"I am one of the people you sent to the Aifilan Ruins to look for the holy artifact yesterday. Do you remember now?"
Given this, Wang Zhifan spoke up to clarify his identity, lest this guy and his channel didnāt connect at all.
"Youāre the one I sent to the Holy City? Impossible! If you really went, thereās no way you could return so quickly!"
Baron Rog, lying on the ground, immediately responded incredulously to Wang Zhifanās words, even involuntarily struggling against the freezing power Wang Zhifan had imposed on him to shake his head.
Crack!
"Ah!!!"
The response was a second lash from Wang Zhifan, causing another scream, adding another scar to his body, which began to bleed slowly, staining his luxurious clothes. This was clearly the bleeding effect triggered by Tulimorās Whip.
"Stop screaming randomly! Iāve answered your question! Now answer me! Why did you betray us? Leaving us in a heap of monsters at Aifilan!"
After the whipping, Wang Zhifan continued to sternly question him, his expression fierce, with the intensity of someone who might whip him to death if more time was wasted on nonsense.
"I say... Ah... It was all a misunderstanding! My great ritual to clear the Demon Tide encountered some unexpected incidents midway, and Iām very sorry for your ordeal!"
Baron Rog, in intense pain from the two lashes and unable to move due to Wang Zhifanās freezing power, painfully replied loudly, sucking in air because of the severe pain while giving Wang Zhifan a reason that seemed problem-free.
"Misunderstanding? Unexpected? Do you think Iāll believe that?"
Such an explanation made Wang Zhifan very skeptical, or rather, he didnāt believe it at all, because he remembered the situation clearly. It was Baron Rog who had guided the mission team leader Sandra to place the Crystal Ball on the dark altar in the ruined church step by step, then instructed them to wait on the spot for battle. Eventually, he used some means to attract almost all the surrounding monsters to attack them, with no intention of allowing them to survive! Thinking about it now, the whole thing wasnāt any accident but a deliberately arranged plot!
"Iāll give you one more chance to explain, or your body will get a few more wounds."
Wang Zhifan continued to coldly threaten Baron Rog on the ground.
But Baron Rog, at that moment, seemed genuinely wronged, still loudly responding:
"Sir! It really is all a misunderstanding! All unexpected! I really didnāt mean to harm you!"
Smack! Smack! Smack!
Seeing this, Wang Zhifan immediately swung Tulimorās Whip in his hand, giving this dishonest guy a harsh lesson. After all, heās a seasoned person, well aware that some people love to pretend and lie, not knowing the value of honesty until theyāre backed into a corner.
"Ah!!!"
"I really didnāt mean to harm you!"
"It was all because of an unexpected incident during the ritual!"
"Please, sir, you must believe me!"
"My town has suffered an unspeakably terrible disaster. My loss and pain are even greater than yours!"
...
Being whipped by Wang Zhifan, Baron Rog, whose luxurious clothes were marked with blood stains, didnāt give in at all, instead shouting his grievances even louder, even saying he was actually the victim, more miserable than those who went to the ruins looking for the holy artifact.
His performance was so convincing, so earnest, that Wang Zhifan couldnāt help but feel a slight wavering inside, beginning to reconsider the possibility of misunderstanding him.
However, this contemplation did not last even two seconds before it was forcibly interrupted by something, ending this doubt directly.
It was an information screen that only players could see. When his gaze inadvertently fell on a dark-aura Crystal Ball on a pillar beside them, it immediately appeared before him.
[Supreme Blood (Epic Layer)]
[Hell and the Abyss are pleased with the sacrificial ritual, thus granting this item as a gift.]
[After absorbing this drop of blood containing great power, you will receive an essential enhancement.]
[Ageless: Your physical age will freeze at the moment of absorbing the Supreme Blood, and will never age, even if you suffer special attacks that cause aging.]
[Longevity: Your lifespan limit increases by 3000 years, stepping into the ranks of the long-lived species.]
[Exceptional: All your attributes increase by 50 points, saying goodbye to the constitution of an ordinary person.]
[Supreme: You have the potential to collect and utilize the power of faith, the door to godhood is always slightly open for you, and when the conditions are ripe, you will ignite the divine flame and embark on your own path to ascension.]
"Damn... this thing is awesome!"
Upon reading the information on the screen in front of him, Wang Zhifanās eyes almost widened, nearly swearing out loud. It wasnāt that he hadnāt seen Epic items before, but the effects of this Epic Layer Supreme Blood that suddenly appeared in his view were too powerful, seemingly containing all of an ordinary personās dreams!
"So this guy was messing with a sacrificial ritual aimed at Hell and the Abyss here... all to obtain this Supreme Blood... Iāve understood everything."
Upon discovering the Supreme Blood in the Crystal Ball atop the pillar beside him, Wang Zhifan immediately understood everythingās context and explanation through the information introduction of this Epic item, clearing up many things he couldnāt previously grasp.
Because the effects of Supreme Blood were so powerful and enticing, calling it a divine artifact wouldnāt be belittling it. That Baron Rog did anything for this didnāt surprise him, and his plot against Wang Zhifan and others was even more insignificant by comparison. Now the terrible state of Rogge Town also had a very reasonable explanation.
"Baron Rog, though your methods are filthy and despicable, I must say I am grateful for everything youāve done."
At this moment, Baron Rog, lying on the ground at the top of the high tower altar, covered in bloodstains, was still struggling to claim his innocence, only to suddenly hear Wang Zhifan, standing in front of him, say these words. He was stunned, straining to move his eyes to see the man who destroyed his grand plan, only to see a scene that almost infuriated him to death:
Wang Zhifan reached out to take the Crystal Ball from the pillar beside him and drew a long blade to begin cutting the Crystal Ball.
"No!!!"
"You canāt do this!!!"
"No!!!"
...
With the long whip marks covering his body, Baron Rog was nearly frantic at this moment. He seemed to forget his pain, trying to get up to stop Wang Zhifan from taking the treasure he had been plotting for a long time, but unfortunately, his strength was far too weak compared to Wang Zhifan. Wang Zhifan slightly increased the freezing power on him, making his body completely immobile, except his mouth and throat were allowed to make sounds, but just shouting could do nothing to stop him.
Thus, merely two seconds later, Wang Zhifan, having used the Wolf-Slaying Blade to break open the Crystal Ball in his hand, slightly tilted his head to pour the crimson liquid within into his mouth, then slightly squinted to feel the changes occurring within his body.
"What a wonderful feeling... like being renewed entirely... the world around also becomes clearer, more delicate, completely different from before... is this the state after the essence of life has been enhanced..."
Having absorbed the Supreme Blood, Wang Zhifan was very certain that he had gained an essential enhancement.