Chapter 57 Part 1

The Priest’s original cold solemnity and air of superiority were completely shattered. His eyes burned scarlet at the corners as he stared scorchingly at Zhong Nian, who lay in the Goat Demon’s arms with a face full of seductive charm. His chest heaved dramatically.

It was unclear whether this unrest stemmed from the youth or from the ugly truths laid bare.

“Baa—!”

A sheep’s bleat pierced through his brain, abruptly jolting him awake.

Zhong Nian, who had been toyed with until he was dazed and groggy, had no idea what happened next. He only knew that the Goat Demon, who had been so arrogantly triumphant just moments before, suddenly fell silent.

He laboriously opened his eyes and looked over. He saw the Priest’s face dark and brooding, with several root-like veins bulging on his forehead and neck, looking especially ferocious against his pale skin.

A pair of pupils identical to those of the goat beside him—slit pupils—carried a chilling, murderous intent. The hem of his robe fluttered without wind, and the inconspicuous silver ornament necklace on his chest emitted wisps of black gas.

One hand was shaped like a claw, as if seizing something.

Then Zhong Nian heard the Goat Demon, who still refused to release him, emit a hoarse gasp. It bent over and dropped to one knee on the ground, seemingly enduring immense pain.

Evidently, as a part peeled off from the Priest, it had no way to defy the main body.

Even so, the Goat Demon let out a sneer, mocking the Priest: “Getting angry so easily from shame… This isn’t like you. And if I die, you’ll be severely injured too. Can you really bring yourself to do it?”

“Hmph.” The Priest snorted coldly, clenching his five fingers tighter.

In an instant, the explosion of its heart ended this powerful demon.

Zhong Nian heard the sound of the heart inside the Goat Demon’s chest being crushed from his position against its chest. His scalp went numb, and then he watched as it fully dissolved into a puddle of black mist.

Unlike the light dissipation when the Masked Man had shot it earlier, this thick black mist sank downward, more like a liquid, floating on the ground and dispersing very slowly.

The black leather shoes stepped over it mercilessly. With a sweep of the robe hem, it could no longer regroup, vanishing completely in the blink of an eye.

Without support, Zhong Nian slid to the ground along the shoe tip. He looked up, meeting the Priest’s slit pupils, dim with a ghostly light where divinity and evil intertwined. A chill even stronger than when the Goat Demon had eyed him crawled up his spine.

He quietly gripped the dagger at his waist with one hand and supported himself against the wall with the other to stand.

Unfortunately, the lingering aftershocks still churned in his body, his thighs ached sourly, and his knees felt weak. Standing took great effort.

A distinctively boned hand extended into his view. Zhong Nian reflexively stepped back, rejecting the offered help.

The rebuffed hand hovered in midair before slowly withdrawing.

The man could clearly feel the youth’s change in attitude. Before, there might have been some wariness, but he would occasionally show smiles soft enough to melt into one’s heart. He would never erect invisible walls like now. Even without eye contact as he kept his gaze lowered, it was obvious he now regarded the man with full avoidance, as if facing a great enemy.

“Baa…”

The Black Goat cautiously approached the youth’s side, tentatively trying to rub against his leg as before.

Zhong Nian unhesitatingly retreated another step.

He scrutinized this Black Goat that always appeared following the man. In just one or two short days, its growth speed was eerily fast, now nearly the size of an adult goat. The horns on its head were almost fully formed, identical to those of the Goat Demon.

Combined with the information the Goat Demon had revealed, it was hard not to suspect whether this seemingly harmless Black Goat had some other close connection to the Priest.

Who knew if, once it grew larger, it wouldn’t become the next Goat Demon?

In the somewhat cold and heavy atmosphere, the man suddenly said, “It took a bath.”

Zhong Nian: “…?”

The remark came too out of place. A dazed expression appeared on Zhong Nian’s tense little face.

The Black Goat circled his legs, showing off its clean, soft wool. Its hooves scraped at the ground, looking a bit anxious.

Zhong Nian recalled the excuse he had casually used to refuse the Little Goat’s closeness earlier, and for a moment, he fell silent.

He hadn’t expected the other party to take it seriously and actually clean it once.

It was hard to imagine how the lofty Priest had washed that thick coat of wool on the goat.

But regardless of whether the Black Goat was clean or not, he wouldn’t give it another chance to approach.

So he schooled his little face back to neutrality and said quite coldly, “I have something to do. I’m leaving.”

He appeared calm on the surface, but inside, he panicked so much that sweat beaded on his back.

Thanks to the Goat Demon, he now knew the Priest’s true face and most of his secrets. He wondered if, now that the windowpaper was pierced, the other would let him leave easily.

If things went south, his chances of escaping were zero.