Have you ever seen a god?
- Yes, I have.
What is a god like?
- I don't know.
Why have you seen one yet don't know?
- Those were all illusions.
Jian Jing became aware, in a calm and clear manner, that she was experiencing an illusion.
On the character panel, the status bar clearly indicated: [Severe Illusion].
This was her last moment of clarity, and then, a bizarre scene appeared before her eyes—the surroundings completely transformed, and she vanished from a white cave only to reappear in an even larger white cave.
It was a cave, yet it resembled an immensely vast room. Being within it felt as if a hamster was living inside a human's house, with enormous objects pressing in from all sides.
On the far side of this towering and distant world, the god was there.
Rationally, Jian Jing realized that it should have been just a peculiar-looking tree, exceptionally large in size, resembling the Leshan Giant Buddha. However, what her eyes "saw" was an incredibly lifelike statue of a god.
A barn owl perched in the palm of the "god's" hand, astonishingly speaking human words: "You" "Come" "Here."
The voice stuttered, the order jumbled, as if there was a bug in the brain's recognition system, unable to accurately process the information.
Curious and perplexed, Jian Jing couldn't help but walk over and gaze up at it.
Qi Tian appeared and said, "This undoubtedly is a miracle, right?"
"I don't know," she said, "Is it something that actually exists or just what I see?"
"What you see is what's real," he smiled and presented a highly tempting bait, "Since you're lucky enough to find it, it proves that you have the qualifications for immortality."
Jian Jing chuckled and regained some clarity, saying, "There's no such thing as a free lunch in this world."
"Fate plays a role in matters of immortality." He seemed to know that she wouldn't believe him, so Qi Tian changed his tone and coldly added, "Moreover, these are merely the perceived benefits people think it has."
He didn't mind revealing the cruelest part at this moment, "Plants naturally have much longer lifespans than humans. They don't intend to bestow us with their benefits, it's like humans injecting drugs into lab rats. It may help them overcome diseases, but it's never a benevolent gift."
"-Bestow grace."
In this scene that seemed both real and illusory, the voice echoed as if passing through dense forests, as if it resounded directly in her mind, surrounding her in 360 degrees.
Jian Jing shook her head, attempting to be more clear-headed, but Qi Tian sneered at her, "It's too late now."
"Whether you're willing to accept it or not, you are already its prey." He smiled and reached out his hand, "Come, become a servant of the god."
Everything spun around her.
Jian Jing found herself instantly transported to the base of the tree, like a lowly ant, crawling beneath the towering statue of the god.
At the same time, a system notification popped up.
[System: ********]
She didn't catch the content, as the message disappeared.
Then, she had a brief moment of clarity and seized the opportunity to ask, "After becoming its servant, what will happen? Will I have to kill people?"
Qi Tian's eyes flashed with impatience, but he restrained himself. Thinking that Jian Jing wouldn't notice, he continued to pretend to be kind, "Why would you say that?"
"Every ten years, someone dies here," she said, "Who kills them?"
Qi Tian replied, "Whoever kills them doesn't matter."
"What does God want servants for?"
"Don't you think you have too many questions?"
"I don't think so," Jian Jing replied calmly. "The questions I ask are very reasonable. Since you have already obtained the lifespan you desired, yet you have not left this place and instead assumed the identity of Little Frank, there must be a reason why you have to do so."
She asked, "Are you unable to leave this place?"
Qi Tian's expression suddenly changed.
"I guessed it right."
People like Qi Tian, to put it nicely, were ambitious, but to put it bluntly, they were perverted, enjoying manipulating human nature. If immortality was so great, would he make her consume the tree roots?
Impossible.
He would definitely consume them himself, then set the entire forest ablaze, forever guarding the secret for himself.
"I don't think you need to recruit me. You have been unable to leave this place for ten years, so it must be because God is fond of your service and unwilling to let you go," she mocked, "Changing personnel at the last minute, be careful not to anger the gods and bring punishment upon yourself."
Qi Tian's smile vanished.
He stared at her face and sneered, "Do you think you're very clever?"
Without waiting for her answer, he continued, "To tell you the truth, you have no way back. Previously, the roots you consumed contained a special substance that can prolong lifespan and cure diseases, but at the same time, it is highly addictive."
Jian Jing felt a chill run down her spine.
"Once any creature consumes this substance, be it a human or an animal, they will form a symbiotic relationship with it. It is a tree and cannot move to hunt, so the symbiotic organism needs to constantly find food and bring it to the tree, enabling it to prey. As a reward, the symbiotic organism can absorb nutrients from the roots."
Qi Tian said, "Don't be too agitated. I'm not exaggerating when I call it an elixir of immortality. Have you seen Old Frank? He was already dead."
Jian Jing was astonished, "Dead?"
"His father and son tried to stop me and I killed them," Qi Tian casually mentioned, not caring about the loss of life, "Little Frank died on the spot, but Old Frank still had a breath left. After I found this giant tree, I fed him a mouthful, and his injuries immediately improved—he was almost pierced through the heart by me, yet he miraculously recovered... Huh."
His laughter contained a subtle madness, sending shivers down one's spine.
"Unfortunately, once you take the medicine, there's no way to quit. Otherwise, you'll end up like Old Frank, completely insane and devoid of reason."
Qi Tian sighed, his tone filled with unwillingness. He had spent most of his life finally achieving his wish for immortality, but the price of freedom was too painful.
If a long life couldn't be squandered, accompanied by power and wealth, what meaning did it hold?
Fortunately, he had found a way.
"If you don't want to lose your sanity, it's best to heed my advice. Time is running out," Qi Tian observed her, not missing any subtle expressions, "You should have felt it; it's calling out to you."
However, Jian Jing didn't feel any calling other than a slight dizziness. She activated "Borrowed Sight" and switched to Qi Tian's perspective.
In his eyes, the tree roots resembling a godly statue had not only become towering and uncanny but had completely come to life.
The owl stared at her intently, and her vision unexpectedly transformed into sound.
Jian Jing heard its voice.
"Step up on the road, trust in me."
"A new journey begins, never to look back."
Distant, hazy, vast, and majestic.
She saw Qi Tian take a step forward uncontrollably, but he managed to restrain himself.
Jian Jing chuckled, "You must be eager to get rid of it, aren't you?"
He gave her a cold glance.
"So am I," she said. "I fell for it just now, and it was my carelessness. But whether it's you or me, we both certainly don't want to be trapped in this foreign land for a lifetime."
"What are you trying to say?"
Jian Jing asked, "What if we join forces and destroy it? How about that?"
Today's night seemed unusually long.
Jiang BaiYan glanced at his watch. It was already four o'clock in the morning, but the sky remained pitch black without a hint of light.
He put Old Frank's letter and badge into his pocket and unfolded the map. The content was abstract, with only simple directions and a destination marked—a place called the White Cave.
Is that where the demon resides?
Did Jian Jing go there?
Creak. A faint sound of wood swaying seemed to come from outside the door.
Is Old William back? Oh no!
The sound was getting closer, and there was no time to hide now. Jiang BaiYan quickly came up with a plan. He lay down on the spot, clasping his hands on his belly, pretending to be asleep.
The next second, the wooden door was forcefully pushed open.
Old William entered the room with a cold air surrounding him.
He saw Jiang BaiYan lying asleep on the bed and paused for a moment. Clearly, this scene was beyond his imagination, but he didn't pay much attention to it. Roughly, he lifted Jiang BaiYan from the bed.
Jiang BaiYan endured the pain and continued to feign sleep, slumping weakly to the side.
"Wake up," Old William slapped his face.
He remained motionless.
Old William frowned but didn't call him again. Instead, he tied Jiang BaiYan's hands and feet with a rope, carrying him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
Jiang BaiYan relaxed his body and continued to pretend to be unconscious.
Old William carried him downstairs, threw him into a truck, and then took the driver's seat, heading straight into the forest.
"Stop pretending," Old William said, "I know you're awake."
Jiang BaiYan replied, "No, I'm asleep."
Old William muttered to himself, "I thought the old man had gone crazy, but it seems he hasn't completely lost it. Your companion must have escaped, but luckily, we still have you..."
Jiang BaiYan thought, "Old man, is he referring to Old Frank? He doesn't look like someone who's gone mad."
But according to the information in the letter, the Frank family should be part of the righteous faction that suppresses demons. Why did things turn out like this?
"We must hurry... What's that smell... Damn it, what did they transport in this truck?"
Jiang BaiYan replied, "Of course, it's sheep."
The Frank family raises sheep, don't you remember?
He complained, but suddenly, an idea struck him.
At the same time, Old William probably remembered the Frank family's occupation and silently pressed down on the accelerator.
The truck raced through the forest on a bumpy path. Old William didn't even turn on the headlights, yet he never took a wrong turn. The ground was uneven, and the speed was fast, making Jiang BaiYan almost vomit his midnight snack.
Just as he was about to lose control and "awaken," the car suddenly went out of control, and the steering wheel loosened. The front of the car crashed straight into the forest, neither veering left nor right, with a thud as it slammed into a tree.
Birds scattered in alarm, and the car headlights shattered.
The truck came to a stop.
Jiang BaiYan raised his head and looked towards the driver's seat.
Old William was sprawled over the steering wheel, a bruise forming on his forehead. He was still conscious, but his eyes blinked without awareness as he asked, "What... did... you do?"
Jiang BaiYan spat out the thin film under his tongue and opened the car door.
The smell that filled the cabin dissipated somewhat.
He smiled and said, "A gift from someone else."
"A gift?" Old William repeated sluggishly.
Jiang BaiYan clapped his hands to get his attention, his tone slow and deep. "Relax, take a deep breath. Don't worry, I won't harm you. I just want to ask you a few questions. Where do you want to take me?"
Old William turned his eyes slowly, mechanically answering, "To the Giant... to the Giant's place."
"Why do you want to take me there?"
"Its... command..."
Jiang BaiYan looked up at the dim eastern sky and suddenly asked, "How did Kerry die?"
"Kerry... Kerry, it was my fault." Old William's eyes lost their light, his consciousness sinking into years past. "We had an argument, and I asked her to help me get something. She didn't want to, but the authorities were after me. I told her that if she loved me, she had to do me this favor... she agreed."
Jiang BaiYan seemed to grasp something. "In the forest?"
"This is the border, the safest place," he said. "Then she disappeared, I don't know... I don't know where she went... she hated the forest..."
