Chapter 318: The Seven Deadly Sins Resound Through the World

At that moment, Sikong Zhen had successfully guessed the truth. Unfortunately, the truth was often held by the few and disbelieved by the majority.

"Lord Sikong, there is no need for such flimsy excuses," Dongfang Yuan said coldly. "Given the strength Pride has displayed, do you really think he couldn't scrape together seven Gold experts?"

That remark actually made Sikong Zhen waver. For an existence who could force the Undead King to submit and proclaim himself a God, gathering subordinates would be effortless. Let alone seven—even seventy wouldn't be a problem.

"Your Majesty, I truly am not part of the Seven Deadly Sins!" Sikong Zhen's sincere explanation sounded increasingly hollow.

Gongsun Quan looked thoughtful. Stepping forward, he helped Sikong Zhen to his feet. "Lord Sikong, a wise bird chooses its tree—it is only human nature. Even if you did join the Seven Deadly Sins, that doesn't conflict with your status as a noble of the Chiyan Empire. This joint operation between the Empire and the Seven Deadly Sins heavily crippled the Blood Moon Empire. Was that not a job well done?

Perhaps our two factions can continue to cooperate. What do you say, Lord Sikong?"

Sikong Zhen's eyes went wide. Wait, so the label of Greed is just permanently stuck to my head now!? He felt incredibly stifled and wronged.

Sure, I might be a little greedy. I often embezzle funds, dine on the public dime, and deceive my superiors and subordinates, but I am a loyal subject! Everything I do is for the Empire!

I impersonated the Seven Deadly Sins on behalf of the Empire twice. I barely survived both times, and in the end, I'm branded a traitor?

"I already told you, I am not a member of the Seven Deadly Sins!" Sikong Zhen snapped, his expression awful.

"Mhm." Gongsun Quan nodded. "Lord Sikong has traveled a long, hard road and is severely injured. It would be best for you to step down and rest for now."

"You...!" Sikong Zhen stared stiffly at the silent officials, then caught the flicker of doubt in the eyes of his sovereign, King Chi. In that instant, his heart turned to ash.

"Your Majesty, I... will take my leave."

He walked away with heavy steps, slowly departing the grand hall of the Imperial Palace, his back cutting a lonely figure.

Once Sikong Zhen was gone, the remaining few resumed their loud plotting.

"Gongsun Quan, what is your take on Sikong Zhen?" Dongfang Yuan asked in a deep voice.

"He is certainly shrouded in suspicion. It will be very hard for him to clear his name."

"Then what are we waiting for? I'll go kill him right now!" King Chi rolled up her sleeves, baring her slender, pale arms as she prepared to charge out.

"Your Majesty, you must not. Without concrete evidence, we cannot casually strike down an important minister of the Empire. Moreover, I actually hope he truly is Greed. The Seven Deadly Sins are incredibly powerful now, and the terrifying destructive power they've displayed is beyond what any single empire can withstand. If Sikong Zhen really is Greed, he could very well serve as a bridge between the Empire and the Seven Deadly Sins!

"Pride chose to wreak havoc upon the Blood Moon Empire, but he spared the Chiyan Empire. There must be a reason for this. Regardless of what it is, his attitude toward the Chiyan Empire can be considered relatively friendly."

Dongfang Yuan nodded, agreeing with this perspective, even if outsiders might find it completely absurd.

Killing two nobles of the Chiyan Empire, wiping out hundreds of elites, and making a fool out of King Chi—this could be considered friendly?

But compared to the fate of the Blood Moon Empire, it truly was friendly enough.

"Of course there is a reason. It's simply because Pride likes me. It is written in books that men always try to attract a woman's attention by making her angry," King Chi said with absolute confidence.

Gongsun Quan: "..."

Dongfang Yuan: "..."

"Hey, what are those expressions for? Do you doubt my charm? As the number one beauty in the world, is it so unbelievable that I could infatuate Pride? Otherwise, how do you explain it? Both of our empires offended the Seven Deadly Sins, yet Pride only brought his heavy fist down on the Blood Moon Empire.

"The Blood Moon Empire had never even come into direct contact with Pride. They merely used the Seven Deadly Sins from afar. The Chiyan Empire, on the other hand, launched a genuine encirclement campaign against them."

King Chi's twisted logic plunged the two men into an even deeper silence, because they couldn't figure out the reason either.

Could it really be exactly as King Chi said? Impossible!

The very moment the thought surfaced, the two officials strangled it in their minds. They would rather believe Pride liked the Chiyan Empire's scenery than believe he had taken a fancy to King Chi.

A lawless, overwhelmingly arrogant man like Pride—one who proclaimed himself a God—would never compromise for a woman.

The three discussed the matter for a long time after that without reaching any conclusion. More accurately, the two men discussed the matter while King Chi basked in her own narcissism on the side.

...

...

The next day.

The name of the Seven Deadly Sins rose along with the sun, shining upon the world like daylight!

No one could stop the Seven Deadly Sins, just as no one could stop the sun from rising!

This day was destined to be recorded in the histories of every nation.

When the sunlight spilled down as it always did, illuminating the ruins of the Blood Moon Empire's You City and the Imperial Palace that had been washed away by the sea, it signaled the fated end of a great empire—and the unstoppable, meteoric rise of a great new existence.

Every news headline across all the major empires reported on the exact same topic: the Seven Deadly Sins!

The fierce reputation of the Seven Deadly Sins swept across the entire world like a frenzied tsunami. Seven Silver-White Masks, each bearing a different expression, were plastered across the front pages of every newspaper. In the background lay the ruined husk of the Blood Moon Imperial Palace.

Of course, the ones brazen enough to print such images were not from the Blood Moon Empire, but the Chiyan Empire.

It was as if every newspaper in the Chiyan Empire had been injected with stimulants. Acting on secret instructions from the Royal Family, wildly exaggerated reports flew everywhere. To thoroughly trample the dignity of the Blood Moon Empire, they even assembled specialized journalism teams to orchestrate these front-page headlines.

In the Chiyan Empire's newspapers, the segment covering the Seven Deadly Sins took up nearly the entire page. Seven overwhelmingly oppressive figures stood tall atop the ruins of the Blood Moon Imperial Palace, uniformly dressed in tailcoats and Silver-White Masks.

Pride, their leader, was given a heavy close-up feature. Even through the newspaper, readers could feel the intense, suffocating pressure radiating from the contemptuous smile on his mask.

The Seven Deadly Sins blew up—they were an absolute sensation. Celebrity gossip vanished from the streets and alleys. People discussed only one thing: the Seven Deadly Sins!

"I went to sleep and woke up to the world turning upside down! The Seven Deadly Sins actually massacred a whole city in the Blood Moon Empire and destroyed the Imperial Palace? This has to be fake news, right?"

"What fake news? This was published by the Chiyan Empire's official state press. How could it be fake?"

"Sigh, what a damned world we live in. How did a terrorist organization like the Seven Deadly Sins suddenly appear? If you ask me, they need to be eradicated immediately."

"Eradicate them with what? Can't you see the Blood Moon Empire is too terrified to even let out a squeak?"

"Pride actually dared to declare himself a God of the new era. He's way too arrogant."

"That's not arrogance, it's just a fact. The things Pride did are feats only a God could accomplish!"

"The Seven Deadly Sins are so cool. If only I could join them."