Chapter 1160 The Laudsourcian Offering <TOC> Chapter 1162 Creating a Path of Spirit Illusions
Translator: SumTLMan
Sanders’ countenance took on a solemnity.
At first, he didn’t recognize the sculpture, but when Angel mentioned that the sculpture was of the Great Demon God — the Cruel Scholar, a chill crawled up Sanders’ spine.
The Cruel Scholar, it was the Great Demon God!
An ordinary Demon God could already stir up a maelstrom, let alone the Great Demon God!
“How did you come to possess a sculpture of the Cruel Scholar?!” Sanders’ brow furrowed, his eyes piercing into Angel with a fixed gaze.
Angel remained silent for a moment, then began to narrate what had transpired in the underground hall, “When I was in the underground hall, I had An Encounter with the Will of the Cruel Scholar…”
Upon hearing Angel’s account, Sanders’ expression became even graver, “… Then, you agreed to the Demon God’s terms?”
Angel nodded in affirmation.
“You should know that anything associated with a Demon God cannot be underestimated.” A rare anxiety flashed through Sanders’ eyes, seeing Angel bow his head in silence, he could only sigh softly in the end.
He couldn’t blame Angel, trapped as he was, under the calculated maneuvers of the Cruel Scholar, Angel only had two choices then——to agree or die.
Now that the agreement was made, as Angel’s mentor, all Sanders could do was think of ways to minimize the influence the Demon God had on Angel.
For a moment, Sanders fell into contemplation, sifting through his memories swiftly for cases related to Demon Gods.
In the Wizarding World, since using the power of a Demon God was very convenient and could bring about desired results in a short time, many wizards had covert or overt ties with Demon Gods. However, these ties were generally indirect, mostly involving secretive transactions with one of the many avatars of the Demon God. Direct dealings with the primary Will of a Demon God were few and far between.
After all, wizards who actively sought contact with Demon Gods and were influenced by them usually possessed low potential or were driven by immediate success. These types of wizards were of little interest to Demon Gods.
And true potential wizards would act prudently and cautiously, avoiding any active involvement with Demon Gods. Once, Sanders had adamantly advised Angel to steer clear of anything related to Demon Gods. He just didn’t expect the unexpected to occur here.
Sanders recalled many cases involving Demon Gods, compared them horizontally and vertically with Angel’s current situation, and then he found a strange inconsistency.
“You only verbally agreed to the Cruel Scholar’s proposition? Without signing any punishment clauses?” Sanders queried.
Upon receiving a positive response from Angel, Sanders’ expression became even more perplexed, “Then the Cruel Scholar didn’t inscribe a True Name Mark on you?”
Angel, again, shook his head.
Sanders furrowed his brow, the scenario before him notably clashing with his previous experiences. Not just those who stood before the Will of the Demon God, but even wizards who communicated with the innumerable avatars of the demon, would invariably bear the Mark of the demon.
These individuals were easy to distinguish. Each time Sanders encountered such beings, he could vaguely detect a nauseating scent clinging to them. Such characters were not uncommon in the Savage Grottoes, be they apprentices or wizards.
However, Angel was unique. When Sanders had met him before, there were no traces of any demon’s presence. It wasn’t until Angel admitted that he had made a pact with the Cruel Scholar that Sanders became aware of this arrangement.
“Elaborate on the process. Begin from when you descended into the underground passage and don’t leave out any details,” Sanders pressed.
Though bewildered, Angel began recounting his experience from the start, meticulously.
This time, Angel was exceptionally detailed, including the runes he saw in the underground passage, his attempts to open the door at the end… every detail, even his own thoughts and speculations, were presented without omission.
“… It could read minds. I didn’t say anything, but it already knew much about me… it also visited my Soul Realm…”
“Hold on!” Sanders interrupted, “Did the Cruel Scholar inspect the wound on your soul?”
Angel nodded.
“What were the results?” Sanders swallowed, his throat tightening. As Angel’s mentor, he knew well the situation of Angel’s soul. To others, the soul was fragile and vulnerable, but Angel’s soul was a taboo!
Even Sanders himself dared not investigate it directly. He could only conjecture from the side. Perhaps the most significant key to the ‘Nightmare Soul Body’ was the soul!
“I don’t know. I just remember seeing green runes appear… the primary consciousness of the Cruel Scholar exited my Soul Realm… I received a green rune representing ‘shield’… then Iuppiter woke up.”
Only now did Sanders understand that what he had felt earlier, a kind of veil-like thing enveloping Angel, was this ‘shield’ rune. However, this shield rune seemed to only block mind-reading.
What Angel spoke of next did not deviate much from his previous accounts, except he added some of his own thoughts. For instance, before he agreed to the Cruel Scholar’s proposition, he had actually deliberated for a long time.
After Angel finished, Sanders once again fell silent.
The Cruel Scholar abruptly exiting Angel’s Soul Realm, refraining from further probing, revealed a lot of information.
Sanders put himself in the Cruel Scholar’s shoes. If he were the Cruel Scholar, based on the outside world’s appraisal of it, it was an incredibly unique demon. More knowledgeable than many wizards, it was a demon intensely devoted to academic pursuits and research. Considering its pattern of behavior, upon discovering something unusual about Angel’s soul, it would undoubtedly be consumed with a desire to investigate and wouldn’t give up so readily. The only reason it might abandon the exploration is perhaps… it failed.
After clashing with the entity behind Angel’s soul, it was defeated.
This was the grandest possibility, and based upon this likelihood, all the subsequent actions taken by the Cruel Scholar, including his reluctance to Mark the True Name on Angel, all became explicable.
For the Mark of a True Name by a Demon God would inevitably be engraved on the soul!
The reason it didn’t proceed was simply because it dared not!
On reaching this realization, Sanders, in addition to a sigh of relief, grew increasingly curious about the entity that lay behind Angel’s soul. If even the might of the Great Demon God seemed insufficient in comparison, what secret could be so profound? But while his curiosity was piqued, he clearly understood an essential truth: curiosity could prove fatal, especially in the absence of adequate strength.
Therefore, the Cruel Scholar dared not Mark its True Name due to his curiosity about Angel, which is why he left the sculpture by Angel’s side, presumably to observe him through it?
If one follows this logic, all things fell into place.
Sanders felt that this was perhaps the real truth.
He conveyed his speculation succinctly to Angel, “Perhaps the Cruel Scholar fears the entity that lurks behind your soul, hence its reluctance to Mark its True Name.”
After a pause, Sanders added, “However, you need to remember that even if your soul is special, it doesn’t equate to your strength and could even become a potential risk. Furthermore, if your physical body perishes, your soul is merely a lonely boat in the endless universe, never reaching the other shore.”
Sanders uttered these words to make Angel realize that he should not place his hopes in unknown powers.
Only that which one controls and understands truly belongs to them.
Angel nodded as if enlightened, “So, will there be any risks for me to carry this statue? I heard from the Will of the Cruel Scholar that it seems usable, and I also met Iadase, who told me it’s a Relic. What is a Relic?”
“A Relic is a vessel that accommodates the descent of a Demon God’s Will,” Sanders explained. “And the so-called ‘usage’ is actually like the devout followers of an evil god, praying deep within their hearts for the mercy of the Demon God, who can then willingly descend his will.”
“Praying for the Demon God to descend will cost you more than you can imagine. Therefore, never use it.” As Sanders said this, his tone softened slightly, “As for whether this Relic will pose any risks, I am not sure yet. However, judging from your current situation which differs from others who have been Marked by the Demon God, even if there is any influence, it should be extremely limited. Once we return to the Savage Grottoes, I will check the historical records.”
“Moreover, this Relic can accommodate the Will of the Demon God, and it might have been observing you from the shadows. So, you better keep the green rune shield on at all times. If you need to do something secretive, try to open the Nightmare Domain as much as possible and leave it outside the Domain.”
After Sanders finished speaking, he looked at Angel and heaved a deep sigh.
Doesn’t it seem like this young man’s ability to court trouble is increasing by the day? It didn’t bother him when Angel was out of his sight, but now, even within La Sutherland, and within such a short time, he managed to attract the attention of a figure like the Cruel Scholar. Sanders rubbed his temples, a feeling of exhaustion washing over him.
Just as Sanders was sighing, the Void Obelisk suddenly began to shake violently.
The ceiling also began to sporadically rain down debris.
Angel and Sanders locked eyes, their figures springing into motion in the blink of an eye. Their proximity to the grand entrance allowed them to reach the doorway in a heartbeat.
The gateway, capacious enough to admit a titan, was flung wide open. Upon arriving, their first sight was the endless plume of dust churning beyond the entrance.
The dust, whether a byproduct of intense battle or an aftermath of La Sutherland’s collapse, was soon obscured by a swath of mist.
“Drip, drop…” A seductive, spectral female voice resonated in their ears out of the blue.
Then, a gentle drizzle began descending from the sky.
Observing the unfolding scene, a name simultaneously flickered through Angel and Sanders’s minds: Nythotep!
“Nythotep’s rainclouds have encapsulated the entire range of the Void Obelisk,” Sanders mused aloud, “What is she plotting?”
Chapter 1160 The Laudsourcian Offering <TOC> Chapter 1162 Creating a Path of Spirit Illusions