Translator: CinderTL
After an unknown amount of time had passed, Feng Qi slowly regained consciousness, finding himself curled up in a cramped position.
He instinctively tried to stretch, but his body was restrained, unable to move freely.
The cold, metallic surfaces pressing against his limbs suggested he was confined within some kind of metal container.
Listening closely, he could hear the distant roar of engines outside.
He couldn't tell if he was being transported in a truck or an aircraft, but he was certain he had already left Star City.
Otherwise, the Lord of the Mist would have come to rescue him after he triggered the alarm.
As for the mysterious force that had abducted him, he already had a strong suspicion.
The abductors' physical structure closely resembled the Goat-Headed Demons he was familiar with, and when he recalled the statues worshipped by those demons, the connection became clear.
This mysterious force was undoubtedly the power behind the Dark God Cult.
What he couldn't understand was how the Dark God Cult had managed to locate him and identify him as one of the masterminds behind the destruction of their branch.
In truth, the Lord of the Mist had long anticipated potential moves by the forces behind the Dark God Cult.
First, they consolidated the Domain Weakling Alliance within Star City, making it impossible for the forces behind the Dark God Cult to obtain any intelligence from the Weak Domain Races.
All investigation missions were intercepted by the Lord of the Mist before they could even be issued.
This phase of their plan had undoubtedly succeeded.
The only channel through which Old Day City could gather information from within Star City had been severed.
Even if the forces in Old Day City grew impatient and attempted to investigate Star City themselves, they would find no useful information.
After all, neither the Lord of the Mist nor he had ever revealed their true identities.
Even the leaders of the Domain Weakling Alliance remained unaware of the Lord of the Mist's true identity.
More importantly, the Lord of the Mist was confident that the forces in Old Day City would not dare to act rashly without first obtaining reliable intelligence.
Even if they did act rashly, his informants within Star City would quickly detect their movements.
These multiple layers of safeguards ensured their current safety.
As he pondered this, his confusion deepened.
He couldn't understand how the forces behind the Dark God Cult had managed to pinpoint his location with such precision.
Within the nearly airtight space, occasional slight tremors shook the metal box.
After an indeterminate amount of time, a sensation of weightlessness washed over him as the engine's roar gradually subsided.
He felt the metal box he was in being lifted, and the jolting motions of movement returned.
Roughly half an hour later, he heard the metallic springs inside the box clang together. A blinding light flooded in, and he instinctively squinted.
The blurry figure before him gradually came into focus.
Standing before him was a tall figure wearing a White Bone Mask with a goat's skull, his body covered in black runes.
"Get up," the figure commanded.
Feng Qi slowly rose from the metal box.
Looking around, he saw a towering statue of the Dark God standing in the distance.
Though the statue differed in many details from the one in his memories, its connection to the original was undeniable.
"Why did you kidnap me?" he asked, turning to face the masked man.
"When you chose to target us, you should have considered that this day might come," the masked man replied grimly.
Hearing these words, Feng Qi confirmed his suspicions.
The forces behind the Dark God Cult had already seen through their plans.
Yet he still couldn't understand how the Dark God Cult had obtained their intelligence.
With this thought, he calmly nodded and asked, "Could you explain how you're so certain I'm the mastermind behind the plan targeting the Dark God Cult?"
Faced with the question, the masked man paused, then replied, "Let's exchange information. I'll answer some of your questions, but I expect you to cooperate and answer some of mine as well."
"As a show of sincerity, I'll answer your question first."
"As for how we identified you as the mastermind, it was pure coincidence. We've been investigating Star City for months, but we've always hesitated to contact the Domain Weakling Alliance within the city, fearing you'd discover our presence. This has kept our intelligence channels severely restricted, making effective investigation nearly impossible."
"That makes sense," Feng Qi nodded immediately. "If your investigation hadn't been conducted in secret, I would have obtained the relevant information long ago." He paused, then continued, "So, what exactly was this 'coincidence' you mentioned?"
Faced with the question, the masked man didn't hesitate to answer:
"During the unveiling ceremony for the statue in Star City's Central Park, a group of children presented you with flowers. We discovered that you were actually drawing power of faith from them."
"Power of faith isn't something anyone can easily obtain. To harness this unique force, one requires an extremely specialized method. When we saw you absorbing it, we realized you were a potential adversary and the target of our operation."
Hearing the masked man's explanation, Feng Qi suddenly understood.
So, none of his earlier plans had gone wrong. The only misstep had been during the statue unveiling ceremony.
This explained how the forces behind the Dark God Cult had been able to pinpoint his location with such precision.
"But you don't know the full extent of my abilities. Why would you dare ambush me within Star City? Aren't you afraid of total annihilation?"
"We struggled with the decision to ambush you. But we've already placed our bet—the future fate of our race. I had to take the risk."
"Does the Spirit Energy Clan behind you simply allow you to take such risks?"
"How do you know the Spirit Energy Clan stands behind me?" the masked man asked, his voice tinged with surprise.
"The Dark God Cult originated in Old Day City. My intelligence indicates that Old Day City is under the Spirit Energy Clan's control. Would they really tolerate an unknown force growing stronger right under their noses?"
"The Spirit Energy Clan was unaware of my ventures, but I've already dispatched clansmen to inform them. The Spirit Lord should arrive soon."
Feng Qi nodded, then pressed further, "What do you plan to do with me?"
"I'm now deeply curious about you. Our ability to harness the power of faith stems from our ancestor, a demigod realm expert who nearly ascended to become a Pillar God. After his death, his life source became the core through which we collect faith. How have you managed to gather faith yourself?"
Hearing this, Feng Qi realized the Dark God Cult hadn't discovered the Miracle Bracelet he wore.
Nor were they aware of the Lord of the Mist's existence.
Feng Qi remained unaware of the hidden dangers lurking within the Flesh and Blood Sacrifice, still believing it was merely a means of gathering faith.
While the Lord of the Mist had remained hidden, Feng Qi had completely exposed himself to both the Dark God Race and the Spirit Energy Clan.
His situation was now extremely precarious.
Having extracted all the information they needed, the Dark God Race clearly had no intention of letting him go.
In their eyes, he was an obstacle to their plans for gathering faith.
Shaking his head, Feng Qi asked, "What do you plan to do with me now?"
The masked man was about to answer when a black shadow slowly materialized beside them, solidifying into form.
Crimson eyes pierced through the darkness, bearing a striking resemblance to the Black Shadow Faction behind the Technology Research Institute—clearly a member of the Spirit Energy Clan.
The masked man and his clansmen bowed respectfully toward the shadow, addressing it as, "Spirit Lord."
(End of the Chapter)
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