By nightfall, the battle at the edge of the Abyssal Forest had concluded. With many of their corrupted demonic beasts and Acolytes dead or captured by the forces of Neutral and Righteous Faction in the area, the Poison Demon Cult retreated to their stronghold.
No one chased after them, after all. They already located where they were holing up and the Poison Demon Cult currently had a way to control the demonic beasts in the area, even sending scouts had to be thorough, or else, they might lose people just for a bit of information.
Contrary to the bloody and somewhat chaotic battlefield, the Divine Convenience Store continued welcoming customers, some of which were the Elders like Yu Qingyan, replenishing what they used during the battle.
And while they were at it, Lin Mo never missed an opportunity to belt his sales pitches, making them fork out more spirit stones than they intended.
Naturally, most of them also questioned Lin Mo about the effectiveness of the store's product but he simply spit out the same answer he gave to Yu Qingyan. That made them give up temporarily but he knew they would keep bugging him with answers whenever they visit in the following days.
Inside the Abyssal Forest, in the stronghold of the Poison Demon Cult, Luo Ming paced around outside the High Priest's room as he waited to be called in.
He had gotten the report about the recent skirmish. Knowing that they suffered a lot of casualties because of the store's products that the cultivators wielded, he couldn't help but wonder how the High Priest would react.
He knew the High Priest as a ruthless leader who was also merciless even to his subordinates while faithfully serving the will of the Poison Demon. However, these past two days, ever since he got a taste of the store's products, the High Priest had been acting strangely.
The advance forces weren't truly meant to invade, they were merely supposed to be a distraction to allow Luo Ming to infiltrate and visit the store. But despite returning early with the said products, the High Priest confined himself within his room the moment Luo Ming handed them to him without calling back the advance forces.
Because of that, their forces suffered serious casualties, especially in the demonic beast department that they painstakingly corrupted to be used for invasion.
'Isn't our goal for establishing this stronghold and gathering those beasts to expand our territory? Then, why did this happen?' Luo Ming pondered as he clenched his fists on his sides.
Just as he was about to lose his patience and knock on the door to demand an explanation from the High Priest, his raspy voice came from within.
Upon hearing it, Luo Ming felt a chill run down his spine as he instantly pushed away his indignant thoughts.
He straightened his expression and pushed open the heavy wooden door.
The chamber remained dimly lit as the curtains overlooking the yard outside had been closed.
The air was thick with a pungent, almost intoxicating aroma and the sound of boiling liquids over the pot filled his ears.
The usual scent of incense and poison was present, but something else lingered… Something faintly sweet and almost… crisp?
There, he found the High Priest sat cross-legged on a raised dais, his moss-green robes loose around his shoulders.
In front of him, several empty cans of Heavenly Dew Soda were stacked neatly in a pyramid, empty packets of Spirit-infused Potato Chips with different flavors, and a half-eaten bag of Fragrant Spirit Peanuts rested beside them.
Luo Ming's eyes twitched.
'Is that what he's been doing all this time?'
The eerie glow of the High Priest's pupils flickered in the dimness as Luo Ming gulped down his saliva.
He casually flicked his finger and an empty can shot toward Luo Ming.
"Did you know, Little Luo…" The High Priest's voice was calm with a hint of amusement and… satisfaction. "... that this drink. Each can of this Heavenly Dew Soda contains a trace of divine energy?"
Luo Ming instinctively caught the bottle and then stared at it, his eyes widening at the realization. "Divine energy? All of them? How is that possible?"
The High Priest chuckled. "I, too, found it impossible at first. But all of the products you sent me from the store had a hint of divine energy within them. It's as if… all of them are made by one." He leaned back, tapping a finger against his knee before picking up his staff resting at his side, "This here had been blessed by the Great Poison Demon. Do you know how many lives have been sacrificed for it to succeed?"
Luo Ming's mind was racing as he slowly realized what the High Priest was trying to say.
"... A thousand lives."
"Indeed. Our 'church' became a 'cult' in the eyes of those hypocrites because of it. But they're not wrong though. We were sacrificing a lot for our Great Poison Demon. Yet, what the hell is that store? Items with divine energy are being sold openly, like a trinket. Tell me, Luo Ming… what kind of divine being can accomplish that? Do they also require sacrifices? Is this Divine Convenience Store hoodwinking those hypocrites without their knowledge?"
Luo Ming hesitated before answering, "I… I apologize, High Priest. I cannot say…"
"Do you still think the Shopkeeper is just a simple merchant?"
Luo Ming hesitated again, his fingers tightening around the empty can of Heavenly Dew Soda. He thought through the implications. If every product from the store contained traces of divine energy, then that meant…
"The Shopkeeper... is a divine being?" He whispered in a barely audible voice. He couldn't believe he was saying that, after all.
The High Priest let out an odd chuckle before shaking his head.
"No. Not necessarily. But he is either favored by one or possesses something beyond our understanding. The divine energy is faint and fragmented as if it has been diluted. If a true divine entity created these products, the sheer potency would be overwhelming. Instead, what we have here is... convenience."
Luo Ming's throat went dry. That word again.
The Divine Convenience Store.
The name itself suddenly felt heavy with meaning.
The High Priest slowly stood up, his robes swaying as he stepped down from the dais, in his hand was a pack of Spirit Embodiment Sticker Seal.
"The fact that items such as this are accessible to all means they hold potential. Even those without faith in a divine being can harness their power. That is what makes it so dangerous."
His gaze locked onto Luo Ming, his eerie pupils glowing in the dim light.
"The battle today proved it. Those sect disciples, those pathetic city guards. Our forces should have crushed them. But they were armed with tools that turned the tides. Do you understand what this means?"
Luo Ming swallowed hard and nodded. "The store is a bigger threat than we anticipated. If it continues to supply our enemies, we'll lose any advantage we once had. Our ambition to expand will be ending here."
"Precisely." The High Priest turned away, gazing at the assortment of empty snack wrappers as if deep in thought before opening the sticker seals and slapping one with an illustration of a Spectral Knight on Luo Ming's arm.
As soon as that happened, the apparition of the knight appeared behind Luo Ming before fusing with his body. He could sense his strength doubled instantly, and it didn't stop at that. Luo Ming sensed that he was about to take a peek at his still-elusive Nascent Tree. It was right in front of his eyes, yet he knew how far away it was. His Golden Core has yet to solidify.
"The Great Poison Demon's will is to spread chaos, to corrupt and consume. But how can we do so when this 'convenience' makes the weak strong and the strong even stronger?"
A tense silence filled the chamber.
Then, after a long moment, the High Priest spoke again.
"Luo Ming, we must change our approach. The store cannot be treated as just another merchant. It is a power in itself. And if we cannot destroy it… we must claim it."
Luo Ming's eyes widened as he returned to his senses, the effect of the sticker seal dissipating from his body. "Claim it? You mean…?"
The High Priest's lips curled into a sinister smile. "We will not fight against the store. Instead, we shall become its most loyal customers."
Luo Ming felt a chill run down his spine.
The Poison Demon Cult… as patrons of the Divine Convenience Store?
He didn't know whether to be horrified or impressed.
Is the High Priest right in the head? It felt as if he was the one who got corrupted by the tasty treats of the Divine Convenience Store