In the midst of the swirling snowstorm, a figure clad in a black coat trudged forward.
Black boots left one footprint after another in the snow, while blood dripped from the hem of his coat, dotting the snow like a thin, crimson thread.
Flick—flick—flick!
The spark from a flint ignited the tip of a cigarette, and he took a deep drag, exhaling a thick cloud of smoke...
"Almost done with the purge... just a few remnants left. Let's finish them off in one go," he muttered to himself.
The bloodstained hem of his coat shimmered faintly with four silver patterns.
Just then, two stars lit up in the grayish-white sky, their ethereal radiance descending upon a distant mansion.
Seeing this, his brow furrowed slightly.
"[Divine Favor]?"
As he murmured to himself, a third star lit up, and a third divine blessing poured down...
"Three divine paths bestowing their favor?" His surprise turned to shock. "What kind of monster is this..."
He unconsciously quickened his pace.
The snowflakes danced in the biting cold, and the outline of the mansion in the distance flickered in and out of view.
One minute,
Two minutes,
Three minutes...
His frown deepened.
No matter how far he walked, the mansion remained hazy, showing no signs of getting closer... like a mirage in the snow.
Finally, he seemed to realize something and turned to look behind him.
At some point, the footprints he had left had completely vanished.
The howling wind echoed in his ears, and in the vast white world, it felt as if he were the only one left.
"Who's there?" he demanded coldly.
His voice dissipated into the flurry of snowflakes, as if swallowed by some monstrous entity. An eerie silence enveloped him.
"...Playing tricks." A flash of killing intent crossed his eyes as his right hand gripped the gun at his waist. An invisible domain suddenly expanded around him!
He closed his eyes, the cigarette at his lips burning silently, as if he were intently sensing something.
Suddenly, he raised his gun with lightning speed, aiming at a spot to his side, and pulled the trigger without hesitation.
Bang—!
The power of deconstruction tore through the void, shattering all the snowflakes in its path.
At the same time, everything around him seemed to ignite like paper—the ground, the sky, the snowflakes, the distant outline of the mansion... It was as if he were encased in a giant cocoon, and with the gunshot, the cocoon shattered!
The sense of illusion around him receded like a tide, and the mansion in the distance became clear once more.
"Huh?" A surprised sound came from beside the bullet's trajectory.
He turned to see a boy with a white sheet covering his face, crouching in the snow. In one hand, he held a tree branch, and through crudely cut holes in the sheet, his eyes looked at the man in astonishment.
On the snow in front of the boy was a large circle drawn with the branch. The man's figure was now trapped in the center of this circle.
However, where the man had fired his gun, a gap had been torn open in the circle.
"I thought it would take you a few more minutes to figure it out," the boy said with a shrug. "Seems I underestimated you... As expected of the legendary prodigy law enforcer."
"Who are you?"
Han Meng frowned, staring at the boy. He could sense that the boy's aura was even stronger than his own—likely at the fifth tier!
But Han Meng was already twenty-five... This boy couldn't be more than fifteen or sixteen.
A fifth-tier at fifteen or sixteen?
He had never heard of such a prodigy in the Aurora Domain.
"I've covered my face. Do you really think I'd tell you who I am?" The boy pointed at the sheet covering his face, then seemed to realize it was hard to breathe and casually poked another hole for his nose. He continued in a muffled voice,
"At your age, you should be smarter than this."
Han Meng's face darkened.
"Do you know the penalty for obstructing a law enforcer in the execution of their duties?"
"Law enforcer? Impressive, huh?"
The boy chuckled, using the branch to casually draw a square pattern in the snow. Instantly, a square outline appeared beneath Han Meng's feet, trapping him within.
"When you manage to step out of that, I'll admit you're somewhat impressive... About one-tenth as impressive as me." The boy's smile was evident even beneath the sheet.
Han Meng looked down and saw that, at some point, a giant playing card had appeared beneath his feet in the snow...
[8 of Clubs]
The moment he saw the card, Han Meng's pupils constricted as if he had realized something.
"...The Twilight Society?!"
...
Chen Ling stared blankly at the third star that had lit up, confusion in his eyes.
He didn't recognize this star, nor did he understand why it had been drawn to him... If killing had attracted the attention of the "Path of the Soldier," what had drawn the other two divine paths?
Unable to make sense of it, Chen Ling decided not to dwell on it. For him, the pressing question was which divine path to choose.
By stepping onto a divine path, he could gain extraordinary power... Perhaps one day, he could rely on his own strength to break free from the "Audience"!
A person couldn't walk multiple divine paths simultaneously, just as one couldn't split themselves to take two roads. Looking at the three paths before him, Chen Ling made his decision almost without hesitation... After all, among the three, he only recognized the "Path of the Soldier."
Moreover, Han Meng's [Dance of Slaughter] had left a deep impression on him. He even felt that the "Path of the Soldier" might be the most combat-oriented of all divine paths.
Just as he was about to choose the "Path of the Soldier," a sudden change occurred!
Behind him, in the void, pairs of crimson eyes opened one after another, like a writhing sea of shadows!
The "Audience" had begun to interfere with the performance!
Thud—thud—thud—thud—
In the theater, countless "Audience" members watching the performance began stomping their feet in unison. The dull reverberations echoed like continuous thunder!
Countless gazes from the theater turned toward the three stars in the sky. At this moment, the power of the "Apocalypse" level seeped out through the crimson eyes, like an invisible, formless behemoth silently roaring at the three stars!!
They were rejecting the divine paths;
They were intimidating the divine paths!
In the next moment, the three stars in the sky trembled violently!
The divine radiance enveloping Chen Ling began to shatter, piece by piece, like a celestial path collapsing from its base...
The divine paths were afraid.
They had seen the monster behind Chen Ling. Once eager to bestow their favor, they now feared Chen Ling's existence. None of them wanted that monster to tread upon their paths... Just as no one would willingly invite a ferocious tiger into their home.
And so, they severed their paths, retreating from the confrontation.
The three divine radiances surrounding Chen Ling shattered, and the paths to divinity rapidly receded. At this moment, both Chen Ling and those present, including Qian Fan, were left stunned...