Upon hearing the word "believer," the body before him trembled almost imperceptibly.
"I don't care who you were or what you did before, because none of that matters to me. In this world, no one can betray me."
The voice that murmured was very magnetic, and its calm tone was full of confidence.
"Will you die here in such a miserable state, or will you follow me and start a new life? Tell me... your answer." The murmured voice narrowed its eyes slightly.
One second, two seconds, three seconds...
The body remained motionless, as if dead.
Just as Yiyu was about to lose patience, the charred body swayed, shedding large pieces of debris. Its lips trembled slightly, and an extremely faint sound emanated from them.
"—Alright."
His voice was very small, very weak, but Whisper heard it.
A smile bloomed on his delirious face. He stood up, and the surrounding environment twisted eerily. Bizarre and grotesque scenes spread from him, and everything hovered between reality and dreams.
This is the Divine Ruins of the "Klein" Realm, Sequence 018, [Dream Qi].
In this seemingly non-existent world, the charred body slowly floated up, a hazy, shimmering light surging around it. The charred bits of flesh began to revive, the severed right leg began to grow, and the dying internal organs began to regenerate...
The itching and pain felt like someone had cut open all the necrotic flesh with a knife and then forcibly implanted fresh muscle tissue. Even while enduring such torture, he gritted his teeth and remained silent.
Time passed slowly, the disillusioned light faded, and a fresh, new body was born.
Shen Qingzhu, now back to normal, slowly landed on the ground, his eyes narrowed as she gazed at the alluring man before him, lost in thought.
Yiyu waved his hand, dispersing the divine ruins, and looked at Shen Qingzhu with a smile, asking with some surprise, "I thought the first thing you'd do after you recovered would be to attack me."
"I can't beat you," Shen Qingzhu said calmly.
"Why don't you try running? Maybe you can escape successfully."
"No." Shen Qingzhu shook his head. "I won't run away. I want to join the [believers]."
This time, Yiyu was genuinely surprised. He carefully examined Shen Qingzhu for a moment, then smiled and nodded.
"Good, very good. I can foresee that you will definitely have a place among the top seats of the [believers] in the future."
He stretched out his right hand, and a faint ball of light appeared at the tip of his index finger. The ball of light left his finger and drifted down to Shen Qingzhu's brow.
"This is the soul contract of the [believer], which I personally created. As long as one does not reach the level of a god, it will be imprinted on their soul, and they will truly become my believers from then on."
"But don't worry, you're a promising talent. I won't interfere too much with your ideas. As long as you don't rebel, I won't use it to restrict you."
Shen Qingzhu stared at the ball of light in front of him without the slightest hesitation. He grabbed the ball of light and pressed it into the space between his eyebrows!
A white light enveloped his entire body!
Seeing Shen Qingzhu's decisive actions, Yiyu raised his eyebrows in surprise, his admiration for him growing even stronger.
As the light faded, Shen Qingzhu emerged step by step. He bowed slightly, placed his right hand on his chest, and calmly spoke:
"Believer Shen Qingzhu will forever follow in your footsteps."
A satisfied smile appeared on his face as he murmured; he thoroughly enjoyed the feeling.
"Very good, get up." Yiyu raised his head, looking at the distant sky, seemingly in a very good mood. "It's time to go. I'll take you back to the [Believer's] headquarters. If we stay any longer... those annoying guys will be chasing us again."
"Yes," Shen Qingzhu replied respectfully.
Yiyu turned around, and a phantom door appeared in front of him. He leisurely stepped into it, and his figure disappeared.
Shen Qingzhu watched the retreating figure of the babbling Whisper disappear, a slight smile playing on his lips.
"Idiot."
Shen Qingzhu lowered his head and reached out to touch his chest...
There, there was a ring of broken jade pieces.
He made the right bet.
The Jade of Rejuvenation successfully blocked the soul imprint of the delirious whispers, meaning that he became the only person among all the [believers] to break free from the delirious whispers' control.
It was the ring Lin Xi Chen had given Shen Qingzhu—acting on a hunch that she should pass it on to him—that now glowed faintly on his ring finger; through it, he could sense a divine aura protecting his mind from the deceptions of Yiyu's Divine Ruin.
It seems... he owes that fatso and Lin Xi Chen a lot more and more favors.
He turned around and looked at the familiar mountain range, his gaze seemingly piercing through endless layers of soil to land on the shining emblem deep underground.
"Goodbye... Night's Watch."
He muttered to himself.
He could picture the girl he loved pouting and looking sulky if she found out he had to act as a double agent, but she would surely burst out laughing afterwards.
She would say that to take down the enemy, he must deceive both friend and foe—and even himself—if he wants to blend in perfectly.
He took a step, and at the same time, a silkworm cocoon at his feet suddenly burst open, and a pair of beautiful wings struggled to emerge from the broken cocoon shell. It flapped its wings vigorously and flew unsteadily into the distance.
Shen Qingzhu stood there, staring blankly at the scene. After a long while, he smiled, shook his head, and stepped towards the illusory gate.
His voice drifted slowly in the wind.
"Growth... huh."
...
"Qiye.... Shen Qingzhu.... Fatty... Instructor..."
Lin Xi Chen's eyelids fluttered as she slowly opened her eyes.
The scent of alcohol and disinfectant filled her nostrils, leaving her feeling overwhelmed and struggling to breathe. The harsh hospital lights glared down at her; she instinctively tried to shield her eyes with her hand, but her body refused to move.
She slowly raised her hand toward her chest, where numerous medical tubes were connected to her body; an oxygen mask covered her face, and the steady beeping from the bedside heart monitor gradually drew her mind back to reality.
"That fool is still alive..."
A faint smile played on her lips as she murmured—so softly that the ambient sounds of the hospital room could easily have drowned it out. Lin Xi Chen then closed her eyes, looking more at ease.
...
As the endless darkness gradually receded and he regained control of his body, Lin Qiye slowly opened his eyes in his sleep.
A white ceiling, a pristine white hospital bed, a pale yellow floor, and soft, gauze-like curtains fluttering in the breeze. Outside the open window lies the familiar training ground.
Is this... the infirmary?
Lin Qiye tried to sit up, but a feeling of weakness from his very soul filled his entire body, and his exhausted body felt as heavy as if it were filled with lead.
Every wound on his body had been carefully bandaged. Looking at the blue and white hospital gown he was wearing, Lin Qiye gave a helpless bitter smile.
Even the hospital director has to wear a patient's gown one day.
He finally managed to sit up, put on his slippers, and staggered outside. As soon as he opened the door, he heard Baili Pangpang's shout from next door.
"Impossible! He can't be dead! I gave him the [Return to Heaven Jade]! Even if the King of Hell himself came, he couldn't possibly die!"
Lin Qiye was taken aback, a look of confusion appearing in his eyes.
Who died?
He subconsciously quickened his pace and walked towards the next ward, but his legs suddenly gave way, and he staggered, almost falling to the ground.
"Lin Qiye!?"
When Instructor Han Li saw Lin Qiye appear at the door, he exclaimed in surprise and quickly stepped forward to support him.
Lin Qiye leaned against the door frame and waved his hand to indicate that he was fine. He saw Baili Pangpang wearing the same hospital gown, his head wrapped in thick bandages, sitting on the bed like a big-headed doll.
"Qi Ye?! You're awake?" Baili Pangpang exclaimed with equal surprise upon seeing Lin Qi Ye.
"What happened? Who died?" Lin Qiye asked, frowning.
Instructor Han Li and Fatty Baili both fell silent.
"It was Shen Qingzhu," Instructor Han Li said slowly. "To save Instructor Hong, Lin Xi Chen and Baili Tuming, he took the instructor's insignia and jumped into the burning cave."
"He won't die!" Baili Pangpang spoke again, looking earnestly into Lin Qiye's eyes, and said firmly, "Qiye! Believe me! He won't die!"
"Even if a person is burned to a crisp or trapped under rocks, he will not die!"
"He must be trapped somewhere underground... I have to find him, I have to dig him out!"
Baili Pangpang got out of bed anxiously, without even putting on slippers, and hurriedly headed outside.