Spare Me, Great Lord!

Inside the quiet and dark space, there was the seemingly faint sound of trickling water.

There was no wind, and no other sound except for the water. This was like another world.

Suddenly there was a flurry of footsteps. Someone said emotionlessly, “I know you can hear me, the Arcane. Answer me.”

“Haha, long time no see, Cloud Yi!” a voice answered from somewhere in the darkness.

“In 2018, Tiger Zhi and I summoned you countless times. Why did you not answer us?”

The Arcane defended himself. “How could I answer you when all those people were killed in the battles?”

“Then were you dead?” Cloud Yi’s voice turned cold.

“How can I confirm that you are not traitors?” The Arcane’s voice also became fierce under the bombardment of questions. “Why were we exposed that year? Why did Qing Wu and the rest die in the ambush? Now, only the three of us survived, out of seven Puppet Masters. Either you or Tiger Zhi betrayed us. Now tell me, is my suspicion ill-founded?”

In the darkness, Cloud Yi’s voice was as cold as ice. “There can be no traitors among Puppet Masters.”

Her words were articulated clearly and confidently, as if it was an unshakable religious belief.

“Ha.” The Arcane laughed. “Can’t be sure of that. I used to think so too, but I’ve changed my mind.”

Cloud Yi had seemingly calmed down. “Time will prove everything. We shall all patiently wait for our King’s glorious return.”

“So what are you doing here?” asked the Arcane, smiling, “Don’t pretend you are not there, Tiger Zhi. Who can evade my senses in the darkness?”

A middle-aged man gave a laugh in the dark to show his presence. But he did not utter a word.

Cloud Yi’s voice was cold again. “Why did you not stop him when the King gave the World Tree away? You were the guardian of the Tree. Were you by the side of the tree back then?”

“You know, I can’t even step out of that world. I have to rely on my magical instincts just to come here. Besides, I had a talk with him,” the Arcane said cheerfully, “The new King is about to be awoken, and a fresh era is soon to begin. Everyone under the throne is a lackey. Nonetheless, the new King seems rather unusual…”

Tiger Zhi commented with a hearty laugh, “I agree with you. Our King is quite unique. But honestly speaking, I like it this way…”

“I AM ASKING YOU, WHY DID YOU NOT STOP HIM!” Cloud Yi roared. Her fury silenced Tiger Zhi at her side.

The Arcane was quiet for a long moment. “I did. Who said I didn’t? But the King made up his mind despite my repeated dissuasion. Besides, why are you so angry? The World Tree is our King’s treasure. He can take it back from the girl anytime he desires.”

“The World Tree is not even in our King’s control now,” Cloud Yi said with a cold laugh, “Thanks for YOUR reminder, the King learned that the World Tree was the cure for the girl. What’s wrong with you, the Arcane? Are you expecting to fool us with such bad excuses?”

“The King represents the absolute will. Of course I have to serve him according to his wish,” the Arcane explained.

“Then why did you seal the girl’s memories? And give her a glimmer of hope?” Cloud Yi’s voice was spine-chilling. Her murderous intentions almost filled the entire dark space.

“How would I know that her emotions were so strong that she could open a crack on my seal? Why did I seal her memories, you asked? How can our King develop feelings for others? How can a man, who is in charge of all emotions, possess true feelings?!” the Arcane roared, “Cloud Yi, have you already forgotten the death of the old King of Gods? Answer me, why did NEITHER of YOU stop him? How did you protect him?! Cloud Yi, Tiger Zhi, you are sinful. Rot in hell! BOTH OF YOU!”

After a few moments of silence, Cloud Yi said, “Don’t live in the past, the Arcane. You have gone out of your mind.”

“Tell me how to forget!” The Arcane had gone seemingly mad due to exasperation. “The King needs no emotions! Those are useless impurities!”

“If the King needs no emotions, why did we pledge our loyalty for him,” said Cloud Yi calmly, “The King represents the absolute will. It is his own business. But our duty is to serve him, and die for him whenever necessary. Remember this. The King has to ascend to his throne through a way paved by bones and blood. No one can help him with it. Don’t interfere with the King’s personal matters again, or I will kill you myself. I will tell the King about this matter in the future, and let him be the judge.”

“Ha, I thought both of you had already made your move,” the Arcane mocked to his heart’s content, “It’s fine. We’ll see who’s really willing to be the bones upon which our King’s throne stands. I will kill the both of you too, if you are traitors.”

The footsteps drew distant. After a few ripples in the space, the world returned to emptiness.

…

The Capital, Liuhai Lane.

“Coral has ascended to Class A,” said Shi Xuejin, who was reading a document in his hands.

“Satan is still alive. He abandoned all his people and fled alone, though the latter did not mind at all. Germans are truly scary.”

“Cartel’s island-wide celebration has been ongoing for three days straight, for this victory…”

“Lu Shu and the rest are on their way back home.”

Until there, Shi Xuejin looked up at Nie Ting. “This time, you are wrong. You said that Lu Shu’s flowers would grow when he did not sow, that he would always succeed when he did not mean to, that he would produce results despite his unreliable means. You were right in the past, but how about this time? The alliance with the Deities is a gone case. The girl has amnesia now, according to Chen Zuan. His information should be accurate.”

Nie Ting did not even bother to open his eyes. “The alliance aside, he has significantly weakened the various organizations in Europe. Isn’t this our ultimate goal? Do you know how many kills he had along the way? Almost comparable to mine.”

Shi Xuejin corrected him expressionlessly. “You are wrong again. He has killed more than you did when you were a Class B. Two more.”

Shi Xuejin pointed out two fingers to show the number “two”, but it looked more like the gesture of victory…

At this moment, someone entered the yard. “Heavenly King Nie, there was a call from the Deities. They want to talk to you ten minutes later. Will you be available?”

Nie Ting was stunned. Why the need for talks when she had amnesia? He had wanted Lu Shu to seduce her in an attempt for an alliance, but who would expect Lu Shu to almost marry her…

Which spy would marry the target he was supposed to seduce? Impressive. Nie Ting had to admit.

“Page it over,” ordered Nie Ting.

Ten minutes later, Nie Ting’s phone rang on the stone table. After he picked up the call, his face turned stern, as if he had been told something extremely unbelievable.

“Of course! We would love to cooperate with you!” Then, Nie Ting hung up the call after a few polite greetings.

After the call was over, he rubbed his temples. “Strange! Something must be wrong!”

Shi Xuejin was confused. “What on Earth happened?”

Nie Ting turned to look at Shi Xuejin quietly. “The caller claimed to be the cousin of the Master of Gods. He said the Master of Gods is determined to visit China because she insisted she had met the love of her life outside the church. She also said that they must have been a couple in her past life. She’s even been suffering from a poor appetite recently because of that.”

Shi Xuejin took a long time to recover from his shock. “Past life? This is ridiculous! Or is this the real true love?!”

Nie Ting gazed at the walnut tree, distress written all over his face. “How is this love… this is freaking fate.”

“From Nie Ting’s distress, +999!”