Chapter 101

“Oh no!”

Ivyst’s expression darkened in an instant.

She was absolutely sure she hadn’t been thinking about any dangerous wishes just moments ago.

But the Wishing Jar seemed to have twisted her subconscious, leading her to such thoughts.

As she watched the thick black sludge flood out continuously, Ivyst wielded her crimson Transcendent Power, trying to obliterate it within the Underground Relic.

Unfortunately, with the completion of the evil ritual, the power unleashed by the Wishing Jar was skyrocketing at a speed that even made her shudder.

A once-unbelievable thought crept into her mind.

This… is a Level 0 Sealed Item?!

My father lied to me?!

Ivyst floated in midair, her mind filled with a jumble of emotions.

Anger, despair, confusion—all mingled together.

She had never dealt with a crisis related to Level 0 Sealed Items before and had no idea if her body could handle this level of laws and properties.

Statistically, she was probably going to die.

The very least, she’d wake up transformed into a complete monster.

Should she retreat?

At that moment, the thought flickered through Ivyst’s confused mind.

But for some reason, she instinctively rejected it.

She could run, but those subordinates outside the relic, as well as Duke Tilius’s troops, would surely perish in the black sludge.

Moreover, just not far away was Orlen City.

While she didn’t care a bit about the lives inside, it was common sense.

If this ‘wicked princess’ led to a calamity that engulfed the whole city due to dereliction of duty, the backlash when she returned to the Imperial Capital would be unprecedented.

Those waiting to see her downfall would undoubtedly revel in her misfortune.

No, I can’t do that.

From the depths of her soul, a certain obsession surged again.

In the next second, her delicate fingers enveloped in blazing red light tore apart the sky of black sludge, reaching right in front of the Wishing Jar.

She pressed her hand against the jar’s center, where a vengeful female face stared back, unleashing the Devouring Power without hesitation.

“Boom——”

The mountain collapsed, shockwaves rippling out.

Meanwhile, a voice imbued with a hint of pain echoed across the mountain.

“Run!”

What a dreary day to be alive.

Ramonta was sweating profusely, unloading heavy wooden crates off the cart with his companions, wiping his brow with the towel around his neck.

For some reason, at just thirty years old, after a mere half-hour of work, he felt dizzy.

“Cough, cough.”

Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through his lungs. He instinctively clenched his fist to his lips, coughing a few times.

A damp and sticky sensation burst forth from his mouth.

Ramonta instinctively looked down, noticing a writhing puddle of black sludge appeared on the ground before him.

Absurdity and fear washed over him.

He looked up, almost pleading for help, but found that all around him, his previously working companions and passersby had knelt to the ground, their life essence rapidly ebbing away.

The black sludge was gushing from their mouths and noses, pooling onto the ground.

Moreover, it appeared that the sludge was alive.

Seemingly sensing a similar aura, it began to converge like a river, flowing outward in all directions.

“Ah!!!!!!!!”

Frightful screams erupted throughout the streets.

At this moment, similar scenes occurred in every corner of the city.

The sudden disaster engulfed all of Orlen City in an instant.

As the black light burst forth, the various churches stationed at the mountain’s perimeter sprang into action. Accompanied by all kinds of Transcendent power fluctuations, a colorful barrier gradually formed like a protective shield.

They didn’t rush into the mountain immediately but used various methods and sealed items to blockade the entire Soren Mountain Range.

“Stay alert!” the Bishop of the Quiet Church shouted, “What you’re facing is a Level 0 Sealed Item about to regain its full powers!”

“Everything is proceeding according to Her Majesty’s plans. We just need to wait for that third princess to weaken most of its evil properties; then the danger level will drop significantly!”

In the Quiet Church, a clergyman suddenly spoke softly, “Are we really doing the right thing?”

Looking at the tightly sealed barrier, many people, not just him, suddenly felt a flicker of doubt.

Prioritizing a Sealed Item over the safety of Orlen City’s populace truly contradicted the tenets they usually upheld.

Hearing this, a Transcendent from the Church of Heavenly Justice coldly replied, “Those who achieve great things don’t get bogged down by little details. The value of a Level 0 Sealed Item can hardly be weighed against the lives of those common folks.”

“Now I understand why you guys are facing universal scorn in Orlen City.”

What?!

That Transcendent from the Quiet Church shook his head.

“You!”

The Transcendent from the Church of Heavenly Justice was momentarily stunned, his expression turning furious.

“Excuse me.” Suddenly, a voice interjected, “Can we hold off the bickering till after this is over?”

The voice was rather abrupt.

All Transcendents present turned to see who it was.

There stood a handsome black-haired youth with blue eyes.

But for some reason, he looked like his features were twisted, as if he were suppressing some emotion, and his physical state seemed somewhat off.

“It’s you?!” The Transcendent from the Church of Heavenly Justice immediately recognized him, looking at him warily, “What do you want?! This area is off-limits!”

This guy was the main culprit behind their church being shattered, even leading to Bishop Mozer’s execution?!

Noticing the gaze of the Heavenly Justice Transcendent, the black-haired youth suddenly remembered something he hadn’t done yet.

Then he made an utterly unexpected move.

In front of everyone, the youth extended his index finger, as if counting, pointing at each of the heavenly justice Transcendents one by one.

“One, two, three, four.”

“What are you doing?!”

The leading Transcendent from the Church of Heavenly Justice glared coldly, stepping forward to question him.

But the youth ignored his words, continuing to count.

The atmosphere turned bizarre.

No one knew what was happening; they could only remain on high alert, watching his strange behavior.

“…Ninety-eight, ninety-nine, one hundred.”

After the count, the youth slowly stopped, a cryptic smile appearing on his face.

Then he spoke.

“To be honest,” the youth spread his arms wide as if offering a hug, “the whole Heavenly Justice Church, including Bishop Mozer, has always been the epitome of a nap-time pillow for me.”

“How could I not love you?”

“But right now, I have more important things to do, so please make way.”

“What kind of madness is this?! Lin…”

The Transcendent from the Church of Heavenly Justice was just about to say something when a voice suddenly echoed across the mountains.

“Run!”

The voice was laced with chaos, seemingly enduring tremendous pain.

It was the voice of the third princess, Ivyst.

In an instant, a wave of intense killing intent swept over the area, making everyone feel like they’d fallen into an ice cave, as if they might be brutally killed at any moment.

Their instincts led them to look toward the source of this brutal emotion.

“Get lost.” For some reason, the youth’s expression suddenly turned fierce and furious, as if struggling to suppress some evil power, “You’re in my way.”