Chapter 74

“It can’t be… This can’t be happening…”

Jiti spat out a mouthful of black blood. The white shadow behind her emerged and fused with her body.

The place where her body had been hollowed out now glowed with white light, momentarily stopping the bleeding.

Even so, she could still feel the life force within her draining away—her heart had been completely crushed.

The illusory heart provided by the white shadow could only delay the inevitable; her heart was beyond repair.

“She’s left with half a life,” Yulis turned her head towards Xia’er and said to her.

“Thank you,” Xia’er nodded slightly at Yulis and then took a step forward past Yulis.

The two white shadows followed Xia’er closely, one on each side, supporting her shoulders to protect her from any final backlash before her death.

Xia’er’s dark shadow walked ahead, stopping in front of Jiti.

“The Salvation Sect… the Tribunal… No!!!”

The two white shadows helped Jiti stand up. Her black mask had already fallen off, revealing her face. When she looked past the dark shadow at the girl, a spiritual alert rang in her mind.

This couldn’t be! That was something only a bishop would have!

Jiti quickly lowered her head, and a white shadow appeared in front of her, large beads of sweat rolling down her cheeks.

What was going on?! How did the Salvation Sect find her? Even the Tribunal was involved!

This means the Tribunal must have received information and headed to Borough City at least two days ago!

In other words, everything she did in the last few days was under their surveillance!

“This can’t be… This can’t be…”

Jiti trembled, whispering to herself.

A massive wave of defeat washed over her, far more painful than the physical agony in her chest, making her wish she had been killed outright.

“Are you curious?” Xia’er stopped about three meters away from Jiti, smiling as she asked, “Curious about how I know about Xie Lun? Curious about how I know the information about the Sealed Objects? Or curious about how I found you?”

Xia’er’s words stabbed like sharp thorns into Jiti’s nonexistent heart.

“Who… Who are you?”

Jiti could only look at the girl’s feet. The only thing she remembered about the girl was her fleeting glimpse of red hair.

No matter how hard she tried, Jiti had no memory of the girl—she had never seen her before.

“Sir, she won’t last much longer,” Yulis couldn’t help reminding Xia’er from behind.

If Xia’er didn’t drink the potion and kill her right now, and if the girl chose to commit suicide instead, all their efforts would be wasted.

Even worse, the girl might wait until Xia’er drank the potion before committing suicide, trying to drag Xia’er down with her.

The formula for the “Judge” potion and the replication ritual weren’t exclusive to the Salvation Goddess Religion. The Arrival Sect, which split from the Salvation Goddess Religion, also had copies of them.

If the girl recognized the “Judge” potion, she might try to take Xia’er down with her before dying.

Yulis’ simple plan was for Xia’er to kill the girl and then drink the potion. Since Xia’er could use items from the Other Realm without losing her sanity, it meant her spirit was incredibly resilient.

Even if the ritual failed this time, Xia’er wouldn’t be fully assimilated by the potion immediately.

Yulis had enough time to use this as an excuse to bring Xia’er to the Church, have the Tribunal complete the ritual, and then baptize Xia’er, allowing her to join the Salvation Goddess Religion.

Even if Xia’er had an organization, it didn’t matter. Many members of the Salvation Goddess Religion had other identities outside, but everything always prioritized the religion.

Following the teachings of the Salvation Sect was inherently good, as it reduced suffering in the world. Yulis didn’t think her idea was wrong.

“High Priestess, do you have any healing potions?” Xia’er turned to Yulis and asked.

“I do have some…”

Yulis was puzzled as she pulled out a bottle of emerald-green liquid and tossed it to Xia’er.

Xia’er caught the potion, recognizing the green liquid as made by Adelle, Yulis’ sister.

Xia’er threw the potion forward, and it landed on the carpet, rolling toward Jiti. The bottle was already stained with Jiti’s blood.

“Drink it,” Xia’er smiled and said, “drink it, and I’ll answer all your questions.”

“Cough… cough…”

Jiti’s chest heaved violently as she stared at the blood-stained potion on the ground.

Even Yulis, standing behind Xia’er, frowned upon hearing Xia’er’s words.

What was Xia’er planning?

The cultist clearly wouldn’t drink the potion. Her resolve to die was set.

But to Yulis’ surprise, Jiti reached out and grabbed the bottle, uncorked it, and swallowed the potion in one go.

As the potion went down, Jiti’s pale face flushed unnaturally. The potion would prolong her life for a while and extend her suffering.

But her fate of death was irrevocable.

“Mother Goddess above…”

Jiti prayed inwardly.

She could have gone to embrace the Mother Goddess immediately, but she didn’t.

Because she wanted to get more information from the girl in front of her.

Jiti’s blood had already seeped through the floor tiles.

When that drop of blood eventually reached the higher echelons of the Arrival Sect through an insider or a bishop investigating the matter, they would learn everything that happened here.

With this information, the higher-ups could identify the mastermind behind the destruction plan and help her seek revenge.

Once the blood soaked into the stone, it activated the ritual she had set up… Soon, other Extraordinary People from the Arrival Sect in Derton Manor would learn of the breach and evacuate quickly.

Now, Jiti needed to extract as much information as possible from the girl before she died.

An unexpected ambush couldn’t make her give up so easily.

Even with unforeseen complications, she still had a lethal ace up her sleeve.

She would witness, in Heaven, the dismemberment of the blasphemer alongside the Mother Goddess.

When the sinner’s soul was sucked into the Mother Goddess’ Heaven, she would request permission to deal with the sinner’s soul herself.

Then, she would properly discipline the sinner, making her experience the torment of a living death!

Seeing Jiti drink the potion, Xia’er felt no surprise.

She had seen many spiritual notes of cultists in her previous simulations, knowing these Extraordinary cultists had their own secrets.

They would all be required to leave as much information as possible for future generations when absolutely necessary.

Even when Xia’er, during the last simulation, blew half of Jiti’s face off with a gunshot, Jiti still struggled to leave information behind.

This was enough proof that as long as Xia’er showed any intention of providing information, Jiti would never easily seek death.

The current facts also proved that Xia’er’s guess was correct.

Jiti not only didn’t seek death; she actually drank the potion, enduring pain just to live longer and gather more information.

Unfortunately, Jiti’s information will never be transmitted in this lifetime.

Because this is merely Xia’er’s simulated future.

The reality Jiti wanted to reach is an unattainable fantasy.

“Your plan is excellent. No one would ever think you’d be hiding outside the city at Derton Manor. Here, you can interact with other Extraordinary Persons without encountering the Salvation Goddess Religion.”

Xia’er looked at Jiti with narrowed eyes and continued, “Persuading Xie Lun, whose mindset is already imbalanced, is also a key point of this plan. No one would expect such a weak virus to play such a role, nor would anyone think of using a Sealed Object to trigger the virus.”

“Even if they investigate later, it would be difficult for the Salvation Goddess Religion to trace the trail back to you. If Xie Lun successfully replicates the ritual, you can baptize a third-tier person to become a cultist. If Xie Lun fails and goes mad, he will bear all the guilt.”

With each sentence Xia’er spoke, Jiti felt the pain in her chest intensify.

Having her entire plan laid out and praised directly in front of her was like being slapped repeatedly.

But Jiti kept her head down, revealing no more emotion.

Even if the previous plans were exposed, what did it matter?

Maybe Xie Lun had been exposed prematurely and was tortured, revealing some information… This couldn’t prove that her plan was flawed.

Her plan was perfect; it was just the execution that went wrong. The girl in front of her just got lucky knowing her plan… She couldn’t possibly know everything I’m thinking.

Ding!

Suddenly, Jiti saw an empty potion bottle fall into her field of vision. It hit the carpet with a dull thud.

Potion? She drank the potion directly?

She was clearly a “Avenger” of the Tribunal. The potion she drank now could only be from the “Tribunal”… To judge me? By you?

No one can shake my faith in the Mother Goddess.

I am the best “Missionary” under the Mother Goddess, having brought up countless brothers and sisters with pure faith.

You want to judge me?

Then prepare to go mad.

Jiti remained expressionless. She wanted to look up, but feared going mad from direct contact with that world.

She wasn’t afraid of death, nor the whispers of the Mother Goddess. She was just worried about not being able to leave more information before she died. She was also trying to buy time for others to evacuate.

She wanted her death to have more value for the Holy Presence Sect and the Mother Goddess.

“You want to leave more information so your bishop can kill me after investigating, right?”

Xia’er’s hoarse voice echoed above Jiti, causing her weak breath to halt abruptly.

“You must be very confident in your setup right now, aren’t you?”

Xia’er’s breathing became heavier. The burnt skin on her hand reopened, staining the white bandages around her arm with fresh blood.

The potion’s whispers crashed against Xia’er’s sanity like waves, the flames in her chest like a bomb ready to explode. The shadows beside her were completely engulfed in flames, like the fuse of a bomb.

Even so, Xia’er’s face still wore a smile as she continued slowly:

“Are you giving other cultists a chance to escape?”

“Ebai… This young man is quite clever. He said he was grateful to Sister Jiti for giving him another chance at life, even though both his palms were severed and he could only blind himself by bumping into table corners.”

“Marcello, a greasy middle-aged gambler. Who would have thought his spiritual note was filled with your name, even begging the Mother Goddess to protect you on his deathbed.”

“… I still like Georgeine the most. Her spiritual note was also filled with her love for you… After all, this is what you’re looking at.”

“Do you know what she said before she died?”

“She told me, ‘Thank you, Bishop. I finally escaped from my nightmare.’”

“Who is that ‘nightmare’? Is it the power-hungry you, fantasizing about others liking you, Jiti?”

“Oh, right… Seeing your white shadow, you should know whether I’m telling the truth or not, right?”

As Xia’er listed those names one by one, Jiti’s expression darkened.

Until she heard the name “Georgeine,” Jiti could no longer maintain her composure.

All dead?!

The foundation she had built in Borough City for so long! Completely destroyed?!

You’re still part of the Salvation Goddess Religion?!!

Jiti’s white shadow flickered uncertainly, her mind suffering a massive impact, making it hard to stay conscious.

“Don’t get excited. Getting high is normal. Just hold on a bit longer.”

“Listen carefully to every word I say next.”

Xia’er’s voice sounded again. The blood flowing from her wounds had gradually turned from dark red to black, pooling on the carpet like boiling oil.

“Guess who gave me these spiritual notes?”

Xia’er took a step forward and grinned, “It’s you, Jiti.”

“The potion you gave me, the replication ritual you helped complete, and the spiritual notes you showed me were all because you mistook me for the Bishop.”

“It’s you who ruined everything.”

“Now, you are merely dreaming, imagining your subordinates can escape and that information can be spread.”

“But you’ve already been shot in the face by me, lying half-dead in the Underground Sanctuary…”

“It’s you who ruined everything, you who made the Mother Goddess ashamed.”

“Do you believe what I’m saying is true?”

Xia’er stumbled towards Jiti, grabbing her hair and lifting her head.

“Do you know why you’re going to die?”

Xia’er looked at Jiti’s blank, unfocused eyes and said softly:

“Because your plan disrupted my normal life…”

“Remember this name, Jiti.”

“My name.”

“Your judge.”

Xia’er opened her palm, and Jiti’s head fell limply. Her white shadow could no longer support her, and she knelt before Xiaer.

And Xia’er, slowly raising her right leg, smiled wickedly and stomped down.

Brains splattered everywhere.

Black flames rose around Xia’er, completely enveloping her.

~~~~~

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