Chapter 52: Clues to the [Forbidden Bloodline]!

Having endured half of Zorn’s forbidden technique, [Scythe of the End], the Rat King Knight looked as though he had been plunged into a vat of fresh blood.

Large chunks of flesh continuously sloughed off.

Amidst his agonizing wails, the evil energy within the Rat King Knight, intertwined with the bizarre power of the forbidden blood, began to swell rapidly.

The lower rat head suddenly drew a deep breath inward.

The strange chunks of flesh that had fallen to the ground, still squirming and crawling in an attempt to return to the main body, rapidly melted into a mist of blood.

"Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle..."

The Rat King Knight's entire body bubbled incessantly, as if coming to a boil.

A layer of eerie, blood-colored scales faintly emerged.

"Clang, clang, clang..."

The remaining half of Zorn’s forbidden technique, the [Scythe of the End], was blocked entirely by these strange, blood-red scales.

"Double-ringed serpent scales?"

Zorn’s pupils contracted slightly.

"The more you use them, the deeper you sink into the madness and corruption of the forbidden blood."

"No matter, the more blood of the double-ringed serpent you draw upon, the more I will be able to refine later."

"Hoo... hoo..."

Panting heavily, Butch, the Rat King Knight, scanned the surrounding darkness.

He caught the scent of mortal danger.

If he were to continue tangling with that damned ambusher here, he would undoubtedly be the one to die.

Even when facing those Golden Rat Kings, he had never been in such a pathetic state.

"A cunning spellcaster, acting like a coward."

Butch cursed viciously.

"I need to absorb more forbidden blood; I need to devour more rat kings. I still feel so much is lacking."

He hungered and craved to reap more.

Glancing briefly not far away at his uncle's corpse.

Although he still felt a lingering reluctance regarding the taste of his uncle, he had no choice but to abandon it.

"Let's move!"

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Like the beat of a charging war drum.

Wielding his bone spear and erecting his forbidden shield, Butch, the Rat King Knight, fled rapidly along the passage through which he had come.

The bizarre, roaring growls sounded like violent collisions echoing from the depths of a heart.

Rhythmic drumbeats played against the surface of the darkness.

Piercing through the dark realm, they transmitted far into the deeper recesses.

This only deepened the fear of the darkness harbored by the rat-catchers and official transcendents.

When Butch, the Rat King Knight, had completely retreated into the distance, Zorn emerged from the shadows of the corner.

Had it been possible to kill Butch, Zorn wouldn't have minded altering the original trajectory right here.

Judging by the Rat King Knight's ability to mobilize the power of the forbidden blood, however, Zorn wasn't entirely certain he could bring him down.

After all, that fellow was an [Evil Spirit Knight] and a staged boss-tier sequence.

Since success wasn't guaranteed, it was better to proceed along the predetermined path.

Besides, he had already pinpointed the location of the [Ultimate Lair] and could simply wait to pick up the spoils.

Walking over, Zorn dragged Butch's previously severed upper torso out from the corner.

Although this large mass of flesh and debris had already begun to dissolve, Zorn managed to collect two small vials of blood from it.

It was more than enough to use for a sacrifice and anchor coordinates.

Having gathered the blood, Zorn approached the side of the tragically slain Level 3 Dream Weaver.

A Level 3 [Dream Weaver] was far from weak and possessed vast potential for versatility.

Unfortunately, being ill-suited for direct confrontation, he had faced the staged boss [Blood Source · Subservient · Rat King Knight], who excelled precisely in frontal combat. Naturally, his end was exceptionally miserable.

He was instantly obliterated upon contact and subsequently became the Rat King's dinner.

Though that unlucky uncle was already dead.

To an [Evil Spirit Warlock], the dead were often much easier to converse with.

Looking at the torn and scattered remains of flesh, Zorn said in a low voice, "Are you going to come out on your own, or... shall I drag you out?"

Dream Weavers could manipulate human dreams, travel through them, and were masters of spiritual control.

Before an [Evil Spirit Warlock], however, all of that was merely food.

A moment later, a hazy, transparent phantom radiating a faint luster drifted out from the remains of the corpse.

Its gaze toward Zorn was filled with terror, its tone exceedingly humble and deferential.

"Greetings, respected... Holy Warlock Lord!"

"Hehe..."

Zorn chuckled softly.

"Shouldn't you be calling me a damned evil spirit warlock?"

His laughter caused the newborn wraith to tremble all the more with fright.

"Where is the stronghold of [Forbidden Blood Source] located in the city of Ogran?"

Studying the Dream Weaver's phantom for a moment, he slowly asked the question.

"I... I... don't know!"

The wraith hesitated for a moment and shook its head.

Hearing this, Zorn frowned slightly.

The fellow was telling the truth.

The spirit of an [Evil Spirit Warlock] could devour all deaths imbued with pain, distortion, panic, despair, and aberration, using them as sustenance.

The flavors of "truth, falsehood, deceit, hypocrisy, and so on" emitted by the "food" were crystal clear before him.

After a brief moment of thought, Zorn rephrased his question.

"Where are the members of that evil god organization, the Forbidden Blood Source, located within the sewer lair area?"

"If you don't know the exact location, you can outline a general region."

This time, the Dream Weaver's wraith had an answer.

"In the middle section of the transition zone between the Fog District and the Old Town. The information I got from Butch is that they frequently capture young girls to feed the Rat King and Butch."

"Those are all children from impoverished families!"

A general perimeter quickly formed in Zorn's mind.

"Is there anything else you wish to add regarding [Forbidden Blood Source]?"

The Dream Weaver's wraith stared for a moment in the direction of Butch's flight, then looked up at Zorn and pleaded, "Respected Holy Warlock Lord, can you... spare Butch? He... he is a pitiful child."

Zorn took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.

"Morrison, are you still deceiving yourself even now?"

"When Butch obtained the powerful [Evil Spirit Knight] sequence, you should have sensed his grotesqueness and abnormality. The thirst for spirituality was bound to warp his will."

"And defecting to the [Forbidden Blood Source] only plunged him deeper into the abyss."

"Even his most beloved and trusted uncle died beneath his fangs, yet you still expect him to show mercy to this world?"

"As long as he lives, the city of Ogran will never know peace."

"However..."

At this point, Zorn paused.

"Butch is also a victim. I will purify his soul and allow him to achieve self-redemption!"

"I will... help him go with dignity!"

Hearing this, Morrison bowed respectfully to Zorn.

"Thank you, Holy Warlock Lord."

He knew very well what Butch had done after being contaminated; death was his inevitable destination, and finding peace at last was a fortunate blessing.

"I heard Butch mention once that [Forbidden Blood Source] seems to run a charitable organization that distributes food. Many people from the Old Town go there to collect it."

The crucial information provided by Morrison instantly narrowed down Zorn's search area significantly, reducing it to just a handful of possibilities and drastically lowering the difficulty of the investigation.

Having obtained a satisfactory answer, Zorn opened his palm.

Employing the [Evil Spirit · Authority], Zorn forced its residual spirituality out of the sequence.

Looking profoundly relieved, Morrison slowly dissipated into the air.

Only by liberating his soul from the sequence could he truly find rest.

Otherwise, his soul would be bound and imprisoned, reduced to a slave of the sequence.

Controlling the sequence in life and becoming its slave in death was the inevitable price to be paid.

Having extracted the desired answers, Zorn granted the opportunity for rest.

It was a fair trade.

"The transition zone between the Fog District and the Old Town, a charitable organization distributing food, where many people go to receive provisions."

Collecting the sequence crystal core materials left behind by Morrison, Zorn quickly sketched out a concrete picture in his mind.

"Right, the [Artificer] lady is in the Old Town."

"Tomorrow, I am to meet with the [Artificer] lady. While acquiring what I need, I can conveniently inquire about the charity organization over there."

"As a good citizen of Ogran, one must crack down on such fraudulent charities involved in human trafficking!"

Lost in thought, the aura of transcendents emerged from the depths of the sewers.

Evidently, the battle between Zorn and Rat King Butch had attracted the attention of official transcendents.

Without a sound, Zorn vanished into the deep darkness.