"You!"


    Bernal''s initial reaction to seeing Wilbur was anger. But then he recalled Holt''s warning and had to suppress his rage. Coldly, he said, "This is Burd Bay. Wilbur, you are a citizen of Dasha. Instead of dealing with your own country''s affairs, you came here to meddle in the issues of Burd Bay. Isn''t that too much?"


    After speaking, Bernal subtly signaled to the servant, who immediately understood and left the hall.


    Wilbur responded, "Lord Bernal, don''t you realize that the situation here has far exceeded our expectations? What''s happening in Burd is affecting the entire dimension. As cultivators, it is our responsibility and duty to maintain the peace of the entire dimension."


    "I don''t know what you''re talking about. The church has no enmity with Dasha''s Department of Paranormal Research and Defense. I am merely following the orders of the Pope. I advise you not to interfere."


    Seeing that Bernal seemed reasonable, Wilbur suspected that Bernal might be unaware of Holt''s soul being sacrificed to the evil god. So, he asked, "Well then, what does the Church of the Holy Illuminati do if someone sacrifices their soul to an evil god to gain its power?"


    "Kill them!" Bernal roared. "The church worships the light. Anyone who worships an evil god is a traitor to the church. If Ie across someone like that, I''ll be sure to kill them!"


    "And if it''s Pope Holt who sacrificed his soul to the evil god, what do you think should be done, Lord Bernal?"


    "What?"


    Bernal''s face showed utter shock.


    Half an hourter, Holt hurried into the hall. Seeing only Bernal there, he looked around and frowned. "Bernal, where is Wilbur?"


    "Your Holiness, before you go after Wilbur, there is something I need to ask you, and I expect an honest answer."


    "How dare you! Bernal, watch your tone. Do you know who you''re speaking to?"


    Facing the Pope''s angry re, Bernal did not show the slightest fear. He bluntly said, "Your Holiness, please perform Illuminos."


    Illuminos can only be performed by those pure of heart. If a cultivator sacrificed their soul to an evil god, they would naturally carry an aura of corruption, making them incapable of performing Illuminos. Thus, Illuminos was used as a crucial test to verify the loyalty of Church members.


    Every year, the church required its members to perform Illuminos to ensure their loyalty. But there is one person whose loyalty is never tested the Pope.


    Half an hour ago, Wilbur''s words had made Bernal question everything. Originally, the Pope had told Bernal that the people of Burd Bay had no faith, and that the region''s moral fabric was on the verge of copse. The only way to restore order was through the cleansing fire of war, which would lead Burd Bay''s people to find faith again.


    The war was supposed to help more people embrace the church, providing them with a happy life. Taking over a region with copsing order and re-establishing a new, structured, and happy society there seemed like a noble cause to Bernal, even if it meant sacrificing a few.


    But if the truth was that the Pope wanted to turn Burd Bay''s people into sacrifices for the evil god through war, then all efforts were meaningless.


    Bernal was a staunch supporter of the church, but he could not bear to see such corruption within its ranks.


    Who would have believed that the one leading the church into darkness could be the Pope himself?