Chapter 71-The Manga Pariah's Guide to Self-Salvation

Besides the chaotic battle between the fans of the four popular characters, Wu Shu's discussion volume was also quite high, though most of it was negative.

In the latest chapter, Wu Shu killed the core at the last moment, which caused a great deal of dissatisfaction among Percy stans and readers who liked the protagonist's group.

[Isn't that too despicable? A character like that is annoying regardless of gender. She completely stole the credit from the Cloud-Soaring Squad.]

[Wu Shu is currently my most disliked character. Sykes is evil, but he's openly evil. Wu Shu has no class at all.]

[Percy's plot has been so frustrating lately. We finally get to see Percy use his ultimate and look cool for a bit, only for someone else to steal the reward?]

[Does anyone feel bad for our Percy? He got beaten up by Sykes last chapter, and this chapter his points were stolen by Wu Shu...]

[The only good thing about this character was her appearance, but in this chapter, even her most eye-catching outfit was changed. Lol.]

Ye Zheng, however, quite admired her. Wu Shu's goal was extremely clear. She wasn't in the Demonic Domain to save people and be a hero; she was just there to win the competition. In the end, she succeeded in achieving her goal with her superb skills.

Wu Shu was just firmly walking her own path. How could such a person be considered a villain? She was just a normal woman with desires.

[According to the original plot, Wu Shu will get a redemption arc. But the Sierra you hid is a major villain who can't be redeemed!] the System suddenly piped up.

"Sierra escaping, what does that have to do with me?"

Inside the room, Ye Zheng picked up a glass of water from the table, took a sip, and then, suddenly remembering her current role, said, "Hmm, the only connection is that Saintess Ye Zheng is currently in a state of being captured by Sierra."

[Are you sure Sierra will cooperate with you? If she tells the Holy See everything, you'll be in danger!]

"Sierra won't have the awareness to cooperate with me. She is an untamable beast, so there's no need to worry about her surrendering to others, especially not to the Holy See or the Imperial Family."

Ye Zheng recalled how, hours ago, during the fall, she had used a water chain to pull Sierra's waist, yanking her up and successfully grabbing her hand.

The two of them fell into the flood together. Ye Zheng used the water currents to carry them far away, taking the giant skull along with them.

"Let go of your stupid chain!"

Sierra crawled out of the water, first showing a dazed expression about what had just happened, and then shouted at the equally drenched youth, seemingly out of shame and anger.

Ye Zheng still found the memory of Sierra's expression amusing. Being saved by someone you hate must be an incredibly frustrating experience, right?

[In the original plot, Sierra also escaped, but she didn't take the dragon bone with her. You gave the dragon bone to her. Sierra will definitely become even crazier than in the original plot!]

[Sierra's ability rank isn't that high, so according to the original plot, without the energy supply from the dragon bone in the Demonic Domain, her destructive power wasn't that high. But now you've given her the dragon bone...] the System sighed, once again foreseeing that the plot was likely heading in an uncontrollable direction.

"I don't have the ability to hide such a large dragon bone for now. Once it's exposed, I'll be unable to handle the consequences in my current state."

Ye Zheng lowered her eyes, staring at the warm tea on the table.

"If the dragon bone were left there, it would definitely be taken by the Holy See or the Imperial Family. In that case, it's better to give it to Sierra and take a gamble."

"So what if Sierra is a wild beast? Those people are worse than beasts."

Ye Zheng thought of Zhuo Ya, whom she had left at Wen Xin's house. She still needed time to investigate the secrets about the Pope. Unfortunately, she couldn't act rashly right now; the Saintess was still in a state of being kidnapped and missing.

The entire city was now searching for traces of Sierra and Ye Zheng. Ye Zheng couldn't guarantee that this hideout was completely safe, so she had been keeping an eye on the movements outside.

In three days, Bai Muqing would "accidentally" discover Sierra's whereabouts with the Holy See's people and then rescue Ye Zheng—

Of course, this plan depended on Sierra being willing to cooperate and appear with her at that location.

But it didn't matter. If Sierra refused to cooperate as agreed, then she, the hostage, would drag the kidnapper to that location ahead of time.

Anyway, Sierra couldn't get far with the dragon bone, and since it had been raining these past few days, she was very familiar with the aura of the dragon bone.

"In the original plot, the search for Sierra was fruitless, right?"

Ye Zheng unfolded the newspapers from the past few days, browsing through them.

[Of course. Sierra has more plot to come. She's a major troublemaker! She pops up everywhere to cause chaos.]

"You're my System, at least. Please speak more elegantly."

The girl looked up from the newspaper in resignation. After all, she was the one handling Sierra right now.

The continuous rainy season passed, and today the Lower City was bathed in bright sunshine, sweeping away the gloom brought by the high-risk Demonic Domain.

By the bright sunlight from the window, Percy unfolded today's fresh newspaper. His brow, bathed in the warm sun, remained furrowed. It had been three days since the destruction of the Blood Flower and the disappearance of Ye Zheng and Sierra.

Although he had eradicated the nightmare that had haunted him for ten years, killing the mutant plant that had cruelly devoured his parents, Percy's heart felt even more anxious.

Was it because he didn't get the points he deserved? Or because the Saintess, whom he had a favorable impression of, was missing? Perhaps it was because after killing the Blood Flower, he finally realized that it wasn't the real murderer of his parents, but merely a mindless blade.

Percy looked out the window at the knights passing by. The ones in red uniforms were from the Imperial Family, and the ones in white were from the Holy See. The Lower City had never been so lively these past few days.

The knight garrison in the Lower City usually consisted of ability users below B-rank. The high-talent ones all went to the Middle and Upper Cities. Even though the Lower City faced the most incursions, it always had the fewest resources.

These past few days, due to the search for the empire-shocking criminal Sierra and the missing Saintess, the Lower City finally welcomed the high-rank ability users they had long requested, although they would withdraw and return to the more comfortable and peaceful Middle and Upper Cities after completing their mission.

Perhaps for this reason, these elites looked imposing but weren't very efficient. They were not accustomed to the narrow, crowded streets of the Lower City, nor the Demonic Domains that could appear at any moment.

That blonde girl, Sierra, had killed several noble children and nearly took the Crown Prince's life. It was reasonable for the empire to send so many people to capture her and retrieve the Saintess. But looking at these people outside the window, Percy always felt their purpose was more than just that.

To find traces of Ye Zheng, Percy had been out and about frequently these three days. He discovered that these knights from the Upper City seemed to have inconsistent objectives.

Someone was looking for something else.

Percy suddenly remembered the giant skull in the Demonic Domain. The situation was critical at the time, and he didn't have a chance to observe it carefully, but he could clearly feel a strange attraction. The giant white remains seemed to be calling him closer, with a majestic yet intimate power.

Unfortunately, after the Demonic Domain disappeared, that white skull vanished with it.

Clang! A sound of a wooden board hitting came from the doorway, interrupting Percy's thoughts. He turned his head to see a fiery figure rushing in.

"There's news about the Saintess and that person!"

Lucy reported the good news to her companions, panting, her eyes shining brightly.

Percy shot up to his feet. Roy and Kyle in the room also gathered around.

"It was Bai Muqing! Bai Muqing led the knights and found Ye Zheng, but Sierra escaped."

"How is Ye Zheng? Falling into the hands of such a villain..."

Percy clenched his fist.

Lucy's expression immediately became indignant. "I heard that Sierra was going to execute the Saintess in the Divine Plaza in front of everyone. Luckily, Bai Muqing arrived in time and stopped it all!"

The Divine Plaza was the grandest square in the Lower City, where legends of the God of Hope slaying a Demonic Domain were told. The tallest statue of the God of Hope in the Lower City stood in the square.

And Sierra actually chose a bright day to kill the Saintess in such a place! What a provocation!

Listening to Lucy's words, the three boys all showed shocked expressions. On second thought, they felt it was completely in line with the blonde girl's style. Sierra had nearly killed even the Crown Prince; what was Saintess Ye Zheng to her?

"Bai Muqing is really amazing, to be able to stop that brute. But how did she end up leading knights to the Lower City?"

Roy was a bit confused. Bai Muqing was a student just like them, and besides, the knight orders didn't recruit women, did they?

Lucy said nonchalantly, "What's so strange about that? Her brother is a squad leader in the knight order. With Bai Muqing's strength, it wouldn't be an exaggeration for her to be a captain."

Roy thought about it and agreed. Bai Muqing was already that strong, and with her noble background, there were many things she could do.

"She probably borrowed people from the knight order. After all, Bai Muqing is a general's daughter. It would make sense for her father and brother to lend her men to come to the Lower City to find a friend, as a form of protection for her," Percy analyzed. He wasn't concerned with this small detail and continued to ask Lucy, "So the Saintess, she's okay, right?"

Since Sierra had declared she would execute the Saintess in the Divine Plaza, he couldn't even imagine how that brute would have treated the kind and righteous Saintess these past few days!

Lucy grabbed a cup of water from the table and gulped it down before continuing.

"Ye Zheng seems to be fine. She has already been escorted back to the Upper City—"

"But our entire Lower City has exploded!"

"Huh?"

The three boys once again showed expressions of surprise and doubt. Kyle's mouth hung open blankly. Roy quickly asked, "Exploded? What exploded?"

"It's all over the streets! The Saintess, facing the threat of death in the Divine Plaza, questioned Sierra right under the statue of the God of Hope, enraging her. Then Sierra spilled the beans about the Blood Flower incident from back then!"

Percy couldn't help but take a step forward, his pupils constricting. "What inside story?"

Lucy cleared her throat and repeated what she had heard. "Sierra said—"

"Don't worry, after you die, I will make the entire Holy See pay with you, especially that Pope Wen Jian—he was the one who drove us into the Blood Flower back then. He should have died with us long ago!"

Lucy put on a cold expression, her imitation vivid and accurate. The girl who usually disliked studying and memorizing had remembered this interesting piece of news word for word.

"Pope Wen Jian, he was that frenzied priest from the Blood Flower incident back then!"

In the Blood Flower incident, the identity of the priest who made the decision back then had been deliberately concealed. Some rumored that to quell the anger of the Lower City, that priest had already been executed by the Upper City as an apology. Others said he had long since taken his own life out of guilt.

However, who would have thought—that frenzied priest had become one of the most powerful men in the empire, and was even known for being kind and caring towards commoners!

Percy completely crushed the corner of the table next to him. Lucy's voice in his ears became distant, and a strong ringing sound filled his brain.

The gentle and kind face he had seen once before gradually appeared before his bloodshot eyes.

How ridiculous. At the time, he had actually thought that middle-aged man had a kind face.

"Percy, Percy, where are you going?"

His companions behind him rushed up and grabbed the youth who was running outside. Percy looked at the bright street scene outside the door, and his eyes once again filled with confusion.

What could he do? Rush out and kill Wen Jian?

Percy unwillingly retreated back into the room and sat down dejectedly in his chair, lowering his head into silence.

His companions looked at each other. They all knew Percy's family had died in the Blood Flower incident. Percy's feelings must be very complicated right now.

Lucy was racking her brains trying to comfort him when Percy suddenly looked up, his gaze deep as he looked at his companions.

"I'm begging you all. The Cloud-Soaring Squad must win this competition."

He had to become stronger than Wen Jian, to climb higher, to have a chance to truly kill the nightmare that had plagued him for ten years.

Only the Imperial Family could deal with the Holy See. He would use the championship of this competition to gain control of the dragon bone and directly enter the empire's power structure.

On the train, a girl in a white dress was nestled in a knight's arms. Wen De held the frightened Saintess, gently stroking her head as if comforting a bird that had stumbled back to its nest.

Around them stood solemn knights, guarding the Saintess on her way home.

However, the eyes of these stern-looking knights flickered uneasily. They were all knights belonging to the Holy See, and today they had heard an incredible secret.

No, it could no longer be considered a secret. So many people had been watching in that square; it had probably already spread everywhere!

Admittedly, for the now-securely positioned Pope, this secret couldn't shake his power, but his reputation... Even they, the people of the Holy See, couldn't help but feel disappointed. This was too different from the image the Pope usually projected.

These knights wondered, what kind of mentality did the Pope have when he enjoyed the praise, adoration, and sincere offerings from the people of the Lower City?

Even though they themselves looked down on the commoners of the Lower City, at least they weren't hypocritical.

The Pope's sins had even implicated the innocent and kind Saintess. They had never seen the Saintess look so frightened and vulnerable!

Ye Zheng closed her eyes and rested in Wen De's arms. The act she had just put on was more tiring than fighting monsters in the Demonic Domain.

She had only told Sierrato show up there for the "execution." As for the rest, she hadn't told Sierra

Sierra's personality was not suited for acting. Ye Zheng needed her genuine reaction, so she provoked and guided her with words.

As expected, Sierra's reaction was sufficiently real and impactful. It was just a bit taxing on her, the actor. Ye Zheng secretly rubbed her bruised neck. Sierra had definitely wanted to kill her again just now.

The girl sighed imperceptibly, hoping it would all be worth it.

She would slowly chip away at and dismantle everything Wen Jian had. The revolution of this world would begin with this rotten Pope.

Perhaps a future historian would discover that the content of this execution event, which shook the entire empire, was not, as claimed by the empire's greatest outlaw Sierra, the execution of the Saintess.

But the beginning of the Saintess's execution.

Author's Note: To the little student teachers in the comments, you are all so blessed for choosing this major...

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