Chapter 417: Luojia: The State Religion, Please Pay the Royalty Fee Thanks

Zhou Yun wondered how someone like Ka Yang could be so obnoxious.

He just spouts nonsense the moment he opens his mouth.

Yes, yes, Delanikorn is powerful—the demon born from humanity's first murder does indeed have unparalleled dominion over other demons.

This was confirmed by Saint Guilliman; even he still fears Delanikorn's restraint, fearing he might be wounded by it.

Even the Emperor himself harbors some fear of Delanikorn's power.

But aside from Luojia, how exactly does Delanikorn restrain Pautalabo?

Pautalabo himself is human, but his personal guard—the iron-ring robots he forged with his own hands—are pure machinery.

With those iron-ring robots, Pautalabo once subdued the berserk Angron.

Not to mention today's Pautalabo, who can animate entire planetary factories into mechanical monsters and wields vast quantities of demon engines.

Delanikorn's threat is indeed great—but only if Abaddon can withstand the firepower of an entire planet, break through masses of demon engines, slay the iron-ring robot rings capable of battling Angron, and reach Pautalabo's side.

That's nearly impossible. Personality-wise, Pautalabo is also someone Abaddon could never persuade—yet strangely, Pautalabo has been the Primarch who aided Abaddon the most during the thirteen Black Crusades.

All those piles of demon engines and war machines were provided by Pautalabo; even during the tenth Black Crusade, Pautalabo personally intervened to aid Abaddon.

He's been so diligent it makes Zhou Yun curious: what exactly did Abaddon give him to earn such effort?

Could it be that Abaddon used the Huang family's ancestral skill—cosplaying as Pautalabo's sister and dangling bait in front of him?

Zhou Yun thought about it and decided it was unlikely; that pig Abaddon didn't inherit his Grandpa Huang's modeling skills.

This left Zhou Yun truly at a loss for an explanation.

But Ka Yang was spouting nonsense, as if he couldn't tell reality from fantasy—there was little point in asking him anything valuable.

Zhou Yun pondered for a moment, then looked into his fourth-dimensional pocket.

Moments later, he pulled out a massive hammer and gestured for Er Si to take it.

Ka Yang stared blankly at the hammer in Er Si's hand.

"What are you planning?" Ka Yang's expression turned wary.

"Er Si, hit him on the head."

At Zhou Yun's command, Er Si swiftly raised the hammer and slammed it hard against Ka Yang's skull.

During his time in the Inquisition, Ka Yang had endured every kind of torture—this hammer blow felt like a mere itch—wait, why was he feeling dizzy?

Ka Yang couldn't suppress the dizziness surging through his skull; his eyes rolled back, and his head thudded heavily onto the table.

Then, light burst from his eyes, projecting a glowing screen into the air like a projector.

【Item Name: Memory Projecting Hammer】

【Origin: 22nd Century Earth—Future Department Store】

【Production Date: 231. 3】

【Function: A device capable of projecting memories; by striking a person's skull forcefully, it reveals all memories within their mind—whether still remembered or long forgotten.】

Zhou Yun peered curiously at the screen, at Ka Yang's projected memories.

"I really need to train you, Ka Yang."

"Cry out. Make some noise."

"Say it: Is Gorm's Dark Eldar my master?"

On the screen, Ka Yang was playing a wild, dangerous, and nauseating game with his Dark Eldar girlfriend.

Zhou Yun turned away in disgust and gestured for Er Si to keep hitting.

This was one of the Memory Projecting Hammer's flaws: what memories it revealed depended entirely on the force of the blow—highly random.

"My sister, how beautiful you are—this mighty macro-cannon, the devastating volleys of light lances."

"Abaddon, look at your huge, powerful demon blade."

"Let's play a game of demon tarot."

"My turn: Summon, the Hunched Knight!"

All manner of bizarre memories flashed before Zhou Yun's eyes.

Then his gaze caught a fleeting scene—

Abaddon and Ka Yang stood in a dark cave, facing a tall, muscular man clad in an ascetic's robe.

"Stop." Zhou Yun raised his hand, signaling Er Si to cease.

Zhou Yun and Saint Guilliman watched the scene on the screen with keen interest.

"You've come." The muscular ascetic shifted slightly, turning toward Ka Yang and Abaddon.

Abaddon's expression was displeased; he clearly disliked the surroundings.

"I expected you to greet us in the Hell Sanctum of Sikarus, not in this cold, remote cave." Abaddon spoke in a low tone.

He took it as an insult.

"Phantom shadows creep in through cracks."

"Demons swarm, fierce as a wild hunt."

"I cannot expose the Sanctum of Sikarus to the dark eyes of the Dark Powers. He is like a ghost, everywhere. I fear he lurks beside you, following in your footsteps."

The ascetic's voice, simple yet hypnotic, spoke to Abaddon like a fervent missionary.

"I never thought you, favored by the Four Gods, would fear the darkness of the Warp." Abaddon sneered.

"The Four Gods are not all of Chaos," the ascetic said slowly. "Chaos is deeper, darker than you can imagine."

"You have not been marked by those shadows only because you are beneath their notice."

"In truth, you are beneath mine too—if not for my faith in Chaos and my hatred of the Imperial Cult, I would never have met you here."

As he spoke, the tall man in the ascetic's robe slowly lifted his hood, revealing a blinding, radiant bald head.

The First Heretic, Founder of the Imperial Cult, Primarch of the Word Bearers, Lorgar Aurelian.

Er Si, though expecting it, still sucked in a sharp breath.

"I completely understand Luojia's hatred for the Imperial Cult—if a group stole your life's work for ten thousand years, refused to pay you royalties, and erased your name, you'd be furious too," Zhou Yun said half-jokingly.

Though a joke, Zhou Yun understood why Luojia aided Abaddon: he worshipped and believed in Chaos, so helping Abaddon, chosen by the Four Gods, made perfect sense—and it was a chance to vent his hatred toward the Imperial Cult. Why not?

As for why Luojia didn't personally carry out his vengeance: according to Luojia himself, he was engaged in prolonged meditation and ascetic seclusion atop the Tower of Sikarus in the Demon Realm.

The real reason likely involved other factors.

Zhou Yun turned his gaze back to the screen, to Ka Yang's memories.

"I shall teach you the art and secrets of enchantment—how to bind demons of the Warp onto weapons or flesh."

"Listen to my Book of Luojia."

"The Great Word-Bearer, Son of the High Heavens."

"Praise the name of Luojia."

"The indifferent, we forsake."

"The compassionate, we honor."

"We draw the gaze of the gods."

"We receive the gift of agony."

"Blood stains the stars; the galaxy burns."

"We set the feast, satiating the gods."

As Luojia chanted on the screen, the veil of reality in the cave thinned; demonic roars rose in the air, and the might of the High Heavens surged into the material world.

Not just on the screen—in the Inquisition's interrogation room at this very moment, the veil of reality had also grown thin.

The blasphemous scripture of the Book of Luojia had crossed the boundary between memory and reality, directly affecting the surroundings, summoning demons.

Demonic roars echoed in the void; ghostly giggles chattered incessantly—they had heard the call of Luojia's scripture and crawled onto the veil of reality, eager to peer into the material universe.

SSSHHH!

A parchment scroll flew from Zhou Yun's hand; the Black Gothic script signature written in black ink blazed with golden light.

"druvataimperatorimperium"

The words shone brilliantly in the void, burning straight through the veil between reality and the Warp, striking down the eager demons.

Screams filled the air; vicious curses poured forth as they cursed Luojia for betraying them, then scrambled to flee.

But since they'd come, why should they leave?

The tip of Yebida Xiong's string twitched slightly, weaving into the shape of a broom.

"Yebida String-Weaving: Broom."

The demons hiding behind the veil of reality had no time to dodge; they were caught by Yebida's string, yanked into reality, and tossed into Zhou Yun's fourth-dimensional pocket.

Saint Guilliman also made no move to stop—he grabbed several demons and shoved them into the pocket too.

"You bastard Luojia!"

"You gave the Book of Luojia to this demon-eating god!"

"Luojia, I *fuck the High Heavens*!"

Even as they were stuffed into the pocket, the demons kept cursing Luojia for betraying them.

On the screen, as Luojia chanted, many demons were summoned and bound to weapons.

These dark, blasphemous insights flowed into Ka Yang and Abaddon's minds through Luojia's demonstration.

But as time passed, the memory version of Ka Yang began to sense something wrong.

The darkness around him grew deeper; shadows seemed to writhe.

The shadows held everything.

Ka Yang instinctively felt fear—he sensed hatred brewing within the shadows.

He vaguely recalled a terrifying rumor circulating within the Black Legion,

that in the shadow of the Eye of Fear, anything could lurk—ghosts beyond the comprehension of mortals and even Astartes, waiting to strike, and anyone who strayed into the shadow would be torn apart by its razor-sharp limbs.

"Hm?" Luo Jia seemed to sense something; he snapped shut the Book of Luo Jia in his hand and turned to Abaddon and Kayang: "That's enough for today's lesson."

Luo Jia's tone carried a hint of panic.

Abaddon cast him a strange glance, but before Abaddon could speak, a sharp, piercing, hate-filled roar erupted from the shadow.

"Luo Jia!!!"

"I told you—I remembered your scent!!!"

(End of Chapter)