Chapter 84, Chapter 20: The Magical Maid
Erebus finally realized that this saintess, who had long since gone mad, had never been under his control from the very beginning.
Thinking about who she was going to cause trouble for, Erebus finally lost his composure as a nobleman, and his face became unusually distorted.
"Damn it! Stop her!"
He had absolutely no desire to confront that terrifyingly strong woman!
Unfortunately, it was too late.
Having absorbed the power of the summoning array, Ryuya, now a being of both light and darkness, moves at an incredible speed, far beyond their ability to catch.
In the forest, Xu Qingzhou suddenly groaned, his legs gave way, and he knelt on one knee.
Yu Wanwan almost fell because she wasn't paying attention.
Steadying herself, she looked at the man on the ground in agony. The holy light around him flickered, and invisible forces were tearing at his body like hands.
Yu Wanwan frowned, then suddenly felt a splitting headache, as if her soul was being torn apart by something.
She raised her hand to cover her forehead, the smile in her eyes fading, replaced by a layer of coldness.
[Oh no! Someone is attacking his soul!]
Yu Wanwan gritted her teeth.
Attacking his soul, why am I the one who feels the pain!
[This... is probably... perhaps because... his "soul" was too fragile, so... your soul fragments... um...]
Yu Wanwan cursed under her breath, then suddenly looked up.
On the treetop, Ryuya stood surrounded by darkness, looking down with her eyes down.
One of her eyes had returned to its violet color, filled with heartache and reluctance.
Its other eye was pitch black, but it glowed with a bewitching red light, full of malice.
Light and darkness each occupy a part of her body, creating an eerie harmony.
"..."
Holy crap, it's evolved again after not seeing you for a while.
This saintess is going to ascend to heaven!
Whether their eyes were filled with pity for the innocent or with malice, they all looked at Xu Qingzhou's body with infatuation.
Ryuya's expression softened, and she gently comforted the man who was in so much pain that he couldn't even scream.
"Priest, please be patient a little longer. Soon, he will leave your body, and you will be able to return!"
Yu Wanwan lowered her eyebrows and eyes.
This woman actually dared to forcibly introduce divine power into her body with a mortal body, just so that she could use divine power to forcibly expel Xu Qingzhou's soul!
Even if she succeeds, she will eventually die from the shock of the divine power she cannot withstand.
That's absolutely insane!
Let him go crazy if he's gone mad. But if he's dragged her down with him, then he absolutely cannot forgive her.
Erebus finally arrived, albeit belatedly.
Looking at this scene that overturned his understanding, he felt inexplicably guilty.
"Your Excellency, please believe me, this was absolutely not my intention!"
In the forest where no sunlight could penetrate, a sudden flash of lightning and thunder briefly illuminated the pitch-black woods.
Yu Wanwan's face was terrifyingly cold, almost covered in frost under the lightning.
Even her Dao Fruit became unusually quiet, not daring to make a sound.
Not to mention Erebus.
She suddenly moved.
A rich green light emanated from its body, illuminating the forest.
Both darkness and light receded upon contact with the green light.
Her figure transformed into countless green streaks of light and vanished from the spot.
The next moment, Liu Guang appeared in front of Liu Ye.
In an instant, Liu Ye felt a chill run down her spine.
She tried to dodge, but her body seemed to be frozen in place, out of her control.
Yu Wanwan's figure solidified again, her eyebrows slightly lowered, showing no trace of danger.
"I haven't been this angry in a very, very long time."
The gentle and peaceful tone caused Liu Ye's pupils to constrict violently, and his blood to freeze.
An overwhelming sense of panic rose within her.
This is a feeling I never had, not even when I witnessed that amazing and awe-inspiring scene of her on the battlefield last time.
Ryuya opened her lips, but couldn't utter a single syllable.
Yu Wanwan slowly raised her hand, her fingertips shimmering with green light, and gently touched her brow.
"Since you are so eager to see your priest, I will grant your wish."
Ryuya's body trembled, and her eyes closed involuntarily.
All sounds around disappeared, leaving only silence.
Her body continued to fall, as if she were falling into an abyss.
No matter how hard she struggled, she couldn't break free; the more she struggled, the tighter the darkness clung to her.
She didn't know how much time had passed, so long that she was in despair and on the verge of collapse, when a gentle yet indifferent voice rang out from all directions.
It reached the very depths of her soul.
"Open your eyes and take a good look at the priest you desire."
"Take a good look at the truth of the world."
My eyelids involuntarily lifted up following that voice.
Light reappeared before their eyes, all silence vanished, and all around them were the solemn sounds of prayer.
Liu Ye was momentarily dazed and looked around.
This is... Temple Morning Prayer.
Something cold touched the back of her hand.
"Wrong, it's not that you shouldn't indulge in selfish desires, but rather that you shouldn't indulge in selfish thoughts."
The ethereal and gentle voice made Liu Ye's heart tremble. He looked at her with a mixture of kindness and helplessness, patiently correcting her mistakes.
Sunlight streamed in through the window, casting a soft glow on his face.
His features were exquisite, and his eyes held the gentlest starlight.
Ryūya's very soul trembled.
That was the face she longed for day and night, etched into her very bones, the outline she secretly sketched countless times during sleepless nights.
Liu Ye blinked, tears streaming down her face.
Aetherel's face went blank for a moment, then she hurriedly squatted down, her expression showing some nervousness.
"What happened? Did I hit too hard just now?"
The familiar voice and tone made Liu Ye cry even more fiercely.
Even so, she still managed to restrain herself and didn't lose control and pounce on him.
Young Aetherel was anxious and bewildered, squatting in front of him, at a loss for what to do.
Ryūya lay to the side, both crying and laughing.
I finally...
It's good to see you again, High Priest.
Time flies.
She was going through something she had experienced before.
But she couldn't control her body and could only watch helplessly as the saintess Liuguang did the same thing she had done before.
Watching helplessly as the saintess Liuguang, having misunderstood the doctrine, carefully concealed her love for the priest.
I watched helplessly as my former self, beneath a veneer of holiness, bred darkness.
On the day she had a high fever, she forced herself to work on the scriptures until late at night despite her illness.
The next morning, through the half-open door, they saw Aetherel blessing the visiting imperial princess.
His slender fingers touched the princess's brow, the sunlight gilding his features, and his eyes were pure and holy.
May the God of Light bless you so that your path may be unobstructed.
The princess's cheeks flushed, and her eyes sparkled with the same admiration that Liu Ye knew all too well.
The sacred priest and the beautiful princess stood together, creating a warm and harmonious atmosphere.
At that moment, jealousy, like a venomous snake, gnawed at her reason.
She watched as the Holy Maiden Liuguang smiled and pushed open the door, naturally accepting the blessing ceremony, separating herself from the priest and blocking the princess's view.
Liu Ye seemed to awaken from a dream.
She knew all too well what was going to happen next.
Ryuya's soul let out a silent cry, but could only watch in vain as the saintess Ryuko dripped three drops of black liquid into the holy water in a corner where no one was watching.
That was a venom she bought at a high price on the black market. It was colorless and odorless, and when combined with the blessing of light, it could cause the recipient's appearance to gradually age.
Next up are the female knight, the merchant, and the maid.
No matter who it was, she had no way to stop it and could only watch helplessly and desperately as the tragedy repeated itself.
When Vera appeared, Ryuya's soul trembled violently, and an unknown fear seeped into his very bones.
But the Vera here is different from the one she saw outside.
No, actually there are still some similarities.
Just like in her memory, Violet was so innocent it was heartbreaking, and her reverence for the priest was pure and unadulterated.
Even if she sensed something was wrong and felt wronged by her, she would only go back and silently lick her wounds, unwilling to bother the priest with these matters.
until……
Violet was once again tricked by the saintess Liuguang into entering the forbidden forest.
Ryūya trembled even more violently.
But what she feared did not happen.
Violet is dead.
He died in the forbidden forest.
The temple searched for her for three days before finally finding her disfigured body, corrupted by darkness, on the third day.
The charges of colluding with the dark forces and trespassing into forbidden territory were attached to her, and no one doubted them.
Ryuya breathed a deep sigh of relief, a sense of satisfaction welling up inside her.
But she hadn't had a chance to relax for long before she saw the holy priest, Aetherel, standing before the ugly corpse, his usually upright figure now showing signs of stooping.
He stubbornly defended Vera's innocence, firmly believing that she would not collude with the dark side.
Ryuya's smile froze, her heart sank, and she felt a chill run through her body.
Next, her soul was pulled out of Liuguang's body and instead followed Aetheril in a transparent soul state.
No one can see her, and no one can touch her.
She watched as Aetherel spent year after year investigating, bit by bit, what she had done.
No matter how careful you are, there will always be traces left behind by what you've done.
Moreover, he was originally a priest of light who represented fairness and justice.
Each piece of evidence dimmed the priest's starlight a little.
He examined the bloody evidence and locked himself in the temple for three whole days.
For the first time in these three days, he neglected his duties and ignored everything that was happening outside.
Watching him go from shock to bewilderment, and then to pain, guilt, and self-blame, Liu Ye felt as if her heart was being torn apart.
But there was nothing she could do.
The most painful moment was the day he finally decided to submit the evidence to the council of elders and put her on trial.
Aetherel stood beneath the statue of the God of Light, dressed in a plain white priestess robe, holding in her hands a scroll recording her sins, her expression devoid of sorrow or joy.
The anger of the people in the temple was so great that it almost lifted the dome off the temple.
"Liuguang Sera's crimes are heinous! According to the sacred law, she should be punished with eternal night!"
That was a punishment crueler than death; the soul of the condemned would forever be condemned to eternal darkness.
She looked at Liuguang, dressed in a holy robe, kneeling below her, and a wave of emotion suddenly surged in her infatuated eyes; her violet pupils contracted sharply.
"This is my dereliction of duty."
Suddenly realizing something, Ryuya looked up sharply.
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Aetherel removed the silver moon headdress, a symbol of her priesthood, and placed it on the altar.
His voice wasn't loud, but it instantly silenced the noisy temple.
Sunlight streamed through the dome and fell upon him, casting a compassionate glow upon him.
"As her mentor, I failed to discover her mistakes in time and guide her back to the right path."
“As a priest, I allowed darkness to grow in the temple.”
“These responsibilities should not be borne by her alone.”
Ryuya saw tiny tears glistening on his eyelashes.
At that moment, her heart was gripped so tightly that she could barely breathe.
The screen began to collapse.
She saw Aetherel kneeling atop the Elemental Tower, praying day after day before the statue of the God of Light.
She saw him open the forbidden books of the temple.
Then, on a starlit night, he plunged a dagger into his heart, and his blood traced ancient runes on the altar.
"I offer my soul as a sacrifice, begging the God of Light to grant me the opportunity to correct my mistakes..."
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