Chapter 18: The Black Vatican Reappears!

Back Kitchen of Mingwen Girls' High School Cafeteria

A young man was gasping heavily. Not far from him lay the massive corpse of a rat-like creature—its head severed from its body, and blood still oozing from the neck.

Only after confirming that the Giant-Eyed Blood Rat was undeniably dead did Jing Wuji step forward to inspect the body.

The reason his final strike had been able to cleanly sever the rat's head was that he had followed the muscle seams between layers of flesh—like a skilled butcher dissecting an ox, slicing through the gaps with precision and ease.

As for how he was able to see the anatomical lines on the Giant-Eyed Blood Rat, it was thanks to his innate talent—Mind's Eye.

When Jing Wuji was a child, he discovered this unusual ability: the power to perceive all phenomena in extreme detail.

It was under the insight of this perception-shattering ability that he had successfully slain the Giant-Eyed Blood Rat.

This power didn't consume magic or mental energy—it was a state of awareness.

However, even though it cost no energy, using it still placed a heavy burden on him. Taking in so much information at once overwhelmed his current brain capacity and mental endurance, resulting in intense strain.

Moreover, to activate this ability, he had to concentrate deeply and bring his mind to a state of absolute calm and objectivity. Only then could he invoke the Mind's Eye.

As he approached the corpse of the Giant-Eyed Blood Rat, the deer-shaped pendant on his chest began to tremble softly, as though reacting to something.

A faint bluish glow—like a firefly—floated up from the demon's body. It was as small as a candle flame and looked like it could be extinguished by a breath of wind.

The light slowly drifted toward Jing Wuji's deer-shaped pendant, as if being summoned by it.

This is… a Soul Fragment?!

Jing Wuji suddenly realized that this mysterious pendant could absorb soul remnants—a function he had never known it possessed. The discovery filled him with joy.

His unusually long meditation ability might not have been purely due to himself—this pendant likely played a major role. It was very likely a growth-type stardust magic artifact!

Overwhelmed with excitement, Jing Wuji immediately decided to kill more demons and help the pendant—his little deer—grow stronger.

But he quickly calmed down. After all, it had already taken him everything he had to kill just one servant-level Giant-Eyed Blood Rat. How could he expect to casually hunt demons in the wild?

For now, let's just take the 50,000 yuan bounty. Hopefully, the reward is still valid.

Jing Wuji found some kitchen tools nearby and, after a great deal of effort, extracted the hind leg bone of the Giant-Eyed Blood Rat.

After setting the 50,000 yuan prize aside, he walked toward the place where the rat had first emerged. He wanted to find out how it had ended up here.

In a corner of the kitchen, Jing Wuji spotted a large hole in the ground, partially concealed by a stone slab that closely matched the color of the floor.

It was clear the slab was used to cover the hole.

Someone had been controlling the Giant-Eyed Blood Rat. Things had just gotten more complicated.

With a single glance, Jing Wuji could tell there were traces of human interference. A servant-level demon wouldn't have gone to such lengths to conceal its tracks. Someone had to be orchestrating this behind the scenes.

But who? And for what purpose?

With that question lingering in his mind, Jing Wuji activated Shadow Shift, melting into the darkness to investigate the tunnel.

As he entered, he realized the passage was unusually long, and it branched off into multiple other tunnels leading in different directions.

This vast underground network confirmed that something sinister was underway, but unfortunately, he didn't have enough information to confirm his suspicions.

Worried that he wouldn't be able to find his way back, Jing Wuji marked the walls continuously along the way—leaving behind trail after trail, afraid of getting lost underground.

After nearly half an hour of walking, he finally arrived at a massive underground cavern, the size of a sports field.

"The plan is almost complete, isn't it?"

"Now we just need that person to gain the qualifications to enter."

"We've prepared for so long—we must let the Master's masterpiece be revealed to the world."

"Time to retrieve the demon."

Jing Wuji watched from the shadows as two men in gray robes conversed. He didn't act recklessly—now was not the time to alert the enemy.

"Understood. Go check if we've captured enough people. If the number is sufficient, activate the Curse Pool and start producing more Black Beasts."

With that, the two men from the Black Vatican went their separate ways, disappearing into different tunnels.

Jing Wuji furrowed his brows upon hearing those words, a flicker of surprise crossing his heart.

The Black Vatican!

Once again, Jing Wuji had stumbled upon one of the Black Vatican's conspiracies—and this time, it sounded like a major one.

Seeing that the two-robed men were about to vanish from view, Jing Wuji thought for a moment, then chose to follow the one heading toward the Curse Pool.

The Black Vatican member wound his way through the twisting tunnels, completely unaware that he was being tailed.

In his mind, no one could have infiltrated their underground base, so he hadn't taken any extra precautions.

Besides, with Jing Wuji's stealth abilities, even if the man had been on alert, he wouldn't have detected him.

After an unknown number of turns and detours—and with Jing Wuji leaving numerous marks to track his path—they finally arrived at a cavernous chamber, like a hollowed-out mountain. The Black Vatican member pushed open a heavy iron door and entered.

Jing Wuji quickly followed behind him.

The moment he stepped into the Curse Pool, Jing Wuji was struck by the horrifying sight before him.

The Curse Pool resembled a water reservoir, except it was filled with a pungent, acidic liquid. Within it, numerous human figures thrashed about in agony.

"Clang—"

The sound of chains being unlocked snapped Jing Wuji out of his horror-struck daze.

He saw the Black Vatican member opening a large iron cage, packed with people—young men, young women, and even elderly individuals were imprisoned inside.

They were in ragged clothing, filthy and bloodstained. Some had wounds. Their faces were pale and gaunt, their eyes dull and lifeless. They had resigned themselves to their fate—numb with despair.

"You shall become part of the Master's masterpiece. Consider it a supreme honor!"

The Black Vatican member's expression was filled with fanaticism—undoubtedly a crazed zealot.

The people inside the cage began to tremble violently at those words, completely overtaken by terror.

Ever since being attacked by monsters, they had awoken to find themselves imprisoned here. They hadn't seen sunlight since. With no food and barely enough water to survive, they were surrounded by monsters. Some had even watched others be transformed into abominations right before their eyes.

There was no hope—only endless despair. They knew their fate was to be transformed into monsters themselves.

Even the man before them was a complete lunatic. Despair wrapped around their hearts like a noose, and the suffocating atmosphere pushed their minds to the brink.

"Die."

A cold male voice rang out—calm, yet brimming with suppressed fury. It echoed through the cavern, but also seemed to strike deep into their hearts.

In that instant, a light called hope returned to their eyes.

Before the Black Vatican member could even react, his head was sent flying, blood spraying into the air as his body convulsed once or twice.

Please add to your favorites! Support the novel with investments and recommendation votes!