Upon hearing that they had kidnapped a Saintess, several cultists displayed intense interest and crowded around. The bald old man said excitedly, “Take her to the headquarters! Present her as a gift to the Supreme Pontiff!”
“Brother Sovereign,” Briyue bowed slightly, “I have never heard of a Supreme Pontiff before. Hasn’t our faith always been led by the Priest acting in the God’s stead?”
“Her Eminence the Supreme Pontiff emerged from a divine miracle, the embodiment of the God’s infinite grace. The God bestowed upon her the Authority of True Vision. She shall raise her scepter, part the thorns, and lead us through the path of suffering to the glorious kingdom of heaven!”
The sculptor raised his arms like an ape, shouting fervently.
Present me to the Supreme Pontiff?
Lilith, “shivering” in the middle of the cultists, thought to herself, I’ll show this leader the true meaning of cruelty!
The group departed from the small outpost. After several hours of bumpy travel, the cultists escorted Lilith into a swamp.
It was eerie and dark in every direction. Illusory miasma drifted between mangroves and twisted vines. Strange, undulating cries echoed from the depths of the darkness, accompanied by the nauseating glug-glug of bubbles rising from the deep silt.
Even with her powerful body, Lilith was beginning to struggle after two days of starvation, a heavy dose of anesthetic, and over ten hours of trekking.
She had once eaten highly toxic monster meat under extreme circumstances. It had nearly killed her, but the energy it provided allowed her to kill her pursuers.
If things got difficult later, Lilith didn’t mind drinking some human blood to supplement her stamina… It’s decided. I’ll start with the Supreme Pontiff!
She sensed a grim battle ahead. She was currently very weak; she might lose an arm or a leg and become a little cripple, but it didn’t matter. In the end, she would kill everyone. The first thing she would cut off… was the Supreme Pontiff’s damn head!
The lizards’ expanded toes stepped lightly on the water, skimming over the slimy marsh and leaving a trail of ripples.
The group arrived at a small hill that rose abruptly from the center of the swamp.
Three sides of the mountain were steep, while the fourth was a gentle slope.
They climbed the slope to reach a cave entrance that resembled a monster’s gaping maw.
Inside the cave, the rock had been smoothed down and carved with a checkerboard texture, the seams filled with gold inlay. It looked remarkably modern.
Ever-burning lamps hung high on the rock walls, illuminating the interior like broad daylight.
The entrance opened into a wide hall. Further in, they encountered a set of steps.
Beyond the steps, the layout transformed into a palace, consisting of a long central main hall and two side halls. It was lavishly decorated with reliefs and gold.
Ascending another level, one could see that the cave had been hollowed out to the top. The highest rock wall featured a massive floor-to-ceiling lattice window made of colorful stained glass. Various colored patches formed the pattern of a giant gecko crawling across it—a look that was altogether gaudy and mismatched.
The Supreme Pontiff’s throne sat before the window. Its actual shape was hard to discern because it was covered by a bearskin rug larger than a double bed. Each long hair was smooth and glossy, shimmering with an eerie black light.
A black-haired girl, as delicate as carved jade, was nestled softly within the cloud-like bearskin. Her skin was as pale and smooth as lard, forming a sharp contrast with the pure black fur.
The girl reached out and picked a succulent grape from a white porcelain gold-rimmed dish held by a maid. Her fingertips slowly peeled the skin, the rich juice staining her tender fingers purple. When it was halfway peeled, she squeezed it into her soft lips…
Upon seeing the black-haired girl, Lilith’s eyes widened to their limit! Her pupils dilated, her face froze, and her entire being seemed to malfunction!
Wang Yue…
I sold matches for three days…
I starved for two whole days…
And here you are, eating grapes…
Seeing Lilith, Wang Yue reacted like a startled rabbit. Her body lurched, and she spat the grape right out. It landed on the smooth floor tiles and slid forward a short distance.
She began to cough violently.
“Your Eminence! Your Eminence, what’s wrong?” the maids asked in a panic.
“Cough, don’t worry, I’m fine.”
Wang Yue slid off the oversized bearskin and ran to Lilith. She circled her with a puzzled look, unable to believe that this girl—wearing a patched dress, looking sallow, and with her long hair tied in knots—was Lilith.
She whispered, “Lilith?”
The blonde girl before her revealed a charming, faint smile, her voice soft and melodious. “The Supreme Pontiff certainly has elegant tastes.”
Wang Yue broke out in goosebumps.
It’s really her…
Ah, that look in her eyes is terrifying…
Lilith’s gaze felt like a pair of cold, soft hands gripping her neck, slowly tightening until she was gasping for breath.
Wang Yue took a step back and tugged at her collar, trying to relieve the sensation of being strangled. She looked left and right, then asked, “She is—?”
“Hehe,” the sculptor bowed and replied, “This young girl is the Saintess we scouted.”
“Saintess? Her? You must be mistaken.”
These people didn’t know Lilith’s true nature, but Wang Yue knew very well. Lilith was incredibly wicked; luckily, she lacked certain types of knowledge, otherwise Wang Yue would have met a grim end long ago.
“We tested her…”
Briyue handed over a device. This woman was very shrewd; seeing the Supreme Pontiff’s reaction, she realized something was wrong and immediately distanced herself—if there was a problem, it was the device’s fault.
Wang Yue took the droplet-shaped instrument and gave it two clicks toward Lilith.
She was indeed a virgin, no problem there, but the needle suddenly thwacked to the complete opposite side!
“Eh—?”
Everyone in the palace let out a synchronized cry of surprise.
Lilith began to giggle. The gaze she fixed on Wang Yue was filled with desire and saturated with wicked intent.
Wang Yue was trembling fiercely. So scary, so scary. Since the device wasn’t broken… she pointed to an empty spot and said, “Look over there.”
Lilith turned her head, and the needle miraculously returned to Snowy White.
“You… there’s something wrong with you…”
Wang Yue swallowed hard.
Lilith walked up to her, leaning her lips close to her ear. “I’m thirsty.”
“I-I’ll get you some water…”
“I want to drink your blood.”
“Gah…”
A terrified sound escaped Wang Yue’s throat. She was certain that Lilith was truly angry—not the petty pouting or annoyance of a young girl, but the ultimate kind of rage that required extreme caution.
“Um, wine is the Holy Blood. By transitive property, grape juice is my blood. Here, have some grapes… please, calm down…”
Wang Yue quickly beckoned a maid over. She personally peeled a grape and held it to Lilith’s chapped lips. After feeding her, she yanked her hand back, terrified of being bitten.
Lilith licked her lips with her small tongue and ate another. She was truly starving and finished the whole plate in no time.
Suddenly, she felt something was off. Wasn’t this… being fed like a pet?
Damn it, I fell for it!
Her heart skipped a beat as she looked at Wang Yue, only to find the other girl hadn’t realized it at all and still looked cautious and terrified. Hmph, what a fool.
“I need to personally verify her purity in private.”
Wang Yue made an excuse and pulled Lilith into the bedroom of the side hall.
Soft, cool silk bedding covered the large bed. Lilith stripped off her patched dress and old coat, threw them into the corner with disgust, and dove under the covers, forming a small lump.
It took Wang Yue some time to undo the gold buttons of her pontiff uniform, and then she climbed in as well.
The bedding rose like a tent, moving incessantly, pitch black inside.
Suddenly, a wand light flickered on. The two girls looked at each other face-to-face.
“How did you end up here?”
“How did you become the Supreme Pontiff?”
“It’s a long story…”
“Don’t lie to me. You’re one of the Faithless!”
“Shh, keep it down.”
“Why haven’t you killed them yet? Judging by the nature of their divine power, they aren’t good at fighting at all. They’re just a minor cult of some secondary god.”
“If I just wanted to kill them, why would I go to all this trouble? I’m going to take down Biheze as well…”
“Ah, how interesting. How do you plan to do that?” Lilith’s tone grew excited. Things were getting fun.
“Let me show you a treasure.”
Wang Yue pulled out a palm-sized cube. The delicate, ivory-colored material was layered with complex symbols and markings, looking both eerie and magnificent.
Lilith’s eyes widened slightly. “An Induction Beacon?!”
