CHAPTER 88: CHAPTER 20: EMBRACING MADNESS

At the deepest part of the sewer.

In this filthy and dark corner, it’s hard to tell when layers upon layers of cobwebs started covering the surfaces, and rats scurry through the dirty sludge, their cold eyes flickering in the shadows. With a squeal, a fist-sized spider captures its prey and quickly disappears into the depths of the cave.

"Chairman..."

A faint whisper echoes within the cave.

It has become a nest for an immense number of grotesque spiders. The ground is teeming with fist-sized black spiders, which were once ordinary animals but now have completely mutated. They have two pairs of compound eyes protruding from their heads, their sharp mouthparts grow venom sacs, and in just a week or two, they’ve grown to the size of a fist, some even reaching the size of an adult.

The Lady of the House’s figure is suspended at the center of the gigantic cobweb, stretching long in the dim light, her twisted shadow swaying as though whispering secrets.

"The Chairman has already abandoned you."

"You have turned into a terrifying monster; you’ve failed..." The shadow seems to come alive, leaning against the Lady of the House’s ear, whispering softly.

Transcendents can digest monster Relics, and monster Relics can also digest Transcendents.

It’s a process of mutual demise.

If the Relic left behind by the grotesque creature completely digests the Transcendent, the Transcendent’s body will undergo terrible mutations.

No!

In the darkness, a pair of eerie, cold, blood-red eyes appear as the Lady of the House suddenly opens her eyes. A purple glimmer changes in her pupils, allowing her to see everything in the dark, and naturally, see her restlessly moving shadow.

The shadow is completely alive!

The Extraordinary Relics inside her have already digested nearly half of her body and are continuously eroding her flesh and blood.

Because this power originates from ancient, unnameable forces.

"The Chairman hasn’t abandoned me; it’s just that I’ve disappointed him..." The Lady of the House’s voice gradually falls.

Her appearance has changed dramatically; originally silver-white hair has turned into a mottled gray-white, her skin, as dark as jade, now shows an unhealthy pallor. Although her features remain alluringly beautiful, cracked skin on her forehead reveals a new pair of murky yellow eyes, as if some creature is trying to burst out from within her.

On the lower half of her body, the human traits below the waist have completely vanished.

A massive, deformed black spider replaced her legs, six pairs of compound eyes emit an eerie glow in the dark, seeming to have its own thoughts, not always obedient to the Lady of the House’s commands.

With a slight sound.

The Lady of the House’s huge, plump lower body descends, the eerie black spider spinning webs as her body approaches the ground, a twisted shadow overlapping with her body; a monster is about to move in the shadow.

"Disappointed?"

"No, you were just a tool he used." The animated shadow leans against the Lady of the House’s ear, whispering softly: "From the very beginning..."

Shut up!

The Lady of the House lets out a sharp cry, trying to grasp the shadow’s throat, but her hands pass through the darkness, and only the shadow’s unrestrained laughter echoes through the dark.

"I am just your shadow, what do you want to do?"

"So pathetic. You haven’t overcome your humanity, you’ve lost the qualification to ascend the Path of Destiny."

"You’ve been abandoned."

The shadow’s voice is akin to the Devil’s whisper, constantly tormenting the Lady of the House’s mind, driving her closer to the brink of complete loss of control.

No!

I have not been abandoned.

The Lady of the House’s expression seems slightly hysterical. She grips her own throat with both hands, and in the dim light, the shadow’s throat is also gripped, unable to whisper, held by the Lady of the House!

But the Lady of the House finds breathing increasingly difficult, her face swells with protruding veins, the entire face twisting into a dark blue.

It’s hard to tell how long has passed.

The Lady of the House gasps fiercely as she rises, seemingly regaining some clarity, she whispers: "I still have a chance."

"As long as I can complete the ascent ritual here."

"Finish the ultimate hunt!"

"I still have a chance to recover, even if I can’t ascend the Path of Destiny, I can still become a Clan."

"You will never replace me!"

"You are just my shadow."

A strange laughter sounds, and the shadow rises as well, mocking: "Haha? Chance? You’ve been driven by those Night Watcher to hide in the sewer, eating rats."

"What chances do you have left?"

"Your only chance is to flee Dorne when the Heart Eater fails, flee far away, flee back to Dagon."

"There, with your power, you can attain everything you desire."

"But you didn’t leave; why?"

"Loyalty?"

"That’s ridiculous."

The shadow leans against the Lady of the House’s ear again, whispering softly: "Why did you embrace the darkness if you only wanted to return?"

"Have you forgotten the Chairman’s teachings?"

"Courage nurtures recklessness and brutality, Shadow fosters cunning and betrayal, Knowledge gives birth to delusion and madness..."

"You are not a Night Watcher."

"We walk a path entirely opposite to theirs. We obey the Laws of the world, embrace the most authentic darkness, they restrain, we indulge. Only then do we have the opportunity to embark on the Path of Destiny."

"But what have you done?"