2: Chapter 2 First Test of Evil Power

Xiang Yan neither knew nor cared about Cassius's thoughts.

He discovered that, perhaps due to the planar travel, his power had changed; besides the Evil Sword Immortal's original abilities, new variations had emerged.

This evil power surging within him was mighty, like a blindfolded beast, requiring constant testing to be mastered.

He also couldn't help but marvel that he truly was the Evil Sword Immortal; his current heart was filled with manic desires for destruction, conquest, and control—five of the Seven Deadly Sins, practically.

His CPU was about to explode; if he didn't vent soon, he felt he would go mad eventually.

Xiang Yan turned and left, leaving only mottled wall shadows on the ruined street. He concealed his figure, silently merging into the shadows, and arrived at a massive slum on the city's edge.

This place was a swamp of despair.

Garbage piled up like mountains, emitting a nauseating stench. Ragged people wandered like walking dead, their numb eyes vacant and dull.

"This is... too perfect..." Xiang Yan curled his lips into a cold arc, negative energy flickering in his eyes as if he had found the perfect testing ground.

He released a trace of evil energy, silently invading those numb Souls. Whispers sounded in their ears, promising power, promising salvation, promising... a carnival of total subversion.

Inside an abandoned church, several ragged people knelt, their eyes shining with fanatic light. Before them, on a crude altar, sat a twisted and terrifying statue—it was Xiang Yan, pieced together from trash and rubble, yet given the revered title of "Evil Nightmare Immortal."

"You are our salvation! You are our God!" The Believers prayed fanatically, dedicating their Souls to that ethereal promise.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the slum, a tall woman was directing her subordinates as they dragged a desperately struggling young man. The woman's name was Aida, the leader of the largest Human Trafficking Organization on this planet.

"Let go of me! Let go of me!" The young man struggled wildly but was punched hard by Aida's subordinate and immediately quieted down.

"Hmph, refusing a toast only to drink a forfeit." Aida snorted coldly, watching her subordinate drag the young man into the warehouse. Business had been unusually good lately, with endless orders from unknown buyers, even making her overwhelmed.

Suddenly, Aida's gaze fell upon a strange symbol exposed on the young man's neck—the symbol was twisted and terrifying, like the claws of some creature.

"What is this thing?" Aida asked, frowning.

"Boss, he said... he said this is the Mark of God..." the subordinate replied timidly.

"The Mark of God?" Aida's heart skipped a beat. Connecting it to the recent abnormal market conditions, a vague sense of unease welled up.

"Do all these people captured recently have this mark?"

"It seems... they all seem to have it..." the subordinate answered fearfully, his voice trembling.

Alarm bells rang in Aida's heart, and a chill rushed from her feet straight to her head. She realized that something was quietly breeding on this planet, and she seemed to have inadvertently touched upon some taboo... Just then, a figure wrapped entirely in a black cloak appeared at the warehouse entrance, a hoarse voice echoing in the empty space:

"I need you to help me find someone..." The black-cloaked figure's hoarse voice made Aida even more uneasy.

Under the dim warehouse light, the black-cloaked figure threw out a chip: "Here are his portrait and some basic information."

Aida cautiously took the chip, not inserting it immediately, but tentatively asking, "Who are you? Why are you looking for him?"

The black-cloaked figure was silent for a moment, and an invisible sense of oppression spread: "I serve Lord Cassius."

Aida's heart trembled. Cassius, this name was like a nightmare, looming over this desolate planet. She was merely an ant struggling to survive and never imagined getting involved with such a behemoth.

"What do you want me to do?" Aida took a deep breath, trying hard to remain calm.

"Help me find him, no matter the cost." The black-cloaked figure's voice was deep and cold. "In return, Lord Cassius will grant you protection."

Aida hesitated. Although she was ruthless, she knew Cassius was not someone easily provoked. However, the terms Cassius offered were too tempting for her to refuse. Ultimately, greed overcame fear, and Aida agreed to Cassius's request.

She mobilized all her resources, scattering her informants across the planet, searching for any clues related to Xiang Yan. However, Xiang Yan seemed to have vanished into thin air, leaving no trace.

Days passed, and Aida grew increasingly anxious. The deadline Cassius gave her was approaching, but she still had nothing. If she couldn't find Xiang Yan, she would face Cassius's wrath, and the consequences would be unimaginable.

"Damn it! Where the hell is he hiding?" Aida irritably smashed the wine glass in her hand. The crimson liquid splashed all over her, seemingly foreshadowing an ominous sign.

Just then, a subordinate rushed in, sweating profusely, and said, "Boss, there's... there's a big deal..."

Aida impatiently waved her hand: "What big deal? Can't you see I'm busy worrying? I won't see anyone!"

"But... but this deal... the client... the client is offering a very high price..." The subordinate hesitated, afraid to finish his sentence.

"High? How high could it be?" Aida sneered. "In this godforsaken place, what kind of business is worth me handling personally?"

The subordinate took a deep breath and plucked up the courage to say, "The client... the client wants us to... kidnap... kidnap..."

"Kidnap what? Speak!" Aida suddenly stood up, a sense of foreboding rising in her heart.

"Kidnap... kidnap the son of the Great Warlord... Sennier!"

"What?!" Aida jumped up from her chair in shock, the crimson wine dripping down her skirt and staining the floor. "Say that again, kidnap who?!"

The subordinate flinched, startled by Aida's sudden rage, and stammered, "Kid... kidnap... Lord Sennier's... son..."

"Insane! This is absolutely insane!" Aida paced back and forth in the room furiously. "Who has the audacity to target Sennier's son?!" She suddenly stopped, grabbed the subordinate's collar, and asked through gritted teeth, "Who instructed you to say this?!"

The subordinate turned pale, terrified by Aida's fierce gaze, and stammered, "N-no one instructed me... it was... the client approached us directly... saying... if we could pull this off... they would... they would give us... five hundred million Star Coins..."

Five hundred million Star Coins?! Aida's heart trembled. This was no small amount; it was enough for her and her subordinates to live comfortably for the rest of their lives on this desolate planet.

"Five hundred million... Why would they want Sennier's son's life for so much money..." Aida muttered, a greedy light flashing in her eyes.

The subordinate swallowed, carefully saying, "Boss, this... this is a hot potato... Do we really want to take it?"

Aida took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. She certainly knew the immense risk of kidnapping Sennier's son; if they failed, she and her subordinates would face utter destruction.

"Who is the client?" Aida asked.

"They... they call themselves the 'Emissaries of God'..." The subordinate hesitated but answered truthfully.

"Emissaries of God?!" Aida was stunned, then seemed to realize something, and her expression immediately turned extremely ugly. "Are they those crazy cultists who appeared recently?!"

...In the dim Underground Temple, a nauseating stench of blood and decay permeated the air.

Xiang Yan sat on a throne built of white bones, his crimson eyes indifferently watching the young man tied up and thrown at his feet.

"W-who are you? What do you want?!" The young man struggled in terror but couldn't break free from his restraints.

"I am God, the sole Dominator of this world." Xiang Yan's voice was deep and hoarse, like a whisper from the abyss. "You are honored to become my most faithful Believer."

As soon as he finished speaking, Xiang Yan stretched out his palm and pressed it onto the young man's forehead.

The young man began to wail in pain, his body convulsing violently, as if he were undergoing unspeakable torture.

"No... please no!" The young man cried out desperately, his voice gradually weakening.

A cruel smile curled on Xiang Yan's lips, and his crimson eyes flickered with a sinister light.

The young man's struggles gradually subsided, and his eyes became intensely fanatic.

"Master..." He knelt before Xiang Yan, speaking in an extremely agitated voice.

"Very good." Xiang Yan nodded in satisfaction. "Now, go perform a play with the other Believers, so your father can 'reasonably' rescue you."

"As you wish, my Lord!"

On the other side of the desolate planet, Nelson was pacing anxiously back and forth in a room.

"Still no news?!" he roared at the soldier before him, his voice filled with anxiety and rage.

The soldier lowered his head, not daring to meet Nelson's eyes. "Reporting, General, there is still no news of Young Master Kleid..."

"Trash! All of you are trash!" Cassius kicked over the table beside him, and the wine bottles on it crashed to the ground, making a crisp shattering sound.

Just then, a soldier rushed in hurriedly. "R-reporting, General! There is news, there is news of Young Master Kleid!"

"What?!" Sennier was stunned for a moment, then shouted ecstatically, "Quick! Tell me now!"

The soldier gasped for breath and quickly reported: "Young Master Kleid was kidnapped by a group of unidentified people, but fortunately, they don't seem intent on harming him. Instead... instead, they want him to deliver some kind of message."

"A message? What message?" Nelson frowned, a sense of foreboding rising in his heart.

"We are not clear on the exact message, but the kidnappers left a clue, telling us to go to a specified location to retrieve Young Master Kleid." The soldier handed over a note with an address written on it: an abandoned warehouse on the city's edge.

Nelson took the note, his gaze resting on the address for a moment, then decisively ordered: "Gather all available forces! We must act immediately and bring Kleid back safely!"

Inside the warehouse, the young man controlled by Xiang Yan—Kleid—was "rehearsing" a "rescue" scene according to Xiang Yan's instructions, along with a group of equally brainwashed Believers. Their eyes were vacant and fanatical, as if they had completely lost themselves.

When Nelson's troops surrounded the warehouse and prepared to carry out the rescue, Kleid suddenly "woke up" and shouted with all his might, "Father! I'm here! Hurry and save me!"

Nelson heard his son's voice, felt a surge of joy, and immediately commanded the soldiers to rush into the warehouse.

However, one of the Believers suddenly opened the warehouse door, and another Believer held a gun to Kleid's head.

"General, please stop, or your son's head will become fireworks."

Nelson's face darkened watching this scene. He asked in a deep voice, "What exactly do you want?"

"General Nelson, we do not wish to be your enemy, but your son is crucial to us. What we require is that secret document in your hands."

"Who are you working for?" Nelson asked tentatively, while secretly assessing the situation and searching for a possible Breakthrough.

The Believer chuckled lightly, not answering directly, but pressing the gun tighter against Kleid's head, signaling Nelson not to act rashly. "General, time is precious; we don't have much patience. Either you hand over the document, and we ensure your son's safety; or, we witness a tragedy together."

Nelson's hands were tightly clenched into fists, his nails almost digging into his palms; his inner struggle was evident. He knew that handing over the document meant abandoning years of effort, but if he didn't, his son's life hung in the balance.

Suddenly, having seemingly received some message, Nelson's lips twitched, as if he wanted to smile.

He immediately followed up, saying, "I'll hand it over, I'll hand it over! Please don't harm my son."

While speaking, he made a covert gesture.

The few Believers closest to Kleid suddenly went limp and collapsed.

"Open fire!"

The moment the few Believers fell, Nelson roared.

Instantly, bullets rained down, and the Believers fell one after another until the last one was eliminated.

Nelson quickly ran to his son and untied him.

"Father, I'm scared. I want to go home."

"Alright, alright, we're going home."

"What are you standing around for, you bunch of trash? Hurry up and take my son back to rest."