Chapter 111 – The Goddess of Tisha Xia'er

Doleiz City, which had been slow to react due to various reasons, finally responded to the plague. Although this “response” was neither timely nor effective, it still offered a glimmer of hope to the refugees hiding in their houses, trembling with fear.

However, this had little to do with Punk, who was still in the Spider Cave. He was intently and carefully channeling magic power into the spider statue.

As the final node connected, the spider statue radiated a dark green glow. Patterns lit up on the previously unremarkable rock, and energy seemed to flow through the stone’s textures.

Punk set down the spider statue, allowing it to float in the air, then retreated behind Golem One. He silently watched as a vague, massive projection gradually became clear and solid. Intermittent green flashes accompanied the projection, making it appear eerie and sinister!

Goddess Tisha Xia’er… had descended!

“Who are you? How dare you set foot in my temple? Who exactly are you—”

The shrill voice was unpleasant, like a carving knife scraping against a blackboard. The “goddess” before them had now fully materialized.

A giant spider appeared on the spot, with the upper body of a slender female figure. However, there were no signs of modification on this spider—the so-called Goddess Tisha Xia’er was originally a spider, merely using some spell to grow a human upper body.

Punk silently observed the hysterical “deity.” He keenly noticed that he had vastly overestimated this so-called goddess. This creature was likely, at most, at the peak of the Formal-Level. She couldn’t even maintain her projection properly—the green flashes were evidence of energy leakage.

“Who! Who killed my most loyal servant? I will skin them, crush their bones, grind them into pulp, tear every muscle, and feed them to my children—”

Soon, the projection of Goddess Tisha Xia’er noticed the High Priest’s corpse on the ground. It was unclear how she identified the pile of minced meat, but the enraged “goddess” immediately became hysterical.

“Respected Lady Tisha Xia’er, I believe it is necessary for you to calm down. Perhaps the all-knowing, all-powerful you could answer a small question of mine—how did you manage to gather and absorb faith power with only Formal-Level strength?”

Punk completely ignored Tisha Xia’er’s roaring and screaming. At this moment, there was only one emotion in his eyes—excitement.

He could now confirm that the Tisha Xia’er before him must possess an incredible secret. He could clearly sense that her undefended soul level was only fourteenth level, yet this “goddess” genuinely had the ability to utilize faith power. Punk had already decided to uncover this secret. He had a premonition that the value of Tisha Xia’er’s secret would be astonishing.

“Insignificant mortal, mind your words! I am the great Goddess Tisha Xia’er! How dare you blaspheme a deity?”

Tisha Xia’er’s first concern was Punk’s tone rather than the question in his words. She loudly emphasized her so-called “goddess” status.

“Very well, respected Goddess Tisha Xia’er, could you tell me…………”Punk stared unflinchingly at the eight eyes on the “goddess’s” forehead, his gaze burning as if beholding precious experimental materials.

“Enough! Lowly mortal, you are unworthy to meet my gaze. It seems you are the one who killed my loyal servant. Beg for mercy, you insect! My power is beyond your comprehension. If you kneel immediately, I might consider granting you a less gruesome death.”

Tisha Xia’er looked down upon Punk with an air of superiority, her eyes filled with nothing but disdain and contempt, as though she truly were a powerful deity.

Hearing Tisha Xia’er’s outrageously arrogant declaration, Punk felt no anger. Instead, he dropped his feigned smile and fixed his gaze upon the hysterical “goddess” with undisguised greed.

“Ignorant trash. Never mind that gods are merely a bunch of cowardly vermin—you are not even worthy of being compared to vermin. Since you refuse to speak, I will simply kill you first and interrogate your soul afterward, just as I did with your feeble High Priest.”

Punk had grown weary of the nonsensical ravings of this self-proclaimed goddess, a clueless giant spider. He decided to provoke the haughty Tisha Xia’er as much as possible, testing whether she truly possessed any unknown divine powers.

Faced with Punk’s insulting remarks, Tisha Xia’er let out a shrill roar and charged recklessly toward him. She even forgot that she was merely a powerless projection. In that moment, her mind held only one thought: to kill the mage who dared insult her.

“Damned blasphemer! I am the greatest goddess in this world, the supreme ruler! How dare you insult the highest divinity? I will roast your soul in blazing flames for ten thousand years—ten thousand years—!”

Watching the charging projection, Punk calmly shook his head. Ignoring the piercing screams, he effortlessly summoned an Apprentice-Level energy Shield, easily blocking Tisha Xia’er’s attack. By now, he felt nothing but contempt for this so-called “goddess.” The Tisha Xia’er before him seemed completely irrational—how could someone like her have established a Church so deeply hidden?

Tisha Xia’er’s projection pressed its face tightly against the energy Shield, its twisted expression and floating red eyes making it resemble a demon clawing its way out of the Abyss. Having exhausted the statue’s energy in just over ten seconds, Tisha Xia’er could no longer maintain the projection. After uttering a sharp curse, it dissolved into a distorted, murky green mist and vanished.

“Reckless insect! You will pay for your blasphemy—!”

Until the very end, she failed to launch any meaningful attack.

“She seems utterly mad, but a madwoman could not have established such a deeply hidden Church—not even with the help of that High Priest. This doesn’t add up.”

Seeing the enemy’s projection disappear, Punk resumed his expressionless demeanor, but in his mind, he began to ponder seriously.”It is said that unpurified faith forcibly implants the obsessions of believers into the absorber’s consciousness. Could Tisha Xia’er’s madness be because her followers firmly believe she is the supreme goddess? As these ‘obsessions’ invade, her own thoughts gradually become ‘assimilated’ by the believers, and now she genuinely believes herself to be an invincible goddess?”

Punk considered this the most plausible deduction so far. It perfectly explained why the Tisha Xia’er Church was rapidly shifting from initial self-preservation to current recklessness. Perhaps the originally rational and intelligent Tisha Xia’er had her wisdom eroded by the maddened, corrupted faith, nearly transforming completely into a lunatic!

With a grim expression, Punk picked up the shattered statue from the ground, sensing the remnants of frenzied faith within. He once again felt grateful for steadfastly following the path of a mage. The treacherous nature of faith power appeared equally as dubious as that brainwashing-focused Divinity.

However, he now held great interest in Tisha Xia’er’s secret, for it likely involved precious Legendary-level Magic Equipment capable of forcibly absorbing faith for a Formal-Level being. Even without Divinity’s purification ability, that equipment—or whatever secret method—would minimally reach Legendary tier and undoubtedly possess numerous powerful functions and reference value.

But…

“This matter requires recruiting one or two ‘scapegoats’. A Level 14 Formal Mage possessing Legendary Equipment, even if the opponent is a mindless madman, is absolutely not to be trifled with lightly!”

Punk discarded the statue that had turned into ordinary stone and strode toward the cave entrance.

He fully understood the risks involved. Leaving aside the immense power of a Level 14 mage, the unknown capabilities of the Legendary Equipment alone would deter most people.

Yet Punk refused to believe the enemy could utilize much of the treasure’s power. Otherwise, Tisha Xia’er would have long dominated Doleiz City instead of burrowing underground like rats.

“So now, I just need to gather two Formal-Level ‘good friends’ for a team ‘operation’. The rest… boils down to seeking wealth through danger!”

Punk quietly solidified his resolution.

(End of Chapter)