstrous forms had terrified him to the core. Now, he found them almost... charming.

"Of course. Are you offering yours?"

Ignoring the demon’s mockery, Raymond pointed toward the village that had burned him. "There are plenty of souls there. But you’ll obey my commands—or I’ll send you back to the abyss."

The shadow demon studied Raymond deeply before grinning viciously. "Deal, two-legged worm."

...

Yu Sheng’an watched as Raymond’s soul twisted, yet through that distortion, he had somehow tapped into the contract to commune with abyss demons. His pupils dilated slightly.

He realized what Raymond was likely planning.

So... should he stop him?