Black Phoenix Heir

Chapter 173: Chapter 173 — Evil God Worshipper

Chapter 173 — The Evil God Organization

For several moments, Elder Benton simply stared at Victor.

He said nothing.

But there was a difference between silence and having nothing to say.

Questions were clearly running through Benton’s mind.

Finding a place like this so soon after returning to the Tower was almost too convenient.

Had the man inside been sacrificed?

Had someone deliberately allowed themselves to be discovered?

Was this entire incident a setup?

Or had Victor simply stumbled into something far larger than he understood?

The more Benton considered the possibilities, the less he liked the situation.

Victor was becoming harder to understand.

Eventually, Benton broke the silence.

”What are you doing here?”

Victor stared at him for a moment.

He honestly didn’t know how to explain everything without making the situation even more complicated.

He was still holding the unconscious man down with one knee when the man suddenly twitched.

His eyes opened slightly.

Victor reacted immediately.

Smack!

The side of Victor’s hand struck the back of the man’s neck.

His eyes rolled backward, and his body went limp again.

Victor sighed.

”A series of unfortunate events.”

He shook his head.

That was probably the best explanation he could give right now.

He didn’t want to stand there explaining every little detail. He had already had enough excitement for one day.

All he wanted was to go home.

Take a shower.

Eat something.

And forget about what he had seen in that cellar.

Benton didn’t press him.

Instead, he walked past Victor and reached for the cellar door.

The moment he opened it, the foul smell rushed upward.

Victor instinctively held his breath.

Benton didn’t react.

Not even slightly.

He simply stepped through the doorway and began walking down the stairs.

Victor watched him disappear into the darkness.

His expression slowly changed.

Nothing?

Even Tony had reacted.

Tony was a trained law enforcement officer. He had remained composed when he first entered the cellar, but Victor had still noticed it.

The slight hesitation.

The tension in his face.

The change in his breathing.

Tony had been affected by what he saw.

But Benton?

Nothing.

Not a twitch.

Not a change in expression.

Not even the slightest hesitation before entering.

Victor’s eyes narrowed.

How is he not affected by that smell?

His gaze remained fixed on the cellar entrance.

Victor had originally thought Elder Benton was simply an elder of the Alchemy Tower.

An extremely skilled alchemist.

A powerful cultivator.

But now...

What exactly are you hiding, Elder Benton?

Victor remained silent as he waited.

Several minutes passed.

Finally, footsteps echoed from below.

Benton appeared at the top of the stairs.

His expression hadn’t changed.

He looked exactly the same as when he had entered.

Almost as if he had simply taken a casual walk around the Tower.

Victor couldn’t understand it.

Benton closed the cellar door behind him.

Not long after, several members of a secret enforcement team arrived.

They didn’t ask questions.

They immediately took custody of the unconscious man.

Specialized bindings were placed around his arms before two members of the team carried him away.

Within minutes, he was gone.

The building became quiet again.

Tony had already left to handle the investigation.

Lyra was still outside, roughly a minute away in the market area. She was sitting on a bench with the rescued girl sleeping against her shoulder.

For the moment, they were completely out of the way.

That left only Victor and Elder Benton.

Benton looked toward Victor.

Victor looked back.

There was something he had wanted to ask since entering the cellar.

He finally broke the silence.

”What was that?”

Benton raised an eyebrow.

”What was what?”

”The symbols.”

Victor pointed toward the cellar door.

”I understand that the man was most likely a serial killer. But what were those markings on the bodies? The symbol on the girl’s forehead. The one drawn on her stomach.”

He paused.

”And that beast claw.”

Benton’s expression didn’t change.

Victor continued.

”It had symbols carved into it.”

Silence.

Benton stared at him.

For nearly a minute, he said nothing.

It was almost as if he were deciding how much Victor was allowed to know.

Finally, Benton spoke.

”This involves the Evil God.”

Victor’s eyes widened.

For the first time since entering the building, his thoughts stopped.

Everything suddenly connected.

The organization that worshipped the Evil God.

Victor had finally found his first real clue.

So this is connected to them.

Benton watched Victor carefully.

He had expected some sort of reaction.

Fear.

Confusion.

Recognition.

Perhaps even excitement.

Victor’s reaction was mostly normal.

Mostly.

There was a tiny pause.

A slight change in his eyes.

Something that told Benton the name wasn’t completely foreign to him.

Benton’s gaze sharpened.

”What do you know about the Evil God Organization, Victor?”

Victor remained quiet for a moment.

He had to be careful.

So Victor simply shook his head.

”Honestly? Not much.”

Benton waited.

”I’ve heard the name before. That’s about it. I don’t really know anything beyond that.”

Benton studied him.

Then he nodded slightly.

”The Evil God worshippers come in many forms. Some operate as organized groups. They have their own rituals, hierarchy, and beliefs. In some ways, you could compare them to a twisted religious organization.”

Benton’s expression hardened.

”But many don’t belong to an organization at all.”

He glanced toward the cellar.

”They act alone.”

Victor’s eyes moved toward the cellar door.

Benton’s voice remained calm.

”That man is one of them. He appears to have been operating independently.”

Victor hadn’t known that.

He had assumed everyone connected to the Evil God was part of one massive organization.

Apparently, things were more complicated.

Benton watched his reaction for another moment.

Then he asked,

”Do you know why they perform sacrifices?”

Victor shook his head.

”No.”

Benton hesitated.

It was brief, but Victor noticed it.

Almost as if Benton were deciding whether telling him was worth the risk.

Finally, he spoke.

”Evil God worshippers can use sacrifices to gain power.”

Victor’s expression tightened.

”Power?”

”An enormous amount of it.”

Benton folded his arms.

”A normal cultivator may spend years reaching Spirit Gathering. An Evil God worshipper can reach Spirit Gathering in a matter of days.”

Victor’s eyes widened.

”Days?”

”With enough sacrifices.”

Silence.

Victor’s mind immediately began working.

So that’s why.

Not the entire answer.

But part of it.

Sacrifice.

Power.

Rapid cultivation.

That explained why someone would slaughter so many people.

But it still didn’t explain the Tower.

Why would they want to bring down the Tower?

Victor couldn’t ask.

Not without revealing that he knew more than he should.

He kept his expression neutral.

That information alone was valuable.

After a moment, Victor looked at Benton.

”Then I understand.”

He paused.

”But why are you here, Elder?”

Benton gave him a flat look.

”That’s none of your business.”

Victor almost smiled.

Good job, Victor.

He had just asked the exact question he wanted answered.

Benton continued.

”The real question is why you are here.”

Victor sighed quietly.

There was no point lying anymore.

He had already given Benton the basic truth.

So he explained.

”There was a woman in the market. She was looking for her daughter. She was panicking and asking everyone if they’d seen her.”

Victor glanced toward the door.

”Lyra was with me. She has an extremely good sense of smell, so we helped track the girl.”

He continued with the shortened version.

”They followed the scent through the market. We found the man’s house. He denied having the girl, but the scent was coming from inside. We searched the place and found the cellar.”

Benton listened without interrupting.

After Victor finished.

Elder Benton nodded.

”It’s believable.”

Victor waited.

”But the coincidence is extreme.”

Victor shrugged.

”There isn’t really anything else I can say.”

That was exactly what happened.

Benton stared at him for another few seconds.

Then he finally turned away.

”That’s enough for tonight.”

Victor relaxed slightly.

Benton stopped at the door.

”Don’t tell anyone about what you saw here.”

Victor’s expression became serious.

”Not even the people you trust.”

He looked back at Victor.

”And avoid getting involved in situations like this again.”

There was no anger in his voice.

Only warning.

”Don’t misunderstand me. You saved that girl tonight. You may have saved many more people without even realizing it.”

Benton’s eyes hardened.

”That’s the only reason I gave you as much information as I did.”

He paused.

”If you continue involving yourself in matters like this, you’re going to live a very short life.”

Victor nodded.

”Understood.”

Victor remained still for another moment before walking out of the building.

Behind him, Elder Benton remained inside the building.

For several seconds, he stood completely still.

Then—

A figure appeared in front of him.

The same watcher Benton had ordered to follow Victor earlier.

Benton didn’t look surprised.

He simply asked,

”Is what he said true?”

The masked figure nodded.

”Yes.”

Benton’s eyes narrowed.

”So he really did stumble upon the location.”

”Yes.”

A brief silence followed.

Benton looked toward the door Victor had just walked through.

”Interesting.”

He folded his arms.

”Continue following him.”

”Understood.”

The masked figure disappeared without another word.

Benton remained alone for several seconds.

His expression was impossible to read.

Then footsteps rushed into the building.

A team of people entered through the doorway and immediately began working.

They secured the cellar.

Collected the evidence.

Removed the bodies.

Gathered the strange materials.

Every piece of evidence was carefully sealed and taken away.

The house slowly became empty again.

Benton watched them work for a moment.

Then he turned around and walked out into the night.

His face remained completely emotionless.

But the questions in his mind had only grown.