Chapter 310: Behind‑the‑Scenes Mastermind

Wu Ermu walks barefoot over a rose‑colored cashmere carpet, while moonlight on the top floor of Rosa Castle flows into a winding silver creek; his linen robe is torn by thorns, exposing scabbed knees, yet his amber eyes shine astonishingly.

At the far end of the hall a mountain‑sized creature lurks, and dust hanging from the dome trembles with the airflow of its exhalation; the silver, beautiful creature in the moonlight is as sacred and lofty as a glittering gem.

"I've found a way to control the cursed fire," the boy's voice trembled with an excited sob, like ice melting in early spring.

Naimi Xisi lifts his head, producing a metallic grinding roar; his vertical pupils contract in the violet chaos into two molten‑gold fissures: "Oh?"

He looks at the lash marks of thorns on Wu Ermu's body, feeling a strange sensation inside.

"Pain!" Wu Ermu exclaims excitedly, unbothered even as his wounds ooze blood beads: "Pain lets me command the cursed fire; it fears pain, just like I do."

Juan Ce Long looks at him with a compassionate expression; the boy's unconscious, which he himself does not know, has unfolded before him without reservation.

It is not pain that helped Wu Ermu command the cursed fire, but the guilt that faded within the pain no longer hinders his control of the cursed fire.

Still, it's fine; he can now make use of Wu Ermu's power.

Whether it's the great Arcane Power masters of Shadow City, or the Eternal Night Veil the queen intends to erect, the special power of the cursed fire will ultimately become merely nourishment.

Yet the law‑neutral baseline makes Naimi Xisi still voice a reminder: "This is only a stopgap; you will eventually need to face your inner self to truly merge with the cursed fire."

He just doesn't know whether that goddess requires you to reach this level. Naimi Xisi looks at the youthful Wu Ermu, sighing silently in his heart.

"I understand now," Wu Ermu says, his expression dim, bowing his head and speaking softly.

A low rumble rolls in Juan Ce Long's throat, making the air vibrate; massive, sharp claws approach Wu Ermu and, under his unreserved trust, touch his chest.

Mana flows into Wu Ermu's body like a calm spring lake, and countless memory fragments surge in that instant. Pain, guilt, fear, longing. A myriad of emotions mingle in Wu Ermu's heart, like a vigorous flame constantly searing his inner self.

Mana, like a spring breeze, soothes Wu Ermu's inner restlessness.

The nightmares that have haunted him for seven years—collapsing beams, charred corpses, guilt gnawing in the darkness—suddenly turn into drifting ash.

"Thank you, thank you," Wu Ermu says blankly, a tear sliding down the corner of his eye.

He hasn't felt this in a long time, that peace of mind that requires no consideration and leaves the world behind.

Naimi Xisi hums softly and lets him leave the room.

After the boy leaves, he looks toward the bright moon outside the window, a flicker of excitement flashing in his heart.

After arranging for that group of Mind Flayers to stay behind, Naimi Xisi returns to the Rosa Castle on the surface. Compared with the underground Dark Elf, he needs to stay here to guard against attacks from Shadow City at any time.

In these past few days, he has also carefully contemplated the many recent events.

Since returning to Sword Bay, coincidences have arrived one after another.

First, a group of adventurers led him into a demi‑plane almost assimilated by the Ying Ying Ming Jie. Later, they discovered Shana, who bears a grudge against the Shadow Alliance, within it.

After that, in the desert, he met Wu Ermu again, and the Shadow City that covets Wu Ermu.

Up to now, the Eternal Night Veil the queen wishes to erect is also a massive Legendary maze lock that requires shadow magic to complete.

Naimi Xisi suddenly perceives that along this journey, every incident seems to share a common thread.

That is, they are all related to shadows, or rather to the Ying Ying Ming Jie.

His expression darkens, and the more he thinks, the more something feels off. He constantly feels that someone is pushing him forward, and this behind‑the‑scenes mastermind must have some connection to the Ying Ying Ming Jie.

The Night Goddess—Saar.

She is the number‑one target of his immediate suspicion.

This deity, infamous across the Frelen Continent, has always been linked with mystery, conspiracy, and various other labels.

Whether it is the deity, or its followers, they excel at silently weaving conspiracies and can manipulate the course of events without ever becoming entangled themselves.

Mi Si Te La's information about Shadow City is also a reason for his suspicion of Saar.

That ancient floating city which once worshipped only Arcane Power now has almost its entire populace as followers of Saar.

He does not know what Wu Ermu's true identity actually is, but Mi Si Te La allowing his existence on the Frelen Continent must serve some purpose.

And the Night Goddess seems to have seized on Mi Si Te La's unwillingness to take Wu Ermu away, sending her own fangs to capture the boy.

Naimi Xisi ponders deeply, yet always feels something is missing.

He believes the Night Goddess must have some purpose, and Mi Si Te La's scheme must also be related to the goddess's purpose.

!

But after thinking carefully, he does not think Saar has been pushing him along this path.

Because if Saar truly wishes to seize Wu Ermu, why would she involve an unrelated Juan Ce Long?

And Mi Si Te La? If it is they who gradually guide him toward the boy and protect the other party.

The motive seems plausible, yet Naimi Xisi always feels something odd about it.

Night Goddess Saar is almost the most powerful being in the entire Ying Ying Ming Jie, and even across the Multiverse, hardly any entity in the shadow dominion can surpass it.

Juan Ce Long's memory inheritance spans the Multiverse, and it once explicitly mentioned that the worship of "Saar" is widespread throughout the Prime Material Plane.

The Night Goddess is completely different from other native deities of Frelen; it is a deity whose worship truly spans the Multiverse.

When I first entered that demi‑plane, although it did not belong to the Ying Ying Ming Jie, it became almost entirely shadow‑infused.

If Mi Si Te La's hand truly penetrated it, why wouldn't the other party notice?

After all, shadow is Saar's divine domain, so it's as absurd as Saar secretly slipping a hand into the Magic Net while Mi Si Te La remains completely unaware.

So, was my entry into that demi‑plane a coincidence? Or was it Saar subtly pushing?

No. Not right.

Naimi Xisi's eyes brighten, suddenly thinking of a third possibility.

If there is a deity whose divine office overlaps with Saar's, and whose strength is not far behind Saar's, acting behind the scenes, it could easily conceal itself from Saar.

Hidden, magic, living within shadow

Naimi Xisi suddenly recalls a being.

The Legendary lich Ya Se Lie Ke has long pursued the supreme deity, the mysteriously vanished Master of Ten Thousand Secrets—Vikna!

(End of Chapter)