The Evolution Compendium

The dense forest was lush, its branches obscuring the sky, and the ground beneath felt as soft as decaying flesh.

Puppets, reduced to slaves of desire, their bodies mere white bones, summoned half-blood Pet Beasts to launch an attack on a cold, ethereal figure.

The mastermind has been luring me to the center of the Mother Tree, the Moon Princess thought. That place is also the source of this forbidden affair.

Her indifferent eyes narrowed slightly. A Moon Blade twirled and danced, reflecting hundreds of moonlit shadows in a simultaneous volley!

SWISH…

Like a peacock spreading its tail, the majestic moonlight condensed to its utmost, transforming into a swath of frigid, sharp blades. Anyone struck burst into a mist of blood, their bones obliterated.

BANG!

When they drew near, the puppets' bodies swelled abruptly before exploding into showers of corrupted blood.

The Moon Princess frowned.

The puppets controlled by the Desire Mother Tree posed no real threat on their own. However, a trace of the Mother Tree's rules injected into them made them extremely troublesome. Whether killed or self-destructing, they inflicted a faint touch of pollution upon her each time.

In this forest of flesh, removing the pollution was very difficult. Bit by bit, it gradually eroded her Divinity, threatening to eventually corrupt her and cast her into the Abyss. As she delved deeper, the intensity of this pollution increased, putting her at a significant disadvantage.

But the Forbidden Items had to be dealt with. Once they took shape, they would give birth to a rules-based anomaly, radiating its influence over an entire area. Everyone would have to act within those rules to please the deities. Otherwise, the consequence of violating the rules was becoming a sacrifice to the forbidden Evil Gods, ultimately leading to their descent.

This was why she hadn't allowed any of her subordinates to recklessly enter the dense forest at the outset. If they became unknowingly involved in the 'joyous banquet' derived from these rules, her entire force could be wiped out. But alone, it was very hard for her to fathom the rules. If she inadvertently violated them, she would also suffer harm.

A long time passed. All the fearlessly charging, suicidal husks had been reduced to minced flesh, piled like mountains. Blood flowed everywhere, carrying high-radiation pollution. A strong stench of blood lingered, swirling like wolf smoke signals, and under the influence of the developing rules, it began to breed something even more terrifying in the depths.

Countless brown-black roots continued to wriggle, revealing a large insectile egg. More roots and branches converged upon the egg, injecting the power of joy into it. A smiling mask even appeared on the egg's surface.

A creature born under the rules?

The Moon Princess let out a soft "Hmm?" of surprise. Her long, dense lashes quivered like butterfly wings resting on a flower as she cast a cold gaze.

The Moon Cage Grass swayed gently, shedding several small, moon-like orbs. It then cast a grand ray of moonlight, fiercely projecting dozens of scorching beams, as if the area were carpet-bombed by missiles, blasting the surrounding soil into the sky along with it.

When the smoke and dust cleared, the insectile egg remained intact. A chaotic aura dispersed from it as it grew even larger, strictly adhering to the trope of emerging unharmed from smoke.

A teasing voice came from all directions. "Princess, you're too eager. So impatient to meet your dance partner?"

Before the Moon Princess could react, the insectile egg underwent dramatic changes.

CRACK!

A crisp sound echoed. A crack suddenly appeared on the smooth surface of the egg, spreading like a spiderweb.

Then…

BANG!

Crack after crack appeared, one after another, a turbid power leaking out from them. This was the Egg of Chaos!

BOOM—

The next moment, the Moon Princess's normally indifferent, bright eyes contracted suddenly. A tremendous force surged out, transforming into blazing white lightning that consumed most of her vision.

Too fast!

The protective shield sustained by the full moon rippled for a moment. It held for only an instant before shattering like a bubble, the fierce force it carried crashing down upon the Moon Princess. She was thrown backward, crashing into a massive, fleshy tree.

"Cough…"

The Moon Princess coughed violently. She relied on her Moon Authority to negate the force field's impact, but the lurking pollution erupted simultaneously. It was a sneak attack, and she suffered a slight setback. Her face was icy, her bright silver eyes staring ahead.

The Egg of Chaos had disappeared. In its place stood a Demon Spider the size of a carriage. Its lower body was that of a spider, hideous and ugly, with blade-like barbs on its eight legs. Its head was covered with densely packed eyes, and a pair of massive pincers dripped with viscous fluid. Its upper body was that of a woman with six slender, lotus-like arms, adorned with exotic decorations. A black burlap sack covered her head.

Joyful Sequence: Dancing Lady.

The Egg of Chaos had been offered by Joyful Cultists. It contained high concentrations of pollution from the Abyss and served as a vessel for the descent of an Evil God's Favored. This dancer, freshly born, possessed Dawn Star-level combat power thanks to the infusion of the Power of Rules.

SWISH!

The Dancing Lady wiggled her six lotus-like arms. With a tug on a faint thread, branches rustled, and six female corpses dropped down, all posed as if dancing.

The next moment, another Egg of Chaos shattered. It revealed a male attendant, his eyes, nose, and mouth gouged from his face, holding a cup. He drew blood from a corpse hanging half-exposed from the Mother Tree's branches, then, as if by magic, concocted a glass of bright red, translucent liquid.

Joyful Sequence: Bartender.

The Moon Princess's expression grew grim. Her thick, snow-white lashes quivered lightly, like falling snowflakes.

The rules of the Joyous Banquet have already manifested, she thought. Until I find the core, it's best to remain observant and look for weaknesses. Since they are derived from the rules, these manifested sequence members will also act according to those rules. They cannot attack proactively—unless their target is an unlucky soul who has violated the rules and thus forfeited their qualification for the banquet. Just like what happened to me earlier. I was repelled by the Dancing Lady not because of its own power, but due to a counterattack from the entire banquet itself. The first rule must be: do not attack any personnel present at the banquet.

Next, one Egg of Chaos after another shattered, birthing more sequence members subject to the rules.

A figure, bloated into a ball, emerged. Its fat limbs were covered with dense tumors, its flesh buds twisted, and tentacles wriggled. Its entire head, round and bald, was horrific and sinister. In its hand, it held a rusty kitchen knife.

Joyful Sequence: Chef.

An ugly, dwarfish goblin, lascivious and hideous, squinted its tiny, bean-sized eyes. It stared fixedly at the noble Moon Princess, examining her as if she were a precious piece of art, unable to resist the urge to destroy her with its own hands. It was just like a goblin desecrating a Saintess in some dark and depressing anime series.

Joyful Sequence: Tailor.

And at this moment, the man in the clown mask, who had been hiding behind the scenes, stepped out. He wore a top hat and a formal suit, leaned on a cane, and had a gentlemanly demeanor. He greeted the Moon Princess.

"Princess, welcome to... the Joyous Banquet!"

He paused, then shook his head. "It's a bit too lonely with just the Princess here."

The next moment, he tapped the ground with his cane, and figures from beyond the dense forest were transported here.

"What is this damned place... Princess!"

"Ah, could this be a rule derived from the Desire Mother Tree?"

"Kill him!"

A cacophony of other voices erupted.