Chapter 169 The Rules of the Devil

When all the light had completely faded, Luo Yong put away the Codex of the Undead, walked over to Gaya, and summoned a cloak to drape over her.
To be honest, he might have had a lapse in judgment earlier; he had messed up several scrolls, leaving him with only the scroll for summoning cloaks in his possession.
It was not out of any deliberate attempt to take advantage of her, contrary to what Hera might have thought.
"My Lord, do you have any instructions?" Gaya slowly stood up, her face flushed, as she tightened the cord of her cloak and stood silently beside Luo Yong.
She had no idea why this person had brought her back to life. Before this, she had endured unimaginable suffering, dying with resentment and unfulfilled regret, her true spirit nearly scattered.
Yet now, she had been summoned by this very person and returned to the mortal realm.
Such an action surely must have a purpose behind it!
Luo Yong did not answer directly, instead glancing over at Pang Ding.
At that exact moment, as if sharing a telepathic connection, Pang Ding suddenly realized something. He rummaged frantically through his storage space before hurling a slender sword forward.
Swish!
The rapier flew straight toward the top of Luo Yong's foot with pinpoint accuracy. Had he not dodged or blocked it, his instep would certainly have been pierced right through.
Thwack!
Right at that instant, Gaya flashed forward, appearing directly in front of Luo Yong.
Though her figure was overly slender and incomparable to Hera's, holy light still radiated from her.
She reached out and caught the sword with clean, effortless precision.
Then, instinctively, she waved it a few times, spinning it into a flurry of sword blossoms.
Judging from her magical fluctuations at that moment, she had actually reached Level 10.
"Kids these days are truly formidable!"
Luo Yong inwardly sighed, realizing just how long his own female teammates had been restricted. Having idled away so much time, their levels were actually falling behind these late-blooming youngsters.
Tsk, tsk.
It had been too difficult for them.
When he had the time, he would send them another batch of benefits.
In the form of consignment sales, of course.
"From now on, your name is Goliath." Luo Yong looked at Gaya, who stood before him like a bodyguard, and pointed toward the floating cage glowing with holy light in midair. "Do you see that sheep inside?"
"I see it, My Lord," Gaya replied.
"Kill it."
"Yes, My Lord." Faced with Luo Yong's command, Gaya answered without a moment's hesitation.
Let alone killing a sheep, if she were told to risk her life or die right then and there, she wouldn't even bat an eye.
"Baa..."
Feeling the gaze of the resurrected maiden, the ancient demon trapped inside the cage was filled with shock and dread, clearly aware of the laws governing the polymorph spell.
Throughout the entire world, no one else could kill it in its current state. Whoever slew this sheep would release it back into the world once more—
Except for the maiden right before its eyes!
If she were the one to kill it, it would truly die!
Never to live again!
That was the law of the demons!
"Flashing lightning, flow into the blade!"
Gaya chanted softly, channeling the surging magic power within her body straight into the sword.
Crackling arcs of electricity danced across the rapier's blade!
"Tsk, tsk, the girl might actually be a genius!" Pang Ding drifted over from a distance. Because she was a young girl, even the overflow of holy light from her body didn't carry an overwhelming, lethal threat.
Luo Yong nodded slowly, feeling a similar sense of admiration. Considering Gaya's tender age, she had already grasped the secret of the magic sword and embarked on the correct path of cultivation.
If given time to grow slowly, she would undoubtedly achieve great things in the future.

Swish!
Gaya built up a little momentum, then violently hurled the rapier. It pierced through the gaps of the cage and impaled the sheep.
"Baa!"
The sheep let out a miserable bleat, though it did not die instantly—such a single strike was not enough to kill a normal sheep right away.
"My Lord..." Gaya looked at Luo Yong, wanting to say something.
She no longer had a sword in her hand, nor any way to fly. After that single strike, she had no means to inflict further harm upon the sheep suspended in midair.
Besides, why on earth was it floating in the air?
If it were only on the ground...
Though such a thought crossed her mind, Gaya shook her head; her lord must have had his reasons for doing this.
It was simply that he couldn't tell her yet.
There was no need for wild guesses; she only needed to faithfully execute her lord's commands.
With that, she turned her gaze toward Pang Ding standing off to the side.
That was the fellow who had thrown the rapier earlier, almost hitting her lord!
Expressionless, she spun around to face Pang Ding, held out a single hand, and demanded a weapon.
Unfortunately, this movement caused her cloak to naturally part wide open, leaving her front completely exposed as holy light poured forth once more.
"Damn it, I'm blind!" Pang Ding covered his eyes and instantly drifted far away.
"..."
Gaya said nothing, though her face flushed bright red. While she felt a bit of shyness, she mostly felt irritated.
"Here, take this."
Luo Yong casually tossed a golden orb of light to Gaya and said, "Contract."
"A contract?" Gaya caught the orb, a trace of confusion flashing in her eyes as several thoughts raced through her mind—
What kind of contract?
A shackle to enslave her? Or a cage to restrict her freedom?
In that instant, a sliver of sorrow welled up in her heart. What was the point of being brought back to life like this...
Flash!
A dazzling light burst forth, and a pair of [Steel Wings] materialized right behind her.
"Just as I thought." Luo Yong glanced sidelong at Pang Ding hiding in the distance, figuring that this item had materialized based on the contractor's desires, or rather, the subconscious thing they wished for the most.
Sometimes, it might just be a fleeting thought captured in the exact right moment, thus manifesting into reality.
Take right now, for instance: Gaya had no weapon in hand, and what she wanted most at that moment was to kill the sheep trapped in the floating cage.
Even though she didn't know why she needed to kill a sheep.
Subconsciously, she felt that if she could fly, she would be able to easily slay the creature.
And so...
She truly took flight.
Soaring right along with her was a blinding array of holy light.
The steel wings hovered behind her like a pair of wings born of dreams, granting her the ability to take to the skies and accomplish what she desired.
Kill the sheep!
After briefly growing accustomed to the sensation of flying in the air, she quickly closed the distance, pulled the rapier out from the sheep's body, the blade stained with fresh, crimson blood.
It looked just like the blood she had once shed.
For some inexplicable reason, facing this sheep brought back memories of the torment she had suffered and the wretched state of her death.
Back then, she had bled out the very last drop of blood in her body...
"Die!"
Gaya let out an angry cry, electricity dancing across the blade once more. She thrust it through the gaps of the cage and severed the sheep's head in a single stroke!
The sheep's head rolled away as a fountain of blood sprayed everywhere, splashing all over the place.
Only at this very moment did it all finally come to an end.
Luo Yong waved a hand, recalling the sheepskin scroll still floating in midair, and then walked toward the unconscious Hera.
"Should I look away? I'm no third wheel," Pang Ding called out faintly from afar.
"What are you talking about? Once she wakes up, I have some questions to ask," Luo Yong replied.
"Fine, you wait and you ask then." Pang Ding shook his head, glanced at Hera lying on the ground, then at the young girl standing nearby. He sighed and muttered, "I have this bad feeling something's about to happen. It's best not to get too close to you during times like this. I'm out of here; if you need me, look for me in Nazdak."
"Wait!" Luo Yong quickly stopped him, pointing at Gaya nearby. "Take Goliath with you for a while and teach her a thing or two to raise her combat strength."
"What the hell am I supposed to teach her? Do I look like I have that kind of free time?" Pang Ding retorted grumpily, glancing sideways at Gaya.
To be fair, she was good raw material for swordsmanship, and with a little cultivation...
"Fine!" Pang Ding yelled back loudly. "Isn't it just about clearing the way and giving you two lovebirds some privacy to cause trouble? Grandpa Pang agrees! Let's go, kid!"
He beckoned to Gaya, and without even checking if she was following, directly opened a portal and left the area.
"My Lord!"
"I have some matters to attend to." Luo Yong stood before Gaya, reached out to gently pat her head, and said, "Go on outside and have that jerk get you a proper set of clothes. Don't hold back his money. Stick with him for now and learn swordsmanship; I'll come find you after a while."
"Yes, My Lord."
Gaya opened her mouth as if wanting to say something, but ultimately kept silent, silently stepping into the portal and departing.
"Put away that gear and pull your hood down!"
As soon as she stepped out of the portal, Gaya heard Pang Ding's voice, which sounded quite displeased.
Then, an object was tossed right at her face.
"These are some of Grandpa Pang's old clothes; make do with them for now! Remember, you are someone without an identity now—the old you is already dead!"
"Yes! I understand!" Tears welled up in Gaya's eyes uncontrollably. No matter how hard she tried to put on a brave face, there were moments when she simply couldn't hold it back.
"Gaya is dead. The current me is Goliath."
...
Luo Yong was also someone without an identity right now, and he needed to find a place to settle the unconscious Hera.
She couldn't just keep lying on the ground like this.
Given that Hera's holy light was far too lethal—to the point where Pang Ding had fled in a hurry, let alone offered help—he had to rely entirely on himself this time.
At some point, one of Hera's hands grabbed Luo Yong's tightly, gripping him firmly as if he were her only lifeline.
"Let's go there, we've got plenty of time..."
Luo Yong had no wish to waste time in tedious waiting. After leaving the traitor's homeland, he directly used his key to tear open the void and entered the Ineffable Place.
Finding a clean and quiet spot, he summoned a pile of cloaks to lay on the ground, shielding her from the cold chill of the stone floor.
Then, carefully placing Hera upon them, Luo Yong lay down right beside her and waited quietly.
Staring up at the starry sky filling the expanse above.
Keeping track of the time in his mind, Luo Yong periodically fed Hera some recovery potions and sprinkled healing salves with strong regenerative effects over her body beneath the glow of the holy light.
Besides, he had already seen everything anyway; seeing it a few more times wouldn't hurt.
Thus, about half a month passed. Accompanied by a sudden, rumbling sound from her stomach, Hera slowly fluttered open her tightly shut eyes, waking up from her unconsciousness to the sight of a sky full of stars.
And Luo Yong, sitting right there wearing his mask.