đź“– Chapter 1356 - Freedom
“Good!” In response to Wang Baole’s bow, the eyes of the lump of meat that was the Desire Lord glittered. As the lump of meat nodded slightly, Zhou Huo and the other also cupped their fists toward Wang Baole.
Although Tuo Lingzi’s expression was dark, his eyes were full of doubts. After all, he saw his son, Cheng Lingzi, standing obediently next to Wang Baole. Despite having a weakened aura, both Cheng Lingzi’s body and soul showed no signs of harm. Moreover, much to Tuo Lingzi’s bewilderment, his son was even looking at Wang Baole with an admiring gaze.
Thus, Tuo Lingzi could do nothing but suppress his inner displeasure, bowing politely with an unhappy expression on his face.
Wang Baole didn’t care at all about Tuo Lingzi. Not even mentioning whether or not Cheng Lingzi could persuade the man, Wang Baole could already disregard most Gluttony Lords purely based on the level of his law of tongue’s desire.
There were only two people among the Gluttony Lord who could make him serious. Both of these people had displayed Desire Bodies over 500 zhang tall, and one of them had even been more than 700 zhang in height.
Wang Baole returned the Gluttony Lords’ greetings, sweeping his gaze across them one by one. At this moment, the residents of Tongue’s Desire City finally reacted and realized that the ninth Gluttony Lord had appeared. Uproarious cheers instantly erupted, and endless greetings echoed for a long time.
Tongue’s Desire City had been stuck with only eight Gluttony Lords for many years, so Wang Baole’s advancement was of great significance. Soon, the Desire Lord spoke up and announced that a special Gluttony Festival would be held without delay.
This announcement instantly caused Tongue’s Desire City to boil over in excitement. Even among the throngs of excited residents, it was the people in Ice Spirit Pavilion who were the most excited. The dwarf, who had always hated the little fatty for dragging such a monster into the shop that day, suddenly felt full of gratitude.
If you asked him about it now, he would definitely say that the little fatty’s actions were completely correct. After all, thanks to that day, Ice Spirit Pavilion had obtained a Gluttony Lord as a backer, and the employees had become direct subordinates of that Gluttony Lord.
Thus, the dwarf delightedly took the eyeball he had been chewing on out of his mouth and tossed it to the little fatty. Full of excitement, the little fatty quickly stuffed the eyeball back into its empty socket.
Just like that, an impromptu Gluttony Festival began in Tongue’s Desire City. At the same time, Wang Baole heard the voice of the Desire Lord.
“Master Icespirit, follow me.”
With that, the Desire Lord waved a fleshy right hand, and the surroundings suddenly blurred. Wang Baole and the Desire Lord instantly disappeared on the spot.
When they reappeared, they were already inside the mysterious City Lord Mansion.
The City Lord Mansion was located at the very center of Tongue’s Desire City, a tall pagoda that seemed to exist somewhere between reality and illusion. It was inside Tongue’s Desire City, but also not.
On the surface, it appeared to overlap with the altar at the center of the city, but its true location was in another layer of space.
At the center of this vast mansion, there was a huge bronze cauldron. Something was cooking in the cauldron, and perhaps had been cooking for many years already. As the cauldron boiled and bubbled, a rich aroma permeated the entire City Lord Mansion.
Apart from that singular cauldron, there was no other furnishing. Sitting cross-legged atop the giant cauldron, the Desire Lord looked at the ground below, where Wang Baole stood.
The moment Wang Baole appeared here, the huge cauldron immediately attracted his attention. In his eyes, this cauldron seemed to give off an ancient and primordial aura, as if it was an object originating from a bygone era. Although waves of fragrance emanated from it, its sense of decay couldn’t be concealed.
Looking up at the lump of meat that was the Desire Lord, Wang Baole cupped his fists and bowed again. Soon, a deep voice like muffled thunder echoed out from the Desire Lord atop the cauldron.
“The six laws of desire all originate from the god of this world…
“However, that divine being is slumbering, so we Desire Lords are in charge of the laws.
“As for you… No matter who you are, where you come from, or what you want to do, since you’ve become a Gluttony Lord, then you… are part of the law of tongue’s desire.” As the Desire Lord spoke, the boiling sound of the cauldron below grew louder, and steam came out and enveloped the Desire Lord’s fleshy body.
Wang Baole’s pupils suddenly contracted. He watched in shock as the Desire Lord’s body actually began to melt under the steam, with drops of blood sliding down into the cauldron below.
In an instant, the bubbling of the cauldron grew more intense, and the fragrance spreading in all directions became stronger.
“Desire Lord, you-” Wang Baole couldn’t help but speak up. However, he was quickly interrupted.
“My real body is inside this Tongue’s Desire Cauldron. The me you see in front of you right now is nothing more than a clone… just like you.” The Desire Lord on the cauldron shot Wang Baole a meaningful look.
Wang Baole was silent. Back when he entered the vortex at the start of the Great Hunt, he’d already been suspicious that the Tongue’s Desire Lord had seen through his identity. Now, it seemed that his suspicions were spot on. There was no point in trying to deceive an Almighty on this level.
“Recently, the Emperor Spirits appeared, and even the Protector took action. After that, the upper realm issued an edict, announcing that an outsider had secretly arrived in this world. We Desire Lords were asked to investigate the outsider’s whereabouts, and also offered a reward for success.” The lump of meat on the cauldron continued speaking. Although the Desire Lord’s tone of voice seemed casual, Wang Baole’s face warped in shock as he listened.
“Can you guess what this reward is?” The Desire Lord, whose fleshy body was still melting away in the steam, looked at Wang Baole intently. But before Wang Baole could answer, the lump of meat spoke again.
“Freedom!”
As that one word echoed in the air, Wang Baole was silent. The Desire Lord, too, fell silent for a while, then laughed mockingly.
“Freedom… How laughable that some people actually believe it. For example, there’s that girl, the Ear’s Desire Lord. Right now, she’s the one searching most diligently for the mysterious outsider.
“As a Desire Lord, her perception when it comes to the outside world are extremely sharp. If that outsider appears in front of her, she will immediately notice… and all she has to do then is summon the Emperor Spirits and the Protector in order to get the reward.
“Do you know how to avoid this perception?” Narrowing his eyes, the Desire Lord looked at Wang Baole. Wang Baole had been silent this entire time, making it impossible to see into his thoughts.
“Become part of her desire, just like how I became a Gluttony Lord here.” Wang Baole’s voice was calm.
“Correct, but that alone isn’t enough. There is another requirement, which is that… the Ear’s Desire Lord has to be heavily wounded, to the point where she must constantly use a rhythm to heal her injuries. Only then will she not detect any abnormalities.” As soon as he finished speaking, the Tongue’s Desire Lord looked straight into Wang Baole’s eyes, waiting for Wang Baole to give him an answer.
Although no question had been asked, the Tongue’s Desire Lord believed that Wang Baole would understand what he really meant.