From Secret Clan to the Divine Dynasty

The second cell held a dwarf who was completely insane, constantly shouting things like "I am Andersen" and "So Andersen has awakened within me."

Almost none of his words formed a complete logic, and his eyes were filled with bloodshot veins.

It was said that the dwarf had originally been a banker and later, after using drugs bought from "Black Eyes" to enter the Spirit Realm, woke up insane. Without any reason, he killed several bank employees and nearly went on a murderous rampage in Fein City.

Chris remained silent for a while before he then swung his dagger, killing the man and ending his mad life.

Andersen?

What exactly was that?

He occasionally heard that some Extraordinary Exponents who died in the Spirit Realm and woke up would often dream of living fragments of life in another place, as though they were no longer themselves in reality but the person living in the dream.

Moreover, the name of the person they all uniformly dreamt of was "Andersen," which was extremely eerie and terrifying.

Lately, those people's behaviors began to exhibit non-human changes.

There had been several murders due to "Andersen," and now all the major churches had issued important directives: anyone claiming to be "Andersen" would be arrested.

The Spiritual Power deep within the soul bubbled more intensely, Chris knew in his heart that he was getting closer to completing the ascension ritual.

The third cell.

Imprisoned inside was a girl with an extremely charming appearance that made many unable to take their eyes off of her once they saw her.

Unbelievably, she wasn't filthy at all, nor did she have any wounds, and she looked unnaturally out of place in the cell.

The girl was beautiful and pure, seemingly the most innocent person in the world, so much so that it was unbearable to even think of killing her.

Chris heard she was a Spellcaster with a Mental extraordinary trait and was actually a bit older than himself. The "girl" had enchanted an entire village, turning them into her slaves, until she was captured on the spot by a search team from the Tempest Church.

"Who are you? Please save me!"

The girl looked at him pitifully, pondering how to beguile him into giving her a chance to escape, and then she was deeply stabbed in the neck by the silver dagger, dying in disbelief.

Chris pulled out the dagger, wiped off the fresh blood, and murmured to himself very calmly:

"Just a bit more."

Spirituality continued to bubble steadily, surpassing the state when he first ascended to the 3rd Rank. He felt an unprecedented surge of inspiration, and he could even hear whispers around him that didn't exist before.

Ordinary people might fear the mysterious murmurs, while Extraordinary Exponents would be filled with vigilance and awe.

But he didn't dislike this feeling at all, he wasn't afraid, he actually found it interesting.

Great Lord of the Lost, please protect me, allow me to touch upon more powerful forces, let me serve You further, and guard the family.

Afterward, Chris finally arrived at the fourth cell, where he saw a middle-aged dragon descendant with a face full of scales.

He was a priest of the heretical sect known as "Last Blood," who also called themselves the Witches' Seclusive Order, a bunch of lunatics worshiping the Witch of Demise. Originally from a powerful church within the Lorne Empire, it seemed they had come to the east in recent decades to look for Witch Candidates in Cyart.

These matters had nothing to do with Chris.

The other's gaze was cold, devoid of any desire to communicate, so Chris simply killed him.

The dagger swung again, emotionlessly taking away another life.

The few Extraordinary Exponents he had consecutively killed, apart from the female Spellcaster, were all figures of minor power from the East Coast, which suggested that Zayne was determined when he gave up their lives.

Then, Chris was surprised to find that the bubbling Spirituality was still lacking a bit.

He hadn't completed the ritual, nor was there any sign that the bubbling was intensifying.

He suddenly realized, it seemed there was no need to kill another person, and maybe even the fourth one wasn't necessary.

The ascension ritual to the 4th Rank of the Path of Tranquility first required killing twelve Extraordinary Exponents of the Beginning Level or 1st and 2nd Ranks. The second step was the killing of three Extraordinary Exponents of the Transmutation Level or 3rd and 4th Ranks, followed by the third step...

The process for ascending to the 4th Rank of the Path of Tranquility was deeply associated with death and sin; but now that he had come this far, whom could he possibly kill next?

"Impossible."

Chris fell into deep contemplation, surely he wasn't expected to kill a guilty person of Monarch Level?

No matter how he thought about it, that was absolutely impossible.

The difficulty was simply too exaggerated, it would be more fitting for an ascension to the 5th Rank of the Path of Tranquility.

He was deeply thoughtful, when suddenly he realized a possibility.

Perhaps only those who truly understood the Path of Tranquility would comprehend the final step of the ritual, something ordinary people couldn't possibly fathom.

Could it be so?

Chris quietly left the cells, and just as Zayne was about to lead them to the fifth cell, he shook his head, indicating it was no longer necessary.

"No need?"

Zayne paused briefly, then nodded lightly, a smile appearing on his face.

"Alright, but you can't skimp on the contents of the trade you promised—a vial of sunlight technology and a copy of the legacy are both indispensable."

Byrne naturally wouldn't go back on his word and replied with a smile, "Of course, the Fischer family is grateful for your generosity, Bishop Zane."

Although Zayne was just an Acting Bishop, he had always known which title was the most appropriate.

On the surface, the deal might seem to be a bit of a loss for the Fischer family, but in reality, giving Chris the opportunity to advance to the 4th Rank was the most important thing.

Moreover, Byrne deliberately intended to take a loss. As a subordinate conducting a trade with the current person in power of the East Coast Church, it was critical not to make the other party feel shortchanged.

You might feel like you've made a gain for the moment, but offending the other party could lead to big trouble.

On the contrary, the more the Acting Bishop Zane felt he made a good deal, the more he would be willing to continue cooperating with the Fischer family—who doesn't like a bargain?

In the long run, it was actually very beneficial for the Fischer family.

After leaving the Tempest Great Cathedral, Byrne still wanted to ask Chris what exactly was going on, but he found that Chris seemed to be deeply engrossed in thought, completely oblivious to the people and things around him, so he did not pursue the matter further.

Byrne knew there must still be something missing.

So he accompanied the silent Chris out of Fein City, remaining quiet the whole time.

Both of them sat in the carriage, leaving Fein City. By the time they returned to Nasir Town, Chris still hadn't said a word.

Byrne was silent, even prepared for the promotion ritual to fail.

The great hall of Fischer Manor.

Finally, Chris came before his sister Irene, and silently gazed at her for a long time.

His eyes were extremely deep, as if he was contemplating something very profound.

"Chris? What are you thinking about?"

Irene keenly felt that something was very wrong. She knew her brother too well and had never seen him so lost in deep thought to the point of obsession.

It was as if Chris was about to thoroughly understand some fundamental essence.

"..."

Suddenly, Chris showed a smile.

It was a smile that transcended life and death, paired with his otherworldly beauty, it had a stunning sense of aesthetics.

Those who step onto the Path of Tranquility are the silent observers standing above the world.

Since he was to bring death to those full of sins, he naturally would not exclude himself, already stained with sin.

Almost no one who steps onto the Path of Tranquility is without sin.

Killing the sinful.

Using the blood of the sinful as the sacrifice.

And the last sacrifice in the ritual, the most important sinner, was himself.

He slowly took out a dagger, manipulated his spirituality so that the "Lethality" extraordinary trait would not take effect, and then suddenly plunged the dagger into his own heart.

"Pfft!"

Then, Chris's body began to tremble, and he slowly fell to the ground under the astonished eyes of everyone present.

"Chris!"

Irene instinctively screamed, then immediately reached out her hand to save him, but Chris calmly grabbed her hand, his gaze signalling her to wait a bit longer, it wasn't time yet.

"Is this the final hurdle?"

Byrne also crouched down, anxious, watching as Chris gradually lost all signs of life.

"No, he's really going to die!"

Irene clutched her brother's hand tightly, and though she felt no fear deep inside, a strong sense of sorrow began to well up.

Even if the breakthrough wasn't successful, even if the promotion ritual failed, she could not let Chris die!

You can't die!

Chris!

The great god has promised me, you shall be saved!

His promise is as certain as the sun's rise, it cannot fail no matter what!

At that moment, in various places across the East Coast Province, all the corpses killed by Chris because of the promotion ritual began to change. Their bodies gradually turned into icy, boiling blood, which then vanished into thin air.

In Irene's eyes, green trees emerged, and a healing power like a spring breeze slowly flowed, gradually bringing Chris back from the brink of death.

Suddenly, Irene and Byrne saw a large amount of black blood welling up from the ground around them, mysterious and eerie. The next moment, the blood began to flow incessantly into Chris's wound.

"What in the world is happening?"

Both were stunned, and Byrne suddenly moved Irene's hand away, shaking his head firmly.

"We can't use external forces to heal him, he has indeed completed the final step! Just wait a bit longer!"

Irene fell silent for a moment, then finally nodded.

"I believe in you guys."

She closed her eyes, unable to help praying deep inside to the Lord of the Lost.

Great God.

I beg you, do not take Chris's life away!

The Fischer family is still fulfilling its promise to You!

After all the black blood had flowed into the wound in his heart, the wound on Chris's chest slowly healed, and the life signs that had almost completely disappeared gradually returned, it was nothing short of a miracle!

Afterward, he abruptly opened his eyes.

He could feel an intense spirituality boiling within, a very powerful force arising from the depths of his soul, a strong power that was completely different from any before!

The 4th Rank of the Path of Tranquility!

The Power of Consecution, "Sin Executioner"!