Chapter 224: The Unfathomable Pride

Lin Canyang's breathing grew heavy. The beautiful dream had clearly stirred his deepest desires.

"A mighty Gold tier powerhouse, yet living a life worse than a dog's. Some dogs might spend their entire lives locked in cages, but at least they don't suffer daily blood draws, and they still get fed.

"Now, I'll ask you one more time. Do you... want revenge?" Su Mu's deep voice echoed like the whispers of a devil tempting a soul into depravity. The power of the Endless Demonic Sound continuously rippled through the air.

"How could I not?!" Lin Canyang's eyes turned blood-red, making him look like a ravenous beast. "I dream of it! But what does it matter? I'm already a cripple!

"My body is weaker than an ordinary man's, and my mental power is completely drained. What could I possibly use to take revenge?"

The corners of Su Mu's lips curled up. "You don't need to worry about any of that. You only need to tell me—do you want it, or not?"

"I do!"

"Good. Remember this: from now on, your life... is under the protection of the Seven Deadly Sins!"

Seven Deadly Sins?

A hint of confusion flashed through Lin Canyang's eyes. His mind held absolutely no information about the Seven Deadly Sins—he had simply been locked away for far too long.

"What is the Seven Deadly Sins? An organization?"

Su Mu nodded. "Correct. The Seven Deadly Sins is an organization I created. As for what exactly it is, you'll understand once you get out of here and buy a newspaper."

"You want me to join the Seven Deadly Sins?"

"Heh." A contemptuous laugh echoed through the empty cell. "Lin Canyang, the Seven Deadly Sins isn't an organization just anyone can join. As a cripple, you need to prove your worth. Only then will I decide if you have the qualifications."

"Then what is your purpose?"

"Purpose?" the deep voice beneath the Silver-White Mask said slowly. "I simply want to see what kind of entertaining things a man like you—someone who has suffered endless torment and hides a devil deep in his heart—might do once released from his cage."

"You plan to let me out?" Lin Canyang gave a self-deprecating laugh. "It's useless. Do you see this collar? It's a device designed to absorb mental power. Because it drains my mental power every day, I can't activate my abilities.

"Furthermore, it can't be destroyed. There's a self-destruct mechanism inside. If anyone tries to forcefully break it, it will explode and blow my head to pieces."

"The Overcontrol Mind-Binding Type III Collar, developed by the Federal Pharmaceutical Company specifically to control transcendents. Rest assured, I understand this device far better than you do.

"The one around your neck is the highest-tier model. It can absorb and store the total mental power of three Gold tier powerhouses. Once its internal reserves are full, the energy must be released so the collar can continue draining its wearer, keeping them in a permanent state of weakness.

"Chu Shang comes here once every seven days to unlock the collar, release the stored mental power, and put it back on."

Lin Canyang was startled. He never expected this mysterious man, Pride, to know all these details. Just who was he? And what kind of organization was the Seven Deadly Sins?

He suddenly realized he hadn't heard a lock opening earlier. How exactly had Pride gotten inside?

Pride's profound mystery ignited a spark of hope in his heart.

"Are you planning to kill Chu Shang the next time he unlocks my collar, and then let me out?"

"Hmph." Su Mu let out a cold, contemptuous snort. He tilted his chin up slightly with condescending scrutiny. "Lin Canyang, do you think I'm your nanny? I merely stumbled upon your existence in this base, found you interesting, and decided on a whim to set you free.

"As for something as tedious as taking your revenge for you, I have no obligation—nor any interest—in doing it.

"I will deal with the collar for you. All you have to do is escape this place alive. If you survive, only then will you be qualified to join the Seven Deadly Sins.

"Consider it a test. If the Seven Deadly Sins hadn't recently lost a member, a character like you wouldn't even get the chance to be tested."

Listening to Su Mu's arrogant words, Lin Canyang fell silent. Given his current physical condition, escaping the base alive even with the collar unlocked would be incredibly difficult, but he didn't question the harshness of the test.

He knew perfectly well that this was an opportunity—a chance to completely change his fate. The worst possible outcome was death, and compared to eternal imprisonment, dying could actually be considered a good result.

"Aren't you afraid that after I escape, I'll just run away without joining the Seven Deadly Sins?"

"No one in this world can refuse an invitation from the Seven Deadly Sins. Not even a Gold tier powerhouse."

Those words, so confident they bordered on pure arrogance, plunged Lin Canyang back into silence.

"Alright," he said in a muffled voice.

"A wise decision. Come closer. I'll deal with the collar."

Lin Canyang's heart began to pound wildly. He shifted his body with great difficulty. Even a single centimeter of movement caused cold sweat to stream down his face and his body to tremble violently. Eventually, he managed to slowly bring his head close to the silver Mithril bars.

At that moment, a hand clad in a pristine white glove gently reached over and rested on the collar.

Suddenly, a massive surge of mental power poured into the collar.

Lin Canyang turned pale with shock. "You're planning to fill the collar with your own mental power?!"

He finally understood Pride's intentions. So this was how he planned to "deal" with it! It was indeed an excellent method. As long as the collar was completely filled with mental power, it wouldn't be able to absorb any more of his own.

By taking advantage of the time before Chu Shang's next visit, he could fully recover his mental power. Then, the moment Chu Shang arrived to unlock the collar, he could activate his abilities and launch a surprise attack.

It was a flawless plan, but the problem was that it was absolutely impossible!

The storage capacity of this collar was enough to hold the total mental power of three Gold tier powerhouses!

Even factoring in the trickle of mental power he recovered and fed it every day, the collar currently held only half the mental capacity of a single Gold powerhouse. That meant Pride would need to expend at least two and a half times the total mental power of an ordinary Gold powerhouse to fill the vacancy.

Two and a half times! Even a mental-type Gold powerhouse couldn't possibly possess energy reserves two and a half times greater than an ordinary Gold powerhouse.

"Stop! This is impossible!"

Su Mu shot him an indifferent glance. "Shut up and watch quietly."

Boundless mental power surged wildly into the collar. Time ticked by, yet the torrent of energy felt as vast and endless as the ocean.

Gradually, Lin Canyang realized that the suction force from the collar was weakening. Usually, any tiny sliver of mental power he recovered was instantly siphoned away. But now, he could actually feel his own mental power gathering within him for the first time in an eternity!

"This... how is this possible?!" He stared at Pride in utter disbelief, the tall, slender figure standing before him feeling more and more unfathomable by the second.

A moment later, the suction from the collar vanished entirely. It was completely full.

Lin Canyang was numb with shock. Had he not witnessed it with his own eyes, he never would have believed someone in this world could possess such a terrifying volume of mental power. Two and a half times?

No! That wasn't right at all. Pride didn't look the slightest bit fatigued; his mental power was nowhere near depleted. Just how much power did he have?!

Although mental power wasn't a definitive measure of combat prowess, it was still a reflection of overall strength. If someone at the same level possessed more than twice your mental capacity, there wouldn't even be a need to fight.

Su Mu slowly withdrew his hand. "The collar has been dealt with," he said indifferently. "The rest is up to you. If you still end up dying, it only proves you aren't qualified to join the Seven Deadly Sins."

Lin Canyang took a deep breath. "I understand, Lord Pride. The Seven Deadly Sins has given me a chance at a new life. If I truly make it out of here alive, my life belongs to the Seven Deadly Sins."

Su Mu offered a faint smile as his figure slowly melted into the darkness.

From Lin Canyang's perspective, Su Mu had vanished into thin air, exactly as he had appeared.

Mysterious and powerful! That was the impression Su Mu left behind.

What he didn't know, however, was that the mysterious and powerful Lord Pride was currently slumped in a dark corner of the very same cell, exhausted and fast asleep.

Su Mu had used his last dregs of mental power to activate Myriad Phenomena and conceal his body in the shadows. Given that Lin Canyang was completely drained, Su Mu wasn't the least bit worried about being discovered.

He had really overplayed his hand this time, nearly draining his mental power dry. Fortunately, he had the Void Devourer.

Su Mu thought to himself in mild amusement. Although his total mental power was massive, it hadn't quite reached the Gold tier yet. The only reason he was able to pour out such an ocean of energy was because he had intentionally fallen asleep dozens of times beforehand to gorge the Void Devourer.

In fact, almost all the mental power he had just injected into the collar came directly from the Void Devourer.

Sigh. I really break my back worrying over how to expand the Seven Deadly Sins as their Leader, Su Mu thought. Good thing I managed to trick another one.