My starting summon is a small skeleton

Feng Xiu was clearly very eager to get his hands on the "Angel Wings."

Just after the Third Apostle had sent him a message about capturing the Ninth Apostle, his people arrived in District 11 the very next day.

"This is what you wanted."

A person shrouded in a black cloak handed a delicate leather case to the Third Apostle.

The Third Apostle opened it and saw exactly what he had been longing for.

It was an epic material known as the "Fallen Heart."

This was something he had coveted for a long time, which might help improve the "Fallen Knight's" quality.

To ascend to epic status, quality was a significant hurdle.

If the quality did not reach epic level, then no matter how much effort was put in, it was impossible to truly ascend to epic status and master epic power.

This was why the Third Apostle was only an Epic 0 Star.

Now that he finally had the item in his possession, there was hope of cultivating the "Fallen Knight" to a legendary quality, and he might have a chance to become a genuine epic-level powerhouse.

But he just couldn't feel happy right now.

After all, his very life was no longer in his own hands.

Whether this item could be his was even more uncertain.

As the Third Apostle looked at the "Fallen Heart" with a mixture of complexity and melancholy, the delivery person beside him was particularly insensitive.

"We've fulfilled your requirements, now it's your turn to uphold your promise.

Please immediately bring your people and this item with you to District 8.

Lord Feng Xiu has been waiting for you for a long time."

As soon as the other party spoke, the Third Apostle immediately looked up, his eyes dull as he stared at the person before him without saying a word, but his gaze made the man feel nervous.

He took an involuntary step back.

"What are you trying to do?

I am Lord Feng Xiu's man!"

The Third Apostle didn't respond and instead took out a syringe filled with black liquid from his chest, slowly approaching the man.

This scared the man terribly, and he kept retreating.

"Don't come any closer, don't come any closer, don't come any closer... Ah..."

...

More than an hour later.

The person who had just delivered the "Fallen Heart" to the Third Apostle walked out of the Secret Realm of District 11, clutching the spot where he had just received an injection, his eyes full of terror.

Yes, in the past hour, he had lived through what might be the darkest moment of his life.

So much so that now, just thinking about the person he had just seen, he couldn't help but shudder all over.

"That man is simply the devil!"

Before coming, he could never have imagined that his life would change so drastically because of a delivery.

If he had known what was going to happen, he definitely would not have chosen to come.

But now, it was too late to say anything.

There was already something of that devil inside him; whether he liked it or not, he belonged to that devil, unless he wished to die, otherwise, he could only obediently do the bidding of that person.

He sighed deeply.

This cross-district delivery person, carrying a case with "Angel Wings" inside, made his way back to District 8.

Upon his return, he immediately met with Feng Xiu.

Unsurprisingly, Feng Xiu took this visit very seriously and after meeting, inquired about many details from the messenger.

The delivery person answered respectfully and honestly, but his intelligence was not extensive.

He could only report that the Third Apostle would bring the Ninth and Zhengdaguangming to apologize after some time.

Feng Xiu asked a couple more questions, and when the delivery person could not answer, Feng Xiu turned his attention to the "Angel Wings" that had been brought back.

Immediately, he summoned the most outstanding Cultivation Master in District 8 to appraise the "Angel Wings."

The Cultivation Master spent a full two hours to thoroughly examine the "Angel Wings" using over a dozen methods and ultimately concluded that the item seemed to be problem-free.

This should have been reassuring for Feng Xiu.

However, upon hearing this verdict, Feng Xiu became even more anxious.

"It's impossible for there to be no issues!"

If Zhengdaguangming was indeed Lu Wu, then there was absolutely no way these Angel Wings were without problems.

As the best possible tool that the other side could use against him, Feng Xiu simply did not believe that the item was problem-free. Upon his insistence, the Cultivation Master conducted another five-hour inspection.

This time, a different result was obtained.

The "Angel Wings" might have an issue.

"My lord, after a thorough examination, I've found that these Angel Wings appear to have been subtly refined. This level of refinement is minimal and wouldn't be detected without deep inspection," reported the subordinate Cultivation Master.

"What impact does this kind of refinement have on its future use?" Feng Xiu asked, getting straight to the point.

"Under normal circumstances, there would be no impact. However, if the refined item makes an appearance when the 'Angel Wings' are outputting energy at a high frequency, it could likely cause an interruption or chaos in the energy output, which might incur incalculable damage to the ceremony."

Hearing his subordinate's words, a smile appeared on Feng Xiu's lips.

Indeed, his suspicions had not been wrong.

The "Angel Wings" did have an issue, and for someone to employ such a discreet method, one that even the best Cultivation Master in District 8 took half a day and great effort to detect, it was clear that the opponent's expertise in cultivation was far from simple.

This further confirmed Feng Xiu's previous speculation that Zhengdaguangming was Lu Wu, and Lu Wu was Zhengdaguangming.

At the same time, it also confirmed that Lu Wu would definitely be present at the upcoming ceremony.

"This makes me look forward to the upcoming ceremony even more!" Feng Xiu murmured, unaware of the complex emotions on the face of the delivery person beside him.

...

While Feng Xiu was making all sorts of preparations and spreading his nets wide to catch Lu Wu, he couldn't have imagined that his net had already been pierced with a nail the day it was cast, and the news about his big net had already been leaked.

Inside the Secret Realm of the Zero Organization in District 11,

Lu Wu raised his eyebrows slightly as he read the message brought by the delivery person.

Receiving the message did indeed startle him.

"This guy figured out it was me?

And he's also preparing a big net for me?"

Fortunately, he had decided on a whim to take action against that delivery person; otherwise, foolishly stepping into the trap might have been a one-way trip.

This also made Lu Wu grateful that he had developed that potion.

"It's a pity that this type of potion isn't very useful against epic-level powerhouses, and even controlling a king-level powerhouse requires a massive amount of legendary-quality materials."

Otherwise, dealing with "Zero" would be very simple for Lu Wu. He just needed to mass-produce potions, give every member of the Zero Organization an injection, and he could gain complete control over the Zero Organization.

However, it was currently impossible for him to gain complete control over the Zero Organization.

But it was still possible for him to develop a force that belonged to him within the "Zero Organization."

The incident where he controlled the Third Apostle and the courier made Lu Wu taste the sweetness of power.

He began to wonder if he could use potions as a means to covertly expand his own influence within the "Zero Organization"?

Hmm, the reason he had such a thought wasn't because his manipulative attribute had surged, wanting to be the behind-the-scenes boss. Instead, he realized that having a force of his own would be very convenient.

Whether it was for resources or intelligence gathering, it would be of great help.

Thus, after much consideration, Lu Wu decided to go for it.

While Feng Xiu was busy setting up a trap for Lu Wu, Lu Wu was also busy on his end.

He collected materials in large quantities and produced a large amount of Black Potions and the corresponding suppression medicine.

At the same time, Lu Wu found Number 72.

Lu Wu wanted to create a force behind the scenes, which definitely required helpers, people to help manage the trivial matters.

And at the moment, Lu Wu didn't have many people he could use.

Lu Wu calculated it himself.

The Ninth Apostle was good to him because her father was Lu Haikong, so there was not much emotional foundation between them, and she hadn't taken the potion.

Therefore, he couldn't possibly hand this task over to her unless he fed her the potion.

But considering his own self-interest and conscience, Lu Wu ultimately gave up on the Ninth Apostle.

Then there was the Third Apostle.

Lu Wu had some understanding of this newly acquired underling.

With formidable power, and being so cautious as to be a bit cowardly, he should be an ideal candidate.

But because he was too powerful, Lu Wu eventually gave up on choosing him.

After all, the Third Apostle was almost at Lu Wu's limit of control. If he advanced further, Lu Wu wouldn't be able to control him.

Moreover, even if he didn't advance further, the potion in his body was only effective for a limited time.

After two or three months, it would dissipate, making the cost of controlling him too high and the risk of betrayal too great, so Lu Wu had to give him up as well.

In the end, Lu Wu had no choice but to pick Number 72.

This guy had average power, was quite cowardly and easy to manipulate, but most importantly, he was clever enough for Lu Wu's purposes.

As it turned out, Number 72 was indeed up to the task.

After Lu Wu took him in and assigned him a few tasks, he indeed delivered a performance that was quite satisfactory to Lu Wu.

With his help, in just a few short days, relying on the "Black Potion," the organizational framework of "Dark" was roughly established.

However, time was something that Lu Wu felt he had less and less of.

He had only just set up the "Dark" organization framework with Number 72.

Then news arrived from Feng Xiu's side.

His preparations were basically complete, and the ritual was set to start in five days.

With this message, Lu Wu faced a choice.

The trap had been set for him; now the question was whether or not to go.

Faced with this choice, Lu Wu didn't hesitate for long before he made a decision.

"Go, they've been preparing for so long; it's only proper to join in and play along."

......

The date reached November 23rd.

There were just two days left until the ritual began.

On this day, the Third Apostle brought Zhengdaguangming (Righteous Light) to the base in District 8.

Greeting him was Feng Xiu's right-hand man, the thirteenth Apostle.

"Why only one?"

Number 13 looked at the individual brought by the Third Apostle, who was so battered that even his mother wouldn't recognize him, and frowned.

"The Ninth Apostle is part of our faction, after all. If I hand her over to Lord Feng Xiu, I'll have a hard time explaining it to the leader when he returns."

With one sentence, the Third Apostle blocked Number 13's protest.

He looked at the Third Apostle, glanced at the Zhengdaguangming (Righteous Light), said no more, waved his hand to direct his men to take away the person from the Third Apostle, and invited the Third Apostle into the base.

While the Third Apostle had just been welcomed into the base,

Feng Xiu's side had already received the news.

In addition to learning about the Third Apostle's arrival, they had also received the results of the Righteous Light identity check.

"His entire body's energy has been destroyed, nine-tenths of his physical functions are ruined, and his face is disfigured. The only thing that could prove his identity is a Divine Artifact that appears to be of Legendary Quality."

Feng Xiu's mouth twitched when he heard the results.

"A self-harming deception? Or a body double?"

He didn't know which it was, but it didn't matter.

Whatever the situation, everything would be clear during the ritual.

Later, Feng Xiu, as if he had really forgotten about the Third Apostle, threw himself wholeheartedly into the preparations for the ritual.

November 25th.

The day the ritual was scheduled to begin.

Feng Xiu smoothly completed all the preparations for the ritual and began it as scheduled on that day.

The ritual wasn't conducted at his base, but in a city within District 8.

Yes, in a city.

And what's more, it was a city with a population of over a million people.

Over the past half a year, he had secretly transformed the target city into various forms.

It had now been turned into a gigantic altar.

Once the ritual began, the entire city would come to life, at which point the city with its population of over a million would become his sacrifice.

He would use the lives of these millions of people to repair his injuries and possibly even augment his power.

After the ritual, the population of this city would not die.

However, they would gradually be eroded by Evil Energy and slowly turn into mindless monsters within a month.

Such was the method of the "Zero Organization."

Utterly cruel, devoid of humanity.

"Wouldn't any righteous person want to stop this sort of ritual?"

Standing in the central altar of the city, Feng Xiu smiled slightly as he surveyed his surroundings.

Although he couldn't see Lu Wu, he knew Lu Wu must be present.

Based on his understanding of these naïve young people living in District 1, Lu Wu was bound to have a severe case of hero syndrome. Lu Wu would definitely not just stand by and watch these millions of people being sacrificed.

Not to mention, after the sacrifice of these millions of people, his nemesis, Lu Wu, was set to recover from his injuries.

So, he was sure that Lu Wu would make a move.

"Come on, don't you want to kill me? Here's your chance to kill me and be the hero!"

As he spoke, Feng Xiu spread his arms wide, and the ritual beneath him officially began to operate…