Chapter 782: Death That Should Not Be Pure

While St. Theresa Square was busy, death was cold and quiet. Five people sat around the bonfire in front of the stone gate, the firelight casting shadows all around, swaying like monsters in fairy tales.

Everyone looked at Xia De. Xia De continued:

"The 'Trace of the Holy Tree' ritual is almost complete, but the problem of the Narrow Gap has not been solved. I think it should be fighting fiercely outside now. We need the power of the Chosen One of Death to end everything tonight. But who should the Chosen One be?"

Joey Barton had lost his qualification, and even if he hadn't, Xia De would not let him become the Chosen One. And now everyone had come here from the Narrow Gap voluntarily, which was equivalent to everyone committing suicide in the Narrow Gap voluntarily.

"Whoever walks out of here first is the Chosen One. Because all other sequences have already died."

Xia De repeated again, then looked at Sister Daifulin. Sister Daifulin also understood this fact. The second sequence after Joey Barton was her, but the nun shook her head slightly:

"I have already embarked on the path of guarding the fire, death does not suit me. It is not only me who can become the Chosen One now, perhaps, you can consider other candidates."

So Xia De looked at Priest Ao Gu Si again. The priest hesitated for a moment, putting down the pipe lit by the Primordial Fire:

"What is a Chosen One?"

He asked curiously.

"In the Fifth Era, the 'Whispering Poem' prophesied by the witches mentioned that thirteen Chosen Ones would appear in the Sixth Era. They are the protagonists of the era, and their stories will jointly constitute the unknowable stage of fate of the Sixth Era and affect the future of the whole world. And the Chosen One of Death possesses the power of the Old God 【Ancient God of Death】."

Xia De introduced:

"Priest, perhaps you can consider..."

"No, I don't want to take on such responsibility. The troublesome things in the church are enough to annoy me. At my age, I still have to care about the accommodation of the children in the choir, assist in the financial audit of the church every quarter, and participate in activity planning for the Holy Prayer Festival every year. Detective, I have enough things in my hands. Those boring responsibilities belong to you young people."

The priest shook his head very firmly:

"Don't involve me in this kind of thing."

Actually, Xia De was also unwilling to involve Priest Ao Gu Si in this matter. Becoming a Chosen One was equivalent to being forced into the vortex of fate, and Priest Ao Gu Si, who had an arm placed by his feet, clearly preferred a peaceful life.

"Then we can only consider the fourth sequence candidate."

Xia De said, then looked at Yin Yi Yi Lu Na.

The seventeen-year-old girl also looked at him, blinking her eyes suspiciously:

"Fourth candidate? Who is that? Didn't you say last time that you weren't sure about the fourth person?"

But Xia De still looked at her, so Yin Yi Yi Lu Na turned her head suspiciously to look behind her, as if she thought there were others beside her. But confirming that Xia De was indeed looking at her, she opened her mouth slightly, pointing at herself in disbelief:

"You mean... me?"

"As of your arrival in Mid-Hill Fort, there were four in total."

"But..."

"Eyes that can see through darkness."

"But that was given by you..."

"I am a spectator outside of fate, it is impossible for me to be a Chosen One. Excluding me, a total of four people set foot in death tonight, so why, Yin Yi Yi Lu Na, did you also appear here?"

Although this reason didn't make much sense, Yin Yi Yi Lu Na was still stunned for a moment, then shook her head rapidly:

"Xia De, did you make a mistake? I am the Chosen One of 'Balance', I even held the ritual."

"But no one has ever said that the Chosen One qualification cannot appear on the same person repeatedly."

Xia De said. Yin Yi Yi Lu Na thought about it, and it seemed she really couldn't refute it.

"It is indeed her."

Mr. Barton's soul, sitting beside Miss Marilyn Handel, said softly:

"After losing my power, my feeling of death is more real, as if I have melted into death. This young lady with brown hair is indeed the fourth candidate."

Xia De was relieved; his guess was not wrong.

But Yin Yi Yi Lu Na still didn't want to accept it:

"Xia De, the responsibility of the Chosen One is too heavy. It's not that I don't want to take it, but sometimes I think, one person should not occupy all the responsibilities and power. You all say I am the protagonist of the era, but I am actually just an ordinary person... If possible, I hope more Chosen Ones can appear, instead of letting me face all this alone."

Power comes with a price; Xia De also understood Yin Yi Yi Lu Na's thoughts. She was not greedy to occupy all the power, but realized her own limits and understood her position. Very few people could do this. Yin Yi Yi Lu Na inheriting "Balance" was definitely not an accident.

So, Xia De looked at Priest Ao Gu Si and Sister Daifulin again. The former shook his head rapidly:

"Don't consider me, I have many things to do."

He kicked the arm by his feet:

"Xia De, when I return to Tobesk in a few weeks, there are some things I want to talk to you about, about... that pair of wings. I also have many stories on me, and many responsibilities."

The priest seemed to want to be honest with Xia De about his secrets, just like Dr. Schneider two months ago:

"Sister Daifulin, actually you can try to take on this responsibility. Although I don't understand the Primordial Fire, you seem to be looking for firewood? Fire is life, but fire is also death. Taking on this power of the Old God, in the blind darkness, to peek at death, perhaps it will be of great help to you."

The nun did not shake her head this time, but hesitated for a moment:

"Guarding the Primordial Fire is my responsibility. I can take on the power of death, but I cannot take on everything. Inheriting death will bring one closer to death. If Joey Barton became the Chosen One, the collision between death and reverse growth would instead keep him in his original state. Perhaps this is the meaning of being a person of reverse growth."

Mr. Barton's soul revealed a bitter smile:

"Fate, huh."

"It seems to be the case. Will a living person inheriting death gradually transform into an undead or a living dead? This is a troublesome matter."

Xia De pondered. Joey Barton spoke again:

"Mr. Hamilton, if you want to solve this problem, you only need to make the power of the Chosen One less pure."

"What do you mean?"

"The Chosen One qualification must belong to only one person; this cannot be changed. That young lady over there is already an official Chosen One, but she still became another candidate. She may be able to obtain part of the power of death, so death will no longer be pure, and the nun who inherits the qualification will not slowly transform into a dead person."

Xia De looked at Barton suspiciously; he seemed to know too much.

Mr. Barton held the lady's hand tightly, looking at Xia De with a calm expression:

"Mr. Hamilton, since you said that the requirement for the ritual of the Chosen One of Death is that everyone else dies, then what will happen if the previous sequence candidate suddenly 'resurrects' when the ritual is not yet completed?"

Yin Yi Yi Lu Na realized suddenly:

"If I hold the ritual, but the ritual is not completed, and Sister Daifulin also returns to the Narrow Gap from here, then Sister Daifulin is the Chosen One of Death. And I, however, have also obtained part of the power, very little power. In this way, the nun's power is incomplete."

"Yes."

Barton then said nothing more.

Only the Chosen One of Death should be able to do this. After all, it is impossible for other candidates of the Chosen One to have situations like "resurrection from the dead."

Xia De looked at Mr. Barton suspiciously, but did not raise the question in his heart. He had indeed lost the qualification of a Chosen One, but Xia De felt that this man bearing the curse had obtained other things. Perhaps it was because of Yin Yi Yi Lu Na's judgment and his sins, perhaps because he really had a talent for death, but these were not things Xia De needed to care about. For the Chosen One, he already had a judgment:

"Nun, is this feasible? You become the Chosen One of Death, but Yin Yi Yi Lu Na obtains a small part of the power, making death no longer pure?"

Actually, after the Chosen One of Darkness died, Yin Yi Yi Lu Na also obtained part of the power of darkness; that dark vortex was the evidence. Looking at it this way, Yin Yi Yi Lu Na actually managed to obtain the power of the Chosen One three times in a row, even though only the power of balance was complete.

"This is very good."

The nun nodded.

"Nun, do you understand death and the end?"

Xia De asked with some worry again.

"I once peeked at the world after the fire went out in the faint light of the fire. Yes, I understand all of this."

Only then did Xia De reveal a smile, clapping his hands to signal everyone to look over. He announced the final decision:

"Then let's do this — Yin Yi Yi Lu Na, you leave here first in a while, and Sister Daifulin will leave afterward. The nun will become the third Chosen One; the Witch Parliament should be very happy. Yin Yi Yi Lu Na, you follow the story we just fabricated, I mean, reorganized, and inform the church of what happened here. As for Sister Daifulin's identity..."

"You don't know me, just say: that is a blind nun wearing an eye mask."

Sister Daifulin said actively, not intending to hide her identity from the church.

Joey Barton didn't care about the qualification that once belonged to him, Handel didn't understand their words at all, Priest Ao Gu Si narrowed his eyes and enjoyed the tobacco, Sister Daifulin sat on the stone with no expression, Yin Yi Yi Lu Na was still a bit uneasy, and Xia De sat by the bonfire and looked at the Underworld Moon on the water surface. The moonlight sprinkled on Xia De's face, but there was no excitement or joy on his face.

Lowering his head slightly, his face was covered with large shadows; his eyes narrowed, and his brows were tightly furrowed, indicating worry.

【Do you know what will happen next?】

"Yes."

【Then why, consume that drop of divinity in advance? That is your last drop of divinity.】

"Because, I'm afraid that the Duchess won't come tonight because of fear. I can't be by their side at all times, but He is peeking at all times. Tonight is the best opportunity, because their duties will likely end tonight. This is a conspiracy spanning two eras, involving multiple gods, affecting several eras, running through the fate of countless people, and indirectly leading to this scene tonight. Compared to the epic of the Chosen One, the story that has continued from the banquet to now is more like a myth, terrifying and eerie myth. And I will absolutely not allow this story to end in tragedy."

Xia De's brows furrowed deeply:

"Even if it's me, I only understood when I saw that hook. The blood-sucking Duchess has been manipulating all this since the last era, actually just wanting to... so, an evil god is an evil god."

【He is not for the Narrow Gap or the Chosen One, why do you want to stop it?】

"Just like the first time I stopped it."

Then came the sound of laughter:

【So that's it, you haven't changed at all. But Outsider, are you confident? If He really wants to come, you in mortal form cannot forcibly obtain divinity just by relying on the 'Soul Fishing Rod'.】

The first drop of divinity from the 【Lord of Blood Banquet】, at that time the god was just a shadow that had just stepped in, so Xia De could succeed. The second drop of divinity from the 【Lord of Blood Banquet】, at that time Xia De was in a god-like state, so he could succeed. But if you use a relic only in mortal form, the possibility of success is extremely low, and gods are not incapable of resisting.

"I understand, but I am definitely not the only one who maintains goodwill."

Xia De stopped his thoughts; he heard the sound of the door opening. ===== CHAPTER 783 =====

"Because I am afraid that the Duke will not come tonight due to apprehension. I cannot be by their side at all times, but He is watching at every moment. Tonight is the best opportunity, because their duties will very likely end tonight. This is a conspiracy spanning two eras, involving multiple gods, affecting several ages, and running through the fates of countless people, indirectly leading to this scene tonight. Compared to the epics of the Chosen, the story that began at the banquet and continues to this day is more like a myth—a terrifying and sinister myth. And I will absolutely not allow this story to end in tragedy."

Xia De's brows furrowed deeply:

"Even for me, it was only when I saw that hook that I understood the vampire Duke has been manipulating all of this from behind the scenes since the last era, all just to... so, an Evil God is an Evil God after all."

【He is not doing this for the Rift or the Chosen; why must you stop Him?】

"Just as I did the first time I intervened."

Then, a soft chuckle was heard:

【So that is how it is; you have not changed at all. But Outsider, are you very confident? If He truly intends to come, you in your mortal state cannot forcibly obtain divinity merely with the 'Soul Fishing Rod'.】

The first drop of divinity from the 【Lord of the Blood Banquet】—at that time, the god was merely a shadow just stepping in, which is why Xia De was able to succeed. The second drop of divinity from the 【Lord of the Blood Banquet】—at that time, Xia De was in a deified state, which is why he was able to succeed. But if one uses the relic merely in mortal form, the possibility of success is extremely low; gods are not incapable of resisting.

"I understand, but I am definitely not the only one who maintains goodwill."

Xia De stopped his train of thought; he heard the sound of a door opening.