Chapter 24: Equality for All? A Precarious Situation!

That prodigy was the root of all evil. After his death, his influence spread like wildfire, and countless people imitating his deeds sprang up like bamboo shoots after a spring rain.

Some are still alive, while he is dead.
Some are dead, yet he remains alive!

During his rise, that prodigy gathered countless followers, but he also sowed the seeds of chaos wherever he trod. After his death, the situation spiraled completely out of control. His followers, who revered him as the "Pope," launched violent uprisings across the land.

A great upheaval that lasted nearly thirty years tore through the Human Domain, affecting the entire region and bringing misery to hundreds of millions of souls. The righteous experts who had originally besieged him were forced to organize the forces of the Human Domain to suppress the movement. It took thirty years of struggle to finally scatter the organization.

However, they failed to eradicate it completely. What had once been disjointed efforts transformed into a united, evil organization known as the "Beast Cult," moving from the shadows into a more clandestine existence. It became a malignant tumor lurking within the Human Domain, occasionally sparking disasters in various regions.

Yu Le couldn't help but gasp. What kind of magic did that man possess to command such devotion from so many, even after his death?

Han Yuesu looked at the stunned Yu Le and said, "The existence of the Beast Cult is no secret to cultivators. If one truly understands the siege from sixty years ago, perhaps everyone would harbor the thought that 'he was not wrong'."

He was not wrong?

"Yuesu, watch your tongue!" Geng Xiao warned. Such a statement implied she had problematic ideological leanings.

Han Yuesu frowned. "I won't say much more, but regarding the Beast Cult, you only need to compare the man's original slogan with the cult's current doctrine to hear the difference."

"The man's original slogan was: All beings are equal!"

"And originating from him, the current doctrine of the Beast Cult, which hides in the shadows of the Human Domain, is: Humans need not be superior to beasts, and beasts need not be subservient to humans!"

While the cult's doctrine seemed similar to the man's slogan, it was, to a certain extent, a distortion. As for its practical application...

Yu Le looked at the specific details in the post about the Beast Cult. After reading it, he was filled only with disgust.

The goal of the Beast Cult: Overthrow the existing human rule and create a harmonious society where all things are equal.
Specific methods: Using black magic to manipulate various magical beasts and demonizing spirit beasts to wreak havoc on human settlements, both large and small.
Distribution: Hidden in the dark but spread throughout the Human Domain. After decades of dormancy, it seems they have left their mark in every realm of the Blue Ocean World, beyond just the Human Domain.

Membership Structure:
White-robed Pope (deceased).
Golden-robed High Priest (one), Red-robed Zodiac Priests (twelve).
These constitute the ruling class of the Beast Cult, with a fixed number of members. Most are the original founders, with unknown cultivation levels. There have been records of battles between them and top human experts, with casualties on both sides. If a Zodiac Priest is lost, a suitable expert is selected from within the cult to fill the vacancy.
Representing the upper echelon are the Purple-robed Archbishops and Cyan-robed Bishops; the middle echelon are the Blue-robed Deacons; the lower echelon are the Black-robed Priests; and at the very bottom are the Gray-robed Believers!

Different ranks denote status, power, personal cultivation, and level of contribution to the cult. Members are not necessarily gathered in one place; they are experts at infiltration. There have even been cases of high-ranking humans being infiltrated and becoming members of the cult.

Therefore, it is entirely possible that someone right next to you is a member!

Seeing this, Yu Le’s scalp tingled. Did this not mean that in daily life, everyone around him could be a member of the Beast Cult?

He suddenly thought of a terrifying possibility...
"Could Jiu Jiao be a member of the Beast Cult?"
Feng Jiujiao: ???

Regardless of the nature of the "prodigy" Han Yuesu mentioned, Yu Le was deeply abhorrent of the Beast Cult's actions. Almost every disaster in various regions carried the shadow of the Beast Cult, including the massive fire that destroyed half of Burning City three years ago!

This tangled, evil force threatened everyone's life and property. Its appearance signaled the arrival of a crisis. Kidnapping children was almost routine for the cult. Although the post only revealed the tip of the iceberg, one could infer the whole from a glimpse: the cult was secretly conducting various human experiments.

Just as their doctrine stated, in the eyes of the cult members, there was no difference between humans and beasts. If humans could use spirit beasts and magical beasts for experiments, then the Beast Cult, advocating for equality, could treat humans like lab rats.

The thought of his An'an becoming a lab rat made it difficult for Yu Le to breathe.

Noticing Yu Le’s panic and unease, Geng Xiao comforted him, "Don't overthink it. It’s not necessarily the Beast Cult. Besides, I checked the times the children went missing—the earliest was two months ago, and the latest was just in the last two days."

"What does that mean?" Yu Le asked, confused.

"The boss means that whether it's the Beast Cult or another faction, if they've been stealing children in secret for this long, it proves they haven't gathered enough yet. There's a high probability the children haven't been moved out of Burning City yet," Ling Xiao explained, glancing at the others.

Yu Le didn't quite understand, but the others realized that Ling Xiao and Geng Xiao were trying to comfort him. Especially Han Yuesu, who knew that Yu Le had heard at the security bureau that someone in power had deliberately suppressed the news of the missing children.

Her heart sank. Although Ling Xiao's words made sense, who said they had to be shipped out of Burning City in a batch? And who was to say they couldn't be disposed of right here in the city?

Taking everything into account, Yu An'an's situation seemed dire. Of course, none of them dared to say this. They couldn't let Yu Le lose hope of saving his daughter.

Han Yuesu said, "Tell us the exact location where your daughter went missing, and let Xiao Yuan help you check some details."

Yu Le didn't have time to overthink and nodded, telling her the location Feng Jiujiao had given him. Gu Xiaoyuan operated the computer, displaying a series of surveillance feeds.

"Yes, that's An'an!" Yu Le cried out when he saw the little figure in one of the feeds.

Then followed a series of tedious investigations. The good news was that no magical beasts were seen during her disappearance. The bad news was that Yu An'an had vanished suddenly; she entered a blind spot in the surveillance and disappeared without a trace within three minutes.

"Don't worry. We have many cooperative demon-hunting squads in the East District. I'll have them help," Geng Xiao said.

"Then I'll trouble you," Yu Le tried his best to remain calm.

Just then, the private room door was pushed open.

"I heard someone mention the East District. What's this? Is your Burning Heaven Squad coming to our territory to steal our food?"

A group of uninvited guests filed in. When Su Rui saw one of them, he shrank back.

"My dear younger brother, why don't you greet your big brother when you see him?"