Ever since becoming a disciple of an Evil God, Song Xu had begun studying a technique known as the Ritual.

To Song Xu, rituals bore many similarities to sigils.

"Sigils can be smoothly activated anywhere and draw upon the power of the Eight Divine Officials. That’s all thanks to Kunxu’s advanced infrastructure—especially its widespread divine network."

"Rituals share a key similarity: they can also be activated via the network."

"You can even use the network to siphon divine power and reverse-engineer it into Evil God power..."

Compared to the widespread applications of sigils, rituals had a narrower scope—but also unique advantages.

For instance, they could bypass the surveillance and recordkeeping of the Righteous Gods, making them perfect for things that skirted the rules.

Take the Shadow Curse Ritual Song Xu was preparing to launch: it would refine a Shadow Parasite using Evil God power, letting it nest within someone’s shadow to quietly siphon intelligence from them.

However, to activate a Shadow Curse Ritual, contact through the Spiritual Realm was required.

After all, normal network connections couldn’t directly access another person’s consciousness like the Spiritual Realm could.

Just then, Song Xu’s heart stirred—he had already spotted Zhang Yu within the Spiritual Realm.

"Got him!"

…

In the Spiritual Realm.

At the entrance of the Dao-Seeking Hall.

Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen were walking alongside Yu Xinghan as they left.

But none of the three spoke. Each silently digested the insights they’d gained in the illusion.

Zhang Yu recalled his illusion experience—slaving away on an assembly line, rising up in defiance through despair…

"It’s like I lived an entirely different life."

"No wonder they say the Spiritual Realm is the best place to temper your Dao Heart."

Zhang Yu mused, "To go through something like that in reality would cost a fortune."

Meanwhile, in his Sea of Consciousness, he was visualizing a maimed, blind, and deaf ox crawling forward without pause—an image from his Sacrificial Oxheart Technique.

But unlike before, this visualization now carried a new meaning: fearless, unstoppable resolve.

Clearly, as his understanding of the Sacrificial Oxheart Technique deepened, the technique’s effects grew stronger too.

The greater the pressure he faced, the more power the technique unlocked.

The closer he was to despair, the more he could unleash the potential hidden in his body.

Just like after escaping the illusion, when he recalled his looming soul-devouring debt and the immense pressure of the Foundation Establishment exam.

Instead of backing down, Zhang Yu felt even more motivated.

"Sure, this trip cost nearly a hundred grand, but damn, the results were worth it."

"My understanding of the Sacrificial Oxheart Technique skyrocketed. Even if I can't afford to come here again, just practicing the technique in daily life will now bring way more Dao Heart gains."

Beside him, Bai Zhenzhen was also immersed in her own breakthrough.

"The original effect of the Frost Abyss Technique was calmness and composure. At level 10, it even let me suppress my emotions temporarily—turning cold and ruthless, willing to do whatever it takes to succeed."

"But now..."

She could sense that, through her newfound understanding and her Zhen Spirit Root’s refinements, the technique was undergoing a transformation.

"Once the refinement finishes in a few days, the new level 10 effect won’t make me cold-blooded anymore."

"Instead, it’ll let me stay true to myself—able to follow my desires with clarity and courage. The greater the risk and the lower the odds of success, the calmer I’ll become. My mind, body, and mana will all become sharper and more focused..."

If Zhang Yu’s improvement was about unlocking latent depth in an already profound technique…

Then Bai Zhenzhen’s change was more fundamental. Her evolving beliefs were reshaping the technique through her Zhen Spirit Root.

It was becoming something better suited to her own values—even its core effects were shifting.

At that moment, Yu Xinghan smiled at the two and said, "You both seem to have gained quite a bit. How about coming back tomorrow?"

Upon hearing this, both Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen’s faces darkened.

"That price of yours is daylight robbery!" Zhang Yu snapped.

"One trip costs nearly a hundred thousand. It’s practically extortion!" Bai Zhenzhen added.

Zhang Yu mentally counted his remaining balance—not even two hundred grand. One more trip, and he’d be broke, unable to afford food or his exams.

Yu Xinghan, having already pocketed their money, didn’t care in the slightest. He chuckled, "Come back whenever you’ve got cash. Just contact me—I’ll slot you right in." Discover more novels at NovєlFіre.net

Moments later, Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen disconnected from the Spiritual Realm and woke up in the real world.

But just as Zhang Yu pulled off his Spiritual Realm Mask in his apartment, Fu Ji spoke up.

"Huh. Someone’s got their eye on you?"

Zhang Yu calmly walked into the bathroom and shut the door. "What do you mean?"

"Someone just used the Spiritual Realm to perform a Ritual on you. They planted a Shadow Parasite."

"Heh. That little parasite hides in your shadow, watching you day and night, siphoning your intel, then sending it all back."

"Given time, they’ll probably map out everything about you."

Zhang Yu stiffened. "You mean it’s already…?"

"No need to panic," Fu Ji said. "The Shadow Parasite doesn’t act unless you connect to the Spiritual Realm. It stays hidden, only relaying information when it gets that opening."

Zhang Yu frowned. Even so, this was unacceptable.

He and Bai Zhenzhen had too many secrets—any one of them leaking could be disastrous.

Fu Ji chuckled. "But the fool who planted that Ritual clearly didn’t expect you to be traveling with an Evil God."

"One who once stood just beneath the Evil God King, at the very peak of power. I saw through that cheap trick instantly."

Zhang Yu’s mind raced. "Right. Normally, Evil Gods remotely control their followers from afar—that’s the safest method."

"So they must’ve assumed I’m just another pawn being remotely guided. They used this Ritual to investigate me… and try to trace the Evil God I’m supposedly linked to."

"Someone capable of launching a Ritual like that must be connected to Songyang High or White Dragon High, right?"

Zhang Yu remembered what Fu Ji had said: both schools were backed by Evil Gods. She’d even encouraged him to hunt them down.

He hadn’t even taken action yet—and they’d already come sniffing.

"Looks like someone over there suspects I’ve got an Evil God behind me."

"Maybe," Fu Ji replied. "Or maybe they just think you’re worth investigating."

"But whoever cast that Ritual? No doubt they’re a disciple of an Evil God."

"Come on, kid," she said, voice light. "Help me prep a counter-ritual. Once I’ve got it going, we can take control of the Shadow Parasite."

"Then we’ll see exactly who’s trying to mess with you."

A sliver of greedy hunger surged in Fu Ji’s heart. "Heh. If I can absorb the power from that Shadow Parasite, I might even recover a bit."

Soon after, Zhang Yu said a few quick words to Bai Zhenzhen, then left the apartment alone.

Fu Ji had wanted to test whether Zhang Yu was ready to let Bai Zhenzhen in on the Evil God secret—but she held back.

"This kid will just assume I’m… trying to use the Wish-Granting Ritual on Bai Zhenzhen too. Unlock her potential."

"Which I am, of course."

"But he doesn’t trust me that much yet. Saying anything now would only backfire."

"Forget it. The time’s not right. I’ll wait."

…

Over an hour later.

Zhang Yu returned to the abandoned high-rise where he used to train, lugging bags of supplies.

He figured this place was still the safest—quiet, deserted, unlikely to draw attention.

Then, under Fu Ji’s guidance, he began setting up the Ritual.

Fu Ji explained, "The networks you all use daily? They're actually divine power networks."

"They were originally exclusive to the Eight Divine Officials, to help them govern Kunxu. Only later were they opened to the public."

"These networks are the foundation for sigil-casting—and the reason the Eight Divine Officials can manage all of Kunxu."

"You should know their divine network spans nearly every corner of Kunxu. That’s why sigils are so effective."

"But we Evil Gods can piggyback on that network too. So don’t think we’re any weaker than the Righteous Gods."

Zhang Yu thought to himself: That sounds exactly like freeloading. Definitely weaker.

Fu Ji continued, "This time, our Ritual also has to travel through the divine network. So we’ll need a divine power conduit."

"Things like incense, spirit dolls, and wooden idols used to worship Righteous Gods—they all work. They’re basic and cheap sacrificial offerings."

"But with online worship becoming popular, that stuff’s getting harder to find."

Following her instructions, Zhang Yu pulled out a half-used candle.

It had been used in a household shrine—he bought it second-hand.

Fu Ji went on, "First, you need an altar. It’s the node where your Ritual interfaces with the divine network. Conditions are rough, so just use that stool."

"Besides the offering, the altar also needs a medium for human-divine contact, a vessel to hold spiritual essence, and a symbol of the Evil God’s incarnation."

"Sigh. We’ll have to improvise."

"For the contact medium, use your phone. At least it can connect to the divine network."

"The essence vessel? Use those two flashlights. Crank the brightness to max."

"You trained in the Great Sun Qi Sea Technique, so you know light contains spiritual essence. Flashlights in a Ritual represent abundant essence—they stabilize the divine power. It’s called: 'illuminating the heavens above, probing the hells below'..."

"For the Evil God symbol, use this teddy bear. We can’t exactly bring in an actual idol, can we? Using a plushie instead—that’s exactly why Evil Gods are so hard to guard against."

"And finally, arrange a wire to form the ritual’s basic circle. Copper is a great divine power conductor—it’ll help bind the divine energy..."