Chapter 136: Infinite Cannon Fodder (26)

Under her fervent gaze, Arnold felt his entire body flush with heat. His throat bobbed slightly as he found himself momentarily speechless.

How could he not miss her? He had spent the entire previous night waiting for her return. Though he could have easily stepped out of this room, he feared that doing so might make him miss her arrival.

One night wasn’t enough; he had continued waiting into a second evening. Arnold couldn’t help but wonder if she was toyng with him again. She wanted him to choose her, yet she seemed to care little about what she herself had said!

Perhaps she viewed his beliefs as nothing more than a joke, wanting only to see him waver for her sake—a cruel woman indeed.

Yet when this woman stood before him, expressing her remorse, Arnold forgave her breach of promise so effortlessly. In fact, he even… rejoiced at her presence.

He truly was a fool.

“How did you manage to untie those ropes?” Tong Ling’s eyes fell on the severed knot on the ground and the missing dagger from its original place. “Arnold, you could have escaped last night. Why didn’t you leave?”

Her fingers traced the cut in the handsome cultivator’s robes, unable to conceal the amusement in her voice. “And your clothes—do you really want them open like that, giving me such a clear view?”

Blushing slightly, Arnold gathered his tattered clothes and rasped, “You locked the door—how could I possibly get out…?”

“Even your voice is hoarse now.” Tong Ling gently caressed Arnold’s throat and said remorsefully, “It’s all my fault for keeping you confined for so long. Aren’t you terribly thirsty?”

The memories of that night instantly resurfaced. Arnold involuntarily swallowed, his gaze drifting as he replied hesitantly, ”…Thirsty.”

“What if I don’t have any water?” Tong Ling encircled Arnold’s neck with her arm and unhesitatingly straddled the legs of this supposedly “prudish” monk.

Arnold’s thighs tensed immediately; his hands almost instinctively wrapped around the woman’s slender waist, and his body leaned closer to hers.

Once again, he caught the scent of her perfume and felt the warmth of her skin.

“Tell me, Arnold, what do you want to do?” Tong Ling pushed away the monk who had nearly buried his face in her neck, then lifted his chin. “Just say it—you know I always give you a chance.”

“I’m thirsty…” Arnold’s eyes inadvertently fell on the woman’s lips. He thought, She must have drunk plenty before coming here, otherwise her lips couldn’t be so full and moist…

Tong Ling looked exasperated. “Well, saying this doesn’t help me understand what you want.”

Arnold remained silent.

He knew Tong Ling was doing it deliberately; she was well aware of his thoughts, but she simply enjoyed tormenting and teasing him.

She had set traps for him, laid down pitfalls, dragged him into hell, and even wanted him to admit aloud that this stemmed from his own desires.

Why does such a wicked woman exist in this world? Her very existence is a sin.

“If you have nothing to say, then I’ll be leaving.” As Tong Ling attempted to stand up, Arnold’s hand tightened around her wrist.

“Arnold?”

Before Tong Ling could ask again, Arnold whispered, “I want to kiss you.”

Taken aback, Tong Ling replied, “What are you saying?”

”…,” Arnold fell silent.

He closed his mouth, feeling utterly ashamed just for uttering those words. How—how could he say something like that?!

“So Arnold wants to kiss me now?” The corners of Tong Ling’s lips curved upwards as her hands moved behind the cultivator’s head, gently massaging the nape of his neck. “That’s fine.” She spoke softly, “Last time I kissed you first, so this time… let Arnold do the kissing.” Smiling, she added, “I won’t refuse you.”

In a daze, Arnold felt Tong Ling sitting in his arms. All he needed to do was lean down slightly and he could kiss her…

In truth, there was no need to resist anymore. What difference did it make if he sinned once or twice? Besides, his merciful Lord had already forgiven him; his faith in God and his feelings for Tong Ling were not mutually exclusive.

Arnold lowered his head, slowly bringing his lips closer to Tong Ling’s. Before he could even reach her, she parted her own.

Her eyes clearly conveyed temptation as he gazed upon her pink tongue and white teeth. He knew that she relished seeing him captivated by her allure.

For a moment, Arnold froze. Then, losing all restraint, he forcefully kissed her when their lips finally met.

His throat bobbed with swallowed emotion, his arms tightening around her like a parched traveler who had stumbled upon a life-giving spring. Once again, he realized unmistakably—he needed her, he couldn’t live without her.

“Enough! That’s enough.” Tong Ling tugged at Arnold’s hair, pushing aside this out-of-control man while gasping for breath. “I didn’t force myself on you at any point during this encounter… Have you… made your choice?”

Arnold refused to let go of her embrace. “Ling,” he said earnestly, “there’s no need to choose. Being together is not a sin.”

Arnold proved this with his very life. The Lord had granted him rebirth, and he would spend eternity believing in Him, offering up the finest sacrifices to his Creator!

Tong Ling furrowed her brow. “No need to choose? You’re still as greedy as before, wanting everything?”

“I won’t hide you away from the world.” Arnold took Tong Ling’s hand, pressing her pale, smooth palm against his lips. “Whether you want our relationship to be public or even marriage, it’s all possible.”

Tong Ling hesitated, her expression complex. “Are you sure you… can marry me?”

In the false memories created by the Main God, she had abandoned Arnold because he couldn’t marry her. Last time, she had even blamed Arnold, calling him greedy and dishonest. How could Arnold have already considered marrying her so soon?

“Yes,” Arnold lifted his head, the hesitation gone from his eyes. “Don’t leave me, Ling.”

“Wasn’t that what made you angry? Whatever you desire, I will achieve it!” Arnold said.

“Then did you fulfill my wish for you to believe in me?” Tong Ling decided to steer the conversation back to this point. She cupped Arnold’s face, saying, “The person you value most must be me! You cannot keep any secrets from me, Arnold. Between your Lord and me, who would you choose?”

Arnold couldn’t make a choice.

Tong Ling sneered, then decisively stood up. “How pitiful, I thought of you, cared for you, yet you can’t even handle such a simple choice!”

“I don’t want to deceive you.” Arnold’s face was solemn as he took Tong Ling’s hand and placed it over his chest. “For you, I would even give up my life. Is this not enough proof of how I feel about you?”

Under Tong Ling’s palm, there were no wounds on the skin above Arnold’s heart. His pulse raced, but strangely… its rhythm far exceeded that of a normal person. There was also an ever-present stickiness, as if something were wriggling within her hand…

“Ah!” Tong Ling cried out in alarm, swiftly withdrawing her hand. When she spread her fingers, she discovered a strange liquid had coated her palm.

The sensation was utterly bizarre, like something slimy had licked her.

m577, rarely witnessing such significant emotional fluctuations in its host, hastily explained:

Since his host had insisted on tackling the dungeon himself, m577 hadn’t previously disclosed any details about it. Now that the host had experienced everything there was to experience, the contents of the dungeon were more or less clear. There was no need for m577 to withhold information anymore.

“tentacles?” Tong Ling pushed aside Arnold’s cultivation robes, noticing something clearly wriggling beneath his skin.

Thinking its host might be frightened, m577 offered, Would you like me to take care of this?

It eagerly awaited for the host to seek its help!

Tong Ling’s gaze towards Arnold grew even more intrigued. “No need. Assembling tentacles with humans… isn’t that quite interesting?”

m577 felt an inexplicable sense of unease in the atmosphere. …Something is off.

Tong Ling ignored the System’s remark and placed her hand once again upon Arnold’s body.

“No wonder he couldn’t make a choice. For someone granted a second life, their faith in the divine cannot be shaken.”

“The players are of no use now; only Arnold can complete the main god’s scenario in this instance,” Tong Ling thought swiftly, making her decision promptly. “Have the system within Arnold send a message to the main god, saying that he will undoubtedly accomplish his task and summon Him forth.”

This small world—or rather, this instance—had been perfected by the main god, so everything must proceed according to its rules.

Tong Ling was uncertain about the full extent of the main god’s powers, so she couldn’t place all the burden on Xiao-M’s shoulders. It would be wise to lull the main god into complacency as well.

While Tong Ling conversed with Xiao-M, her hand was gently touched again by that slippery thing. This time, she didn’t intend to pull away. She wanted to grasp hold of that slime-covered tentacle, but it wriggled away far too quickly.

“It seems to like you very much.” Arnold had no intention of hiding anything from her and resolved to show Tong Ling the greatness of the Lord.

“What is that?” Concern filled Tong Ling’s face. “What happened to your body?”

“Don’t be afraid, Ling.” Arnold didn’t want to frighten her, so he cautiously extended one of his shrunken tentacles, carefully wrapping it around her finger. “This is the Lord’s blessing.”

Tong Ling wasn’t frightened; she was merely curious. She playfully nudged the clingy little tentacles, only to see that after removing her hand, Arnold’s empty chest had been completely filled by these cone-shaped appendages. The sight initially gave her a momentary sense of losing sanity points…

The Main God could have chosen various methods to heal Arnold, so why did it specifically choose this form for him to live on? Was it simply sadistic?

However, as Tong Ling observed Arnold’s excited expression, she suddenly understood the Main God’s actions.

To create an awe-inspiring deity, it must have drawn inspiration from Lovecraftian Outer Gods. As for why Tong Ling didn’t mistake the identity of the god during the invocation ceremony, there were numerous clues indicating this “deity” lacked true mystique.

As a believer, Arnold never lost his rationality, falling short of the corrupted madness one would expect in such characters.

Qiao Qian, despite being a prophetic witch, showed no signs of significant trauma from her dream experiences. She could even recount everything that happened within those dreams, and her physical health remained unimpaired. Even if this wasn’t an encounter with a true divine entity, it seemed too effortless.

Upon seeing the altar in the basement, Tong Ling became even more convinced of her theory.

Though the runic formations looked dizzying, even an ordinary person like Tong Ling remained mentally stable within them. Rather than saying the altar was terrifying, it would be more accurate to say that the basement’s layout was dark and frightening.

Tong Ling suspected the bloodstains on the ground were the work of the castle’s owner—the vampire prince Holly Wyatt. It was possible that the basement had once housed many blood slaves; after drawing their blood so often, the floor naturally became stained with dried blood.

The corner of m577’s mouth twitched.

“Did the Main God ever have any awe?” Tong Ling scoffed. “All day long, He’s obsessed with those melodramatic romance stories. And look at what He’s done—He threw me into a horror scenario and even gave me all these ex-boyfriends.”

“Ever since He set those scripts in motion, I can’t take Him seriously anymore.”

m577 had been filled with anxiety about the upcoming divine manifestation ceremony in just a few days. But after hearing his host’s words, his confidence swelled considerably.

The Main God is a product of technology, he thought. Its technological level has been inherited by us. There’s no reason we couldn’t evolve to become a new Main God!

m577 clenched his fists and eagerly set off to work, brimming with renewed vigor.

Arnold was unaware of how much Tong Ling had comprehended in such a short time; he simply wanted to merge his faith with his love.

“Sweetheart,” Arnold began, “my very existence is due to the presence of our Lord!” The tentacles within his heart, influenced by his emotions, gradually extended and swayed as he fell into an intensely fervent state. Gripping Tong Ling’s hand, he continued, “Join me in believing in and praising the Lord. When He descends upon this world, you and I will be among His chosen ones. Together, we’ll usher in the most perfect new era!”

Well, well! Just when I thought he wasn’t insane—he pulls out something utterly delusional!

Tong Ling decided not to argue with a zealot. Instead, she played along, asking, “The most perfect new era? Does the Lord wish to transform this world?”

“Precisely,” Arnold nodded. “This world has far too many dark creatures. The Lord will purify them, restoring peace to all!”

Arnold sought to make Tong Ling believe in the Lord, hoping it would grant her a rebirth as well!

“How can we bring about the Lord’s descent?” Tong Ling asked.

“The Incarnation Ceremony,” Arnold replied. “I shall prepare the necessary sacrifices to welcome the Lord through ritual!”

“Do you wish for me to join you?” Arnold’s eyes burned with passion.

Tong Ling smiled warmly. “Of course.”