Xilin stabbed the dagger into his throat, but he did not pierce the windpipe. Instead, he pushed the dagger downward until it stopped at his waist.

He cut open his dense shirt, drawing a straight line of blood that neatly divided his upper body into two halves.

Asho’s face changed. “You changed your mind.”

“Yes.”

Xilin threw away the dagger and tied his long hair behind his ears, restoring his elegant elf-like appearance. His expression was calm, and his voice was gentle. “Imprisoning you was just my naive wish. You are the ‘Sensation’ that Heath summoned through great hardships. You can even escape from the Shattered Lake Prison. How could I possibly imprison you?”

“There are too many unexpected things in this world. As long as the Four Pillar Gods are still watching you, unexpected events can pierce through all my arrangements.”

“I cannot imprison you, nor can I kill you, or hand you over to the Falconer Hall. I cannot even delay you. The power of the ‘Sensation’ can make you escape at any time.”

“Therefore, I have come to a conclusion.”

Xilin extended his middle and index fingers like hooks and inserted them into the bloodline he had just cut, into his chest.

“It must be now, it must be here, and it must be me.” Xilin said calmly, “I will purify you.”

Asho tilted his head slightly. “In my understanding, ‘purify’ is similar to ‘heal’…”

“Purify means to expel impurities, destroy intruders, and annihilate parasites!” Xilin’s emerald eyes became brighter and emitted a light. “And you, the unfinished ‘Sensation’ residing in Heath, are the target of purification!”

“I originally wanted to use this miracle to destroy Heath… but I was always afraid, always fearful. That’s why I became Heath’s puppet and committed so many mistakes. Sensation, I thank you. You have given me a chance for redemption.”

Asho narrowed his eyes. “But doesn’t this mean you’re killing me? Once I die, the ritual will be completed—”

“That’s why I used this forbidden miracle.”

Xilin started to glow.

His green eyes, his blood, his black hair, his skin, every color on his body began to emit a brilliant radiance. He seemed to have… turned into a painting.

“Not only ‘you,’ but also all the arrangements made by the Four Pillar Gods on you, and all the marks engraved on your body by Heath, will be completely expelled. Everything that does not belong to this body will be thoroughly purified.”

Asho took a deep breath. “Xilin, you are just a two-winged golden Sorcerer. Do you have such great power?”

“I certainly don’t, but… the Virtual Realm does.”

Xilin suddenly smiled. “You attended my class on ‘Ancient Ritual Sects’ a few days ago, right?”

Asho’s pupils contracted. “Forbidden rituals…”

“At that time, I didn’t tell you everything.” Xilin seemed to be giving a lecture on the spot. “If a two-winged Sorcerer is forced to be a sacrifice through special means, at most, it can only invoke the full power of a four-winged Sorcerer.”

“But if a two-winged Sorcerer voluntarily performs the highest-level forbidden ritual, this intention will be recognized by the Virtual Realm, and it can even invoke… power beyond that of a four-winged Sorcerer!”

“Under the protection of the Blood Moon Sovereign, the Four Pillar Gods can only bestow you with the ‘blessing’ of a four-winged level.” Xilin showed a happy smile. “Fate is still favoring me. In Camon City, only I can perfectly deal with you, the ‘Sensation’.”

Asho’s thoughts quickly turned, and he hurriedly persuaded, “We don’t need to reach the point of life and death. Since I now know that you are also forced, I won’t trouble you anymore in the future. I actually plan to leave the Blood Moon Kingdom. Why don’t you help me leave, so that I can leave and you don’t have to sacrifice your life? It’s a win-win situation, isn’t it?”

“Sensation, what do you think of me?”

Xilin sneered, “The president of the Elf Rights Association? A senator? The mastermind behind the gang? A professor? A selfish person who prioritizes personal interests? A cowardly immortal seeker?”

“I am already 203 years old this year. When I was born, the Blood Moon Judgment had not yet begun. When I grew up, I participated in the hunting festival in the Outer Domain. I have traveled throughout the Blood Moon Kingdom, witnessing the destruction of the old city and the rise of the new city. I have seen and even experienced all the hardships and entertainment in the world.”

“Do you actually think I would be reluctant to give up this dying life?” Xilin’s eyes were filled with mockery. “If it weren’t for the fact that I can’t resist Heath’s orders without dying, and if it weren’t for the law prohibiting suicide, I would have long wanted to enter the Blood Moon Paradise!”

Asho was taken aback. “Immortality syndrome? Do you secretly hope for the extinguishing of the light?”

“Immortality syndrome? No, I don’t secretly hope for the extinguishing of the light because there is something warmer and more beautiful than it.”

Xilin smiled, and behind him was the huge and colorful Blood Moon. The gentle light of the Blood Moon draped over him, as if the gods were blessing him.

“I have long wanted to die together with Heath, but I couldn’t resist Heath. I have been waiting for this opportunity. I don’t want revenge, I just want to prove…”

“I still deeply love this Blood Moon.”

“Ritual Miracle: Illusionary Color Dyeing Root Forbidden Ritual.”

Crack!

Xilin forcefully pulled his hands, which were inserted into the middle of the bloodline, apart. His chest was torn open like a curtain!

What Asho saw was not the bright red blood and the purple internal organs, but colors!

Colors gushed out from Xilin’s chest like a river, engulfing Asho!

“The flower language of the Iron Begonia and the Water Lily is loyalty.” Xilin said softly.

At this moment, memories of Wakas suddenly flashed through Asho’s mind. Since Xilin was not willingly pursuing Asho, why did Wakas, who failed to assassinate him, become so hated by Xilin?Xilin didn’t despise Wakas because he failed to complete the task.

Rather, he despised Wakas because he ‘wanted’ to complete the task!

As Xilin had said earlier, the reward for Wakas’s task was ‘reunion with his biological child’.

By accepting the task, it meant that Wakas had not repented, and still wanted to defy the laws of the Blood Moon Kingdom! This was an unforgivable mistake for Xilin, a believer of the Blood Moon – the law was the will of the gods, the rules were the desires of the gods, and Wakas was essentially blaspheming Xilin’s faith!

“When I pass away, when the skinning twins peel off my skin, when the scarlet maidens draw my blood, when the shadow priests arrange my bones, when the blessed angels guide my soul…”

Xilin closed his eyes, softly reciting a prayer for himself.

He thought he would see the messenger who would guide him, but what appeared in his mind was a page from the past.

A young Xilin sat cross-legged on the wooden floor, watching a clumsy elf child crawl towards him, making a gesture for a hug. He smiled and held the child in his arms, wiping away the drool with a handkerchief.

“Repeat after me, Wa-kas-“

“Wakas?”

“No, I’m not Wakas, I’m Xilin.”

“Xilin?”

“Yes, you’re Wakas, and I’m Xilin.”

“Xilin!!~”

“…We will reunite in the promised land.”

With the last splash of color, the robe of the elf scholar, devoid of any support, gently fell onto the carpet.

The moonlight fell on the pure white fabric, reflecting the purest blood color.

In the vast study, only Asho Heath was left.

Without the supply of Artificing, the tree that trapped Asho quickly withered and decayed, turning into fragile remnants.

Asho looked down at his hands, his eyes filled with confusion.

“It seems… I’m fine?”