Purgatory Artist
Chapter 560: The Sacred One!

Chapter 560: The Sacred One!

One after another, faint golden souls emerged from the void, landing behind the old man before vanishing.

They hadn’t heard the old man’s words in their final moments.

And yet, the old man’s words hadn’t been problematic.

Though somewhat frivolous and unremarkable, this little trick had allowed the souls to pass through the brink of corruption unscathed—something utterly unexpected.

At this point, the boy finally realized that the old man before him wasn’t as simple as he seemed.

He wasn’t just a sorcerer.

"What do you want me to do?" the boy asked warily.

The old man smiled. "I see a future where many corrupted souls attempt to consume my flesh, seeking to understand and inherit my power—but none succeed."

Without waiting for the boy’s response, he continued, "After this life, in your final existence in the distant future, you will have the chance to deceive those monsters. With an uncorrupted soul, you will reach their nest and encounter my flesh..."

It took the boy a few moments to grasp the old man’s meaning.

"You can see the future?" he asked, incredulous.

"The future is uncertain. I can only believe you will achieve that step," the old man said.

"Then what exactly is your request?" the boy asked, intrigued.

"Let my Holy Kingdom stand behind you. All souls will find peace within it, and together, you can resist those monsters. I will give you a fitting reward," the old man said.

The boy laughed and shook his head. "I’m just a small-time trickster, barely scraping by. Now you’re asking me to take on a mythic task? That’s way beyond my abilities."

"What if you were capable?"

"Then it depends on whether the reward is worth it."

"And if it is?"

"...Then of course I’d agree. Wait—" The boy suddenly realized something. "This is your Holy Kingdom. If I’m the one helping here, where will you be?"

The old man’s expression turned solemn. "I am the Omniscient and Omnipotent Lord. Since I can live, I can also die—for a while. Once you’re strong enough to resist those monsters, I can return."

The boy was stunned.

This old guy... He was planning to hide, wasn’t he?

"Don’t look at me like that. I have my reasons. Those monsters enter an ’invincible’ state once they understand your abilities. Almost nothing can counter them. It’s up to you to find a way," the old man said.

The boy silently processed this.

"Do you know who I am?" he asked, tilting his head.

"I do," the old man said, gazing at him deeply. "But wander between life and death for long and you’ll forget yourself eventually."

His eyes shifted past the boy, settling on the void—where Liu Ping’s perspective lay.

"Remember, before eating my flesh, you must say: ’Thank God for this food.’ Only then will my flesh recognize the purity of your soul and grant you its power."

"Also, the Close-Combat Mage has already emerged. Its power has reached you."

"Do not abandon it."

With that, the vision shattered.

In the end, it had only been a fleeting thought surfacing from the depths of Liu Ping’s mind.

It was gone now.

Outside, barely a second had passed.

To an observer, Liu Ping might have seemed lost in thought—or simply pausing for a moment.

Lines of fiery text appeared in the void:

[This is a memory from a past life, activated only under specific circumstances.]

[You have accepted the other party’s reward.]

[Reward: Unknown.]

[Contract established.]

[You will receive continuous rewards in exchange for saving God’s Divine Kingdom and resisting humanity’s enemies alongside it.]

Liu Ping was speechless.

The reward wasn’t even clear, yet the contract was already in effect.

Was this how the leader of the sacred faction operated?

He stared at the piece of meat before him, recalling the old man’s words. With a sigh, he muttered:

"Thank God for this food."

The meat showed no visible reaction.

But Liu Ping noticed a wisp of golden light seeping out of it and merging into his body.

As the light entered him, the meat remained unchanged—but a new line of text appeared beside it:

[This flesh is a prepared marvel. Once its true power is absorbed, it will revert to a premium steak.]

[You have obtained the Seed of Sacred Power.]

[This seed will manifest sacred attributes perfectly suited to your combat style.]

[This is the first installment of your reward.]

The text vanished.

Liu Ping cut into the steak and began eating.

Under the watchful eyes of his ’parents’, he finished the entire meal.

"Tastes good," he said, smiling.

His parents seemed to relax once he was done, exchanging subtle nods.

"Well... We’ll see how your ’Manifestation’ goes tomorrow morning," ’Father’ said.

"Yes, I can’t wait. With proper nourishment, you might succeed in one attempt," ’Mother’ added eagerly.

Dinner concluded.

The three stood and left the chapel, returning to a villa.

The door opened automatically.

"Go upstairs and rest," ’Mother’ urged.

"Alright, I’m really tired. See you tomorrow," Liu Ping said, yawning.

"Sleep early. You have school tomorrow—and your ’Manifestation,’" ’Father’ reminded him seriously.

Liu Ping waved and headed upstairs, entering his room.

It was an ordinary bedroom, devoid of anything unusual.

After a quick scan, he lay down and closed his eyes.

Time passed.

The room remained utterly silent.

Ten minutes.

Twenty.

Half an hour.

Liu Ping sat up and glanced at the door.

Text appeared in the void:

[Dozens of soundproofing spells have been cast outside the room.]

How considerate of those monsters.

"Liu Ping," Andrea’s voice suddenly rang out.

"Hmm?"

"I think I’ve received a significant power boost... It’s sacred in nature, but stronger than usual. What’s going on?"

A line of burning text appeared:

[Reward from the Omniscient and Omnipotent Lord.]

Liu Ping’s interest was piqued.

Of course—everything that had happened earlier had been confined to his mind, a fleeting thought.

Andrea wouldn’t know about it.

He still didn’t understand what this "reward" entailed, given that it required him to save an entire Divine Kingdom.

"It’s the Seed of Sacred Power, meant to adapt to my combat style... But it went to you instead. Is it useful?" he asked.

"Extremely. Remember how I can summon weapons for you?"

"Yes."

"Now every weapon I summon carries the essence of sacred power. Their potency has increased exponentially," Andrea said.

Weapons of various shapes and sizes flickered in and out of the void, each radiating an ancient aura.

But now, their surfaces shimmered with a faint, Divine glow.

Liu Ping picked up a dagger and gave it an experimental stab.

The blade instantly multiplied into hundreds of afterimages, lashing out thousands of times in the blink of an eye.

"Was... that the dagger’s original ability?" he asked.

"The rapid strikes were innate," Andrea said.

"What did the sacred enhancement add?"

"Look!"

The space where the dagger had struck suddenly erupted with another flurry of strikes—this time, the afterimages were emerald green.

"The attack ended, but it can trigger a second wave," Andrea explained.

"Like an ambush... But is that all?"

"Each strike carries a unique sacred poison—thousands of variants, with effects that compound. Far deadlier than a single toxin," Andrea said.

"Sacred power uses poison? Since when?" Liu Ping asked, baffled.

"This is the essence of sacred power. It manifests according to the user’s nature—meaning it takes on the characteristics of its wielder," Andrea said, barely suppressing a laugh.

And the wielder was Liu Ping.

Liu Ping immediately said, "Perfect. Now the Divine faction has toxins too. How effective are they?"

"Any evil enemy struck will suffer fatal poisoning."

"But it’s just poison. How does it determine who’s evil?"

"Anyone who opposes you is evil."

"...Very intuitive."

Liu Ping set the dagger aside and grabbed a sword.

With a press of a button, the blade shot forward, nearly hitting the door.

Startled, Liu Ping quickly recalled the weapon.

"That was... unexpected."

"Yes. That sword turns into a sacred bomb upon impact," Andrea said.

"Effect?"

"Somewhat like a nuke."

"Wouldn’t that kill me too?"

"It only affects evil targets... Because you wield it, it’s adapted to your... unique disposition."

Liu Ping fell silent.

"Try this one. I’m curious what sacred trait it’ll develop for you," Andrea said, producing a sci-fi weapon—a shoulder-mounted rocket launcher.

Liu Ping hefted it.

"Well?"

"Hmm... It’s manifested a sacred escape mechanism. Press the trigger, and you’ll instantly return to the last safe location. It’s now a getaway tool."

Andrea seemed to be enjoying this, summoning increasingly bizarre weapons to test their altered properties.

Liu Ping watched the parade of armaments, then finally said:

"That guy told me not to abandon the Close-Combat Mage profession... I think I understand why now."

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