Chapter 52 | Sequence: Sacrifice

“A Demigod ritual?”

Yin Yang’s smile was hard to suppress. Rituals were good; he personally loved presiding over them.

As a Corpse Celebrant, he was a professional at conducting rituals, especially sacrifice rituals!

And now, he could start preparing for the future.

“Very good. This information is crucial. Do you know when they plan to hold the promotion ritual?”

“I don't know the exact time, but something happened at their house recently, and the plan has been moved up.”

Yin Yang chuckled, knowing it was certainly due to the divinity explosion. By sacrificing just a tiny bit of divinity, he had exposed the Qi family to numerous Sequence 6s. It was a massive profit!

After all, some transcendents wouldn't dare engage in sacrifices and massacres like the Shadow Lotus Church, but they wouldn't hesitate to rob a 'fat cat.'

That was Yin Yang’s goal!

He wanted to muddy the waters and take the opportunity to fish in them.

“Understood. What about the specific location?”

“I couldn't find out. However, word is the head of the Qi family has been in the basement the whole time, though I didn't find anything during my days there.”

“I suspect that might be a smoke screen. He might be using the Qi family estate to draw everyone's attention while he secretly prepares the promotion ritual elsewhere.”

Yin Yang nodded. Zhou Kexin’s guess was highly likely; it was best to plan ahead.

“Keep gathering information. Once this is over, I’ll grant you your freedom, and we shall never meet again.”

Zhou Kexin’s heart hammered against her ribs. For some reason, hearing that last phrase made her feel like he was planning to silence her forever.

“I...”

“Go.”

Zhou Kexin shut her mouth and left the apartment. Canned Food had already jumped onto the sofa, curling into a ball as rhythmic snoring began to rise.

...

Wang City was indeed different from Wangduan City.

It rained frequently here. Clothes hung on the balcony wouldn't dry even after two days.

But this had its perks—for instance, wearing a raincoat was very convenient.

No one would think you were wearing a raincoat just because it was more effective at preventing blood from splashing onto your clothes, making it easier to destroy evidence.

A street corner.

An alleyway.

“I have a question. Your eldest brother is Qi Hai, the third is Qi Jiang, and you are Qi Hu. Why is your fourth brother named Qi Xing?”

“Logically, his name should also have a water radical. For example, Qi He or something like that.”

Yin Yang asked with total sincerity, but unfortunately, the other party didn't answer.

Perhaps it was because Yin Yang was wearing a mask and the man couldn't see his sincerity. Or perhaps it was because Yin Yang had just opened a massive gash in his throat.

Qi Hu glared at Yin Yang, the venom in his eyes nearly turning into something physical. He never imagined that while leading his men out to investigate information, he would encounter such a killing machine!

In just one encounter, four of his bodyguards had been taken out. The driver hadn't even had time to flee before his head was blown apart by a gunshot!

At that moment, Qi Hu knew he couldn't win in a fair fight!

He had fled desperately, only to end up in this dead-end alley. Before he could even beg for mercy, the man before him had slit his throat, showing absolutely no regard for the rules of the underworld!

If you wanted something, you should have just said so!

Why are you only asking now after slitting my throat?

Qi Hu’s strength drained away bit by bit, but a sudden, sharp pain at his neck jolted him awake.

That freak was slowly cutting through his neck!

Yin Yang looked into his eyes and said, “Bear with it. You didn't pick a very good spot. Even though there aren't many people out in the rain, there are still surveillance cameras around here.”

“I don't have the time to treat you like I did your brother. I have to take your head.”

“Don't be afraid. Difficulty breathing is perfectly normal.”

For an ordinary person, trying to cleanly remove a head would likely be a struggle, especially with only a small knife. But Yin Yang was different; he was far too familiar with human anatomy.

After all, he had spent two years dissecting corpses in Wangduan City—and those were just the ones on the record.

Crack.

With a crisp sound, Qi Hu’s head was twisted off. Yin Yang gave it a casual toss, and the head vanished instantly.

He stepped out of the alley, his figure gradually blurring into the distance.

East District.

A pet shop.

“Hello, I’m here to pick up my cat.”

“Mr. Yin, I didn't expect you to come so soon. I thought you might not make it today because of the rain.”

The female clerk brought over a fast-asleep Canned Food.

“Meow?”

Canned Food let out a lazy cry before expertly hopping into the cat carrier, waiting for Yin Yang to put it on his back and take it home.

In just a few days, Canned Food had lost all the ferocity it had on the street corners! From the way it slept on the sofa every day, it was clear that it didn't actually crave freedom that much.

Yin Yang walked out of the pet shop with the cat on his back. Outside, the rain was coming down harder. Fortunately, his raincoat provided thorough protection. As he reached Victory Avenue, the piercing wail of sirens filled the air as several Security Bureau vehicles raced toward the East District.

...

“Who is the victim? Has the investigation started?”

“Not yet, but based on the license plate and clothing, we can tentatively identify them as members of the Qi family.”

“One of them had his head severed. The killer likely did it to hide the victim's identity.”

“What about surveillance?”

“We're pulling the footage now, but the camera angles here aren't ideal. Combined with the heavy rain, the images won't be very clear even if we caught something.”

“Search!”

“Yes, sir!”

“Captain! Captain, there’s writing on the wall!” a security officer checking the bodies suddenly called out.

The captain hurried over and followed the officer's finger. Sure enough, a row of small, crooked characters was written on the wall. Though blurred by the rain, they were still barely legible.

The Shadow Lotus descends, all hearts return!

“This... the Shadow Lotus Church?”

The captain was startled. He immediately pulled out his phone and called the bureau chief while standing in the rain.

“Hello?”

“Bureau Chief, we have six dead. Four on the street, one in a car, and one in an alley. Based on their clothes, they appear to be from the Qi family. The one in the alley was decapitated, and there’s a message written next to him: ‘The Shadow Lotus descends, all hearts return!’”

“Hmm?” Wang Dong’s voice changed instantly over the phone. “Are you certain?”

“Certain! I’ve taken photos. They’re a bit blurred by the rain, but still recognizable.”

“The Shadow Lotus Church?”

“I can't be sure about that. However, I just checked the wound on the headless corpse. The cut on the neck is extremely clean. The killer is clearly very familiar with these methods, which fits the abilities of the Killer pathway.”