Chapter 303: Provisional Third Seat, Reporting to the Leader!

"What are you just standing there for? Run!" a young man's voice rang out.

The mother and son, having narrowly escaped death, finally snapped back to their senses. They scrambled up from the ground and fled in terror.

After fleeing a short distance, the mother seemed to remember something and skidded to a halt. She turned around, dropped heavily to her knees, and pulled her child down with her. Bowing her head to the ground, she pressed a hand to the boy's head and forced him to kowtow alongside her.

That done, she rose without a word and vanished with her child into the city's gloom.

In just a few moments, the street had emptied completely, leaving only their savior and Lin Canyang.

Lin Canyang hadn't run. Instead, he stood rooted to the spot, his eyes locked onto the man—or more accurately, onto the Silver-White Mask on his face!

Carved into its surface was a lecherous, smiling face.

Taoist Priest Xuanqing cast a brief glance at Lin Canyang, sheathed his long sword, and turned away.

Lin Canyang rushed after him. "Your Excellency Lust, wait."

Taoist Priest Xuanqing paused. With his sword strapped to his back, he stood with his hands clasped behind him, presenting Lin Canyang with an unfathomable silhouette.

Though his voice was that of a young man, it carried an indescribable, aged weight.

"Kid, which seat are you?"

"Third Seat!" Lin Canyang answered without hesitation. He might not know Lust personally, but he recognized that mask.

Taoist Priest Xuanqing turned around. "Why aren't you wearing your mask?"

Lin Canyang blinked, taken aback. "My mask? I was worried about being discovered by the Blood Moon Empire, so I didn't bring it."

"Hmph. Remember this, kid. The Seven Deadly Sins fear no one. We don't wear masks to hide our identities; we wear them to tell the world who we are. This is the symbol of the Seven Deadly Sins. When they see the mask, they are the ones who should be afraid, not us!"

"I understand." Lin Canyang took a deep breath and gave a firm nod. Reaching into his jacket, he pulled out a Silver-White Mask engraved with the number three and pressed it to his face.

"Your Excellency Lust, are we the only two on this mission?" his muffled voice echoed from behind the mask.

"Two?" Taoist Priest Xuanqing let out a light chuckle. "You'll see soon enough."

He set off down the street, nursing a wicked sense of satisfaction at having successfully bluffed the newcomer.

Lin Canyang hurried to keep up.

The pair wove their way through a maze of alleyways, their figures flickering in and out of sight beneath the heavy gloom.

"Your Excellency Lust, how did you find me?"

"I didn't find you. Boss Pride did."

Lin Canyang's expression lit up with joy. "The Leader is here too?"

"We're here." Taoist Priest Xuanqing stopped in front of an ordinary residential house. He knocked respectfully on the door. "Boss Pride, the Provisional Third Seat has arrived."

"Come in," an indifferent voice called from inside.

Creak.

Taoist Priest Xuanqing pushed the heavy wooden door open and led Lin Canyang inside.

Two people occupied the room. Both were dressed in deep black tailcoats made of understated yet luxurious fabric, tailored to perfection. Fine, dark patterns woven into the material glimmered faintly under the dim light.

Lin Canyang's gaze darted to the Silver-White Masks on their faces. One bore the familiar, contemptuous smile he knew well—Pride.

The other he was seeing for the first time. The eyebrows etched onto this mask arched sharply like a pair of crossed silver scimitars. Its smile twisted into an exaggerated, jagged curve—like someone laughing in the throes of sheer rage, harboring a fury as violent as a storm.

The moment he saw it, he knew exactly who this was—Wrath!

Wrath was the only member of the Seven Deadly Sins that Lin Canyang had never heard a single rumor about. In his efforts to better understand the organization, he had scoured recent newspapers and purchased black-market intelligence. While shadowy legends were tied to the other members, Wrath seemed to have never shown his face at all.

He was an utter mystery, someone who apparently rarely participated in the organization's missions.

Lin Canyang first offered a respectful bow toward Su Mu. "Provisional Third Seat, reporting to the Leader!"

"Mm."

He then turned to the other man. "Greetings, Your Excellency Wrath."

Wrath said nothing, simply offering a silent nod.

A suffocating stillness fell over the room. The four men, all wearing their Silver-White Masks, stood in total silence, seemingly waiting for something.

As the Provisional Third Seat, Lin Canyang desperately wanted to strike up a conversation and build a rapport with these three heavyweights, but he didn't dare open his mouth for fear of offending them.

He could only observe them quietly from behind his mask.

He wanted to figure out exactly how vast the gap was between himself and the official members. Who was the weakest among them? Did he have a chance to take their place?

Lust seemed the most casual. He slouched against the wall, letting out an occasional yawn like a groggy teenager who hadn't gotten enough sleep. He radiated no sense of threat whatsoever.

Still, Lin Canyang didn't dare underestimate him. The sword strike Lust had unleashed from the sky earlier hadn't seemed particularly mystical, but it was blisteringly fast. Lin Canyang hadn't even realized there was a sword in the fray until it was practically upon him.

With that in mind, he shifted his attention to Wrath. Did this elusive member of the Seven Deadly Sins avoid missions simply because he was too weak?

He cast a covert glance over. The moment his gaze landed on him, Wrath seemed to sense it and lifted his eyes. Their gazes met.

Lin Canyang's pupils contracted violently. To his horror, the baleful aura inside his own body flared up completely out of his control. It was a primal, instinctual reaction—the kind a person's body underwent only when staring down a terrifyingly powerful enemy.

'So strong!'

He yanked his gaze away in shock. Experts always possessed a certain level of sensitivity toward one another. When two auras brushed against each other, the weaker party would invariably feel a sense of discomfort, their body screaming out in alarm.

That was, of course, assuming neither side was actively trying to conceal themselves.

'Is this the strength of an official member?'

Lin Canyang immediately avoided Wrath's gaze and bowed his head.

Behind the Wrath Mask, Specter slowly withdrew his gaze, his heart growing heavy. 'Even a Provisional Third Seat is a Gold powerhouse. Just how many Gold powerhouses do the Seven Deadly Sins have?'

'Who exactly is Pride under that mask? Why has he gathered so many Gold powerhouses under his command, and what is his true goal?'

The more Specter learned about the Seven Deadly Sins, the more he realized just how mysterious and terrifying this organization truly was.

"Leader," Wrath said suddenly, his voice deep. To maintain his cover and play his role to perfection, he had adopted the same title for Su Mu.

"When do we move?"

Su Mu smiled faintly. "There's no rush. The others are on their way. They'll be here soon."

Specter offered a silent nod. It was just as he had suspected; there was no way the Seven Deadly Sins would deploy such a small force. 'Who else is coming?'

'Are they mobilizing the entire roster?'