"Old man, you're likely making all this up. If I couldn't take down the obsidian at any moment, you would have already possessed my body!"
Unsure of what to do, I scoffed and continued to probe the high priest, hoping to catch him in a slip-up.
"Batu, between you and I... Stop, quickly stop!"
The high priest's words were cut short as he suddenly looked behind me with a contorted expression. If he hadn't been so far away, he might have lunged.
What in the world is happening?!
My heart leaped, and I quickly turned to see that, at some unknown point, Hugajaro had stealthily moved in front of the obsidian!
"Hahahahaha! You traitor who has abandoned the Shepherd God, today is the day the Shepherd God descends!"
Hugajaro's eyes were bloodshot, and his demeanor was clearly not right. Despite his laughter, his expression remained unchanged, giving him a thoroughly bizarre appearance.
"No, Hugajaro, calm down."
Seeing this, I was instantly dumbfounded.
Regardless of whether the high priest's words held any truth, Hugajaro's current state was enough to convince me that this was undeniably the Shepherd God's doing.
Perhaps it was because I had just removed the first obsidian. Even though the Shepherd God had not yet fully revived, His power had already invisibly permeated the temple, influencing everything.
"Commander, no, Batu!"
"Have you also been bewitched by the old monster, the high priest, and wish to betray the Shepherd God!"
"If that's the case, then you are no longer worthy of being the commander of the temple guards. Those who betray the gods must die!"
Hugajaro was utterly insane. As soon as he spoke, he directly grabbed the second obsidian with one hand and fiercely yanked it down!
"Damn it!"
No one present expected Hugajaro to be so fast. Mr. A, who had been stealthily approaching him, quickly lunged forward and kicked him aside, preventing the third obsidian from being taken as well.
Logically, a robust temple guard like Hugajaro should not have been so easily defeated by Mr. A's sudden assault. However, for some unknown reason, after being kicked to the ground, Hugajaro's head lolled, and he fell unconscious. Blood even streamed from his orifices, and he lay utterly still.
As the second obsidian was removed, I distinctly felt the temple's temperature rise bizarrely. Involuntarily, I sensed a feeling of being watched. Although the giant white deer before me remained motionless, this sense of scrutiny compelled me to draw the knife in my hand.
"It's over, everything is over!"
"No... I still have hope!"
I looked back, utterly astonished. I had never seen the high priest wear such a crestfallen expression, as if all was lost.
Suddenly, as if remembering something, the high priest took a step forward like a gambler who had lost it all. He snatched up Pan Lili from the ground, and blue lines continued to flow from Pan Lili's features into the high priest's body, even faster than before.
"Crrrack, crrrack..."
What new trick was this?
I followed the sound and saw that the Son of Man, who had previously collapsed on his seat and appeared lifeless, was now being lifted by an invisible hand in the air. His body straightened unnaturally, and his bones crackled, a sound that sent a shiver through me as if a thousand ants were crawling on my skin.
"Priest... Release the vessel!"
Well, another heavyweight has arrived!
I watched as the Son of Man opened his eyes, his pupils devoid of anything but a stark white.
What surprised me even more was that although the Son of Man opened his mouth, no sound emerged. The voice I heard directly echoed in my mind, as if I were conversing with myself.
Without a doubt, the Son of Man had been completely erased. Whoever controlled his body was likely the Shepherd God, on the verge of revival!
"Hahahaha! Whether you are Qiduen or the Mother of All Creation, with me here, you will never be resurrected in this world!"
The high priest met the Son of Man's gaze without fear, his eyes filled with disdain.
Holy crap, how did the high priest suddenly become the protagonist?
As the Shepherd God occupied the Son of Man's body, I suddenly felt as if I had lost my sense of existence, like an observer outside the story, watching a dramatic, millennium-spanning epic unfold.
I took a few breaths, suppressing this bizarre feeling.
Damn it, neither of those old fossils is any good. Now they're acting all high and mighty!
The Son of Man stared fixedly at the high priest, then slowly turned his head towards me.
"Batu, kill him!"