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The absurd night had passed, and Gu Zhan had completely walked down an irreversible path.

The next morning, after getting out of bed, he lifted his clothes and found that the black markings on his abdomen had spread to his chest. The dark vines tangled and tightly bound his body, proclaiming the secret possessiveness of the black mark's owner.

A flower had just bloomed on his chest, enveloping his entire body.

Gu Zhan sighed. This monster's way of doing things was so reckless and domineering.

Suddenly, footsteps could be heard outside the door. Gu Zhan quickly stood up straight and tightened his clothing.

The marks on his body could no longer be seen by others.

But, as things often go, things didn’t go as he hoped. As soon as he stood up, the door to his bedroom was forcefully pushed open.

The maid stood at the front, with a group of armored guards behind her.

"Take the Holy Son to the Judgment Hall!"

The maid spoke coldly.

Gu Zhan raised an eyebrow, stepping forward and asking, "Why?"

The maid's gaze toward Gu Zhan was complicated, as though she was in pain and also felt like he was disappointing her.

"The Goddess has just delivered a divine decree. The Holy Son has been corrupted by the evil god! You are no longer worthy to be the Holy Son!"

"Quickly, take this sinner to the Judgment Hall!"

With a wave of her hand, the guards surged forward.

As they restrained him, Gu Zhan's face showed shock and panic, but in his heart, he was calmly cursing Mo Tuo.

He had originally only wanted to express his thoughts to Mo Tuo, but he hadn’t expected this monster to be so reckless, completely ruining everything.

Now, he was the one who ended up unlucky.

---

The Judgment Hall had no windows. Beneath the high dome, there were twelve judgment seats nailed to the walls, looking down from above at the one being judged below.

Only a single beam of light fell upon the head of the one being judged.

The seat in the middle was empty, one that should have belonged to the Pope, but the Pope had passed away a year ago due to an accident.

The Holy Court had dwindled in the past two years. Originally, there were twelve Holy Sons, but over the past twenty years, either due to mistakes leading to expulsion or unfortunate early deaths, only Gu Zhan remained.

Gu Zhan was greatly favored by the Goddess of Light, and everyone believed he would naturally ascend to the position of Pope.

But the Goddess of Light had delivered a divine decree, declaring that Gu Zhan had betrayed her!

What a loss and shame this was for the Holy Court!

The trial had not even started, yet Gu Zhan had already been sentenced as guilty.

The vast Judgment Hall was silent. Gu Zhan knelt on the ground, listening to the murmurs of the elders coming from the walls ahead.

"Should we expel him from the Holy Court?"

"If we do that, we won't have a single Holy Son left."

"The Holy Son has always been so devout toward the Goddess—how could this happen…"

"The Goddess of Light's divine decree cannot be wrong."

"The decree can't be wrong, but what if we misunderstood it? After all, except for the Holy Son himself, none of us can directly communicate with the Goddess of Light."

After these words, the Judgment Hall fell silent again. After a moment, someone directly in front of Gu Zhan cleared their throat and said, "We don’t want to wrong you, Holy Son. Since the Goddess of Light has issued a divine decree, we shall follow her will and send you to the Trial of the Dark Forest. If the Goddess protects you, you will leave the forest alive. Should you pass the trial and return to the Holy Court, we will immediately crown you as the Pope."

The Dark Forest.

Gu Zhan was familiar with this place.

It lay beyond the town, a dangerous land untouched by sunlight.

Sending someone to the Dark Forest was no different from sentencing them to death.

Gu Zhan couldn’t help but say, "Why not just expel me from the Holy Court instead?"

In the past, Holy Sons who were corrupted were simply banished from the Holy Court.

His words caused an uproar in the Judgment Hall.

"How dare you! The Holy Court is giving you a chance, and yet you don’t cherish it!"

"To say such a thing proves that the Goddess's decree was correct."

To the people of the Holy Court, sending someone to the Dark Forest was granting them another opportunity. Compared to being expelled, the value of life seemed negligible.

Gu Zhan sighed and said, "Fine, I’ll go to the Dark Forest. If I manage to come out alive, you’ll crown me as the Pope, right?"

After the earlier exchange, the elders were no longer so certain.

They exchanged glances, each feeling this plan was unreliable.

But the words had already been spoken…

And the Holy Court indeed had no other Holy Son to replace Gu Zhan.

If Gu Zhan truly left the Holy Court, they’d have to find another suitable child, which would take at least a decade before the Goddess of Light could descend again…

This would also be a massive loss for the Holy Court.

In the end, they gritted their teeth and decided to send Gu Zhan to the Dark Forest for the trial.

---

Eight white pegasi sped out from the Holy Court.

In less than half a day, they arrived at the Dark Forest.

Sitting in the carriage, Gu Zhan saw the ominous, shadowy expanse in the distance.

It exuded a deeply unsettling feeling.

When the carriage stopped at the forest's edge, Gu Zhan opened the door and found no one nearby.

In the distance, two elders stood on a rock with several guards, watching him.

Seeing him disembark, one elder raised his voice and said, "Holy Son, you may now enter the Dark Forest. As long as you traverse the forest and reach the Light Town on the other side, you may return to the Holy Court."

Gu Zhan squinted at them for a long time before turning and heading toward the Dark Forest.

As soon as he stepped into the forest, a glow appeared behind him. When Gu Zhan looked back, he saw that the elders had cast magic, sealing off the path behind him.

There was no turning back—only forward.

How ruthless.

Gu Zhan sighed and continued walking.

After only a few steps, the sunlight above disappeared. The treetops intertwined so densely that they blocked all light, casting heavy shadows below.

It was eerily quiet, without a single sound.

The dark atmosphere was old and decayed, slowly enveloping everything.

There were no paths in the Dark Forest. Gu Zhan could only push through the underbrush and move in an uncertain direction.

At this rate, he wouldn't even need a beast to attack him—he’d get lost and never escape.

Gu Zhan stopped, casting a light spell. A small orb of light formed and shot up through the treetops, flying toward the sun.

The light orb left a trail through the canopy, clearly visible even in the forest.

Gu Zhan began walking toward the direction of the sun. Whether he could escape the Dark Forest, he didn’t know—but at least he wouldn’t lose his way.

He didn’t know how long he had been walking when the sound of running water echoed in the dark forest. Gu Zhan detoured slightly and came to a small stream.

Though deep in the forest, the water was surprisingly clean.

After walking for so long, his robes were covered in dirt and leaves, dragging heavily behind him.

By the stream, Gu Zhan crouched to wash his face. Lifting his robes, he planned to either tear off the hem or tie it around his waist.

As he pondered how to proceed, a rustling sound came from the nearby woods.

The next moment, the head of a massive beast emerged from the trees.

It had glowing green vertical pupils, with ghostly flames flickering at the corners of its eyes. Its head was covered in smooth, snake-like scales. Upon seeing Gu Zhan, the scales bristled, and its green eyes turned red.

A chilling sense of being preyed upon rose from Gu Zhan’s heart.

Frozen in the water, he locked eyes with the beast, trying to think of any way to drive it off.

He attempted a light spell, but in this dark forest, light magic was severely suppressed. A small spark emerged from his fingertips before quickly extinguishing.

This…

There was no way to survive in this place!

Gu Zhan finally understood the Holy Court’s malicious intentions. They weren’t giving him another chance—they wanted him dead, without leaving a trace!

As the beast drew closer, Gu Zhan sighed softly and murmured, "Evil God, your first follower is about to die in this Dark Forest."

His voice was faint, as if speaking to the air.

Yet, unexpectedly, the air seemed to respond.

At first, there was a faint tremor, followed by the tearing of a pitch-black rift in the void.

Those familiar inky-black tendrils extended outward. Before Gu Zhan could say anything, they darted toward the beast in the forest.

The tendrils transformed into a cloud of black mist, encircling the monster. Caught off guard, the creature became frantic, its attention instantly diverted.

Within mere moments, the beast retreated into the depths of the forest, rolling on the ground beyond Gu Zhan's sight and emitting pitiful howls. Trees toppled under its weight, yet the black mist didn’t relent. Gradually, the creature fell silent.

Behind Gu Zhan, the pitch-black rift slowly faded away.

Unnoticed, night had fallen. The sun had set, leaving only the faint light of Gu Zhan’s magic hovering above his head.

A beam of light illuminated Gu Zhan, the flowing stream, and his white robes, casting a semblance of holy radiance upon him. How ironic— the Holy Son of the Light Court, standing in the depths of a dark forest, emanating the light of the Goddess of Light. Yet, his body was still marked by the lingering traces left by a certain monster.

With the sun gone, Gu Zhan had no choice but to stop moving forward. He found a spot by the stream to rest.

Thankfully, when the serpent-like beast had struggled under the black mist earlier, it had knocked down a number of trees. Gu Zhan gathered the fallen logs, stacking them into a makeshift shelter.

Unfortunately, there was no food.

Gu Zhan could only endure his hunger, leaning against the wood as he drifted into a light, restless sleep.

At midnight, Gu Zhan abruptly woke up.

Somehow, he found himself lying atop the woodpile, his hands tied above his head. Something heavy pressed down on him, rendering him completely immobile.

He panicked for only a moment before quickly realizing that this was the work of a certain monster.

Monsters were always greedy. It had helped during the day, but now it was here to collect its payment at night.

Previously, it had only teased Gu Zhan playfully. But ever since that fateful night, the creature had developed a taste for him and had been secretly following him ever since, its gaze shamelessly lingering over him from head to toe.

Earlier that night, when Gu Zhan had turned in his sleep, his white robe had opened slightly, revealing a sliver of skin. The lurking monster could no longer restrain itself.

It was here to collect its dues.

Collect its dues!

How could that be considered excessive?

Having gone the entire day without food or rest, Gu Zhan was utterly drained. When he felt the invisible tendrils quietly slipping under his robe, he could no longer bear it and snapped, "Fine, go ahead! Once you're done, I'll die right here to make you happy."

Mo Tuo: "…"

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