Uchiha Shao Yu crouched at the edge of the pit, his Mangekyo Sharingan intently analyzing the faint but fundamentally distorted evil energy below.
The chaotic slaughter surrounding him seemed to have nothing to do with him.
Deep within the pit, that mass of energy seemed to have become slightly more active than before, likely due to the recent infusion of blood from the numerous sacrifices and the emotions of fear. However, it remained weak and chaotic, instinctively craving more and higher-quality nourishment—specifically, a "vessel" that could stably carry it, allowing it to survive longer or even grow.
The originally selected "vessel" was that young boy, but now that the ritual had been interrupted and the scene was in chaos, the energy entity seemed to feel hunger and agitation.
Just then, the Old Priest, who had been forced back repeatedly and driven to exasperation by the internal strife triggered by Uchiha Shao Yu's genjutsu, retreated to a spot not far from the pit.
"Damned intruder! The Great Evil God will surely punish you! Once the ritual is complete and I obtain divine power, I will definitely..."
The Old Priest was still waving his staff, hissing curses in Shao Yu's direction, trying to regain control of the situation or at least bolster his own courage.
However, before his words could even land—
Whoosh!
A dark shadow, as thick as pitch and nearly impossible for the naked eye to track, suddenly lunged out from the depths of the pit!
It moved with extreme speed, carrying a nauseatingly sweet and metallic scent, pouncing straight for the Old Priest like a living venomous snake!
"Wh...?!"
The Old Priest only had time to let out half a gasp of astonishment before that dark shadow slammed into his chest!
"Argh—!"
The Old Priest's body jolted violently as he let out a howl of agony. The ritual staff in his hand fell to the ground with a clang.
Countless tiny black tentacles seemed to be writhing and spreading frantically beneath the skin of his chest. His eyes were rapidly stained with a murky blackness until the whites disappeared, and his mouth hung open uncontrollably, emitting a strange "he-he" rattling sound.
His body also began to unnaturally twist and swell, as if something were rapidly growing and fusing inside him.
The surrounding cultists, who were still in the midst of the melee or watching in terror, were stunned by this sight.
Had the power of the Evil God they worshipped actually descended upon the High Priest in such a manner?
"It... succeeded?" "The Evil God... has possessed him?!"
Some cultists even forgot the slaughter before them, their faces showing complex expressions mixed with fear and ecstasy, and they actually managed to briefly break free from Uchiha Shao Yu's genjutsu.
This left Shao Yu somewhat puzzled; although he had used less than Chunin-level Chakra, he was surprised that a group of ordinary people could break free. Standing only a few steps away from the Old Priest, Uchiha Shao Yu merely watched this sudden turn of events coldly. In the vision of his Mangekyo, everything was crystal clear.
That energy entity was forcibly invading the Old Priest's fragile body, merging with it in a crude and violent manner.
The process was full of rejection and pain; the Old Priest's own life force and consciousness were being rapidly devoured and twisted. Even if the fusion succeeded, what would be born was by no means an "Evil God's Walker," but more likely a deformed monster stripped of most of its reason and driven by primal desires for destruction and consumption.
Furthermore, because the host was unsuitable, it would likely be extremely unstable.
"Boring tricks," Shao Yu muttered to himself.
While the Old Priest was still screaming, his body twisting and deforming, the fusion incomplete, and the newborn monster's consciousness and power at their most chaotic and vulnerable moment—
Uchiha Shao Yu moved.
There were no flashy Ninjutsu and no wasted movements. He didn't even stand up, remaining in his crouched position, his right hand having already gripped the hilt of the short sword at his waist at some unknown point.
Clang!
The cold glint of the blade leaving its scabbard flashed and vanished.
In the next instant, Uchiha Shao Yu's figure appeared beside the Old Priest as if teleporting, the short sword in his hand tracing a simple, sharp, and incredibly fast arc!
The blade's light swept across the Old Priest's neck.
Time seemed to freeze for a split second.
The strange "he-he" rattling in the Old Priest's throat stopped abruptly. The expression of agonizing distortion and gradual black erosion on his face was instantly frozen in time.
Within those eyeballs that had turned completely pitch-black, there seemed to remain a trace of unbelievable daze.
And then—
Splat!
The head separated from the torso, and dark red blood, mixed with threads of black viscous matter, shot into the sky!
The headless body swayed for a moment before collapsing heavily to the ground with a thud, its limbs still twitching unconsciously.
The head rolled to the side, the blackness on the face rapidly receding and returning to the grayish-white of a corpse, with only the wide-eyed terror remaining frozen.
As for that mass of black energy that had lunged from the pit and was merging with him, the moment its host was decapitated, it seemed to suffer a heavy blow and a violent backlash, emitting a sharp, piercing, and silent shriek that only those sensitive to energy could "hear"!
Like a mollusk splashed with strong acid, it suddenly shot out from the severed neck. Its volume seemed to have shrunk, and its color had dimmed considerably. It twisted and tumbled in the air, appearing pained and frantic, seemingly wanting to flee back to the pit yet appearing to have lost its direction.
Uchiha Shao Yu flicked the foul-smelling blood from his blade and returned it to its scabbard.
Gazing carefully at the strange mass of energy before him, Uchiha Shao Yu considered if there was any way to take this thing with him.
Uchiha Shao Yu stood with his sword sheathed, his cold gaze refocusing on the black energy entity that had shot out from the Old Priest's corpse and was now twisting in pain in the air, its light much dimmer.
Having lost its host and seemingly suffering from the backlash of the interrupted forced fusion, the energy mass appeared listless, and even that cloyingly sweet and decayed aura had faded significantly.
It seemed to sense Shao Yu's gaze, its writhing slowing down as it hovered in the air, trembling slightly like a wounded beast that was both cautious and helpless.
Surprisingly, it did not try to flee back to the pit, nor did it show any intention of attacking again. Instead, it slowly and tentatively drifted a bit closer toward Uchiha Shao Yu.
Shao Yu raised an eyebrow slightly. The flow of light in his Mangekyo Sharingan slowed, but his insight did not diminish.
He could "see" the chaos and weakness at the core of this energy mass, and he could also sense an extremely faint and primal intent it was transmitting.
It wasn't a threat, but more like an instinctive... submission?
Or perhaps it was fear of a more powerful existence and a desire to... attach itself?
Interesting. It seemed that although this thing was evil and chaotic, it wasn't completely devoid of the instinct to seek benefit and avoid harm.
Shao Yu pondered for a moment and did not immediately attack it with Ninjutsu or ocular power.
He drew the short sword from his waist again. This time, without infusing it with Chakra, he used the tip of the blade to very cautiously and lightly poke the black energy mass hovering before him.
The sensation was not solid, but more like a viscous, cold current of air with slight resistance.
The energy entity contracted slightly when touched by the blade's tip, but it showed no aggression. Instead, an extremely fine wisp of black mist wound itself up the tip of the blade as if testing him.
Just as that wisp of black mist followed the blade and was about to touch Shao Yu's hand, it seemed to change its target. Like a living vine, it gave a gentle swing and touched the edge of Shao Yu's clothing.
Instantly!
Uchiha Shao Yu's body jolted slightly!
It wasn't a physical attack, nor was there any Chakra intrusion.
A stream of cold, fragmented information filled with chaotic images and whispers, like a suddenly opened floodgate, surged into his mind through that extremely minute point of contact!
This method of information infusion was entirely different from reading memories or receiving intelligence; it was more primitive, crude, and carried the chaotic characteristics inherent to that energy mass itself.
Had Uchiha Shao Yu not possessed the Mangekyo Sharingan and spiritual energy far exceeding that of an ordinary person, he might have been instantly crushed by this massive influx of meaningless fragments.
He let out a low grunt as the light of the Mangekyo in his left eye flared, forcibly suppressing and organizing the surging flow of information.
Advance chapter available on pãtrêon Got1808