Hours later, the entire City Lord's mansion had been completely occupied by Tang Xueyao.
Over a hundred maids, along with numerous concubines and some guards, defected and joined Tang Xueyao's ranks.
A few who refused to comply had their consciousness devoured by the Underworld Mushroom, becoming part of its symbiotic consciousness collective.
At this moment, the female prisoners from the dungeon were also brought out.
Most of them were tortured beyond recognition. Out of dozens, only one or two were still alive; the rest had long since died, their bodies decaying and emitting a foul stench.
"Sect Leader, many of these prisoners are believers of the True God Cult, as well as followers of other evil... other sects. Because of their looks, the City Lord captured them to be abused..."
A maid said, bowing her head fearfully.
She had worked under the City Lord before, and no doubt had participated in harming these prisoners.
Therefore, she was extremely nervous, fearing that Tang Xueyao would hold her accountable.
"These... these are sisters from the True God Cult?!"
Tang Xueyao was heartbroken and enraged upon seeing this scene.
This City Lord had died far too easily! He should have been made to suffer a more painful death.
"Bury them properly... and quickly summon doctors to treat the injured!"
Tang Xueyao said urgently.
Suddenly, a withered hand grabbed Tang Xueyao. It was the barely-breathing Saintess of the True God Cult.
"What did you say?"
Tang Xueyao saw her lips move slightly and quickly leaned down to listen.
"Kill me... please..."
The Saintess's lower limbs had been severed, her face disfigured, and her body riddled with wounds. Even if healed, she would be a cripple.
Perhaps she herself did not wish to live like this.
Living like this was worse than death.
"Sister..."
Tang Xueyao's tears instantly flowed, her right hand gripping the Thousand Bone Saber turning pale, trembling uncontrollably, but she couldn't bring herself to strike.
"Why are you so conflicted? Can't the True God restore them? Is it that troublesome?!"
The Underworld Mushroom, from who knows where, had brought a stool and sat beside them, eating grapes with its legs crossed.
It said indifferently while eating.
"What? Yes, the True God, there's the True God!"
"Can the True God heal them?!"
Tang Xueyao's eyes lit up, as if seeing a glimmer of hope.
"No, I can heal their bodies, but the mental and psychological trauma they suffered, I am completely unable to heal!"
Zhang Chen spoke the truth.
"Indeed... the mental and soul-deep injuries they sustained are likely irreparable!"
Tang Xueyao lowered her head, her face filled with pain.
At this moment, the Saintess, lying on the stretcher, was still struggling to repeat those words:
"Kill me... please..."
"Then... is there no other way?" Tang Xueyao asked unwillingly.
"Of course, there is. I can restore them to their state before they were tortured!"
Zhang Chen said slowly.
"Really? Then... that would be even better!"
Tang Xueyao was so excited she was about to jump.
The surrounding maids and guards saw Tang Xueyao standing there, her expression changing from pained to excited, and talking to herself.
They were all terrified, their faces ashen.
"This... this True God Cult is indeed a bit strange. Are we really right to join her?"
"Never mind that. After all, she's the strongest now. If we dare to disobey her, we'll die on the spot. Isn't it better to live? Why bother with so much?"
"By the way... listening to this little girl... no, Sect Leader, it seems she's talking to the True God, and it appears she can save these people?!"
"Alas, with so many sects now, we've seen too many of these tricks. They all claim they can summon gods and display divine power, but in reality, it's all just magic!"
"Exactly. If it were anything else, we'd just watch it as entertainment. But these people were genuinely imprisoned female convicts. Some died, some were crippled. Can they still be saved? I don't believe it!"
Everyone present had joined the True God Cult out of necessity and had no real loyalty, nor did they believe in any gods.
So they were all whispering amongst themselves, unsure what Tang Xueyao was doing.
If she intended to perform magic tricks on these people, she was likely to fail spectacularly.
But what troubled them most wasn't Tang Xueyao failing her act of summoning a god, but what they should do if she did fail.
Should they continue to flatter her? How thick-skinned would they need to be!
"Alright, then I'll trouble the True God. Thank you, True God!"
Tang Xueyao clasped her hands together and said piously.
Those present also followed Tang Xueyao's example, clasping their hands and saying with bowed heads, "Thank you, True God!"
Some even struggled to suppress their laughter, finding the act incredibly childish and crude.
*Whoosh!*
Suddenly, everyone felt the scene before them blur. When it cleared again, they found that the female prisoners had disappeared.
In the center of the densely packed area, dozens of beauties appeared, dressed in various styles, but all exceptional in appearance and figure.
"What? A disappearing act? Where did those prisoners go?!"
"I've seen disappearing acts by other sects. They usually perform in special venues, with mechanisms beneath the stage. But this is the City Lord's mansion, the ground is all bluestone. There can't be any mechanisms."
"Yes, and typically disappearing acts involve one or two people. To do this with dozens of people in such a short time, the difficulty is immense!"
"No... no, no, no! This isn't a trick!"
Suddenly, a guard pointed at a simply dressed girl at the forefront with eyes full of terror.
"I remember her. She was the Saintess of the True God Cult. I was on duty when she was taken into the prison."
"She... she's the woman who just grabbed the Sect Leader's hand... I'll never forget her appearance. It was the first time I'd ever seen such a beautiful woman!"
The guard, filled with shock, stumbled to the ground.
"Yes, yes, yes! I've seen all these women. I was responsible for bringing food to the prisoners. I personally witnessed them transform from beautiful young girls into unrecognizable figures, tortured to death!"
"That scene was so horrific that I have nightmares every day. I never expected them to be restored!?"
A servant also shouted loudly.
Simultaneously, more and more people in the crowd recognized the girls present.
They had all come back to life, and not only had their bodies recovered, but even their clothing and demeanor had been restored!
Under these circumstances, everyone knelt down in unison, praising the True God loudly.
Those who had just mocked Tang Xueyao's performance as childish and crude were so terrified they dared not speak. Their backs felt icy cold, as if a deity were watching them and smirking.