Way of the Devil 411 Mission 2

 He stood up and looked down on his robes, realized it was filled with holes, and let out a small laugh. Then he walked up to the door and knocked on a hidden compartment.

 "Bring me a robe."

 "Yes, Sir!"

 Soon, a disciple delivered a white-golden robe. Lu Sheng put it on, and opened the stone door.

 Only the female disciple from before was waiting quietly outside. As he looked around, the hallways of the palace were all empty and quiet. Clearly, most people had gone to the frontlines to battle the Devil Calamity.

 "Prefectural Sect Master," the girl greeted him respectfully.

 "Where is everyone else?" Lu Sheng asked casually. 

 "Most are exterminating the leftover Devils in surrounding towns, Prefectural Sect Master. The Devil Army suddenly retreated, and started to hold one position, neither attacking nor retreating. No one knows what they plan to do," the girl reported truthfully.

 Lu Sheng nodded, and ordered her to bring some food, then started to feast in the secret chamber. The Thousand Sun Sect was truly the richest among the three sect. They provided all kinds of extremely nourishing medicine and food like they cost nothing. By his rough estimate, Lu Sheng had eaten at least several tens of Devil Gold's worth of rare food items before replenishing the energy he'd expended transforming his body.

 He ordered the female disciple to leave, and closed the stone door once again. Sitting inside the secret chamber, he opened his palm and looked at the eye-catching 'Evil' symbol.

 The Yang Essence, disguised as the golden True Qi of Thousand Sun Sect, slowly infused itself into the symbol.

 "Hisss!"

 Everything centered around the 'Evil' symbol was gradually dyed gray. All color faded as the walls burned and dissipated like burning paper.

 By the time Lu Sheng reacted, he was shocked to realize he was sitting at the edge of a pool filled with black water.

 Ruins of a huge palace surrounded him. The rectangular pool, which looked like some sort of royal bathhouse, was churning with a black stream. Occasionally, a dead body and its hair would float up to the surface, then sink back.

 He stood up, and surveyed his surroundings. A strange and familiar energy filled the air, letting him know he'd truly entered the World of Pain.

 'What is this place?' Lu Sheng frowned. Black pillars filled his surroundings.

 A dangerous scent lingered in the air. It was clearly not a safe place.

 'I'd best leave first.' He cautiously walked along the black pool, and soon left the pool behind and exited through the palace gate.

 The moment he left the gate, Lu Sheng skillfully controlled the Yang Essence in his body to pull his organs to create pain.

 His eyes flashed, and everything became clearer as if a layer of window paper was ripped off. 

 He looked back into the palace, and saw that a figure with long black hair falling behind it was slowly standing up in the black pool, and seemed to be looking at him.

 His heart jumped, and Lu Sheng quickly walked out of the palace's ruins. The main street of the town was directly outside of the palace. He walked along it, and soon reached the school-like four story building from the last time.

 The building was still quiet. Its gates were wide open, and made a creaking noise as they swayed in the wind.

 Lu Sheng paused, then quickly walked in front of the iron gates. Suddenly, something flashed in his eyes, and the shape of Xiao Zizhu appeared.

 "Let's go. I have waited for a long time. During this sacrifice, you and a few other new members must make a pledge." Judging by his hoarse female voice, Shizi Xing was obviously dwelling within Xiao Zizhu's body. 

 "Pledge?" Lu Sheng narrowed his eyes.

 "Go in. You will find out soon." Xiao Zizhu smiled, but it looked quite strange because of the body's stiff face. 

 He turned around and strolled toward the building, with Lu Sheng following tightly behind.

 The two reached the stairs on the first floor of the building at a moderate pace, then walked step by step to the second floor. Shizi Xing stopped in front of the third room on the second floor, and lightly pushed open the door

 "Creak."

 The door opened slowly, and exposed a spacious room.

 It was a spacious hall filled with tightly positioned chairs. A countless number of them formed an oval shape, surrounding a small podium at the center.

 Ten figures sat scattered among the seats. All wore black robes, and came in all shapes and sizes.

 But Lu Sheng's attention was drawn immediately to the podium rather than the people among the audience.

 On the gray oval podium, a skinny man in a goat mask was holding an iron rod. He slowly stabbed it through a naked blond woman's mouth, all the way until she was nailed to the ground.

 The goat mask spread his arms and, with a hint of laugher, proclaimed, "This is the punishment for traitors. Do you see, everyone?"

 An old man with a bent back and a necklace shining with blue light in front of his chest said slowly, "Traitors do not need to be saved. The world will blind their view, and pain will rob their wills to live."

 "Elder Wei is right. Traitors should suffer eternal pain!"

 "Her head should be cut off, her body left for the filthiest swamp, and may she be reborn as a retard for all lives to come!"

 "Throw her spirit into the Gray Flame, burn her! Burn her!!"

 Everyone seated started to issue fanatic shouts.

 By then, Xiao Zizhu had brought Lu Sheng into the room, which was noticed by the goat mask. He abruptly pointed at Xiao Zizhu.

 "It happens another new recruit just came in. The previous recruit was disobedient, and had been captured by Master Shizi Xing as a vessel. We have another unfamiliar recruit today, and that should be three with the previous two!

 "Could they endure the gaze of Mother of Pain?"

 "Enough, Xi Fu. I don't have much time, the sacrifice must begin immediately!" Xiao Zizhu, or Shizi Xing, very rudely interrupted the goat mask's speech.

 "So be it. Then, which Evil Art Master would like to preside over it today?" The goat masked waved his hand.

 "I will." The old man with a blue necklace from before slowly stood up, and walked onto the podium.

 "The three new recruits, please step up." He raised his hand and motioned for them to come forward.

 Instantly, Lu Sheng felt that his body was surrounded by a swirl of gray mist, which quickly dragged him toward the podium.

 He didn't resist, and allowed the gray mist to drag him along.

 Two other people, one male and one female, came with him. The male wore a tiger mask, while the female didn't hide her face. Her face looked cold but pretty.

 The three of them arrived on the podium and stood on three sides, keeping a safe distance.

 "We offer the praise of life to the almighty Mother of Pain." The old man raised his hands high after all three had taken their positions.

 "The Earth weeps, the Heaven cries. The water of the ocean surges violently, while the rivers fall into a deathly silence. The cycle of the four seasons stops, like a lake of destruction. The feathers of birds turns into hope and resolve, while hope surpasses everything in the mind—bravery, pain, sadness, pity…"

 As the old man sung the strange hymn, the goat mask slowly pointed at Lu Sheng and the other two.

 A brief message instantly appeared in Lu Sheng's head. Surprised, he hurriedly closed his eyes, and tried to understand it.

 'Eltina, a small Outer World under the rule of Tree Demons with 560,000 residents.

 'Because of light, because of hope and peace, they lived in a deformed world without pain. They forgot the sin that came with their birth, and only knew how to greedily enjoy the offerings of nature, with no intention of paying back.

 'A few of the believers of the Mother of Pain experienced an accidental epiphany, and decided to give up all they had in order to atone.

 'Under the lead of a Believer of Pain, through blood sacrifice and the ancient covenant, they sought help from our Black Society.

 'You must fulfill their wish and destroy the 560,000 parasites of nature within Eltina. Allow the world to return onto its normal track. You must also extract the successful material from the previous time.'

 Lu Sheng had a general understanding of his mission after the message.

 He raised his head to look at the other two. The woman with a cold but pretty face didn't look good, and he could tell she was struggling despite the colorless world.

 "Now, we begin." The old man finally finished his hymn, and pointed toward the dead female body at the center.

 The body, along with the iron rod, instantly turned into a pool of thick black mud, emitting a bloody smell.

 "Jump in," the old man said in a low voice.

 The man with the tiger mask jumped into the pool of mud first, without any hesitation.

 "Whoosh."

 The man fell straight in as if an endless pit was below the surface of the pool.

 The woman jumped in second.

 Lu Sheng took a deep breath, and felt all the gazes train in on him. He followed suit and jumped.

 "Whoosh."

 His eyes were filled with gray. His body fell straight down as if he dropped into a deep, empty pit.

 After an unknown amount of time, the gray in his eyes faded, replaced by the light of a faint yellow fire.

 Lu Sheng blinked, and realized he was standing alone on a three-story-tall gray altar. The edge was filled with both males and females writhing in pain.

 The altar was within an underground cavern, lit by the faint yellow light of torches placed around it.

 "Emissary! Emissary!" Several tens of males and females in dark green armor made out of vines kneeled on the ground beneath the altar, praying loudly toward Lu Sheng.

 'Destroy all lives in this city? And extract material.' Lu Sheng remembered his mission. Even though his Yin Flame achieved a breakthrough, he still wasn't sure he could disobey Shizi Xing.

 Shizi Xing had easily eliminated Xiao Zizhu, and also had the home field advantage. She was clearly both mysterious and powerful, and Lu Sheng didn't plan to disobey her before understanding the power system of the World of Pain. After all, he didn't think his recent breakthrough meant he could even stand as her equal.

 Since resistance wasn't an option, then the only choice left was to complete the mission.

 Lu Sheng looked at the Tree Demon believers. Their Essence Qi had been depleted, and they were basically dead.

 "Accept this eternal salvation!!"

 Suddenly, the whole cavern shook as an angry roar came all the way from the ground level.

 Through the shock to the spirit, the voice somehow clearly conveyed its message without any language acting as a medium.

 "Boom!!"

 A thick and enormous green trident penetrated the top of the cavern with a boom, shooting straight for the altar.

 The trident was about five, six meters thick, while a huge white centaur wearing a white crown followed behind.

 The elderly centaur looked ancient, with a goatee growing on his chin. His eyes were red, while the muscles all over his body looked as sturdy as steel.

 He waved his trident while his body slammed its way through the rock and stalagmite, aiming straight for the altar.

 "Divine Weapon?!" Lu Sheng was about to block, but abruptly realized that the unique wave of Divine Weapons was emitting from the trident the elderly centaur held.

 "Stop, Verdant King!" One of the Believers of Pain stood up—a muscular and bald man. He was holding a petite and delicate girl.

 "I have the next Tree Demon Princess. If you want her to live…"[ED/N: Before glass panes, the windows in China had paper in them. It's distant history, though.]

Chapter end