Chapter 159: Chapter 159: Meeting the Lord of Paradise
Perhaps because he’d been abstinent for so long, the thought became irrepressible.
Lou forced himself to look away. He glanced at a corner of the room. Since it had been unoccupied for so long, a spiderweb had formed there.
A thumb-sized black Spider slowly scaled its web.
A small moth blundered into it.
It flapped its wings frantically but only became more entangled in the web.
The black Spider quickly scurried along the silk and devoured the little moth it had captured, bite by bite.
A slight smile played on Lou’s lips.
’His target wasn’t some fluttering moth, but a little turtle with a shell.’
Yu Zhizhi was clutching Lou’s arm with both hands, her head still resting against him as she gradually drifted off to sleep.
「The next day.」
After breakfast, the group set off.
After a fierce battle, the Sixth Region was now completely devoid of people. Layers of rubble stretched all the way to the region’s end.
Following Lou’s lead, the group set foot on a small path.
After her Beastification, Yu Zhizhi was held in the palm of Lou’s hand.
Following his instructions, she started the live stream.
In no time, over a million viewers had poured in.
Many of them were already following Miss 13 and had come after receiving the notification that she was live. A good number were also there to see Lord 91.
[Good morning, Miss Turtle~]
[Haha, another day of being held in Lord 91’s palm.]
[The little turtle gets cuter the more I look at her!]
Within Paradise’s hunting rules, there was a "Contestant Popularity Ranking." The top three contestants earned the right to opt out of some of the intense one-on-one battles.
Moreover, on the final day, the most popular contestant could ignore their team’s failure and still choose to have their sins cleansed, allowing them to leave Paradise.
By starting a live stream, Yu Zhizhi could continuously build her popularity.
Plus, Lou’s own stream was always off.
Any viewers who wanted to see him would come to the little turtle’s stream.
Their relationship was already ambiguous, and many people’s affection for him extended to her, so they followed the little turtle as well.
The path was difficult to traverse. Just after wading through a vast swamp, they came to the edge of a steep cliff.
Everyone except Lou underwent Beastification.
A swift Cheetah, a nimble Stag, and a jade-green mantis brandishing its scythe-like arms.
Lou seemed to pay the cliff no mind.
He cupped his hands to protect the little turtle, then leaped onto a rock at the cliff’s edge. From there, he descended the sheer rock face with effortless ease.
The others hurried to follow.
They had to use their spiritual power to strengthen their bodies.
At the bottom of the valley, it was as if the sun had suddenly vanished.
Dead trees stretched as far as the eye could see, and a blackish-green light shrouded the entire landscape. Looking up, they could barely see where they had started.
Even the sky overhead was a dark, oppressive mass, like a dark green curtain obscuring everything.
A sinister, terrifying aura washed over them.
The Cheetah’s legs trembled. "Is this the Lord of Paradise’s domain...?"
The Stag’s face was deathly pale.
’The Lord of Paradise’s domain is the entirety of Paradise. Even the Guard Team is at his command. The Holy Temple is simply where he resides.’
Lou led the way, with Yu Zhizhi, now in her human form, following closely behind him.
As they reached the outskirts of the Holy Temple, she turned off the live stream.
Many viewers, still wanting more, lingered on the black screen, unwilling to leave.
Amidst the withered forest, they saw a dark, oppressive entrance. It was a stone-carved gate with skull sculptures hidden in the gloom, their details indistinct. A faint flash of lightning briefly illuminated a distant, looming tower within.
"This is a side entrance to the Holy Temple. No one knows about it," Lou explained simply. "Once inside, you’ll be in the outer perimeter. The three of you will have to fend for yourselves. As for the day our squad is supposed to regroup..."
Lou shot them a sideways glance. "I hope you’re still alive by then."
With that, he turned and led Yu Zhizhi deeper inside.
In the outer perimeter of the Holy Temple, lightning flashed, thunder rumbled, and Crows gathered in flocks.
They huddled together and headed toward a nearby building. The Leopard murmured, "Where is Lord Lou taking Miss 13?"
"Who knows? I just hope our squad doesn’t fall apart..." the Stag said, cautiously surveying his surroundings.
As they’d thought, they were the first squad to arrive.
There wasn’t another soul in sight.
The young mantis boy walked silently at the rear of the group.
The Leopard suggested, "We should hurry and find a place to hole up, make some preparations, and see if we can earn some hidden points. By the way, regarding the one-on-one battles, do you guys have anyone in mind?"
...
Yu Zhizhi followed Lou. The path through the Holy Temple was treacherous, littered with skeletal remains. Mutated Vultures circled in the air above.
She couldn’t help but grab Lou’s wrist and press close to him.
Lou patted the back of her hand. "Did you remember everything I just told you?"
After entering the Holy Temple, Lou’s demeanor changed from how it was outside. His expression grew solemn, as if he were deeply displeased with what was about to happen.
Yu Zhizhi nodded lightly. "I remember."
Lou had instructed her on many things.
For example, with the Lighthouse Seal, she could move freely within the Holy Temple and even command the servants here.
Anything she needed, she could ask the Lord of Paradise for directly.
"Little Zhi." Lou suddenly stopped. Just before they entered the Holy Temple, he gazed into the young woman’s eyes. "The time I can appear each day is about two hours. Other than me, you need to hide from the other ’me’s."
Seeing the young woman nod obediently, the tension in Lou’s expression eased slightly.
He took off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders.
"It’s cold in the Holy Temple. Remember to have that guy send you somewhere warm."
"Okay~"
"Let’s go."
Lou took her hand and led her toward the steps of the Holy Temple.
The moment they entered, his expression began to subtly shift. Once he had officially stepped inside the temple, Lou slowly released her hand.
Yu Zhizhi watched his back.
The young man’s figure seemed to change slightly. As she watched, a thick white fog swept through the Holy Temple. Yu Zhizhi stopped abruptly, watching as Lou’s figure grew more and more distant.
She was blocked by an unseen force.
She could get no closer.
When the thick fog dissipated, Yu Zhizhi could gradually make out the scene inside the hall—
The Holy Temple was dark and oppressive. A throne was piled high with white bones, and a somber light quietly blanketed every inch of the hall.
And on that throne sat a slender figure.
The bones of some colossal creature, glowing with a deep green flame, formed a natural throne where the skeleton dipped in the center. White skulls served as adornments. A man was lounging against the back of the throne, his long black hair spilling to the floor. He wore a dark green robe, like some sort of clerical vestment, decorated with threads of dark gold—mysterious, understated, and regal.
His gaze fell upon the young woman who had trespassed into the Holy Temple.
Slender, frail, and trembling.
Like a little lamb offered up by her clan to a Devil.
In the eyes of the Lord of Paradise, a creature with no Strength was not worthy of life.
The young woman’s appearance greatly displeased him.
The dark green uniform jacket was draped over Yu Zhizhi’s shoulders. A faint, pure white light emanated from her body, breaking through the surface-level disguise of her Spiritual Technique. The Lord of Paradise’s eyes could see her true form.
[A female of the Rabbit Clan, pretending to be a turtle.]
The Lord of Paradise slowly and deliberately unwrapped the bandages from his face, revealing the right eye that had always been hidden.
"Let me guess... who brought this Miss Turtle and Rabbit here?"
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