Please do not show affection in front of the deceased!

“If you can transform, why didn’t you do so when we first met?” Li Yin asked as they walked through the streets, unable to hold back her curiosity.

Since she had chosen to assume this form in public, it meant she didn’t want to reveal herself to strangers.

But why had she not shown it earlier when they first met?

“Well… I can’t maintain this form for long.”

“Even at full energy, this Illusory Moon Ring can only support it for two hours at most,” the girl said with a gentle smile.

“Besides, you two didn’t seem like the scheming or malicious type.”

“Actually, the townspeople already know my identity.”

“I only do this to avoid trouble from outsiders who stick to old ways and narrow minds.”

“After all, some just can’t stand other races, right?”

“Oh, I haven’t introduced myself yet.”

“I’m Yilian,” she continued.

“I’m Li Yin, and this is Li Luo.”

While exchanging names, the three of them wove through empty alleyways—naturally to avoid attention.

After a short while, they arrived at a church.

A young nun was performing her daily prayers in front of the hall.

When she finished, Yilian stepped forward to ask.

“Sister Xi, is Mr. Karel here?”

“Oh, Mayor, what brings you here?”

The nun named Xi looked slightly surprised.

“He’s inside.”

“And these two are…?”

“They’re helpers I’ve brought.”

“Please, take us to see Mr. Karel first.”

“Of course.”

“Follow me.”

The nun led them to a room where a man was pacing back and forth.

“What do I do… What do I do…”

He was frantic, his brows deeply furrowed into a sharp V.

He only stopped when he saw people enter.

“Sister Xi, what is it?”

“And who are these…”

Karel looked closer, then gasped.

“Mayor!”

“What are you doing here!”

“Mr. Karel, what’s wrong?”

Yilian asked.

“Mayor, you don’t know—just moments ago, their injuries worsened again!”

Karel’s voice was urgent, full of anxiety.

“Worsened?”

“Take me to see them at once.”

“Alright, right this way.”

There was no time for words.

Karel crashed out of the room and led the way, the others following close behind.

Seeing him so agitated, Yilian’s expression grew serious.

She had never seen Karel, a priest, so frantic before.

Finally, they arrived at a basement in the church’s living quarters.

“Holy spirits of light, please protect us.”

Karel chanted a spell, and a golden barrier slowly descended from above, enveloping everyone.

“Do not step outside the barrier once we enter,” he warned cautiously.

After everyone nodded, he slowly pushed the door open.

The basement was not large.

A few candles on the walls flickered weakly, their tiny flames struggling against the damp, dark air, fighting to stay alive.

As the door swung fully open, a blast of chill air surged out.

Everyone except Li Yin and Li Luo shivered.

Along with the cold came wisps of black qi, almost solid.

These black qi were like clawing specters.

The barrier hummed as they approached.

They seemed conscious, trying to breach the barrier and corrode those inside.

Seeing this, Sister Xi, the nun, turned pale with fright.

She regretted coming.

Yilian frowned deeply.

She couldn’t understand—at first, this black qi had only coiled around the wounds, but now it had swelled to nearly fill the entire basement.

Yet among them, none were more shocked than Karel.

An hour ago, when he had left, the black qi had only enveloped the victims’ bodies.

Even then, he had been powerless.

What could he do now?

Given its rate of spread, if left unchecked, the entire church would likely be consumed soon.

Crack.

Before anyone could react, the barrier cracked, and black qi began seeping in.

“No!”

“Run!”

Seeing the danger, Karel spun around and shouted in panic.

But Li Luo was unfazed.

Instead, she walked toward the black qi.

She raised a jade-like finger and lightly tapped the air.

In an instant, a stream of light shot from her fingertip into the black qi, spreading like lightning to every corner of the basement.

Suddenly, countless threads of light burst forth, illuminating the basement as brightly as if a thousand flashbangs had exploded.

Everyone except Li Luo was forced to shut their eyes.

When the white light faded, their vision remained stained with white spots, everything blurry.

It took a long while for their eyes to adjust.

“This…”

As his sight returned, Karel was stunned.

The black qi he had tried every method to combat had been so effortlessly dispelled by a seemingly young girl!

“How… how did you do that?!”

Karel stammered, his lips trembling violently.

“Of course, thanks to her strength,” Li Yin explained with a smile.

“…”

“Let’s go in,” Yilian said, now anxious about the injured inside.

Given the earlier scene, they were likely long dead.

With the black qi gone, the basement was noticeably brighter, and the chill less biting.

Entering, they walked straight to the wounded.

What they saw was unbearable.

A stench like a sewer hit them.

All three victims had succumbed, their bodies withered corpses.

The wounds had rotted into black slime that soaked the bedding, a disgusting sight.

“Ugh—”

Though it was disrespectful to the dead, Sister Xi couldn’t help but dry heave.

The ghastly scene left a shadow in her heart.

“Alas, rest in peace.”

“May you enter heaven and find eternal joy,” Karel, as a priest, shook his head helplessly, guilt weighing on him for failing to save them.

Enter heaven and find eternal joy?

Hearing that, Li Luo let out a snicker, pitying the priest’s ignorance.

There was no heaven in this world.

Even gods were false.

The only thing that existed was the netherworld, where all things eventually went.

She wondered what these so-called churches and faiths really believed in.

Perhaps some otherworldly deity?

But though the so-called gods were false… true gods did exist.

Li Luo looked at Li Yin, her eyes burning like a small sun.

‘My deity has always been right beside me…’

“Is… is there something on my face?”

Li Yin felt creeped out by that gaze—it was filled with so much love and possessiveness, as if she could devour her at any moment.

Oh, she already had?

Then never mind…

“No,” Li Luo whispered, and in full view of everyone, she did something completely out of place with the atmosphere—she embraced Li Yin from behind.

If the dead could rise, those three on the bed would probably jump up in protest.

Damn!

Could you not show off your affection in front of the dead?!