"So, do you still want me to stay here?" Rocky asked.
"Well, it's up to you. The door's restriction has already been broken, so there's no way to hinder you. If
you want to leave, then I won't force you to stay," Esteban responded casually as he waved his hand.
"I see. I will leave when I want to. But for now, I think I will stay for a while," Rocky replied flatly.
"Ha! What an interesting fellow!" Esteban let out a sneer and said nothing more.
"By the way, can I ask something? What is the God-worshipping Ritual?" Rocky inquired when he
suddenly remembered that he heard about it when he hid near the round platform.
"Oh, that? To put it simply, it is the worship of the gods. The ritual can summon the gods that the people
worship. Moreover, in that same ritual, the gods will select the so-called Godly Genius, whom they will
bestow a divine power," Esteban explained briefly.
"Gods? Are you saying that there are several gods in this continent?" Rocky asked as it easily caught
his attention.
"That is right. There are indeed gods that lived here on the continent, and their power is easily stronger
than that of the members of the Shura Race. Actually, I also did not believe it before. But after I
participated in the God-worshipping Ritual for the first time, I saw the gods with my own eyes.
Therefore, I believe that they exist in this world." While Esteban was saying this, the expression on his
face became peaceful and solemn.
"Now, that's interesting," Rocky said with a playful smile. He used to be the successor of the Holy Lord
of the Star Divine Race and possessed an incomparable divine power. Therefore, even if gods really
did exist in this world, he did not need to be surprised.
"The members of the Shura Race pay great importance to this ritual. Hence, during that period, the
entire Ghost Capital will be heavily guarded to prevent anyone from making any malicious trouble. If I
were you, I would stay in the Ghost Palace," Esteban suggested.
"It turns out that there are still a lot of people who want to make trouble in the territory of the leader,
huh?" Rocky let out a faint smile as he shook his head.
"There are actually a total of nine leaders in the Shura Race. Each of them works for the royal family by
ruling a specific territory. The members of the Shura Race believe that the strongest one deserves to
get more. Thus, the nine leaders try to expand their territories in every possible method there is. At the
same time, the royal family does not directly interfere in this competition. In addition to the alliances,
the leaders do every means just to disrupt the others' jurisdiction. The God-worshipping Ritual only
happens once every ten years. Hence, if it is destroyed and the gods are defiled, it will be such a bad
thing for all of the leaders!"
"It seems that even if it is against their own kind, the Shura Race remains to be bloodthirsty war freaks.
Ironically, this kind of thinking also improves the overall strength of the entire race."
"I also agree. The only problem is that because of this ridiculous system, the population of the Shura
Race is getting smaller and smaller. Hence, in order to ensure the prosperity of their race, they have no
choice but to capture various masters from various alien worlds and bring them back here to become
members of the Shura Race. That is the main reason why there are members of the human race and
the spiritual race within the Shura Race," Esteban explained.
"Although the members of the Shura Race are known to be cruel, I actually admire that many of them
are smart rulers," Rocky remarked.
"Smart? Ha-ha! Do you really think that those barbarous beings can think of such a method by
themselves? The Shura Race is under the command of their gods. That is why they could control the
entire continent," Esteban said as he suddenly burst into laughter.
"I see. No wonder they really give importance to worshipping those gods," Rocky responded
indifferently.
"However, the matter within the Shura Race has nothing to do with you. For now, you just need to stay
and be at ease in the Ghost Palace. When the God-worshipping Ritual is over, I will find an opportunity
to sneak you away from the Shura Race," Esteban said casually.
"Why are you helping me? It's just that I don't think you can get any benefit from it."
"Ha-ha! Did I say that I want something in return? I just don't want you to get involved in all this chaos
within the Shura Race. Moreover, both of us know that you have a special relationship with the Di
Clan," Esteban sneered as he shot a meaningful glance at Rocky.
"How did you know about..." Rocky was stunned and was not able to finish his sentence. He didn't
expect that Esteban would know that he was involved with the Di Clan. His eyes narrowed and he
wondered how he knew about it.
"Well, I have said too much. Come on! Work for me now, and don't be lazy," Esteban uttered and
immediately revealed a serious expression on his face.
Although Rocky was very intrigued, he didn't think it was the right time to pry about these things. So, he
just fell silent and continued doing what Esteban asked him to.
Just as Esteban said, the atmosphere in the leader's mansion really became different as soon as the
God-worshipping Ritual was about to begin. Although Rocky only moved quite near the Ghost Palace,
he could clearly perceive that more guards were patrolling the area more frequently.
Then, a few days later, Esteban, who had always dressed slovenly, suddenly appeared wearing a
decent colorful robe.
He even asked Rocky to help him trim his hair and beard. As soon as he was tidied up, he looked like a
formidable master.
Although Rocky didn't actually know how powerful Esteban was, he could only speculate that his
strength was most probably above the Emperor Realm. Otherwise, he should have already discerned
his cultivation base with ease.
"So, is the God-worshipping Ritual being held today? You are dressed so nicely and you look rather
handsome today," Rocky uttered with a faint smile.
"Yeah, you guessed that right. If only the leader didn't ask me to attend it all the time, there's no way
that I will take part in it!" Esteban said in an annoyed tone.
"Well, aren't you famous and venerable? By the way, I think I haven't asked, but what is the difference
between the God-worshipping Ritual and the human race's ritual?" Rocky asked out of curiosity.
"Do you want to see it for yourself?" Esteban asked nonchalantly as he easily saw through Rocky's
mind.
"I can? Well, it really is a rare chance, so of course, I want to see it. I expect that it will be an eye-
opener," Rocky answered with a huge smile.
"Fine. I can take you there, but you have to make sure to stick with me all the time. Once the leader
finds out that you are still alive, there is no way that I can protect you." Rocky had already stayed with
Esteban for three months, so the two of them had gradually become close. Since Rocky was curious
about the ritual, Esteban deemed that it was just fine.
"Don't worry. I'll make sure to behave myself," Rocky quickly replied.
"But of course, you will need to disguise yourself." After saying that, Esteban went to pick a random
human skin mask from his box of masks. Upon soaking it in a potion, he handed it to Rocky.
Then, Rocky hurriedly put the mask on. After a moment, the features of his face really changed to a
different one.
"All right. Let's go." Esteban took a glance at Rocky and deemed that his disguise was perfect. After
that, they left the Ghost Palace and proceeded to the leader's mansion.
Since Rocky had been quite familiar with the surroundings of the leader's mansion, he was able to
keep his head down along the way, showing no curiosity. After all, someone might find that he was
acting suspiciously if he kept looking around.
Although Esteban usually just stayed in the Ghost Palace and rarely went out, it seemed that the
members of the mansion were afraid of him. In fact, everyone they encountered was respectful of him.
That was when Rocky realized that Esteban must really have a high status in the mansion.
As Esteban and Rocky continued to walk, they saw gorgeous beast chariots moving in a certain
direction in an orderly manner. Apparently, these chariots carried the big shots in the Ghost Fief, and
they were all invited to participate in the God-worshipping Ritual.
"Hey, Esteban!" Out of nowhere, one of the beast chariots stopped. Then, a fat and shrewd-looking
man sitting inside called Esteban out.
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