CHAPTER 594: CHAPTER 592: CROSSING THE RUBICON

"Wei!"

Zhao Ling rushed toward the shadow, only to grasp at air; the man in the white shirt and black suit was merely an illusion.

In front of her eyes, in its place, was a vast, stench-ridden blood pool.

The pungent smell rushed into her nostrils, and Zhao Ling couldn’t help it; she started to retch.

Above, the golden light source quietly radiated heat, and in the wind, someone seemed to be whispering. Across the blood pool, the figure of a woman appeared and disappeared.

Zhao Ling was well aware that Wei Tianyang had pulled this land into the tangible reality, so it wasn’t surprising to see anything now.

Where was Wei Tianyang? What on Earth had happened?

As she thought this, Zhao Ling felt someone wrap their arms around her waist from behind; she looked down and saw Wei Tianyang’s hands.

"Wei..."

She turned around, and Wei Tianyang let go of her to stand by her side.

"This fulfills... the words you said to me during our first formal encounter in Yin Country," Wei Tianyang said.

"What did we say at that time?" Zhao Ling nodded with a smile.

"For me to kill someone," Wei Tianyang said.

"As many as needed," Zhao Ling said.

"What about dying for me?" Wei Tianyang asked again.

"I didn’t ask you to do that for me," Zhao Ling laughed.

"If necessary, would you be willing?" Wei Tianyang said.

"If it’s by your hand... then let it be, but I have just one request. Do it slowly," Zhao Ling said.

"You didn’t lie. None of you did," Wei Tianyang seemed very satisfied, hands in his pockets, smiling.

"Have you talked to them? When?" Zhao Ling asked.

"Just now," Wei Tianyang said.

She turned to look in the direction of the vehicle, only to see Rada Gan talking to the air by the car, Cha Na standing at a distance from the vehicle, looking at the distant sky, Kui Kui Ge standing in front of the car, waiting respectfully in a certain direction as if someone were speaking to him, and the black sheep was further away in the sand, bouncing back and forth, joyfully frolicking.

"So you can appear before us simultaneously now?" Zhao Ling smiled.

"No, I haven’t shown myself yet. I need to glow, to radiate heat. I’m going to ignite this world. What you see is only my Shadow," Wei Tianyang said.

At this moment, Zhao Ling kneeled on one knee before Wei Tianyang.

"What’s this for?" Wei Tianyang asked.

"Wei... from today on, you are my king," Zhao Ling said.

She felt the warmth within that light and the substance it contained—a spiritual force. She now understood that Wei Tianyang had transcended.

"Why so formal all of a sudden?" Wei Tianyang laughed.

"Take me with you, Wei... I am willing to give you my body and soul," Zhao Ling looked up, her face showing respect and adoration.

Power is the reason to become king, and he is the only one who had achieved it.

This power surpassed nations, exceeded conventional military forces, and was subject to no one’s command, bound by nothing.

Zhao Ling looked at the apparition before her; the golden light seemed to pass through his body.

"You all can follow me, but first... you must cross the blood pool, to the other side," Wei Tianyang said.

"What is this pool?" Zhao Ling looked at the blood pool, its disgusting, viscous surface dotted with some human skeletons.

"The final stage of evolution, my blood and my energy will free you from the shackles of mortal bodies, and you will become my Knights," Wei Tianyang said.

Zhao Ling looked at the blood pool with hesitation.

"It’s possible to fail, and I need to tell you that in advance. The skeletons in this lake are just like that. But this is the first trial. Knights are different from soldiers, the choice is yours," Wei Tianyang added.

After speaking, he slowly disappeared.

Rada Gan approached from a distance, his expression uneasy.

"Did you see him?" Rada Gan asked.

Zhao Ling got up, brushed the sand off her knees, and did not answer.

Baphomet galloped over from afar, carrying Cha Na, while Kui Kui Ge was always so methodical, maintaining a proud and efficient demeanor.

"You heard what he said, it can fail... and besides, this lake looks very ominous," Rada Gan added.

Baphomet bleated, unclear what it was trying to express, while Kui Kui Ge stood at the shore, thoughtful, as if adapting to the smell.

Cha Na appeared hesitant, caught in an intense internal struggle.

This blood pool is about 60 meters across from this side to the other.

But whether or not you can wade across depends on fate.

"You heard what he said. Knights are different from soldiers," Zhao Ling said.

Then she began to undress.

Zhao Ling undid the buttons of her business suit, tore the clothing from her body, and threw it carelessly at her feet, then she unbuttoned her shirt, leaving just a black lace bra covering her upper body.

After her recovery, her body had undergone rigorous rehabilitation training; muscles bulged on her four arms, her six-pack abs were firm and well-defined, her figure both voluptuous and athletic.

Next, she kicked off her high heels, took off her business skirt, pulled off her black stockings, leaving her body cool and unclad.

She turned to look at the men and said, "I’ll wait for you on the other side."

With that, she walked resolutely into the blood pool.

Rada Gan and the others watched Zhao Ling intently, eager to know if she would succeed and even more curious about what "becoming a Knight" truly meant...

Step by step, Zhao Ling walked towards the center of the blood pool, which was warm. It seemed as if there were living things in it; creatures like mud eels slithered between her thighs.

She felt like she stepped on something; her big toe rubbed against it, feeling like a human finger.

The blood pool wasn’t deep, but for some reason, it became increasingly difficult to walk. Zhao Ling suddenly felt uneasy all over, a nauseating sickness rising within her, and her skin burned intolerably, as if on fire.

A hot flow surged up her throat, filling her mouth with a bitter taste, but she held back the urge to vomit, clutching her stomach as she struggled toward the opposite shore.

A few more steps, Zhao Ling looked down at her hands to see her veins turning black, her skin absorbing something from the pool, and that substance was chaotically coursing through her body. Her vision blurred, and it seemed as if tiny threadworms were crawling over her eyeballs.

No, she had to persevere!

With mournful moans, Zhao Ling took a few more steps, but her body began to decay, and black bloodstains spread from her chest and abdomen, festering into two black blood holes below her collarbone and upper abdomen.

She couldn’t hold back any longer, and vomited a spray of black blood, falling face-down into the lake.

In the pitch-black, thick blood pool, she opened her mouth wide, took a deep gulp, and then suddenly stood up from the bottom of the lake. Her face was already pitch-black; she felt as if she had drunk ink, her stomach burning fiercely, as if all her internal organs were rotting. Her entire chest was covered in dense black pinholes, oozing bright red blood. She opened her mouth to scream but could not make a sound.

Zhao Ling staggered forward, her calf suddenly soft as bean dregs, and it broke off. She plunged down, losing half her body. Another arm on her back also snapped off, and with a splash, she fell into the pool.

Standing on her remaining leg, her field of vision suddenly narrowed significantly. She reached out to touch her cheek, pulling off a large piece of flesh. Her eyeball slid out between her fingers and plopped into her palm.

On the shore, Rada Gan shook his head and said, "A dead end... a road to death... this is a road to death..."