CHAPTER 338: CHAPTER 338: RULER

Every instinct in her screamed danger. Whoever this person was, they were far more terrifying than any zombie she had ever faced. Raya’s breath hitched.

’This person... if I don’t leave now, I might die.’ She even wondered if this was one of the accomplices from the trafficking group sent to silence her.

But before she could decide whether to flee or fight, she heard a voice echo inside her mind, not through her ears, but directly into her consciousness.

"Do you want to become superior? A ruler above everyone else?"

The question hit her like a spell, a hypnotic whisper that flowed through her blood.

Raya felt momentarily entranced, as though the words awakened something dormant inside her. She couldn’t move. She couldn’t breathe. She could only listen.

The figure didn’t move either. Instead, the voice inside her mind spoke again, calm and chilling.

"If your answer is yes, then follow me. Otherwise, remain shackled in this fragile human shell, never knowing your own potential."

A shiver ran down Raya’s spine. Something was very wrong. Forcing herself to inhale, she asked sharply, "Who are you?"

She can’t just agree to follow a complete stranger just because he asked her to, right?

Not to mention... it was strange that he had come to find her.

Raya even suspected that the figure was some kind of hired actor deployed by her enemies (Ivy).

The figure’s gender was unclear beneath all that black cloth, yet Raya instinctively referred to the being as a man.

The reply came instantly, deep and resonant. "I am someone who knows your true identity. Follow me, and I will give you the answers and the power you seek."

Raya clenched the steering wheel tightly, fear and suspicion battling inside her. "Are you associated with that human trafficking organization?"

The sound she heard next wasn’t a normal human laugh; it was a low, disdainful, mocking sound that carried an almost god-like arrogance, as though her question was beneath consideration.

And then the voice replied, "Those insects aren’t even capable of touching a strand of my hair. How could I ever associate with such lowly ants?"

The contempt in his tone made Raya’s heart tremble. Whoever he was, he truly believed himself far above humans.

Then the figure continued, voice dropping into a serious tone.

"I am helping you only because you are essential to my success. Once you become powerful, you will assist me in tasks only you can perform. Do not think I am offering charity... I expect something in return."

Raya understood instantly. He wanted her strength, her abilities... once she gained them. She nodded slowly. "I agree."

Though she said, Raya was in fact thinking of possible ways to leave. Whoever this person was... she couldn’t afford to offend him for now!

For the first time, the figure’s posture softened.

"Then listen carefully. I will now place a cultivation technique in your mind. Follow it, and you will surpass every human alive."

Almost involuntarily, Raya closed her eyes.

Though in her heart she mocked, ’Is he finally going to take action against me? Or will his people arrive and attack my car? I should stay alert!’

A strange surge of energy entered her mind. The next second, an entire cultivation method unfolded inside her thoughts... complex, and utterly foreign.

To say that she was amazed wouldn’t be a lie!

How can someone transmit their thoughts or so-called cultivation method to someone else? This was something that she had only read in xinxia novels!

She memorized each step instinctively, but the moment she understood the core principle, her eyes snapped open.

Horror spread across her face as she stared at the figure still crouched on the hood of her jeep.

"You... you want me to eat humans?" Raya whispered, voice trembling.

The figure nodded without hesitation.

Raya shook her head violently. "No. I can’t. I’d rather die than eat human flesh."

There was a long pause before the voice responded, calm and unwavering. "Your enemy has already cultivated this method."

It felt like lightning striking her spine. Raya muttered, "Impossible... impossible..." again and again, struggling to accept it.

But the figure continued mercilessly.

"You do not know this, but the reason your enemy so easily stole your lover is because she practices this technique. She has awakened Influence, an ability gained by users of this cultivation, and can manipulate the minds and emotions of others. If you cultivate using this method, you too will awaken Influence and reclaim what was stolen. Refuse... and you will never stand on the same level as your enemy."

Raya opened her mouth to refuse, but suddenly she was reminded of the way Silas had blushed when he talked about his wife and suddenly felt bitter.

Why could Ivy use these strange cultivation techniques and take Silas away? Why can’t she (Raya) do the same?

"And if you are so against eating human meat or dragging the innocents into this matter, just eat evil human beings... the ones who don’t deserve to live on this earth. In a way you will still be better than your enemy; you will also provide justice to others and become much more powerful." The figure continued to tempt her.

Ivy stared at Silas, who had been standing there with his mouth open, completely frozen, as if he had forgotten how to breathe.

She couldn’t help but chuckle softly and say,

"I’m ready. We can leave now." Silas, hearing her voice, snapped out of his daze and nodded dumbly, still too mesmerized by her appearance to form proper words.

Once they stepped outside the base, Ivy glanced at him with curiosity and asked,

"So? What are you planning to do today?"

However, Silas’s attention wasn’t on her question at all... it was entirely on her.

Ivy, with her soft pink hair that looked like strands of cotton candy caught in sunlight and her bright, crystalline pink eyes, was gazing up at him with such trust that it made his breath hitch.

For a fleeting moment, he almost wanted to abandon all plans and do her right then and there.