Chapter 874: 471 A Terrifying Motive

"This... human lord."

After the peculiar Death Messengers took their places according to their identities and the dominions they represented, a deer made of fine white bones spoke first, under the terrified gaze of the female journalist.

"I overheard your conversation with the River of the Dead messengers. If it is convenient, could you tell me your name?"

"I'm Nicole..."

"Very well, Miss Nicole."

After nodding slightly at the female journalist with a bitter expression, the bone deer spoke softly:

"You were the first among all to arrive at the Gate of the Dead. Could you tell me who killed the Guardian of the Death God?"

"Uh... I'm not entirely sure..."

The female journalist shook her head, then forced herself to speak:

"I... I arrived and found it already like this. I didn't see anything."

"You're lying!"

At that moment, a purple-black swamp crocodile rose on its hind legs, opened its mouth, and from within, a man with unclosed eyes growled:

"I can feel it—you're lying! You arrived before the Dog God was killed, and you know who the killer is!"

"..."

Is this... the Judge Crocodile? The emissary of the Crocodile God of Judgment?

"Human, think carefully before you speak."

Seeing the female journalist suddenly flinch, the purple-black swamp crocodile closed its mouth and spoke coldly:

"The head inside my mouth was eaten because it lied to my face—now it's stuck in my throat. If you keep lying, I won't mind replacing it with yours."

"..."

Done for...

Seeing the sudden hostility in the Death Messengers' gazes, the female journalist inwardly groaned and stammered, buying time:

"I'm not unwilling to speak—the killer of the Dog God... is extremely powerful. I'm afraid..."

"You need not fear anything."

Interrupting her, the bone deer spoke gently again:

"Someone who disregarded Lord Angxi's status and brutally murdered it must be extraordinarily strong and cruel. If you witnessed it, I understand your fear."

"But as Death Messengers, our masters' will is our will. We require your answer, and to fulfill their will, we will spare no means—please understand this."

"..."

"Of course, that would be the final, desperate option."

After glancing at the journalist's clenched fists, the bone deer changed tone, speaking calmly:

"If you haven't decided whether to reveal the killer's identity, we are willing to grant you a moment to think. But during this time, you must answer other questions—for example..."

"What was the killer's motive?"

The hollow eye sockets fixed on the tense journalist, the bone deer asked with keen curiosity—eyes full of curiosity:

"Miss Nicole, I am personally very curious: what reason could drive the killer to make the insane decision to murder Lord Angxi?"

"This..."

Hearing this, the journalist bit her lip, took a deep breath, pointed at herself, and declared with resolve:

"I won't say who he is—but the reason he killed the Dog God is probably..."

"Squeak..."

As the Death Messengers waited for her answer, the Dog God's back bulged slightly, emitting a dull, leathery cutting sound like a blade slicing through cooked oxhide.

Then, a silver short knife protruded from the Dog God's back, carving a long gash along its spine, splitting open a gaping wound over three meters long.?!?!

Noticing this, the Death Messengers all stepped back in unison, staring in shock at the corpse's back.

In the messengers' dazed gazes, what first appeared was a blood-soaked buttock... a man drenched in divine blood was straining to drag something, pushing himself out from within the Dog God's body.

"Quick! Help me!"

After trying twice to drag the Dog God's massive heart and realizing he couldn't move it, Li Ang, covered in blood, eyes too swollen to open, called out:

"It's too big—I'm having trouble eating it inside. Pull me!"

Inside... eating?

Hearing Li Ang's words and seeing the human buttock vanish back into the Dog God's body, the Death Messengers collectively gasped—and instantly knew the answers to the two previous questions.

The killer of the Guardian of the Death God was unquestionably this man—and his motive for committing such a crime, murdering a true god...

Was merely to eat?!?!

"Hmm, wait, you don't need to help."

Feeling blindly with his eyes closed, Li Ang found a large blood vessel still attached to the Dog God's heart, slashed it with his knife, then hugged the half-meter-tall heart in triumph, wriggling out through the gash in its back.

"Got it!"

Taking a blind bite of the bloody heart, feeling the steady, rising sense of soul-renewal, Li Ang—who had finally reclaimed his soul—held the remaining half of the heart and exclaimed joyfully:

"Only the heart works—this one bite, and I'm instantly relieved."

One bite...

Hearing Li Ang's words, seeing his blissful expression and profound satisfaction, even the seasoned Death Messengers felt their scalps prickle.

They had seen reckless madmen, fools who dared challenge true gods; the lead bone deer, the oldest among them, had even witnessed the fall of a Death Realm Lord.

But never had they seen someone kill a true god, crawl into its belly, then emerge holding half-eaten heart.

Especially the man's blood-smeared face, wearing a satisfied, cheerful smile—innocent, yet chillingly cruel, like witnessing a beast devour its own kind, triggering an instinctive shudder.

"Nicole? Why aren't you speaking?"

Hearing no reply from Nicole, Li Ang wiped blood from his face, then opened his eyes, blinking through the dripping black sludge:

"You... huh? Why are there so many people?"

"..."

(д|||)！(д|||)！(д|||)！

He noticed me! He noticed me!!!

As Li Ang's gaze swept over them, the Death Messengers all leapt backward in unison—even the fish in the River of the Dead sank beneath the water, refusing to surface.

Facing a man who had slain a true god and stayed to feast instead of fleeing, their concern was no longer whether they could win—but how to avoid being eaten!

Death Messengers favored by the Lords rarely die; even if killed, they can be reborn. But if devoured by this monster, survival was uncertain.

"This... this... honorable lord."

After a long, terrifying silence, the lead bone deer summoned courage and spoke, bowing its head in deference, trembling as it asked:

"May I ask... have you eaten your fill?"

"Uh... I'm alright..."

Looking at the bizarre creatures before him, Li Ang's scalp prickled too.

After a stiff reply, he was about to ask their identities when he noticed a familiar deer-horn mark on the bone deer's forehead.

Another flesh-bound doe?!

Recognizing the mark, Li Ang's expression changed instantly. Beneath his matted, blood-caked hair, his eyes narrowed.

"You..."

"Run!!!"

Seeing the "God-Eating Demon" suddenly rage, the Death Messengers, already at their limit, shattered in terror. At a shrill scream—no one knew whose—they scattered in all directions, even the slow stone statues leaping into the river, desperately swimming underwater.

The bone deer under Li Ang's gaze didn't hesitate a moment—it instantly abandoned its body, exploding into a shower of bone fragments, then split its soul into four parts, fleeing in different directions.

"..."