141: The fear of the evil god cult

The headquarters of the Evil God Cult, the Shadow Hall.

Unlike the tense efficiency of the Donghai City Psionic Bureau, the atmosphere here was as oppressive as the dead silence before a storm.

Around a massive long table sat a dozen or so figures, scattered sparsely.

Each one of them radiated a terrifying aura as deep as an abyss.

Distorted light and shadow swirled around them, blurring their faces and leaving only faint glimpses of non-human features.

They were the true high-ranking members of the Evil God Cult, holding the authority over this vast and dark network.

Yet at this moment, these beings, who were usually enough to make an entire region tremble, were all silent without exception.

The air was thick with a mixture of shock, anger, and a hint of indefinable... unease.

The Eternal Life Cult had been annihilated.

This news was like a heavy sledgehammer, slamming hard into the hearts of every attendee.

“The news has been confirmed...”

After a long while, a raspy voice that sounded like countless voices overlapping slowly spoke, breaking the dead silence.

“The Yongsheng Cult Leader is confirmed dead. The High Priest, all Elder-level backbone members, and thousands of core followers... completely wiped out.”

“The heart of the evil god was thoroughly destroyed.”

As each word was uttered, the atmosphere in the hall grew a degree colder.

“It’s Chen Nian!”

Another voice chimed in, sharp and filled with uncontrollable hostility.

“Besides him, there isn't a second lunatic in Donghai City who could do such a thing!”

“Furthermore, according to the Eternal Life Cult's reports, they did indeed go to contact Chen Nian today as planned.”

Yet another voice spoke, its tone filled with disbelief and a sense of absurdity.

“Contact? Recruit? They ‘contacted’ the entire Eternal Life Cult right out of existence?!”

Voices of fear rang out one after another at the scene.

They couldn't understand it.

According to the plan, the Eternal Life Cult was supposed to go with enough ‘sincerity,’ demonstrating power, promising great rewards, and even revealing some of the cult's deeper secrets to show trust.

The worst outcome should have been nothing more than the negotiations falling through, Chen Nian refusing, and both parties parting on bad terms.

They had even prepared for the contact team to be casually eliminated by Chen Nian.

While that would be a loss, it was within acceptable limits; at the very least, it would further clarify Chen Nian's attitude and bottom line.

But who could have imagined... Chen Nian didn't play by the rules at all!

He actually charged straight into the Eternal Life Cult's headquarters!

Then, with his own power, he completely crushed this cult stronghold—which had been operated for centuries—into dust, from top to bottom, inside and out!

This wasn't a negotiation. This wasn't a conflict.

This was destruction!

It was a total, merciless extermination that left no room for anything else!

“A lunatic... he’s truly an unreasonable lunatic!” a figure shrouded in green mist cursed in a low voice. “Doesn't he consider the consequences at all? Doesn't he care if he provokes even more powerful existences because of this? What on earth does he want?!”

“What does he want?” The crimson gaze in the main seat flickered, and the voice took on a bone-chilling coldness. “His goal has always been very clear: slaughter.”

“In his eyes, we—or rather, the Eternal Life Cult—are no different from those Demonic Evils wandering in the wild. We are all just consumables to satisfy his desire for slaughter.”

These words caused all the high-level members present to feel an inexplicable chill.

Yes, consumables.

This realization made them extremely uncomfortable, and they even felt a hint of humiliation.

They, the Evil God Cult, had dominated the dark world for many years.

They stirred up trouble and caused even the Spiritual Energy General Bureau a massive headache.

And yet, now a lunatic had inexplicably appeared and treated them as targets to be hunted.

At this moment, the being in the main seat spoke slowly, suppressing all the noise.

“Arguing about this now is meaningless.”

“I only care about two things right now.”

All the figures quieted down and looked toward the main seat.

“First, just how much does Chen Nian know about us from the Eternal Life Cult?”

“Did that old fox, the Yongsheng Cult Leader, reveal something he shouldn't have in order to save his life before he died?”

This question made everyone's hearts leap into their throats.

After Chen Nian took down a stronghold of the Corpse Ghost Cult, it wasn't long before he went straight to the Corpse Ghost Cult's headquarters and uprooted it entirely.

They were deeply impressed by this ruthless streak of seeking revenge for every grievance and following clues to the source.

If Chen Nian really obtained clues about the Evil God Cult's headquarters from the Eternal Life Cult... the thought of that god of slaughter following the trail here made even these cult tycoons, who were used to great storms, break out in a cold sweat.

That kind of unstoppable, absolutely crushing power belonged to a Domain they could not comprehend.

The being in the main seat was silent for a moment, the crimson light in his eyes appearing to grow even deeper.

“Second, our previous assessment of him might have been completely wrong.”

“We thought he was just a lone wolf with great power who could be tempted by profit or strength.”

“But now it seems his will is terrifyingly firm, and his goals are frighteningly clear.”

“He is not chaos, but another form of... order. An absolute order that belongs only to him, centered on slaughter and plunder!”

“For such an existence, contact and recruitment are meaningless. All we can do is stay as far away from him as possible.”

Upon hearing this, the hall fell into a long silence once more.

Fear, like vines, quietly coiled around everyone's hearts.

They suddenly realized that the power, influence, and secrecy they had always relied upon seemed fragile and pathetic before the man named Chen Nian.

He didn't need schemes, and he didn't need a faction; he only needed to find you, and then destroy you.

Simple, crude, yet effective to the extreme.

“Then what should we do next?”

After a long while, someone asked in a low voice, a hint of undetectable cowardice in their tone.

The being in the main seat took a deep breath and continued:

“Restraint.”

“Order all peripheral organizations to enter a silent state for the near future. Stop all large-scale activities. Raise the defense levels of the headquarters and all major branches to the maximum.”

“Without my order, no one is allowed to provoke Chen Nian again, let alone attempt any form of contact with him!”

“We will first... lie low for a while.”

These words, coming from the supreme leader of the Evil God Cult, carried an indefinable sense of frustration and helplessness.

But no one raised an objection.

In the face of incomprehensibly powerful strength, a temporary retreat was not shameful.

Only by staying alive can there be a future.

“I hope that old thing from the Eternal Life Cult died with enough backbone and didn't say anything...” one high-level member murmured to himself, as if praying.

This had almost become the only thought they could use to comfort themselves at this moment.