Brain bloom

The other half consists of the guardians that the masters of the Evil Mist have cherished for a long time.

They even have a unified commander.

A vibrant and angry soul.

He was probably male in life, dressed in coarse cloth from some unknown era, pale and weak. I wish I knew this was the soul of travel; it seems they and Hodge have unknowingly joined forces…

"What kind of magic are you using?" the traveling spirit asked, while simultaneously directing the monsters to brew murderous intent.

"It's not magic."

"Is that your ability? I've never seen such a strange... attack method before."

Looking at the ever-growing, ominous mist gathering around him, Yuan couldn't tell if it was a delaying tactic or if the other party was genuinely interested. But it was all the same... it didn't matter.

“When I was little, an aunt taught me that if you get angry, you have to beat the enemy up. I worked hard for a long time to achieve this goal... but when I was actually able to beat the enemy up, I realized that it was just a metaphor.”

"A boring story."

Having said that, the traveler scoffed. He slowly raised his hand, his eyes revealing a determination to stop her.

"Before I was deceived in this desolate human world, I was a hero of this vast world. Although that glorious name has long since faded and is no longer remembered, before you stands an ancient hero! Become my spoils! You weakling who has only a few days left to live!"

With a proud, ancient tone, he simultaneously issued the order to attack.

In an instant—from all directions, countless monsters, strengthened by the ominous mist, pounced on Yuan.

They were willing to remain unmoved, and even had the leisure to scan the area, memorizing all the unfamiliar and novel-looking monsters.

"But at least I'm still alive, while you're all dead."

Then—she proved with facts that these ferocious dead creatures only deserved to be buried in the soil and turned into nutrients.

……

Like a desolate desert, the magical ritual takes on an earthy yellow hue on the black ground.

Inside and out, three intertwined magical circles constituted the summoning ritual. The contents carved and written within the circles varied: some contained the names of various ancient demons, some were prayers of true gods, and others were ancient scenes representing death.

But regardless of which one, they all come from a time when the world was still very desolate.

The primal evil that needs to be awakened also comes from that era.

A colossal, black, mist-like heart pulsated with each absorption of nourishment at the point where three circles overlapped. Then, the black mist emanated from the heart, forming the vaguely discernible body of a monster.

Words cannot capture its appearance, nor can they depict its terror.

Hodge looked up at its terrifying body, which appeared and disappeared intermittently, and thought that he probably couldn't fight against it.

“That’s terrifying,” Hodge exclaimed in amazement.

"But this thing is just a replica... a replica of a certain ferocious beast from our era, capable of devouring the heavens and the earth. But back then, you hadn't even been born yet..."

It was Anne Hodge who spoke. She was sitting on the temple, looking at the Primal Evil with a nostalgic gaze, as if she were facing an old friend.

Hodge, unaware of this history, couldn't help but shudder with excitement. Even a mere replica was enough to destroy a vast world, spreading desolation and death to every corner… So, what was the real thing?

Just as Hodge was about to ask a few more questions—

“Someone has visited this place.” An aged voice rang out; this oldest traveling soul was always referred to as a martyr.

The martyr gazed into the distance, his heart filled with hesitation.

“How tyrannical! Is it Ron Stolt? Oh no, it's that Princess of the Morning, isn't it? Hodge, didn't you promise you could stop her?”

“That’s just how things are; they can’t always go as planned.” After sighing, Hodge immediately came up with a suitable strategy: “Let’s use a war of attrition. That little girl is just a fragile steel blade; she won’t be powerful for long and will soon break on her own. Once the primal evil is awakened, she will no longer be a threat, and then we can use the Evil Mist to make her a puppet.”

"Hmm...that's what I think too."

But just as they were about to send their own men to continue the sacrifice, the martyr suddenly had a flash of inspiration. From somewhere, he produced an old summoning ticket, a mocking glint in his eyes.

Volume 1, Chapter 327: I've Come to Collect My Debt

This summoning ticket may not seem special, but the history behind it is much longer than the current prosperous history of humankind.

Because this was a deal made before humans took root in this land and made it flourish.

The martyr recalled it all carefully; even to him, it was something very ancient.

I still remember that the ancient Demon King, in collusion with the darkness, used trickery and forced transactions to buy the entire world from these natives and turn it into a garden in order to "find a way to make the flowers never wither."

Their former homes were forcibly taken away, forcing them to eke out a living in a bottomless abyss.

Those are truly painful memories...

The price he paid for surrendering the world was just a few summoning tickets, which could summon the Ancient Demon King. At the time, it seemed like a negligible price, but thankfully he didn't lose them.

A smile appeared on the martyr's aged face.

"It really is a fair trade, old monster."

"What are you muttering about, Martyr? Oh, right... I have some bad news. That guy you just sent, and my men, have all been killed. It's time to send new cannon fodder to stop Princess Dawn."

"Really strong."

“Yes…we need to be prepared, the price won’t be small.” Even the arrogant evil god was now inclined to think things through calmly.

But the martyr remained unmoved: "There's been some new development. Hodge, whatever the cost, stall her for a little while."

Looking at his cold, old face, Hodge said, "I smell evil on you."

"so what."

"Too."

Having said that, Hodge continued to assign men to stop Yuan. This Dawn Princess, with her impressive background, was the only remaining threat to the plan so far, and they had to devote all their efforts to eliminating her.

Hodge looked back and saw the outline of the Primal Evil becoming clearer and clearer. In a few more minutes, everything would be settled.

Victory is not far away.

……

It seemed that nothing could stop Yuan's steps.

The curse emanating from her body grew stronger and stronger, so she simply stopped trying to suppress it. Whenever the pain became unbearable, she would attack the enemies hiding nearby who dared not move, and beat them up with great satisfaction, which actually felt exceptionally good.

There are always strange enemies appearing to try and stop you, but those cannon fodder are really no match for you.

Enjoying this unbridled freedom, yet also cautious, fearing that a wave of divine power might suddenly appear above one's head.

But as she delved deeper, she also discovered something.

The book that Mori had previously lent her had greatly enhanced her power.

Looking at the simple cover of the Book of Trillions of Stars, Yuan even felt that if he had such thoughts and was unafraid of pain or death, he could wipe out the entire human world. This book contained such terrifying power; it was truly astonishing.

She walked along, flipping through the pages.

Each page features a deep, boundless starry night, with endless, interconnected stars that evoke a strange sense of loneliness in Yuan… But she doesn't know why she feels this way, or where it comes from…

"Hello," came the voice of the evil god, blocking the way.

"Finally willing to come out?"

May you turn the last page and then slowly raise your head.

The culprit behind it all, the evil god Hodge, is now right before me. The seaweed covering its body is sharp and resilient, and it reeks of a foul, fishy stench—it's truly unpleasant to smell…

"Thank you, Hodge."

“…Thank me?” Hodge was taken aback. “Why?”

The night is deep, but I hope your smile is as clear as jade.

"If it weren't for you, I would have lingered on for a long time. I would have stayed by my friends' and father's side, growing weaker and causing them pain. Thank you for this little trick, which gave me a reason... to choose a more comfortable path."

"I can save you."

"Hahaha." Yuan covered her mouth, amused by the other person's joke.

However, the words of the evil god Hodge did sound somewhat sincere: "Do you know what will be left after the world is desolate? Souls! Countless homeless, bodyless, lonely souls..."

"Yes, you killed him."

"Yes, but to the devil, the power of the soul means everything. You can use a million souls to condense the legendary panacea, and even a single drop is enough to cure any pain."

Its voice was very impassioned, but the seaweed hidden behind it was silently gathering something.

These were the three divine entities that had been sent to Silver Ring City to delay the coffin bearers. Now they had all returned to its side, dissolved, and become its power. Hodge believed he could fight them head-on, but that would be foolish; words could also buy a long time.

It's very good at saying nice things.

“I have lived for a very long time… a very long time! I know many secrets that even your father, the incomparably noble ancient demon king, did not know. The soul has many uses.”

"No."

"Don't you want to live? Little girl, how young and powerful you are? Throughout history, there is no genius like you. You've only lived for a little over ten years, yet you far surpass us ancient monsters... Don't you want to control the world? There's the realm of demons, even the abandoned realm of gods. Everything can pledge allegiance to you and call upon your holy name."

"I didn't plan to..."

Don't rush to reject me.

The seaweed behind Hodge was bundled into a long spear, poised to strike, waiting for the right opening.

"You can enjoy all the delicious food and fine wine in the world, but you are so young and have never experienced such tastes..."

"gourmet food?"

Hodge was taken aback, not expecting this creature to be interested in this. It immediately searched its memory for information, intending to tempt her with some exotic delicacies to reveal its weakness.

In just a fraction of a second, if she loses focus, the outcome of the game can be decided.

“Yes, delicious food.” Hodge was about to launch into a long explanation.

"—But if you destroy the human world, who will make food for me?" She gave a disgusted look. "Do you think I'm a three-year-old? You idiot."

Hodge smiled, not at all disappointed. His goal had been achieved, and it was a pleasant surprise that this naive little girl had chatted with him for so long. In any case, the divine essence he had taken back was gone, and the combined attack of the illusion and the true god was enough to injure the opponent.

It is strong, but not strong enough to crush it with a single blow.

As long as it can wage a war of attrition, it will surely be the victor.

Hodge has absolute confidence.

However, Hodge and Yuan, and indeed all the powerful figures on the island, sensed a force approaching from across the sea. The attack was incredibly powerful and so swift as to be unstoppable—