The emperor jumped when he realized Alex could control a Chaos Tree. He thought what would
happen if he were to receive recognition from the Chaos Tree. He then imagined this scenario but
shook his head right after.
âEven if I did get the tree, it wouldnât be of any use to me. Itâs not aligned with my strong beliefs, so it
would just lead me down another path.â
âAs the Palatial, the Emperor of the Underworld was just a shell that I lent.â
Everything he did was to bring the Siddhartha realm back up. Itâs just that his journey was different from
the old Buddhist ways. Hence, he calmed down but felt rather disappointed upon realization. He still
insisted that Rachel chose wrongly.
Alex possessed the Ten-Point Forbidden Spells and the ability to control the Chaos Tree. Even then,
these powers would not be able to further his path in Buddhism.
On the contrary, these powers would only distract him from his main path, which would turn into
obstacles in the long term.
âRachel, you should have chosen me!â
Just then, the broken spear disappeared into thin air, replaced by the corroded sword that once
belonged to the Corpse King⦠Within seconds, the Chaos Tree was able to take the sword as its own,
even wiping the Corpse Kingâs mental mark off.
âLooks like heâs one of his kind. He received the Chaos Treeâs recognition after all,â the emperor said
softly to himself.
He noticed Shelly looking at him as she stood on Persephoneâs Folly Bridge.
He grinned. âRachel, this guy you found is pretty lucky. But thatâs all he is. Itâs impossible for him to be
the leader of the Buddhists, turning us into the strongest clan in the universe. Buddhists need someone
who truly understands Buddhism. However, he has learned such random skills, which just makes him
impure.â
âSo, Rachel, why donât you join me instead?â
âDo what with you? Be a traitor, a villain against Buddhism? Or worse, a demon king?â
Shellyâs words were as sharp as needles, piercing right through his heart. In an instant, he was
aggravated, screaming hysterically. He wanted to make Shelly regret saying such things to him.
At the same time, Shelly was observing the Soul Collection Coffin closely.
The gravitational force was digesting the trialists and bone demons on top of the Underworld Tomb. At
the same time, the ones possessed by the weird energy started coming back to their senses.
Upon waking up, everyone was horrified to the point it made them sweat cold bullets. Their own two
feet were standing inside of a coffin, next to a grave dug out just for them.
Many started shrieking in fear as if this situation was a nightmare to them⦠Some were actually
sleeping at the time, yet summoned by the emperor while being asleep.
One couldnât possibly stay calm after waking up to this.
âWhere is this?â
âWhere am I?â
âWho am I?â
Every person started asking themselves such questions after being awakened.
âAhhh!!!â
âWhy am I here? This is a graveyard! Have I died?â
Just then, a loud, clear female voice rang through the crowd. âChase, arenât we going to the foreign
divine mountain to look for Lunafreya? Weâre not even at the shore yet, so why are we here?â
This woman wasnât just anyone. She was Lunethâs best friend, Cecilia.
âHuh, I didnât expect them to be summoned here either. And they were saved by Alexâs Soul Collection
Coffin by coincidence.â
Shellyâs calm voice echoed within the tomb. âYou all have been held captive by the Emperor of the
Underworld. His goal was to borrow your lives to gain power. But the catch is⦠Heâs not returning what
he borrowed. Just look aroundâ¦â
Her voice sounded mysterious, chiming in all the trialistsâ ears, and hearing this right after waking up
only confused and frightened them more.
âUsing our lives⦠Without returning them too. Isnât that equivalent to killing us?â
Moreover, the emperor was personally participating in this battle.
âF*ck. Is anyone going to tell us what weâre supposed to do now?â
Shelly continued. âDo you guys see that sea of tombstones? Yeah, thatâs what would happen to you all.
If you die here, you will turn into a tombstone, with nothing of you left in this plane.â
âImpossible!â
âI refuse to believe this. Why would something like that happen?â