313: cuckoo taking over the nest

Karon trembled with rage, veins bulging beneath his ritual robes: “You are courting death.”

He suddenly struck out with a palm, the force carrying a corrosive aura straight toward Shang Wan Ning's face.

This strike utilized seventy percent of his Flesh and Blood Power, clearly intending to kill this outsider instantly.

Mordecai cried out in alarm, and Angmar's compound eyes finally glowed red.

[Hmph, an ant.]

But the palm force, three feet away from Shang Wan Ning, was like hitting cotton, instantly dissipating without a trace.

Shang Wan Ning didn't even move; she merely lifted her eyelids.

Karon let out a miserable scream, staggered back a few steps clutching his chest, and black blood spilled from the corner of his mouth.

He watched his palm in horror, the skin on it visibly festering at a rapid speed.

"Lord City Master, what is the punishment according to Wormrock City rules for attacking an equivalent Candidate Priest?" Shang Wan Ning looked at Angmar.

Angmar's tentacles twitched: "A tenth of the Flesh and Blood Artisan's supply is revoked, three months of house arrest, and facing the wall in contemplation."

Karon slumped onto the ground, his eyes trembling slightly. He couldn't understand why this move, which had previously allowed him to successfully ambush and kill a Great Mage across ranks, had failed.

[This time, why was I countered by a wandering, rootless outsider???]

The surrounding laughter had long ceased. Everyone lowered their heads, even softening their breathing. The Supervisors who had joined in the jeering earlier were now drenched in cold sweat.

At this moment, one of Karon's confidantes, a High-level Supervisor in charge of the Flesh and Blood Warehouse, couldn't help but shout: "He definitely used a forbidden technique! How could an outsider possibly..."

Before he could finish speaking, his four limbs twisted at grotesque angles, followed by several sharp 'crack' sounds; the entire person became a mangled, bloody mess twisted into a pretzel shape.

It landed with a 'thud' right beside Karon's feet.

Shang Wan Ning dusted the ash from her sleeve: "Does anyone else have questions? This Seat can give them a few pointers, free of charge."

The hall was utterly silent, as if even the light from the Fleshy Tumor Lanterns had solidified.

During the latter half of the banquet, no one dared to utter another word. Mordecai kept his head down the entire time, not even daring to look at Shang Wan Ning.

[The Shadow Erosion I just introduced—how is he a Black Mage? He's clearly a God of Slaughter. That idiot Karon attacked with seventy percent of his power, only to be shaken until he vomited blood, and his confidante Supervisor was twisted into a pretzel in the blink of an eye.]

[These methods are so ruthless they make one's bones go soft.]

The red light in Angmar's compound eyes flickered slightly, and a tentacle coiled around a dripping piece of meat and stuffed it into his suction-cup mouthpart.

"Shadow Eater Candidate Priest, excellent technique."

Shang Wan Ning tucked her withered hands back into her sleeves, her voice hoarse: "Lord City Master is too kind. I merely cleaned up some noisy bugs, lest they disturb the sanctity of the Mother Goddess's Sacred Ground."

Angmar nodded approvingly, the crystalline points of his compound eyes flickering erratically.

Inside the hall, only the pattering sound of dripping mucus and Karon's suppressed groans of pain remained.

The banquet ended hastily. Mordecai, bowing low, led Shang Wan Ning and the other three toward the upper levels of the spire, his bony feet squeaking on the Flesh Carpet.

"Shadow Erosion Master, please be magnanimous..." His throat was dry. "That fool Karon was blind and offended you. I have prepared the 'Meditation Chamber' on the top floor of the spire for you, which has excellent views and is closest to the Mother Goddess's power."

He pushed open a bone door inlaid with crystals.

The room was several times wider than the Ossuary Chamber. Luminous marrow stones were embedded in the flesh walls, and the floor was covered with thick beast hides.

There was even a small Blood Pool in the corner, bubbling with pure energy bubbles.

"Master, please look. This Blood Pool draws the Essence of the Tower Heart, which is highly beneficial for meditation. Please settle down with your apprentices; just command if you need anything." Mordecai's tone was extremely fawning.

Shang Wan Ning nodded slightly in her hood, waving her withered hand dismissively. "Thank you for your trouble, Mordecai Priest."

"Hahaha, it's nothing, nothing!" Mordecai closed the door while backing away, as if granted a great pardon.

As soon as the door closed, Chen Yu immediately pulled off her hood and gasped for air: "I was suffocating! When that old bug's compound eyes swept over, This Old Lady's hair stood on end."

You Yu quickly inspected the room, while Tudor tapped his finger on the flesh wall to sense the energy flow.

Shang Wan Ning removed her hood, revealing her cold, severe face. The withered disguise faded, and she toyed with the pure white bead refined from the copper basin.

"Your Majesty!"

You Yu whispered, "Mordecai's attitude changed too quickly; I fear there might be a trap."

"No matter."

Shang Wan Ning crushed the bead, and the energy dispersed into the air. "He's scared, and wants to placate us with favors. Perfect, it saves Us the trouble."

The night deepened, and the tower fell silent. The throbbing of the flesh walls became the only background noise.

"Knock, knock." A very light knocking sound.

A roll of parchment was slipped under the door crack.

You Yu picked it up and unfolded it. It was a partial map of Wormrock City, marked with several red crosses—likely a map of the internal power distribution.

"Mordecai's 'sincerity'." Shang Wan Ning glanced at it, and a Ghostly Flame ignited on her fingertip, burning the parchment to ash.

"Hah, he knows what's up!"

At midnight, Chen Yu, like an agile cat, silently slipped into Shang Wan Ning's room.

Familiar with the routine, she lifted the beast hide blanket and slipped inside, wrapping her cool hands and feet directly around Shang Wan Ning's warm waist, rubbing her head against the Empress's neck hollow.

"Your Majesty..." Her warm breath tickled the ear, and her lips pressed against the collarbone for a few kisses.

Shang Wan Ning closed her eyes but didn't push her away. "Not cultivating in the middle of the night? Are you feeling restless again?"

Chen Yu lowered her voice, her breath puffing against the skin: "I can't calm down. That old monster Angmar is strange. During the banquet, he watched you deal with Karon without even blinking his compound eyes."

"When Karon ambushed you, his tentacles didn't even twitch... that is definitely not the reaction of a Magister!"

She raised her head, her eyes gradually brightening in the darkness. "I suspect he crossed the Rank Seven threshold long ago. He's Sabrina's eyes and enforcer placed on the continent."

Shang Wan Ning finally opened her eyes.

She held another purified white bead in her palm, playing with it. The bead flickered and jumped between her fingers, reflecting the dim light in her eyes.

"We knew that long ago," her voice was flat.

"He thought he hid well, but that faint aura of a Subordinate God is no different from holding a torch in the dark to Us."

Chen Yu was stunned: "Then why did Your Majesty still..."

"The Ativi Continent is far more interesting than expected." Shang Wan Ning applied pressure with her fingertip, and the white bead shattered into points of light with a 'snap'.

She turned sideways, her dark gold pupils locking onto Chen Yu. "A-Yu, what do you think about... the magpie occupying the cuckoo's nest?"

Chen Yu didn't understand: "Huh?"

Shang Wan Ning's lips curved into a cold arc: "Little by little, we hollow out Sabrina's old nest. Angmar's position, the authority of Wormrock City, the resources of the Gray Mist Territory... Finally, when the mother of flesh and blood returns, she'll find her home occupied by Us, unable to even get a warm meal. How about that?"

Chen Yu's breath hitched, her heart pounding wildly, and blood rushed to her head.

[Overturning the entire Wormrock City and seizing an Outer God's lair? Are we crazy... but damn, that's exciting! If this job succeeds, how many times will the bonus multiply?]