Chapter 216

Chapter 216

He suddenly raised a hand and swept it lightly through the air. A handful of white powder scattered from his palm and spread in an instant, forming a dense cloud of white smoke that concealed him with astonishing speed.

Edwin could see only a hazy mass of smoke. Xiao Huai’s exact position had become indistinct, but his killing intent remained utterly exposed.

“Sssshk!”

All the black diamonds converged into a razor-sharp blade and pierced through the white smoke.

Edwin had expected some more unusual form of attack. So this was merely a trick to launch a sneak attack from behind the smoke.

How dull.

Divine power gathered in his palm. It was time to end the hunt.

The power of the tides swept across the earth. Dark clouds smothered the moon, and the stars lost their luster.

His green eyes swept coldly over the scene before him. A wave brimming with divine power shot toward the white smoke like a bolt of blue lightning.

In an instant, tension and danger filled the entire space.

Xiao Huai could not withstand that strike.

Edwin had only intended to leave him with a single breath of life anyway.

But at that moment, everyone heard a very soft laugh.

Time seemed to freeze, and everything around them blurred.

Only two radiant forces grew more and more dazzling, too bright to look at directly.

Their collision produced a powerful shock wave that shook everything nearby to the verge of collapse.

Both forces carried boundless might.

Without warning, the Yang Residence fell into a terrifying silence. Even the sound of breathing became distinct.

Edwin’s pupils contracted violently. What had he just hit?

That was nothing like the divine power he had sensed from Xiao Huai before.

It was the power of an evil god.

“Crack, crack…”

The sound of something breaking shattered the silence.

The system’s voice began reverberating across the entire sky.

The players were not the only ones who could hear it. Even the native residents of the Town of the Blind heard the announcement.

[Curse source destroyed. Curse source destroyed! This world is about to break away from the horror game!]

[Curse source destroyed. Curse source destroyed! This world is about to break away from the horror game!]

The heavy fog receded at an astonishing speed. At the same time, the townspeople’s eyes gradually began to clear.

What exactly had they just heard?

Elsewhere, something entirely unexpected happened.

The white smoke dispersed. Xiao Huai merely smiled, cunning in his eyes, as though he had expected this all along.

At his feet lay a ghost infant wearing a shattered clown mask.

It was thoroughly dead.

He had finally caught it. He had waited until the little ghost fell into his trap.

A portion of the power left behind by the God of Mischief had clung to the mask.

For a long time, the mask had been the curse source. It had also become another entity fond of mischief.

There was a child on Xiao Huai’s side who loved mischief too.

Hanako had told him that a fire underground might excite it. It would want to watch the commotion, see where the fire had been set, and find out whether it could frighten the arsonist.

Na Ran and You Lin had once been in a desert kingdom and possessed extensive hunting experience. They knew how to set a trap so that a beast would lower its guard and walk step by step into a snare from which it could not escape.

Joseph and Carr had built the sturdiest possible cage. The moment the creature fell into the trap, Xiao Huai would be notified.

With Xiao Huai’s strength, he might not have been able to destroy a mask bearing such a powerful curse and reinforced with divine power.

Edwin, however, was another matter. He was a god.

A high-ranking god.

Step by step, Xiao Huai had deceived Edwin into believing that he was fighting for his life. In truth, Xiao Huai had never intended to fight him. His entire purpose was to trick Edwin into unleashing his power.

Edwin’s face looked terrible now.

He knew he had unknowingly become the blade in Xiao Huai’s hand.

If he had only used divine power against Xiao Huai, the system might not have punished him.

But now… he had altered the cause and effect of this world.

The Main God System’s notification began playing throughout the world.

A vast expanse of white light appeared in the sky as the Main God System issued its judgment.

[The Town of the Blind has successfully broken free. High-ranking god Edwin is suspected of interfering with this world’s cause and effect. He will proceed immediately to the Divine Punishment Domain to receive punishment, with use of his divine power restricted. Punishment duration: 30 game days.]

Edwin’s knuckles trembled slightly. He did not even want to look at Xiao Huai.

He had been deceived once, only to be deceived a second time.

He did not want to accept the punishment. This was divine punishment.

But he had been deceived, and that meant he had lost, defeated by his own arrogance.

He had already turned around to await the system’s teleportation when Xiao Huai’s voice suddenly reached his ears.

“He is my soul companion. I don’t want his punishment to be too severe.”

Edwin’s pupils contracted. He stood motionless, with Xiao Huai’s voice coming from behind him.

What was he saying?

Was he lying again?

Heh… humans truly were creatures of consummate hypocrisy.

The patch of white light in the sky did not disappear. Instead, it descended upon Xiao Huai.

[System evaluation confirms that Edwin is indeed player Xiao Huai’s soul companion… Calculating priority. Divine punishment takes precedence over the Bond of True Friends. We regret to inform you that you cannot interfere with the severity of the sentence.]

Edwin gave a soft laugh. A mere human player wanted to bargain with the Main God System?

It had been over a hundred years since he last received divine punishment. That time, he had nearly been left with only one breath of life.

Xiao Huai raised his eyes to the beam. The white light shone across his lashes, yet there was no fear in him at all.

“Then what if I am willing to bear part of the punishment?”

For a long… long moment.

The entire place was silent.

Edwin turned and looked at the young man who had spoken those words.

Night hung low, and the lights cast a soft glow over the young man’s cheeks and the tip of his nose.

His voice was clear and utterly pure.

One sidelong glance from him was enough to eclipse the raging waves stirred by the power of the tides.

Edwin froze completely. What was he doing?

Weren’t humans all hypocritical creatures?

How could a mere mortal endure the punishment of a god?

A line of blood trickled down Xiao Huai’s forehead. He wiped it away lightly, the vivid-red stain bursting into view like fireworks rising above the waves.

Edwin’s heartbeat raced beyond his control, and for a moment, his blood seemed to boil.

[Request received… Are you certain you wish to bear part of your soul companion’s divine punishment?]

Xiao Huai nodded.

[Request approved.]

The light became blinding in an instant. As the Main God System granted the request, it amended Edwin’s punishment.

[Human player Xiao Huai has agreed to bear part of the divine punishment. Edwin’s punishment duration has been reduced to 15 game days, and the restriction on 100% of his divine power has been reduced to 70%.]

[Honorable Edwin, you will proceed to the Divine Punishment Domain in three seconds to receive your punishment. We wish you the best of luck!]

Edwin’s eyes widened. He heard the countdown beside his ear and ran toward Xiao Huai, only to see Xiao Huai’s body tremble with pain for an instant.

“Why… Why would you…”

Before Edwin could finish, he vanished from the world.

Edwin had one final second before he disappeared.

In that final moment, he saw the child who was so adept at enduring pain.

The child had collapsed under the agony.