The secret base of the cult.
Just like the sacrifices over the past six months, a large number of ragged, terrified children were herded into the enormous cave where the altar was located.
Divine Envoy Igone Yu still stood in the same spot as last time, his eyes gleaming as he stared at the altar, fantasizing about how many "Keima" would appear from this sacrifice.
Suddenly, a strange thought appeared in his mind.
If Rinren's immortal body, combined with Yang Ren's Curse Technique · Blood Control Death, he could obtain a powerful strategic weapon.
Then he would only need to collect the blood of powerful individuals on the battlefield to effortlessly control these so-called strong people.
If that were the case, would his ambition to rule the world still be far off?
Thinking of this, Igone Yu waved his hand at the White Coat Old Man not far away.
"Divine Envoy, do you have any instructions?" The old man rubbed his hands, fawningly approaching.
"Where is the immortal body?" Igone Yu's gaze swept across the crowd.
"Uh…" The old man was stunned for a moment, then said with a bitter face:
"Sir, please don't let that monster, who only causes trouble, participate in such an important event as the sacrifice!"
As the lead researcher of the immortal body experiment, the old man could be said to understand Rinren better than Rinren himself. In his opinion, this fellow was useless except for wasting food.
When simply testing a poison, this fellow neither vomited blood nor died from the poison, and even clamored for more, completely failing to demonstrate the difference between poison and military rations, which almost drove him crazy with anger.
Most importantly!
The sacrifice was a serious occasion for killing; if a grinning, food-demanding simpleton was mixed in, the Evil God would probably be directly angered to death.
Seeing the old man try to evade, Igone Yu's face immediately stretched long. He now only wanted to know if the immortal body participating in the sacrifice would create the ultimate weapon that was both immortal and controlled Curse Technique · Blood Control Death.
"If I tell you to go, then go! Why so much nonsense!"
Seeing the Divine Envoy unhappy, the old man's lowered head dropped even further.
"Yes, Divine Envoy."
Saying that, he waved to someone behind him and called over a cultist.
"Bring the immortal body!"
"Yes!" The cultist turned and left.
At this moment, in the empty cell block, Rinren sat in a dark corner, muttering to himself.
"Since I'm going to sneak out, I can't bring any unnecessary things."
Saying that, his sharp fingernails tore open the skin of his forearm. While sucking in a cold breath, he pulled out a square iron block from between the bloody muscles and casually threw it on the ground.
The block landed with a heavy 'clang,' the sound echoing loudly in the hollow corridor.
Then, in one go, he endured the immense tearing pain and successively tore open the skin of his left hand, left leg, right leg, and abdomen, removing seven or eight such weights from his flesh.
Looking at the blood-stained weights on the ground, Rinren blinked his eyes reluctantly and murmured to himself.
"If it weren't so inconvenient to carry you, I would never abandon you."
After speaking, he slowly stood up, lightly jumped twice, clenched his creaking fists, and a slight smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
Pushing off the ground, in an instant, Rinren passed through the large hole in the cell wall and appeared in the adjacent cell.
Feeling the powerful strength contained in his arms, Rinren smiled.
If his estimation was correct, he could now easily deal with a Genin like Renjun with just his strength and speed; if it was a sneak attack, with his speed, he could completely take down one first, then calmly deal with the other.
If it were a Chunin, although Rinren couldn't defeat him, with his speed comparable to a Body Flicker, escaping would be no problem at all.
"It's time to slip away!"
He took out the keys and tried them on each door.
With a soft "click," Rinren's face immediately lit up with joy.
Suddenly, in the darkness outside the door, a voice abruptly sounded.
"Immortal body, are you planning to escape?"
"Who?" Rinren was startled and immediately looked up.
A guard dressed in Ninja attire emerged from the darkness, his playful gaze fixed on the tiptoeing Rinren.
Rinren instantly recognized the newcomer, a guard from the White Coat Old Man's laboratory named Zhu Kangping.
Zhu Kangping's gaze swept back and forth between the keys and Rinren's young face, then he slowly extended his hand and said mockingly, "Hand over the keys. Stop playing these useless tricks!"
Rinren reluctantly extended his hand, placing the keys on Zhu Kangping's palm, then looked up behind him, his expression suddenly becoming flustered.
"Uh… Hello, Divine Envoy Igone Yu!"
After speaking, he quickly stood straight and bowed.
Zhu Kangping was startled by Rinren's sudden movement. It was well-known that Igone Yu held immense authority among these cultists. Usually, only the White Coat Old Man, who was responsible for managing this underground secret base, had the right to speak with Igone Yu.
Zhu Kangping hurriedly adjusted his posture and looked back.
The next second, a sharp pain shot through his spine, and he immediately felt his body below the neck lose all sensation.
Along with it came the playful laughter of the immortal brat.
"Didn't your Ninja School teacher teach you not to expose your back to an enemy?"
With a dull thud, Zhu Kangping fell heavily to the ground, his eyes filled with disbelief as he looked at Rinren.
"Why? Why escape? Why betray the Evil God? How dare you!"
"How dare I?" Rinren retorted, then covered his mouth and burst into hysterical laughter, tears and snot streaming down his face.
After a long while, the long-suppressed laughter slowly ceased, and Rinren wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes.
"Over the past six months, you've stabbed me 34,551 times, burned me 13 times, electrocuted me 5 times, starved me for two months and four days straight, and made me drink six bottles of deadly poison."
"But! I forgive you!"
Saying that, a sarcastic sneer suddenly appeared at the corner of Rinren's mouth.
"Evil God? Heh heh, let your Evil God save you!"
His tone was full of mockery and disdain.
Upon hearing this, even Zhu Kangping, who had not shown anger despite his lower body being crippled, had eyes that turned crimson, and he roared at Rinren like a mad dog.
"Shut up, you damned monster, how dare you question and insult the Evil God."
Before he could finish his sentence, he suddenly coughed up a mouthful of fresh blood, then desperately twisted his head, staring at Rinren's feet like a hungry wolf.
"You blasphemous monster, just wait! It is I who will punish you! To punish you, my teeth are enough! I will bite you to pieces!"
"I'll be waiting." Rinren picked up Zhu Kangping's Ninja bag, stood up, his face calm, and looked into the depths of the corridor.
"But now I have to go."
"Please excuse me, Mr. Zhu Kang. I have a date with my beloved horizon."
Saying that, Rinren paused, his dark eyes filled with joy.
"And with freedom!"
As soon as his voice fell, Rinren ignored Zhu Kangping's roar, stepped into the darkness, and vanished without a trace.
At the other end of the corridor, Rinren made a detour through other cells, bypassed Zhu Kangping, and strode off in another direction.
At the altar, all preparations were complete. Igone Yu stared at the passage, which had remained empty for a long time, and a hint of gloom gradually arose in his heart.
"Where are your people!" Igone Yu asked coldly to the White Coat Old Man beside him.
The old man was currently staring at the altar with fanatic eyes. Hearing Igone Yu's words, he was momentarily stunned and said with a forced smile: "Divine Envoy, perhaps they were delayed on the way. You know, that monster brat is the most disobedient!"
After speaking, he carelessly beckoned a cultist over and said, "Ren, go and hurry them up. Don't let Zhu Kangping and the monster brat delay the sacrifice."
"Yes, Sir." Ren bowed respectfully and strode towards Rinren's cell.
After an unknown amount of time, the gloom in Igone Yu's heart grew thicker, and the White Coat Old Man beside him also became anxious.
In the corridor, Ren, dressed as a Ninja, suddenly rushed out of the corridor, his brows tightly furrowed, his face full of panic.
"Sir, Zhu Kangping is seriously injured, Rinren… the immortal monster has disappeared!"
"What!" Igone Yu exclaimed, his scarred face suddenly becoming incredibly grim.
Although Rinren was useless in the eyes of the White Coat Old Man, in Igone Yu's opinion, if Rinren was trained well, he would be a fearless and excellent blade.
Beside him, the White Coat Old Man's face suddenly became very strange, anger mixed with joy, looking like he wanted to laugh but dared not.
This guy finally slipped away, that's great. I gave him so many chances, and this time he finally seized it!
What the old man didn't know was that Rinren hadn't escaped before, not because he hadn't noticed the gaps in the defenses, but because he was worried that his own strength was too weak and he would be caught and brought back if he didn't get far.
After all, who knew if these loopholes were intentionally left by Igone Yu for him?!
Now, it was the time of sacrifice, and even if everyone wanted to pursue, there was no chance.
Similarly, Igone Yu also thought of this point.
If he abandoned the sacrifice now to pursue Rinren, it would undoubtedly displease the Evil God.
But if he continued the sacrifice now and temporarily gave up on retrieving Rinren, it would only allow this fellow to run very far.
This time, Rinren won.
This brat, who pretended to be very pious, actually brazenly humiliated the great Divine Envoy!
Looking at the questioning glances from his subordinates, a strong sense of humiliation immediately surged into his heart, making Igone Yu, who had long held a high position, feel waves of shame.
He desperately suppressed his towering rage, and through his gritting teeth, he uttered a single word at a time.
"Prepare the sacrifice!"
At his command, the brutal slaughter began. Igone Yu watched with a somber face as one vibrant life after another was taken, vowing in his heart:
You damned brat, you won't escape. When I catch you, I will slice you into pieces, bone by bone, pound your bones into powder, and make you realize that not being able to die is the most painful thing!
On the other side, after numerous twists and turns, Rinren finally emerged from the cult's secret base.
Shielding his eyes with his hand, his pupils slowly adjusted to the somewhat dazzling sunlight, and Rinren slowly looked into the distance.
There, endless forests exuded vibrant green full of life, extending to the horizon. A winding azure river flowed forward, merging with the pure, gem-like sky. Wisps of white clouds drifted across the sky, pure white and pure blue complementing each other.
Taking a deep breath, the air no longer carried the musty and damp smell of the underground base. Instead, the air above ground was fresh, carrying the scent of grass and trees, and a gentle breeze brought faint hints of camellia fragrance.
Rinren gazed into the distance, never before feeling that the world above ground was so beautiful, never before feeling that the once commonplace freedom was so precious.
Gradually, a sincere smile, erupting from his heart, replaced his habitual fake smile.
"Alright, enjoying life is for later. For now, the most important thing is to escape!"
Temporarily suppressing his agitated mood, Rinren, having removed his weights, felt his body incredibly light. He sped up, turning into an afterimage, and rushed rapidly into the distance.
Watching the emerald trees on both sides recede rapidly, a sense of uninhibited exhilaration arose, and at the same time, he constantly calculated the path ahead.
"Right now, I must first find a populated place to hide from subsequent pursuit."
Although the White Coat Old Man wished he would go as far away as possible, this was no reason for him to be careless.
It should be known that in the entire underground base, there was also a Divine Envoy who rarely appeared—Igone Yu—and that guy was the true leader.
If Igone Yu wanted to capture him, then the old man would have no right to object!
So right now, he had to find a populated place to hide. Only then would these unsophisticated cultists not dare to openly search for him.
Moreover, cultists all have bounties.
He overheard this information when he was tied to the experimental table enjoying electric shocks. It was said that Igone Yu's bounty was worth twenty million Ryo, and the remaining captains also had their own bounties.
Thinking of this, Rinren couldn't help but curse under his breath.
"I'll go to the Exchange Office and report your illegal gathering, and let Kakuzu finish you all off."
As he pondered, the forest in his direction gradually thinned, a light drizzle began to fall, and a muddy path appeared.
Rinren's heart swelled with joy.
Where there's a road, there are people. Following the road, he would surely find a place where people lived, and he, this little raindrop, could blend into the vast ocean of the populace, feeling quite pleased.
After an unknown amount of time, dusk approached, dark clouds obscured the sun, and a light drizzle fell incessantly from the sky.
At the end of his vision, a large lake rippled continuously in the rain. In the center of the lake stood a Village with extremely peculiar architectural style.
Rinren looked as far as he could see. The buildings were mainly made of dark steel, with pipes of various thicknesses wrapped around them, and each building shot straight into the sky like a towering sword.
A straight bridge connected the two banks of the inland lake, and at the other end of the bridge was the gate of this Village.
"This…"
Looking at the Village not far away, Rinren froze, a surge of memories flooding his mind.
After a long while, he slowly exhaled: "This… this wouldn't be the Rain Hidden Village, would it?"
Although his memories of Hokage were pitifully few, he still knew about Nagato, the big boss.
With one hand, he unleashed a spicy, sweet, and salty attack, directly scraping off three layers of Konoha's topsoil.
Even Jiraiya, as powerful as he was, ventured alone into the Rain Hidden Village and was skewered. So what about me? Am I going to be made into fish food for chumming?
However, after a second thought, he relaxed. As a mere vagrant who wasn't even a Genin, he wasn't qualified for such VIP treatment.
Thinking of this, Rinren's tense body relaxed, and he followed the passing crowd onto the bridge leading into the Village.
After a while, it was Rinren's turn. The Amegakure Ninja guarding the gate, seeing that he was just a soaking wet, harmless little kid, impatiently waved him through, allowing him into the Village.
Walking down the not-so-bustling street, he casually found an alley and slipped into it.
Hiding in the darkness, Rinren slumped against the wall, his whole body relaxing.
Having experienced the freedom of the outside world, he no longer wanted to return to that dark, gloomy, and cramped underground base.
He looked up at the drizzling raindrops, and a joyful smile gradually appeared at the corner of his mouth.
"Finally, finally free!"
"Is that so, Rinren-kun?"
Just as Rinren was filled with emotion, a playful, hoarse voice sounded from the darkness, immediately making Rinren's scalp tingle.