The Yellow-Haired Villain in Soaring Phoenix’s Novels Also Desires Happiness

Chapter 73, The Whisper of the God of Love (Part Thirteen)

“Where is this…”

As if his soul had been yanked through ten roller coasters, Mu En realized he had arrived in a strange space.

He looked up and surveyed his surroundings.

Endless red earth stretched to the horizon.

Dried plants, parched and shriveled, scattered like the pitiful hair on a middle-aged programmer’s head.

Aside from that, there was no sign of life.

The hot wind carried a nauseating scent of blood, cutting into his skin like a knife.

And high above in the sky, amidst the infinitely burning crimson flames, a massive and ferocious eye quietly floated.

Around the eye, like the halo of the sun, the contours spread out in layers like a kaleidoscope, but when Mu En focused his gaze, the dazzling corona turned out to be a cluster of dry hands swaying together in an orderly fashion.

“Holy shit, what is this?”

Once again shocked by this incomprehensibly disturbing scene, Mu En instinctively looked toward the black book, the root cause of it all.

The black book flipped rapidly, revealing one record after another from the past, finally settling on a record long forgotten by Mu En.

And that record documented the esteemed name of the being before him.

God of the Merging World.

Lord of the Crimson Sun.

King of Withering.

In short,

Another Evil God.

He had briefly appeared in the prayer of that assassin, exchanging a hundred portions of innocent children’s blood for power, and the strand of crimson flame he granted could even suppress the winds and snows of Celicia!

And now, he was standing right in front of this Evil God!

Mu En was shaken by this damned reality, his vision blackening as he clutched the black book and shook it frantically, gritting his teeth and saying:

“I asked you to tell me how to save An, not to bring me another Evil God!

What’s the plan? You want to drive the tiger to swallow the wolf and then sit back and reap the benefits? Do you believe that before the tiger even arrives, I’ll just have a cardiac arrest and die on you!”

The black book naturally wouldn’t answer.

But it seemed that Mu En’s commotion had startled the great King of Withering, who finally noticed this uninvited guest. Thus, his pupils turned, the fierce gaze fixating on this insignificant ant.

In that moment of being watched, countless frenzied thoughts surged into Mu En’s mind, like a school of fish drawn to bait.

So hot…

So burning…

So desperate to set something ablaze…

So eager to plunge the world into a sea of fire…

So wanting to go mad…

“Splash…”

The sound of pages turning arose, like a cool breeze sweeping away the heat.

Mu En regained his composure.

But before he could feel relieved, he looked at the black book in even greater terror.

Look at you.

You can’t even withstand a single glance, how am I supposed to play this out?

It seemed that Mu En’s ability to maintain his sanity brought a hint of surprise to those fierce eyes.

But it was also incredibly trivial.

Like finding a slightly larger ant at home.

But,

On this eternally dull red earth,

even a tiny ant seems enough to pique the interest of the… King of Withering?

Thus.

Like countless great bells striking simultaneously, a voice both majestic and eerie echoed.

Those sounds flowed, intertwined, and transformed over the red earth, eventually morphing into a familiar language in Mu En’s ears.

The language of humans.

【Human】

The King of Withering spoke with authority.

【Do you desire power?】

“Ah.”

Mu En was taken aback.

His mouth instinctively fell open, wide enough to fit a goose egg.

He couldn’t have misheard.

The lofty evil god had actually initiated a conversation with him?

For a moment, Mu En felt a bewildering thrill, as if he were being gently addressed by an idol.

He’s so gentle, I adore him.

Ah, wait, no, the evil god is asking if you want power—this can’t be anything but the beginning of a terrible plot!

He was completely bare, with nothing to offer as payment; he couldn’t possibly sell himself, could he?

The cautionary tale of Eluka was still fresh in his mind!

“Is this your way of salvation?”

Mu En glanced at the black book, feeling that it was utterly unreliable.

“Is this even feasible, sir? I know only magic can defeat magic, but driving away one evil god only to have another take its place—what’s the point?”

Wouldn’t An still be devoured?

The black book trembled slightly, as if in response.

Unfortunately, Mu En couldn’t understand it at all.

Then it suddenly floated up.

The pages turned, and one page detached, drifting toward that menacing eye.

Finally, it hovered before the throne of the King of Withering.

The King of Withering seemed curious about what a mere human could offer, casting a glance at the page.

Then, in the next moment, that curiosity turned into… disdain.

—

That’s right, it’s disdain, just like an honest person who often gets taken advantage of, seeing that scoundrel with a thousand knives walking over, holding a promissory note that will never be honored.

Good brother, lend me a bit.

Oh come on, it’s not like I won’t pay you back.

Why are you so stingy?

When I have it, I’ll definitely pay you back.

Definitely, definitely, the note is proof.

In Mu En’s imagination, the King of Withering must have seen this kind of lowlife, and that disdainful gaze must have felt so real and human.

Mu En had a fleeting sense that the King of Withering would wave its countless swaying little hands, as if to fling a big, menacing pouch at him.

Fortunately, it didn’t fling the big pouch, nor did it get angry and directly toss the black book aside, crushing Mu En, this little ant that had wandered into its home to play in the wild.

Instead, it seemed to be pondering something.

The King of Withering was deep in thought.

But it wasn’t long before, just a moment later.

A bony hand suddenly reached out from the void, grasping the page.

A majestic voice rang out once more.

【Exchange Achieved】

The King of Withering looked at Mu En.

【I can lend you power without charge】

【But】

A hint of mockery suddenly appeared in its fierce pupils.

The King of Withering pierced through Mu En entirely, as if seeing through everything about him.

Including his soul, with no secrets left.

【Do you really want to accept this】

【Accept, this power of mine, that humans call, the power of an evil god】

“……”

Mu En fell into silence.

The power to change everything was right in front of him, yet he hesitated.

He had to hesitate.

He wanted to live, and even more, he wanted to find happiness.

This was the small goal he had set for himself after crossing over.

But.

The dark god is the greatest source of misfortune in this world.

To be entangled with them, it’s hard to expect a good outcome.

Gaining the power of the dark god, even if temporarily free from the cost due to the black book.

But the causal link between oneself and the dark god will be utterly unbreakable.

A mark belonging to the dark god will be left upon him.

It is something akin to fate, difficult to easily shake off.

He may completely miss out on the very notion of “happiness.”

Even “living” itself may become more difficult than imagined.

……

“But do I have a choice?”

Mu En said with a light laugh.