Facing an Ancient God for a Year

“Then let’s not waste any more time,”

Ailina, after turning into her darker self, had become even more decisive and ruthless compared to before, and upon agreeing with Fu Qian’s judgment, she immediately gave the order.

“Assuming these people seek purification after each killing, the statue must be not too far off, otherwise they would lose too much time just going back and forth.”

“Agreed, in fact, I think we can give it a try over there.”

Fu Qian pointed towards the distance.

Following the edge of the body of water in front of them, looking all the way down. A building could be seen carved into a sloping wall.

...

It wasn’t very large and wasn’t very noticeable without a close look.

But whether it’s the distance, the direction, or the angle, from any perspective, if their base was over there and then they came here to hunt, it would undoubtedly be very suitable.

It’s well worth exploring.

Speaking of which, it shouldn’t have been so troublesome; there probably weren’t many among them with integrity. The one caught earlier, desperate to live, would surely have confessed if asked.

Unfortunately, Ailina was just too ruthless, not leaving a single survivor.

And speaking of that…

Fu Qian looked at Ailina, who was leading the way beside him.

The contrast between her behavior before and after being wounded was stark; her transformation from a Saintess to a fallen one was instantaneous.

Not to mention her personality, even the form of her abilities had switched; her current state was quite concerning.

“This is the ability I was born with.”

Ailina, seeming to have noticed Fu Qian’s confusion, wrapped Black Snake around her hand as she spoke on the move.

“But my father did not like it.”

“To free me from this dark power, he tried everything until, ultimately, he used my talent to turn me into the completely opposite form.”

“It’s just a pity that this reversal wasn’t so stable. In one operation, I accidentally killed him, and afterwards, I found myself in this redemption game.” 𐍂ἁΝоᛒÊṤ

While speaking these words, Ailina’s expression fell into a strange serenity as if telling an inconsequential triviality.

“Actually, I think this is quite good… If sin really can be purified, then I can confirm which part of the inner struggle I’ve had over the years is the illusion.”

“Don’t be confused, Ailina, you can definitely free yourself from that dark influence,”

Listening to Ailina’s narrative, Cross, who had been silent for a long time, finally couldn’t resist speaking up.

“Maybe, but actually, I think it’s quite nice like this!”

Upon hearing this, Ailina let out a light laugh and turned her head to look at Fu Qian.

“What about you? Do you also think I’m in a state of evil that needs to be purified?”

“Judge for yourself, I don’t know you well,”

Fu Qian simply glanced at her casually.

“And don’t expect me to tell you that the goodness or evilness of a power depends only on the person using it, and that simply being yourself is enough, that kind of cliché. The world is far from that simple.”

“Well said… It looks like I’ll have to keep being confused.”

After hearing Fu Qian’s words, Ailina was initially stunned and then revealed a peculiar smile.

“Don’t want to be confused? It’s simple, pick a side regardless of good or evil, and be prepared to face the consequences.”

“For example, when the day comes that you are bound to a pyre and burned to death, don’t cry that you were just confused for a moment.”

Haha!

After listening to Fu Qian, Ailina pondered for a while and actually laughed out loud.

“That makes sense, teaming up with you really was a wise decision!”

“Whether it’s wise or not, you can think about it slowly, right now we have visitors,”

Fu Qian stopped bantering with her and gestured for her to look ahead.

In the brief time they were talking, a figure had appeared in the distance, slowly approaching the three of them.

…

Having learned from the previous lesson, Cross immediately stepped in front of Ailina, while the latter’s hands were engulfed in swirling black mist.

“Please don’t misunderstand,”

the newcomer stopped at a certain distance and called out directly to them.

From this position, it was possible to see that the person was of average height, had an elegant appearance, and neatly combed hair, resembling a university professor at first glance.

“My team and I harbor no ill intentions towards you.”

“Really? Then can you explain what you’re doing here?”

Ailina, now darker in demeanor, let out a cold snort.

“Quite simple, first is to apologize for the recent conflict, and second, to see if there’s any possibility of cooperating with you three.”

The man seemed unconcerned by her tone.

“The recent conflict… so it was indeed your people!”

Ailina quickly seized the point.

“Cooperation? How do I know this isn’t another trap!”

“Indeed, that possibility cannot be excluded, so I’ll just lay out the facts, and you can judge for yourself, Ms. Ailina.”

The man actually called out Ailina’s name directly.

“You know me?”

Ailina frowned upon hearing this, sizing up the stranger who clearly wasn’t on her list of known participants before.

“Of course, you have to understand that as the weaker party in this competition, there are not many forces we can rely on.”

The man still wore a smiling expression.

“To be fair, let me introduce myself first. I’m Lin En, one of the prisoners in this competition.”

“It’s quite simple, to maximize our chances of survival until the end, I’ve organized a group of like-minded individuals to try and seize some initiative. The ones who offended you three are among the members of this group.”

…

Clearly, this Lin En was quite eloquent, and he elucidated the current situation in just a few words.

According to him, he picked and organized a dozen or so skilled individuals and promptly dispersed to search for statues.

After finding them, they would regroup to hunt other solitary participants, accumulating Sinflame and then purifying it at the statues.

The group of four from earlier was one of those teams.

Now it was clear why the Sin Seekers had appeared so early this time.

“…obviously, we now face a common threat.”

After introducing his side of the story, Lin En looked at Ailina earnestly.

“Butcher is accumulating Sinflame very quickly, and considering his past actions, we have virtually no power to confront him head-on. Our only hope is the Sin Seekers.”

“Not to mention there’s been an unexpected development.”

At the mention of an unexpected development, Fu Qian looked up at Lin En.

“You encountered the Butcher just now?”

“Yes.”

Lin En was very honest.

“It took us a great deal of effort to divert him, and at the moment he can’t find this place, but it’s clear something has happened beyond our planning.”

“The Sin Seekers aren’t going after him, are they?”

Ailina also caught on by then and let out a mocking laugh.

“You knew?”

Lin En immediately showed surprise.

“Of course we knew, and we also know exactly who it is after.”

Ailina looked behind Lin En.

“From the looks of it, your plan hasn’t been as effective as you imagined.”

“There’s no need for more prattle, take us to the statue,”

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