Lord of Prayer

An emerald-green fog shrouded two city blocks. Amidst a rumbling turbulence, it spread ferociously in all directions, carried on the winds of a sudden hurricane.

A few putrid, bicycle-sized rats scurried across the streets. The next second, the toxic fog surged forward like a tide and engulfed them. The moment the mist touched their flesh, it sizzled as it rapidly dissolved and corroded them. A moment later, all that remained were piles of grim, white bones, stained an emerald green.

The toxic fog spread, growing ever stronger. Within its range, thousands of hellish creatures were dissolved into heaps of white bones that littered the roads.

THUD, THUD, THUD...

From within the deadly gas, a massive, five-meter-tall silhouette slowly emerged. It had dark red, searing Steel Wings, metallic snake scales covering its entire body, a powerful and robust physique, winding and hardened draconic horns, and malevolent, pitch-black vertical pupils...

It was a horrific, blasphemous creation, a fusion of traits from countless Hellish Demons. Even in the Abyss, a place teeming with monstrous alien forms, it was an absolute anomaly.

Many Corrupters, some of whom possessed Extraordinary Abilities, lingered outside the toxic fog. But now, they were struck by an immense sense of pressure and danger. It was like a lab mouse facing the king of beasts; the overwhelming Fear sent them scattering without a moment’s hesitation.

Zhou Chen ignored the hellish creatures. He clenched his fists, feeling the Essence of Calamity from the Abyss contained within this new body, and couldn’t help but murmur in awe:

"So... strong..."

He was nine or even ten times stronger than when he had first become corrupted in Akita Town. In terms of sheer Power, he had already reached Tier Three. The evolutionary speed of an Abyssal Demon was terrifying; as long as it could keep devouring and avoid death, it could grow stronger with incredible speed.

He could even feel that this body could continue to grow stronger through consumption. It was far from reaching its limit.

"To think there’s a Corrupter this strong."

A voice exclaimed in surprise. Suddenly, three figures appeared before Zhou Chen, causing him to pause.

A completely naked woman, a man with four eyes on his face, and a human who showed no aura of an Abyssal Demon.

Two Advanced Corrupters and one human!

’A human mingling with Corrupters...’ Zhou Chen’s guard went up. ’This guy doesn’t look like a good person...’

’Then again, I’m not exactly a good person right now, either!’

The human, who lacked any Abyssal Demon aura, was clearly from North Carolina’s upper class. He had delicate skin and wore fine clothes, remaining spotless even in the Abyss. A deep-seated arrogance was hidden in the depths of his eyes.

The naked female Corrupter also looked like she was from North Carolina’s upper crust. Her skin was fair and smooth, and her curvaceous body was like porcelain, exuding a perverse sense of holiness and a soul-luring Charm.

From the outside, the four-eyed Corrupter looked no different from a human, but a closer look revealed that his four pupils were slender and serpentine, giving him a sinister and cunning appearance that was chilling to behold.

"What are you things?" Zhou Chen demanded, his tone gruff.

"Allow me to introduce myself."

The human man smiled, elegantly placing a hand on his chest as he bowed. "I am the ’Wind Witch,’ from the ’Ten Thousand Evils Court Meeting.’"

’The Ten Thousand Evils Court Meeting...’ Zhou Chen was startled. ’This man is an Abyssal Cultist!’

The Ten Thousand Evils Court Meeting was an Abyss Church that worshiped the Abyssal King known as the "Ancient Calamity." Seventy percent of the atrocities caused by the Abyss Church worldwide were their doing. They were the very embodiment of chaos and disaster, stirring up trouble wherever they went.

They had likely been fanning the flames behind the scenes for North Carolina’s situation to have devolved to this point.

"He’s a Corrupter from Shengqiang Group."

The alluring woman had noticed the work ID on Zhou Chen’s chest.

"Shengqiang Group? The name rings a bell. Oh, I remember now. I chatted with their boss at a banquet once."

The man calling himself Wind Witch had a look of realization. He then looked at the ID badge, his face full of curiosity. "You’re... a programmer? You’ve got to be kidding. How can a programmer be this tough, or eat enough to get this... big?"

Zhou Chen remained expressionless, but he projected an aura of simmering rage.

The alluring woman giggled, releasing an invisible Charm with her every move. "Don’t be so tense. I’ve done business with your big boss before. Now, I’d like to discuss a partnership with you."

Zhou Chen’s will was as solid as a rock, and he was unaffected by the Charm. "What kind of partnership?"

The Wind Witch pointed a few kilometers behind him, where the glow of the Light-Burning Barrier was faintly visible within the dark, demonic fog. "We want to break through that Barrier."

"With just the three of you?"

"No, we have..." The Wind Witch counted on his fingers, then tilted his head. "About three hundred thousand?"

Zhou Chen wasn’t particularly surprised. The population of the North Carolina Capital was two million. While the government’s Barrier in the city center could protect some people, the vast majority had met the fate of corruption. In his view, three hundred thousand Corrupters was a low estimate; one million three hundred thousand wouldn’t have been an exaggeration.

"What’s the point?" Zhou Chen asked in a low voice, gazing at the gloomy sky. "The Star Association will Purify this place sooner or later. We’re all going to die."

"If you agree to cooperate, our Ten Thousand Evils Court Meeting is willing to help you escape the fate of being Purified by the Star Association, and we’ll give you a place to belong," the Wind Witch promised.

"Really?"

"Of course. We can’t wait to welcome an expert like you. These two, for example, are new members of the Ten Thousand Evils Court Meeting."

Zhou Chen pretended to hesitate for a moment, then nodded after a long pause. "Fine. I’m in."

"Excellent. I didn’t expect such a bonus on this trip. Come closer," the Wind Witch gestured.

Zhou Chen approached cautiously. As he stepped within two meters of the Wind Witch, a black ring of light appeared on the ground. It flashed, and they all vanished.

His vision changed in an instant. When he could see again, they were on the roof of a skyscraper. The area was covered in crystals, but he could vaguely make out what was once a luxurious rooftop restaurant.

Zhou Chen looked around, surprised.

There were many powerful Corrupters here, as well as some humans, who must be Cultists from the Ten Thousand Evils Court Meeting.

Beyond them, he was shocked to see the "Painter." Radiating an artistic air, he sat on the edge of the rooftop, painting the dark World in its apocalyptic state. A dense aura of calamity was practically seeping from the canvas.

’Is that the Painter’s real body? Or just another fake?’ Zhou Chen glanced over him quickly, not daring to look for long, lest he expose himself.

The Painter’s presence here meant that Fallen Paradise and the Ten Thousand Evils Court Meeting were colluding. This wasn’t exactly news. As anti-human organizations that constantly spoke of destroying the World and creating disasters, Fallen Paradise and the Abyss Church had been collaborating for a long time.

"We found another new member on our way back. Quite strong," the Wind Witch said without further introduction. With a flip of his hand, he produced a blood-soaked human head out of thin air.

The head’s eyes were wide with fury, as if its owner had died with immense, unquenchable anger, unable to rest in peace.

Zhou Chen’s heart sank.

This was a Warrior from the Salvation Army.

"Scan it while it’s still warm. See if there’s any key intel," the Wind Witch said, casually tossing the head. A Cultist from the Ten Thousand Evils Court Meeting scrambled to catch it.

The Cultist held the head, opened his mouth, and the corners of his lips split as his maw stretched wider and wider. Then, he devoured the Salvation Army Warrior’s head in one bite, swallowing it down.

The fragmented memories were absorbed by the Cultist. He burped. "This guy was just a grunt. Didn’t know anything too useful."

"Forget it, then. I wasn’t expecting to kill a high-ranking officer anyway."

The Wind Witch shook his head and snapped his fingers. The air rippled like the surface of a mirror, and scenes of battle appeared.

"These are the places in the city where fighting is ongoing. The Star Association has summoned many troublesome individuals. There are a few people I need you all to pay close attention to."

The Wind Witch pointed to each of them in turn.

Zhou Chen looked and saw that several of them were acquaintances.

Yao Hu, Marvin... and Li Xiye!

"Especially this woman. She is extremely dangerous. I tried to ambush her when I passed by earlier, but she detected me. In that instant, I had an unprecedented premonition of death. If I hadn’t escaped in time, I would have died for sure."

The Wind Witch pointed at Li Xiye in the image and said gravely, "Someone like her must be eliminated first. Otherwise, she’ll be a massive threat!"

As he spoke, Li Xiye in the image seemed to sense she was being watched. With a mere glance, the image shattered.

Immediately after, others in the scenes began to notice the malicious, long-distance spying and used their own methods to block it.

"There’s no need to try and intercept them early. If you’re not strong enough, you’ll just be feeding them kills. I suggest we wait until they group up and then wipe them all out at once," said the Painter, who was still drawing.

The Wind Witch thought for a moment. "Then let them come. What’s the status of the Breaking Realm Weapon?"

"Charging at 79%! Estimated activation in five minutes!"