Chapter 2528: Chapter 113: Each the Bait, Each the Hook
In the underground palace, which was almost turned into ruins, bodies were scattered all around.
Blasted skulls, severed limbs, charred remains... together they created a bizarre picture amidst the ruins. Everything was static, except the crimson blood flowing everywhere like blood snakes with remaining spirituality, greedily searching for something in the darkness.
In the debris of broken walls and shattered tiles, Zhang Linchuan sat on the only intact chair. He wore a black robe lined with white patterns, both his robe and his throne appeared spotless.
Before the pope’s throne, several corpses still exuding strong presence were scattered on the stone steps.
The corpse closest to the pope’s throne was that of a female powerhouse. Her blood-stained hair lay as she sprawled face down, but she was still straining to extend her right hand forward, as if wanting to grasp something.
Just two more steps, and her hand would cross the end of the stone steps to reach closer to the heretical sect leader’s throne. Alas, she could not.
Zhang Linchuan probably didn’t care about all this, the stone steps were already dirty, so he sat here. Holding a handkerchief embroidered with bamboo leaves in his right hand, he was calmly wiping his bloodied left hand.
His movements were very meticulous, cleaning each knuckle spotlessly, even attending to the spaces between the nails.
"I can understand why the winged ghost wanted to kill me."
He said calmly.
As he spoke, a dark lightning glimmered between his strands of hair.
He treated his fingers like fragile porcelain.
Then continued, "But him disgustingly betraying me, I cannot accept."
The underground palace was very quiet.
"When did you arrive?" he asked again.
"When the sect leader killed the last woman." Lu Yan, the former second elder of Bone Tao, floated down silently. Surrounded by a wisp of lively dark energy, his feet remained suspended.
"Then why didn’t you act?" Zhang Linchuan asked with interest.
Lu Yan replied in a weary voice, "I probably won’t receive any reward, after all, I am also a remnant of Bone Tao."
Zhang Linchuan, having wiped clean the blood on his hand, raised his left hand in front of him, examining it thoroughly. He said, "I’m asking why you didn’t act to help me. You are my chief protector, my trusted minister... my old friend who has accompanied me through many struggles."
Lu Yan said, "If you cannot handle even such a situation, sooner or later you’ll be captured and killed by the Triple Punishment Palace. I don’t see any necessity to help you."
"You have quite some confidence in me." Zhang Linchuan lowered his left hand and looked at Lu Yan.
Lu Yan remained impassive, "If I didn’t have confidence in the sect leader, I should have hidden like other Dharma Kings, or just like the winged ghost, switched sides, bringing some people to find you."
Zhang Linchuan nimbly moved his fingers, carefully folding the now blood-stained handkerchief and placed it in a dedicated storage box.
"Perhaps that truly is the correct course." He said.
"At least the winged ghost has proven his mistake." Lu Yan said.
Zhang Linchuan chuckled, "The winged ghost was scared out of his wits in the span of a mother’s milk, nearly got killed, and then turned around to betray me, the heretical sect leader, to redeem himself... that’s understandable."
"Would you like our subordinates to investigate who orchestrated this attack on the underground palace?" Lu Yan asked.
"What’s the point? The source of the matter isn’t here."
Zhang Linchuan flipped his right hand, and the storage box shrank into a tiny cube and disappeared between his fingers.
He reclined on the solitary pope’s throne, crossing his legs and intertwining his fingers on his knee.
The gesture was relaxed, even leisurely.
Watching Lu Yan quietly, his face bore a smile but his eyes were exceedingly indifferent.
Lu Yan, having weathered many experiences amidst the high ranks of evil cults, had seen myriad villainous figures. Yet at this moment, he appeared somewhat unnatural.
"What does the sect leader plan to do next?" he asked.
"Is there anything an old fool can do to help?" he added.
Perhaps this nervousness touched Zhang Linchuan.
"What else can be done?" Zhang Linchuan smirked, "If we cannot recruit millions of followers, we’ll kill millions. The path to greatness remains intact."
The number of millions, when spoken, sounded light, as if joking. But Zhang Linchuan’s eyes were anything but joking.
Even though over the years Lu Yan had committed countless atrocities, murdered as easily as cutting grass, even masterminding the sacrifices in the Maple Forest City Region... at this moment, he didn’t know what to say.
It was unnecessary to speak of ethereal concepts like divine retribution.
Currently, the Church of Lifeless is indeed pitiful, akin to rats crossing the street, attacked by everyone.
But if Zhang Linchuan truly intended to kill millions, it wouldn’t simply be rats crossing the street, but rather a mortal enemy of the Human Race!
The three Great Palaces would all be mobilized, the three Palace Masters would personally hunt him down. Even the Taoist Sect’s three Holy Lands and Book Mountain would send people!
That would mean there’s no hiding place anywhere on heaven and earth.
"I was joking with you." Zhang Linchuan chuckled lightly.
In Lu Yan’s eyes, filled with complex emotions, he added, "Perhaps there’s no need to kill so many."
His gaze swept seriously over the bodies on the ground: "Killing a few more people like today’s, would be enough."
Lu Yan’s expression shifted from stiff to relaxed, and then back to stiff.
Ultimately, he awkwardly grinned, "So the sect leader intentionally gave the winged ghost an opportunity, just to have him gather more experts for you to kill?"
