On my second playthrough, they were full of malice towards me.

Loba's eyes widened, and only in that instant did he realize something incredibly terrifying upon closer inspection.

Is it

Could it be that ever since my forgotten spirit "opened its eyes," its focus has never been on me, but on him?

Those intensely fluctuating emotions, and the object of that inexplicable sigh as if making up for regret, were actually all...

he!?

Enraged and overwhelmed by the backlash from being rejected by the Forgotten Spirit, the jackal-like creature bled profusely from all seven orifices, its vision went black, and it fainted instantly.

"You really went all out."

Liao Ji glanced at the pitiful jackal-like demi-human who was so angry that he vomited blood, and sighed at the forgotten spirit that had come to him—no, it should be said that it was an old friend.

The Spirit of Oblivion shook his head, spread his hands regretfully, and said, "I can't kill him directly, otherwise I would also disappear. Otherwise, I would never allow such an ant to dare to provoke you, Lord Ashes."

"so."

The forgotten spirit of the cat-like demi-human paused, as if hesitant, nervous, afraid of a certain answer, yet yearning for one. In the end, he couldn't help but ask.

"It's been a long time, Lord Ash."

Do you remember me?

The eyes of the Forgotten Spirit were fixed on him, and time seemed to stand still for a moment, but this sense of gravity was quickly dissipated.

Liao Ji did not answer directly, but instead told a short story.

"There was once a notorious good-for-nothing in the cat-people tribe. Children his age had all mastered the awakening techniques and activated the abilities in their bloodlines long ago, but he made no progress. He was always at the bottom of the class in every training session. If he had any other identity, it wouldn't have mattered, but he was the chief's son, so he was subjected to double the ridicule and mockery from his own tribe. Even his betrothed from the neighboring tribe looked down on him. In the end, even his chief father abandoned him. So, in a fit of anger, this cat-people boy decided to run away from home, thinking that one day he would come back and prove everyone wrong."

"If I remember correctly, Karl?"

After listening attentively and silently, the Forgotten Spirit on the other side nodded first, but then shook his head.

"There's a slight misconception. The chieftain's son didn't run away from home in a fit of anger. He didn't have that kind of ambition or courage. He was actually kicked out after being considered a freak. The tribe doesn't need useless trash. His existence would only waste food. But speaking of which, he was really lucky."

"Before he was eaten by monsters in the wild, he was picked up by a kind person. This kind person not only took him back to the settlement, but also gave him food and equipment, taught him how to tap into his true potential, and showed him a completely new path. He was able to appear like a hero when his tribe was in danger, just like you said at the end of your story, and save his tribe. This shocked and disbelieved all those who had looked down on him, despised him, and scorned him."

Finally, Karl, the forgotten spirit of the cat-people, raised his head slightly.

This is usually a stubborn person who wants to hide the tears that are about to come out, but Karl immediately realized that he was now the forgotten spirit, a projection of someone who had died five hundred years ago.

He could no longer shed tears.

What should have been a very sad event, Karl felt much lighter and even fortunate.

Otherwise, he was really afraid he would burst into tears in front of Lord Ash.

That's so embarrassing.

But what Karl didn't know was that Liao Ji was also feeling a little relieved about his Ash Lord.

Fortunately, the Forgotten Spirit summoned by Loba was of very high quality, originally a five-star "Disaster-level" card.

For such a character, Liao Ji would definitely remember him even if he were reset. Not to mention, almost all initial five-star characters have their own complete character background and settings, and some, like Karl, even have subsequent emergency missions that can be triggered.

He spent several nights organizing those "old" materials for this moment, and it wasn't all for nothing. If Loba summons a three- or four-star character, he might really mess things up.

but

"Is that all, Karl? I thought you would question me again about why I took your power in the first place."

"Sigh, I really want to try doing that, but unfortunately my profession is superpowered. I can't be like those big, dumb guys in the Guardian class who don't like to use their brains, nor can I be like those priests who are completely dominated by their emotions."

Karl feigned a sigh, and combined with his refined demeanor, he subtly put down the other two major professions with every gesture—something every ability user enjoys doing.

However, Karl quickly became serious and earnestly said to Liao Ji:

"So I know very well that there is nothing wrong with what you did, Lord Ash. My potential is limited. If I can be used in exchange for other more promising companions to continue moving forward, I am willing to do so."

"not to mention"

"Lord Ash, don't underestimate me. You did take away my power, but you can't take away my precious experience of following you, the process of how you taught us, and your correct decisions time and time again."

"Although I can no longer reach the same level as when I was under your command after being demoted and sent back, I can still recover half of my original strength through dedicated cultivation. Moreover, far from the war and in the rear area that you have protected so well, I can concentrate on my research and enjoy a rare peaceful and beautiful life. This was something that countless people in that wasteland dreamed of back then!"

"And then there's Lord Ash. Not only that, many others have chosen to become local teachers and instructors, just like me. We're trying to emulate you, hoping to cultivate outstanding talents for our community, city, and empire. In a way, we're still doing our part. We hope this organization can become your dark side, Lord Ash, and stand up for you when you need us most. It's our last bit of stubbornness as 'abandoned' people, and we hope to give Lord Ash a surprise!"

"But now it seems..."

The final spirit of oblivion shifted its gaze to the Sealed City, now engulfed in flames, to the city thrown into chaos by Loba's plan, to the countless innocent people shrouded and permeated by the calamity, to the blood and fire, the cries, the fear, and the looting.

Carl finally sighed.

"It seems that our organization has misunderstood something."

Chapter 95 As expected of you, Lord Ash

Five hundred years ago, they hated the turbid calamity to the bone and sacrificed countless lives to bring about a new world that had been purified. But five hundred years later, people began to pursue the turbid calamity in this pure world, to yearn for it, and to want to bring back that brown sky.

How ironic.

A hint of sadness flashed across Karl's eyes.

Only then did he realize that, just as they had used the Turbid Calamity to defeat it five hundred years ago, the Turbid Calamity five hundred years later...

They are also using them to defeat them.

"Lord Ashes, in the first century after your disappearance, everyone was still trying their best to fulfill their agreed duties, but gradually..."

"Most of us are still limited by lifespan; a hundred years is their limit. They will never see the news of your return in their lifetime and can only turn their regrets into wills, which will be passed on to their descendants, and then led by people like me who can still persevere."

A look of reminiscence crossed Karl's eyes as he continued, his voice now much lower.

"But even though I had returned to the 'disaster level' at that time, as long as I couldn't cross that line, I couldn't escape the passage of time. I persevered until the 214th year, and I still closed my eyes. And if I remember correctly, the number of members like me who had personally followed you had dwindled from several hundred to only twenty-three."

"Actually, I had already noticed something was wrong back then, because among the remaining people, some had started to wait for the sake of waiting, losing themselves over the long years, and using increasingly fanatical and extreme methods in an attempt to keep them waiting and holding on forever."

"Thinking back now, I'm afraid that the calamity had already begun to exploit us back then, didn't it?"

The most tragic thing is not witnessing the destruction of a dynasty.

Instead, they foresaw the wrong path and could only leave in sorrow on their deathbed.

Five hundred years later, Karl, who can briefly see this world again as the Forgotten Spirit, has clearly witnessed the worst-case scenario he had anticipated.

Their organization has indeed gone down a different path.

"I'm sorry, Lord Ash, I couldn't stop them at all back then, because even I was exhausted from resisting the temptation."

"You've done a great job. Leave the rest to me."

Liao Ji shook his head.

For him, saving the world was just a game, and he never thought about what would happen to the game characters after they left him.

When someone, in order to achieve something, to get a reward, or simply out of obsessive-compulsive disorder, "habitually" maxes out the favorability of almost every character under their command, the person outside the screen may not feel anything, but these virtual characters and game characters on the screen truly have 100% affection for them.

When the "heart" in the game was full, they truly gave their hearts to Lord Ash, for they had become the most important person to him.

That's why, even if they were used by him and treated as tools, most of them, after being abandoned, still had no regrets. They even continued to shine and secretly accumulate strength, waiting for the day when they could be used by him again.

That is why they would use any means necessary to "wait" for themselves, which is why they were able to take advantage of the calamity.

From Karl, Liao Ji finally learned about the origins and truth of the "Old Alliance." He felt the burden on his shoulders grow heavier, which explained why Karl had warned him to be careful.

After all, when Karl died more than two hundred years ago, only twenty-three of the original members who had followed him remained in the organization. Now, three hundred years later, the organization must have been replaced many times and is no longer the same. Although it is called the Old Alliance, there is not a single true "Old One" left. It can only reappear as the "Spirit of Oblivion".

As for these descendants of the "first generation," they have no connection or memory with their "Emperor of Ash." Perhaps in their eyes, they are the culprits, the ones who toyed with and abandoned their ancestors.

That's why it has ultimately evolved into what Loba said: the old alliance is indeed still dormant and waiting, but what it is waiting for is no longer "reunion".

It was revenge.

"Lord Ash, I don't know if there's something wrong with my perception in my current state, or something else, but the feeling you give me is like, it's like..."

Seeing Karl's hesitant and worried expression, Liao Ji shrugged helplessly and readily admitted it.

"No, you're not mistaken. I'm really no different from an ordinary person now. Uh, maybe a little stronger." After the battle with Sthija, Liao Ji's level reached level twenty-three.

For a Calamity-Breaker, level 23 is considered above the "normal" level, but for Liao Ji, due to the protagonist's low growth stats, he has only just entered the "normal" level.

How could Karl not be surprised by this?

He pondered for a long time. What could possibly threaten the Emperor when he had already conquered Zhuo'e? In the end, the only reason Karl could think of was…

"Could it be because you took off your cloak?"

"You guessed right, that cloak is actually my true form."

Faced with Liao Ji's complaints, Karl, seemingly deep in thought, stroked his chin and earnestly agreed:

"No wonder! I was wondering why Lord Ash seemed like a completely different person. In my memory, you should only know how to remain silent, nod, and shake your head. It's so rare to see you talking to me like this!"

Liao Ji: "."

"Yes, that's right! This is the Ash Lord I know!"

Karl's eyes lit up when he saw Liao Ji making a face with three ellipses, and he felt an overwhelming sense of familiarity, as if his youth had returned.

Happy times are always fleeting.

Despite how much Karl wished he could chat a little longer and say a few more words to the Ash Lord now that he had "taken off his cloak," the current situation no longer allowed it.

Although he severed his connection with Loba, and Loba temporarily fainted, the blood sacrifice, which covered the entire Sealed City like a blood-red dome under the secret technique of the "Old Days," could not be stopped.

As the one being summoned, Karl had no right to end the ritual. He was forced to absorb the turbidity of the entire city. His body was becoming more and more solid, but his mind was fading more and more. This was the fate of the Forgotten Spirit. After all, they were already dead. After the blood sacrifice was completely completed, he would also become a shell.

When the ritual reaches this point, even killing Loba, the summoner, will be useless. Instead, it will cause Karl, who has lost his summoner, to have his body possessed by the Chaos, becoming an artificial "Disaster-level" Chaos monster.

However, if this continues unchecked, the concentration of turbidity in the sealed city has already reached a very high threshold and is still rising. In that case, the hundreds of thousands of people in the entire city will truly become Karl's "food".

The only solution is for Lord Ash to kill him, so that the blood sacrifice, having lost its vessel, can end.

Then

While he was still lucid, Karl cast an expectant and excited gaze at the young man opposite him.

He wanted to see how Lord Ash would break the deadlock. If he could witness Lord Ash's brilliant command one last time before his final demise, Karl felt that would be the best reward for him.

"So, Lord Ash, what is your next step?"

Liao Ji's answer to this was also very simple.