Chapter 91: Hidden Dark Clouds

"A bit terrible!"

Mu Yi suddenly began to understand what the lone ranger Wei Ke Duo's message meant; it would be one thing if it were about someone else's solitary dwelling, but his solitary dwelling is essentially cutting off his own arm, isn't it?

Alright, alright! The Spider Divine Queen—Luo Si, right!

No wonder she's a deity famed across the Zongwang, a single simple move feels like it could send someone to their death.

So, did the Spider Divine Queen recognize that he's from the Jiuzhou Military Strategist lineage? Such a targeted approach?

He made a note of this grudge.

I am not yet strong! When I become strong, I will change!

"Is there any way to deal with this trouble?"

Mu Yi felt a headache; even Zongwang Players are affected this severely, so how can those soldiers exert normal combat power?

Mu Yi tried to use ash to dispel Luo Si's blessing, but the effect was minimal; by his estimate, continuing at this rate would take him dozens to hundreds of years to wear it away completely.

"It will probably require a Legend Priest to intervene, to help you lift this curse!" Duo Lun Duo also felt sorry for Mu Yi.

He himself is a shadow that roams in darkness, so he naturally understands the loneliness and pain of leaving the crowd.

"Use this first! Covering the body might help a bit!"

Duo Lun Duo handed Mu Yi a black robe, and Mu Yi could only reluctantly drape it over himself.

"Someone's coming, it must be that little cat‑person's teammate!"

As he spoke, the Holy Warrior captain, bearing sword and shield, walked toward the altar; the fleeing little cat‑person cowered behind the Holy Warrior's divine queen, and only the captain's broad back could give her a shred of courage.

Kai Li Er frowned; although Mu Yi had put on the black robe, Luo Si's blessing could not be weakened by such a mortal item.

He also triggered the secondary fear aura.

But for a Holy Warrior, this level of fear interference does not cause much effect.

—Courage Radiance!

A Holy Warrior gains the Courage Radiance ability at level 3, which not only makes the Holy Warrior immune to fear, but also grants nearby allies higher willpower checks when resisting fear.

With the burst of Courage Radiance, the trembling little cat‑person barely stuck out a head to glance at Mu Yi and Duo Lun Duo.

Sensing Mu Yi's gaze, it immediately pulled its head back.

"Friends, we mean no harm; we sensed an abnormal surge here and came to investigate. Aili Er didn't intend to offend you two; she's just a bit timid!"

Holy Warrior captain Kai Li Er performed a conciliatory ritual toward Mu Yi.

"It's nothing; we just destroyed a Spider Divine Queen statue altar here, and there should be similar things elsewhere in this forest!"

Kai Li Er's sincerity won Mu Yi's and Duo Lun Duo's favor; in fact, as long as you're not an evil‑aligned creature, you can feel safe before a Holy Warrior.

Holy Warrior and Holy Knight sound similar, but they are actually two different systems.

Their biggest commonality is that they both champion the weak, uphold justice, and eradicate evil forces from the world's darkest corners.

Both are staunch members of the order‑good faction.

As clergy, they must observe various strict precepts.

For example, they may not lie, cheat, use poison, or indiscriminately kill innocents… Violating these precepts could cause the Holy Warrior faction to deviate, even losing divine grace bestowed by the gods.

Correspondingly, as a class that can both deal damage and heal, their survivability is terrifying.

"Altar? Statue? Spider Divine Queen?"

Kai Li Er instantly felt reverence toward Mu Yi and Duo Lun Duo; any comrade who fights evil earns his respect.

After a brief chat, Kai Li Er extended an invitation to the two.

"We discovered a big fellow deep in the forest, gathering a team. Would you two like to join?"

"Big fellow? What do you mean?" Duo Lun Duo asked, a bit sensitively.

"A mammoth that hasn't been fully corrupted; if it runs out, it could cause a massive impact on the camp!" Kai Li Er sighed.

Regarding abyssal aura, Holy Warrior and Druid have little recourse; all they can do is eliminate the corrupted creature, allowing its soul to rest in eternal slumber.

"Captain, the Fourth Battalion's members have arrived!" the little cat‑person girl timidly reminded her captain.

"Sounds good, I'll join!"

Mu Yi glanced at his own secondary fear aura, thinking it best not to return to camp for now; perhaps other Zongwang Players might have a way to free him from this predicament.

Moreover, his current contribution points aren't enough to redeem a Hundred‑man Squad, so earning a bit more contribution is also a good option.

"I won't join; that kind of big fellow isn't my thing, I'll head back first," Duo Lun Duo shook his head, declining Kai Li Er's invitation.

He knows his abilities; against large beasts his methods are too limited.

Rather than keep drifting, he'd rather return to recuperate and see if he can find another similar altar in the forest.

"These are the Alchemical Transmitter and Locator, which we didn't have time to give you earlier!" Kai Li Er said, tossing two crystal‑ball‑like devices to Mu Yi and Duo Lun Duo.

"It's a fool‑proof interface; if needed, you can leave a message on it!"

Obviously, compared with solo adventurers, these fixed parties have an efficient communication system.

In large‑scale events, such communication lets them coordinate much better.

…

"Hoo!"

In the dim underground cell, a lamp flickered, illuminating a stern face; scars covering it made it look extremely ferocious.

"Hahaha, you're back again. I told you you'll never get any information out of my mouth!"

"The night will be long; you'll eventually speak everything!" Ma Luo Si Ke's stern face showed no ripple, only calmly picking up the whip in his hand that bore the Pain Technique.

He lashed again and again at the bound man.

"Useless! Useless! Useless!"

Even though the pain had warped the man on the cross's voice, he remained fanatical.

"The abyss will devour the whole world; when that comes, you all will die! Everyone will be buried with Marilyn!"

"Hahaha! Hahaha!"

"The mad laughter accompanied by painful wails echoed in the prison, but even until he fainted and was near death, the man still did not divulge a single useful piece of information, merely repeating the name Malilian over and over."

"When the interrogator Maluosike walked out of the dungeon, he couldn't help but have a headache; this kind of fanatic, how could we possibly extract information about the Abyss Demon from him?"

"The Abyss Demon and demon worshippers hidden in the Third Defense Zone are a lingering shadow over everyone's hearts."

"Maluosike, we've investigated thoroughly: the Malilian mentioned by the man was a peasant woman who was abducted and tortured to death by a noble a year ago… this man is her husband."

"What about that noble?"

"The Avengers Squad that went to investigate tortured him to death with brutal methods, and a large number of female specimens were found in the noble's residence…"

"Belated justice!"

"Maluosike helplessly closed his eyes; even in the most prosperous world, dark corners exist."

"Now, the sins committed in those dark corners have become reality, and they have come to claim their lives."

"But they cannot give up, for they bear the lives of all living beings in the world; although some deaths may be insignificant, many more lives are innocent and should not become fodder for demons."