Chapter 37: Divine Favor Descends

"A sacrificial artifact?!"

The two enforcers standing nearby widened their eyes in shock at the sight.

As the finger bone was exposed to the air, an inexplicable heat spread both inside and outside the house. The swirling snow was held at bay beyond the courtyard, as if an invisible domain had expanded.

Holding the finger bone, Qian Fan watched the red-clad figure wreaking havoc in the distance, his eyes glinting with murderous intent.

He had purchased this sacrificial artifact two years ago in a black market in District 5, spending more than half of his fortune on it. It was said to have come from the corpse of an enforcer contaminated by a Gray World convergence. For years, this item had remained his ace in the hole, never once used to save his life.

This time, however, he had no choice.

"Get him!" Qian Fan roared, thrusting the finger bone into his own palm.

As blood flowed onto the finger bone, it seemed to come alive, ravenously devouring Qian Fan's flesh and blood. Simultaneously, a shadow flickered across its surface.

In the courtyard, the snow-covered ground suddenly began to tremble.

Chen Ling's vision blurred. The snow beneath his feet erupted as a pale, barbed spike, resembling a giant's rib, shot up from underground, piercing his shoulder with lightning speed.

Even though Chen Ling had vaguely perceived the rib's trajectory, its emergence was too sudden for him to react. In a desperate reflex, he instinctively twisted his body, narrowly avoiding his vital organs.

Excruciating pain from his pierced shoulder caused Chen Ling to falter. Immediately, a second and then a third rib burst from the ground in quick succession.

With his body already impaled by the first rib, Chen Ling had almost no room to maneuver. He could only struggle to shift, barely grazing the other ribs to minimize impact, but this progressively constricted his movement.

By the time the fifth rib emerged, Chen Ling was completely trapped, immobile as a prisoner ensnared within a skeletal cage.

"What is this thing...?" Chen Ling's gaze settled on the finger bone in Qian Fan's hand, his expression deeply grim.

As the finger bone continuously devoured his flesh, Qian Fan's body had visibly shrunken by half, making him resemble a malnourished scavenger. However, as the ribs ceased to emerge, his emaciation also stopped.

Seeing this, Qian Fan immediately pulled the bone joint from his body, then tremblingly rewrapped it in oiled paper, a pale smile forming on his lips.

Judging by the effect, the money was well spent. This power was equivalent to the second tier of the Divine Path.

The other two enforcers were secretly astonished to see Qian Fan subdue Chen Ling with such ease. Under their gazes of awe and fear, Qian Fan slowly moved into the courtyard.

"How does it feel?" Qian Fan sneered, "Did you enjoy your killing spree?"

Bodies lay haphazardly in the snow of the courtyard, their blood staining the ground a dark red.

Trapped within the skeletal cage, Chen Ling gazed coldly at Qian Fan, his eerie, blood-stained face betraying no emotion.

"Is gaining divine favor so impressive?"

"Even if you're a provisional enforcer, haven't you still fallen into my hands?"

"Boy, I don't care what grievance you have with Ice Spring Street; you're dead. Do you realize how many people's interests you've damaged?"

Qian Fan slowly drew his gun, the dark muzzle aimed directly at Chen Ling's forehead. As he spoke, his gaunt face contorted with malice.

"Damn it, we can't let him kill Chen Ling."

Seeing this, the shadowed man watching from outside the mansion frowned, preparing to intervene immediately.

"Wait," Chu Muyun interjected suddenly, an unusual glimmer in his eyes behind his lenses. "Something isn't right here..."

The shadowed man paused, "What do you mean?"

Inside the mansion.

Even with the gun pointed at his head, Chen Ling remained unperturbed, his eyes as calm as an abyss.

Just as Qian Fan was about to pull the trigger, two stars in the sky suddenly blazed with brilliant light. Magnificent divine radiance, like colossal pillars descending from the heavens, tore through the snowy curtain, engulfing Chen Ling within the skeletal cage.

*Thump!*

The surging Divine Path aura rippled through the void, forcefully pushing Qian Fan back several steps, causing him to stumble and fall to the ground.

He stared in disbelief at the two divine pillars descending from the sky, his eyes wide with astonishment.

"Divine favor?! How is this possible? Didn't he already receive divine favor?!"

"The black one is the 'Path of the War God,' and the purple one is... the 'Path of the Shaman God'?" The other two enforcers were equally stunned.

"To be offered an olive branch by two great Divine Paths simultaneously, what kind of monster is this kid?"

Under the three men's astonished gazes, a blood-soaked Chen Ling slowly lifted his head, looking at the two stars above him that radiated ribbon-like divine splendor. A flicker of surprise crossed his eyes.

He had just prepared to die again, as his expectation value was already high enough that he would likely be resurrected immediately even if he died. But he never anticipated that he would actually attract divine favor.

Not just one, but two.

In fact, when he had just killed Bone Blade, he'd experienced an inexplicable sensation—not joy or revulsion, but a feeling as if he was born for such an act.

According to Chu Muyun, attracting the favor of the 'Path of the War God' on his first kill marked him as a peerless genius of that path.

But Chen Ling didn't understand: what was that second purple star?

As Chen Ling pondered, a third star slowly illuminated in the sky.

It was a vermilion star, glittering transparently like glass, adorning the sky. Ribbon-like divine splendor pierced through the void, enveloping Chen Ling along with the radiance of the other two Divine Paths.

Chen Ling froze.

"Another Divine Path?!"

"Three Divine Paths bestowing favor at once? How is that possible?!"

"Wait, which Divine Path does this star represent? I've never seen it before..."

Qian Fan and the other two were utterly dumbfounded.

Meanwhile, the two men outside the mansion were equally taken aback.

"Its color is like cinnabar, its form like glass... There's no mistaking it: this is the 'Path of the Thespian God,'" the shadowed man mused.

"'Path of the Thespian God'?" Chu Muyun frowned slightly. "That's quite rare. But what connection does he have to the 'Path of the Thespian God'?"

"Is he particularly skilled at acting or performing opera?"

"Not that I know of... but the brother he conjured does."

"Three Divine Paths bestowing favor simultaneously would ordinarily mark him as a top-tier genius, but unfortunately..." The shadowed man shook his head. "Unfortunately, he's a fuser, destined not to walk the Divine Path."

"With three Divine Paths manifesting simultaneously, someone in Aurora City must have noticed. They'll surely send people."

"No need to wait for Aurora City..."

The shadowed man slowly turned his head, looking towards a specific direction in the wind and snow. "An enforcer has been approaching and is almost here."

"We can't let him interrupt this. I'll stop him." Chu Muyun turned and started walking.

"No need."

"Why?"

"...Someone has already gone to stop him."