When Aiwass closed the shepherds apocryphon, the black book no longer had that warm, delicate, skin-like feel.
It became quiet, as if everything before had been an illusion.
At this moment, Aiwass finally understood why he hadn't seen this book in the original history.
Because if someone truly managed to open this forbidden text correctly, they would most likely destroy it immediately.
— The knowledge recorded within it was too dangerous.
It solved a core problem of the Path of Transcendence — the Path of Transcendence could not strengthen others besides itself.
The essence of the Path of Transcendence was to rise above, pursue Transcendence, and seek higher ground; it was an extremely selfish Path.
The power of the Path of Transcendence alone could not benefit others. This led to the Demon Scholars, though often gathered, never truly uniting their strength.
However, the "Shepherding Method" incorporated characteristics of the Path of Dedication, allowing others to benefit through self-sacrifice.
Feeding one's own flesh and blood to Demons, then bestowing Demonic power upon mortals—this logic aligns with the principles of the Path of Dedication. Because in this logical chain, Demons are merely a symbol, much like earning money oneself and then sharing it with the poor.
Similarly, sacrificing humans to nourish Demons, providing these Phantom Demons with power for growth without taking any kickbacks or demanding any returns, also conforms to the principles of the Path of Dedication. The "altruism" of the Path of Dedication is not limited to humans or one's own kind; Phantom Demons are, of course, also "others."
And when the Demon repays this sustenance with power, he still takes not a single cent, giving it all to others. This avoids forming a "transaction," which also aligns with the principles of the Path of Dedication.
This entire behavior was filled with the demonic traces of ambition, revealing an undisguised "upward desire" from its very motivation—the desire to become stronger at all costs. Yet, it also possessed a divine compassion, consistently upholding the sole principle of "helping others gain power to fulfill their wishes."
Everything the Shepherd did was not a transaction, but a selfless bestowal.
Yet, the Shepherd ultimately obtained everything he desired, achieving a nearly perpetual cycle.
— This book must not be left behind.
A very clear thought appeared in Aiwass's mind.
If anyone other than himself had read this book, they would likely view the Great Beast of the Great Beast Master as the Shepherd's flock.
Moreover, if this book were a pure Path of Dedication scripture, it would never have become a "forbidden book" collected by the Supervisory Bureau.
The fact that it was taken by the Inspectors is enough to indicate that this book is not so clean.
Of course, given that the Supervisory Bureau sent this book to Aiwass, his perusal of it was legal. As long as he did not disseminate the knowledge contained within, the Supervisory Bureau would not trouble him, but would turn a blind eye.
The problem was not there.
The real question was… where did the Supervisory Bureau acquire this book?
This book was the original text. As long as someone could correctly open this book, they could acquire the knowledge within and obtain the Shepherd's legacy.
Did that mean someone had already become a "Shepherd"?
If someone knew of the existence of the shepherds apocryphon and discovered that the Supervisory Bureau on Glass Island ultimately took the book, that person might trace this lead and eventually find Aiwass.
This unknown enemy made Aiwass's heart tighten.
He did not know who the other party was—whether a successor of the "Shepherd" or another group hunting the "Shepherd"—nor when these people would come. He wasn't even sure if this hypothetical enemy truly existed.
But just in case.
Aiwass needed to gain greater influence in Avalon, enabling him to direct the Supervisory Bureau to backtrack and track down that potentially existing "Shepherd."
At the same time, Aiwass had indeed mastered the "Shepherding Method"…
After Aiwass finished reading the book, a new skill had quietly been added after his Priest and Demon Scholar professions.
Now, Aiwass's complete panel looked like this:
Priest LV6: [Basic Prayer - Level 2 (3%)], [Sacrificial Fire - Level 1 (5%)], [Illumination - Level 1 (15%)], [Blessing - Level 1 (0%)], [Shepherding (Flesh) - Level 1 (0%)]
Demon Scholar LV5: [Demon Scholar - Level 1 (16%)], [Basic Ritual - Level 1 (5%)], [Demon Contract - Level 2 (3%)], [Shepherding (Essence) - Level 1 (0%)]
Paths Illuminated: Dedication - First Level; Transcendence - First Level
Mana Pool: 2/5 (Light), 4/5 (Dark), 11/15 (Fire)
Free Experience: 50
Path Traits —
Transcendence - Shadow Affinity LV1: You have signed a life contract with a Shadow Demon and can freely use First Level Shadow abilities.
Dedication - Flame Vessel Lv1: You have consumed Candle Holder's blood, and your soul has expanded. Your Mana Pool (Fire) maximum capacity has increased by 14.
Authority - Silver Scale: With this mark as a seal, the Silver Crown Dragon watches over you; a certain oath you made cannot be broken. When you attack any oath-breaker, you gain +1 advantage (divine).
— As the chosen successor, the perfectly matched heir of the "Shepherd," Aiwass indeed received the complete inheritance of the "Shepherding" skill.
And undeniably…
This forbidden skill was indeed very useful to Aiwass.
Because when the shepherds apocryphon mentioned "using flesh and blood to make Phantom Demons grow," Aiwass realized a major oversight he had made before—
In the game, the method for Great Sin Scholars and Great Beast Masters to raise the level of their "Great Beast" was to repeatedly take them to farm Phantom Demons of the same attribute. They only needed to queue for a dungeon where the BOSS was a specified attribute Phantom Demon, then immediately challenge and defeat it, allowing the Great Beast to grow by devouring the opponent's remains.
But this wasn't very effective in real life.
Because he didn't have a "dungeon finder" to randomly queue for instances, and Phantom Demons weren't like BOSSes in dungeons that could be infinitely refreshed. So he could only raise the Phantom Demon's level by feeding it rare materials of the corresponding attribute—this would be extremely costly, and collecting materials would also consume time and effort.
But if he had the Shepherding (Flesh) skill, he could offer himself as food and sacrifice to the Phantom Demon.
Aiwass's oath was "I will not use the lives and corpses of my own kind as my ritual materials and offerings," and he, of course, did not fall into this category.
After all, "Self-Dedication" was a standard skill for Demon Scholars and would not prevent advancement to Great Sin Scholar.
Although the "Shepherd" became emaciated and scarred due to this flesh Shepherding,
Aiwass possessed the most orthodox Priest lineage. Among the four sacred skills carefully selected by the Church over millennia, the "Sacrificial Fire" method would allow Aiwass to quickly recover lost life and heal his physical injuries.
— No need to use others as sacrifices.
Just let the Great Beasts slowly consume my own flesh and blood.
However, the perpetual cycle of spirit and flesh, with all beings as grass, was something he could not achieve.
He could bestow the power of Phantom Demons upon others, and he could feed Phantom Demons with his own flesh and blood. But he could not feed the humans he Shepherded back to the Phantom Demons—because that would involve sacrificing his own kind, which would defile his soul.
Aiwass finally understood why this black book reacted when it was near Yulia.
Because it sensed the Phantom Demon within Yulia, which had been long suppressed and malnourished.
The original text itself also possessed a faint spirituality.
Hatching a Phantom Demon Egg was the simplest way to obtain a weak, juvenile Phantom Demon.
In the illusion of that black book, Aiwass personally witnessed how the "Shepherd," having developed to the mid-stage, acquired a large number of juvenile Phantom Demons through this method:
Children, serving as Phantom Demon Eggs, were collected from all over the world by his legions. After being fed a long-term diet of soup made with his blood, the Phantom Demons within them would grow rapidly, eventually causing the "egg" to crack and the Phantom Demon to hatch.
"…In any case, let's destroy the book first."
Aiwass murmured to himself.
Regardless of whether his adoptive father would become the final BOSS, he could not let him see this book. It would be even more troublesome if his elder brother or Yulia saw it. In any case, the knowledge had already drilled into Aiwass's brain, and he couldn't forget it even if he wanted to.
From the moment he obtained this book, regardless of whether he used it or not, anyone who knew would suspect he had used it.
Then there was no need to be reserved. Not only should he use it, but he should use it fiercely!
Just right, now there was an opportunity to test the soothing effect of the "Shepherding" technique on the Phantom Demon…
Thinking this, Aiwass stood up from his wheelchair.
The moment his feet touched the ground, his spirituality formed a stable circuit with the earth, and the Shadow Demon slumbering in Aiwass's shadow was immediately awakened.
The shadow beneath him spread out instantly, like ink bleeding on paper.
[My master… ]
A viscous, echoing voice rang in Aiwass's mind, filled with a sense of danger.
[You summon me… for what?]
"Destroy it."
Aiwass said in a low voice, tossing the shepherds apocryphon into the bubbling shadow.
But it was not dissolved.
The Shadow Demon showed obvious dissatisfaction.
[Heh, you can't always treat me as a trash can, Master. Not everything can be thrown into my body… What I crave is fresh flesh and blood, sacred souls, and… ]
Just as the Shadow Demon expressed its displeasure, Aiwass drew his pure silver dagger from the table.
It was a ritual knife used for carving ritual arrays. It was sharp enough but lacked toughness.
Aiwass smeared the ritual knife with cinnamon essential oil and rosemary essential oil. He infused a little light attribute mana and dark attribute mana into each of the two essential oils.
Then, he held it over a candle flame, passing it lightly. A deep, dim light emerged from the ritual knife.
Aiwass extended his right hand and took a deep breath.
Then he clenched it tightly until the blade cut through muscle and lodged into bone.
"Then take it, my blood, my bones, my flesh…"
He endured the intense pain, silently reciting in his mind:
[Feed in silence, my lamb… ]
[I am the sacrament, this is grace]
Aiwass's mana pool suddenly loosened—his remaining tri-colored mana randomly infused into his blood, rapidly leaking out like a bathtub with its plug pulled. He envisioned that what flowed from his wound was not red blood, but golden honey and white milk. He lowered his eyes, looking at the Shadow Demon with compassion and pity.
Aiwass tried his best to have no fear, greed, pain, or hatred in his heart, only pure goodness and love.
As if what was before him was not a cunning and deadly Demon, but a starving child begging for food by the roadside.
It was a pure, equal, and supreme bestowal.
— Voluntary sacrifice possesses a sacred quality. Just as Aiwass, when acting as a sacrifice, could summon Upper Demons.
And now, his blood, willingly offered through the correct ritual, had transformed into an extremely sweet and delicious great offering, enough to make Phantom Demons addicted—
The Shadow Demon, which had been complaining incessantly, immediately fell silent.
It shot up as if insane, like dozens of intertwined snakes, gently wrapping around Aiwass's right hand, greedily licking every drop of blood, including the spaces between his fingers and the back of his hand.
Until Aiwass's mana pool was completely depleted, unable to flow out even a single drop of mana. The "Shepherding" ritual then ceased.
Aiwass withdrew the ritual knife, and the wound scabbed over on its own.
And even though the scalding, hot blood had vanished, the Shadow Demon still intently licked Aiwass's right hand, just like a puppy continues to lick its owner's palm after eating food from their hand.
"…It seems you like it very much."
Aiwass's face was pale, but the corners of his mouth curved slightly upwards.
His voice was somewhat weak—half from blood loss, half from intense pain.
During the ritual, he could not frown or show disgust and fear due to this pain, otherwise the Shepherding ritual would fail.
But now he could.
The bone-deep wound indeed brought him extreme pain. But fortunately, he endured it, which prevented the ritual from failing.
[…Yes, Master]
The Shadow Demon's attitude immediately shifted, becoming docile.
[I… like it very much]
Its tone visibly became fawning, no longer a murky, dangerous beastiality, but more like a hoarse, low feminine voice.
Shadow Demons are amorphous, without physical bodies or gender.
This was merely its clumsy way of showing its favor and submission to Aiwass, as it understood it.
"Then go back for now," Aiwass said calmly, "Do you remember what I asked you to do?"
[Of course, my esteemed Master… ]
The Shadow Demon responded without hesitation.
It transformed into a sleek black hound, leaped high, and crashed into the forbidden book Aiwass had thrown to the ground.
But it was bounced back—
When the black book was struck by the Shadow Demon, it suddenly burst into a scorching flame, like a hammer striking an anvil.
A single impact only tore the black book, but did not immediately corrode it.
However, the Shadow Demon, as if provoked and losing face, immediately transformed into a more ferocious and larger wolf, and crashed into the shepherds apocryphon again.
This time it was finally powerless to resist—corrosive shadows continuously poured into the pages, and it visibly withered, decayed, turned black, shrank, and twisted at a speed visible to the naked eye. Finally, it turned to dust and disappeared without a trace.
The Shadow Demon sank back into Aiwass's shadow, disappearing without a trace.
Aiwass didn't have time to carefully wipe the bloodstains remaining on the ritual knife; he could only sheath the silver dagger first. This would undoubtedly ruin the ritual knife, but he couldn't afford to worry about that now.
After the ritual ended, he felt an increasingly intense fatigue and dizziness.
His fingers trembled uncontrollably from the intense pain and blood loss, and his completely exhausted mana made his brain throb in waves. Everything before his eyes kept shrinking and expanding, like getting drunk and about to black out, or like being unable to keep his eyelids open and feeling drowsy in a calculus class…
— Next time, I must at least save some mana for the Sacrificial Fire method. Completely exhausting mana makes one so weak…
Very good, this is a very important experience. Gaining it in a safe place is better than understanding it only in a crisis…
Incomplete thoughts finally surfaced in Aiwass's mind. He staggered and fell onto the bed.
He didn't even have time to take off his clothes or cover himself with a blanket before he passed out directly on his bed.