"Is that how it works?"
Akali studied Tahm Kench thoughtfully.
That explanation did align with the Kinkou principle of maintaining balance among all things. Everything followed a law of conservation. As long as Tahm Kench existed, another demon identical to him would not emerge and disrupt the balance.
After thinking for a moment, she asked, "Killing him outright really might not be the best idea. So what should we do with him?"
Luke glanced at the half-dead Tahm Kench on the ground and kicked him. "Stop playing dead. You only lost a third of your essence at most."
The kick sent Tahm Kench rolling twice. Hatred flashed through his eyes, but he did not have the courage to resist.
"Listen carefully. I'm not sparing you because I can't kill you. I simply can't be bothered."
Luke stared at him expressionlessly. "So behave yourself. Cause trouble again, and you can say goodbye to this world."
"Understood."
The chill in Luke's eyes made Tahm Kench shudder. The trembling of his very soul told him that Luke was serious.
Of course he still wanted to live. As long as he remained alive, he could find an opportunity to escape and take revenge.
Once he died, he would truly have nothing left.
What Tahm Kench feared most was not only Luke, but also the Soul Contract, whose rules he could not understand at all. It was tyrannical and utterly unreasonable, binding him directly through his soul.
Seeing Tahm Kench suddenly become so obedient, both Akali and Ahri were curious about what Luke had done to him.
Luke found a glass jar about the size of two palms and casually said, "Jump inside."
Tahm Kench looked at it. Remembering Luke's icy gaze, he obediently complied.
His entire body turned into flowing water and slipped into the jar. He then regained his physical form, shrinking several times over until he conformed to the shape of the container. Sitting inside, he looked like an exhibit.
Akali peered at him. "From this angle, you look even more like a toad."
Ahri nodded in agreement. "He really does."
The way these humans scrutinized him filled Tahm Kench with humiliation. He buried all his anger and hatred deep within his heart.
One day.
One day, he would take his revenge!
But would that day ever truly come?
Luke casually placed the lid on the jar and ignored Tahm Kench. He returned to the Mountain God Temple with Akali and Ahri.
The Soul Contract bound Tahm Kench's soul unconditionally. Until he fulfilled the agreement he had made with Luke, he would never be able to break free.
However, Luke's wealth increased with every passing moment, while Tahm Kench's could only remain where it was.
A crowd of townspeople had gathered outside the Mountain God Temple after hearing the commotion, along with the town militia.
Every one of them stared in astonishment at the gold, silver, and jewels filling the courtyard. The dazzling sight created an overwhelming visual impact.
They had never seen so much money before, yet not one of them dared to step forward and take even a single coin.
Not long ago, a large number of demons had attacked the town, and an enormous disturbance had come from the Mountain God Temple. There was a strong possibility that an even more powerful demon remained inside.
Before long, they saw Luke, Akali, and Ahri returning, along with Tahm Kench, who had been brought back inside a jar.
His bizarre, humanoid appearance made him easy to identify.
He was a demon.
A militia captain mustered his courage and stepped forward. "What exactly happened here? Why were there so many demons?"
"This was all caused by the so-called Mountain God," Akali explained. "He had been plotting to devour the entire town. Rest assured, he has already been subdued and can no longer cause any trouble."
The townspeople were shocked after hearing the explanation. None of them had imagined that the Mountain God they had sincerely worshiped was actually a demon in disguise.
"It's true. I saw them fighting the demons earlier."
"Me too. On my way here, I saw a demon as large as a mountain at the Mountain God Temple."
"I saw it while I was hiding as well."
Since there were so many witnesses, Akali's story was quickly confirmed. No one doubted that the three of them were heroes who had fought against the demons, and countless grateful gazes turned toward them.
Without their intervention, Guyuan might have become nothing more than the demon's plaything.
"Is this the demon that pretended to be the Mountain God?"
"What a despicable creature. He deceived us for so long."
"Kill him!"
"What happened to the original Mountain God?"
Countless angry and disgusted gazes turned toward Tahm Kench, and cries demanding his death erupted from the crowd.
Ionia was saturated with magic, and many demons naturally came into existence there. Some were known as azakana. They brought misery wherever they went and committed every evil imaginable. No one liked them.
More importantly, the people wanted to know what had happened to the original Mountain God.
The Mountain God Temple had existed in Guyuan since ancient times.
Surely this demon could not have been impersonating the Mountain God all along.
Luke turned toward Tahm Kench. "Tell us. What happened to the original Mountain God?"
Tahm Kench's gaze wavered, but he steeled himself and answered, "I swallowed her in one bite."
The instant those words left his mouth, the crowd erupted.
Their fury was ignited in an instant. Every gaze seemed intent on peeling Tahm Kench's skin from his body.
Tahm Kench would never have feared these humans in the past. Even a thousand of them would not have been enough to satisfy his appetite.
Now, however, he could only submit to their judgment, and cold sweat poured from his body.
"Killing him might make everyone feel better, but then we may truly lose any chance of saving her," Luke said as he stepped forward.
His approachable presence immediately silenced the crowd.
Luke then turned toward Ahri. "Even if we question him, this creature might hide something. Look through his memories directly."
Ahri nodded gently.
She stepped forward and slowly raised a hand under Tahm Kench's fearful and wary gaze.
The surrounding magic was instantly drawn toward her, becoming denser and more active.
When Ahri's eyes locked onto Tahm Kench, strands of crystalline life essence began peeling away from his body.
Although it was a demon's life essence, it was just as clear and radiant as any other.
"No! Don't!"
Tahm Kench screamed.
In the past, he might have been able to resist, but the Soul Contract now restrained him and left him completely powerless.
Life essence was the soul itself, equivalent to his fundamental essence, and was just as important to him.
That was also why he feared Ahri.
The Vesani were skilled at manipulating souls.
Luke used the contract to force Tahm Kench to remain still, then opened the jar.
The strands of life essence slowly floated toward Ahri before being drawn into her mouth and nose. Her eyes grew increasingly bright.
Tasting life essence again after so long brought exhilaration and comfort to her soul, as though she were enjoying a delicious meal. Tahm Kench's life essence was naturally of far higher quality than that of an ordinary human.
Ahri could feel her abilities gradually strengthening as she absorbed it.
At the same time, countless memories flashed before her eyes.
Tahm Kench had been born from the desires of countless humans. Primitive greed had awakened him. Like a monster whose stomach could never be filled, he devoured one person after another after their minds had been consumed by desire.
She saw Tahm Kench tempt human after human into the abyss of their own cravings.
She saw him open his enormous mouth and swallow living people whole.
She saw his own desires continue to grow.
Eventually, she saw Tahm Kench arrive in Ionia. War raged everywhere, and within this land he saw an opportunity to evolve.
He came to Guyuan and found the Mountain God who protected the town, a rabbit who had awakened to intelligence.
Ahri saw Tahm Kench deceive the Mountain God and gain her trust. Then, when the Mountain God turned her back, he opened his wicked mouth.
Afterward, Tahm Kench seized her temple and took her place, pretending to be the Mountain God.
These memories filled even Ahri with fury.
This demon was truly despicable.
At that moment, Ahri vaguely sensed something else, a soul that did not belong to Tahm Kench's life essence.
She committed that sensation to memory, then slowly opened her eyes.
"Perhaps you can let me try."
She looked at Luke.
"Then give it a try," Luke replied.
He ignored Tahm Kench, who had lost so much life essence that he was now genuinely half-dead.
After losing both his fundamental essence and his life essence, his strength had declined by far more than half.
Guided by Ahri, the group entered a forest behind the Mountain God Temple. The others did not understand what she intended to do.
Ahri glanced around and quickly found the place where Tahm Kench had swallowed the Mountain God.
She walked to the spot, took a deep breath, brought out the sunstone, and once again mobilized all the magic within her body.
She did not know whether she could succeed, but she had to try.
In the next instant, brilliant light blossomed within her crystalline amber eyes. As Ahri gathered her magic, it was as if she had opened a doorway into another world.
She saw the many spirits drifting throughout the world, as well as the soul fragments that remained in this place.
The sunstone also began to glow. It floated in midair while an enormous amount of magic gathered around it.
Ahri closed her eyes.
Her magic had already saturated the surroundings. She found the sensation she had memorized earlier and instinctively began circulating her power, as though the knowledge had come to her naturally.
Under the sunstone's mysterious radiance, a single droplet formed from condensed spiritual energy and fell onto the earth.
A ripple of magic immediately spread in every direction.
Within the Spirit Realm, the hazy figure of a rabbit half as tall as a person gradually took solid form and slowly opened her eyes.
Because of Ahri's presence, even those who could not enter the Spirit Realm were able to see the rabbit that had miraculously appeared before them.
"Thank you."
A clear, delicate voice rang out, like that of a young girl.
At that moment, many people began to weep.
They knew this was the true Mountain God, the one who had protected them so many years ago.
After completing the ritual, Ahri felt tremendous exhaustion sweep through both her body and mind. She nearly collapsed to the ground.
A strong hand caught and supported her.
Ahri raised her head and gave Luke a weak smile. "I did it."
Luke looked back at her and smiled gently. "That was incredible. You did wonderfully."
Ahri leaned against his chest and fell into a deep sleep.
The Mountain God's apparition also faded away, but the people knew she had not departed.
Thanks to Ahri, the Mountain God had miraculously returned to life.
Akali stepped forward and took Ahri from Luke's arms. She looked at Ahri's sleeping face with a complicated expression.
She now understood that she had truly misjudged Ahri.
Over the past few days, Akali had already seen Ahri's kindness. She was a wonderful person.
Even Luke had not expected Ahri to develop a new application for her abilities.
Still, it was a good thing.
There was now one troublesome matter left to handle, the mountainous pile of gold, silver, and jewels inside the Mountain God Temple.
Guyuan's administrators and townspeople did not covet the treasure. They believed it was money vomited out by a demon, filthy wealth that would stain the soul of anyone who used it.
After thanking Luke and the others for everything they had done, the townspeople entrusted the treasure to them.
Luke, of course, did not believe in any of that.
Money was money. It was nothing more than a pile of inanimate objects.
He already possessed more than enough wealth, but Tahm Kench had disgorged a truly astonishing amount. It was nearly enough to keep a small nation running.
Fortunately, Luke had also acquired a way to deal with it.
Standing at the entrance of the Mountain God Temple, he mobilized the demonic essence he had just absorbed. A strange sensation immediately arose within him.
His demonic power seemed to connect to an enormous space.
Tahm Kench had clearly used this ability to store all his gold, silver, and jewels.
Luke's eyes flashed. He waved his hand, releasing a surge of demonic power. Every piece of treasure touched by it vanished in the next instant and reappeared inside the enormous space.
The space was vast and seemed almost limitless, but it apparently could only contain inanimate objects. Luke had tried placing Tahm Kench inside, but it had not worked.
Seeing Luke naturally wield that power filled Tahm Kench with terror.
This human had only just absorbed his essence, yet he could already use the ability?
Just what was this man?
Luke had already stored nearly half the treasure, but the storage dimension still had plenty of room to spare.
Even after putting away every last piece of gold, silver, and jewelry, Luke could not determine the storage space's full capacity.
He had to admit that it was an excellent ability.
He would never need to worry about where to put things again.
Only Tahm Kench remained.
Luke studied him thoughtfully.
Tahm Kench's entire body trembled as an ominous feeling came over him.
Had this man set his sights on the remainder of his essence?
What should he do?
Should he run or stay?
Running meant death, but staying might mean death as well.
Damn it, he was terrified.
In truth, Tahm Kench was overthinking matters.
Luke had already absorbed as much of the demon's essence as his body could hold. He could not take any more, even if he wanted to.
From now on, he would have to slowly cultivate the demonic power within him through his own efforts.
What he was actually considering was what to do with Tahm Kench.
He could not exactly carry such an ugly demon around everywhere.
Killing him, however, seemed like too much trouble.
At that moment, Luke caught sight of a hazy figure passing nearby.
"Mountain God, do you have a way to deal with this creature?"
The Mountain God appeared in her spiritual rabbit form, hopping toward him as she spoke in her childlike voice.
"I do. I can seal him away for you."
"That would be perfect. Please do."
Luke immediately agreed.
The Mountain God naturally remembered Tahm Kench. She also seemed to understand that a demon like him could not easily be killed, so she brought down waves of magic that enveloped the jar.
The magic transformed into layers of seals, turning the jar itself into a sealed object.
From inside the jar, Tahm Kench stared helplessly at the outside world.
Like a prisoner looking through the bars of his cell, despair welled within him.
"Leave him here at the Mountain God Temple. I will watch over him forever," the Mountain God told Luke.
"Thank you."
"It is what I should do."
The Mountain God's voice gradually faded into the distance, taking the sealed Tahm Kench with her.
For all the years to come, Tahm Kench would remain trapped within the Mountain God Temple, clinging to life without any hope of ever seeing the outside world again.
Ahri had a very strange dream.
She saw her people standing on a distant shore, watching her from far away with loving smiles.
Ahri kept trying to approach them, but no matter what she did, she could never get any closer.
"Don't go!"
Overwhelming loneliness and sorrow filled her heart. She tried helplessly to make them stay, but there was nothing she could do.
She saw her people open their mouths as though they wanted to tell her something, but they were too far away, and she could not hear them.
She only knew that they seemed to want her to do something.
Then Ahri opened her eyes.
She saw Akali sitting beside her, head drooping as she dozed off.
Ahri carefully sat up in bed, trying not to wake her.
Akali happened to open her eyes at that moment. Their gazes met, and Akali exclaimed in delight, "You're finally awake!"
"Finally?" Ahri asked in confusion. "Was I asleep for a long time?"
"You were asleep for an entire day and night," Akali said with a nod.
"That long?"
Ahri froze for a moment, not having expected it to be so long. She then looked at Akali. "Did you stay here and watch over me that entire time?"
Akali's face flushed. She looked away and said, "Of course not. I only arrived a little while ago."
Her obvious drowsiness betrayed the lie.
Ahri felt deeply moved.
At that moment, Luke entered from outside carrying a bowl of hot porridge.
"She was worried sick. I told her you were fine, but she insisted on staying here."
After being exposed, Akali's face turned even redder. She glared at Luke in embarrassment.
Ahri looked at her. "Thank you."
"I'm the one who needs to apologize to you," Akali said, turning back toward Ahri with a serious expression. "I misunderstood you that day. I wanted to apologize the moment you woke up."
She had chased Ahri for two days and spoken harshly to her when they first met. The guilt had weighed heavily on her.
Seeing Akali's earnest expression, Ahri gave a soft laugh. "I stopped blaming you a long time ago. You're a kind person, and I know you didn't mean to hurt me."
Akali was immediately moved and wanted to say something, but Luke interrupted her.
"Let her eat something first."
Akali thought about it and agreed, so she moved aside.
Ahri's stomach had begun to grow hungry. She accepted the hot porridge Luke handed her and immediately began eating.
A comforting warmth spread through her heart, driving away the loneliness she had felt in her dream.
The corners of her lips unconsciously curved upward.
Having friends felt wonderful.
"Once you finish eating, it'll be time for us to continue our journey," Luke said.
He sat down nearby, poured himself a cup of hot water, and took a sip.
"All right."
Ahri nodded gently.
Half an hour later, outside Guyuan.
Ahri was startled by the enormous crowd gathered at the town entrance.
The moment she appeared, she was drowned in a chorus of gratitude. So many people pressed gifts into her hands that she quickly ran out of room to hold them.
All she could do was thank them one by one, becoming completely flustered.
Ahri had never received such treatment before. Humans had always looked at her as though she were a monster, but now they regarded her as a hero.
As she looked into those countless grateful eyes, she suddenly felt something within her become clear.
In that moment, she seemed to understand what she was supposed to do.
Luke, Akali, and Ahri received Guyuan's deepest gratitude. They politely refused most of the gifts, but it still took quite a while before they finally managed to say farewell and leave.
"Thank you. This is my gift to you. Please do not refuse it."
The Mountain God's childlike voice suddenly rang out.
Three streams of radiant light floated toward them and merged into their bodies.
All three immediately experienced a strange sensation, as if their connection to the land of Ionia had become much deeper.
"Is this a Spirit's Blessing?"
Surprise appeared in Akali's eyes. Seeing Luke and Ahri look toward her, she explained, "The land of Ionia possesses a spirit of its own. Throughout its long history, that spirit has always protected the First Lands.
"When invaders enter this land, the First Lands naturally reject them. Everything here becomes hostile to their presence.
"The opposite is also possible. Some people are loved by everything in this land. A Spirit's Blessing signifies that the First Lands have acknowledged someone. It will be extremely helpful when we train in Ionia in the future, because this land has accepted us."
"I understand," Ahri said with realization.
Luke also carefully sensed the change.
It was something valuable for him as well.
At the very least, possessing the Spirit's Blessing meant that whenever he traveled elsewhere in the First Lands, he would effectively have a passport.
This was clearly the Mountain God's gift of gratitude.
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