As Hong’s words fell, the strange scent within the blood-red chapel grew increasingly potent.
The courtesan, who had been struggling on the stake, suddenly fell silent. Bound to the wood, she remained motionless.
At this moment, her expression turned one of profound piety.
If Ye Ling hadn't heard the courtesan's pleas for mercy earlier, he would have believed her to be a devout follower of the Formless Demon God.
“Master, I’ve sensed karmic power again. Someone is using a karmic technique!” At this moment, Karma, residing within Ye Ling, spoke up, alerting him.
A glint flashed in Ye Ling’s eyes as he immediately asked, “Can you pinpoint the source of the karmic power?”
Karma nodded, “Yes! It’s very clear this time. It’s emanating from the courtesan’s mind. The courtesan is using a karmic technique!”
“The courtesan? Are you sure?” Ye Ling was taken aback by Karma’s words and confirmed with him.
“I’m absolutely sure! And I’ve already locked onto the source. We can go and seize that karmic technique now!” Karma became utterly excited as he spoke.
For Karma, karmic power was his best sustenance, and karmic techniques were the crystallization of karmic power. Any single karmic technique could bring immense amplification to Karma.
Now that Karma had the chance to obtain a brand-new karmic technique, he was naturally impatient.
However, Ye Ling felt something was amiss and told Karma, “Don’t rush. Observe the situation further.”
“Oh…”
Karma replied reluctantly. Although he didn’t think there was any problem with seizing the karmic technique now, Ye Ling was his master, and no matter how impatient he was, he had to obey Ye Ling.
While Ye Ling and Karma remained hidden, Hong continued to prostrate himself before the statue, chanting a strange incantation.
*Crack… crack…*
At this moment, the motionless statue opened its eyes. It reached out and grabbed the courtesan’s head. A bizarre smile appeared on the courtesan’s face.
*Hiss!*
In the next instant, the statue directly tore off the courtesan’s head. The courtesan’s headless corpse began to bleed profusely, and the strange smell in the blood-red chapel intensified.
The statue, holding the courtesan’s head, rapidly petrified. The statue’s head then shattered.
Witnessing the bloody scene, Karma exclaimed in shock, “The karmic power is getting stronger, and the source is still in the courtesan’s head… What is going on?”
As Karma was in shock, the headless statue, holding the courtesan’s head in its hands, placed it onto its own neck.
The courtesan’s head rapidly petrified, connecting with the headless statue.
Hong continued to kowtow to the statue, then took a dagger from his waist and placed it on his own neck.
“What is Hong trying to do now?”
As Karma pondered Hong’s actions, he sensed karmic power emanating from Hong’s head.
In the next moment, Hong also severed his own head. Scarlet blood spurted from his neck, greatly startling Karma!
The strange scent in the blood-red chapel had now reached an extreme, even stimulating Ye Ling’s soul upon inhalation!
Within the blood-red chapel, after severing his own head, Hong’s headless body held its head and walked to the courtesan’s headless corpse, placing its head onto the courtesan’s neck.
Hong’s head and the courtesan’s body rapidly petrified, linking together. Hong’s headless body then collapsed, quickly shriveling and turning into a dried corpse.
Karma was dumbfounded by everything that had happened in the blood-red chapel.
Though he couldn’t understand it, he was deeply shocked.
Not only Karma, but Ye Ling, who was hidden in a corner of the blood-red chapel, also frowned, unable to comprehend the significance of the statue and Hong exchanging heads.
“What kind of evil ritual is this?”
As Ye Ling pondered, he suddenly felt a mysterious karmic power surge from his mind.
Immediately, an intense drowsiness attacked Ye Ling, making his eyelids incredibly heavy.
“This is…”
Feeling the onset of sleepiness, Ye Ling was greatly alarmed. He was about to warn Karma to be careful when he realized that Karma within him had already fallen into a deep slumber!
Furthermore, Karma was now enveloped in a strange karmic power.
“What’s happening? Have we passively used some karmic technique?”
Ye Ling immediately understood what was happening. He stopped lingering inside the blood-red chapel and used Absolute Divine Movement to teleport outside.
At this moment, Vivian was diligently modifying the blood-red chapel, unaware of what had transpired.
“Vivian!”
Ye Ling quickly called out to Vivian, his vision becoming increasingly blurred as the drowsiness grew stronger.
“Boss?”
Seeing Ye Ling’s drowsy state, Vivian was greatly alarmed and quickly asked, “What happened?”
Ye Ling said quickly, “Don’t panic. No matter what happens next, you must follow my instructions. The Formless Demon God’s karmic technique is very peculiar. Karma and I have fallen victim to it.”
Vivian anxiously replied, “Is it really the Formless Demon God inside? B-Boss, if even Karma, who specifically devours karmic power, can fall victim, how can you expect me not to panic…”
“Listen to me! Things aren’t that bad!”
Ye Ling interrupted Vivian, then transmitted several instructions to her via telepathy before teleporting Vivian away using Absolute Divine Movement.
In the next moment, Ye Ling could no longer resist the intense drowsiness. His eyes closed heavily, and he fell into a deep sleep.
At this time, the doors of the blood-red chapel slowly opened. Hong, now inhabiting the courtesan’s body, emerged, looking at the sleeping Ye Ling with a smile.
“I knew you would return after taking away the consciousness of the Primordial Realm. Unfortunately, you have completely underestimated the Formless Demon God’s abilities.”
“Even though I don’t know where you are, as long as you witness the Formless Demon God’s head-swapping ritual, you will be drawn into the Formless Demon God’s dream.”
“This… is the Demon God’s karmic technique – Dream Stain.”
“You shall slowly sink into the Demon God’s nightmare. Soon… you will become the new bishop of my Red Robe Cult! Hahaha…”
Hong chuckled and dragged the sleeping Ye Ling into the blood-red chapel.
…
Meanwhile, in the Formless Demon God’s dreamscape.
Ye Ling and Karma appeared in a sea of blood.
Karma regained his senses and, seeing Ye Ling floating in the blood sea, exclaimed, “Master, what’s going on? Where are we now?”
Ye Ling remained calm and replied, “We’ve both been tricked by the Formless Demon God… Both you and I have fallen asleep. We should be in his dreamscape now.”
“We’ve been tricked?” Karma was stunned. “How did they do it? Why didn’t I have any warning signs at all?”
Ye Ling: “It’s likely that we actively used the Formless Demon God’s karmic technique, which is why you didn’t have any premonition of danger.”
Karma was confused. “What do you mean?”
Ye Ling explained, “I suspect the Formless Demon God’s karmic technique is a special passive skill. When we were watching the statue and Hong exchange heads, his karmic technique was constantly in effect, and we were unknowingly influenced by his karmic technique.”
Hearing Ye Ling’s words, Karma couldn’t help but retort, “If I had known, I might as well have gone and seized that Demon God’s karmic technique directly. If we controlled the karmic technique, then none of this would have happened.”
Ye Ling shook his head slightly. “It’s probably not as simple as you think.”
Karma was puzzled. “Why? Once I seize a karmic technique, doesn’t it become ours?”
Ye Ling asked Karma, “On whom did you sense the power of using a karmic technique?”
Karma replied, “The courtesan and Hong?”
Ye Ling asked again, “And whose karmic technique is it?”
Karma paused, then replied, “The Formless Demon God’s…”
Ye Ling: “It’s clearly the Formless Demon God’s karmic technique, yet both the courtesan and Hong used it. As a result, both the courtesan and Hong had their heads severed… And before we fell asleep, unknown karmic power appeared within both of us.”
“If you had gone to seize the karmic technique used by the courtesan, our current predicament probably wouldn’t have changed, and might even have worsened.”
Karma still hesitated. “But, but… once we seize a karmic technique, it becomes ours, so how could we be affected?”
Ye Ling: “Who says a karmic technique always has positive effects?”
Karma exclaimed, “Master, are you saying… the Formless Demon God’s karmic technique is a passive skill with negative effects? The kind where whoever uses it is unlucky?”
Ye Ling nodded. “From what we’ve seen… it’s likely so.”