Chapter 24: Beast of Darkness (New Book, Seeking Support)

"We are leaving immediately, as soon as it gets dark!"

Xiu stood up and paced back and forth uneasily.

The mania on her face made Lin so scared she almost cried.

"Okay, Aunt Xiu, you rest for a moment, I'll go get something. We can't skip today's portion of food, they will be suspicious."

Aike nodded and walked out of the small house.

Xiu barely suppressed the mania in her heart and sat down cross-legged.

Accompanied by Meditation, her breathing gradually calmed down, and looking at Lin, she suddenly felt that this girl was a bit different from usual.

"Lin, come here!"

Xiu beckoned.

To her surprise, Lin did not come over, but instead retreated in fear.

Xiu stood up, lunged forward to grab Lin, and suddenly pulled open her clothes; on the little girl's fair arm, there was a striking black tattoo.

"This is..."

Xiu felt her hair stand on end.

"Wuu wuu..." Lin began to cry loudly: "Aike told me he would definitely become a big shot, and you would be excellent Firewood... wuu wuu..."

"I was careless..."

Xiu's heart was full of regret; she had been immersed in the study of the Mysterious path during this time and had completely ignored how Aike, a half-grown child, would be influenced among a group of cultists.

"Damn it, he must have gone out to snitch."

Xiu pulled up the floorboards, put her backpack on her back, grabbed Lin, and turned to run out of the house.

After leaving the house, her pace grew faster and faster, and she soon reached the edge of the small town.

At the edge of the town, there were usually patrol squads led by Burning Sons; they had often already reached the Second Stage and possessed the power to control flames, making them opponents Xiu did not want to face.

However, if it were a sneak attack, there might still be a chance.

After all, the other side thought she was a fellow cultist, and because she had intended to escape, she had become a familiar face to the patrol squads.

But this time, Xiu's luck was very bad.

She saw the Black Sun Cultists gathered at the town entrance, and the leader was none other than the High Priest; he was also holding a child, who was exactly Aike!

Xiu's heart sank, and she quickly chanted a Mysterious Incantation, summoning a black wind that seemed to have a life of its own.

"Are you using the Curse I taught you to attack me? Xiu?"

The High Priest's lips moved, and that black wind vanished into nothingness.

Xiu's heart sank straight to the bottom.

Aaron watched this scene calmly.

He knew that until he found a way to interfere with this world, he was powerless to do anything about it.

In the end, Xiu was captured; after all, she was still carrying Lin, and if they fought, she might accidentally hurt the girl.

Furthermore, in the face of the opponent's powerful strength, resistance was meaningless.

"Tell me, what does Firewood mean?"

When she was tied up, Xiu finally couldn't help but ask.

"You will see."

The High Priest revealed a hint of a smile.

Aaron suddenly had a feeling that he was about to come into contact with the core secrets of the Black Sun Church.

Two days later, at the transition between day and night.

Aaron saw people tied to pillars in the town square.

At their feet were Ritual Arrays so complex and exquisite they looked like works of art.

"Numerology and divination confirm that this time today is the best choice to please my Lord."

The High Priest took off his hood, revealing a head covered in tattoos and incantations: "And you, too, will become my Firewood, to share in the charm of this high-level Ritual; it is called—Eclipse!"

Aaron suddenly thought of the High Priest's first sermon—"Darkness is a symbol of destruction and Sublimation; it can make us Unburnt. To awaken the Dark Spirit, one must first burn oneself, sacrifice our flesh and blood, cross the three gates, and experience the Eclipse Ritual. Those who complete it will be reduced to skin and bone, and this is also a great achievement!"

"Looking at it now, the three gates refer to the three stages of Unburnt, Burning Son, and Darkness Chaser. Can the Eclipse Ritual only be held by someone who has reached the peak of the Darkness Chaser?"

Aaron stood in the crowd, just watching the High Priest show off.

The High Priest's complexion was slightly flushed, clearly excited to the extreme: "Mortals have their limits. After completing the Ritual, I will shed my mortal body, obtain a brand-new life form, and get closer to my Lord. I will step into a brand-new stage! Now, the time has come!"

Roar!

Following the order, the Black Sun Cultists on the periphery chanted the incantations in unison.

And amidst the sound of the Weird incantations, clusters of pitch-black flames suddenly ignited upon the Ritual Array, swallowing one Offering after another.

Xiu even saw Suolun, the traitor from the former Shelter, also become 'Firewood'!

He screamed as his body melted like a Wax Figure.

And within the Ritual Array, wisps of something inexplicable seemed to be summoned and attracted, gathering onto the High Priest.

"Offer everything to the Lord of the Eclipse, Sublimate in the flames, obtain the favor of Darkness, and become a Beast of Darkness!"

The High Priest roared and shouted, and black flames began to burn on his body as well.

The flames soon engulfed his form, and within the raging fire, a brand-new form seemed to be gestating...

"Sure enough... the Dark Spirit among Black Sun Cultists can be mutually stripped and devoured... this is why the High Priest constantly recruits people, preaches, and even teaches without reservation."

"Their Spirituality... is all 'Firewood', all burning sacrifices, all nourishment for the growth of the Beast of Darkness!"

Aaron watched coldly from the sidelines.

Regarding this scene, those Black Sun Cultists seemed accustomed to it, and several Burning Sons even had longing in their eyes.

They are far more powerful than the Unburnt, yet conversely, they are unsuitable as an Offering.

"So that's how it is..."

Aaron murmured; at this moment, the Black Sun Cult held absolutely no secrets in his eyes.

Or rather, he had already grasped the highest Secret Transmission of the Black Sun Cult!

"Aunt Xiu!"

Outside the grounds, Lin cried out, but was held tightly by Aike, who covered her lips.

"Aunt Xiu has gone to a higher Light Realm; she is one step closer to the Black Sun."

Aike murmured in Lin's ear, as if comforting her, or perhaps hypnotizing her.

As the sun set, the Firewood in the Ritual had all been burned to ashes, and the black flames gradually extinguished.

Roar!

Suddenly, a monster with the body of a dog and a human head, burning with pitch-black flames, leaped out from the ashes.

It is the High Priest!

He successfully executed the Eclipse Ritual, transformed his life form, and became a Beast of Darkness!

Night.

The reveling Black Sun Cultists were either carousing or had fallen into a deep sleep.

In Aike's cabin, the door creaked open.

Lin raised her head, gazing at the bright starry sky: "Aunt Xiu... boo-hoo... I miss you so much, I'm sorry..."

She gazed at that crimson Moon, recalling the Legendary stories of her hometown.

The souls of the dead would ascend to the Moon, watching over everyone in the Mortal World.

And tonight, the Moon seemed particularly round...

"Mom..."

Lin immediately thought of her mother, and tears welled up and spilled from her eyes.

Not knowing if it was an illusion, through her tear-blurred vision, she seemed to see a giant tree on the Moon, entirely intertwined with flesh and blood...