《The more they oppose, the more it shows that I am doing the right thing》 Chapter 1 There are at least three grammatical errors in your congratulatory message Light drizzle tapped against the prison''s iron bars, pattering softly. An Su groggily opened his eyes. He hung his head, looking at the reflection of a young boy in the puddle, and froze. That wasn''t his face. The boy''s features were delicate, appearing to be no more than fourteen years old, with pale blue eyes reflecting a cool light, his skin pallid almost to the point of transparency. He was dressed in luxurious noble attire, a robe trailing along the soil paired with his long grey-white hair, enveloping his bare feet.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om The frail noble boy contrasted drastically with the gloomy and damp surroundings, like a mismatched scene from two different paintings. "Hss..." An Su''s head throbbed with intense pain. Memories from his past life flooded in like a tide. He was once the most famous speedrunner in the world, undertaking a challenge in a western fantasy game named "Nether." This was his seventeenth run, he was attempting to beat the fastest world record forpletion, and by the way, the current world record was his from the sixteenth run. He was pulling an all-nighter, then suddenly everything went dark, and the world transformed. He had reincarnated into the world of Nether. As memories merged, An Su''s expression grew increasingly grim. It seemed he was off to a fatal start. It appeared... he had reincarnated into a character destined to be sacrificed at the beginning. Literally to be offered up by cultists. His name was An Su Moningsta, the heir to one of the wealthiest families, the Morningstar Family. While his household was abundantly rich, An Su was not destined to be the protagonist. First, his dark attributes were outstanding, a once-in-a-century phenomenon, while his holy attributes were socking it was heartrending, earning him the title ''Child of the Curse'' from birth. If not for his progressive father, he would have ended up drowned in a hog cage. Second, he was born into a noble family and had quite the disdainful character, aloof and entric from childhood, his greatest skill being running away from home. These two characteristics were the main reasons the cultists kidnapped An Su. A ''Child of the Curse'' with high dark attributes was one of the best offerings to the Evil God. The Mother Goddess had a particr taste for children with high dark or high holy attributes, finding the mixture of salty and fresh vors rich yet not greasy. And kids who loved to run away from home were the easiest targets for cultists to kidnap. ording to An Su''s memories from his previous life, this should be the opening CG phase of the "Nether" storyline. This time, the cultists had kidnapped two children. One was him, and the other was one of the heroines of this game, the future Church''s Holy Maiden, a paragon of virtue who despised evil C Luojia Fast. As everyone knows, the opening of a game is always designed to set the stage for the protagonist''s debut, and An Su, unfortunately, was just a stepping stone for the protagonist''s entrance. ording to the original story, the cultists would sacrifice the two in session; An Su would die on the spot and be taken by the Evil God. And An Su''s death would trigger Luojia, the heroine, who would then awaken her potential as the Holy Maiden and vanquish the cultists. With this in mind, buttering up the Little Holy Maiden and clinging to the protagonist''s coattails, using his previous life''s walkthrough knowledge to find a way to activate Luojia''s constitution as the Holy Maiden, might just save his life. To cling to the protagonist''s coattails. That was the standard and correct solution. In such a situation, any sane person would know what to do. There were no issues with that. As An Su pondered, he found his train of thought to be unusually clear, and hisposure unnaturally calm. He stood up, walked to the next cell, and looked at the girl in the neighboring cell. She was only a year older than An Su. Luojia lowered her gaze, her silver eyelids like ayer of frost, and beneath them, her golden eyes reflected a cool light. Dressed in a whitewashed nun''s attire, her pale hands hugged her knees, sitting in the other corner of the room. The dim torchlight flickered over her cheeks, her shoulders trembling slightly, like a restless kitten. Perhaps sensing An Su''s gaze, she lifted her head, paused, then dropped it again, turning her face away. "The Lord will protect us," Luojia suddenly said. It was unclear whether she wasforting An Su or herself. "My name is An Su, what''s yours?" An Su politely inquired. "Luojia." "Luojia, listen," An Su called her name, earnestly saying, "I have a n that could save our lives, and you are the most critical, most important part of it." The most critical... most important? Luojia lifted her head, locking eyes with An Su. For some reason, she inexplicably felt a sense of trust towards the noble youth before her. Perhaps it was his sunny smile. After all, he was handsome. Luojia asked, "What do I need to do?" An Su looked into her eyes and said slowly, "That is, to swear to the Goddess of Contract, if we get out, you''re not allowed to report me..." "...?" Luojia was baffled, tilting her head, her silver hair draping over one shoulder, "What?" "And," the youth added, "you can''t beat me upter." Yearster, Luojia, who had be the Church''s Holy Maiden, would look at her pontiff and often recall this dark and damp autumn afternoon, the innocent smile of the boy as he made her swear to the Goddess of Contractand feel a sincere regret. --- Time slowly passed, and the drizzling autumn rain outside had stopped. An Su remained silent the whole time, never revealing his n to Luojia, simply leaning against the wall, waiting quietly. The preparation for the cultist ritual wasplete. A priest wearing a radiant golden sun mask opened the cage, first removing the shackles from An Su''s hands, then pushing him forward to leave. The golden mask. It was a hallmark of the adherents to the Mother Goddess sect, consistent with the game''s settings. "Nether" is a game with a high degree of freedom, and the sect of the Mother Goddess is one of the eight great esoteric sects yers can choose to join, worshiping the original Mother Goddess the Mother Goddess of Life. ``` Chapter 1 Your Congratulations Have At Least Three Grammatical Errors_2 They enjoyed sacrificing lives the most, winning the Mother Goddess''s pleasure through the sacrifice of dark lives or the believers of the righteous gods, and ultimately being blessed.As the most experienced player, An Su was very familiar with the various sacrificial rituals of the Mother Goddess''s followers. After all, in his sixteenth playthrough, he had chosen the path of the Pope of the Mother Goddess''s religion and had conducted countless sacrificial rituals. Upon leaving the cage, he arrived at the altar. The runes of invocation had already been drawn with mercury and fresh blood. All around the altar were twisted arms, wildly grown lumps of flesh, and heaps of dry bones. An Su recognized every material here: [Twisted Flesh Lump], [Corpse Nest], [Bone Cradle]... each one was unobtainable through normal means, not even purchasable with money. It seems the cultists are taking this sacrifice very seriously... An Su thought to himself. After all, one was the Child of the Curse, and the other was the Holy Maiden in waiting. There were twenty figures crawling on the altar with golden masks, they were the believers who were to be blessed by the Mother Goddess this time. All of them were talented individuals. According to the procedure, children with dark talents or nuns from the Church were to be brought to the altar in turn, and the bishop would chant the prayers, establish an anchor point, and invoke the name of the Mother Goddess. The more detailed and clear the prayers, the more the Mother Goddess would hear the call. The offerings would be taken away by the Mother Goddess, and at last, the blessing would be conferred upon the believers. In the sacrificial ritual, the more the Mother Goddess revels, the grander the blessing bestowed. The first to be sacrificed was An Su. Luojia stood below the altar, her face had turned pale from the surrounding white bones, her lips trembled slightly; despite this, she had not succumbed and her eyes coldly fixed on the cultists, lightly biting her pearl-like teeth. She then turned her gaze toward An Su on the platform, with a certain expectation, although she knew it was just an illusion. The young boy on the altar stood barefoot in blood, his cyanotic eyes dull and lackluster, like a timid deer. How could a pure child possibly defeat the evil cultists? She wished to save An Su more than herself. Something seemed to be quivering in her heart. An Su also looked at Luojia; he knew that this Holy Maiden was just one step away from awakening. The conventional solution was to cling to the protagonist''s coattails. ...But he was a player of the heretical path. An Su only believed in one principle: it''s better to depend on oneself than on others! The priest beside him had already begun chanting the prayers, his voice low and hoarse, as if a painful roar, ''Mother of Desire, great Mother of Life, your believers call out to you to offer a dark child upon the altar....'' Indeed... As an experienced player, An Su could spot at least three grammatical errors in that prayer. After all, this was the opening scene of the game, and by the time An Su reached the seventeenth playthrough, the game had updated to version 3.0, and many fixes had been made to the setting of the Mother Goddess''s religion; naturally, the prayers were also upgraded. For instance, Mother of Life should be changed to Mother of Fertility... and so on. Though this prayer could evoke the Evil God, it was barely audible. It required repetitive calling and a lot of time. And each invocation could only sacrifice one offering. To conduct the sacrifice of the next one, a new invocation was necessary. Spending time on meaningless cutscenes without the ability to skip was one of the most criticized aspects by players, so the developers were stormed by player complaints. The 3.0 prayers unlocked later incorporated more accurate anchoring terms, allowing one to summon the Evil God with a single click and sacrifice multiple offerings at once. The Priest had finished a section and was preparing to chant again. At that moment, An Su spoke up. Under the guise of a fourteen-year-old boy, his pupils kept trembling, his voice quivering, as if he would burst into tears the next moment, he said in a fearful and juvenile voice: "Uncle, may I... may I leave some last words...?" His cyanotic eyes reflected a faint hint of tears. According to the setting, the offering leaving last words could please the Mother Goddess even more. This was also part of the ritual, The more heartbreaking and desperate the last words, the more the Mother Goddess delighted in them. So they couldn''t possibly refuse. The Priest nodded disdainfully. What could a pampered noble child possibly do. At most, he''d just whine a few sentences. Below the altar. Seeing the fear in the young boy, Luojia''s heart sank to the bottom. An Su stood in the center of the altar, perhaps because of fear, he could not stand firmly and crawled on the ground, facing the twenty believers who were also crawling. "Desire and the Moon''s Mother Goddess, the great matron of fertility..." "The eternal motherhood above the spirit realm," The High Priest realized something was amiss; the boy''s tone had become increasingly strange, as if he were straining his throat, and his last words were even more peculiar. Your last words are clearly mine. No, weirder than the priest''s blessings. "Hey." The boy laughed strangely, looking up with eyes that showed no fear, but only tranquility, an expression not befitting a fourteen-year-old child. "This is the hymn of the sincere, this is the feast of spirit and soul," An Su said, smiling clean and sunny, "This is the delicacy of blood and flesh!" "Your devout believer An Su Moningsta presents a gift," "Offering the twenty-one dark heretics on the altar to You" "Inviting You to dine with me!" As soon as these words were spoken, the whole place burst into turmoil. Luojia''s eyes widened in shock. Only at this moment did she finally understand what ''do not report'' meant. What in the world. The Priest stared wide-eyed. What is this maneuver? It''s like turning the heavens upside down. For the first time in over thirty years of conducting rituals, he had been offered as a sacrifice himself, and on the altar he had meticulously set up? It was as if, after being a chef for thirty years, today he was cooked by the food itself, using their own cutting board! He was so furious he wanted to laugh out loud. This little devil thought he could summon the Mother Goddess by reciting the chant once? It took at least four hours, And he got the anchor phrase wrong, too. In the end, who can sacrifice twenty-one people at once? Summoning the Evil God with the wrong anchor phrase was an act of provocation, inviting divine punishment. sea??h th N?vel(F)ire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. But the next second, he could no longer laugh. Great terror descended. He saw the believers prostrating on the ground beginning to twist and convulse, their greasy fat swelling like water until it exploded at its limit, blood and limbs splattering, some even landing on An Su''s sunny smile. This guy''s ritual was even more extreme than his own! The Priest''s body also began to change, emitting screams. For the first time, he questioned his own faith. Here he was, dancing and playing music, calling the goddess ten or twenty times before she would respond with an ''oh'', and this rich second-generation kid just had to call out once, and the goddess came running? Outplayed! In An Su''s former life, this situation had a professional term: clown. "You can''t do this..." he wailed in pain, "you can''t..." "You are the heretic of the Esoteric Religion, the more you oppose me," An Su said, gazing at him seriously, "the more it proves I am doing the right thing." "In the end, who really is the Cultist..." were the High Priest''s last thoughts, "you''re not even of age yet!" He was devoured by flesh and blood, his skin burst open, and his organs and bones scattered ripples through the air. According to the rules of the Mother Goddess religion, the blessed believers and living sacrifices were to stand on the altar together, so theoretically, whoever completed the ritual first would be sacrificed first! The Mother Goddess is an Evil God, and She doesn''t care who summons whom; even if the sacrifice is Her own believer, She would happily devour them. As long as the life has elements of darkness or sanctity, She would accept them all and then grant her blessings. So, who else could have a higher level of dark elements in their body than a Cultist? None. "Indeed, there is this bug," An Su nodded, his face showing a smile of bountiful harvest, looking towards Luojia, who was too shocked to speak, and thought to himself, "Sacrificing twenty-one Cultists at once, what a windfall." Befriend the main character? Take the risk of possibly being killed, be a stepping stone for the protagonist, fanatically licking their boots, and ending up with nothing for yourself? No. A heretic gamer always has ways to speed through the game. Chapter 2 The Newborn ```[Title Acquired: ''Life Sacrificer Emerging from Obscurity''] [God-Given Title] [Title Introduction: So young, yet so ruthless, this person must be eliminated or they will become a huge threat to the Church and a colossus of the Magic Tao.] [Title Effect: Wearing this title, increase in sacrifice return rate by ten percent.] As expected, the title system of this world still exists. An Su thought. The so-called title system meant that once you fulfilled a certain achievement, the gods in charge of titles from the divine realm would bestow an appropriate title upon you. If you wanted to enjoy the title''s boost, you needed to wear the title, and once worn, the title and its introduction would be displayed to everyone. Next came the magic bestowed by the Mother Goddess of Life. According to the esoteric religion system, the Mother Goddess would decide the quality of the boon based on the quality of the sacrificial offerings. The twenty-one cultists An Su sacrificed were of decent rank, with both quantity and quality present, so he was able to receive an intermediate stage magic tome, with higher levels including high-rank, legendary, and even god-level tomes available. Using magic from different ranks would also consume different amounts of magic points. That is, mana. Moreover, the amount of mana consumed by using different magic attributes could increase or decrease based on the user''s corresponding attribute talent. The base mana of An Su''s body was 3 points. It was the most basic first-order mage. Second-order mages had 10~20 points, third-order had 20~30 points, and so on. Furthermore, a first-order mage could only equip four magic tomes, or in other words, four memory slots, in battle. To change the magic in the memory slots, one would have to wait until the battle was over. Second-order carried six, third-order carried eight, and the pattern continued. Because his dark talent was special and he lacked light talent, the mana consumed while using Evil God magic was halved and doubled while using Holy Light magic. Naturally suited for misdeeds! Perhaps for this reason, the original body''s owner had been prohibited from practicing magic from a young age. The Life Evil God was a main god level Evil God with many powers at its disposal. The array of magic tomes related to the Goddess of Life was dazzling. Since it was an intermediate stage blessing, aside from the exclusive magic of the Evil God series, there were common magic from other attributes such as earth, fire, and so on, which An Su would not consider at the moment. There was one Evil God magic that An Su found quite interesting. [Blessing of the Goddess of Life] [Blessing Magic] [Intermediate Stage] [Each use consumes 4 magic points (originally 8)] The Blessing of the Goddess seems like a very holy and normal thing by name, but in reality, it is extremely sinisterakin to something that everyone in his previous world would join in to condemn. It is the kind of magic you don''t have to use, but must have, and it must be something your opponent cannot have. The Gift of the Goddess of Holy Light is the light of healing, the Gift of the Forest Goddess is the growth of trees, and so on. What could the Blessing of the Life Goddess be? Of course, it''s life. [Magic Effect: Those hit by this magic will receive the blessing of the Goddess of Life. The abdomen of the blessed will begin to gestate void life, swelling rapidly, and they will experience the feeling of childbirth. The movement speed is reduced by twenty percent, lasting for ten minutes (Note: regardless of gender)] [Magic Introduction: Children are the best gift from the Mother Goddess of Life!] The Gift of the Life Goddessthis magic tome in An Su''s previous life was known as ''stare and you''re pregnant'' or ''the water of Daughters'' Country.'' It was the most cancerous spell in the lineage of the Life Goddess and was even considered a banned card at one point. The movement speed reduction of twenty percent was acceptable as a debuff, but what is unacceptable is how nauseating the magic is; players used to hate seeing their carefully designed characters with swollen bellies, as if they had been violated by the opponent! Moreover, male characters also had the same violation! A male character with a swollen belly, how is that proper? Of course, An Su wanted this tome of magic, but unfortunately, his magic points were not enough at the moment. He couldn''t use it even if he had it. He could only take it later. Nevertheless, there was another fairly good magic tome among the intermediate stage books of the Life Goddess system. An extraordinarily niche magic tome. He searched through the dazzling array of magic tomes, and suddenly, his eyes lit up. ``` ``` Found it! An Su was in a good mood, this card had not yet been blessed for other believers by the Mother Goddess of Life. [Magic Name: Bloody Baptism] The name was hardly friendly, straightforward, and sounded like something Cultists would use. Sarch* The N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. [Support Type] [Intermediate Stage (Upgradeable)] [Magic Point Consumption: 1 point (originally 2)] [Magic Effect: Can be used twice per week, able to modify the name and the corresponding description of any magic or title of the intermediate stage or below. However, only content can be deleted, no text can be added, and the deleted content must not exceed two-thirds of the original text] [Magic Description: The Mother Goddess of Life names your child!] In short, it was a renaming card. It could change the name of a magic or title, but only by removing text, not adding. It seemed like a useless magic, after all, you could only delete, but not entirely. A blessing of the intermediate stage was precious to ordinary believers, and no one would waste a rare opportunity to choose such a powerless support magic. Therefore, this magic book was quite unpopular. But An Su knew the hidden property of this renaming card: it was the only renaming magic book in Entire Hell and it was upgradeable. In Nether''s world, Cultists were rejected and targeted by the entire society; if An Su carried the title of ''Life Sacrificer,'' he would probably be chased across the map. Lying low and developing was the most important. "Use ''Bloody Baptism'' on the title, and remove parts of the title description," An Su thought to himself. [''Novice Life Sacrificer''] [Title Description: So young and yet such a bloody heart, this child must be eliminated, or else he will become a great threat to the Church and a giant of Magic Tao] An Su pondered how to deceive everyone. The description removal must not exceed two-thirds of the original content. Delete ''bloody,'' delete ''great threat,'' delete ''Magic Tao.'' [Title Description: So young and yet such a heart, this child must be eliminated, or else he will become a giant of the Church] Good, the title description was sorted. It looked full of potential. A smile played on his lips. As for ''Novice Life Sacrificer,'' how to change it... after removing two-thirds, only three characters could be kept. It had to be changed gracefully and unnoticeably, leaning towards the light, giving off an inspiring and uplifting impression. Got it. After a brief thought, An Su made a bold stroke, [The Newborn]. Newborn! What a precise and elegant adjective, like the newly risen sun, fresh and full of vitality, symbolizing the birth of a new righteous star! Who could suspect a sun that has just been born? Who could doubt a Newborn? (Newborn, in chinses An Su revealed a satisfied smile. Modification successful, and he could still use Bloody Baptism once this week. At the same time, there was a bug-like trick to the magic [Bloody Baptism]. That was "Use [Bloody Baptism] on the magic [Bloody Baptism]." Change its very own name! Bloody Baptism was immediately flagged as Cultist''s work upon inspection by Scouting Magic. Remove ''bloody,'' remove ''Mother of Life'' from the magic description. Thus it became[Magic: Baptism], [Magic Description: The Goddess names your child!] The magic instantly took on a Holy Light. ``` Chapter 3 Luojia How did I become his encourager? The Moningsta Family, also known as the Morningstar Family, is one of the newly rising families on the frontier and the wealthiest among them.Inside the courtyard of the Morningstar estate. Luojia waited quietly. She slightly lowered her head, counting the number of fallen leaves on the ground, the hesitance showing under her silvery-white eyelids. A week had passed since the sacrifice incident. But everything seemed as if it had happened just yesterday, the fresh blood, the screams still vivid in her mind. After parting with An Su, she had returned to the Church. She had sworn an oath not to report An Su, nor to reveal any details about the Mother Goddess''s teachings; she simply said she had been playing at a friend''s house for a few days. Life at the Church remained uneventful, as if nothing had ever happened. Luojia had spent such a week in constant trepidation. Until today, she finally made up her mind to visit the estate of the Morningstar Family. If An Su had been completely beguiled by the Mother Goddess, then it was her duty to guide and stop him. That was her responsibility and obligation. The shadows of the gothic dome below fell sharply on the ground like swords, and rows of palm trees stood on either side of the courtyard, their scattered points of light twinkling between layers of leaves, the dense greenery seemingly about to cascade down. "Ah... indeed, a nun from the Radiant Holy See." The gatekeeping maid nodded, a look of surprise on her face, and asked again uncertainly. "You truly wish to visit Master An Su...? You are Master An Su''s... friend?" "Yes, I am An Su''s friend." Luojia lifted her gaze, looking directly at the maid before her, "May I?" "Master An Su has no friends," the maid said with a flicker of revulsion and fear in her eyes as she mentioned the name. She glanced around before lowering her voice, "You knowthe child of this house... he''s a cursed monster." "A cursed monster?" Luojia''s eyes widened slightly. "Since he was born, he has caused his mother''s death. He came into this world with his mother''s blood on his hands." the maid whispered, "Master An Su possesses a rare dark talent, which is why to this day, he is forbidden by the head of the house from practicing magic. Don''t lie to me, you are definitely not his friend." "No child wishes to befriend himnot to mention a nun from the Radiant Holy See." The Radiant Holy See is one of the seven Orthodox Churches of Nether. Only the most devout and noble children can join the Radiant Holy See. No one holds any expectations for the young master of the Morningstar Family. Upon hearing about An Su''s background, Luojia was momentarily taken aback. She had always thought the young master came from a privileged background and lived in luxury, but she had never expected such a past. And moreover, the young master''s reputation within the family was not good. If that was the case, she was even more determined to persuade An Su to see the error of his ways! Luojia made up her mind at that moment. She could not let him stray further and further down the path of the Esoteric Religion. "If you insist on visiting," the maid curtsied, "I will go and notify them." After a while. The maid returned and curtsied to Luojia again, "Please follow me." Accompanying the maid, Luojia walked along the corridor into the interior, passing through the courtyard shaded by palm trees, then along a side path, walking further in. She noticed that the ambiance around her gradually turned more secluded and dilapidated. The enormous palm trees were gone, replaced by ivy clinging to the inner walls, and the layered tendrils of the vines blocked out the sunlight. At the end of the ivy, there was a small gothic tower. Gray and desolate. Sar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. A thick layer of fallen leaves had accumulated at the entrance, suggesting it seldom received visitors. "I won''t accompany you any further. You can go on by yourself from here." The maid looked at the gray tower with a trace of aversion and said to Luojia. Without company, Luojia felt her emotions growing more complex. The image of that boy, sacrificing twenty-one Cultists in madness that day, was deeply etched in Luojia''s memory. But An Su had saved her. The only thing Luojia knew was that An Su had saved her. Therefore, she had to help An Su, to dissuade him from continuing down the wrong path. She knocked on the somewhat heavy door of the gray tower Soon after, a cold yet clear voice came from inside. "Please come in, Miss Luojia." Luojia pushed the door open and saw the young master leaning against the window shutters, holding a thick volume, while the afternoon breeze gently rustled through the gaps in the ivy, tousling An Su''s light grey hair. He seemed different from what she had seen on that day, tranquil as the afternoon sun. But Luojia knew that this was only a facade of the boy. An Su put down his book, lifted his eyes, and gazed at Luojia, gazing at the future Holy Maiden. "What is it that you need from me?" "About the blood sacrifice," Luojia said softly, "I have never mentioned it to the Church." "I see," An Su commented noncommittally. The contract sworn before the goddess was protected by the divine. "But regarding the blood sacrifice..." Luojia took a deep breath, "you cannot continue anymore." "I know, this is only your first time, it was for self-preservation, and the sacrifices are all evil people... you even saved my life, I won''t forget it." Actually, it wasn''t my first time... An Su remained expressionless. In the game, I used the altar like a bank to farm money and skills... sacrificing tens of thousands whenever I was short on cash or skills. The Mother Goddess was even affectionately referred to by An Su as the ''Bank Manager''. Her tone became earnest, "The Esoteric Religion is terrifying. I''ve seen many who have fallen, tasted the first sweet fruit and then wander further and further down the wrong path, sacrificing more and more people, even innocent civilians. You must have been blessed by the Mother Goddess by now, right? Once the Church learns of this, you will be sent to the guillotine..." An Su listened in silence, the shadow of the window mullion covering his face, making it impossible to discern his expression. "I will pretend I haven''t seen this incident." Luojia spoke sternly, "I will find a way to cover it up with the Church. Please give up the blessings of the Mother Goddess and return to the life of an ordinary person. The Mother Goddess will not bless you, She is an evil existence..." To be honest, this Little Holy Maiden is quite considerate. The oath included not reporting, but not helping to cover up. "I know, it is cruel, you will hate me, you will think I am repaying kindness with enmity..." Luojia continued to speak, but before she could finish, An Su interrupted her. "You are right." "I know it''s hard for you to abandon your faith in the Mother Goddess... Huh?" Luojia blinked, doubting her ears, and asked again, "What did you say?" "You''ve convinced me!" An Su took a few steps closer, drawing near to Luojia''s cheek, his eyes full of sincerity, "What I despise most in my life are evil cultists. They bully men and women, lord over others, and commit all kinds of atrocities, the worst of the worst. After reflecting over this past week, I have completely come to my senses." Ah...? I haven''t even said anything yet. Luojia clenched the prepared speech cheat sheet in her garment unconsciously: "Three Steps to Persuade An Su to Turn Around." She was just at the first step of the baptism, enlightening him with reason. According to the normal baptism process, shouldn''t An Su be firm in his opposition, throwing her out of the yard, and then over the next few days, she perseveres relentlessly, the second step moving him with emotion, and eventually An Su is touched by her spirit and reforms, adding another redemption tale to the Church... How is it that he was so easily persuaded! What''s more critical is... inside, Luojia felt assured that the young man before her spoke nothing but earnest truth from his heart. "Those cultists are shameless, especially the followers of the Mother Goddess, utterly wicked!" An Su declared indignantly. "Right, that''s true," Luojia nodded in agreement. "They love to slaughter civilians." "Indeed," Luojia agreed. "They also take away the children of civilians, snatch away men''s wives." "That''s true," Luojia nodded again. "They are extremely promiscuous, that Mother Goddess is just a well-trained breeding sow, having wild parties with her Archbishop every day!" "That''s right...." Luojia nodded, then immediately realized what she was saying, her pupils dilating, "Eh? Is that so? The Mother Goddess Church doesn''t even have an Archbishop, eh, wait, is that really happening?" "That just shows your ignorance," An Su asserted firmly, adding in his mind, ''At least that''s how I played it.'' Denigrating the Mother Goddess was no burden for An Su. This was a region ruled by the Orthodox Church; no matter how much he cursed, the Mother Goddess could not hear him. And even if She did hear, She wouldn''t care. After all, millions cursed Her every day. "I know I have committed unforgivable sins..." An Su confessed sincerely. "It''s not that serious," Luojia''s stern demeanor deflated a bit. "I have blood-sacrificed twenty-one living beings," the young man said, his eyes brimming with tears. "Those were evildoers, evildoers, and it was out of self-preservation, you are innocent!" Luojia blurted out, yet she sensed something was amiss. I''m here to stop this cultist, how has it turned into encouraging him? "I know I can never fully atone for my sins, and in order for you to keep watch over me in the future, to ensure I never sacrifice innocent civilians... I swear to the goddess!" An Su looked squarely at Luojia, declaring solemnly, "Please allow me to join the Radiant Holy See to atone for my sins!" "Eh?" Luojia was bewildered. Chapter 4 Although Its a Bit Dirty, I Dont Mind Luojia was somewhat confused.She had only intended to persuade An Su to turn back from his wayward path, yet how did she end up exceeding her mission and recruiting this fellow to enlist? Watching Luojia lost in thought, An Su''s lips curled into a barely noticeable smile. The Radiant Holy See''s scrutiny was very strict, and secular nobility who wished to join the church needed the recommendation and endorsement of related clergy. And whose guarantee could be more persuasive than that of the Holy Maiden in waiting before him? The most important reason An Su had requested Luojia''s recommendation was No matter what he did in the future, Luojia could not report him. During his imprisonment, the oath he made Luojia swear to the Goddess actually contained a textual trap. "Cannot report against An Su after getting out and cannot harm An Su" The key was the clause about not being able to report against An Su once out, It didn''t specify what incidents could not be reported. A trap-free oath should have been, "Cannot report against An Su''s present deeds performed on this altar after getting out" Leaving out the reference to time and place, the meaning changed entirely. Not specifying anything in particular, not particularly referring to the offering of Esoteric Cult Followers, henceforth any incident that happened, Luojia could not report against An Su. And could not harm An Su either. This plan was rather good. An Su''s lips curled into a barely-noticeable smile. As for the words he had just spoken to Luojia... indeed, all were true. The Esoteric Religion''s organization was fragmented, factions were splintered, and there wasn''t even an Archbishop; due to their Goddess''s fondness for dark life, Esoteric Cult Followers were each other''s enemies, engaging in internal bloodshed, each eager to offer up their brethren to their Mother Goddess. According to An Su''s memory, there were nearly ten hostile believer dens in this borderland alone. Splintered internally and hunted down by the church externally. Only a fool would now join the Green Forest Organization. He, An Su, such a sunny and cheerful boy, would naturally choose the officials without hesitation; he was not at all familiar with any Mother Goddess. Securing a position within the church bureaucracy was the most important! Moreover, An Su had another purpose in joining the Radiant Holy See. "But..." Luojia started to speak, hesitating as if she was in doubt. She swallowed slightly, her voice bearing a hint of hesitance, "You''re not suited for the path of the church." This was a known fact to the entire Morningstar Family. The Holy Light element within An Su''s body was scarce, and to advance in Radiant Magic would require several times the effort of others. Luojia had put it quite diplomatically; the low-empathy version was, we don''t accept Child of the Curse. Hmph... She hesitated, her heart wavered. Observing the girl''s expression before him, An Su knew he had secured his ground. He subconsciously clenched the prepared speech cheat sheet in his pocket, "Three Steps to Coax Luojia into Enlisting An Su." He had already completed the first step, to reason with her. Next was the second step, to move her emotionally! "Luojia." An Su gazed earnestly at the girl, his cyan-hued eyes downcast. The sunlight, filtered through the ivy, lost its scorching hues, casting a dark green filter on the light, which flickered with a bright yet sorrowful glow in the boy''s pupils, "I know I am a child who is not blessed. Ever since I was born, I have been imprisoned within this grey tower. People call me the Child of the Curse, say it was I who caused my mother''s death, but despite being such, despite being born into darkness, deep inside I also yearn for the light." "Even if the road ahead is tough, even if I was born without blessing, even if I am rejected, I still want to try stepping out of this grey tower, I still want to try walking into that sunlight." An Su still hadn''t lied; of course, he yearned for the benefits of the Radiant Holy See, who would want to be a dark rat in the underground right! Luojia, on the other hand, looked somewhat distressed, the Little Holy Maiden naturally weak at heart and unable to stand when others played the emotional card. This fellow in front of me is actually getting sentimental! You''re using all of my moves! She feared that if she listened any longer, she wouldn''t be able to resist agreeing. After all, that person was still Luojia''s lifesaver. Returning the favor of saving a life with a single recommendation is not the least bit excessive. Since stepping into the mansion, every scene she experienced was vivid in her memory. The maidservant who feared An Su, that sense of avoidance, the magnificent castle and the dilapidated grey tower, as well as the fourteen-year-old boy reading alone by the window sill... ''This child of the house owner... he is a cursed monster.'' ''From his very birth, he caused his mother''s death. He came into this world with his mother''s blood on his hands.'' ''Don''t deceive me, you''re absolutely not his friend, no children want to befriend himlet alone a nun from the Radiant Holy See...'' Luojia gently bit her thin lips. "And think about it," The last words of An Su broke the camel''s back, "If even the Child of the Curse could be influenced, if even the Child of the Curse could become a cleric of the Church, wouldn''t that be the very testament to the greatness and inclusiveness of the Church? Isn''t that the beacon of the world?" The third step of the plan, the Church gained another tale of redemption! It fits perfectly. Tsk... Luojia finally nodded, "I can recommend you to the Church, but... you have to pass the Radiant Holy See''s initiation test on your own." "However," she swiftly changed her tone and stared at An Su expressionlessly. Luojia had long since seen through the latter''s level as a junior magician, "With your current level, you simply cannot pass." Being recommended only grants an opportunity for fair competition, but even just such an opportunity is enough to eliminate ninety percent of the citizens and nobility. God loves everyone equallybut God loves those who are recommended even more. If not for a deep relationship with the Radiant Holy See and proper contributions made, it would be quite difficult to secure a slot. Upon recommendation, one can become a provisional member of the congregation. But it doesn''t end there, to become an official cleric, you still have to undergo an initiation test. And the Radiant Holy See''s initiation exam is also among the most challenging in the seven Orthodox Churches of Nether. It''s not just a matter of assessing one''s magic level, but also a cultural test, the history of the Church, the understanding of Holy Light... thousands of young talents competing for a single slot in the small town of academics. "All I lack is an opportunity," An Su said earnestly to Luojia. An opportunity to cheat! ... "There will be an initiation test in a month, don''t forget it!" After seeing off Luojia, An Su continued to read his book. Not long after, a knocking sound suddenly came from the door. "Master." "It''s Enya, come in," he said without looking up. The door slowly opened, and to one''s surprise, the visitor was the same maidservant who had received Luojia previously. A pure white skirt paired with deer-leather boots, lips so thinly drawn they resembled early spring cherry blossoms. Enya gracefully curtsied, her slender fingers lifting the edge of her skirt. Previously, she clearly didn''t even want to step in, didn''t want to talk with An Su at all. Sar?h the ovelFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "The nun has already left." Enya calmly told An Su, her face devoid of any hint of disgust or fear, "As per your earlier instructions, I played the role of the ''malicious maidservant who speaks ill of her master behind his back'' perfectly. Do you fancy this kind of special game? Is it time to punish the ignorant me now?" "I am not that perverted," An Su said as he raised his head to look at her. "So you wish to continue staying in this abandoned warehouse, do you enjoy playing the rough one?" she asked, tilting her head silently, "Although it''s a bit dirty... I don''t mind." "...I said I am not a pervert." Chapter 5 Our Side Promises Never to Fight Again! Enya was bought by him from the slave market, not only as his personal maid but also as his guardian unto death.In the original plotline, after An Su was sacrificed by the Cultists of the Esoteric Religion, it was Enya who found the hidden den of the cultists, slaughtered them, and chopped their bodies into pieces before the maid chose to commit suicide. An Su was never discriminated against by his family, nor was he ever looked down upon by the servants. He did not have a tragic childhood, let alone a sad and sorrowful one. He did not live in an abandoned gray tower either. Nor was he confined. All this was an act for the Little Holy Maiden to see. Just like in talent shows, where contestants dramatize how terribly they have suffered. He was just an ordinary second-generation rich kid. But even the children of the rich have their troubles. After his mother died from a difficult childbirth, his father, Count Karlo, a man of deep affection, had no intention of remarrying. Therefore, his father''s only surviving son was the sole heir to the Morningstar Family. The reason why Count Karlo forbade him from studying magic was simple: If you, my son, occupy yourself with studies all day long, who will inherit this vast family enterprise of mine? Your dark talent is naturally suited for managing the treasury! The Morningstar Family was a newly risen noble house, and Count Karlo had formerly been a common soldier who had distinguished himself in combat and for his military achievements was granted a fiefdom. Having discovered the largest gold mine in the border territories, he transformed overnight into a newly minted wealthy man. The size of his domain kept expanding with each purchase, as did the rank of his title. However, his temperament had yet to catch up to his noble title, hence his means of educating his child was extremely straightforward. If reality had permitted, An Su would also have liked to live the simple life of a rich second-generation, but the plot forced him to make an effort. Ten years later, in the special instance "Fall from The Abyss," The Abyss beyond the border collapsed, invading the real world. The first bordering noble family to be wiped out was the Morningstar Family. In order to protect their gold mine, An Su had to become a hardworking second-generation rich kid. "Master," Enya watched An Su and said, "The head of the family has returned. He hopes you can explain clearly, the matter of your talking back to him and running away from home a week ago." "Dad''s coming to settle accounts with me?" An Su felt a headache coming on. "No, on the contrary, he is very satisfied." Enya cleared her throat lightly and repeated Count Karlo''s words in a cool tone, vividly, "He said, ''At last, the boy has some of my spirit from back in the day! So obedient at such a young age, there''s not a hint of a noble youth about him!''" This old man''s imagination of noble youth is a bit biased... With a sigh of resignation, An Su set aside his book, "Lead the way." Passing through the corridor and walking down a small alley planted with windmill chrysanthemums, one could see a European-style mansion. Entering the mansion and ascending to the third floor led to Count Karlo''s hall. This was a lavishly decorated hall. Pale blue curtains flowed with the afternoon sunlight, while the rosewood furniture gave off a faint fragrance as it was warmed by the rays. Count Karlo sat sternly behind his study, his countenance serious and his gaze as sharp as a hawk''s. "You say you want to join the Radiant Holy See?" Count Karlo''s expression did not seem pleased as he said mockingly to An Su, "You think you can?" Count Karlo was initially quite happy, thinking his child had finally done something commendable, daring to run away from home at such a young age, truly showing spirit. But to his astonishment, An Su''s spirit was excessive; he was rebellious enough to want to join the Church. Running away from home was something Count Karlo could support and understand, but running away to join the church was absolutely infuriating to him. I told you to leave the house, not to join the monastery! "Do you understand the rules of the Radiant Holy See?" Count Karlo calmed his anger slightly and said to An Su, "Once you become a saint, all worldly matters will be irrelevant to you." "I understand," An Su nodded with neither servility nor overbearing confidence, "Father, I too am determined to dedicate my life to the Holy Light, and I have already secured a spot in the test." Count Karlo''s expression darkened in an instant. Sar?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. It must have been that nun from earlier who caused this. Such a lack of judgment in friends. His family''s good-for-nothing scion, led astray by those so-called friends, now wants to devote his life to that damned Holy Light! Doesn''t Count Karlo understand his own son''s situation? His talent regarding the Holy Light was practically nonexistent, to put it plainly, he was an idiot when it came to the Holy Light. This nun had enticed him to join the Church and even to take the entrance exam. Failure after failure, he''d waste the best years of his life on those testsisn''t this holding him back? While the Viscount''s children next door were already teasing married women, his own child was stuck doing tests every day. When would Count Karlo get to hold a grandchild? "An Su... we all understand your situation," he decided to have a heartfelt talk with his son, "Your talent doesn''t lie with the Holy Light... We don''t lack mages in our family. I know you bear grudges, but it''s not that I don''t support your dreams. It''s that we need to face reality." "Actually, managing gold mines isn''t so bad," Karlo said with a negotiated tone, "If you really don''t like it, you can always go manage the silver mines..." "Do you even know how difficult the Radiant Holy See''s entrance exam is?" Seeing that An Su was still unmoved, Count Karlo glanced at Enya standing by his side, "Enya, tell me, do you think your master could pass the test? With your master''s level of skill?" "He cannot," she said without hesitation, pointedly, "My master is useless." After a while, Enya thought it over and added, "However, I can go and assassinate the other candidates, that way he could pass." ...An Su observed the maid''s expression, which was as tranquil as the water in an autumn pond within her amber eyes. Her statement about killing all the other candidates did not seem to be a joke. You''re even more extreme than I am...? An Su felt a headache coming on again. It seems that this whole family looks down on me. They all think An Su won''t make it. Indeed, considering the original host''s talents, it was a pipe dream to pass the Church''s entrance exam. The Church''s entrance ceremony was divided into two scoring phases, one being the cultural test. The original host was uneducated from childhood, so he couldn''t pass the cultural test. Two, the talent assessment. Which is to say, the magic aptitude test. With the original host''s inherited wealthy Sacred Body, he wouldn''t score passing marks for this portion either. After the initial two rounds of exams, there was the final test. Actual combat. An Su was sharp since childhood, adept at reading people and situations, and he understood that Karlo was trying to stop him because he feared that his son would waste his youth on meaningless endeavors. Fearful that he would be delayed by studies during the prime years of a wealthy heir. Knowing the reason, it was easier to find the right solution. "Father," An Su looked straight into the Count''s eyes, earnestly saying, "I will only take the test once. If I fail, there will be no second attempt. I will give up my dream and dutifully go home to inherit the gold mine!" . Chapter 6 Win-Win Means I Win Twice ```Three days later, in the border city. Dusk, with a light rain. The evening breeze tinted the afterglow of the sunset, and the twilight hues of the border city exuded a unique laziness, as fine streams of water trickled down the eaves of the city-state''s buildings. Autumn was nearing its end, and winter was gradually approaching. The streets of the small town were sparsely populated, and the vendors had already packed up and returned home early. An Su walked along the desolate urban path, holding an umbrella and heading towards the Radiant Grand Cathedral. He had received the news at noon that his recommendation to join the Church had been accepted. He was now on his way to the cathedral. After registering and receiving the holy seal, he would become a preparatory saint. An Su, in his past life, was a speedrunner broadcaster on his seventeenth cycle, where each cycle he challenged his own record and pondered the quickest start and the most powerful school. The Life Sacrifice School he developed in the sixteenth cycle had already set the world record for the fastest ascension to divinity. By recruiting relentlessly malicious people to the Church and making them work non-stop for 24 hours to stir up the dark emotions in their hearts, he "farmed" the believers like pigs, cultivating their dark elements until they reached the Fourth Order, then slaughtering them all to sacrifice to the Mother Goddess and harvest skill points. But An Su always felt that his school had room for improvement and progress. It was not extreme enough. During the seventeenth cycle, An Su finally developed the simplest and most powerful start. Unfortunately, he died suddenly and was transported to another world halfway through the game. Joining the Radiant Church was the first step in forming his sect. The Radiant Grand Cathedral was located at the center of the border city. The setting sun tinged the drizzle with shades of orange, and the cathedral stood solemn and sacred within the orange-lit rain. "Name." At the entrance, the old Priest in charge of registration yawned. He seemed ready to close up and go home, and so he spoke somewhat impatiently to An Su without even looking up. "An Su Moningsta." "An Su Moningsta," he repeated, writing down the name. Then he looked up and asked, "Recommended by Lord Luojia? The one from the Morningstar Family?" "That''s right," An Su said, squinting. "Hmph..." The old Priest snorted softly and muttered, "Nowadays, anybody can become a preparatory believer..." He had certainly heard about the Morningstar Family''s child, born with a tragically small amount of Holy Light within him, causing the death of his mother during childbirth. It had caused quite a stir throughout the city at the time. The irony was, years later, this Child of the Curse could become a preparatory saint within the Radiant Holy See, even securing a recommendation from a preparatory Holy Maiden. It was most likely the power of money at play. Otherwise, how could the preparatory Holy Maiden take interest in this Child of the Curse? And what about himself? He had watched over the Church''s door for most of his life, yet he hadn''t received a recommendation, still an external member, receiving a salary of one Gold Coin a month. "Your holy seal is not ready yet." The Priest said without looking up. "We''re closed, come back tomorrow." "Can''t you make an exception?" An Su asked calmly. He remembered it was certainly not time to close yet. "Closed means closed." The Priest was busy arranging papers, no longer glancing at An Su, "Even if you are nobility, there are no privileges here." He believed in the Radiant Goddess and despised such spoiled brats the most. The old Priest wasn''t afraid of An Su taking revenge later; this preparatory saint status was temporary, and if the child failed the saint examination three times, even his preparatory status would be stripped away. How could such a spoiled brat possibly pass the test? You can''t bribe your way through the Church''s entrance exams. The Priest felt he was keeping An Su at the door to protect the sacred cathedral from the corruption of capital. "I know what you''re thinking," An Su said, staring into the Priest''s face, "You think I secured my recommendation with money." "You''re mistaken," the Priest replied with a forced smile, "That''s not the case at all. However, I just don''t want the stench of money to reach the Goddess''s sanctuary." "No. In fact, you''re right," An Su responded with a laugh, "I am indeed wealthy." Such candidness from An Su took the Priest by surprise. Who confesses so brightly and openly to their faults! Even more shocking to him was An Su''s next movethe latter placed a heavy purse of coins on the counter. A quick estimate suggested it contained at least sixty Gold Coins. This was the front hall, with other people around. Who bribes so blatantly in plain sight! "I''ll leave this money with you for safekeeping," An Su said, "Can I go in now?" The old Priest stared at the purse, his throat dry with the temptation of those wicked coins. The foul stench of money hadn''t yet had the chance to corrupt the sacred Church, but it was about to corrode this loyal old believer first. The fault lay with how brazenly the boy offered the bribe! "... Here is your preparatory saint certificate." ``` The old Priest pocketed the bag of Gold Coins without a change in expression and handed a copper token to An Su, "The Radiant Holy See is one of the seven major Churches of true gods. After becoming a prospective saint, you will enjoy certain rights and interests." As expected, he actually had finished the task long ago; he just didn''t want to give it to himself. An Su wasn''t angry; he accepted the holy token and wore it on his chest. "As a prospective saint... as long as you make a contribution to the eradication of cultists, you can accumulate faith points in the token. By praying to the statue of the Goddess, you can exchange for low-level divine blessings from the GoddessTo exchange for higher-level blessings, you must become an official saint," the Priest continued. By hunting cultists to accumulate faith points and using these points for advancement, this was the traditional school of the past, known as the ''Witch-Hunting Saint School''. An Su impatiently listened to the Priest explain rules he already knew. Why isn''t there a skip button... Does skipping the plot equate to skipping life? "Now, go inside and pray to the Goddess to activate your mark," the old Priest added, "The first time a believer prays, they might receive a title of blessing from the Goddess." "Of course..." he glanced at An Su with visible annoyance, his lips moved, but in the end, he chose to swallow the last half of the sentence for the sake of money. ''You definitely stand no chance.''This was what he intended to say to An Su. An Su took the token and walked through the vestibule into the cathedral. The rain had stopped outside; the sunset was shattered into scattered specks of light by the colorful glass of the dome and spilled over the statue of the Radiant Goddess. There were still many believers in the cathedralIt seemed that the old Priest had lied to An Su about closing the doors. An Su wasn''t angry; he walked straight up to the statue, pressed his hands together, and prayed quietly. He could feel that the saint''s mark in his hand was establishing a connection with himself. "Is that young man a prospective saint?" "He looks so devout... Is this his first time praying?" "So young, and this young man has such a handsome face...?" "Dressed so magnificently, he must be a noble." "Do you think he will receive the Goddess''s blessing and title?" "It''s very unlikely... to get the title upon the first prayer, one has to be one in a thousand... but he is so good looking!" The female believers below whispered among themselves, all discussing An Su in front of the statue, especially the young girls who blushed slightly at the ears as they gazed at An Su''s delicate profile. An Su paid no heed to these noisy voices, immersing himself entirely in communication with the statue of the Goddess. As the saint''s mark gradually activated, holy and glorious voices echoed in An Su''s ears. A smile formed on the corners of An Su''s mouth. [An Su] [Magic Points: 3] [Prospective Saint] [Current Faith Points: 15 (Elimination of twenty first-order believers of the Mother Goddess, one third-order priest)] [Prospective Saints are eligible to exchange for low-level blessings or add points to their body] Indeed! Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. He felt a joy akin to a bountiful harvest. The twenty-one cultists he sacrificed were considered faith points in the eyes of the Radiant Sacred Church. He had only sacrificed once, yet he could receive rewards twice: once from the Mother Goddess and once from the Radiant Sacred Church. This was the ultimate school that An Su had researchedThe Light and Dark Priesthood School! It was the upgraded version of his sixteenth-loop Life Sacrifice School. By joining the Radiant Holy See and becoming a saint, he qualified to exchange for blessings, while also catching cultists to sacrifice to the Mother Goddess. On the one hand, the Mother Goddess received the dark sacrifice and would bestow An Su with her divine blessings. On the other hand, by eliminating the evil cultists for the Radiant Holy See, erasing the darkness, the Radiant Goddess would offer another round of divine blessings. Believing in the Holy Light Not sacrificing. His vow to Luojia was ''never again to sacrifice the innocent,'' not to cease all sacrifices! Are cultists innocent people? They are not. Besides, An Su wouldn''t sacrifice common folks as they hardly contain any dark elements. Of course, he would target whoever was darker! By merging the Life Sacrifice School with the Witch-Hunting Saint School, A so-called win-win situation was achieved. The Mother Goddess wins once, the Radiant Goddess wins once, And An Su wins twice! Chapter 7 An Su has always been the most faithful follower of the Goddess. An Su''s current authority is that of a Prepared Saint, so he could only exchange for low-level blessings.Among the low-rank blessings of the Holy Light series, there are countless magic books. Most importantly, some Holy Light magic seems useless, but when coordinated with dark magic, they can produce extremely explosive effects. This is precisely the strength of the Light and Dark Priesthood School. For example, the low-rank magic that An Su can now exchange for: "Growth of All Things." [Growth of All Things] [Blessing Magic] Sear?h the N??eFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. [Low Rank] [Magic Point Consumption: 2 (originally 1)] [Magic Effect: Blessed by the Goddess of Holy Light, the age of all living creatures affected by this magic increases by half a year, their body''s state transitions to that of half a year later, lasting one minute] [Magic Introduction: Child, let the Holy Light shine on your growth!] This is an amplification magic, and its effect is easy to understand; the state of the body becomes that of half a year later, which also means the magic point capacity inside the body increases by an amount equivalent to half a year''s growth, lasting one minute. It sounds quite good, but it is quite weak in actual combat. One, the duration is short, one minute isn''t enough to produce much effect, and two, the magic points gained aren''t as many as those consumed by using this ability. A saint of average talent... can only naturally increase by about two blue points in half a year. Subtracting the consumed points, the pure gain is just one blue point. And this skill still takes up a memory slot, a pure waste. For magicians with better talents, they disdain to use this low-rank magicthey can use amplification magic with better effects. So, its position is quite awkward. However, if you combine Growth of All Things with the Gift of the Mother Goddess, the effect is incredibly overpowered. First, use the Mother Goddess to make the enemy pregnant, then cast Growth of All Things. But the target of the spell isn''t the enemy, it''s the void life in the enemy''s womb. Originally, after ten minutes the effect of Mother Goddess''s Gift would end, and the void life would naturally wither away. Increase the age of that baby by half a year, use Growth of All Things twice, and in ten months, a full-term birth is induced, causing the void life to emerge from the body! And it will exist on the scene for one minute, until the effect of Growth of All Things ends. These two weak magics combined become the most disgusting cancer in the previous life''s PVP, which An Su named "Child Summoning Spell"! This is the play of the Light and Dark Priest. He decisively used faith points to exchange for "Growth of All Things." Low-rank magic doesn''t cost many faith points, it only used five points; after exchanging, An Su still had ten points left. But An Su decided not to continue exchanging for magic. There aren''t many low-rank Holy Light magic he can use, and indeed, An Su''s talent for Holy Light is poor; for the same Holy Light magic, he has to consume twice as many magic points. To truly form a system of the Light and Dark Priest, intermediate stage or higher Holy Light magic is needed. Hence, becoming an official saint is essential. He intended to use the remaining faith points to enhance himself. The faith points of Holy Light can be used to enhance saints, which is also the strength of the Witch-Hunting Saint School. At first rank, the ratio of magic points to faith points is ten to one, which is just enough to increase by one point. But at the second rank, the required faith points doubles, that is, twenty to one. An Su felt a warm sensation penetrating down from the crown of his head, spreading to his internal organs, every inch of skin bathed in the baptism of Holy Light, slowly transforming that light into his own strength. [An Su] [Magic Points 34] The setting sun lay upon the mountains outside the church, the sky clear and transparent after the rain, with the sunset clouds caught up into waves. An Su knelt before the statue of the goddess, his noble robe trailing on the ground, with the sunset light gilding the edges of his robe, reflecting a golden hue. It must be said, just in terms of appearance, he was naturally striking. His body and talent were that of a naturally wealthy second-generation with Sacred Body, but his face was that of a natural-born saint. That delicate and devout profile, bathed in Holy Light, with silver-white strands of hair scattering in the wind and entangling with the light rays, it was hard to tell where the light ended and the silver hair began. It made the girls beside him become somewhat infatuated. "Look, the light on that young man... it''s his first prayer, isn''t it... that light means he has gained the favor of the goddess?" She quickly nudged her companion, "Could it be he''s about to receive a title granted by the goddess?" "It seems like...?" "Really?" Of course not. The light on An Su was merely a special effect for boosting mana. The first time one''s mana was boosted, there would be this Holy Light special effect. How could he possibly receive the title from the Goddess of Holy Light? His talent was pitch black; the Goddess of Holy Light wouldn''t like him at all. His relationship with the goddess was purely transactional, he gave faith points to the goddess, and she strengthened his body. But... The corners of An Su''s mouth lifted in a degree hardly noticeable to others. This could be exploited. [The Neophyte] Originally named [The Life Priest Embarking on His First Journey], it was renamed [Bloody Baptism] by the [Baptism] skill and was the first gift from the Mother Goddess to An Su. But since getting this title, An Su had never once worn it. Because he was waiting for a moment like now. During the first prayer, under the cover of the Holy Light''s blessing effect! The special effect of raising mana with Holy Light and the special effect of getting a title was identical! In front of everyone''s eyes, beneath the statue of the Goddess of Holy Light, "Wear it." He silently thought about donning the title in his heart, and under the cover of the Holy Light''s effect, he casually placed the gift from the Mother Goddess on his head! This tactic is calledtaking credit for someone else''s merit. From now on, this title would be attributed to the Radiant Goddess. ... "Why is it so noisy outside?" In the church''s third-floor corridor, in the room at the very end, sat the study of Priest Rowan Kaz. The positions in a diocese were divided into bishop, priest, and deacon. And above a bishop was the metropolitan bishop, the bishop of the capital. Higher up were the archbishop, the primate, the cardinal, and even the Pope. In this diocese of the border city, the highest authority was the bishop, followed by several priests. "Something must have happened, Your Excellency Rowan." Opposite Rowan sat a young lady with dazzling golden eyes. She was cloaked in pure white nun''s attire, her feet shod in deer-skin boots, and her silver hair cascading down to her waist, as white as snow. "Luojia, there is no need to address me with such formality. When you officially become the Holy Maiden, I''ll be the one calling you Excellency," said Rowan with a smile, his hair already turning grey, his demeanor amiable. "I still have a long way to go," Luojia replied calmly, "Besides, without your support, An Su couldn''t have had the opportunity to take part in the saint''s testother priests wouldn''t have agreed, thinking it tarnishes the Church''s sanctity." "I was just paying respect to the future Holy Maiden," Rowan said with a smile, "Indeed, the Child of the Curse is concerning... however, to speak frankly, I don''t believe he will pass the test, so there won''t be any impact." "Speaking of which, today should be the day he reports here." As the hubbub from the outside didn''t cease, the old man shakily stood up, "Let''s go see what exactly has happened out there." ... Someone received a title blessed by the Goddess of Holy Light the moment they prayed for the first time. The old priest at the entrance of the church heard the news from inside. Who could it be? He grew curious. There were several candidates for sainthood inside who had come to pray, Was it Deacon John''s nephew John, or was it Priest Sunny''s young lady? With curiosity stirring, he neatly arranged his papers, put away the pouch of gold coins An Su had given him into the lining of his coat, threw on a jacket, and pushed the door open to go inside. He could bask in the reflected glory. Chapter 8 Does this kid really understand bribery? The elderly priest turned into the church and first greeted several of the clergy before tiptoeing to peer further inside.When you first complete an achievement, if the deity you believe in favors you, you will be granted a corresponding title. For instance, the first sacrifice in the Mother Goddess''s faith or the first prayer in the Radiant Holy See All the titles bestowed by the gods are essentially the same in nature, distinguishable only by their names: for example, titles given by the Evil God sound very malevolent, whereas titles given by good gods sound very righteous. God-given titles are rare; even in the largest church of their border city, at most one appears in a month. From a distance, the old priest caught sight of the duty priest, Lord Rowan: this lord was always diligent and responsible, even in winter, he was the last to return home. By his side was the prospective Holy Maiden, Lord Luojia. Lord Rowan was speaking to someone, but the old priest couldn''t see clearly. As soon as he saw Lord Rowan and Lord Luojia, he prepared to greet them first: this was also why the old priest had managed to stay at the entrance for so long, understanding how to read people and the situation, and acting accordingly. If someone higher up took notice, he might even have a shot at becoming a quasi-saint. "Excuse me, may I pass through?" The priest, with a smile squeezed at the corner of his mouth, and the wrinkles on his forehead nearly squeezed to one side, could indeed be described as amiable; he said, "excuse me" to the believers beside him and squeezed his way to Lord Rowan''s side. "Your Excellency Rowan." He made the sign of the cross and then placed his hands on his chest, bowing first and then taking off his hat to pay respects to the prospective Holy Maiden Luojia, "Your Excellency Luojia, may the sacred Radiance shine upon you both." "Hello." Miss Luojia, not recognizing the old man, responded with a cool nod. Her attention had long since drifted elsewhere. With slightly pursed lips, Miss Luojia gazed at someone, a hint of puzzlement shining in her golden eyes, tilting her head as if she were a cat astonished by the world. "Hello, Priest Danny," said Rowan, remembering the old man''s name, "Hello." "I wonder which talented individual has won the Goddess''s favor? Could you introduce me..." The old priest said flatteringly, "That would truly be an honor." After he had finished speaking the auspicious words, he turned and used Scouting Magic to look around. Scouting Magic is the most basic of spells that even ordinary people can use. It requires minimal magic points and has a very simple effect, which is to see the titles of those who have received blessings, along with a description of those titles. The old priest scanned the congregation for the one blessed by the Goddess. It wasn''t John''s nephew nor the daughter of the Priest Sunny family... Wait a minute. Priest Danny also spotted that person, blinking incredulously, his actions rather comical as the wrinkles around his eyes contracted and stretched with each blink. "Hello." An Su approached brightly, greeting him with a smile. Above his head were three large characters: [Neophyte] Priest Danny immediately felt unwell. Compared to Danny''s shock, Miss Luojia was even more confused. Neophyte... what kind of title was that? It sounded quite positive nonetheless. "Firstborn" conveyed a sense of bursting vitality. Miss Luojia herself had also received a title the first time she prayed, and that title was indeed quite radiant: [Star of the Future Illuminating Nether] The reason why Miss Luojia was surprised wasn''t because someone received a god-granted title on their first prayeras a prospective Holy Maiden, she had seen it many times. Rather, it was the fact that the person who received the Goddess''s blessing was An Su. As far as she could recall, this was the first time in the border church that the Radiant Goddess had blessed a Child of the Curse. Perhaps, in his heart, An Su was genuinely pure and kindLuojia thought to herself. Looking at the description of his title: [Title Introduction: With such a heart at such a young age, this child must be eliminated, or he will surely become a giant of the Church.] That sacrifice to the Mother Goddess of Life was also a desperate resort he came up with to save them, wasn''t it? "Young man," Priest Rowan said amicably to An Su, patting him on the shoulder, "You are a child of the Morningstar Family, aren''t you? Congratulations, you truly exceeded our expectations." Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Your Reverence," An Su recognized the Priest''s insignia on Rowana sun surrounded by violetsand thus identified his status, "May the Goddess bless you." Having said that, he turned around and crossed himself in front of Luojia, "Lord Luojia, we meet again." An Su winked at Luojia smugly. Luojia looked at him, with a gentle smile lingering on the youth''s lips, his gray-white hair falling over his shoulders, and his blue-green eyes were clean as a sky washed by rain. "Hello," she said deliberately with a stern face, coldly addressing An Su. "A believer who receives a blessing on their first prayer may not necessarily pass the Saint''s test, but those who pass the Saint''s test have certainly received the Goddess''s blessing," said Priest Rowan with a smile, "I look forward to your performance in a month''s time." "I am honored," An Su said. The old priest was now sandwiched among the few, feeling uncomfortable about what to do. Especially since he had previously given An Su a hard time. He thought to slip away while the others were engrossed in conversation, but before he could take a step, An Su''s tone suddenly changed. "To be honest, I have always admired the sacred Church," said An Su, "and I wanted to contribute to the sacred cause of my Lord, so I brought a tithe. Priest sir, please return to me the Gold Coins you were keeping for me." With these words, the church fell silent. Priest Rowan''s eyes narrowed slightly. Priest Danny was completely frozen in his actions. He stared at An Su incredulously, not expecting him to dare to speak such words. Was he breaking the principle of silence to report him? This was a relationship of bribery and taking bribes, was this young man bribing for the first time? In the doctrine of the Church, both giving and receiving bribes are strictly forbidden. In the Church''s doctrine, even if Danny deliberately made things difficult for An Su, An Su was not to bribe, not to offer gifts to Church personnel in private. Anyone who made such moves, regardless of the reasons, would be expelled from the Church. So when Danny took the money, he was ten thousand times reassured the boy wouldn''t dare to report it. In fact, Danny had taken money from those noble sons more than once, and it had never gone wrong before. He was barefoot and not afraid of those wearing shoeslosing his job was his only concern, while those noble sons, if found guilty of giving bribes, would lose their status as potential saints. Most importantly, he wasn''t the only one in the entire Church taking bribes. They all took money. Not just the priests, but even those saints, the deacons among the saints, and even several higher-ranking Priest Lords, all had some kind of benefit exchange to a greater or lesser extent. This kind of thing was an open secret that everyone chose not to acknowledge openly. Maybe this kid was just inflexible and didn''t understand the principle of silence... The old priest decided to play dumb, "I don''t know what you''re talking about; is there such a thing? Why don''t you think it over carefully?" His immediate implication was that they were both in the same boat and it would be best to choose one''s words wisely. After so many years in this business, Danny had never returned the Gold Coins that once reached his pocket. Chapter 9 Priest Dannys Faith Wavered "Ansu," Rowan put away his smile, "make yourself clear.""I remember very clearly." Ansu''s smile remained brilliantly sunny, "I just temporarily deposited the gold coins with you, could it be that you''ve misunderstood something?" This kid! He''s even better at playing dumb than I am, a master of feigning ignorance! Priest Danny suddenly remembered what Ansu had said upon entering, ''I''ll just leave this money with you for safekeeping''these were Ansu''s words, indeed not a word about bribery was mentioned. No wonder he made the act of giving money so above board. "But don''t you find it strange," Priest Danny stared into Ansu''s eyes, "why would you need me to keep it for you? You were only going inside for a short while; there was absolutely no need to entrust your money to me." "Wasn''t it your request?" Ansu responded in surprise. "When did I request that..." The corners of Priest Danny''s mouth twitched slightly. Danny vaguely sensed that he had fallen into the young man''s trap. "No," Ansu said with a smile, still sunny, but in the priest''s eyes, it carried a trace of chill, "Your exact words were..." "''However, I simply don''t wish for the smell of money to reach the front of the Goddess''s shrine''." Ansu repeated Priest Danny''s words exactly, "Therefore, I couldn''t bring the gold coins in, which is why I left them with you, for fear of offending the Goddess." That was a metaphor! It was meant metaphorically! It meant I wanted you to leave! Not to leave your money with me and then expect me to return it to you after everything was said and done! Priest Danny cursed internally, but then he realized, the young man was still deliberately playing dumb! Back then, he had deliberately steered the atmosphere, deliberately followed the twisted meaning, seizing the loophole in his own words, fabricating the illusion of ''intent to bribe'' towards the priest! "Could it be you''ve misunderstood my intentionwhat exactly were you thinking at that time?" Miss Luojia also looked at Priest Danny with a doubtful gaze. Sweating bullets. Priest Danny felt himself sweating bullets. This youngster had successfully extricated himself from being implicated in bribery. If this confusion continued, it would become him, Danny, who was lusting after wealth, misinterpreting the genuine intention of the future saint Ansu, wishing to accept bribery! "Priest Danny, is what Ansu said true?" Priest Rowan asked him, frowning. "I swear by the Radiant Goddess, every single word I have said is the truth, without any fabrication." Before Danny could answer, Ansu had already made an oath. Oaths in the world of religion are the most sacred and inviolable. To break an oath is to incur divine punishment, so when Ansu took the oath, Priest Rowan believed the matter to be true. Because, indeed, none of Ansu''s words were fabricated. Priest Danny decided to admit defeat. If he continued, nobody could save him. He feigned realization, "I remember now, Lord Ansu did hand me a bag, I haven''t had the chance to look at it yet, so I''m not clear on the details..." But what Ansu said next made him tremble with shock. "Then, please return my one hundred and twenty gold coins to me." You little swindler? There weren''t one hundred twenty, there were clearly only sixty! You''ve just sworn an oath, why are you lying again... Danny''s eyes widened in disbelief, then suddenly, he remembered something. ''I swear by the Radiant Goddess, every single word I have spoken is true, without any fabrication.'' He finally understood the meaning of this oath. It''s a bloody dividing line! I guarantee that what I said above was true, but as for the following words, they are all lies, completely fabricated! What to do now.... Lord Ansu had already sworn an oath once, and both Priest Rowan and Miss Luojia were convinced. To ask him to swear again? That would only make one seem ignorant and disrespectful, insulting a prospective saint of the Goddess, which could have even graver consequences. Or perhaps admit that there were only sixty Gold Coins in the purse? Damn it, he was only in charge of holding the purse, and had just said he hadn''t had time to check ithow could he possibly know the exact amount? Priest Danny, after all these years of service, still had some discernment. Lord Ansu''s statement was clearly a veiled threat, but it also offered a way out. ''You give me sixty Gold Coins, and I''ll pretend as if nothing ever happened. You didn''t take any bribes, you were merely holding my coins.'' Sarch* The n??el Fire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Swear back at him and confront him? Say that there were only sixty and he hadn''t touched them? Then Lord Ansu would completely turn against him and expose his bribethat was the threat. "Oh... I remember now," Priest Danny said with a forced kind smile, his gums nearly clenched, "I''ll go get it for you right now, right away." He returned to his study, unlocked the drawer, and counted out sixty Gold Coinshis savings from working part of a year, naturally, with quite a bit of bribery money included. He gritted his teeth and placed sixty Gold Coins into the purse, weighed it, and, with a smile still plastered on his face, walked out to hand the purse to Lord Ansu. To his surprise, Lord Ansu didn''t even look at it and immediately handed the hefty purse to Priest Rowan. "What is this?" Priest Rowan looked puzzled. "This is a personal donation to the Church," Lord Ansu explained modestly, "It''s not for an individual; it''s a tithe. I feel more at ease personally delivering it to you." Indeed, the Church did have the practice of tithing. The faithful donate money to the Church as a whole, which in turn is responsible for distributing it to the poor. In short, it''s charity. "One hundred twenty Gold Coins is too much, child," the more Priest Rowan looked at the young man, the more he liked himhumble, gentle, polite, and well-mannered, not at all like those spoiled rich kids, "You''ve exceeded the maximum for an individual''s donation." One hundred twenty Gold Coins indeed was a tremendous sum. It was the total income of an average family for over a decade. "Then give sixty Gold Coins," Lord Ansu''s words made Danny''s face even sadder, even more pained, "It is a token of my sincerity." You haven''t spent a single penny! Why should the money and the reputation be yours! That''s my money! Those sixty were coerced from me as ill-gotten gains! To make an offering to the Goddess with tainted money and then claim it as a gesture of your heart, your own heart is dirty too! So young, just thirteen or fourteen, and already dirtier than I am. We''re all corrupt, so why should this fellow be favored by the Radiant Goddess? And be granted a title! Just because he''s young, handsome, and comes from a rich family? Like the High Priest who has worshiped the Mother Goddess for thirty years, Priest Danny, who has worshiped the Radiant Goddess for sixty years... was for the first time, doubting his faith. And yet, he couldn''t show his agony; he had to keep smiling and even clapped along. "Oh, and this Gold Coin is for you," Lord Ansu took out another Gold Coin from the purse and placed it in front of the Priest with a pure smile, "Consider it a tip for holding onto my purse." The final blow, the ultimate mockery to his face. The old Priest felt his heart nearly bursting with anger, but he could only keep up a strained, hollow smile. "I''m sorry, we... we are clergy, we... we cannot accept any personal gifts, nor... tips," Danny said through a twitching smile, "Not even... one Gold Coin." He would never take bribes again. Priest Danny watched the young man with Scouting Magic, focusing on the title above his head, the shining[Newborn]so dazzling. A newborn...! Chapter 10 Enya Are you going to elope with me? The morning market of the border city was unlike any other; its proximity to the sea meant a wealth of products, and being located to the south of the Seyi Empire, it was a crossroad for merchants traveling between north and south. As dawn broke, the streets were already bustling with stalls while the sea breeze still carried a faint fishy scent."Fresh seabass, just three copper coins per pound!" "Roasted vinegar barley, roasted vinegar barley~" "Extra, extra, Seaside City News! Only three sule for a copy!" The wind from the harbor meandered through the streets, accompanied by the tinkling of wind chimes, as paperboys rode their bicycles, delivering the latest Seaside Morning News into the sea-blue mailboxes of each household. "Please give me a copy," an elegant and clean voice requested. The paperboy halted his bicycle and while retrieving a newspaper, he surreptitiously glanced at the customer: She had a pair of beautiful amber eyes, dressed in a ladylike dress of white and ink, adorned with tiny stars, standing slim and tall on the street. "This young miss is so pretty, I wonder whose daughter she is," the paperboy thought to himself. Enya gracefully accepted the newspaper and then turned to walk towards a young man, "Here''s the newspaper you wanted." Calling him a young man, he appeared to be no more than thirteen or fourteen years old. Walking alongside Enya, he seemed more like a younger brother she was accompanying, creating a rather warming scene. "Do you need me to buy anything else for you, Master?" Enya whispered into An Su''s ear, "The usual, the fertility medicine?" "Please do not harass the underage." An Su didn''t want to entertain his maid. He took the newspaper and the front page was filled with boring gossip like #The Untold Story of Prince Nether and the Three Princesses#, #The Forbidden Love between a Legendary Hero and a Rich Young Lady#, and #The Lady Knight and the Seven Goblins Adventure#... On the second page, he finally saw the article #The Goddess Makes a Mistake: Child of the Curse Awarded a Divine Title# The article detailed how An Su Moningsta, the Child of the Curse from the Morningstar Family, had garnered the god-given title ''The Newborn'' and become a Fourth Order saint at his first prayer. ''The evil Child of the Curse is flagrantly polluting the sanctity of the Church; it''s the darkest day in the history of the border city,'' the journalist emphasized indignantly in the newspaper. Studied journalism. An Su, looking at the newspaper, showed a contemplating expression, "Enya, help me contact the editor-in-chief of this newspaper." "Young Master. I understand what you''re thinking." Obviously, Enya also saw the article and being an observant maid, she immediately grasped her master''s intentions, "Do you need me to take care of the editor-in-chief of the newspaper?" "They need to learn what should not be said," Enya stated calmly. An Su turned back and looked at his rather extreme maid. As the only heir''s attendant of the Morningstar Family, the maid was three years older than An Su, but at the tender age of seventeen, she was already a Fourth Order assassin. Outwardly she was an elegant lady, but her nature was problematic. Sear?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. If An Su truly asked her to kill, she wouldn''t hesitate, nor ask why. "No," An Su shook his head, "I mean to throw money at them, to have them intensify their efforts! Better yet, make it known to the neighboring City-States as well." "...?" Enya tilted her head in confusion, "So you enjoy being insulted? I can also accomplish that for you." "...I''m creating momentum." An Su said, "In any case, think about it. A person both cursed with dark talents and blessed by a goddess as a quasi-saint, who comes from a wealthy and prestigious household, and is An Su Moningsta, who would such a character attract the most?" After thinking it over, Enya gave up, "Naturally, it''s most attractive to me." An Su ignored her flirtation, pocketed the newspaper, and headed towards the library. The sparkling sea hung half against the azure sky; the sea breeze brushed past, with both the sky and the sea shimmering with waves of light. This week, An Su''s life had been extremely regular. It began with the Church''s library. He set off while the sky was still dimly lit. The first hurdle of the saint test was the written exam. It mainly covered the history of the Church and political treatises. He designed a draft, found a tailor, and had a very comfortable outfit made: a blue shirt paired with grey, drab trousers. Whenever Old Dad asked why he needed to wear such an outfit, he would reply that this outfit made studying feel right. Because this set of clothes was his high school uniform from his previous life. And An Su indeed fiercely made the residents of Nether World experience a taste of what''s called the Huaxia miracle. He would head out in the morning and return at night, go for a run in the early morning, attend evening self-study sessions at church, and even used connections to buy more than a decade''s worth of past exam questions, committing himself to completing three full tests each day. All he did each day was study and study. Studying by lamplight late into the night and waking up at the crow of a rooster, he made Old Dad anxious and panicked, who exclaimed, "Stop studying, just learning to count is enough to inherit the gold mine!" Such a diligent and hardworking youth truly seemed like a rising new star in the Church. His dedicated performance had also caught the attention of the Church. Many deacons who had been dissatisfied with the Child of the Curse had a change of heart, and of course, many prospective saints had some opinions on that matter. The reason was that An Su''s performance had also been noticed by their own parents, compelling them to set the same standards for them. The most common phrase heard by students preparing for the exams in the recent days was: "Look at how the child from the neighboring Morningstar Family is studying!" Banned from entertainment, going out, and dating, the students preparing for exams were spinning from all the studying, and directing no small amount of ill-will towards An Su, the chief culprit of their plight, cursing under their breath, "Damn birth!" But in reality, for An Su, merely cramming at the last minute wasn''t going to place him at the top of the written exams. An Su didn''t set high expectations for himself; combining the original host''s knowledge with his own heaven-defying endeavors over the month, he just needed to scrape together a passing score. Not dragging down his overall score was considered a success. Despite this, this stint of studying had brought significant gains for An Su; he had become reacquainted with the political ideology of the Nether Empire, the historical framework of the state, and the rise and fall of its civilization... These fresh and clear pieces of knowledge hadn''t been covered in his previous life''s gaming experience, and through continuous learning, his understanding of this world slowly deepened. At the same time, the editors at "Seaside Morning News" got down to business after receiving An Su''s money. The journalists knew how to sensationalize; thus, each day the front page of the morning paper would feature stories such as ''The Untold Story of the Child of the Curse and the Three Princesses,'' ''The Forbidden Love of the Child of the Curse and the Young Lady of Wealth,'' and ''The Strange Adventures of the Child of the Curse and the Seven Goblins''... And ''The Sadomasochistic Legend of the Child of the Curse and the Maid'' The last one seemed to have been forcibly added by Miss Enya to the editor-in-chief. Regardless of the process, the deeds of An Su gradually became hot topics within the surrounding city-states. It was yet another evening. An Su ended his day of studying. He was now confident of passing the written exam. And the news had already sufficiently fermented. Next, it was time to move on to the next stage of the plan. An Su put down his book and walked out of the library. Enya leaned against the doorway, quietly waiting for him with the latest edition of the newspaper in her hands. "Let''s run away from home," he said as his opening remark. "Do you intend to elope with me?" Miss Enya asked calmly, putting down the newspaper. "...Silly girl." Chapter 11 An Su has always been the most faithful follower of the Mother Goddess. ```The last trace of the setting sun was swallowed by the mountainous graveyard, and tonight, there was neither moon nor stars. The gray twilight sky appeared to be wrapped in a thick layer of lead, heavy clouds so dense they seemed ready to fall from the firmament, occasionally sliced by streaks of silver lightning between the gaps. On a deserted path. The lacquer-coated carriage rolled over night frost on the road, making a strange creaking sound. The carriage had set out from the Queen District of the border city, swiftly passed through the border checkpoint, took a detour on a secondary path, and headed into the wilderness, shrouded in the night, as though entering a land with no human presence. Maka knew he had struck gold today. Today, he had hijacked a big catch. On the surface, he was a carriage driver, but secretly, he was a Second Order believer of the Esoteric Religion, devoted to the Mother Goddess. Because the border city was far from the national center, situated at the junction between two countries, and operated with little central oversight, it had become a breeding ground for the Esoteric Religion. The belief in the Mother Goddess was especially prevalent along the border, with Cultist hideouts scattered around the city''s periphery. A Third or Second Order Cultist acting as a Priest, plus a dozen or so First Order common believersthis was the typical setup of a Mother Goddess hideout. It wasn''t that the Church did not wish to eradicate them. But each hideout of the Mother Goddess''s followers operated independently, small and meticulous, with no communication amongst them. Even if one was taken down, new ones would spring up like mushrooms after rain. Moreover, their movements were extremely secretive, making it hard for the Church to locate their hideouts. Wrapped in a cloak, Maka wore a mad grin on his face, continuously whipping the horse beneath him, already fantasizing about how the Mother Goddess would reward him. In the passenger compartment of his carriage, a noble youth was bound. It was none other than An Su Moningsta, the lately famous Child of the Curse, Blessed by the Holy Light. The Mother Goddess had two favorite delicacies. One was saints from the Holy Light Church; the other was Children of the Curse, born of darkness. Aggravatingly, An Su happened to be both. He was not only a Child of the Curse but had also been accorded a title by the Holy Light, and was an intermediate-stage saint to boot! To Cultists, he was like a beacon in the night. The continuous coverage in the newspapers made him all the more desirable, with countless pairs of eyes coveting his being. If they could sacrifice him, the Mother Goddess''s blessing would surely be of the High-Rank. At this thought, Maka could not help but reflect on the ease of this operation. All thanks to the relentless promotion by that unscrupulous tabloid, he was well informed about An Su''s daily routine. Just a bookworm... Such children are the easiest to abduct. He got up every day at six in the morning, ran three laps in Queen District as a morning exercise, and after breakfast, headed to the Church''s library at seven to read until twelve noon. After lunch, he went to private tutoring on Peter Avenue, then came back to the Church to study law until eleven at night when the Church closed. He then walked home alone along the night path. Sometimes he was accompanied by a maid from his household, a young girl who seemed frail as a reed. S~ea??h the n??el Fire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The path he took home was so secluded and desolateit was the perfect place for robbery, kidnapping, and the like. Maka had been observing An Su for several days and had determined that today was the day to strikethe maid was conveniently absent. He was a decisive believer; as soon as he decided to make a move, he donned a hood and acted swiftly, knocking An Su unconscious with surprising ease and whisking him out of the city. Feeling triumphant again, Maka could not contain his glee and whipped the horse vigorously, speeding towards the distance. He had already instructed his subordinates to prepare the altar and ritual utensils in advance; he would sacrifice the boy the moment he dismountedto avoid complications from delays. The clouds were getting heavier, and the accumulated reservoir spanning half the sky finally descended, with raindrops drumming on the carriage wheels, hitting the muddy paths of the mountains, and causing murky splashes. What Maka failed to notice, amidst the mist, was a figure stepping through the shadows, following the carriage like a suppurating wound, with amber-colored pupils. "My head... it really hurts. Couldn''t you kidnappers be a bit more gentle..." When An Su came to, he found himself propped in the center of the altar, the scent of blood filling his nostrils. He narrowed his eyes slightly, looking around. The area was densely packed with kneeling Cultists, donning shimmering golden masks that symbolized the Mother Goddess. An Su felt a tinge of disappointment; the quality of Cultists these days seemed to have declined. ``` Looking around, most of the believers were of the First Order, with the Second Order being rare. It seemed this was just a small den, a notch below the last esoteric religion''s hideout. Sacrificing them all would only yield a low-rank blessing... An Su felt a bit regretful. However, he could still go to the Goddess of Holy Light and receive a low-rank blessing. Combined, they would be equivalent to an intermediate-stage blessing... Thinking of this, An Su was satisfied again. No matter, little by little counts. If this generation of cultists wasn''t up to par, there would always be the next one. Indeed, this was his leveling strategy. Others fish, he fished for cultists! He deliberately hired unscrupulous newspapers to leak his own information and advertise wildly, drawing the crazed cultists to take the bait and kidnap him, bringing him back for a sacrifice. The borderlands were lacking in many things, but cults were not one of them. Miss Enya told him that several ill-intentioned gazes were already on him. That was simply wonderful. Of course, An Su had also prepared his safety measures. It would be terrible if things went too far. At this moment, in the shadow of the night, those amber pupils watched An Su quietly, awaiting his command. Enya Moningsta, merely seventeen and already a Fourth Order assassin, was a genuine top-notch talent. It was a pity she died too early in the original work, leaving her background incompletea significant foreshadowing. In the borderland cities, she was considered a top-tier power. She was also a death soldier trained from childhood, who would execute his orders with utmost loyalty without the slightest hesitation. That''s why his father was at ease letting An Su leave home; with Enya present, almost nobody could harm his son. If real danger did occur, Miss Enya could instantly annihilate a group of cultists. Of course, that would mean An Su couldn''t receive a blessing. The blessings from the Goddess of Holy Light required the solo elimination of cultists, while the Mother Goddess wanted live sacrificesShe had no taste for dead bodies. "Child, feel joy and happiness," the hoarse and deep voice of the cultist interrupted An Su''s thoughts, and the latter frowned unhappily. Maka''s mouth curled into a maniacal smile; he crossed his hands and grabbed his own scalp, the pupils beneath the golden mask shooting out blood vessels. "You are about to return to the embrace of the Mother Goddess." As he spoke, he smeared crimson blood upon the altar made from human bones, the empty eye sockets casting a dim glow. The scene before him was horrifying, but An Su hummed lightly, "Using human bones for an altar, not a bad idea." "You think it''s not bad either?" Maka was surprised that An Su wasn''t afraid, "I do have taste." "But your professional quality is too shoddy." An Su regretfully said, "These bones are too old. The Mother Goddess prefers the bones of newborn infants. I don''t know where you dug up this skull, but it stinks... It''s disgusting." "The Mother Goddess favors fresh life, not rotten death. A person''s professionalism can be judged by how their altar is prepared." Maka prided himself as an artist in the sacrificial industry, and at the moment, he was quite angered by the questioning of his professionalism by a child, "Of course I know infant skulls are the best, but so what? As long as it works, it''s good enough!" "But that would lower the efficiency of the sacrifice." An Su calmly said, "Old bones not only fail to please the Mother Goddess, but they can also anger Her. My experiments have found that they will reduce the reward by at least ten percentthis is something I cannot tolerate." As a speedrunner, inefficiency was something An Su could never stand in his life. When he said this, his expression was utterly serious, and his eyes conveyed sincere confidence. Oddly enough, he was very persuasive. Who the hell''s altar is this, anyway! "Then what do you suggest we do?" Maka asked. Chapter 12 Friends Who Often Offer Sacrifices Know "Friends who often perform sacrifices know,"An Su earnestly replied, his choice of words remarkably professional, "if you lack an infant''s skeleton, you can substitute it with fresh piglet bones, the Mother Goddess can''t tell the difference, and pigs'' bones are cheaper, two copper coins per pound in the market." What do friends who often perform sacrifices know...? "Are you trying to deceive the great Mother Goddess with pig bones," Maka erupted in anger, "This is deceit! This is blasphemy and disgrace!" Fooling the goddess with shoddy substitutes, even they, as Cultists, couldn''t bring themselves to do something so vile, who would use pig bones that cost two pieces of money per pound for a sacrifice! "Even lying requires a blush," An Su replied with vexation, "What face do you have to still mingle with the Mixed Cult?" ...Maka just felt a lump of old phlegm stuck in his throat. "I would also like to make a suggestion," An Su continued, "The placement of your spirit tower is incorrect, that ''Human-Faced Meat Chunk'' should be in the southeast, this will also affect the efficiency of the sacrifice." He pointed at that mass of meat growing wildly in the distance, its sinister flesh pulsating and swelling with veins, folds of meat forming one human face after another. The Human-Faced Meat Chunk was already quite a strange and eerie entity, but Maka felt that the child before him was even more bizarre than the meat. The child was at most fourteen or fifteen, yet he seemed nonchalant, calmly pointing at that grotesque and bizarre thing. What made it even stranger was the boy''s gaze, serious and focused, devoid of superfluous emotion, He was a sacrifice about to be offered, yet he was discussing how to make the sacrifice more effective with his would-be executioner. Are kids these days really at this level? This child wasn''t blessed by the Holy Light, a neophyte saint... how could he be more knowledgeable about the Esoteric Religion than Maka himself? "Of course, it''s not your fault, it''s a common mistake that many novices make." An Su was even comforting Maka. Upon hearing An Su''s words, a Believer decided to try it out and moved the Human-Faced Meat Chunk to the southeast. He immediately felt the indescribable atmosphere around him deepen, a bone-chilling wind that terrified him, and he excitedly said to Maka, "Boss, it really seems to work." Maka felt that the career he''d dedicated his life to was being insulted at the highest level. He prided himself as an artist of sacrifice, painstakingly devoted to his craft for over ten years; he worked hard to solidify the foundation of sacrifice, tackled the challenging problems of it, and sought to glorify the sacrificial practices of the Church of the Mother Goddess. Maka often kidnapped other people''s children, taking them to the borders for sacrifice, but this was the first time a bratty kid called his professional standards into question. Ordinarily, he took the greatest pleasure in watching those children struggle in agony before their deaths; each time, it filled him with uncontrollable joy, But today he happened to encounter An Su, such an oddity, neither crying nor making a fuss, speaking even more professionally than a Cultist! "...What good does this do you?" "I''m just being kind," An Su said, "after all, it''s my altar." The more professionally the altar was set up, the more benefits An Su reaped, so naturally, he had to point out any mistakes. S~ea??h the N??elFir.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. It was all his money, after all! "You know, you know..." Maka grabbed An Su by the collar, lifted him up to his face; his golden mask pressed tightly against An Su''s face, and his bloodshot eyes peered crazily through the eyeholes, "You know, kids like you, I abduct several each week, do you know what I enjoy doing the most? It''s to later visit their parents, under the guise of offering my condolences, to savor the look of sorrow on their faces; it''s truly a heavenly delight!" "I promise, after I sacrifice you, I will also take great pleasure in listening to your dear daddy''s wails." He clutched An Su''s throat hoarsely and said, his pupils unnaturally bulging, the corners of his mouth twitching unconsciously, sticking out his tongue, "I promise I''ll climax in ecstasy." "So you like to kidnap children, huh..." An Su watched him expressionlessly, his blue-green eyes reflecting the other''s face, "Then you''re truly lowlife scum with horrendous taste, cheaper than pig bones that go for two copper coins a pound." But An Su never considered himself a good person, either. "Sending you to reunite with your beloved Mother Goddess," An Su said, "It''s a fitting end for you." Maka slammed An Su to the ground and turned to loudly instruct those around him, "Time''s up, prepare to start the ritual." Boom. Thunder flashed outside the window, igniting a spread of white light, casting the whole room in a snow-white frost. When Maka turned back, he saw An Su''s satisfied smile clearly highlighted by the lightning. "The Mother Goddess of Desire and the Moon, the great Matron of Fertility, the Eternal Maternity above the spirit realm." "This is a hymn for the sincerely devoted, a feast for spirit and soul, a delicacy of blood and flesh." "Your devout follower, An Su Moningsta, presents this offering, dedicating seventeen heretical dissidents from atop the altar to You" "Inviting You to dine with me!" This incantation was both familiar and strange. It bore many similarities to the incantations they currently sang. But it was of a higher priority. The ritual was completed in an instant. Maka opened his mouth to say something but found himself unable to utter a word. It was as if his throat was blocked, with chunks of flesh grotesquely sprouting within, and to his horror, he realized masses of flesh were growing throughout his airways, bursting from his body like bamboo after a spring rain. His entire body was devoured by flesh, the acute agony tormenting his already shattered nerves. The same aberration occurred in the low-rank believers around him; their flesh started to grow wildly before bursting apart in clumps, spraying blood and flesh chunks all over the altar, covering everything in red. As if it were infested with wriggling blood-colored caterpillars. Only at this moment did unparalleled fear invade his mind. Maka realized he was being sacrificed, being devoured by the Mother Goddess of Life, just like the countless children he had sacrificed before, plummeting into the eternal Abyss of flesh and blood. Maka was experiencing the same agony they had endured. "No... no." Maka''s face twisted beyond recognition, he could only stretch out his hand with all his might, his pupils fixed on An Su, revealing a plea for mercy. But An Su paid him no heed. He stood up, wiped the bloodstains from his cheek with a handkerchief, took a few steps forward, and inadvertently stepped on the mass of flesh that used to be Maka, causing An Su to frown. [A low-rank believer has been sacrificed] [A low-rank believer has been sacrificed] ... [A mid-rank believer has been sacrificed] [Due to the effect of the title ''Newborn'' (formerly: Novice Life Blood Sacrificer), the sacrifice effect is increased by ten percent. As the Mother Goddess dislikes altars, this effect is negated] [You may receive a low-rank blessing] Chapter 15 An Su Youre right, but have you finished your homework? The golden morning light coated the Church''s stained ss windows, and the shadows of the Chinese parasol trees outside the casement windows fell on the mahogany walls, with the branches trembling lightly in the wind, casting dancing green shadows all around. As soon as An Su entered the Church, he sensed that something was off: First, there were a lot of people, many more than the usual number of worshippers, each with a serious and earnest expression concealing a hint of excitement; Second, the expression on that old Priest''s face at the door when he saw An Su himselfit was obviously much stranger than usual, with a mix of schadenfreude. "Most honorable Aspirant for Sanctity, An Su Moningsta." Priest Danny''s mouth was filled with a smile, and the wrinkles around his eyes squished together, "May the Goddess''s brilliance shine upon your pathgood morning." It felt sarcastically weird. "Who''s that person?" An Su pointed to the young man surrounded by the crowd, a blonde-haired, blue-eyed individual dressed in a Priest''s robe, right at the center of the disturbance. The young man was half-kneeling before the Goddess''s statue, his robe spread out on the marble floor, praying with a solemn face. The sunlight washed over his chiseled features, divine and solemn. Many girls surrounded him, truly like stars circling the moon. "Most honorable Aspirant for Sanctity," Priest Danny hummed softly, "That gentleman is the son of Priest Rowan, a radiant figure soon to be promoted to saint. He''s been divinely titled ''Son of Light,'' Lord Cavendish." Quite a lengthy introduction. "So there were three men kneeling in front of the statue?" An Su said with a smile. The Priest was a high-ranking official in this division of the Church, and that Priest RowanAn Su had met him, indeed a very influential figure. "Please maintain reverence," The fake smile on Priest Danny''s lips vanished, "After tonight, Lord Cavendish will be promoted to the second rank of Magician, which is different from you." "Tonight?" An Su''s eyebrows rose. "Witch-huntingpresumably, you, young master, have never experienced it." Priest Danny stared into An Su''s eyes, "To personally hunt down the horrific heretics and thus receive the Goddess''s favor." "These days are the days of the Red Moon, Cultists will sacrifice in mass." "Lord Cavendish has already umted enough Faith Points. He also controls several second-tier Cultistirs. After tonight, his Lordship will be able to receive baptism and be promoted to a second-tier Magician." What surprised Priest Danny was that An Su''s expression remained unchanged, merely uttering a nonchnt "Oh." "He grew up together with Luojia." Priest Danny, seeing An Su''s indifferent demeanor, thought he was feigning calmness and sneered to himself. "He happens to be the childhood friend of the designated Holy Maiden, they say they''re a match made in heaven." The subtext of the Priest''s words was easy to understand. Cavendish likes Luojia, and Luojia rmended An Su, so would that make Cavendish displeased with An Su? Cavendish... An Su, having gone through seven loops, simply couldn''t recall any NPC named Cavendish. Even when pursuing the Holy Maiden route, he hadn''t heard her mention it. Not even listed in the character entries. Just a background character, then. He said he is Luojia''s childhood friend. Does Luojia even know she has a childhood friend...? An Su thought, but what did this have to do with him?a yer set on a speed run only has leveling up and ying on their mind, women only slow down the pace of leveling. Seeing An Su still so unconcerned, Priest Danny thought spitefully, "This wastrel is still ying the fool..." After a while. An Su spoke again, saying, "That gentleman hasn''t finished praying yet, there''s a queue forming behind." An Su valued efficiency above all when going about his business. The Priest''s son had been kneeling there for quite some time, forming a long line behind him. And who prays with a bunch of girls crowding around them... An Su didn''t want to waste any more time here; his study tasks for the day were still ipletehe turned to leave, nning toe back in the afternoon. Little did he expect that as he turned to take a step, the Priest''s son seemed to sense his movement. "Are you leaving?" Cavendish slowly stood up, his gaze piercing like an eagle''s, his tone rising, "Child of the Curse?" As soon as the term "Child of the Curse" was uttered, the entire Church silenced. It was a taboo that no one dared to mention. Many held their breath, watching An Su''s reaction. "I am going to the library to read." Surprisingly, An Su was not angry, his face showed no sign of insult, and he even had a gentle smile, concernced in his words, "Say, kneeling for so long, don''t your legs feel numb?" A little numb... Cavendish''s mouth twitched slightly. This guy really knew how to provoke someone. Who''s discussing whether my legs are numb with you! If I don''t kneel for a longer time, how can I show off Lord Cavendish''s devotion! The longer I kneel, the more votes I get, does this guy even understand that? Although that''s what I''m thinking, I can''t say it out loud like that. "In front of the altar of faith, I have never been numb." Mr. Kavensis speaks with such an imposing air, all the surrounding girls cast admiring nces at him. "If they''re not numb, walk a few steps," An Su said. "..." Mr. Kavensis slowly exhaled. He told himself to maintain a dignified and elegant demeanor, to be solemn like a Holy Knight, and to not lose his temper with this foolish Child of the Curse, "My body may be numb, but my spirit remains alert," he said. "Unlike someone whose spirit has been deeply veiled in darkness, numb beyond feeling," Mr. Kavensis said with a sting in his words. Of course, Mr. Kavensis had good reason to be proud. His father put in not a small amount of effort to acquire the locations of several Cultist strongholds, specifically for him to clean and annihte. After tonight''s witch hunt, he would advance to a second-tier Magician, and thereafter, he would surely pass the saint''s test, bing a noble saint. And An Su, this Child of the Curse, is probably never going to set foot on the witch-hunting battlefield in his life, so how can hepete with Lord Cavendish? Without faith points, he can neither exchange them for a Holy Light magic book nor increase his mana, keeping him from bing a second-tier Magician. "If they''re not numb, then take a few steps," An Su said again. "...Can we stop talking about my numb legs?" Mr. Kavensis said with lines of irritation on his face. "Let''s change the topic,"N?v(el)B\\jnn An Su suggested, "Mr. Kavensis with the clear-spirited mind, have you finished your homework?" Have you finished your homeworkan unassuming question, a seeminglymonce conversation, yet carried a huge destructive force. It was a judgement from the depths of the soul, a bloodline suppression from a higher-ranking magician against any student, wrapped in the purest malice because indeed, Mr. Kavensis had not even started today''s assignment. All because An Su himself motivated the entire border city''s saint-exam preppers with his workload! Especially those from the noble families, seeing how even the degenerate Child of the Curse was so desperately studying, while their own pure-blooded children were lounging aroundthat was uneptable! Stabbed in this sore spot, Mr. Kavensis''s mouth twitched even more. The most he had heard these past few weeks was, "Look at what the child from the neighboring Chenxing family is doing!" This guy right here was the instigator of his torment. Bringing it up nowwasn''t An Su proudly provoking him? "Despicable Child of the Curse," he said coldly, "You pampered noble scion have probably never stepped into the Cultists'' altar, never eradicated a Cultist, because they are your kindred!" "At dawn today, I will charge into the battlefield of blood and light, while you, a cowardly little lord, continue hiding in your castle!" Unexpectedly, after patiently listening, An Su showed a surprised expression, even sounding sympathetic, "You will only finish your homework by dawn? That sounds pitiful..." Is that the point here? The point is I''m going into battle, not doing tedious homework! Mr. Kavensis felt a surge of rage, bottling up in his chest. He believed if he continued this futile conversation, he might die of a brain hemorrhage. "I hope when I see you at the saint''s test, your wit will be as sharp as it is today!" Having said that, feeling gradually returned to Mr. Kavensis''s legs. He walked towards the exit of the Church, not looking back. As he passed An Su, he bumped An Su''s shoulder hard. Miss Enya''s voice came into An Su''s ear, "Do you need me to take care of him?" "...You''re too extreme," An Su shook his head and adjusted his clothes methodically, unfazed, He just felt like he was bickering with a petty child, easily agitated, spilling out so much information once poked. It was truly amusing. An outburst over such an important piece of information. Action at dawn tonight, huh...? For a top-tier yer, monopolizing the mobs was a basic skill. If this little friend finds out all the mobs around him have been cleared away in advance, will he cry out in desperation? An Su was somewhat looking forward to it. Chapter 14 Count Karlo Why not, you teach me? Count Karlo observed An Su for several days, feeling both satisfied and quite unsatisfied.His emotions were complex. What satisfied him was that An Su finally started staying out all night, returning home only after carousing with the maids until the early hours. With such behavior, Count Karlo felt that the day he''d be holding his grandchildren was not far off. Count Karlo even took care to inquire about the situation from Enya, asking what the lad was up to every evening. The answer he got was: ''It''s the naughty things that Master An Su told me not to talk about.'' With this, Count Karlo felt reassured, understanding most of the situation, and a satisfied smile spread across his face. However, what made him quite unsatisfied was that as soon as the boy returned home, he would take a bath and then start studying. Despite the nightly frivolities, his efficiency and speed at solving problems had actually increased. Was this lad''s energy limitless? Even after coming home from his nightly escapades, his complexion grew even better, his face more radiant, and his body even strongercommon sense dictated that it was usually women who grew more spirited and radiant with such activities, right? How come it seemed to be the other way around with his son... Could it be that this lad was born with exceptional gifts? It really was baffling... Were it not for the sake of pride, he would have even liked to ask his own son for some advice. Past middle age, many things had started to become challenging. As these thoughts crossed Count Karlo''s mind, he put down the newspaper in his hands and glanced at his son, who was dining at the table. An Su was enjoying a serving of caviar. He gently scooped a spoonful and evenly spread it over freshly baked cranberry bread. Sunlight streamed through the blinds, casting a slanted glow on An Su''s figure, with his pure white shirt revealing his smooth skin and the faint outline of his muscles. Despite not coming home the previous night, An Su appeared quite energetic. Over these days, he had gradually gotten used to the painful blessings of the Mother Goddess. Although it hurt, it was invigorating, so he experienced pain and pleasure simultaneouslywhen it hurt, it really was revitalizing. However, during these past sacrifices, he did not see the sea of blood hallucinations like the last time. This was quite strange. In just one week, An Su had wiped out three Cultist hideouts. He had sacrificed a total of forty first-tier Cultists and two second-tier Priests. With the experience bonus from the "Newborn" title, he had gained a total of twenty life points. In terms of achievement, he truly was a pioneer in the fight against evil. He spent ten points to acquire the "Gift of the Mother Goddess" he had been longing for and used magic to remove the words ''Mother Goddess'' from the title, investing the remaining ten life points to strengthen his body. His whole being felt improved. No more back pains, no more sore legs, and no more getting out of breath when walking. He was truly radiant with health. An Su felt that if he continued to extravagantly invest life points like this, he might eventually cultivate a warrior''s talents. He also discovered an added benefit: not only did his physical condition improve, but his memory and reflexes enhanced as well. This was especially apparent when he was studying; knowledge that would normally take a week to master could now be memorized in a day. With the Church''s written exam next week, An Su initially aimed for just passing, but now he felt he could make a push for top grades. Reading by day, sacrificing by night, he was the study ace of the new era of the Light and Dark Priesthood School. The dark magic "God''s Gift," when combined with the previously obtained Holy Light Magic "Growth of All Things," allowed for summoning a void creature from the enemy''s stomach, which would survive for a minute on the battlefieldthis was An Su''s first trump card. But this combination couldn''t be used lightly, first because it was highly damaging, and second because it consumed too much mana. Therefore, he needed to prepare some magic books for regular use. On the Church''s side, the rewards he received were not insignificant. Forty first-tier and two second-tier Cultists equated to half a month''s performance of a small team of saints. In total, that was fifteen faith points, plus the five he had accumulated the previous days, summing up to twenty points, which could increase his mana by two. That would make it six mana points. Two uses of Growth of All Things consuming four mana points and one of God''s Gift consuming two, for a perfect total of six points. He had just reached the threshold necessary for casting. But for An Su, six magic points were far from enough to wield the power of the Light and Dark Priesthood School. It would be safe only once he became a second-tier Mage. The minimum requirement for that was ten magic points. Moreover, he still had to collect several important magic books from the Mother Goddess. With these preparations, he could confidently pass all the tests of the Church in a week. So, as of now, the quantity and quality of the sacrifices of the Cultists were still insufficient. He had to double his efforts. To level up faster and better. Waiting for the Cultists to kidnap him was way too slow, and utterly inefficient. It also lacked Huaxia players'' crucial initiative. Meanwhile, perhaps the nearby Cultists were alerted by rumors or noticed that those who kidnapped An Su were mysteriously meeting their demise, and they began to watch and wait. sea??h th N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The Cultists weren''t fools; they were beginning to suspect that An Su was fishing. In the past three days, only an idiot had attempted to kidnap him. If the fish won''t nibble at the bait, he will have to go to them. The Blood Moon was approaching, and it was time to enter phase two of the plan. Blood Moon Day, which is also the birth of the Mother Goddess, boosts the efficacy of sacrifices by thirty percent and lasts three days. Therefore, many Cultists concentrate their sacrifices during the Blood Moon. An Su had not struck out because he was waiting for the Blood Moon to arrive. An Su planned to sacrifice Cultists more efficiently, with more industrialization, systematization, and assembly-line methods. Compared to the traditional Church witch-hunters, An Su had the informational advantage of the new industry and could utilize the advanced thinking of a new-era transmigrator, a spirit of enterprise missing from the Church. Simply put, give him a map, and he would be able to identify all the Cultists'' lairs around the border city. After all, he was a top-tier player on his seventeenth cycle in his past life, and spawn locations of newbie village monsters were etched in his memory. Knowing these spawn locations is a fundamental skill for speedrunners. And that was An Su''s greatest advantage. For a typical Church witch-hunt, identifying a Cultist stronghold often took more manpower, resources, and time than the actual hunt itself, simply because Cultists were so good at hiding. With his plan in mind, An Su quickly finished his bread, wiped his mouth with a napkin, stood up, took his coat from Enya, and said to his father, "I''m off now." He was about to rush out the door. Count Karlo''s gaze lingered on An Su with a complex expression, then shifted to Enya, his thoughts indecisive. He opened his mouth, then closed it, appearing hesitant for quite some time before slowly saying, "Take care of your health, young man. You still need to exercise restraint..." An Su couldn''t fathom what the old man was talking about. It was utterly baffling to him. Restraint... Restraint on what? What need was there for restraint in leveling up? He glanced at Enya unconsciously, suspecting that the maid had fed his father some nonsensical talk. But the maid turned her face away, her gaze remaining on the parasol tree outside the window. She lightly pursed her lips as if intentionally pretending not to notice An Su''s glance. The warm and transparent sunlight filtered through the thin pleated skirt, untangling in the air with her lead-fine and smooth black hair. Her exquisite profile reflected on the window glass looked as if it had been carefully outlined by the sunlight itself. "I''m leaving," An Su gave up pondering and said to her, "It''s time to go do my prayers at the Church." Chapter 15 An Su Youre right, but have you finished your homework? The golden morning light coated the Church''s stained glass windows, and the shadows of the Chinese parasol trees outside the casement windows fell on the mahogany walls, with the branches trembling lightly in the wind, casting dancing green shadows all around.As soon as An Su entered the Church, he sensed that something was off: First, there were a lot of people, many more than the usual number of worshippers, each with a serious and earnest expression concealing a hint of excitement; Second, the expression on that old Priest''s face at the door when he saw An Su himselfit was obviously much stranger than usual, with a mix of schadenfreude. "Most honorable Aspirant for Sanctity, An Su Moningsta." Priest Danny''s mouth was filled with a smile, and the wrinkles around his eyes squished together, "May the Goddess''s brilliance shine upon your pathgood morning." It felt sarcastically weird. "Who''s that person?" An Su pointed to the young man surrounded by the crowd, a blonde-haired, blue-eyed individual dressed in a Priest''s robe, right at the center of the disturbance. The young man was half-kneeling before the Goddess''s statue, his robe spread out on the marble floor, praying with a solemn face. The sunlight washed over his chiseled features, divine and solemn. Many girls surrounded him, truly like stars circling the moon. S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Most honorable Aspirant for Sanctity," Priest Danny hummed softly, "That gentleman is the son of Priest Rowan, a radiant figure soon to be promoted to saint. He''s been divinely titled ''Son of Light,'' Lord Cavendish." Quite a lengthy introduction. "So there were three men kneeling in front of the statue?" An Su said with a smile. The Priest was a high-ranking official in this division of the Church, and that Priest RowanAn Su had met him, indeed a very influential figure. "Please maintain reverence," The fake smile on Priest Danny''s lips vanished, "After tonight, Lord Cavendish will be promoted to the second rank of Magician, which is different from you." "Tonight?" An Su''s eyebrows rose. "Witch-huntingpresumably, you, young master, have never experienced it." Priest Danny stared into An Su''s eyes, "To personally hunt down the horrific heretics and thus receive the Goddess''s favor." "These days are the days of the Red Moon, Cultists will sacrifice in mass." "Lord Cavendish has already accumulated enough Faith Points. He also controls several second-tier Cultist lairs. After tonight, his Lordship will be able to receive baptism and be promoted to a second-tier Magician." What surprised Priest Danny was that An Su''s expression remained unchanged, merely uttering a nonchalant "Oh." "He grew up together with Luojia." Priest Danny, seeing An Su''s indifferent demeanor, thought he was feigning calmness and sneered to himself. "He happens to be the childhood friend of the designated Holy Maiden, they say they''re a match made in heaven." The subtext of the Priest''s words was easy to understand. Cavendish likes Luojia, and Luojia recommended An Su, so would that make Cavendish displeased with An Su? Cavendish... An Su, having gone through seven loops, simply couldn''t recall any NPC named Cavendish. Even when pursuing the Holy Maiden route, he hadn''t heard her mention it. Not even listed in the character entries. Just a background character, then. He said he is Luojia''s childhood friend. Does Luojia even know she has a childhood friend...? An Su thought, but what did this have to do with him?a player set on a speed run only has leveling up and slaying on their mind, women only slow down the pace of leveling. Seeing An Su still so unconcerned, Priest Danny thought spitefully, "This wastrel is still playing the fool..." After a while. An Su spoke again, saying, "That gentleman hasn''t finished praying yet, there''s a queue forming behind." An Su valued efficiency above all when going about his business. The Priest''s son had been kneeling there for quite some time, forming a long line behind him. And who prays with a bunch of girls crowding around them... An Su didn''t want to waste any more time here; his study tasks for the day were still incompletehe turned to leave, planning to come back in the afternoon. Little did he expect that as he turned to take a step, the Priest''s son seemed to sense his movement. "Are you leaving?" Cavendish slowly stood up, his gaze piercing like an eagle''s, his tone rising, "Child of the Curse?" As soon as the term "Child of the Curse" was uttered, the entire Church silenced. It was a taboo that no one dared to mention. Many held their breath, watching An Su''s reaction. "I am going to the library to read." Surprisingly, An Su was not angry, his face showed no sign of insult, and he even had a gentle smile, concern laced in his words, "Say, kneeling for so long, don''t your legs feel numb?" A little numb... Cavendish''s mouth twitched slightly. This guy really knew how to provoke someone. Who''s discussing whether my legs are numb with you! If I don''t kneel for a longer time, how can I show off Lord Cavendish''s devotion! The longer I kneel, the more votes I get, does this guy even understand that? Although that''s what I''m thinking, I can''t say it out loud like that. "In front of the altar of faith, I have never been numb." Mr. Kavensis speaks with such an imposing air, all the surrounding girls cast admiring glances at him. "If they''re not numb, walk a few steps," An Su said. "..." Mr. Kavensis slowly exhaled. He told himself to maintain a dignified and elegant demeanor, to be solemn like a Holy Knight, and to not lose his temper with this foolish Child of the Curse, "My body may be numb, but my spirit remains alert," he said. "Unlike someone whose spirit has been deeply veiled in darkness, numb beyond feeling," Mr. Kavensis said with a sting in his words. Of course, Mr. Kavensis had good reason to be proud. His father put in not a small amount of effort to acquire the locations of several Cultist strongholds, specifically for him to clean and annihilate. After tonight''s witch hunt, he would advance to a second-tier Magician, and thereafter, he would surely pass the saint''s test, becoming a noble saint. And An Su, this Child of the Curse, is probably never going to set foot on the witch-hunting battlefield in his life, so how can he compete with Lord Cavendish? Without faith points, he can neither exchange them for a Holy Light magic book nor increase his mana, keeping him from becoming a second-tier Magician. "If they''re not numb, then take a few steps," An Su said again. "...Can we stop talking about my numb legs?" Mr. Kavensis said with lines of irritation on his face. "Let''s change the topic," An Su suggested, "Mr. Kavensis with the clear-spirited mind, have you finished your homework?" Have you finished your homeworkan unassuming question, a seemingly commonplace conversation, yet carried a huge destructive force. It was a judgement from the depths of the soul, a bloodline suppression from a higher-ranking magician against any student, wrapped in the purest malice because indeed, Mr. Kavensis had not even started today''s assignment. All because An Su himself motivated the entire border city''s saint-exam preppers with his workload! Especially those from the noble families, seeing how even the degenerate Child of the Curse was so desperately studying, while their own pure-blooded children were lounging aroundthat was unacceptable! Stabbed in this sore spot, Mr. Kavensis''s mouth twitched even more. The most he had heard these past few weeks was, "Look at what the child from the neighboring Chenxing family is doing!" This guy right here was the instigator of his torment. Bringing it up nowwasn''t An Su proudly provoking him? "Despicable Child of the Curse," he said coldly, "You pampered noble scion have probably never stepped into the Cultists'' altar, never eradicated a Cultist, because they are your kindred!" "At dawn today, I will charge into the battlefield of blood and light, while you, a cowardly little lord, continue hiding in your castle!" Unexpectedly, after patiently listening, An Su showed a surprised expression, even sounding sympathetic, "You will only finish your homework by dawn? That sounds pitiful..." Is that the point here? The point is I''m going into battle, not doing tedious homework! Mr. Kavensis felt a surge of rage, bottling up in his chest. He believed if he continued this futile conversation, he might die of a brain hemorrhage. "I hope when I see you at the saint''s test, your wit will be as sharp as it is today!" Having said that, feeling gradually returned to Mr. Kavensis''s legs. He walked towards the exit of the Church, not looking back. As he passed An Su, he bumped An Su''s shoulder hard. Miss Enya''s voice came into An Su''s ear, "Do you need me to take care of him?" "...You''re too extreme," An Su shook his head and adjusted his clothes methodically, unfazed, He just felt like he was bickering with a petty child, easily agitated, spilling out so much information once poked. It was truly amusing. An outburst over such an important piece of information. Action at dawn tonight, huh...? For a top-tier player, monopolizing the mobs was a basic skill. If this little friend finds out all the mobs around him have been cleared away in advance, will he cry out in desperation? An Su was somewhat looking forward to it. Chapter 16 An Su Withdraws Money from the Bank! "Wow, that young man is here to read books again." S~ea??h the N??elFir.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality."He looks so serious, and he''s really handsome... He comes every day." "It''s such a pity that he''s a Child of the Curse..." "The religious testing is next week, can he pass it?" "I don''t think he stands a chance... You have to understand that the Church''s entrance test is in the capital, a national examination, not just for our remote little city; all the young and talented from across the country will participate." "After all, it''s the Radiant Holy See, the foremost among the seven Orthodox Churches..." "Moreover, he has offended Lord Cavendish, now he''s done for." "It''s said that Arthur Sunny, the Duke''s son from the frontier, is also taking part in the saint testing this time!" "Ah, would that be the even handsomer and more noble ''Radiant Young Lion''?" The library of the Church. The morning sunlight was just perfect, and the air was refreshingly clear, a great time for reading and studying. This place was the largest library in the frontier city, housing a diverse array of books spanning numerous fields; Right now, An Su was quietly choosing a book titled "The History of the Empire," reading and pondering it earnestly, occasionally showing a thoughtful expression. He didn''t pay any mind to the low murmurs of the young girls around him. Of course, he had to come here to read books every day; after all, every day he converted a total of twenty devotion points from his military expenses, giving him six magic points, which could be said to be at an intermediate level for a first-order magician. As for the Sunny mentioned by them, unlike Lord Cavendish and other extras who didn''t even have a character card, Arthur Sunny was one of the important male characters in the original story. He would even become a Saint Heir in the future. His family was the Duke of the frontier, the Sun Family was quite a noble lineage in the old Nether ranks, unlike the Morningstar Family that emerged halfway and couldn''t be compared. But that guy''s character setting... was actually very subtle. An Su could sense that his own perception had grown stronger, being able to overhear gossip from the girls next door despite the distance. Perhaps this was also one of the benefits that came with the blessings of the Mother Goddess. Time slowly passed, and as the shadows of the trees moved from one side of the library to the window, turning from dark green to deep red, the sun neared its setting. Nightfall was approaching fast. He had to start his plan. An Su closed the book, stood up, put it back on the shelf, and then went to find his maid. Having read "The History of the Empire," An Su felt he had gained a lot, especially praising several rebellious generals in imperial history; reflecting on the past, he felt he could draw much advanced experience from these great marshals. Of course, it was also very useful for coping with the test. He felt that with his current level, getting seventy or eighty points wasn''t difficult. Enya was also reading a book, and with great interest, which surprised An Su somewhat. The evening breeze blew by, scattering her long hair amidst the pink hues of the sunset. She sat there quietly reading; from a distance, one might actually get the impression of a literary girl. He approached and asked, "What are you reading?" "Guess," Enya closed the book, looking up, "Clues are ''mother and son,'' ''gender swap,'' ''teacher,'' ''close kin,'' ''non-human,'' ''dismemberment,'' ''crossbreeding,'' ''body modification.''" She gave off quite the literary girl vibeprovided she didn''t speak. What kind of R18 keywords are those... An Su''s mouth twitched slightly. "I guess it''s ''Druid Biology Compulsory 1,'' chapter one, about pea genetic breeding." An Su snatched the book from her hands; its cover was indeed a vast expanse of green plants, "Stop reading that, we should be going. Are the things ready?" "You really have no sense of romance," Enya said helplessly, pointing to the handbag on the seat next to her, which contained a whole set of clothes she had sewn herself. They left the Church and followed the path outwards, quickly reaching the edge of the City-State. The Cultists didn''t come to kidnap An Su, so An Su had to take the initiative to find the Cultists. The worshipers of the Mother Goddess almost always held a sacrifice ritual, with the timing set at two o''clock in the middle of the night, according to the teachings, this time was when the Mother Goddess awakened. Moreover, today was the fourteenth of the Red Moon. For the Cultists, this date was very significant each year: during the Ancient Era, it was on the fourteenth that the Mother Goddess descended from the starry skies to this place, and this day came to be known as the Day of Divine Arrival. From the fourteenth to the sixteenth, the benefits from the sacrifices increased by thirty percent. So, at two o''clock in the middle of the night these days, many believers would mass sacrifice. Knowing the time and place, the next thing to do was simple. That was to actively intercept others'' sacrifices! Straight to their doorstep! He knew the location of all the small strongholds around the City-State, as long as he actively sought them out at midnight, he would be able to catch the Cultists who were just conducting their sacrifices. Then he would sacrifice them all! Since he was on the offense, he had to disguise his identity well to avoid detection by others. An Su knew he was handsome, so he had to conceal this handsome visage. Hiding his stature well and covering his face, An Su had Enya sew a new skin for him. He retrieved the clothes from the bag and quickly put them on himself. The bulky cotton coat''s shape, plain design, and inconspicuous style would hide any outstanding appearance, and the most regal temperament would become honest and simpleprecisely the high school uniform 2.0 from his previous life: The Winter Is Coming skin. In layman''s terms, it was the winter uniform. The one he wore previously was the summer version. Once worn, no one could recognize anyone else. Besides that, he also took a mask out of the bag and wore it on his face, the skin snugly fitting together. [Camouflage Mask] [Intermediate Magic Tool] [Can disguise one''s facial features] This was a treasure he had stolen from his old man''s secret vault, able to perfectly conceal his identity and mimic the appearance of a stranger. In the black market, this item would cost at least ten thousand Gold Coins. As for why An Su knew about Count Karlo''s secret vault and how he easily got his hands on it it was because, in his previous life as a gamer, he''d raid Count Karlo''s vault every weekly reset. And whenever he was short on cash, he''d go to Count Karlo for a withdrawal. In this life, his biological father was affectionately referred to by his former self as the [Savings Bank Manager]. After finishing his preparations, An Su took the mirror handed to him by Enya. Beneath the gray cotton hood, he sported a plain but scholarly face, green and shy yet radiating clear wisdom, the sort whose appearance wasn''t exactly ugly but couldn''t be called handsome either, yet when you first laid eyes on the kid, you''d think he must be good at sciences. You''d think he belonged in Tsinghua. All aspects were ready. Then, it was time to make a withdrawal from the Construction Bank of a lifetime. For players, Count Karlo''s vault was the Savings Bank, and so the Cultists'' sacrifice altar was the Construction Bank! Enya brought a carriage over, An Su mounted it and drove off directly. It was eight o''clock at night, with four more hours to midnight. Moreover, the Cultists'' rituals also took a long timeif he hurried non-stop to grind, An Su was confident that he could sweep through all the small strongholds near the border city in one night! Chapter 17 My name is Xianzong, and I like sacrifice the most. Wellington was twelve years old this year, a carpenter''s child.He had no mother, for his mother had died in childbirth, and furthermore, he was not blessed by the Holy Light. There was only a sparse amount of light elements within his body. The majority of it was consumed by darkness, and although not nearly as concentrated as An Su, the "Child of the Curse" who was one in a thousand, he also bore the disdainful title of a Child of Darkness. Unlike An Su, young Wellington did not have the fortune of a carefree childhood. Even though the darkness inside him was far less than what resided in An Su. His father blamed him for his mother''s death, and when he was just six years old, he was driven out of home. Wellington could find no work, not a single restaurant or daily store wanted to hire a Child of Darkness. Wellington survived by begging, suffering discrimination and insultsthis was the childhood of many a Child of the Curse. Despite the difficulty, he managed to keep living in the city. As usual, before the dew had even moistened the whole morning, he got up, holding his tattered little bowl, climbing out from the dark, damp sewers to beg in the morning market for his meals for the day. If he were late, the city management would wake up and drive them away. If luck was on his side, maybe he would find one or two rotten dead fish, and along with the mushrooms he picked, that would be enough for a day''s meal. Wellington''s wish was to taste what cake was like. His grandmother had told him that children who were able to taste cake were loved by Heaven, they were blessed children, who could enter heaven after death. Sarch* The N??elFir.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Unfortunately, his grandmother was already dead, and he had not had the chance to taste what cake was like. He would turn thirteen this year, surviving by begging, living in this city for thirteen years, until today. The uncle did not seem to be someone from city management, wearing a hood, his face was unclear. He told Wellington that there was cake to eat if he followed him. Wellington followed him. But he did not get to taste the cake. Wellington was hooded with a sack and hustled onto a carriage. He shouted loudly, knowing perhaps someone passing by heard him, but who would care, who would care about a little beggar being taken, a Child of Darkness? Without them, the city might be a little cleaner. In this city, people were abducted every day, every day someone would disappear. Even the saints of the Church wouldn''t care about a beggar being kidnapped. What they wanted was to eradicate the dens of the Esoteric Religion to obtain the faith points of the Mother Goddess. The more frequent the abductions, the easier it was for the dens of the Esoteric Religion to expose themselves. Wellington didn''t know how far he had been taken; maybe he had left the city and was in a desolate wilderness. He could feel the day had turned dark, and the surroundings were terrifyingly quiet. After the blindfold was removed, Wellington saw an altar. The altar was piled with white skulls, and blazing torches splashed blood-like light everywhere, while men wearing bright gold masks circled the altar, loudly chanting something. The uncle who drove the carriage pushed him onto the altar. "Any last words?" Young Wellington didn''t know what was going to happen next; he had no concept of sacrifice, but he understood that he was about to face death, an unmatched fear descending upon his mind. "I... I haven''t tasted cake yet," he muttered, "I haven''t tasted cake yet..." ...He had not yet tasted cake, he could not enter heaven after death. Wellington was not afraid of death, for he knew his grandmother had been a good person all her life, so surely a good person could go to heaven. But he was a Child of Darkness, he was not a good person, he had not tasted cake, was not blessed by the Holy Light, he could not enter heaven. Then he could not reunite with his grandmother. His grandmother had been waiting for him in heaven for six years, In those six years, he had been trying to save money, trying to survive, wanting to buy a piece of cake to taste. Then he would be ready to go to heaven and find his grandmother, ready to die in peace. But his money always disappeared, perhaps taken by city management, perhaps stolen by thieves. He had not tasted cake yet, and now he was about to die. He was about to break his promise to his grandmotherthat was what young Wellington feared the most. The Priest listened to young Wellington''s words and laughed contemptuously, "Pointless... the Mother Goddess won''t like it; you better cry out, that''s what will please her." Wellington''s shoulders trembled, and he closed his eyes. The Priest was about to prepare for the ritual, but suddenly, he heard a noisy commotion outside. He immediately sensed something was wrong; could it be that the location of their base had been exposed? But he saw a follower rush over to the Priest and said with a strange look on his face, "It''s just a young man. He didn''t bring others with him." "A young man?" The Priest''s eyes widened. "Yes." The follower paused, with a peculiar expression he added, "He says he''s here for our ''silver party''." "And, I can feel it, the dark elements in him are not low..." The Priest soon saw the youth: He was brought in by several Cultists, wrapped in a thick cotton jacket and gray trousers, dressed rather bulkily, and with a hood for warmth on his head, a very wise face, and a pair of eyes that revealed a bit of clear intelligence. "Give me a lift, will you?" He seemed quite shy and polite as he entered, rubbing his hands together and showing a pleasing smile, "One sacrifice is still a sacrifice, and so are two..." What kind of hero''s attire is this? The Priest was almost amused to anger. Did this child think this was all fun and exciting? "What is your name?" the Priest asked. "Um... I like sacrifices, I find them very interesting, and my dream is to become a Pope of the Church when I grow up." After a moment of thought, the boy said, "Call me Xianzong." Xianzong...? Such an audacious name. The Priest felt the kid was mocking him. He immediately became angry, "Alright, alright, Xianzong, come here." In all his years in this line of work, he had never seen anyone so eager to come forward for a sacrifice! Not a shred of respect for his profession! Never mind if there was some trickery, If he didn''t sacrifice this boy today, then all his years would have been lived in vain! He ordered his subordinates to prepare the materials, and pushed him next to Wellington. Wellington stared at the newcomer, "Are you a child of darkness too? Have you ever eaten cake... " "Cake?" the person was taken aback. "Because we are sinners..." Wellington said, "Only if we have eaten cake can we go to heaven." "Have you ever stolen anything?" he asked. "No." "Have you ever robbed money?" "No." "Then why do you think you''re a sinner?" "Because... they say we are sinners." "I don''t think we are sinners," Xianzong turned his head, his eyes hidden under the hood, reflecting a bright light. "Kid, you''re not guilty... they are the ones who are guilty, and you should live more righteously." He whispered softly, "Now close your eyes, cover your ears, Enya, use Secret Magic to block his five sensescount to sixty in your heart, yes, just like that, wait until after you leave here, then go to Chenxing Manor and ask the steward for a piece of cake, knowing they will give it to you." "Yes, close your eyes like that, cover your ears. Be obedient, and don''t you dare open your eyes." "I have come to sacrifice their sins." For some reason, Wellington chose to trust him, closing his eyes, covering his ears, and silently counting down in his heart. "One." "Two." "Three." "..." Wellington didn''t know what was happening around him; he faintly heard the youth''s low chanting, but couldn''t make out the specifics. The silence around him was terrifying. Finally, Wellington counted to sixty and opened his eyes. Everything around him had disappeared. The terrifying men had vanished without a trace, the cold moonlight gilded the altar, as if covered with layers of silver frost. The big brother who was beside him was also gone, replaced by a small bag of coins. The sharp coat, the stylish cotton trousers, and the unadorned face revealing a hint of clear intelligence were deeply etched in little Wellington''s mind, as vivid as fireflies in the night. "Xianzong..." A dream quietly sprouted in the heart of the youth. Chapter 18 Just for Fun and Happiness ```[Fifteen Low-Rank Cultists Sacrificed] [One Second-Rank Cultist Sacrificed] [Life Points Gained: 5. Received title ''The Newborn'' bonus, which increases Life Points to 5.5. Affected by the Red Moon, the bonus is 7 Life Points, convertible into Low-Rank Blessings] The Red Moon smeared half the sky with its bloody moonlight. Miss Enya, driving a carriage, crushed the light layer of rime on the mountain path with the hooves of her horses, speeding into the wild under the cover of night. An Su sat in the back of the carriage, holding a map and calculating the route. "Next, if we travel five kilometers to the east, we will see a river, and there is a cave on the north side of the river." An Su, combining his memories from a previous life, accurately pinpointed the location of the Cultists, "There are thirty Cultists inside, ready for slaughter." Indeed, taking the initiative to level up is faster! All his waiting for the Red Moon night was not in vain. It was now nine in the evening. In just one hour, An Su had wiped out a small Cultist stronghold, earning a blessing of 7 Life Points. According to his plan, he intended to take down all small strongholds within a ten-kilometer radius of the City-State tonight. Miss Enya showed no surprise that An Su could pinpoint the Cultists'' location so accurately; instead, she faithfully and unquestioningly carried out his commands. In the mind of this maid, there was no need to question anything her young master did. She snapped the whip, turned the carriage, and soon found the small river, its cold moonlight spreading across the channel, shimmering in ripples. Following the river eastward, they indeed found a cave, aglow with firelight and occasionally echoing with the cries and screams of children. All of them were children with a strong presence of dark elements. However, they were not Children of the Curse but rather Dark Children. The birth of a Child of the Curse is accompanied by death, their dark elements so intense it''s as if they are cursed into existence. Out of a thousand Dark Children, only one Child of the Curse is born, like An Su. Still, even if not a Child of the Curse, merely having an excess of dark elements was enough for these children to suffer discrimination or be abandoned, sold, or kidnapped. What came next was simple. An Su put on a human skin mask and walked straight into the cave, shouting, ''Your Xianzong has arrived!'' And just like that, as if following procedure, he was led into the cave, placed upon the altar, and then sacrificed. In the end... "You fucking can''t do this!" "I can''t accept this!" "I''ve actually been sacrificed by a damn kid!" "Great Mother Goddess, I am your true Believer!" An Su paid no attention to the cries of the Cultists as their faith shattered. [Fifteen Low-Rank Cultists Sacrificed] [One Second-Rank Cultist Sacrificed] [Earned 8 Life Points. With the ''The Newborn'' title and Red Moon''s influence, obtained 11.2 Life Points.] [Total: 18.2 Life Points] This is the way to play! Leveling up should be done like this! As for those little brats he rescued, An Su had a plan for them as well. All these children were orphans, unwanted and unloved, and also possessed dark talents, making them a talent pool for An Su''s future. In the future, when he needed to train a loyal army, when he needed secret followers, these children would prove useful. He could entrust them to Enya for training. So, An Su told them all to head to Chenxing Manor, where they would be taken in; at least they would get to eat cake every day. If the Church''s saints were to purge a Cultist stronghold, these cursed children were mostly dealt with on the spot. They were not children of nobility but orphans abandoned by their parents, and no one would care about them. Externally, it would be declared that those children were killed by the Cultists, and no one would investigate. Even if they survived and returned, they would still be kidnapped, still be sacrificed, and after sacrifice, they would increase the Cultists'' power. Conversely, if the Cult''s power grew too strong, it could threaten to overthrow the Church. For the Church, the Dark Children were a double-edged sword. It''s just that they didn''t usually do a large scale cleanup. The city''s cursed children would not be killedthe first reason was the consideration of external public opinion; the Church had to maintain a facade of holiness and greatness. The second reason was more important: some children needed to be left for the Cultists to sacrifice, allowing them to level up. If the Cultists had no offerings to sacrifice, their ranks would remain low. Killing Low-Rank Cultists would yield very few faith points for the saints. ``` Cultists should not be allowed to reach too high a rank, nor should they be allowed to remain too low; just as with breeding pigs and cucumbers, the number of Children of the Curse cannot be too high, nor can they be entirely wiped outit must be controlled within a suitable range. This is the Radiant Holy See. The great and sacred Radiant Holy See, the high and mighty saintsthese are their unspoken rules. An Su''s thoughts returned to the present. He checked the time. It was just around dawn, and the blood moon above was brilliantly resplendent. There was still plenty of time. Next target! He mounted his horse at once, not even bothering with a carriage, Having received the blessings and cleansing of the Mother Goddess, An Su''s body was now perfectly capable of riding a horse. He whipped the horse, which let out a thunderous neigh and galloped toward the East. "Open up, the Church is here to bring warmth!" Two o''clock in the morning. "Mother Goddess of desire and the moon..." "Your devout believer, An Su Moningsta, presents a gift..." "Inviting you to dine with me!" [Ten Low-Rank Believers sacrificed] [One Second-Rank Believer sacrificed] [Three Life Points gained] Half-past two in the morning, next target! Sarch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Mother Goddess of desire and the moon..." "Your devout..." "Inviting you to dine with me!" [Thirteen Low-Rank Cultists sacrificed] [One Second-Rank Cultist sacrificed] [Gained...] Three o''clock in the morning, next target! [Sacrificed...] The more he sacrificed, the more spirited An Su became. His actions became smoother and more efficient, sacrificing wherever he went, truly embodying the great teachings of the Mother Goddess to the fullest and implementing the Church''s demon-extermination spirit correctly, hitting the mark with precision and decisiveness. All along the way, bodies were strewn everywhere, tears flowed freely, and where his horse''s hooves trod, there were the laments of cultists. He would enter, tell the children to close their eyes and cover their ears, and then proceed to sacrifice. His silk-smooth combos were executed to perfection, wasting not a moment of extra time. He strictly controlled the sacrifice time at each stronghold to within half an hour, never exceeding one minute over the limit. Even Enya, following calmly with the cleanup and destroying the evidence, had increased her pace to a steady flow. Everywhere he went, the Cultists began questioning their faith and even doubting the purpose of their lives: Great Mother Goddess, how could you be seduced away so easily by this brat! Are you made of brass? Along the way, invitation after invitation to ''dine with me'' went outit''s a wonder how many times he ''dined'' with the Mother Goddess. Even a pig would be stuffed by now. After An Su gave this otherworldly place a little shock of Huaxia''s test-taking, he now brought them another little tremor of Huaxia''s level-grinding methods. Even Enya, who was usually unflappable, seemed a bit stunned. She blinked, "Is the Mother Goddess so easygoing?" "They are all good girls," An Su said with a bright smile, beaming with sunshine. Enya felt that compared to those middle-aged men cloaked in hoods and donning gilded masks, her own master''s outfit was more fitting for someone mixed with a dark cult. The fake Cultist: Sleazy expression, timid and shrinking, over fifty years old, wearing a hood and gold mask, with a hollow and void gaze. The true Cultist: Sunshine bright, poised and natural, a flower of the motherland, wearing cotton pants and coats, with clear and studious eyes! But no matter what An Su was up to, it didn''t concern Enya. Her job was to do her part well. "Master, dawn is approaching." Enya burned the remains of the Cultists, eliminating the traces, then took out a handkerchief to wipe the blood from An Su''s cheeks, "Shall we continue?" The blood color of the red moon in the sky had already vanished. The cool, moonlit frost spread over the clouds, becoming palerdawn''s early light could now be seen on the horizon. "All the Cult strongholds within a ten-kilometer radius have been cleansed." An Su consulted the map, still wearing a bright smile, "There are three days of the red moon night, we''ll continue tomorrow evening." What other mischiefs does brother Xianzong have up his sleeve? It''s all for a bit of fun, a bit of happiness. Chapter 19 Gradual Dawn [Sacrificed a hundred Low Rank Cultists, ten Second Order Cultists][Affected by the titles ''Blood Moon'' and ''Newborn'', the sacrificial effect has increased by forty percent] [Total Life Points gained: 60] [Life Points can be exchanged for blessings, or used to enhance the body] [Today''s generous birthday gift has filled the Mother Goddess of Life with joy and delight, and She has bestowed upon you a divine title] [Title: Death''s Rising Dawn] [Title Effect: You can stack one identical dark magic buff effect on a target, can only be used once per day] Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. An Su was very satisfied. In just one night, he had reaped more than he had in the past few weeks. Just the Life Points alone amounted to sixty. Even without the title and the Blood Moon Day''s enhancement, he would have had at least forty faith points from the Radiant Holy See. Enough for him to become a Second Order Magician! But An Su knew such an opportunity only came once a year. Only during the three days of Blood Moon Day would the Cultists massively sacrifice at their stronghold; at other times, such an attempt would likely end in vain. Blood Moon Day was a grand festival, and the Church would also organize Holy Knights to conduct large-scale witch hunts during these days. However, An Su knew that it would be difficult for the Church to gain much this time. Receiving the new title was an unexpected pleasure, an offensive type of title, different from resource type titles like ''Life Sacrificer at the Outset''. It could stack a dark magic buff. For example, if you cast a curse on an enemy that reduced their defense by twenty percent, you could use this title. You could cast the same curse on them again, and the effects would stack, reducing the defense by forty percent. However, this was just a conventional use, something regular players might do. An Su, who had a more sophisticated mind for mischievous play, instantly thought of many more interesting combinations for this title. It felt like it was going to be very interesting... An Su thought secretly to himself. It was going to be very amusing. First, use the renaming magic [Baptism] to change the title''s name... it can only be three characters long. The words ''Rising Dawn'' sound quite positive and can be kept, making it two words. ''Death'' must definitely be removed. From ''Death''s Rising Dawn'', pick one word. He felt none of them were quite right, so he simply decided to follow his own inclinations, choosing whatever felt right; let''s pick ''Rising''. ''Rising Dawn'' The gradually rising dawn in the east felt pretty positive, and upon hearing it, one would assume he was a respectable person belonging to the Mixed Orthodoxy. Moreover, An Su did indeed need a new title, as he was currently hunting Cultists using the new identity ''Xianzong'', undertaking a detestable task. Although he had masked his face, the title ''Newborn'' above his head was not something he could hide. If his whereabouts were exposed and someone used Scouting Magic to discover the Newborn, looking through the entire border town, who else would be the Newborn? Naturally, it would only be him, An Su. Once a title is worn, it cannot be removed, but it can be changed. A new identity required a new title, ''Rising Dawn'' was An Su''s timely rain. Having organized his thoughts, the day had already brightened. Pale dawn light completely dispelled the remnants of the Blood Moon''s glow, and the sky was divided into several colored patches: The innermost was the orange-white sky, accompanied by mountains and the rising sun; the middle layer was a grey-white sky, and the outermost layer was still a dark, night sky. A few sparse and faint stars still clung to the grey-white sky, hanging between the dark and orange-white, intermixed between night and day, belonging neither to day nor night, faintly twinkling their light; there''s a proverb that perfectly describes this: ''sparse as the morning stars''. ---- An Su took off his imitation mask, changed into new clothes, and returned to the church to receive the goddess''s reward. It was only just dawn, yet the church was far from empty: aside from a few believers who came for morning prayers, there were many more who were just there for the excitement, all waiting for the return of the Holy Knight. Last night was Blood Moon Day, and it was also the day for the collective witch hunt led by the ''Radiant One,'' the son of the Priest, Saint Kavensis, which was full of anticipation. They were all on tiptoes, craning their necks, eagerly waiting for the hero''s return and ready to offer cheers and applause. Some even held flowers in their hands. Most of these were young girls in the throes of spring. "When will Saint Kavensis triumphantly return?" "I don''t know..." "He must have slain many evil villains." They chattered and giggled amongst themselves, occasionally letting out bright, crisp laughter: It seemed that Kavensis was quite popular among the girls. "Good morning, my young master, did you sleep well last night?" Priest Danny spotted An Su from afar and spoke with a hint of sarcasm, "You must have slept quite well, after all, we had real saints protecting our night." "I slept wonderfully last night." An Su smiled brightly, as if he hadn''t picked up on the Priest''s insinuation at all, showing no signs of anger or insult, "We truly must thank those heroes, but I do hope the heroes can get some sleep tonight as well." "Hmph..." Priest Danny snorted inwardly, putting on a show. Clearly, Priest Danny had not picked up on An Su''s implied meaning either. "See you in a bit." An Su walked straight into the church, knelt on one knee before the statue, put his hands together, and began to pray. [An Su] [Magic Points: 6] [Near-Believer, exchangeable for Low Rank blessings, or to add points to the body] [Faith Points 42 (eliminating 100 First Order cultists, ten Second Order cultists, and one Third Order cultist)] Very well. It was just enough to become a Second Order Magician. He smiled to himself. To go from a First Order Magician to a Second Order one in a month was like riding a rocket - it would shock people if word got out. After all, his way of leveling up was entirely different from the other saints, purely through kill after kill after kill. The other saints... they didn''t get to sacrifice enough cultists to level up. The bulk was taken by the noble families within the Church. Their way of leveling up was through daily exercise and prayer, gradually increasing their magic points. Even if they occasionally killed a few cultists, they were reluctant to use them for leveling up, often choosing to exchange them for blessing magic instead. The biggest advantage of becoming a Second Order Magician was that the soul could carry two more memory slots. A First Order Magician had four memory slots; a Second Order had six. So now, An Su could equip up to six spells. The distribution and use of memory slots was of utmost importance. After reaching Second Order, the exchange rate between faith points and magic points also changed to 20:1. But those were worries for later. "Exchange." An Su felt lighter all over, his soul breathing in the fresh air of the early morning, exhaling the faint light of dawn. He could sense that his perception and reaction time had both reached their peak, with every cell in his body singing with joy. He could feel the waves of cheers coming from the entrance: Oh, it seemed the great hero Kavensis had returned. Hopefully, they could get some sleep. Chapter 20 Kavensis A day before.The Radiant Holy See, dusk. Kavensis was not in a good mood. The words of that Child of the Curse from this morning still echoed in his heart. As one born with the Holy Light, as a son of a priest of the Church, Kavensis''s life was supposed to be glorious and smooth. Born into a Church family, he was hailed as ''Child of the Holy Light'' upon his first prayer, and at the mere age of sixteen, he reached the threshold of a second-rank magician. In this border city, he should have been the paragon of the new generation. He and the prospective Holy Maiden, Luojia, had known each other for a long time, much earlier than that Child of the Curse. In the past, he often considered himself Luojia''s childhood sweetheart, and even though Luojia was not familiar with him, he still placed himself in that position. This also brought him much honor and convenience; many people respected him. That was until that Child of the Curse was recommended by Luojia to the great Radiant Holy See. The attention of the masses gradually shifted to this newcomer. On his first prayer as well, he received a title. He spent every day in the reading hall, studying from books, feigning diligence just as his detestable smile was feigned. Yet, it still affected him. He was merely a Child of the Curse. But Kavensis knew, these humiliating days were about to end; his father had already found several small Esoteric Religion strongholds for him. Tonight, he would lead his father''s Holy Knight squad to exterminate those evil cultists. On this night of the Red Moon, he was going to make a name for himself in this border city, and the great Holy Light shall descend upon the world! The Holy Knight squad was essential. According to the Goddess''s rules, one needed to personally eliminate Cultists to earn faith points. But alone, he could not eradicate so many Cultists. This is where the Holy Knight squad came in, to deal with the High-Rank cultists that Kavensis couldn''t handle, leaving only the weak believers for Kavensis to slaughter. This plan was foolproof. This was the foundation of his family. Sar?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. By then, becoming a second-rank magician at the age of sixteen, even Luojia herself would have to take note of him. Thinking of all this, a shallow smile hung on his lips. The sun slowly sank, and the evening sky turned the mountains into blood-red, with layers of fiery clouds spreading across, covering half the sky. The Blood Moon was about to be born from the most brilliantly red blood clouds. The twilight gradually enveloped everything, and the chime of the Church bells came from afar. Kavensis had already finished his duties for the day. He rose to dress himself, donning a sacred robe made by a high-rank craftsman, a magic wand inlaid with rubies, and a blood-red cape that trailed on the ground, all making him look as majestic and holy as an Angel Envoy. "Lord Cavendish, are you ready?" "I am here," he said, pushing open the door with a solemn and radiant smile on his face, starkly different from the sullen look in his room, "To all those blessed by the Holy Light, I extend my blessings to you." He bowed, head held low, left hand on his chest, performing the blessing gesture impeccably. With Kavensis''s entrance, half of the Church''s believers were won over by his demeanor. This attire, this demeanor was completely that of a born saint. The border City-State was not large, and many of the excitable believers had already heard that the Priest''s son was going to hunt witches tonight, all rushing to witness the elegance of this saint. Everyone held great expectations for Kavensis. With sharp eyes, Kavensis noticed Luojia was also performing mass in front of the statue. A satisfied smile appeared on his lips. She really couldn''t let go of me. Dressed in a pure white robe, Luojia knelt quietly before the statue, the scented breeze brushing her moonlight-like hair. She was very devoted during the mass, completely unaware of her surroundings. Kavensis came directly in front of her and knelt on one knee, "Respected lady, I am honored that you have come to see me off." Having her mass interrupted, Luojia opened her eyes somewhat confused, tilted her head, and almost blurted out a "Who are you?" She was indeed confused. Luojia had come simply to pray, hoping that An Su would pass the upcoming saint''s test. But she was still very polite, if awkwardly so, "Hello." "Tonight''s honor is yours, my Holy Maiden." In front of everyone, Kavensis lifted his robe, "I shall dedicate all the honor I earn tonight to you, that is my pledge. May the Holy Light bless you!" ''How romantic'' ''A pledge from a saint'' ''I''m so jealous'' ''A match made in heaven'' The words of Kavensis stirred quite a discussion among the onlooking crowd, especially among the gossip-loving girls, who talked excitedly with their companions. Luojia was still baffled, blinking her eyes, "Ah... thank you?" After pondering for a while, she remembered the man in front of her who spoke so flamboyantly... seemed to be the son of Priest Rowan. She then added, awkwardly but politely, "I... I''m looking forward to it?" Kavensis, as though invigorated, stood up, and after a gentlemanly bow, he headed towards the Holy Knight troop. The Holy Knights were all neatly dressed, thirteen in total. They were second-rank saints of the Church, under the management of the Priesthood. "There''s no need for such formality." The leader was a golden-haired adult woman who looked at Kavensis with eyes of admiration, "We should be colleagues soon." "You are my senior, I should certainly respect you," said Kavensis, with humility and politeness, gracefully and appropriately, turning the heads of the female believers around them. "Let''s depart," Kavensis said, bowing to the believers all around, "Ladies and gentlemen, please await my triumphant return." It was now eleven at night; the darkness of the night enveloped everything, and the blood moon was at its most vigorous. In the light of the blood night, they rode out of the city gate on the Church''s steeds. They would start with the Esoteric Religion stronghold closest to the City-State, riding five kilometers east to a river. There was a cave on the east side of the river... Kavensis still remembered the location his father gave him. The Church''s horses shattered the stillness of midnight as they quickly came upon the river, and walking upstream, they discovered the cave. Kavensis felt a rush of excitement; he already saw his glorious future, feeling like a Holy Knight destined to redeem all souls, set to eradicate the evil for his Holy Maiden today. Those Cultists and Children of the Curse, he would slaughter every single one without exception. Dismounting directly, he held his Magic Wand and was the first to charge into the cave. The cave was dark, but the bright future was in this very darkness. "Repent, you wretched bastards," Kavensis scoffed in his heart. He finally reached the center of the cave, saw the huge altar, took out his Magic Wand, and was about to cast Holy Light magic. But he stopped abruptly halfway through. "?" The silence was eerie, with only the sound of Kavensis''s confusion echoing through the empty cave. "Where is everyone?" Chapter 21 Kavensis Cant Sleep The surroundings were eerily quiet.Kavensis could see the ancient altar, the blackened blood scabs on it from years of not being cleaned, and the candlesticks teeming with putrid maggots, the light flickering dimly and chaotically. Everything was exactly as he remembered the Evil God''s altar to be. The only difference was that there wasn''t a single person on the altar. Not to mention a Priest, there wasn''t even an ordinary Believer in sight. The hideout was as clean as if it had been licked by the Mother Goddess herself. Kavensis was holding his breath, he had been seething with righteous indignation and had charged up here, full of steam. His emotions were surging just like a virgin boy who flirted with his pen pal and rushed to meet her for a showdown, only to be stood up at the hotel! This surge of hot blood couldn''t be swallowed, nor could it be spewed out; he was almost suffocated by it. "Perhaps they received advance notice," The Holy Knight captain had also seen the empty spectacle, In order to ease Kavensis''s embarrassment, she said half-explanatory and half-flatteringly, "Those cowardly Cultists must have feared your authority and fled in advance." This explanation was actually quite far-fetched. Kavensis''s complexion eased somewhat, and he silently commanded himself not to lose his composure and to maintain the elegant and noble image of a saint. "It must be so." He then resumed his perfect smile, "It''s not a problem. We can move on to the next hideout. Father has managed to collect the locations of six Esoteric Religion hideouts." The attendants following on either side also chimed in one after another, not because they wanted to brown-nose the young man, but because his Priest father was their direct superior, and they truly could not afford to offend him. The locations of Cultist hideouts were always the Church''s most valuable intelligence; even money couldn''t buy it. And yet his father had gotten hold of six for Kavensis''s promotion, proving that his connections were indeed terrifying. Sarch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. This was the century-long foundation of a Church noble family, a family under the banner of the Holy Light, something that An Su''s stinking outsider family couldn''t compare with. And as for himself, he would surely drive this Child of the Curse back to where he belonged. Enjoying the envious looks from the surrounding saints, Kavensis''s lips curled up slightly. "Let''s move to the next one." Kavensis walked out of the cave, mounted his horse, and after straightening his somewhat disheveled clothes, he spurred the horse on, following the remembered location, leading the Holy Knights and galloping towards the distant. If one Cultist hideout had escaped, there would always be another one. After all, he was about to be promoted to a second-tier Believerthat was Kavensis''s confidence and assurance. The rest of the saints had no temperament to show, so they had to mount up and follow Kavensis, completely relying on his leaduntil now, the saints still didn''t know the specific locations of the Cultist hideouts, and could only follow him. This was to prevent other saints from poaching Cultists. . The second hideout was even farther away, located on a desolate plain, bordered by a cliff on the left, and next to a valley on the right, surrounded by desolation, far from the bustling frontier cities. Blood-red moonlight smeared across the plain, Valley winds howling through the ravines, emitting mournful cries. Lead-colored clouds cast large swathes of shadows, mixing with the blood-colored moonlight, turning the plain into a dark red; as the valley winds swept through, every dry grass waved in a bloody hue. This atmosphere, this feeling If a Cultist hideout was set here, it would fit seamlessly. Without any Cultist altars here, it would be a waste of this beautiful landscape. Kavensis revealed a satisfied smile. There shouldn''t be any problems here... right? From afar, he had already caught sight of the altar, but the closer he got, the more ominous he felt, his heart sinking lower and lower. It was just too quiet around, without any atmosphere of sacrifice. The perfect smile he had maintained all along gradually grew rigid. Again, there was not a single person in sight. Kavensis froze on the empty altar, feeling the silence as if even the surrounding air was about to die. The gazes of the other saints landed on Kavensis, sharp as needlesalthough their looks were still gentle, the emotion behind them was quite piercing: We''ve followed this lad around for most of the night, where are the people? In this witch hunt, they didn''t expect to eat their fill, just a taste would be enough. But now there wasn''t even soup left. "It looks like the cultists have banded together to escape," the captain said with high emotional intelligence, immediately giving Kavensis an out, "Such cunning cultists." The enemy had banded together to escape... Kavensis''s mouth twitched slightly, finding the excuse quite unbreakable; which villains need to form a group before running away? Cultists were never united to begin with. They were always at each other''s throats, each wishing they could sacrifice the other. But no matter what, he had to go along with the out given to him. "Yes, the two hideouts must have communicated with each other," he turned to explain to the rest of the saints, "Not sure who leaked the information, it''s utterly hateful. Maybe it was Su, that Child of the Curse" He himself knew how absurd his words were, but no matter what, he had to pin the blame on Su first; after all, wasn''t the latter born a Child of the Curse? The saints stared at Kavensis like he was a fool, secretly scoffing in their hearts, who else could have leaked the information... It''s you, isn''t it... Who else goes through all these antics before a witch hunt? In the past, everyone operated in secrecy. First, they made a big show of it in the church, then prayed in front of a statue early in the morning, then told the Holy Maiden, "Tonight''s glory is all for you," drawing a crowd that was three layers inside and three layers outside... This witch-hunting operation even made it onto the front page of the "Seaside Evening News," with the headline #Eradicate Evil to Protect the Good! Holy Knight Kavensis''s Secret Witch-Hunt#. A secret witch-hunt on the front page. The level of public discussion even surpassed that of the long-running series of novels #The Abusive Love Story between the Child of the Curse and the Maidservant#... The actual reason behind this, as all the saints knew, was merely for him to garner public support and craft his image so that people would vote for him in the future priest elections. But as the captain had spoken, the saints couldn''t go against Kavensis, and they chimed in, "Sir Kavensis, we can just move on to the next spot." "Right, the next one will definitely have something!" "It can''t be possible that they banded together to escape!" Kavensis nodded with gratitude, and he pledged with emphasis, "These two hideouts are too close together; it''s inevitable that they would hear something. The next hideout is far out at sea; they absolutely can''t escape." After making the pledge, he mounted his horse again and led the team galloping away. . An hour later. It was 3 a.m. now. On the coast, beneath a secluded cliff. The bleak sea wind was brushing everyone''s cheeks. So cold it felt as though the very air might freeze. Kavensis and the Holy Knight captain looked at each other. This altar was even cleaner. There wasn''t a single cultist in sight. And everything was tidy and clean, without any odd smells. All the ritual utensils were arranged neatly, polished until they sparkled. No grease on the candlesticks, no blood on the altar, and even a few traces of drying water marksbecause it was winter, the water dried slowly. Everyone realized one fact,the cultists had mopped the floor! They had disappeared, and damn it, they had even mopped the floor! Who the hell mops the floor while banding together to run away! Nobody could have imagined that Enya Moningsta was a very professional and earnest maid with a quite unique thought process. When her master instructed her to ''clean up the scene,'' she naturally had to clean thoroughly in the shortest time possible; that was her area of expertise. ''Cleaning up'' certainly included mopping the floor. The whooshing sea breeze awkwardly swept past where they were. "It seems like they''ve banded together to mop the floor and escape," said the captain with high emotional intelligence, providing Kavensis with another out, "What cunning cultists." "...what is this, some kind of loving family community?!" Chapter 22 "It seems they''ve grouped together to drag their belongings and escape." the captain said."That''s not... called escaping," finally, a saint couldn''t hold back, his face looking strained as he spoke, "That''s called moving." The saints burst into a significant round of laughter. S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Kavensis could only feel his face burning as if scorched, his ears hot and radiating heat. "Next location!" He could no longer maintain his calm demeanor, "Next location!" Kavensis had never been so angry before, he called over a horse, mounted it, and furiously spurred the animal. The horse let out a painful neigh, charging off wildly into the distance. In a nutshell, he had cracked. He swore, he would vent his fury on those cultists and even on those despicable, detestable sacrificial children! Those vile creatures had no right to exist in this world! An hour later. Nothing. Two hours later. Nothing. At six in the morning, the blood moon had gradually faded away completely, and the sky slowly revealed a hint of pre-dawn light. "Haha, nothing again...a wasted trip." "And to think his father is a priest... Is this how the priest''s family fools us?" "What shining person, quite the joke." "I think, even the Child of the Curse is better." "Indeed, that child is diligent and generous, it''s said he once donated a full sixty Gold Coins." Facing the empty cave and the clean altar, the saints whispered among themselves in low tones of mutual agreement. Wasn''t every one of them a pride of the saints tested and proven? Yet today, they were fooled time and again. They had come today not only to curry favor with that priest but also for those six strongholds, hoping to share in the spoils and earn some faith points when rooting out the cultists. But unexpectedly, they were bamboozled repeatedly, running around all night for nothing. The priest had humiliated them so; they had no reason to suck up to this young master anymore. Watching the atmosphere sour, the captain decided to try a different approach to let Kavensis save face, "Perhaps," the captain pondered his words, addressing Kavensis with high emotional intelligence, "Respected Excellency Kavensis, maybe it''s because the cultists took the day off for a vacation." His expression was inscrutable. "As everyone knows, the blood moon marks the day of the birth of the Mother Goddess of Life, equivalent to the birthday of a saint in the Church, a day we also call New Year. Thus, undoubtedly," The captain concluded decisively, "they are all taking their annual leave." Mixed Cult, holding sacrifices but still taking holidays, right! I''ve never heard of such a thing! ...Blue veins bulged on Kavensis''s fair forehead, he felt like his teeth would puncture his gums as he slowly took a breath, struggling to suppress the rage in his heart. "But..." He barely maintained a smile, "On the day of the blood moon, the effect of the sacrifices increases by thirty percent, I don''t think it''s a vacation... and there''s no esoteric text that mentions cultists taking holidays..." "Wrong, this precisely confirms my guess," the captain spoke seriously, "Working overtime on holidays increases the wage by thirty percent." Which Evil God is this considerate, even paying overtime! Kavensis felt his insides burning, he could no longer keep up the facade of a smile. He had been respected since childhood and had never suffered such humiliation. He yelled at the captain, "Shut your mouth." The smile on the captain''s lips froze. She did indeed shut her mouth, but her expression turned somber, the smile still on her lips, yet now it was dangerous and sinister. With a murderous aura. This woman''s change of expression was as quick as flipping a book. "Young Master," she stared at Kavensis, "I played games with you for most of the night, offered you a way out and you refused. That''s not very good, is it?" At the same time, the dozen or so Holy Knights under her command simultaneously drew their swords from their scabbards, the shivering sword light instantly glittering in the cold cave. The cold murderous intent, mixed with the icy thin fog of early morning, pressed heavily against Kavensis''s shoulders as if tangible. The pressure was so great that Kavensis''s shoulders trembled, and his lips quivered slightly, unable to speak. "Even your father would not wish for this." She said with a cold smile, "Deceiving a Holy Knight is a violation of the Mother Goddess''s doctrines. Perhaps by next year''s election, he will no longer be a Priest, right?" Each year''s Red Moon Hunting Day is one of the most important festivals in the border city, and missing it would leave an indelible stain. "I didn''t deceive you!" Kavensis glared fiercely at the woman knight, "Someone must have cleared the Esoteric Religion outpost in advance!" "Who could it be, the Child of the Curse?" the captain asked coldly with a laugh, "Are you trying to make him take the blame again?" "That waste?" Kavensis shook his head in disdain and anger, "No, that coward who''s never been on the battlefield! How could he dare to eradicate Cultists, he could not kill even one, he doesn''t have the capability!" "Perhaps it was his henchman, or maybe someone else." "Someone secretly stole our news, taking our prey." The captain watched him, "So?" "I''ll handle it." Kavensis clenched his teeth, "There are two days left until the Blood Moon, in these last two days, I''ll find that person, I''ll defeat him in an upright manner! Like a knight!" "Insanity." The captain said helplessly, she ordered her subordinates to sheathe their swords, draped herself in her robe, moved outside the cave, mounted her horse, "Young Master, we''ll take our leave, make your way back on your own." With that, she rode off. When Kavensis returned to the Church alone, the dawn had already broke, the ethereal sound of the church bells echoed through the town, the temples had opened their doors, and a fair number of Believers had already started their morning prayers. As Kavensis entered the Church, everyone turned their heads to look at him. They already knew about the young and promising beacon of light, Saint Kavensis''s hunt for Cultists from the night before, eagerly awaiting his good news. "Great beacon of light, you''ve returned victorious!" Priest Danny approached him at the door, using his chant-like voice to speak loudly, his smile accumulating and ingratiating as he asked, "How was last night''s battle?" "Certainly a triumphant return!" Seeing Kavensis with a stern face not speaking, Danny thought the young man was just being modest, and with sycophantic laughter, he patted his back, imitating Kavensis''s tone from last night, "''Tonight''s honor belongs solely to you, my Holy Maiden''I remember your promise, so romantic and sacred, a million times more noble than the Child of the Curse." "Coincidentally, the Holy Maiden has come to the Church early this morning, surely waiting for you." Danny had thought his flattery would be music to Kavensis''s ears, but it sounded sharp and grating instead. I can''t deal with the Holy Knight captain, but can''t I handle you, a mere doorkeeper? He clenched his teeth fiercely, his shoulders trembling slightly. When it rains, it pours, and Luojia was actually waiting for him. Kavensis saw Luojia from afar, walking towards him, the bright morning sun shining on her silver-white hair like a pure white wedding veil. Kavensis pondered in his heart how he would explain himself. He swallowed, put on his perfect smile, and explained proactively, "About today" Unexpectedly, Luojia passed him by and said with a dignified air to the young man behind him, "An Su, come here for a moment." She said softly. Chapter 23 At this moment, An Su chooses to read "An Su, come here."An Su felt surprised. Was there something concerning him? He lifted his head, gazing at Luojia: The latter was clad in a snow-white spun yarn dress today, the hem of the skirt light and translucent, pinned with a pure white Cecilia Flower, with white satin ribbons tied around her smooth calves. The sunshine warmly filtered through her pupils, rendering them as transparent and clean as amber. At this moment, those amber eyes were gazing at him. Somehow, it felt a bit menacing. "Is there something you need?" he replied, "Your Holiness?" An Su felt inexplicably guilty. It was indeed because those eyes were too clear and transparent, as if everything was reflected in the pupils, with nowhere to hide anything at all. Could it be that she had discovered his secret sacrifices? "Where were you last night?" "I went to sleep early." "Despite the fact that I kept waiting..." "What?" "...Anyway, come out," she pursed her lips and spoke softly, "come out for a moment." The tone, rather than a request, sounded more like a command. An Su didn''t like this feeling; he cocked his head, "Perhaps you should deal with the gentleman beside us first, his smiling face is about to cramp." Kavensis was wedged between them, hearing their conversation, the smile on his face stiff and ugly. His hand, originally half extended, was now awkwardly withdrawn at this moment. S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "..." Luojia paused, perhaps deeming An Su''s words somewhat reasonable, and sensing her own impropriety, she cleared her throat, then turned her face and looked towards Kavensis. "Greetings," she bowed with a polite half curtsy, very ladylike, "Your Excellency Kavensis." Kavensis''s lips twitched slightly. Addressing him formally with ''you'', while speaking directly using ''you'' to An Su, Kavensis clearly sensed the difference in familiarity between them. Why, An Su Moningsta is just a lowly Child of the Curse! A country bumpkin from a nouveau riche family. His face soured even more, "Greetings, Your Holiness." What made Kavensis even more embarrassed was that the crowd of onlookers, the believers, gradually noticed him. Someone started a cheer of ''Kavensis triumphant'', and the scene momentarily lost control. They were standing on tiptoes, their faces flushed with excitement, heads crowded together in clumps, with young girls holding bouquets tossing petals towards him. "It''s His Excellency Kavensis." "His Excellency Kavensis has returnedhow glorious!" "Look, that''s Her Holiness; His Excellency Kavensis is here to fulfill the knight''s vow." "''Tonight''s glory is all yours''such sacredness and romance." Kavensis was lifted high upon a pedestal by the people, a very tall pedestal. The citizens worshiped him, the girls admired him, and the believers even saw him as the future of the border region''s Church. Everyone had high hopes for him. In fact, he had no reason to blame anyone, because this fervor was of his own making, for a political show and even more so for next year''s election votes. If it weren''t for the press hyping up his leading a witch hunt, there wouldn''t be so many unrelated people flocking here; if not for his grand public kneeling and praying at the Church, the event wouldn''t have escalated to such a climax. The higher you are held, the harder you fall. But Kavensis wouldn''t consider it his fault. It was that person who was to blame. The one who stole his rightful prey... that person was to blame. It was all that person''s fault! Kavensis clenched his fists tight, his nails almost digging into the flesh. Luojia, too, had evidently heard the cries of the crowd; she tilted her head and blinked, thinking that with the atmosphere as it was, they must go along with it, thus she said: "I''m looking forward to hearing about your performance in last night''s witch hunt." Kavensis''s face turned beet red as he moved his lips, struggling for words. Everyone hushed, their breathing held, attentively waiting for his response. "Not a single one..." Kavensis bit his lip hard, finally managing to choke out the words from deep in his throat, "...not a single one." Time suddenly stretched long and silent at that moment; the warm sun shone on them, yet carried a deathly cold chill. The surrounding noisy and excited believers suddenly went quiet. "Eh?" Luojia blinked again, doubting her own ears. The Church had an annual Red Moon witch hunt, and every year the Holy Knights squadron rarely returned empty-handed, always with some gains. A ''not a single one'' situation had never occurred in the sixty years since the establishment of the border region''s Church. "Are you joking?" Luojia thought perhaps she should laugh, to appear as if she had a sense of humor and could keep up with this cold joke, so she calmly chuckled, "Eh heh, you''re quite humorous." But what was meant to be a kind laughter, in Kavensis''s ears, it was piercing and sharp. Kavensis only remembered the scorching pain on his cheeks. Was she mocking him too? Everyone was mocking him. The believers, the commoners... he looked around and felt that everyone was laughing at him. "There are none..." "He said there are none...?" "What a joke." "This is the man of radiance?" "Twenty Holy Knights... Not one of them caught." Kavensis felt like he could hear the crowd''s secret exchanges, their whispered conversations, their furtive murmurs. A bunch of opportunistic lowlifes. And the Child of the Curse, that An Su Moningsta. He was mocking too... wait, what was he doing? At some point, he had taken out a book titled "Druid Biology Compulsory 1" from his bag, and this bastard was actually passing timeby reading and answering questions! Kavensis stared at An Su in shock, feeling his worldview crumbling apart. It seemed that in An Su''s eyes, everything that was happening right now, whether it was his triumphant witch hunt or his failure to catch any, were all trivial matters. To An Su Moningstawhom he had regarded as his lifelong enemy In his heart, Kavensis''s status was not even more significant than that of a gender-changing pea cultivated by Druids! Kavensis had never suffered such a top-tier insult! But it really was not An Su''s fault, That''s just the way he was, as a speedrunner, he always regarded efficiency as his top priority. The guy had been waiting for a while now, seeing that this was going nowhere anytime soon, and since Luojia had something else for him later, he couldn''t just slip away. So he thought, considering he had to wait anyway, the efficiency maniac decided to make use of the time by reading and answering questions. The maid had recommended him this "Druid Compulsory," which was actually quite interesting, full of practical knowledge. True students of magic are like this, even while receiving an IV in the hospital, they could still get a few books to work on. However, An Su really didn''t pay much attention to Kavensis. After all, that guy didn''t even have a mention in the game''s lore. Reading was more interesting than that. The people around were still waiting for Kavensis''s response. Seeing that the situation was not right, Priest Danny, without changing his expression, swallowed his saliva, and, putting on a smile, asked with one last hope, "Your Excellency Kavensis, you''re joking, right?" "Not one!" Kavensis had a breakdown, unable to keep up the perfect knight image he had cultivated over years. He bellowed; "I didn''t find a single one!" "Someone got there before me! Every one of the six strongholds, others got there first!" Kavensis argued resentfully, "It was the despicable ones who got there first, they stole my prey, but I swear, I''ll find him. There are two more days to the Blood Moon, I swear, I will clear this shame, I will catch him..." "Then may I ask" From the crowd, suddenly a girl holding a bouquet asked, "Then may I ask who that hero is? Where is he?" "Hero?" Kavensis was stunned. He doubted his ears, "Did you say he''s a hero?" "Yes." Then, other young girls matter-of-factly chimed in, "That mysterious hero cleared the Cultists ahead of time to prevent the Holy Knights from getting injured, you should be happy about that." "Strong yet gentle, protecting everyone yet leaves no name, such a lofty knight should naturally be called a hero." "Yes." "Indeed." "Makes sense." More and more people agreed, and the calls for the mysterious hero grew louder. The commoners didn''t understand all these roundabout things, unaware of the unspoken rules of witch-hunting, and what faith points mean. For the simple and straightforward commoners, a white cat or a black cat, the one that catches the mouse is the good cat. Whoever protects them is their hero. Kavensis just felt the world was so absurd. He was ready to bleed from every orifice. Could it be... all his effort to build momentum, inviting the media, the show-like prayers, attracting so much attention, was all for someone else to benefit in the end? And at this very moment, An Su was still engrossed in his book. He had reached the chapter on "the diversity of life." Chapter 24 Experience the Bounty of the Mother Goddess! News of this morning''s events had already spread throughout the border city.The "Seaside Daily" was the first to report, with a nose for news sharp as a dog''s. It removed yesterday''s headline "Eliminate Violence, Preserve Peace! Holy Knight Kavensis''s Secret Witch-Hunt," and replaced it with the latest sensation: "Shocking! For the first time in sixty years, the Church goes home empty-handed, all because of him?" Other newspapers followed with reports like "The unnamed hero, the dark knight guardian of the border city," "The Big Reveal! The true face behind the nameless hero," and "Why has the border esoteric religion mysteriously disappeared? Why is the person of light silent? Is all this a distortion of human nature, or a loss of morality?" Various bizarre rumors, spiced up by the media, grew wildly throughout the border city like weeds after spring rain. It seemed that the public was indeed very interested in these news stories. And that was only natural. After all, the image of a mysterious and powerful hero of the night who leaves no name is most adored by young girls and idealized by young boys. Plus, he doesn''t charge money. When the Church sets out to eliminate esoteric religions, they would levy a tithe tax on the common people. The sudden appearance of a hero who silently solves problems without charge was bound to be popular. Now, the burning question on everyone''s mind was, what is the name of this heroic figure? As the fervor continued to brew, Holy Knight Kavensis''s blunders from the previous night, along with his unbecoming conduct as an almost-saint, spread as well. The next two days turned out to be anti-climactic. With the initial setup of An Su''s industrialized sacrifice of cultists, the sacrifices began to operate like an assembly line. The next day, he collected 90 life points and 60 faith points. The area he cleaned expanded from a ten-kilometer radius to fifteen kilometers. The Church usually wouldn''t thoroughly clean their surrounding outposts. After all, they needed to leave some seeds, waiting for the spring breeze to blow life into them againa sustainable overfishing of sorts. But it was different with Brother Xianzong. Adhering to the principle of thorough eradication, he spared no onecleaning one place and moving to the next was fine, as An Su wasn''t going to stay in the border city forever. What could be guaranteed was that child kidnapping cases in the border city would drop by at least half for the upcoming year. An Su''s cleaning was exceptionally thorough; not only did he have Enya mop the floors, but he also became more excessive afterward. This scoundrel even planned to remove the cultists'' altars and dig up the grass. Preparing a large wagon, he loaded up various ritual artifactsthings like severed heads and skins, tainted sacrificial items, taboo booksand hauled them off to bury them himself somewhere else. As An Su put it, "Since I''m already here," who knows, they might be useful later on? Meanwhile, his other secret identity gained even more popularity in the border city, becoming the hottest topic. The media dubbed him "The Dark Night Hero," "The Nemesis of the Esoteric Religion." The entire city was on the lookout for these heroes. On the third day, the harvest wasn''t as good as the previous two days. Perhaps because he had been too active the days before, the cultists caught wind of the infamous Nemesis, and even those who normally laughed in the face of death became timid. Maybe take a break this year? The cultists had been slaughtered into taking a holiday. The third day''s harvest was only 20 life points and 15 faith points that were unconverted. So, the total income for the three days was 170 life points and 115 faith points. He spent 40 faith points on the first day to exchange for four magic points, becoming an intermediate-stage magician. As an intermediate-stage magician, the exchange rate became 20:1. An Su then spent sixty faith points, boosting his total magic power to 13. And the remaining 25 faith points, he planned to use to exchange for a few low-level Holy Light magic spells for complementary purposes. Life points were exchanged for a plethora of magic: several low-level magic books, an intermediate-stage dark magic book, and a high-level dark magic book. Among those low-level magic spells, there were also some non-dark magic books since the Mother Goddess wasn''t solely associated with the dark aspect. As a Child of the Curse, when he used dark magic, its mana cost was halved, so he could use intermediate spells as low-level ones and high-level spells as intermediate onesbarely enough for practical use. With the remaining 10 life points, he added them all to his physical attributes. Thus, his Light and Dark Priest System was initially formed, reaching the first stage. On the third day, quite early, before he even really got started, An Su''s grand enterprise encountered an unexpected accident. An Su and the Holy Knights from the Church bumped into each other. To say it was the Church''s Holy Knights was a bit of a stretch. Because there was only Kavensis. It looked like they were operating separately. An Su had heard that he had a bit of a disagreement with the knightly orders. After two consecutive days of fruitless witch-hunts, Kavensis stated angrily that he must find the trickster behind the scenes and declared that he would duel him honorably to reclaim his honor. In fact, the border Church also had quite an issue with An Su, first for stealing the Church''s targeted prey, second for undermining the Church''s authority, as the common folk were now all worshiping this "Dark Night Hero," who paid taxes to the Church anyway. Kavensis''s priest father also issued secret orders to find the troublemaker and dispose of him. When they encountered each other, the blood moon was red, and the pale clouds were spread across the leaden sky. An Su was driving the wagon when he spotted the Church''s Holy Knight from afar and decisively retreated, dropping the title "The Newborn" and adopting the newly acquired "Gradual Dawn." He then told Enya to hide, in case her identity was uncovered with Scouting Magic. Kavensis rode on his beloved horse, squinting slightly as he watched the suspicious carriage before him. What was a carriage doing on the desolate plain at this time? Moreover, he sensed the smell of blood coming from inside. Years of intuition told Kavensis that the man before him was the one he had been searching for. ``` Finally found you! The very source of disgrace that has tormented him these three days! Foes meet with heightened animosity. Despite knowing the opponent''s extraordinary strength, how could Kavensis, with his mind clouded by rage, care about that? Moreover, even if he couldn''t defeat him, all he needed was to delay him for a moment. Once the other saints arrived, they could settle him together. Tonight, he would wash away his humiliation and prove his honor to all those who looked down on him! This would be a duel of sacred honor. Upright and forthright. "My name is Kavensis Pierson; state your name," he declared. He dismounted and grabbed his magic wand, shouting at the person in the carriage opposite him. After a moment, the reply came from across, "You can just call me Xianzong." "I challenge you to a duela duel of honor!" Kavensis proclaimed righteously, as the cold wind fluttered his cloak, rustling softly. What a complete idiot... An Su was in a hurry to grind monsters. You grind your monsters; I''ll grind mine, and we won''t interfere with each other. And An Su also knew that this so-called duel of honor was laughable. Kavensis couldn''t have come alone. If he got delayed by him and those holy knights accompanying him arrived, it would turn into an honor brawl instead. Dealing with Kavensis was easy, but those holy knights would be troublesome. "Do you need me to take care of him?" Enya whispered in An Su''s ear. If Enya were to make a move, it would only result in both parties being damaged. Furthermore, if Enya intervened, his own identity would be easily exposed. With a squad of holy knights gone missing, the border church would be furious and definitely conduct a thorough investigation. And then, even the headquarters would send a Heretic Judge. Heretic Judges are Fourth Order or higher in strength, specializing in handling the dark affairs for the Church. If it came to that, things would definitely blow up. Normal players would choose to kill Kavensis quickly and remove any traceslike sacrificing him and framing the cultists, then fleeing before the saints could arrive. This would still carry some risk of exposure, and the night''s harvest would be ruined. That''s how normal people would act, reaping no benefits but also taking fewer risks. But An Su was a maverick player. Maverick players had their own unorthodox solutions. For this unexpected situation, he had a contingency plan. "...No need. I''ll handle it myself," An Su replied, already having thought of a solution. Just right, he could also use this guy to test out the system to see if it is viable and what needed adjusting. He was in need of test material, after all, it was necessary to put it into practice. An experimental guinea pigthat should be the contribution of Kavensis, an NPC without much of a description. Just right, his magic power was also similar to his own. "I accept your challenge." An Su dismounted and approached a few steps, the blood-colored moonlight falling on his cheeks, "As you say, this will be a battle of honor." Kavensis looked clearly at Xianzong''s face, and in an instant, felt the latter to be inscrutable and terrifyingly formidable, surely a hidden master. The air of effortless intellect carried an inscrutability and pressure that seemed plain at first but constantly exuded a sense of stability. Moreover, this person was very young, much younger than expected. But this did not cause Kavensis to lower his guard. Kavensis watched for the opponent''s first move, clutching the amulet around his necka mid-level amulet gifted by his father, capable of warding off two attacks from an enemy. It could even fend off curses. What kind of magic would Xianzong use? Would it be the highly lethal Fireball Technique? Or is it something from the Holy Light series, like a light spear? Or perhaps Druidic magic? Plant magic? But no matter which system of magic he used, Kavensis was confident that he could counter it, having his own plans as a near-intermediate-stage magician. "God''s" Xianzong finally made his move. The blood-like moonlight enveloped Xianzong, endowing him with a hint of divine sheen. He stood upright on the plains, majestic and sacred, chanting as the winds stirred and clouds billowed, and it seemed a great deity was about to descend upon the world. "Gift." God''s GiftKavensis had never heard of such magic before. From the name, could it be magic from the Holy Light series? Is it the Blessing Magic? Good, truly a duel filled with honor! Kavensis''s blood surged with excitement in an instant. Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ``` Chapter 25 Kavensis, who is carrying twins... What a duel of honor!Kavensis had a smile on his face. He could already imagine it, winning the duel, taking back everything that was his, and once again becoming the center of everyone''s attention! But the next second, he was bewildered. Because he found that Xianzong''s Blessing Magic was actually cast on him. The amulets he wore didn''t vibrate, it wasn''t a curse, it was indeed Blessing Magic. No way, man, are you this honorable... Kavensis''s smile turned a bit stiff. Who gives their opponent a layer of blessing during a fight! But in the next second, he couldn''t even smile. Because Kavensis felt a bout of pain emanating from his abdomen. A strange pain. He had never experienced such unfamiliar pain: at first it wasn''t intense, like being gently patted; then, it gradually deepened, as though thousands of feet were kicking his abdomen. sea??h th N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The pain kept intensifying, and Kavensis gradually began to sweat profusely. Lowering his head, he discovered in terror. His abdomen was inflating rapidly, with each heartbeat it swelled quickly like a balloon being inflated! Yet, that amulet necklace remained still, not even flickering; it only responded to attacks and curses. Did you fish it out of a wholesale market! I''m already like this... This isn''t a curse but a blessing? Which spiteful god''s blessing is this! No wonder Kavensis found it bizarre, this "Gift from the Mother Goddess of Life" had hardly ever been redeemed by Cultists before. Reducing speed by twenty percent with an effect that lasts ten minutes is too insignificant for the mad adherents who seek lethality. And it consumes four Magic points, with a magic exhaustion rate almost reaching that of High-Level Magic, enough to drain a person dry. After all, not everyone is as luxurious as An Su, the Child of the Curse, with dark magic exhaustion halved. The pain finally reached its peak as though it would rip his abdomen open. Kavensis finally realized that terrible truth, the one he didn''t dare to believe, didn''t dare to admit. His eyes were threatening to split, he had never been so furious, he glared at Xianzong, vowing to grind him into dust! He was about to activate his Magic Wand and hit the latter with a big one. But he saw the other party calmly, decisively mount his horse, slap the reins, and gallop toward the distant mountains. Why do you turn around and head to the mountains! This damn thing was supposed to be a duel of honor! Kavensis was about to give chase, but the movement agitated his abdomen, and the agony made him wish for death, greatly slowing his movements. [Speed reduced by twenty percent, lasting ten minutes] He quickly checked his status and slowly mounted his beloved horse to pursue and kill this man. When it came to horse riding, Kavensis was determined not to lose to anyone. This little mare was extraordinarily agile, a true sacred steed with a trace of mythical creature''s bloodline, capable of covering a thousand miles in a day, impervious to curseshis pride and glory. Moreover, Xianzong was riding in a carriage, still pulling such a heavy load. If he were Xianzong, he would have abandoned the carriage and fled, and with some luck, he might have saved his skin. Kavensis sneered disdainfully. He had just gotten on his horse and hadn''t cracked his whip more than a few times when he saw Xianzong turn around and, once again using that solemn and majestic tone, proclaimed aloud, "Gift of the Gods!" Gift of the Godswho could it be for this time? Kavensis was already confused; he had been targeted once already, but he quickly came to his senses. The target of the spell was his sacred steed, It was his beloved little mare beneath him! You bastard, are you going to rape even a damn horse! But upon seeing the holy horse let out a mournful whinny, under normal circumstances, it wouldn''t have been much for horses, but this was a creature of the void, sensing that evil presence, the holy horse became terrified and chaotic, no longer able to walk, and directly threw Kavensis to the ground. This was also one of An Su''s experimental subjects, he wanted to test whether the gifts of the gods were effective on animals with divine beast bloodlines. The fall from the horse directly alarmed the baby, sending the pain to its peak. "Dare to hurt my horse..." "Ahhh... I''m going to, I must kill you ahhh!!" He endured the intense pain, stood up, waved his magic wand, and cast an intermediate stage of Blessing Magic on himself. "Assistance of the Wind Sprite" Magic effect: Increases movement speed by thirty percent for fifteen minutes, uses up four magic points. This magic book also further explained why "Gift of the Mother Goddess" was unpopular. Any random speed-increasing magic could negate your effects, with the same mana consumption But... But this damned magic tormented people! Kavensis broke out in a cold sweat from the pain, his mouth twitching fiercely, and no longer caring about the frightened little mare that ran away, he chased after with the assistance of the Wind Sprite. I must kill you... Kavensis just needed to hold this guy off until the other saints arrived, then they could join forces to kill Xianzong. "You''re coming off your mount too!" At last, he swung his magic wand, and a holy spear was shot straight out, piercing through the plains and hitting Xianzong''s horse squarely, which let out a mournful cry and fell to the ground. This holy spear, named "Brilliant Spear," was a unique effect of his title "Man of Brilliance." He could fire it three times a day, each shot as powerful as a high-level magic spell, without using up magic points. Without his mount, Xianzong could only get off the horse cart. Now, he couldn''t escape... Kavensis cracked an excited smile on his lips, and his eyes were somewhat manic. "You can''t run anymore!" But Xianzong stood calmly on the plains, seemingly contemplating something, and slowly turned around. He looked at Kavensis, who was coming over sweating profusely, and revealed a bright and sunny smile, like an outgoing young man. The experiment was at its penultimate step. "Using the title" Xianzong opened his arms to Kavensis, "The Dawning East." "Divine Title: The Dawning East" "Title effect: Can stack the same dark magic buff effect on the target once, usable only once per day." This title stacked the effects of dark magic buffs, whether it was the effects of a curse or a blessing. So, including that "Gift of the God," it could also be stacked by this title! Kavensis''s body froze. He couldn''t believe it, dared not to believe it, didn''t want to believe it Trembling hands, slowly touched his own belly. The belly swelled... twice as much. It grew two whole sizes bigger. "Received blessingGift of the God" "Influenced by the title ''The Dawning East,'' effects are stacked twice." "Speed reduced by forty percent, offsetting the ''Assistance of the Wind Sprite'' boost to a reduction of ten percent, lasting ten minutes." An incomparable agony shot straight up to his crown. Kavensis lifted his head, staring blankly at Xianzong''s ''The Dawning East'' title. He was carrying twins. Chapter 26 Giving Birth to Twins This man...He must be a reincarnation of Demon Lucifer, right? Kavensis stared at Xianzong with a somewhat idiotic look, his trembling left hand covering his lower abdomen. A person of radiance, a son of the Priest, Kavensis had experienced the greatest joys and sorrows of his life in these past three days. The sorrow was that he had fallen from his pedestal, abandoned by the people, disappointing the believers, and even the Holy Maiden had been abducted by the Child of the Curse. His promotion to a Second Order Magician was also delayed, truly a low point in his life. But fortunately, there was also great joyhe was with child! Kavensis could feel another life force within his abdomen had increased. Those two filthy lives from the void, though only the size of embryos, were still writhing against each other, their tiny hearts beating audibly. It was a frigging double blessing. "I will... kill you." Kavensis gritted his teeth, his eyes bloodshot with fury. He swore he would reduce this man before him to ashes, torturing him with the most cruel methods, Pulling out his teeth, flaying his skin, using the most advanced methods of interrogation against heretics, to let this man have a taste of his skill as a saint! Over the years, he had interrogated many ordinary people. After his "friendly" interrogation, every suspected Cultist child of darkness confessed to being a Cultist, so Kavensis was quite confident in his skills. He vowed to make the other''s screams resonate through the heavens! "I will kill you!!!" An Su calmly stared at him, with not a trace of fear on his face, simply extending a finger and hooking it towards Kavensis, "Come at me." ... Kavensis felt his head was about to burst with rage. He grabbed his Magic Wand and, dragging his swollen belly, charged forwards, while Xianzong didn''t hesitate for a second and turned tail to run! This scoundrel had not an ounce of noble character that respected the old, weak, sick, disabled, or pregnant, he straight up turned it into a hundred-meter dash against the pregnant man with the big belly. Thus, under the blood moon on the barren plain, such a peculiar scene unfolded: A young man, his appearance upright and imposing, dressed in a winter school uniform, ran confidently and spiritedly across the field, his eyes self-assured and face calm, as if he were a young athlete at a school sports meeting, letting loose his youthful dreams and aspirations. Trailing behind the athlete came a pregnant man with a belly as big as double tires, his expression one of painful constipation, gasping for air after every few steps, yet despite being pregnant, he pursued with unwavering determination and a sense of beauty befitting the Paralympicsthis was indeed the spirit of an athlete. Never give up, never abandon. Clearly, both contestants displayed their level, their style, and, most importantly, their fairness in the competition; The only slight regret was that Kavensis suffered from a forty percent slow debuff, exceeding the thirty percent speed buff of the wind sprite, causing his speed to be slower than usual. And Xianzong, after days of being blessed by the Mother Goddess, had greatly improved physical attributes. When a top student possesses the physical qualities of an athlete, he becomes invincibleand before long, he left Kavensis far behind. But Kavensis knew that this was all temporary. The slow debuff would only last ten minutes, while his wind sprite would last fifteen minutes. As long as he kept up and didn''t lose sight of his target, he would be able to catch up to the kid soon and penetrate him with his last Holy Light Spear. Moreover, what was more important was that the other saints were nearby. There were a full twenty saints, each a Second Order Magician or higher, and the captain of the Holy Knights, Agni, that high EQ female knight, was even close to being a Fourth Order Magician! She could easily hunt down this heretic on the spot! Each witch-hunting saint carried a Magic Tao artifact that shared their location. If anyone went missing, the saints would quickly come to their aid, at most within ten minutes. This was Kavensis''s reliance, his hidden trump card. This so-called Xianzong heretic would ultimately pay the price for his arrogant behavior! Through the shared position Magic Tao artifact, Kavensis could feel the other saints rapidly approaching, the saints riding on horses, obviously much faster than the two men running. He could already hear the faint sound of hooves coming from the distance. Moreover, eight minutes had already passed, and the effect of the divine gift was also about to fade. Perhaps sensing his impending end, or perhaps hearing the sound of the Holy Knights, An Su who was running ahead gradually slowed his footsteps, seemingly giving up his resistance. This person was already at the end of his rope. Kavensis formed a Holy Spear in his hands and slowly approached An Su. He had never wanted to kill someone so badly, never wanted to reduce someone to ashes and dust. And now, everything was within arm''s reach. The Holy Knights had appeared at the furthest extent of his vision, and Kavensis could see the leader, Agni, clad in snow-white armor, shouting at him from a distance, "Kavensis!" But Kavensis didn''t respond; all he wanted now was to personally kill the man before him. He tightened his grip on the Holy Spear in his hand, magic power already surging, ready to pierce through the man''s back. "Your teammate has arrived," An Su turned around and said calmly, "Have you been waiting for your teammate this whole time?" What have you been waiting for? A smile cracked Kavensis''s lips as he threw the Holy Spear in his hand, piercing through the air with tremendous force towards An Suat the same time, An Su also made his move, their actions almost synchronous. "All things grow," An Su whispered softly. The Holy Spear hadn''t yet reached An Su''s body when it was knocked down by a strike from Enya, hidden in the dark. Seeing that his attack was fruitless didn''t dishearten Kavensis. Just another ten seconds or so, and when his Holy Knights teammates arrived, everything would be fine. Who would have thought, An Su''s calm face now revealed a peaceful smile, "I''ve also been waiting for your teammates." "I''ve been waiting for this very moment." Only then did Kavensis notice that An Su had cast another Blessing Magic spell on him. And he was not unfamiliar with this spell. This was the most pure, the most commonplace Holy Light magic, [All Things Grow] [Blessing Magic] [Low Rank] [Magic Point Consumption: 2 (originally 1)] [Magic Effect: The Goddess of Holy Light blesses all living things. He who is affected by this magic ages by half a year, with his physical state transitioning to what it would be half a year later, lasting one minute] [Magic Description: Child, may the Holy Light shine upon your growth!] Because this was also Blessing Magic, the talisman still did not react. Surrounded by the sacred light, Kavensis still didn''t understand what was happeninguntil An Su cast it on him again. Kavensis realized he had misunderstood something. The blessing magic wasn''t cast on him, but on the creature inside his belly, the twins, those evil beings of the void. Since the two children were within the same placenta, All Things Grow could simultaneously affect both. What is Xianzong trying to do... Kavensis had a vague guess about Xianzong''s intention, but he couldn''t bring himself to believe it, couldn''t face it; he didn''t have the courage to believe and confront it! He didn''t have the courage to confront that reality. All Things Grow could age a living being by half a year; two casts made it a year. And the gestation period for void beings was exactly one year. Soon, Kavensis realized an even more terrifying fact. He was male... Where would they emerge from? Half a second later. "Hmm-hmm ahhhhhh!!!!!!" Kavensis''s wails of agony spread across the plains, echoing to the heavens. He was giving birth, to a pair of dragon-phoenix twins. Sarch* The N?vel(F)ire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 27 You see, Kavensis has no objections The Church Knight, Third Order saint Agni, discovered Kavensis''s disappearance.According to the Holy Knights'' regulations, they should report in using a magical device at regular intervals, yet Kavensis had not responded for several minutes now. Perhaps he had encountered an attack. sea??h th n??el Fire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. They had not been on good terms these past few days, to the point where they had almost drawn swords against each other. Frankly, Agni was very disappointed in Kavensis and even wondered if he had gone mad. But Kavensis was, after all, the son of a Priest and a prospective saint of the Church, and as the overall responsible party of their team, she would have to take responsibility for any issues arising. So, despite her dissatisfaction, she quickly convened her teammates and, following the location shown by the magical device, they set off in pursuit. Along the way, they saw a horse that had been pierced by a light spear and an abandoned carriage. Agni recognized the traces left by that light spear; they were uniquely Kavensis''s. She frowned. It appeared that it was not Kavensis who had been attacked. On the contrary, it seemed likely that it was Kavensis who had attacked this passerby. They followed the trail and continued to chase ahead. And from a distance, they saw the scene before them Kavensis''s eyes were bloodshot, his expression ferocious. The killing intent that radiated from his pupils was so intense that even from a great distance, they could feel it; His abdomen unnaturally bulged, emitting a deeply ominous and evil aura. Kavensis clutched a holy spear and charged straight at a young man in attack, a stark contrast to the gentle and refined perfect knight he usually was! This murderous desire was even denser than that of a Cultist. Yet, the young man being attacked showed not a hint of resentment, and instead, his face revealed pity. He did not dodge or evade, and instead of casting any curses or offensive magic against Kavensis, he used a Blessing Skill of the Holy Light type. Though Agni did not know the specifics of the magic, she was certain it was a blessing of the Holy Light. After all, the gentle and luminous aura spoke to the essence of the magic. Agni had never seen such a man: the other was trying to kill him, had already swung the light spear, and yet he still offered a blessing to his enemy. Only a madman, or a saint, would do such a thing. Agni did not understand why the young man in front of her would do this, but she had completely lost faith in Kavensis. Was severing contact with the main troop just to hunt down such a young man? Despite this, she had no choice but to assist Kavensis, reluctant as she was. At that moment, the anomaly occurred. The young man easily blocked the strike from Kavensis''s holy spear, an action even Agni could not decode. The strangeness lay with Kavensis. Perhaps realizing he couldn''t defeat the young man, or perhaps out of sheer frustration, Kavensis''s face suddenly twisted into a terrifying visage, his pupils unnaturally protruding with blood vessels spreading throughout his eyeballs. A sinister and dark energy was gestating from his body, vastly surpassing the most wicked of Cultists. Agni could feel that Kavensis was terrifyingly abnormal at this very moment! "Kavensis!" Agni spurred her horse, rushing forward. "Don''t come over, it''s dangerous." A calm and tender voice sounded. It was the young man... the one who had been attacked. He slowly shook his head, his gaze falling on Kavensis, filled with pity and tenderness, brimming with compassion and care, and even faint glimmers of tears could be seen sparkling in his eyes. Agni was stunned. "I originally intended to use the Holy Light''s blessing to stop him..." An Su lowered his gaze, "I didn''t expect it to be too late." "He''s really... really foolish, despite his youth, yet he worships the evil Mother Goddess." "He was too impulsive... after being exposed, he actually offered himself to the void... alas." You fucking... what the fuck are you babbling about? On the other side, Kavensis was seething with rage internally, wanting to vocally accuse An Su of his malevolent acts, but he was in too much pain to speak. The severe pain overwhelmed his thoughts, leaving only the most wretched screams from his mouth. "Ahh...!" Only at this moment did he experience the pain of others The children, those Dark Ones that he had hunted and summoned, when they endured such punishments, they too couldn''t speak, and could only emit such agonized cries, couldn''t they? "Ah!!" Hearing those cries made him sound even more like a Cultist. "You...!" And what pained him even more was that the bastard before him had started spouting nonsense again! "Child, I don''t blame you, I know you feel remorseful... I forgive you." An Su watched over him with pity, "Though you chased me down all the way, I never blamed you, and I never harbored any resentment against you." "I... I..." he stuttered on, but could no longer speak, only spewing out burst after burst of fresh blood. His eyes brimmed with bloody tears. And there stood An Su above, titled ''Rising Dawn'', gently shaking his head, "I understand what you mean." "I swear to the glorious Goddess, I never resented you, I never attacked you, I only bless you." "May the Lord forgive your sins." What An Su said was the truth. Every word accurate. Because he indeed hadn''t attacked Kavensis, he had used only Blessing Magic. He also never harbored any resentment towards Kavensis. Thus, An Su dared to swear to the Mother Goddess. Now I see! After listening to An Su''s explanation, Agni and her subordinates all suddenly realizedeveryone knows that oaths sworn to a god cannot be lied about. The traces along the road had also been seen and examined with Scouting Magic; it was indeed Kavensis who had been pursuing the youth all along. This nameless youth hadn''t even fought back. It was a one-sided pursuit. A thought struck Agni; it turned out that this youth in front of her, would rather injure himself than let Kavensis fall into corruption. Otherwise, why would he cast Blessing Magic on Kavensis? She had encountered a situation like Kavensis''s before, when she hunted High-Rank Cultists with the Priest. That Cultist, too, in a fit of rage, had used his own life as a sacrifice to wield forbidden magic. Back then, they had been too slow to stop him, allowing him to summon a high-rank demon from the void. In that battle, their squad had nearly been wiped out. And the state Kavensis was in at the moment closely resembled that High-Rank Cultist. It could only have been a self-sacrifice to summon a demon. How could they have imagined that there existed such a uniquely conceived school as the Light and Dark Priesthood? The monster wasn''t summoned; it was birthed by Kavensis! Monstrous birth indeed. Her thought process was wrong, but the conclusion was accidentally correctof course, this was also the result of An Su''s deliberate leading. All of it was connected. Why the once-perfect Holy Knight had changed so drastically turned out to be the seduction of the Mother Goddess. Reflecting on the three days of the Blood Moon, everything became clear. Why did the Cultists always disappear whenever Kavensis led them to hunt witches at a stronghold? Kavensis said they had been cleared out by despicable people beforehand, but would those despicable people, after clearing out the Cultists, bother to clean up nicely? That didn''t make sense. The only thing that did make sense was that someone was tipping them off. And that someone could only be Kavensis. After all, only he knew the locations of the Cultist strongholds. At the same time, he planned to pin this blame on another innocent personthat someone had cleaned out the Cultist strongholds in advance, stealing his prey. This righteous young man before her was the one Kavensis had framed. The youth was probably just a simple folk witch-hunter who had the misfortune of encountering him. That''s why he had split from the main group to secretly pursue this youth. The carts attacked along the way were proof. But unexpectedly, he proved no match for the youth before him. Having no other choice, utterly crazed, he used his own life to sacrifice and summon a demon from the void. "Ahh..." Kavensis screamed miserably as blood gushed from his lower half, which was shattered beyond recognition. Beneath the Blood Moon, the two Void Moths were finally born into this world, bringing an unparalleled horror. One male and one female, they took the form of giant moths, with insect-like sinister mouthparts. Under those mouthparts were layer upon layer of additional mouthparts, each opening to reveal billions of tiny teeth. But while they appeared insect-like, they also had traits of mammals. Their mere existence was a desecration. The ranks of Holy Knights were so afraid that they dared not approach. [Void Moth (Male): Fourth Order Void Entity] [Void Moth (Female): Third Order Void Entity] However, they had another hidden trait, one that only Kavensis, as their mother, could see: [Due to the influence of all things growing, lifespan is one minute] So this was not as terrifying as imagined, just needing to hold on for one minutewhich wasn''t difficult. But he no longer had the chance to speak. Because the two Void Moths turned to look at him, and Kavensis noticed that each had a small human face on its abdomen. Next, Kavensis heard the most terrifying words of his life, also the last words he would ever hear. Those two human faces opened their mouths, their tone childish and whimsical, they told Kavensis: "Mommy..." "Hungry..." "Want..." "To drink milk... to drink milk..." Kavensis didn''t even have the chance to use amuletsand even in his current state, he didn''t have the strength to use them. The twin moths opened thousands of mouthparts towards Kavensis. "To drink milk." "Mua." Chapter 28 Xianzong is Really a Great Saint ```The Nether Academic Circles had always conducted minimal research on void creatures, with only sporadic records in their literature, merely clarifying that these are exceptionally evil and blasphemous beings. An Su, however, knew that void creatures devour their mothers upon birth. They obtain nutrients by gnawing on their mother''s body. For these newborn Void Moths, their mother was naturally Kavensis. So this tactic could be used to kill the enemy. Agni''s face was filled with discomfort as she watched this scene unfold: Under the dim and oppressive blood moon, those two grotesque, profane creatures lunged at Kavensis''s upper body, opening their myriad mouths, Countless tiny teeth pierced into Kavensis''s skin, and in an instant, flesh and blood were flung about. The most eerie aspect was the juvenile voices of the moths, repeatedly crying ''mama,'' which sent shivers down Agni''s spine. It seemed that Kavensis had indeed fallen. In just a moment, the Void Moths had devoured most of Kavensis''s flesh and bones; their bodies had grown considerably in size. They vibrated their wings, leaving behind the mutilated corpse. Clearly, these two Void Moths had not had their fill. They turned around, and their compound eyes fell upon the knightly squadron, and more so on the Third Order saint, Agni. Their taste was similar to that of the Mother Goddess of Life; they had a particular craving for life forms with high dark affinity or high affinity for the Holy Light. This squadron of sacred knights, consisting of twenty Second Order saints and one Third Order saint, would suffice for their hearty meal. Sensing the gaze of the Void Moths, Agni felt goosebumps all over her body. An Su silently observed the scene before him. Things were unfolding just as he had anticipated. The longevity of the Void Moths was determined by the effect of "All Things Grow," the blessing of which lasted only one minute. After one minute, these Void Moths would die. To make the best use of them, he could only wait for the moment when the knights arrived, then detonate the bomb inside Kavensis''s belly. It was a move that killed two birds with one stone. He intentionally provoked Kavensis, letting him chase him all the way, also to leave evidence, to craft an image of innocence. This way, he could shift all blame to Kavensis and also summon the Void Moths. Everything was to clear himself from the situation. So An Su was right before, he was also waiting for Kavensis''s teammates. Of course, just two Void Moths with a lifespan of only one minute were far from enough to annihilate this group. Perhaps letting Enya take action would be enough to wipe them out. But for An Su, it was possible, but unnecessary. The complete annihilation of an entire group of sacred knights would alert the Heretic Judges at headquarters. Rather than killing them, An Su had a better way. A way that could net him more benefits. The dark and dense blood moon cast its shadow over the plains, staining the desolate wilderness with an especially bloody hue; the male Void Moth let out a piercing shriek and dived straight towards the knightly squadron. "Protection!" Agni ordered decisively without hesitation. The twenty saints immediately began chanting; the magic they used was "Holy Light Protection," a Low Rank defensive magic. Thick holy light overlapped and wove together, forming complex and marvelous shapes, layer upon layer. Twenty saints meant twenty layers of Holy Light were layered together. The male Void Moth hurtled down, slamming fiercely against the shield of Holy Light. As a Fourth Order void creature, just one strike was enough to break through one layer. The female Void Moth followed closely behind, plunging after her brother. With their tiny, sharp, profane teeth gnawing at the Holy Light, they produced a grating sound. In just a few seconds, five layers of the Holy Light shield were shattered! Agni''s face was tense, sweat dripping profusely. "Prepare the holy arrow." A magnificent arc formed into a resplendent golden longbow. Aines took the arrow made of Holy Light from her attendant''s hand, drew the bow, and nocked the arrow, ``` Charging to the utmost, the arrow sliced through the gloom that filled the heavens and the earth, leaving behind only that streak of silver light. Intermediate-stage Magic, "Aines'' Arrow," consuming four magic points. But that arrow merely grazed the surface of the Void Moth and was repelled by corrosion, leaving behind nothing but a streak of blood. Ten saints loosed their own arrows, and in the blink of an eye, Holy Light fell like a sudden downpour, lacerating the Void Moth with wound after wound, until blood flowed in torrents. Yet, this did not kill the Void Moth, on the contrary, it enraged them. They smashed crazily against the holy shields, shattering layer after layer of Holy Light. Only fifteen layers of holy shields held on desperately. Agni''s heart pounded violently, her hands clutching the bow and arrows tightly due to anxiety and unrest. It was as if she was back to that day, the day she faced the High-Rank demon head-on. The day her squad was nearly annihilated. An Su watched the battle with a calm, indifferent gaze. It seemed that the Church was completely at a disadvantage. But in reality, the Void Moths were about to vanish. From the moment of their birth, An Su had been timing them with the pocket watch he carried; they had existed for forty-five seconds and only had fifteen seconds of life left. Even if they broke the holy shields, at most, they could injure one or two saints. Ultimately, it was still because the core spell of the combination technique, "The Mother Goddess'' Gift," was of too low a rankmerely an intermediate-stage Magic. If it could be elevated to High-Rank or above, it would be possible to summon creatures of even higher order than the Void Moths. But An Su was already quite satisfied. sea??h th n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. From the beginning of the battle until now, he had used two casts of the Mother Goddess'' Gift and two casts of All Things Grow, spending a total of only eight magic points. To achieve such effects for just eight magic points was indeed close to perfect. However, this set of skills still had a flaw; that is, after killing the host, they would attack everyone present indiscriminately. But that was hardly a problem anymore; there were plenty of ways to avoid it. Now what An Su needed to consider was how to explain the sudden death of the Void Moth in a dozen seconds or so. According to An Su''s earlier statement, the Void Moths were profane creatures, summoned by Kavensis at the cost of sacrificing his own lifea common heretical sacrifice. Everyone knew that such summoned creatures did not die naturally. This would raise suspicions. But An Su had long since thought of the perfect solution. He glanced at his pocket watch. Only ten seconds left. It was almost time. Suddenly, the Void Moths let out a deranged shriek and broke through another barrier. A cold sweat broke out on Agni; she understood that even if they could eventually kill these two beasts, her team would suffer heavy losses. She couldn''t help but think of other ways to escape, how to get out and how to save as many of her subordinates as possible. But suddenly, the Void Moths ceasing their devouring of the Holy Light stopped. Their antennae lightly touched the air, as if they had scented something, and abandoned their attack. Flapping their wings, they turned towards a direction. Following the direction of the Void Moths, Agni and the other saints could hardly believe their eyes. They saw the unfamiliar youth, walking over with no defenses whatsoever. It was that very youth who had attracted the attention of the Void Moths! They could sense the dark elements contained within An Su''s body. Though the Void Moths had simple intelligence, they were capable of simple distinctions: on one side, there were cans of tough meat wrapped in iron, numerous but prickly and hard to satiate hunger with; on the other, there was an unwrapped, delicious confectionery. If the tasty confectionery stayed put, they would pay it no heed, yet, the confectionery had actively sought them out! In full view of everyone, the Void Moths rose and lunged directly towards An Su. Another ten seconds... An Su silently counted in his heart. Chapter 29 Saint-Level Magic Nature Nurtures All! Agni could hardly believe her own eyes.For several years in the field, she had experienced many things. In her lifetime, she had seen good people, even great people, but never a saint! That the youth had previously sacrificed himself to save Kavensis was incredible enough. But his current actions were even more astonishing to Agni, even incomprehensible. He had actually approached proactively, drawing the attention of two Void Moths away. Did he not understand how bizarre and terrifying void creatures could be He obviously did, yet he still chose to come forward. What was he doing it for? Through the layers of the Holy Light Barrier, Agni watched An Su''s face, only able to see the plain features beneath his simple hood, the faint righteousness between his brows. Just by looking at his face, one could feel that he must be a good person, even an excellent one. Even as the two Void Moths were swooping in to attack, his expression remained calm. Only a madman or a master could deliberately court death like this. Suddenly, Agni remembered how this young man had blocked Kavensis''s light spearwith movements so swift, even Agni had not clearly seen how he did it. Could it be that this youth was a master of righteousness? Or rather, was he really a ''youth''? Could a youth possess such skills? She had heard that certain saints, most favored by the goddess, would forever maintain their youth. Agni couldn''t help but harbor some hope But what she hadn''t expected was the nameless youth''s next move. What was he doing? He had reached Kavensis''s body, clearly ignoring the approaching Void Moths. The youth slightly lowered his gaze, his eyes brimming with compassion and tenderness, like a tranquil spring lake shimmering with broken light. Was hewas he mourning for Kavensis and ferrying his soul? To elevate the spirit of a villain who had sought to kill him into peace? Agni could hardly believe her own eyes. She saw An Su half-kneeling on the ground, gently touching Kavensis''s bloodied chest, carefully adjusting his collar, Then flames soared into the air, enveloping the corpse and rapidly vaporizing it, letting him depart from this world with dignity and peace. "May your soul find peace. Return to the goddess''s Heaven," An Su''s lips curved into a gentle and satisfied smile. Kavensis''s flesh may have been tainted, but in death, his soul was clean and pure; surely he could depart in peace. Yeah, right. An Su had just discovered that Kavensis was still breathing! If rescued in time, the Holy Knights might even be able to save him. If he were to wake up, who knows if he would spill everything about An Su! Moreover, An Su had other reasons for coming to Kavensis. He watched the two Void Moths at close range. sea??h th NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Four seconds left. How confident must this man be in his abilities... to so disregard fourth-order creatures. No. Compared to void creatures, perhaps elevating souls was most important in this man''s eyes. Agni''s expression was solemn; she had never encountered a man with such a pure heart during her years in the Church, where she had seen too much darkness. She understood the corruption beneath the Church''s bright facade, but she had no power to change it. She could only adapt and accept, gradually becoming a ''person with high emotional intelligence'', a ''captain with high emotional intelligence'', Protecting her teammates was the duty she could fulfill. But Agni had never seen anyone as noble and selfless as An Su. To embrace with kindness and compassion an enemy who had sought to kill himthat was surely what was recorded as a saint in the Bible. Agni watched An Su intently, waiting for his next move. "Three seconds left." An Su thought to himself, it seems he needed to stall for time a bit longer. An Su''s plan was actually quite simple: since it was impossible to explain why the Void Moths suddenly died, it was better to make it look like he had killed them. He would attract their attention, let them attack him, Then, timing it to the second, He would unleash a deadly magic attack at the very moment they naturally perished. This would make it seem like Xianzong was an expert, killing them instantly with one strike. This achievement could be credited to himself! An Su could already imagine how much he could earn from the Church''s Holy Knights'' gratitude for saving them. The Void Moths were summoned by him; the blame was on Kavensis; the credit was his own. It was yet another triple-win day. But there was one prerequisite, and that was that one must maintain an air of prestige. An Su''s performance just now, along with the image of a righteous master deeply compassionate yet inscrutably stoic, was enacted with great finesse. Next, it was time to think of a move that would be suffused with prestige. Something flitted through Xianzong''s mind, but he maintained the same unfathomable composure as before, his eyes still clear and bright. Facing the two Void Moths rushing to attack, he murmured softly: "Heaven gives birth" "To all living things." "To nourish mankind." Was he... chanting a magic spell? A thought crossed Agni''s mind. Chanting magic differs from ordinary magic; it requires a verse of incantation to be recited before it can be executed, and its power greatly surpasses that of regular magic. Any cleric capable of using chanting magic had to be at least above the Fourth Order. Heaven gives birth to all living things, to nourish mankind... This verse of blessing seemed to expound on the content of the first chapter of the Holy Record, "Genesis." The reason for An Su''s recitation of this verse was simple, he obviously wasn''t casting any chanting magic, he was merely buying time. Two more seconds. But the Void Moths were already upon him, their jaws full of sharp teeth about to make contact with An Su''s skin. Could he complete the magical incantation... Agni couldn''t help but worry. The other saints also wore tense expressions, swallowing hard as they watched An Su intentlythey knew their lives were in his hands. "Mankind is forever complaining" The final second. It was too late. Two Void Moths collided with An Su in an instant, their strange and evil power exploding forth. The combined strike of a fourth-order void beast and a third-order void beast was unstoppable by anyone! The ground around them began to fracture, rings upon rings of cracks spreading like spider webs as dust and debris filled the air. Humans simply couldn''t withstand such a blow. Agni despaired. But when the dust cleared, there was a calm face. And the calm smile at the corners of the mouth. Everyone couldn''t believe their eyes; after taking such a hit head-on, the man before them was completely unscathed. How immensely strong and confident he must be. What nobody expected was that underneath An Su''s chest, under the thick layer of his winter school uniform, a talisman necklace was slowly dimming. It would need to be recharged before it could be used again. [Intermediate High-Quality Talisman] [Can withstand attacks or curses below High-Rank (0/2)] This talisman necklace''s original owner was Kavensis. It was a birthday gift from his Priest father. Previously on the brink of death and too weak to use the talisman when being gnawed at, Kavensis had left two more chances for the talisman to resist. All of this was noticed by An Su. The talisman was what An Su had discreetly stolen while tidying up Kavensis''s collar, compassionately consoling himit was taken from around Kavensis''s neck! But this wasn''t stealing, it was something An Su had picked up, considering it unwanted by anyone else. At this very moment, the Void Moths ran out of existence time. An Su quietly instructed Miss Enya, who was hiding nearby, "Release the magic power outward simply, power is not needed, only special effects." Enya wouldn''t hesitate to follow her master''s command. When a Fourth Order being fully exerted magic power for special effects, the spectacle was extremely terrifying. Even the blood moon in the sky dimmed a few shades, the air vibrated non-stop, and a terrible pressure spread from beneath An Su''s feet. In an instant, it burst forth, the dazzling light engulfing the world! "Heaven is heartless." In full view of everyone, in the sight of all, An Su gently reached out and touched the two Void Moths. A Fourth Order void beast, a Third Order void beast. Just like that, turned to ashes. They were obliterated in a single strike! This had surpassed High-Level Magic; only a saint could achieve this! Chapter 30 The Barbarians of Another World Lack Cultural Depth All magic is divided into six levels: Low Rank, Intermediate Stage, High Rank, Saintly, Transcendent, and Divine.The amount of Magic Power required for spells of each level increases incrementally. Generally speaking, Magicians of the first and second tiers often use Low Rank magic, complemented by a small number of Intermediate Stage spells as their trump card. From the third to the fourth tier, they mainly use Intermediate Stage magic, supplemented by some High Rank spells. Only Magicians of the fifth tier and above are capable of using Saintly magic. The fifth tier is a watershed; magicians above this level are called ''saints,'' a term normally reserved for bishops of the Church. Any spell that can instantly kill fourth and third tier Void creatures must undoubtedly be Saintly magic. All Saintly magic spells are unique; they cannot be acquired through faith points but must be created by the magician themselves. That spell, "Create All Things to Nourish Mankind," is unquestionably a spell of Saintly magic. While Agni was shaken at heart, she was also secretly speculating about the identity of the person before her: He uses Holy Light magic, which, unlike other magics, requires the blessing of the Radiant Goddess to acquireso this person must be a believer of the Goddess. In the entire frontier Church, there is only one saintly Archbishop. This person could only be someone from above. Agni knew that the headquarters of the Church possessed a special inquisitional institution, known as the Tribunal. The administrative status of the Tribunal is on par with the Papal Court and is directly accountable to the Goddess. Each judge within is kept confidential, their authority and status equal to a regional bishop, and only the most devout of saints are eligible for the role, Heretic Judges, their work is not external, but internal, used to deal with heretical scandals within the regional Churches. Once a saint falls, the harm they cause to the Church and the world is often more severe than that caused by ordinary Cultists. Take for instance this time, the incident where Kavensis fell into heresy. Agni observed An Su, The crimson moonlight cascaded down, blanketing the desolate prairie. The night wind swept by, causing billions of blades of wild grass to ripple with a bloody shimmer, while at the heart of the densest blood-red moonlight, the figure stood with hands clasped behind his back. That ordinary, unassuming face, those eyes and eyebrows, every movement brimmed with clear, effusive wisdom. Above his head, the title ''Dawning East'' shone especially bright. Dawning East, truly a unique divine title... Agni thought, her mind racing quickly through thoughts. This person... did he suspect Kavensis from the start? Were all the anomalies during these three red moon nights just tests by this figure? Or rather, was it giving Kavensis one final opportunity? "Thank you, my lord, for the rescue," Agni placed her left hand on her heart, took a half-knee with the right knee, and swept up her snowy white cloak with her right hand, bowing respectfully in a knight''s salute, her subordinates following suit with their salutations. "May I know how to address you, my lord...?" "Names are but a formality," An Su replied calmly, "you may call me Xianzong." Anyway, you can''t find my file. Not even the Pope can. Because it doesn''t exist. An Su had previously traversed the ''Witch-Hunting Saint stream'' and was aware of the power structure within the Radiant Holy See. A saint, the less you find in their file, the more mysterious they are, the more formidable, the more unfathomable, and the deeper the waters one shouldn''t continue to investigate. Xianzong? Agni felt somewhat sweaty, realizing that this big shot''s level was even higher than she had imagined, using the word "Xian" in their title. "Xianzong Your Excellency," Agni hesitated for a moment before mustering the courage to probe, tentatively speaking: "I am a Third Order Holy Knight of the Church, you may call me Agni." An Su said with a tinge of regret: "Just call me Big Brother Xianzong, I don''t deserve the title ''Your Highness''." "How can I claim to be ''Your Highness'' when I couldn''t even save that child?" His statement rendered Agni speechless. An Su slowly exhaled, his eyes slightly downcast, revealing a look of loneliness and compassion, and his voice inevitably carried a hint of sorrow. "I didn''t mean to harm him. I just wanted to talk to him... Alas, what a wonderful child he was, yet corrupted by the Cultists." "Those evildoers are greedy, shameless, disloyal, and unrighteous. I, Xianzong, despise such scoundrels the most in my life and wish to sacrifice them all... as an offering to the great Radiant Goddess." So sternly did An Su speak as he pressed the amulet he had picked up from Kavensis deep into his pocket. "Big Brother Xianzong need not blame himself." Agni, a captain with high emotional intelligence, immediately wanted to flatter this saint, "To express our gratitude for saving us, Big Brother Xianzong, we have prepared a little gift..." She knew this was a person of stature from above, and if she could use this opportunity to establish ties with the saint from above her career paths would be smooth sailing thereafter. Agni really wanted to advance. Of course, that was just one of the reasons. The more important reason was that she wanted to repay Big Brother Xianzong for saving their lives. Sarch* The n??el Fire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. If not for Big Brother Xianzong''s help, Agni dared not imagine what their team would have faced. If even half of them could survive, it would be a grace from the Radiant Goddess. Agni took out the sacred bow that wounded the Void Moth, a Holy Relic she had obtained from an abandoned relic site. [Broken Sacred Bow] [Intermediate High-Quality Holy Relic] [Can fire Third Order holy magic ''Arrow of Holy Light'', each arrow costs 4 skill points to use] This was a very valuable and precious treasure, especially as a Holy Relic. Agni was confident that even a saint like Xianzong would find it hard to refuse. But An Su calmly shook his head, paused, then firmly stated, "I didn''t choose to become a saint in order to accept gifts." The Radiant Holy See is indeed the Radiant Holy See, bribing so openly and unabashedly. Not a hint of the art of subtlety. Of course An Su wouldn''t accept these gifts on the spot, he wasn''t some fool like Priest Danny. He had just crafted an image of a righteous and noble leader; accepting gifts now would seriously damage his image. Big Brother Xianzong cannot accept gifts, at least not in such a crude manner. Moreover, An Su didn''t want the sacred bow. It was something that required consumption of skill points, meant for Holy Knights; An Su couldn''t use it. He couldn''t even draw it! Giving gifts should be tailored to the recipient''s preferences. "If you''re not pleased with it... I also have..." Agni hurriedly said. Why speak so bluntly? Does Big Brother Xianzong need your gift? It''s you who need Big Brother Xianzong to accept the gift, not Big Brother Xianzong who needs your gift. An Su looked at Agni with a touch of dissatisfaction, thinking that this young comrade still had a lot to improve upon. She clearly lacked the cultural depth; the barbarians of these other worlds conducted matters in such a rough manner. He then resolved to take the opportunity to give her a few tips. Chapter 31 Xianzong, a noble person, someone who has risen above lowly pleasures "Agni Knight."An Su''s expression grew serious, the scholarly face now brimming with righteousness, "I will not accept any gifts, there is no need for further words." Seeing that Xianzong was getting upset, Agni dared not speak any further. Xianzong truly was a man of integrity and one that was not adept at adapting... She really did want to repay Xianzong for saving her life. After a pause. "Dawn is about to break," An Su softly broke the silence, the tone now more gentle, "I should return to the imperial capital. The journey is long, may I borrow your horse for the trip?" "My mount" he showed a hint of regret, "Unfortunately has just been killed by Sir Kavensis." May I borrow your horse... Agni always felt there was something peculiar about that phrase. Agni had also witnessed the demise of the horse struck down by the light spear. Facing the attack from Kavensis, Xianzong did not retaliate... not only that, but he even intended to cast Blessing Magic on the fallen Kavensis, and as a result, his own mount was shot down. Of course, it was possible to lend a horse... Agni was about to agree immediately, but then something occurred to her. As mentioned before, Agni was a person with a high EQ, a captain with high emotional intelligence... Was everything really just as it seemed? As if struck by thunder that traveled from the crown of her head to her spine, she felt an epiphany, she understood! No matter whether her speculation was right or wrong, Agni knew what she should say at this momentwhat needed to be said. She immediately gave a few instructions to a servant by her side, who first showed a stunned expression, but then quickly trotted off. "Unfortunately, we also do not have an extra Holy Mount in our team," Agni began with a refusal, and then added, "However, this horse currently does not have an owner, so it can be loaned to you for the trip back to the city." The servant had already brought the horse over; the steed was completely white, its hooves radiating Holy Light, and a cluster of white horn on its foreheaddistinct from the common mare; it was the beloved little mare of Kavensis, a Holy Mount with the bloodline of a magical creature. [Holy Beast Unicorn] [Intermediate Rank Holy Quality] [Skill: Sanctuary] [Riding the Unicorn Mount, one can resist some Low Rank curses] Look at her own use of words, always using the word "borrow." This mare, after being scared off, instinctively ran towards the city, and halfway met the large search party that came for Kavensis''s rescue. Agni knew how to progress now, look at her own art of speaking, using the word ''borrow''! This was not a matter of presenting a gift. But rather, since Lord Xianzong found it inconvenient to return home, she would lend him the horse to ride back, and as for when he might return it given the long journey to the imperial capital... that was left to fate. The Holy Mount showed obvious resistance when it saw An Su. But Agni forcefully grabbed the reins of the Holy Mount, "This child has lost its master; it''s fortunate to meet you." The Unicorn looked at Agni with an expression that doubted its own life. Agni directly and enthusiastically handed the reins to Xianzong, As if saying, if your former master has no objections, can you really object? "You are thoughtful, child. Then I shall borrow it for a while," Progress, but still not quite there... An Su said with a smile, "Then, we shall meet again in the future." From the moment An Su saw the Holy Mount, he wanted to get his hands on it. The reason was simple: since it carried a hint of a magical creature''s bloodline, he could continuously breed it, refreshing its traits until he bred something precious. This approach, he greatly enjoyed during his fifth life in the past world. He promptly mounted the horse, "Right, you are here for the witch hunt tonight, aren''t you?" "To not hide the laughter in your eyes," Agni revealed a bitter smile, "Our Red Moon Hunt this time, might end with naught." Gained nothing. This, in the sixty years since the establishment of the border church, must be the ultimate disgrace. Going back on her own might lead to impeachment, or even dismissal... She thought to herself silently. "Walk fifty kilometers south, and you will see a river; follow the river downstream, and there''s a cave," An Su said. "There is a secret teaching base there." Agni looked at brother Xianzong with gratitude; she had received yet another favor and didn''t know what to say anymore. The reason An Su told her was simple: to get her to leave, the further the better, fifty kilometers away, so she wouldn''t hold up brother Xianzong from making a big fortune tonight. She still wanted to say thank you. "Thank you for your grace!" Agni and her subordinates bowed their heads, "I really don''t know how to repay your kindness!" "May the glory of the goddess shine upon the world forever," An Su said brightly. "You only need to promise me one thing." "What is it?" "If you find sacrificial children at the secret teaching base in the future, please don''t deal with themif it''s inconvenient, just secretly send them to my disciple An Su Moningsta''s place." "Of course, you all need to swear to the goddess not to reveal this matter." That statement was like a bolt from the blue. It shocked Agni to the point of mental shutdown. An Su Moningsta, the heir of the Morningstar Family, was actually the secret disciple of the saint standing before her! Everything clicked into place, everything made sense. No wonder this spoiled young lord had been acting strangely this past month, no wonder he was determined to join the church, no wonder he was studying so hard every day! It was because the great saint had come. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. It turned out that he had been taken as a disciple by the great saint Although taking a Child of the Curse as a disciple seemed absurd by any standard. But the persona that An Su had crafted earlier played its role: brother Xianzong, in the face of the fallen Kavensis, was still tirelessly rescuing and guiding him. Brother Xianzong was a noble person, someone beyond Low Rank interests. Therefore, taking a Child of the Curse as a disciple didn''t seem so excessive. Guiding those who were about to fall into darkness back to righteousness, must be the creed of this great saint... Agni thought to herself. Why did brother Xianzong let her know this, not wanting others to find out? This was brother Xianzong giving her a chance! Seeing her reaction, An Su''s lips curved into an imperceptible smile. His words served several purposes. First, the dark children were talents, essential for his future plans, so naturally, he couldn''t let them go; An Su had a clear understanding of himself: he knew his moral standards were low, in short, he wasn''t a good personbut he wouldn''t kill children. Second, it gave himself a powerful backer, a borrowed authority that would keep many troublesome issues away from him. Third, no matter how suddenly he advanced in his magical abilities in the future, he had a legitimate reason for itit was all thanks to brother Xianzong''s teachings! And the last reason, which was also the most important: On holidays, when brother Xianzong was either unwilling or disdainful to accept small gifts, from then on, wouldn''t it be acceptable for the Agni Knight Order to send them to his disciple An Su instead? Young people must be given opportunities to progress! "I swear to the goddess," Agni and her attendants knelt on one knee, "we will honor your teachings! And we will not divulge this to outsiders!" An Su nodded slightly, "Let us part ways here." The Holy Beast Unicorn had been quite resistant at first, but when An Su whispered ''the goddess''s'' in her ear, not even finishing his sentence, the unicorn immediately calmed down and dared not move. As everyone looked on, An Su rode the Holy Beast Unicorn deeper into the wilderness. The blood-red moon was thinning even more, and in three hours, the sky would dawn. The three-day night of the Blood Moon was finally coming to an end. Chapter 32 Hope to Meet You Again The next day.Warm sunlight spread evenly over the stained glass dome of the Church. The incident that occurred last night was sealed off by the Church. All records concerning Kavensis were thoroughly destroyed. Such a top-tier scandal would affect not only the Kavensis family but potentially harm the reputation of the entire frontier Church. Thanks to the Church''s efforts to downplay the situation, the punishment for Agni was not so severe, and after her redeeming feat of hunting down a nest of the Esoteric Religion, she was only docked three months'' salary. But information cannot be completely contained. The Dark Knight, the bane of the Esoteric Religion Xianzong''s fame began to spread, though only within a small circle, mysterious as an urban legend. As for the gifts that inexplicably appeared at home, What do the gifts Xianzong receives have to do with me, An Su? Regardless, the night of the red moon came to a conclusive end. One would have to wait until next year to strike it rich again. An Su knelt before the statue of Holy Light, offering up his gains from the previous night and received the Goddess''s reward. His magic power reached a total of thirteen points. After his prayers, he stood up and turned his head, getting a shock. Luoja Faust had appeared behind him at some point, staring blankly at him with brilliant golden eyes that reflected An Su''s face as if surveying a corpse. "Yesterday," she stated tersely. She was here to hold him accountable. An Su knew exactly what Luoja was referring to. Luoja had come to find him early that morning, but she encountered Kavensis returning, so An Su, not wanting to waste time, studied and read books on the side. After reading for a while and seeing their conversation was not ending, he sneaked away on his own. "...I''m sorry." An Su apologized directly. Luoja stared intensely at An Su for a long moment before she finally sighed helplessly, "Follow me." Once they left the Church, An Su followed Luoja on the street, one behind the other. Of course, at this very moment, An Su didn''t care about these matters. He watched Luoja, who walked ahead, trying to understand what the Little Holy Maiden''s intention was. The whole way they were silent, not speaking a word. Luoja walked ahead of An Su, carrying a wooden box that prevented him from observing her expression. The fresh sea breeze swept through the street, and the wind chimes tinkled alongside, Luoja''s silver hair scattered in the wind, swaying gracefully. Sometimes a strand brushed past An Su''s cheek, tickling him. Was it last night''s incident that was exposed? An Su didn''t think so, as he had been very discreet. Besides, what has the person Xianzong killed to do with me, An Su Moningsta? They walked along the street for a while. Finally, Luoja turned her head, looking solemn and serious, her amber eyes staring directly at An Su, and her thin lips parted slightly a very serious demeanor that made An Su become a bit nervous. But then she said earnestly, "I''m hungry. Have breakfast?" "You put on such a scary act just to eat?" "Eating is a sacred act," Luoja said earnestly, her voice cool, "second only to the Goddess." An Su had no choice but to reply, "...All right, I''m hungry too." This breakfast shop faced the sea, with delicious cakes and fresh milk, and their bread was exceptional. They chose a seat by the window. Outside the window were a water-blue sky and a sky-blue sea, each half occupying the windowpane. If not for the occasional sea breeze that stirred up the clouds and lifted a few waves, the whole world would appear as a still painting in blue, hanging between them on the window bars. Luoja ordered a blueberry cake and a glass of fresh milk; she ate her cake gracefully, sitting up straight, lips slightly parted, and her eyes lightly closing as she chewed and savored, like a cat basking in the sun. After enjoying her dessert, she held a cup of steaming fresh milk with both hands. "What exactly did you want to see me for?" An Su, having quickly finished his portion of bread, didn''t want to play any more guessing games with the Holy Maiden; it was an unpleasant feeling. "You''ve already eaten two blueberry cakes, each costing ten copper coins, it''s quite expensive and not even tasty," An Su said. For An Su''s household, twenty copper coins were insignificant, but he said this only because he didn''t want to engage further with Luoja. "The written examination for Saints is in four days," Luoja said, lifting her gaze to An Su, her white eyelids fluttering, "I''ve heard you come to the library every day to study and go home late." "That''s right," An Su said, "in fact, I don''t go home at night either. I''ve found many sincere professional teachers to give me special coaching." He wasn''t lying. Indeed, he''d sought many specialized teachers of the Esoteric Religion for private tutoring at night, though the only ones getting fed were the teachers themselves. When the Mother Goddess dined, it was indeed a heart and soul experience, with blood about to splatter. "You really want to join the Radiant Holy See..." Luoja paused, then said, "I''m happy about this." "I have always been a faithful believer of the Goddess," An Su answered earnestly. This statement was also true, and he wasn''t afraid that Luoja would see through it. After all, for the simple and honest An Su, he would faithfully believe in whoever offered him the most benefits. "This might be of help to you," Luoja said, taking out a booklet from her bag and handing it to An Su. An Su took it and just opened the first page, only to be astounded by what he saw. Neat, organized handwriting, a clear logic throughout the content, interconnected knowledge points, detailed and precise definitions... "These are the notes I took while studying," Luojia explained, "They might be useful to you... Of course, there''s no need to throw them away either." An Su remembered the setting in the game; Luojia had first place in the nationwide written exam scores. In An Su''s previous life, these were the notes of the top scholar. He discreetly slipped them into his pocket. "So," Luojia gazed at him, her attractive eyes blinked, and she cocked her head to the side, "how many blueberry cakes does this equate to?" "How about I buy this store and give it to you?" An Su said casually, "It won''t cost much anyway." "I don''t need that much, just one more piece would be enough." Luojia really was a serious person; she even started explaining to An Su, "I can''t eat any more cakes than that." "Also, there''s one more thing I want to give you." Luojia placed the wooden box she had been carrying on the table and opened it. Inside was a very pretty piece of logwood with a faint glow coursing through it and even some fragmented leaves on the branches. This was a magic wand. Actually, one doesn''t need a magic wand to cast spells, but using a magic wand offers certain bonuses. [Glow Staff] [Intermediate Stage - High-Rank Quality] The "intermediate stage" refers to the level of magic it can use, and "high-rank" indicates its quality. [Effect: A second-order magic wand blessed by deities, capable of casting intermediate stage and lower full-attribute spells. When using Holy Light magic, there is a 50% chance that magic power consumption will be halved.] "This was my previous magic wand," Luojia said, "You might need it more." This item was very valuable. It was a wand issued by the Great Church Court to the prospective Holy Maiden. Money couldn''t buy it. Even with his thick skin, An Su felt a bit overwhelmed and couldn''t help but ask, "Then what will you use?" "I don''t need it," Luojia took a sip of hot milk, "The Church will issue me a new wanda third-order wand." A third-order wand, which signified that she had become a Third Order magician. Only one possibility remained. An Su''s eyes shifted slightly, "You''ve awakened as the Holy Maiden?" The Holy Maiden''s leveling system was set apart from the Witch-Hunting Saint''s path. "Pretty much," Luojia replied, "I haven''t told anyone else." "You''re the first one I''m telling." After a moment of mild surprise, An Su regained his composure. He wasn''t surprised by this news; after all, according to the original storyline, Luojia had already become the Holy Maiden a month prior. "Tomorrow, I''ll probably have to leave the border city and head to the Great Church Court," said Luojia as her ordered cake arrived. "Why give it to me?" An Su asked. "Because you need it more... It''s very difficult for the Child of the Curse to become a saint," Luojia earnestly looked into An Su''s eyes, "Also, I owe you a favor." "What favor?" "You saved my lifethat favor." She tasted a bite of cake. Luojia Fast had her own pride. "Haven''t you already repaid it by recommending me to become an apprentice saint?" An Su said with a smile. "...That''s true," she frowned prettily, revealing a conflicted expression, "Indeed, it''s been repaid." She was a person who took things seriously. "Then how about this," Luojia paused, coming up with a good idea, "You buy another piece of blueberry cake in exchange for this staff, and we''ll call it even." "Didn''t you just say," An Su was puzzled, "that you can only eat one piece?" Yet, An Su still did what she said, and the blueberry cake was quickly brought over. "I won''t eat it, you eat it." Luojia flashed a smile, one that hinted at cunning success, with both mischievousness and radiance, as if she was getting back at An Su for the days he''d stood her up. This was the first time An Su had seen her smile; she brushed her fine silver hair behind her ear, and the warm-toned sunlight fell upon her, "I''m about to leave this city for the Seven Gods Hall in the imperial capital. Before I leave, I want to share my favorite flavor with youyou said the cake wasn''t good just now, right?" Was it because of this that Luojia had been waiting for him? "The Church has many issues, so many, and I''ve always known...but I can''t change them." "For the Child of the Curse to become a saint...in the thousand years since the Church''s establishment, no one has done it. I hope you can be the first, I hope you can bring new change." "I hope to see you again in Farol, the imperial capital," Luojia said, "An Su Moningstaeven if the road ahead is hard, please allow me to look at you in a new light." "You are going to regret this," An Su picked up his fork and took a bite of the cake, "but I assure you, I will definitely amaze you." Sarch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. An Su was quite clear about himself; he was never a paragon of justice, nor did he ever claim to hold the moral high ground. But indeed, he would climb up the Church''s hierarchy step by step, from saint, to priest, to bishop, to archbishop, to cardinal, to popeuntil he transformed the Church into a more suitable shape. For his own sake. However, An Su could guarantee that his way of doing things would indeed amaze Luojia. "Is it like the promise of a knight, just like Kavensis?" Luojia cocked her head and laughed teasingly. "You''re wrong," An Su bit into the cake, "this is the promise of a Child of the Curse." The tangy flavor of blueberry spread faintly on the tongue, encompassed in the fresh sweetness. Luojia also closed her eyes slightly, tasting her own slice of cake. Under the morning sun and the breeze from the sea, they chewed on the same subtly bitter sweetness. Chapter 33 An Su Encounters a Heavyweight on Her First Day ```The frontier city was connected by track, of course, its official name was ''Magic Train,'' which ran three times a day, direct to the Nether Empire Capital ''Falor.'' It wasn''t much different from last life''s green trains: They were both made of the same iron, only the fuel wasn''t coal but charged by first-order magicians manually as a power source. These humanoid batteries, ten in a group, switched shifts every half-day, their work was simplejust to channel their magical power into the magic conductor machinery; they were the distinctive white-collar workers of this other world. Count Karlo wasn''t in a beautiful mood today. He had raised this lad for more than a decade, finally rearing a dissolute young master, doing justice to his mother''s spirit in heaven, but today the boy truly had hardened wings and insisted on going to the capital for an examination. He had not shown An Su a good face all day. Having to squeeze into a Magic Train with commoners, talking about experiencing life, what kind of talk was that? Letting other nobles see it, they might think the great Morningstar Family couldn''t afford a train. What a rebellious son! To him, what exactly did the family amount to! Since this rebellious son was determined to do the opposite of what he wanted, talking about experiencing life, he had to teach the lad a lesson. He decided to let the boy get his wish and experience what life was like for the poor common folk. Thus, he specifically instructed Enya to not help the lad with his luggage throughout the journey, to let him feel the weight of the family. So when An Su, the young man, dragging an old suitcase almost as tall as himself, clumsily checked his ticket and boarded the platform with sweat all over his headthe majority of the passengers in the carriage were staring at An Su. One, because he was handsome. Two, because he indeed appeared to be struggling, having to leave his home so young to strive for a future in the capital. Especially upon seeing him dragging a massive piece of luggage, some young girls even started fantasizing: This poor child must have been kicked out by his parents. They couldn''t help but wonder what kind of confusion and heavy future awaited him. The thought of possibly providing for the boy even crossed their minds. An Su was indeed very confused. What in the world was inside making it so heavy... The luggage had been prepared by his old man, Count Karlo, who had also warned him not to peek inside before boarding the train. He finally found a seat and placed the big suitcase on the table, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead. Miss Enya elegantly sat down opposite him, wearing a deep black Lolita-style gown paired with knee-high boots. Her sitting posture was graceful, her legs gently together, propping her delicate side face with her soft hand, her eyes constantly on An Su. "This contains the weight of the family," Miss Enya spoke up as if to clear An Su''s confusion. "..." An Su cracked open the suitcase, only to see a layer of shining gold, then quickly closed it. Clothes, toiletries, dry food...none of these were present. "Why is there only gold?" An Su''s mouth twitched slightly. "His Excellency Count Karlo is teaching you to have the heart of a sincere child, to never forget where you come from, to remember what you owe to your upbringingthis is the weight of the family," Enya said calmly. "Seeing this gold, I hope you''ll remember the gold mines back home," she added. An Su indeed felt a considerable heavy future ahead. Just then, a commotion arose from the front of the carriage along with muffled cheers. An Su could see through the window a handsome young man with golden long hair and a tall stature stepping onto the train amid a crowd''s protective cheers. He wore noble robes and carried a glittering gold magic wand, his demeanor dignified and full of presence, like a favorite of the gods. His given title was ''The Radiant Young Lion.'' He was heading straight for the VIP section, unlike An Su, who thought of experiencing life. An Su recognized the man, the son of the Border Duke, heir to the Sun Family, Arthur Sunny. A great noble under the correct banner of ''M''. This guy''s role and that of an NPC like Kavensis was completely different: He was a true male supporting character of this world. He was also going to the capital for the examination. This one had it all: handsome features, noble birth, and exceptional lineage. Only one thing was very subtle. In the ''Seaside Morning News'' list of saints people most wanted to be with, he ranked first. By the way, over the past month, An Su had seen his rank soar because of that unknown person''s story ''#Child of the Curse and the Forbidden Love of a Maid,'' a real dark horse. The train began to move, and An Su no longer wanted to bother with this guy. He leaned against the window, enjoying the scenery outside. The old tracks were laid over the narrow mountain paths, and since it was late autumn, the sleepers were already covered with dark red maple leaves. Beyond that was a tunnel through the mountain. When the train emerged from the tunnel, a stretch of deep blue sea came into view, the shimmering blue light on the water like foil paper applied to the window. The frontier city was receding into the distance, shrinking to a small speck. No matter how heavy the future was, An Su had finally left the frontier city and was heading towards the center stagethe Nether Empire Capital ''Falor.'' ---- At dusk, when the evening sun dyed the sky pink, the train finally arrived at the station. Falor Imperial Capital was a grand and bustling city, about the size of twenty frontier cities. One could everywhere see ancient towers, bell towers, and churches rich in history; as the train entered the station platform, one could see the world''s most magnificent and largest church. The congregation of buildings made from glazed material stretched from the mountain top to its foothills, brilliantly reflecting the fiery light, staining half the night sky red. ''Seven Gods Church.'' It was also known as the Seven Gods Academy. This was An Su''s destination for this trip. To say it was a church was an understatementit was a massive complex of Orthodox Church buildings. The Nether Empire had a total of seven orthodox gods, and correspondingly, seven Orthodox Churches. The Radiant Holy See was just one of the seven sects. Falor Imperial Capital unified the construction of this religious complex, simultaneously venerating the seven sects: Radiant, Druid, Astrological, Alchemic, Healing, Order, and Chastity. ``` To become a saint, one must first be recommended, become a preparatory believer, and then enter the Seven Gods Church to take the unified examination. In plain terms, this was akin to the joint college entrance examination of my past life. Those who passed the exam could become official saints and were sent to the various branch churches in the countryside; however, the top performers could stay at the Seven Gods Church to continue their studies, and upon graduation, they would start as priests for the branch churches. An Su, lugging his heavy luggage, first went to the registration desk to register his information. "Name." "An Su Moningsta." "From?" "Border city." "Recommended sect?" "Radiant." The quality of the Church in the imperial capital was indeed high, and no one gave him trouble, not even asking An Su for bribes. An Su actually wished someone would be corrupt, as the suitcase he was carrying was indeed too heavy. For instance, accept a little money, casually pocket a few hundred Gold Coins, and then leak some of tomorrow''s written exam topics... Why be so clean if they were that clean, wasn''t An Su carrying Gold Coins all the way for nothing? If you don''t take advantage of me, what use is my money? Roughly estimating, there were at least two thousand Gold Coins in the suitcase. That could indeed buy several Magic Conductor Trains couldn''t that old guy just exchange the Gold Coins for banknotes? At times like these, he would start to miss his hometown: The lovely scoundrels back home, that shameless quality of giving and receiving bribes, truly was nostalgic. After registration was complete, the next step was to be assigned to an examination dormitory. The saint test lasted three days, and candidates had to stay there the whole time; unauthorized personnel could not enter. Miss Enya would have to leave for a while. "Do you really not need me to dig holes and bury your opponents for you?" she asked, tilting her head before leaving. An Su indicated that she was being too extreme. Having just arrived in the imperial capital and unfamiliar with the place, An Su planned to keep a low profile. ''I wonder who my roommate is.'' The preparatory dormitory was a three-person room, so An Su had two other roommates. With expectations for his new life ahead, An Su finished registering, received his key, and went to the dormitory. As he opened the door, he was greeted by a pair of lion-like bright golden eyes, feeling his future headaches brewing. "An Su Moningsta." Above his head shone the title: [Radiant''s Young Lion] An Su''s roommate was Arthur Sunny. Great, high-level league here. Arthur exuded an aura of a noble young master, with his bright golden hair as majestic as a lion; his movements, too, were as steady and dignified as a lion, and those same golden eyes shone brilliantly like amber. Boastful and overbearing this was exactly what Count Karlo envisioned as the ideal noble progeny. Trouble had come knocking. "I didn''t find you in the noble carriage," he said with a haughty look, his tone dripping with superiority, "So you''ve fallen into the commoners'' area." "...What do you want?" "Couldn''t afford the noble carriage, could you? Your dad didn''t give you the money?" Arthur said mockingly. Sarch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "No. But I wish it were so." An Su unconsciously pressed down on his suitcase. "You''ve been pretty arrogant lately." "How have I been arrogant..." An Su was completely baffled. "I''ve heard, do you go to the library every day to study?" "That''s right..." "I''ve been looking for you, kid." Arthur, tall in stature, looked down at An Su with an overwhelming presence, "Heard Kavensis got defeated at your hands, huh? Hmph, studying hard every day? Quite laughable, you seem to be unaware who''s the real boss among the younger generation in the border city!" "What exactly are you trying to say?" A muscle twitched in An Su''s cheek. "What I mean is, you being so arrogant, are you very confident about tomorrow''s exam?" "Maybe?" An Su answered tentatively, "What are you trying to get at?" "What I mean is, since you''re so arrogant, so confident." The young lion lowered his voice with authority, "I''ll recognize you as our boss, can you let me copy your exam paper tomorrow?" "...." This was Arthur Sunny, the perfect knight''s only shortcoming - he wasn''t good at his studies. "I can give you Gold Coins." Seeing An Su''s hesitation, Arthur said confidently, "Consider it an offering to the boss." Talking with a fellow countryman is always more comforting, Right away, it''s that familiar good quality! No wonder he had been inquiring why An Su didn''t take the noble carriage it turns out he thought that if An Su was short on money, it would be easier to bribe him! Chapter 34 The second is even more heavyweight Arthur Sunny, a second-tier Holy Light Magician, with a minor in Provocation.He was born into a ducal family. His birth was anticipated by many with great expectations. "The Radiant Young Lion" was the title bestowed upon him by the Goddess on the day of his birth. The history of the border ducal family is deep-rooted, with generals and marshals among their ancestors, abundant in martial virtue but lacking in culture. Moreover, there has never been a Pope from the Radiant Holy See in their family, and naturally, the Pope should be someone who practices Radiant Magic. Therefore, Arthur was brought up as the future of the family, immersed in the knowledge of the Holy Light from a young age, training under the guidance of the household elders and distinguished tutors. He did not disappoint and even learned how to do splits. Sar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Compared to magic, he preferred wielding a greatsword and striking down foes. This was very stylish. ''Knights are cooler than mages''this had always been his creed. An Su did not want to agree to Arthur''s request, as he was already laden with tremendous wealth. Moreover, as the noble elder brother Xianzong, free from lowly desires and a man of high refinement, a true academic achiever, An Su loathed cheating more than anything else. Mainly, he detested others cheating. He would not only refuse to help in cheating in tomorrow''s written exam. He would even go so far as to maliciously disrupt the mental state of other examinees. This approach was actually in line with Miss Enya''s strategy of annihilation, only more conservative. If his competitors did not do well, then An Su would be ranked first. "Arthur, please calm down." At that moment, a calm and elegant voice interrupted their conversation. "Do not forsake the decorum befitting a noble." This was the second roommate. The man was truly elegant, with glasses framed in gold, clad in a snow-white robe, with slender and fair hands holding a pot of tea, his demeanor was lofty and proud, his manner exuded an aura of exceptional class. "The Moonlight of the Goddess"that was his title. Lister Muen, a second-tier Holy Light Magician with a minor in Water Magic, was also from the borderlands. He was the eldest son of the Moon Family, the second most historically prestigious great family of the borderlands. At the same time, he was ranked second in the "Seaside Morning News" most desirable saints list, with a clear and aloof temperament being the reason for his high ranking. "We must compete fairly and cannot resort to cheating," Lister said as he delicately sipped his tea, "This is the elegance and honesty of a saint, the most noble of virtues." Maintaining a noble demeanor and honoring the pride of a saint was Lister''s utmost concern, focusing on the grace and artistry in his speech and actions at all times. ''One must have grace in their actions,'' this was the principle taught to him by his father. This was a man dedicated to a lifetime of elegance. "So, have you studied for the exams?" Arthur asked him. "No," Lister replied gracefully and honestly, with even a hint of pride in his tone, "I haven''t read a single word." "Then what are you proud of?" Arthur inquired. "If I had studied, upon seeing the questions, I would have the answers from the book in my mind." Listen explained calmly, "I would end up transcribing the answers hiding in my mind onto the paper, wouldn''t that be equivalent to cheating by copying answers?" "That wouldn''t be fair to the other examinees, so I chose not to read a word. It''s not because I''m lazy or unable to comprehend, but because the pride deep in my soul won''t allow it. My haughty soul refuses to stoop to the despicable act of ''studying from a book''." "As an honest and fair saint, I cannot condone any form of cheating." "Then how will you handle the exam?" Arthur asked again. "The Goddess will favor those who are honest and noble." Listen once again elegantly sipped his tea, still speaking with an air of high stature, "My heart will honor the guidance of the Goddess and choose the correct path." "I see," Arthur said thoughtfully upon hearing this, "Brother Lister, your words make a lot of sense!" ...Isn''t this just guessing? Watching the conversation between the two, An Su let out a sigh. At this moment, he unexpectedly began to miss Kavensis. They were both scripted as prodigal scions of noble families, yet Kavensis managed to play the part quite convincingly. "Why were we three assigned together?" An Su asked. "It''s based on regional division, Big Bro An Su," Arthur had already started to call him ''Big Bro'', "We three are all from border cities and are students of Radiant Magic, naturally grouped together." That small border city unexpectedly produced the three of us, remarkable talents. An Su thought to himself. Continuing, Arthur added, "There were supposed to be four of us, I have no idea why Kavensis didn''t come." It seems the Church has sealed the news very tightly. "He took a leave of absence to study." An Su responded. In his heart, he added: parental leave. "Haha, I see, did he take sick leave?" Arthur laughed. "You could say that." Parental leave is a kind of sick leave after all. "So when does his leave end?" "Generally it''s ten months, but he''s faster." "That long, huh? Didn''t he go to receive the blessings of the Holy Light for healing?" Arthur asked. "He did, which is why he''s faster." An Su added in his heart: He "gave birth" so fast it nearly "killed" him. ---- The night passed without incident, and the entrance examination for the Church finally began. The Order Church divides its dioceses, and the first tower''s third floor was also the site for the written examination. Only by walking through the Imperial Capital Diocese during the daytime could one feel its grandeur and vastness. The brilliant golden sunlight filtered through the colored-glass dome, scattering dazzling specks of light atop the ancient marble columns. The columns were carved with scales and rulers, the symbolic emblems of the ''Order Church'' among the faith of the Seven Gods. The full name of the Order Church is ''Church of Order and Law,'' with the Goddess of Order as its divine patron. Due to the characteristics of the Church, its dioceses were often used as the main examination venues. The esoteric religion opposing it is the Sanctuary of Chaos, officially known as ''Esoteric Religion of Chaos and Ladder,'' with the Mother Goddess of Chaos as its divine patron. Radiant Saint third examination room, room 301. An Su observed the expressions of the other candidates. There were about sixty people in the examination room, but there they were, nervoussome continuously tapped their feet, some even took out books to review, and most remained silent, anxiously waiting for the exam to start. Time ticked away steadily, and steady footsteps echoed in the hallways. The newcomer was dressed in a snow-white clerical robe with the emblem of the Order Church embroidered on the chest, and the stigma on the left shoulder indicated his position: Priest. He carried the examination papers with a dignified air and entered the examination room, "The examination is about to begin. Please put away all unrelated items. Anyone caught cheating will be immediately disqualified... I am the invigilator for this examination. You may address me as Priest Paxi." "The examination time is two and a half hours. Please answer carefully," The Order Priest broke the seal of the examination papers, and an assistant helped him distribute the papers. [Question twenty-one, please discuss the Druid pea''s magic hybridization experiment.] Having received the paper and flipped to the last question, An Su knew he had it in the bag. ''Mother'' ''hybridization'' ''modification'' ''dissection''... A series of taboo keywords resurfaced in An Su''s mind, linking up his memories. Thank you, dear Miss Enya! The other questions on the exam tested knowledge that An Su had also reviewed; the notes organized by Luojia were exceptionally comprehensive. Meanwhile, the candidates around him all showed constipated expressionsit seemed they too had flipped to the last question. Their eyes revealed a clear sense of bewilderment and helplessness. The exam questions of the Radiant Holy See were not too varied, and they even provided an exam outline, almost entirely encompassing the Radiant Holy See''s politics, history, strategic reasoning, casting theory, and other humanities composite topics. Except for the last question. The last question was set by the chief examiner, completely deviating from the given outlineso offbeat that it even ventured into topics from other sects, and it carried a lot of weight. Just like the last question in the previous year''s Radiant Holy See test, [There are four types of threaded connections: bolt connections, double-end stud connections... Please expound on this using alchemic principles.] This delved into the fields of alchemy and mechanical sects! The last question was entirely down to luck. According to the chief examiner, it was to cultivate all-rounded candidates and more importantly, to select those most favored by the Goddess. Those with good luck, who had coincidentally learned similar knowledge, would pass. Those with bad luck, it was as if they weren''t looked upon by the Goddess, and they wouldn''t be accepted. ----In a way, the theories of the Moon Family''s brother were indeed correct. Chapter 35 Priest Paxi These three are heavyweights! Priest Paxi, as a cleric of the Order Church, had already served as the chief examiner for several years.This was his pride. The Order Clergy possessed a unique characteristic, their Scales of Order, which could judge people''s actions. Judge whether it disrupted order, whether it harmed fairness. Capable of detecting whether an examinee was cheating. Therefore, they were very suitable to serve as examiners. His eyes were sharp as torches, as keen as those of a falcon; any student trying to disturb the order of the examination room was nowhere to hide; thus, half an hour into the exam, the order of the examination room was crystal clear, with only the rustling sound of vigorous writing. All the examinees were concentrating fully. As the clock ticked toward the top of the hour, someone raised their hand to signal. Priest Paxi narrowed his eyes, observing the examinee, who seemed to be from a border city. An Su Moningsta, his name was written on the exam paper. A title of [Novice], huh... Priest Paxi walked over to the young man and bent down. "Mr. Paxi, may I submit my paper now?" An Su asked. As soon as he spoke, the tips of the pens of the surrounding examinees trembled at once. What kind of livestock is this? The exam just started half an hour ago, are you planning to submit your paper so soon! They immediately felt sweat drenching their backs, Could it be that this question is actually very simple, and only I am finding it so headache-inducing? Asking to submit a papera normal right of examinees. This passed the judgement of the Scales of Order. "You can submit your paper only after one hour has passed since the start of the exam," Priest Paxi explained patiently, "If you''re finished, then carefully check your work." It was common for students to be unclear about the exam rules, an occurrence every year; this was very normal. What piqued his curiosity was why this young man from a border city was so fast at answering questions, even the valedictorian from last year''s Holy Maiden Luojia wasn''t so exaggerated... Even the last question was done... Wait, it seemed as though this guy only did the last part! Priest Paxi''s gaze immediately became stern; the young man hadn''t even started the rest! Then why was he asking if he could submit his paper? He clearly hadn''t finished. Wasn''t he afraid that Paxi would collect his blank paper? A very absurd conjecture emerged in Priest Paxi''s mind. Perhaps this young man was clear about the exam rules and knew that a paper can''t be submitted until an hour has passed... Because the time hadn''t come, he was confident Paxi couldn''t collect his paper. Sar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. An Su was doing this on purpose! Deliberately showing he had finished. Deliberately working backward, from the last question to the first. It was to pressure the other examinees! And his actions were all legal, neither cheating nor breaking the rules, behavior that could be judged by the Eye of Order. Answering questions backward was not illegal, and asking whether one could submit their paper was also not illegal. All these acts of order brought chaos. Was this young man a chosen of chaos? Priest Paxi looked around and already saw several examinees with anxious expressions, even glancing over to An Su from time to time. They too had noticed that An Su had completed the last part, the final big question even filled out completely. Bathed in sweat. "Cough." Priest Paxi coughed, deciding to say something to maintain order, "Continue with the exam. Young man, you haven''t completed the first part yet." Paxi''s words had a certain calming effect, and the mood of the examinees in the three examination rooms gradually stabilized. Still, there was a lingering thorn in their hearts, a subtle unease buried within them. Even their thinking became somewhat unclear. As the clock ticked away, half an hour passed after the chime of the clock struck the hour, right on time, not a minute more or a second less, and that young man, An Su, raised his hand again. This time, Priest Paxi was truly angry as he stormed down from the stage. If you want to disturb the order, then I will indeed take away your blank paper. But to his surprise, when he picked up the test paper, he found that all the boxes were filled with answers, and they were all correct too. This time, An Su had indeed finished. Thanks to the baptism of the Mother Goddess, his memory was exceptionally good, and after over a month of cramming like mad, he had mastered a fair amount of the knowledge. And when it came to humanities questions, memory was the most crucial talent. All the questions were answered, leaving no room for corrections. There was no need to stay in the examination hall any longer. In fact, An Su was still regretful; after observing for a long time, not a single person in the entire examination hall was cheating. No fun to be had. Under everyone''s watchful eyes, An Su handed in his paper cleanly, left his seat cleanly, and was the first to leave the examination room cleanly, striding away. Noticing this scene, especially observing the expression on Priest Paxi''s face, the hearts of the surrounding examinees suddenly slowed by half a beat. They could even hear An Su''s muttering, a voice deliberately lowered, but not so low that one couldn''t hear it if they listened closely enough. "All previous questions I''ve done, exactly the same, too simple." How could there be previous questions? Lies. Priest Paxi''s mouth twitched fiercely; all the questions on this test paper were originally composed, Even the last question from the Druid Sect was reworked, and there was no way any question could be found on the market, let alone be exactly the same as the original question! Paxi observed the expressions of the surrounding examinees and felt even more overwhelmed. Clearly, many examinees had heard An Su''s words, and at that moment, they all thought, ''Damn, what a loss!'' ''No wonder he finished so fast, could it be he saw the questions beforehand?'' ''All previous questions? Why haven''t I come across any?'' ''It can''t be that everyone else did them except me?'' As a cleric of Order, Priest Paxi could feel the disorder spreading among the examinees'' hearts. And yet, he couldn''t disqualify An Su for this muttered sentence. Because the Scales of Order judged his behavior lawful and in accordance, all was judged by the Scales of Order. First, there was no transmission of answers in that sentence, not a hint of answer information. Second, it didn''t disrupt the order of the examination roomhe said it quietly after leaving the examination hall. Priest Paxi slowly exhaled, fortunately, that rascal was finally gone. He didn''t need to guard against that bastard anymore. Besides, he had only caused a small disturbance after all, most examinees wouldn''t believe that the Church''s test could have leaked questions. But before his hanging heart had even half settled down, another hand was raised. "Handing in the paper." The examination room fell silent instantly. Someone else handed in their paper! The second one, just one hour into the test. Could it be that there really was a leak of the actual questions in this examination? Chaos began to spread further, and many examinees started to doubt their lives. Priest Paxi looked back and saw a title, "The Glorious Young Lion." A very sunny and handsome man, with long, blond hair, dressed like a noble son, that confident smile was like the warm sunlight of early spring. Arthur Sunny, also from the border city. Are all the students from the border city overachievers? Priest Paxi could only consider himself unlucky now, but when he picked up Arthur''s paper, he found a blank expanse. What''s all this about? So many questions left unanswered! "...Am I really taking it away?" Priest Paxi asked tentatively. Having been an examiner for so many years, he had never encountered such a thing, "Am I really taking it away?" This Glorious Young Lion, wanting to do the same as that originator, feign completion, and hence induce panic among the other examinees? But this time, Paxi would not indulge him. Because the paper really could be taken away now, as one hour had elapsed, and he could directly collect this blank paper. This is playing with fire! "Are you sure you want to hand it in, because I''ll take it away." Paxi threatened, the implication being clear, stop your games and concentrate on the exam. That ought to stop the student from acting recklessly. To Paxi''s surprise, Arthur nodded confidently in the sunlight, "Yes, please take it." This guy Paxi gazed at Arthur as one would a monster, what wicked scheming, what evil and chaotic thoughts, what an awakening! More importantly, he really looked confident, so sure of himself. This guy, rather than properly completing the paper, preferred to prematurely turn in a blank sheet, just to unsettle other examinees! Are all the creatures coming from the border city such evil and chaotic spirits! Arthur had a very simple reason for submitting his paper. Because An Su had turned his in. So Arthur knew with certainty that he was done for. Since the start of the exam, he had been waiting for An Su to pass him answers! But, waiting left and right, he got nothingapparently, the money he gave yesterday wasn''t enough. Now that An Su had turned in his paper, there was no chance of receiving anything at all, so he followed suit. His hanging heart finally died. Paxi''s mouth twitched. He didn''t believe for a second that Arthur knew nothing; he was a saint-to-be, how could there be such a foolish person. It had to be intentional. These damned agents of chaos. "Fellow student, you haven''t finished writing yet..." Paxi decided to say something to stabilize the mental state of the students around, "You don''t want to regret it." "I won''t regret it, take the papers." Arthur revealed a sunny and confident smile, saying, "I''ve already taken the path I was meant to take. I have no regrets in this life." "From now on, the crown of justice will be preserved for me." I''ve already taken the path, he filled out all the multiple-choice questions. I have no regrets in this life, after returning home, he probably was going to be beaten to death by his father. The crown of justice will be preserved for me, after finishing, he was going to ask the swindler An Su for a refund! One can only say that there was a reason this guy was ranked first in the #MostDesirableSaint#; that smile was truly sunny, confident, and holy, very deceptive. So carefree, so arrogant, so wild and unrestrained, How could the surrounding examinees believe this guy wrote nothing after seeing such a confident smile on Arthur? They must have thought that Priest Paxi, fearing their psychological pressure, had deliberately said those words to comfort himself. "You may leave..." Paxi murmured quietly. At that moment, another hand was raised. "Priest Paxi, I request to hand in my paper." The third person asked to hand in their paper early! The entire examination room''s candidates'' mindsets completely exploded. Dammit, there really must have been a leak of the actual questions, and only they hadn''t reviewed them; otherwise, how could three people hand in their papers early, as if there were so many geniuses!! They almost simultaneously entertained this thought. Paxi turned to look, It was a very elegant and handsome man, radiating an aura of an overachiever, his left hand gently pushing up his gold-rimmed glasses, his right hand slowly rising. He looked very commanding. #MostDesirableSaint# ranked second, "The Goddess''s Moonlight" Lister Muen. Upon seeing the examinee information on Lister''s paper, Priest Paxi felt like he was going to have a stroke. God damn it, this guy also came from the border city! These three originators from the border city! Lister was even more confident, elegantly handing in his paper. He didn''t know how to do the problems at all; he wrote randomly, But he was very confident, because he believed the Goddess would favor him. Even if it was written randomly, it would be correct. You perfectly avoided the right answers... Priest Paxi looked at the paper, his face as if he had died. The key point was, Lister really looked elegant, very sure of himself, very persuasive, and influential. The surrounding examinees, no one doubted him. With three successive early submissions, the mindsets of all examinees totally shattered. At that moment, Paxi had only one thought in mind: A land of destitution breeds troublemakers! Chapter 36 Arthur This is a sure win An Su was the first to leave the examination hall.It was still early in the morning, and the winter sun bathed the dome of the Order Church in warmth, casting a light green shadow with the leaves outside the courtyard. The cloister was empty. It seemed he was the first examinee to come out. But as soon as An Su exited the cloister, descended to the third floor, and crossed the security line, he was surrounded by a thick crowd armed with long lenses and short cannons. Most of them held notepads, with pencils tucked behind their ears, white hats perched on their heads, and briefcases hanging from their shoulders; Dressed in various colorful clothes, emblazoned with the assorted logos of ''newspapers'', they all revealed expressions like sharks sensing blood when they saw the first examinee emerge. Most were reporters, and some were education experts. For the residents of Farol, the annual saint examination held significant attention. And being the first examinee out, of course, they were very excited. "Could you tell us, what was the last question?" This was a question of utmost interest to the journalists. An Su turned to the person who asked, whose shirt bore the bold letters ''Capital Morning News''. The last question of the Radiant Holy See was always a national hotspot due to its renowned abstractness and randomness, and many gambling houses placed bets on the final question''s content, Every year, education experts from all over the nation paid attention to the scope of the final question. You should know, this question was personally set by a bishop of the Church. By analyzing the last question''s domain of examination, they tried to guess the direction, intention, and perspective of the Church''s next examination. The education experts made their money by writing about such things. And what if their predictions failed? No worries, they had already conned the money from those fools. Faced with this question, An Su pondered for a moment, recalling Miss Enya''s words from before. It felt... quite amusing. "I have forgotten some of the specific details of the question," An Su said with a hint of distress, scratching his head, "I may not explain it very clearly." "Just give us a rough idea, please," they asked. "Well, the last question was related to the topic of [mother and child]," he responded. An Su thought for a moment and then added, "Because the question was too simple, I don''t remember it very well---only an idiot would fail it, I guess." Even at this moment, An Su was still putting pressure on the examinees. After all, there were exams the day after tomorrow too. The topic related to mother and child! The Capital Morning News reporter''s eyes brightened, thinking has the scope of the Radiant Holy See''s examination expanded to the realm of familial affections? A deep humanistic concern. Worthy of a bishop''s question, the content is so broad and profound. "Could you reveal a bit more?" the morning news reporter asked again. "It''s related to [hybridization]," An Su answered honestly. The education experts present were a bit dumbfounded; what was this, combining [mother and child] and [hybridization]was the bishop''s question this wild? How should they predict next year''s exam topic? "Could you be more specific?" the reporter detailed meticulously with his pencil in his notebook. S~ea??h the novlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "It''s about the [non-human] types," he said. Mother and child, non-human, hybridization! What sort of monster do all these elements combine to make! Has the scope of the Radiant Holy See''s examination become this bizarre...? Everyone knew the last question from the Radiant Holy See was tricky, but where were they heading with this? Everyone knew the Church''s questions were supposed to be broad and profound, but who could have expected them to be this strangely deep and thick! The education experts were sweating bulletsthis was entirely outside their area of expertise. "Uh... could you give another hint?" Wiping the sweat from his forehead, the reporter''s eyes shone with excitement. He had a premonition, a big scoop right before him. "Well, it involves gender transformation and body modification, oh, and reproduction," An Su confidently replied. Gender transformation! Body modification! Reproduction! These demonic terms spewed from the mouth of this sunny-faced youth, and the deep filth hidden within each word seemed to solidify, engulfing unspeakable knowledge in terror. The experts'' brows were laced with cold sweat as they involuntarily swallowed their saliva. Bishop, my dear old Bishop, what on earth were the questions you set this year! Is the Radiant Holy See branching out into the adult entertainment industry now? What should be recommended for next year''s teaching materials then, 18-rated doujinshi from the little bookstores? Should the educational materials be changed to "Three Years of Gender-Bending, Five Years of Hybridizing"? Many education experts and tabloid journalists already had preliminary ideas in their minds. They immediately wrote them down because whoever got these first-hand materials out the fastest would make the most money. The reporter from the Capital Morning News also broke out in a cold sweat on his forehead. He coughed and didn''t dare to continue asking. An Su observed the expressions of those studying journalism and found it quite amusing. He, of course, knew that this would eventually be exposedafter all, the real questions would come out eventually, but it didn''t matter. He could have his fun while it lasted. After all, he, An Su, hadn''t told a single lie. It was their own dirty minds that had conjured up the problem. "You are the first examinee to come out of the test site. May I ask... could you please leave..." The reporter stammered, "Could you please leave a name?" Leave a name... An Su didn''t actually like leaving names. He could leave one, but there was no need. No matter what they had concocted in their heads, in the end, it would be this group of education experts and journalism students who would make a spectacle of themselves. "Just call me Arthur Sunny, a Sunny from the border Sun Family." An Su left the name of his fellow countryman and then pushed through the crowd to head outside. According to the exam schedule, after finishing at the Order Diocese, he still needed to report to the Alchemic Diocesetomorrow''s examiners would announce the rules. Above An Su''s head still floated the title of [Newcomer], but it didn''t matter. He was new to the capital city, who would know that the newcomer was him, An Su Moningsta? The capital was so large, and there were so many examinees. And besides, he hadn''t lied; no one could blame him. An Su hadn''t gone very far. The reporters then saw the second examinee coming out of the exam room. Golden locks, lion-like majestic brown eyes, and an aura as strong and vital as the sun, constantly exuding an unrestrained and carefree temperament. He finished an hour early too? Could it be as the Sunny examinee just said, that this year''s questions were quite simple? The education experts thought to themselves. "What was the last question?" They quickly gathered around, asking with eager eyes, "Is it really related to ''mother and child,'' ''hybridizing'' and the like?" Even at this moment, they still held on to a thread of hope. Arthur looked at the reporters interviewing him, slightly confused. The last question... What was the last question about? He, Arthur Sunny, had only done the multiple-choice questions! But now, being grilled for an interview, Arthur had to bluff his way through, so he nodded with a smile, radiating confidence. Hiss... The education experts visibly gasped in shock. "Could we... could we have a name, please," the morning paper reporter grew more excited, sensing a big scoop, "so we can record it on our front page." Front page. In an instant, Arthur sensed the danger. He was no fool. If his name appeared on the front page of the newspaper and his father in the far-off border saw itand a few days later when the results came out... failing the exam but daring to be the second to leave the test room early? Such audacity would get him killed by his father! He couldn''t use his real name. He was cunning indeed, his mind working overdrive, thinking quickly. He analyzed and reasoned calmly and carefully. An Su had left before him; surely, the guy must have already been interviewed and left An Su''s name... so he couldn''t leave An Su''s name. Otherwise, he would be found out. So, there was only one choice left. Since Arthur only knew two other examinees, the choice was clear. His clever brain had already found the answer! "My name is Lisiter Muen. A Muen from the border Moon Family." Arthur confidently left his final words and pushed through the crowd, walking away in a dashing manner. Brother Lisiter, you''ll take my place in getting killed then. After all, we''re good brothers from the same placeArthur was aware that Lisiter''s chances in the exam were probably slim too. How could there be anyone as clever as himself in this world. As for the title of [Radiant Young Lion] still above his head, but it didn''t matter. Since he hadn''t left a name, who in the capital would know the Young Lion was him, Arthur Sunny? The capital was so large, and there were so many examinees. Chapter 37 Lister My Name is Kavensis "Kavensis Black.""My name is Kavensis Black, son of a Border Church Priest." Faced with an interview from several journalists, Lister Muen, the third to leave the examination room, coolly pushed up his glasses and answered elegantly and politely. Every word and action was filled with the etiquette of nobility. Lister Muen was a graceful and meticulous man. His light brown short hair was always impeccably groomed, his lips slightly thin, which betrayed his humble character, his light blue eyes always calm and gentle, he always wore crisply pressed black trousers and a neatly ironed blue tailcoat, every button done up just so. At the same time, he was a low-profile person. Humility and low-profile, these were the most important virtues of nobility. As the most devout and honest follower of the Goddess, he was well-aware of his excellence, but he understood the principle that a tree that stands out in the forest is likely to be toppled by the wind. He did not like to show off. The reason he was only the third one out of the examination room was also because of his modesty. Otherwise, he would have handed in his paper much earlier. Forever thirdthat was his creed, neither ostentatious nor lagging behind. But unexpectedly, outstanding people, like fireflies in the night, are so distinctly and dazzlingly visible wherever they are, attracting attention like flowers draw bees and butterflies, leading the journalists to come for interviews one after another. Despite his excellence, Lister still chose to be understated. He did not plan to leave his name; he would rather become a legend of the Imperial Capital. At the same time, Lister was a wise man. He understood that An Su and Arthur had left the examination room before him, so the journalists would certainly have noted their names, thus he could not usurp their identities. Arthur knew only two other examinees, but in fact... there was one more! That was Kavensis Black, who was currently on sick leave! They were fellow townspeoplethough not close, but using Kavensis''s name for a bit wouldn''t upset him, would it? Moreover, with Kavensis lying sick in bed and suddenly seeing his own name appear in the capital''s newspaper, he would surely feel comforted and deeply warmed by it. It definitely wasn''t because he feared he had performed poorly and disgraced himself. Lister was such a considerate and gentle man, a gentleman of high emotional intelligence. He placed his left hand on his right chest, his right leg slightly bent, performing a perfect noble courtesy, "Then, I, Kavensis, shall take my leave." As for the title of "Goddess''s Moonlight" that was still above his head, but it no longer mattered. Since he had not left his name, being new to the Imperial Capital, who would know Moonlight was Lister Muen? The Imperial Capital was so vast, and there were so many examinees. . Eleven o''clock in the morning. A border city, the Sun Family Estate. The intense sunshine shone on the reddish land, the light passing through the study''s glass window, refracting onto the gleaming armor. The Sun Family was the oldest and most storied family on the frontier, abundant in military virtues, frequently producing generals and marshals, with their patriarch, the Grand Duke of the Sun, Annand Sunny, being the only Seventh Order Knight on the frontier. A Seventh Order Knight had already entered the realm of the demigods. Duke Annand was known for being stern and rarely smiling, yet today he exhibited clear signs of joy. He sat in his study, leafing through the latest issue of the "Imperial Capital Morning Post." Journalism was very efficient; to grab the headlines, they would immediately write their material upon receiving the latest news, then, through the arcane network, they would print it en masse across the nation. In less than two hours, Duke Annand, far off on the frontier, was already looking at the latest issue of the "Imperial Capital Morning Post." The Sun Family had always had one regret their lack of culture, never having produced a Church official, frequently mocked by their political rivals as "the Barbarian Family." But today, all that changed. He looked at the latest newspaper, the glaring headline on it: #The first examinee to leave the examination room! Arthur Sunny of the Sun Family accepts an interview!# The first to leave the examination room, even handing in his paper early! Even so, Duke Annand wouldn''t be this happy, as he was well aware of what his child was capable ofperhaps he handed in a blank paper and left early. But then the journalist''s following report set Duke Annand''s mind at ease: "Arthur Sunny personally said that the last question of the exam was quite simple, so it wasn''t worth rememberingonly a fool would fail to solve it." Steady! Duke Annand''s lips curled with a gratified smile; even he, an illiterate who had dropped out of prenatal education, had heard about the abstract and outrageous final question of the Radiant Holy See. If his own son found the last question simple and had solved it easily, wouldn''t the other questions have been a piece of cake? The more he thought about it, the more overjoyed he became. Their Sun Family had finally produced a scholarly top-scorerit was as if their ancestral tomb was emitting a green light, an immense source of pride. He wanted other nobles to know that the Sun Family too had culture. Duke Annand stood up, straightened his collar, draped a cloak over his shoulders, took the newspaper in hand, and prepared to step out. He was eager to show off properly, to boast in person, especially to swing by the Moon Family and Morningstar Family. "Ah, I seem to have lost my way, how did I end up here?" "Ah, there''s a smudge on my newspaper here, could you take a look for me?"Duke Annand had already thought of his lines. The son did well on his exam, and Archduke Annand was very happy. . Sar?h the N?velFire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Half past eleven in the morning. Border city, Moon Family Estate. As the second oldest family in history and the one with the most extensive connections, the family was famous for its elegant and noble family traditions. The estate was planted with violets, and even in winter, the Moon Family''s wisteria still flourished, the elegant and noble purple hanging along the eaves, screening the vigorous sunlight and casting a grace of delicate filter through the windows. The Marquis of the Moon FamilyNorman Muenwas a calm and elegant gentleman. No matter what happened, he remained unstirred. But today, the corners of Marquis Norman''s mouth were slightly upturned. The reason was the "Imperial Capital Morning Post" in his hands, the second column of news: #The second candidate to leave the exam room, the Moon Family''s Lisiter Muen smiled confidently# To maintain elegance, one must not laugh out loud. Despite feeling quite pleased inside, Marquis Norman, after all a gentleman of high elegance and taste, maintained his composure. ''Handing in the paper early is just the most basic operation.'' ''The child is still not consistent; he didn''t come out first.'' Marquis Norman had already thought of what to say afterwards; he rolled up the newspaper and walked outside. The son did well on his exam, and Marquis Norman was very happy. . Eleven forty in the morning. Border city, Morningstar Family Estate. As the least historically significant and wealthiest nouveau riche family, the Morningstar Family had only one advantage: it was very rich. Richer than the other two families combined. With more money than they could ever spend, the Morningstar Family was infamous for its prodigal sons. In Count Karlo''s study, sunlight poured down, only to be repelled by a stronger glow of gold: Gold teacups, gold chairs, gold desks... no arms or armor, no wisteria or greenery, just the purest money as decor. The Earl of the Morningstar FamilyKarlo Moningstar, had only money. Yet even he, with all his wealth, felt joy today. He had just heard that three students from the border city had handed in their exams early and had been sweating over it. But glancing at the morning newspaper, his anxiety dropped to his stomach. Sunny, Muen, BlackNo Moningstar. Fantastic! Just a month ago, An Su furiously studied daily, and Count Karlo worried; what if his own child was actually a scholar supreme? What if he really topped the exams, what would happen to the family''s gold mines? As it turned out, all that worry was needless. An Su had not disappointed his expectations! Even though the exact results had yet to be released, Count Karlo was nearly certain in his heart. He had already decided which gold mine he would assign to An Su to manage. The son did poorly on his exam, and Count Karlo was very happy. . Noon. Border city, Radiant Cathedral, Blake Family cemetery in the back hills. No armor, no violets, no gold, just row upon row of tombstones standing stark against the desolate, silent mountains, with the winterly north winds wailing through the coffins with a ghostly sigh. Sunlight fell upon the tombstones, casting a dim light. The Blake Family was one of the Priest families of the Radiant Holy See. At this moment, in front of a grave, Priest Black was holding the "Imperial Capital Morning Post," his hands trembling slightly, sweat beading on his brow. The third column of news: #The third candidate to leave the examination room, Kavensis Black of the border Church shone brightly!# Brightness? Sunshine? Priest Black stared at this line fiercely, then turned his head to look at his son''s secret grave, gazing at the empty, murky tombstone and swallowed hard. It was chilling and forbidding. Even though the noon sun shined upon him, it felt so haunting on Priest Black''s body. Is this the cost of faith in the Mother Goddess? The son won the resurrection match, and Priest Black was alarmed. Chapter 38 An Su Dare to compare test answers with me? Noon.The Alchemical Church district, Sixth Cathedral. The full name of the Alchemical Church is the ''Church of Alchemy and Mechanical Magic,'' worshipping the master of Alchemy and magic machinery. All the saints of the Alchemical Church are proficient in alchemy. They are also skilled in creating alchemic magic circles, designing alchemic automatons, and manufacturing magic devices. They also delve into certain designs and explorations of the ''Nether Game'' worldof course, this important task is mainly accomplished by the Celestial Church. The examination on the third day, which is also the final test, takes place in the ''Nether Game''a game that pleases the gods. Incidentally, that green-skinned fire train from An Su''s hometown was also crafted by the saints of the Alchemical Church. Using inexpensive, First Order senior magicians as the power source to drive the Magic Conductor Train forward is an ingenious design conceived by the Alchemical Church. They study civil engineering, but not just civil engineering. The interior of the Alchemical Cathedral has a very civil engineering vibe, standing six stories tall. Metallic frescoes, pure white mercury statues, massive alchemic magic circles, and those pure iron gear crestsall highlighting their distinct style. Sunlight penetrates the mercury dome, casting a dazzling metal glow throughout the cathedral, while outside, the leaves of the plane trees cast specks and splashes of green. The hall of the Sixth Cathedral was very spacious, the size of a football field, At the center ceiling hung a huge magic screen, capable of displaying the entire hall. Tomorrow''s exam will take place in the grand hall of the Sixth Cathedral of Alchemy. And this magic screen will live broadcast their actions. An Su always felt that the gazes of the surrounding candidates were malicious. It''s already noon. News from the border city was rather delayed, and the first batch of morning newspapers had already been printed, making it difficult to amend. But in the examination hall of the Septenary Church, Especially among these saintly candidates, the news of An Su handing in his paper first had already spread to a small extent. The candidates more or less already knew about An Su, they also knew this rascal had said, ''The last question is very simple; anyone who doesn''t get it is a fool,'' as soon as he left the exam hall. Therefore, the looks directed at An Su became more complex. Especially from those candidates in the same examination room as him. Incomparable resentment, silent anger, thick malice with even a hint of envy and respectful admirationsuch were the intricately mixed and accommodating emotions. An Su was familiar with such gazes; in his previous life when he scored first in his grade, he often received similar treatment. "Hmph." He could even hear someone snorting coldly. "What''s so great about him..." Facing these malicious bullying gazes, An Su remembered how he handled such situations in his previous life. He would deal with these interpersonal issues very appropriately and amiably. "Keep staring at me and I''ll recite the answers to the multiple-choice and fill-in-the-blank questions," An Su said with a smile, his expression bright and sunny, "Let''s compare the answers." In his previous high school days, An Su''s favorite thing was to loudly recite his answers right after an examrelishing the constipated expressions of his classmates was a delightfully gratifying pastime. Upon these words, the majority of the hall fell silent. As quiet as a group of cicadas in winter. The looks directed at An Su no longer held anger or resentment, only respect and wariness. This effect was even more efficient than the descent of the Evil God. No one wants to compare answers with the top of the class unless you''re the second-best, especially on the first day of examsin any world, this is the same. Their mental state for the rest of the examination would collapse. Finally, the surroundings quieted down, and An Su raised his eyes to the second floor of the cathedral, squinting slightly. Meanwhile, on the second floor of the Alchemical Church, several alchemical priests and clerics were observing the candidates below through an alchemic screen. They were tomorrow''s exam invigilators, and at the moment, they were gathered around a large round table, earnestly observing every candidate and occasionally engaging in quiet conversation. Even though the candidates below were all prospective saints of the Radiant Holy See. But if there were any who performed exceptionally well, as long as the offer was high enough, it was possible to lure them to one''s own church. After all, the seven gods are one family, so whom to believe if not them? "Priestess Ai Xueli, which candidate do you favor the most?" An elderly bishop holding a newspaper said, "I think this student named ''An Su Moningsta'' is not bad, having left the examination hall early." "From the borderlands," Priestess Ai Xueli replied without lifting her head. "Oh, right, I remember now, you don''t like people from the borderlands," the clergyman said with a sheepish smile. "After all, they come from the borderlands. They always seem to have a certain odor." Ai Xueli had no good impression of the borderland cities; she was a born and bred noble of the imperial city, with partial blood relations to the royal family; She herself was also a genius, possessing the rare talent of all attributes, which is why she was proficient in most types of magic, apart from alchemy. "On the Proportions and Reuse of a Magician''s Memory Slots" this paper published by Ai Xueli at the age of nineteen, allowed her to ascend to the position of priestess at a young age. She was now twenty years old and had already become a nearly Fourth Order Magician. ''Magic prodigy'' this was the external assessment of her. "It will be your responsibility to conduct the assessment tomorrow," the sectional bishop of the sixth church said slowly, sitting at the head of the round table. "Be careful when you act." "Yes, Your Eminence." Ai Xueli answered, her mind, however, was on other matters. Her senior brother Paxi from the Order Church had just come to see her, He listed three names and reminded her to beware of these three candidates from the borderlands they were not to be underestimated. But it didn''t matter, S~ea??h the novlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. After all, they were merely from the borderlands. That insignificant place. ...Hmph. Indeed, she did not take it to heart. Ai Xueli was very proud, and she indeed had the capital to be proud. Feeling that it was about time, Ai Xueli stood up, gracefully nodding to the bishop. She was dressed in a snow-white gown, with robes embroidered with brilliant golden patterns, and a gear emblem around the collar, as she lightly lifted the hem of her dress while performing the curtsy: "Then I shall go and read the notice to the candidates. Your Eminence, I will take my leave now." Perhaps because they had been waiting for the invigilator for a long time, the hall downstairs was starting to get noisy again. But Ai Xueli, as if by magic, simply walked down the stairs unhurriedly without making a sound, and just by standing there, she quieted the surrounding candidates. Ai Xueli surveyed the candidates around her and with barely parted lips, "Good afternoon, everyone." "I am your examiner for tomorrow, Ai Xueli Milton; you may address me as Priestess Ai Xueli." "Alchemy is a marvellous discipline." "Wisdom, courage, persistence these are the three great elements of alchemy and likewise, they are the important qualities of magic." "In tomorrow''s exam," she said elegantly, "Please apply your trifling wisdom, use your meager courage, and of course, your relentless spirit employ these three great virtues and do your utmost to defeat me." The whole room was astounded, Defeat a nearly Fourth Order Priestess, what kind of joke was that? "Please be quiet." Ai Xueli had already spotted those three candidates from the borderlands their garments bore the emblem of the borderlands, and a faint smile appeared on her face, "Now, I will begin to announce the examination rules." Chapter 39 Priestess Ai Xueli''s words had just ceased when An Su felt the view before his eyes blur.A soft buzzing noise reached his ears. A sheet of paper woven from light gently floated down before him, landing in An Su''s hands on its own. The sheet was as thin as a cicada''s wing, weightless, and it was a set of instructions for the exam, as well as a pledge. [Dear Mr. An Su Moningsta, greetings, your exam number is 061, and your examination location is the sixth cathedral of the Alchemical and Engineering Church.] [The subject of this assessment is ''the allocation and usage of spell slots and magic points''.] [Exam weighting: 30%.] [Exam instructions: Restricted by the Alchemic Magic Circle, you can and may only use four memory slots. You are free to choose spells from a magic book for temporary equipment and allocate ten magic points for use.] [Carrying any auxiliary magic tools is prohibited, and divine titles are disabled. Contestants must not have any debuff before entering the arena.] [For thorough fairness, the examiner will completely replicate your status at the time you enter the examination venue, including appearance, gear, physical condition, spells in the four spell slots, and ten magic points, through an authorized Alchemic Magic Circle.] [Assessment criteria: Scores will be determined by performance, with defeating the examiner resulting in full marks.] [Persistence, courage, wisdomthis is not just an assessment but also a trial of self-overcoming.] [The only criterion for full marks is to defeat yourself.] As An Su flipped through the pledge, a faintly interested smile rose on his lips; he found this exam quite fascinating. [This pledge is drafted by the Alchemical and Engineering Church.] [Please confirm that you have read it thoroughly. By signing this exam pledge, you will grant the above rights.] In summary, there are only four spell slots, ten magic points, and no usage of titles. The examiner will battle you under the exact same conditions. Absolute fairness. But Priestess Ai Xueli is a genuine magic specialist, with far more experience than they have, so even with the same spells and identical conditions, she can produce better effects than the average person. The condition to pass this exam is how to choose those four spells. Sarch* The N?vel(F)ire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. It''s like a game of chess; the four memory slots are the pieces, and the ten magic points are your moves. You have to hide a strategy within those chosen pieces that will lead to victory over the opponent, and this strategy must also deceive them, not allowing them to see through it. Because the opponent has the same four pieces, and she can play the same moves. Even more, based on your chosen four pieces, she can design a better and more superior combination, playing a more skillful game. Right now, a normal person would be pondering how to choose the spells from the magic book. That is the orthodox and correct approach. But An Su plays unconventionally. Rather than playing chess, he prefers flipping the board. Narrowing his eyes slightly, he watched Miss Enya on the stage, and An Su already had a plan in his heart. Priestess Ai Xueli seemed to sense An Su''s gazeshe was a woman of high perception and slightly furrowed her brows, turning her head back. An Su gave her a radiant, pure smile. The reading of tomorrow''s exam rules was complete, and there was nothing else for today, so the candidates were dismissed on the spot. After leaving the Alchemical Church, An Su saw Miss Enya. She was sitting on a bench in the courtyard. The sunlight, passing through the transparent dome and reflecting off the glass in various angles, shone down inside. Because the courtyard was full of layers of greenery, the scorching sunlight seemed to lose some of its heat, resembling cool moonlight instead. Wearing a Lolita dress, the hem adorned with fine wisteria patterning, exquisite and opulent, the silhouette of the sycamore tree outside the window half-covered her side face. In her hands, she held a lunch box, tapping her toes on the ground, with her bare feet tied with a red string, making her appear light and transparent as if she was about to melt into that patch of light. Miss Enya also saw An Su and tilted her head, "I''ve brought lunch for you." It was so akin to a parent bringing food to a student... Under the watchful eyes of all, An Su accepted the lunch box, opening it to see a rich selection of food: fried fish cakes, neatly sliced steak, with a bottom layer spread with salad and cherry tomatoes, all neatly arranged in compartments. "Your unicorn arrived today as well; I''ve arranged for the inn to take care of it," Miss Enya spoke in an orderly manner, appearing on the surface to be a perfect maid indeed. "Let''s not talk about that for now, where is my magic wand?" An Su tasted a piece of the fried fish cake, finding it delicious. He might need it for tomorrow. "What magic wand?" Miss Enya tilted her head. "The one with Holy Light attributes the one Luojia gave to me." "Hmm," Miss Enya still wore a smile, batting her amber-colored eyes, "I can''t remember." She was like a stubborn cat. "Where is it?" "Is that a magic wand?" she exclaimed, feigning sudden realization, "It''s so ugly, I thought it was a clothes rod." "...So you used it to hang laundry?" An Su''s mouth twitched slightly. If the Little Holy Maiden found out about this, she''d blow her top! "Just kidding, it doesn''t really look like a clothes rod." Enya said with a smile, "I wouldn''t actually use it to hang laundry." That''s a relief... An Su felt slightly reassured. "Such a strange and ugly design." Enya said calmly, "I thought it was His Excellency Luojia''s Purple Authority Stick, so I used it for that sort of thing." ? That was the Holy Maiden''s magic wand. What ultimate insult... ...your mouth has started spewing filth again. This is a holy place of the Church. An Su smacked the back of the latter''s head with a lunch box, and the maid winced, whimpering in pain, holding the spot where she''d been hit. "Stop joking around." An Su could tell that the head maid was making up nonsense, spouting scandalous rumors, "Give it to meI might need it tomorrow." The maid held her head, sticking out her tongue. An Su took the magic wand, paused, and after a long moment, finally said, "The lunch was deliciousthank you for bringing it to me." "Don''t speak so kindly." Miss Enya paused, tilting her head, her sleek hair cascading over one shoulder, "Otherwise, you''ll become an even tastier ingredient for me tonight." "Impudent girl." An Su said. After finishing the boxed lunch, An Su sent Enya away and returned to his dormitory. As soon as he returned to the dormitory and opened the door, he heard the sound of a defense being shattered. The radiant young lion, Mr. Arthur Sunny, was trembling as he held a copy of the "Imperial Capital Morning Post," his worldview seeming to collapse as he read the text he couldn''t believe. #The first examinee to leave the examination room! Arthur Sunny of the Sun Family is interviewed!# ''Arthur Sunny personally stated that the last question on the exam was quite simple, so it wasn''t worth remembering---only a fool couldn''t solve it." His eyes blinked in confusion. Where''s my flawless plan? And I was the second one to leave the examination room, wasn''t I? And who said all this nonsense! "Someone''s got it in for me!" Lister pushed open the door, "Arthur, there''s a telegram for youit''s from your father." Arthur''s handsome face trembled as he took the telegram, opened it, and his pupils shrank. In the telegram, his father praised him fiercely and boasted of his deeds to the noble circles, he even declared a day off for the entire domain, with banners flying, to celebrate his ''Lord Arthur''s triumphant return home with the laurel of the arts''. All Arthur could think about now was what to do if he failed and had to go home, wondering how he should beg for forgiveness. The boast had been made, and his father loved his reputation. Moreover, his father was a demigod-level knight! Could he, Arthur, really take it... He swallowed a gulp of saliva. Lister took the morning post from Arthur''s hands, looked at it intently, and frownedsince when did I hand in my exam second? "Someone''s got it in for me!" He was so modest, how could he possibly be the second to submit his exam! He always had to be third! Lister had the most pathological compulsive disorder, he only wanted to be third. The OCD made him feel as if ants were crawling all over his body, making him extremely uncomfortable as if he were dying. How could his perfect plan go awry? Seeing their dispirited faces, An Su curiously took the morning post and raised his eyebrow even more, his first reaction being major Has Kavensis crawled out of his grave to seek relatives? ''Pregnant with twins and heartlessly abandoned, I transformed into a red-dressed ghost to seek my kin thousands of miles away''? "Someone''s got it in for me!" Chapter 40 Lister Ansus Wisdom Far Surpasses My Own Someone''s grandchild has screwed me over.This was An Su''s first reaction upon getting the newspaper. But soon, he slowly came to realize: Could it be that someone was impersonating Kavensis? Regrettably, An Su wasn''t the only one slowly sniffing out the scheme. Who was the first to come out, who was the second, who was the third. Understanding this order would clarify everything. Country folk from the borderlands do have a keen intuition. Arthur took a while to react, but his intelligent brain finally had an epiphany, looking at An Su with quite a resentful expression; In response, Lister stared at Arthur with the same look of resentmentand An Su glanced at Lister with a bit of distaste: You''d even bully a pregnant husband? "What a despicable guy, using the same tactic as me."they thought to themselves. The three of them eyed each other, watching back and forth for a while, the air as if it had frozen. The warm sunlight outside streamed into the room, and the shadow of the tree on the balcony shifted with the light. "How about this," An Su broke the silence, "we call it even between us?" "Only your name hasn''t been impersonated," Lister pushed up his glasses, his gaze glinting coldly, "Call what even?" "Kavensis and I share a life-and-death bond." An Su replied unfazed, "Using his name is essentially the same as using mine." Life-and-death bond, I''m born, you die. An Su is born, Kavensis dies, so it is a life-and-death bond. "Still, it doesn''t cancel out." Arthur stared at An Su. His handsome face was full of constipation, and the carefree, unrestrained smile also couldn''t be maintained. Just thinking about what awaited him when he got home made him shiver all over. They had lost only their reputationAn Su hadn''t even lost that, while he himself was about to lose his life! "You took the money, didn''t you, you took the money yesterday, Brother Su." Arthur''s gaze at An Su was full of resentment, "Didn''t we agree that you were going to help me pass the exam?" He would never trust a fellow countryman again. What does taking the money meanthe way these barbarians from another world speak is so crude, it wasn''t money, but a progress fund. "So, you''re sure you failed?" An Su asked. "I did complete the multiple-choice questions." Arthur responded. That definitely meant he had failed. "What about you?" An Su then turned his gaze to Lister. "Hmph," Lister elegantly pushed up his glasses, his voice confident and graceful, "The goddess will favor me." This guy is a goner too. An Su made a conclusion about these two in his heart. He paused, and began to think. According to the original story''s plot, Arthur was a goner as well. With the written exam accounting for thirty percent of the grade, to pass, the scores in the next two tests had to be very high: and with Arthur''s talent all allocated to knighthood, his performance in the next two exams was a disaster in the making. But after all, Arthur was a key character, and in accordance with the popular narrative style of downfall before rising, this was the downfall phase: After failing the exam, Arthur was cast out from his home, but fortune came from misfortune, and a year later, at his lowest, he encountered an opportunity, eventually achieving a turnaround. So, if he, the saint, passed, the opportunity wouldn''t fall on Arthur anymore. It would be his. An Su''s face revealed a contemplative look as he first glanced at Arthur, only to see the lad was all muscle, tall and strong, naturally gifted in martial arts, his body brimming with the power of valor. He glanced at Lister and saw that this fellow remained calm and elegant, with incredibly thick skin, refusing to admit that he had failed the examination to this very moment. One could say he was persistently shameless. Most importantly, neither of them were of high moral standing. These two sleeping dragons and young phoenixes... could be of help in tomorrow''s examination for me. No, more than just helpful! Gradually, a preliminary idea formed in An Su''s mind, and the corners of his mouth couldn''t help but reveal a radiant smilehe found this quite interesting. "What are your exam numbers?" An Su asked. "I am number 59," Arthur had no clue why An Su was asking this. "This one is number 60," someone declared. An Su was 61... it looked like the three of them from the frontier had been grouped together. Did the examiner intend to vanquish them all at once? "I have a method," An Su said calmly, a smile on his lips, "that can help us all pass the Church''s test." I will be the last one to appear... If the plan goes well, I might not even need to take the exam. sea??h th N??elFir.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Arthur jerked his head up, looking at An Su like a drowning man grasping at a lifeline, filled with eagerness and anticipation, yet he quickly shook his head and said suspiciously, "Brother An Su, you wouldn''t set me up, would you?" "I never set up anyone," An Su replied kindly, the azure in his eyes reflecting the pure white light. All three of them had deceptive appearances: Arthur had a casual and free-spirited image, like a sunny and confident noble son, while Lister looked cool and graceful, like a learned and talented scholar gentleman. As for An Su, he seemed delicate and clean, tilting his head slightly as his gray-white hair fell along with the sunshine from the window, like the innocent big boy next door. Arthur decided to trust his fellow countryman one more time, "Alright, if Brother An Su can really save me this time," he said as if making up his mind, "I, Arthur Sunny, swear on the goddess, I will truly acknowledge Brother An Su as the leader!" "What about you?" An Su turned his head towards Lister. "I shan''t agree," Lister replied coolly; he was a restrained and proud noble, "I won''t recognize a noble who fails to meet the standards of ''realization'' and ''will''." Lister was a noble of high status, and he did not permit himself to indulge in lowly deedsdeeds unworthy of his proud spirit. Like, for instance, reading and reviewing books. "My plan," An Su paused, his elbows resting on the desk, his slender fingers interlaced and supporting his chin, "requires ''realization'' and ''will'' to complete the trial." "Do you have that realization?" Sunlight streamed in, split into shadows by the window mullions, dividing light and dark across both sides of the desk. Lister could clearly sense a change in An Su''s aura: the open and cheerful big boy from before had disappeared, and a frightening atmosphere began to emanate from him. "Gentlemen, are you willing to listen to my plan?" Lister always felt that whatever An Su was about to say would be terrifying. Ten minutes later. Lister''s gaze towards An Su had completely changedhe clearly felt that this man before him was far superior in taste and breeding, and that refined gentlemanly spirit deeply touched Lister. Just as An Su had said, Only the most noble spirit, the most unyielding determination, and the most elegant and proud soul, could accomplish this grand plan. Who else if not me? "Brother An Su, I pledge my support to you," Lister said seriously to An Su, "For the great cause, I am ready." "Big Boss An Su," Arthur said with his hands clasped in a fist salute, "same for me." Chapter 41 The Borderland Triumvirs Begin to Show Their Mettle The next day. Early morning.Last night''s light snow had accumulated on the metallic dome, forming a thin layer of rime ice that negligently turned into meltwater, slowly trickling down through the crevices. The winter morning was devoid of sunlight, its glory veiled by a dim mist. The faint glow flickering in the air was nothing but the pure white of snowmelt. The Alchemic and Mechanical Church, the grand hall of the sixth chapel. The second-floor examination prep area was filled with test-takers who gazed nervously downwards through the glass, intermittently double-checking that the magic combinations they chose were error-free and might secure their passage through the test. They had all inquired about yesterday''s examiners in private. Priestess Ai Xueli Xien, a magical talent from the magicians'' Xien Family, was considered the foremost among her peers in the research of magical positioning combinations. With such a prodigy as their adversary, one feared that she could see right through the magic combinations they''d worked out. On the third floor, the Church''s priests were gathered around a round table, recording scores and quietly discussing and evaluating each candidate''s performance. "Number 43, prepare." The Alchemical Magic Guide announced the next candidate, and a brown-haired girl quickly responded, hustling to her feet and nervously making her way downstairs. Priestess Ai Xueli yawned out of boredom. She felt disinterested, firstly because of today''s cold weather, and secondly because the candidates were indeed dull. The highest-scoring candidate so far had lasted only six minutes and thirty seconds. She would rather doze by the fireside than deal with these boring provincials. Bored, so bored. "Let me see your choice of spells... Hmm, Holy Light Spell, Healing, Damage Swap, Light Sword. You intend to take a strategy of exchanging injury for injury?" Ai Xueli calmly said, "That''s too trite, you''re really quite boring." She was never one for tactful commentary. "Ah..." the girl shrank back. A license woven from light appeared in her hand, and simultaneously, an identical license materialized in Ai Xueli''s hand. This was the pledge of the previous day''s test. "Once you sign this license, the High-Rank Alchemic Magic Circle ''License TransformationAlchemic Biomimicry'' will activate." Ai Xueli said languidly, "We''ll achieve completely fair conditionsI''ll become exactly like you at the moment you sign the license. And the result of the exam will be entirely determined by the Scales of Order." [For absolute fairness, the examiner will completely duplicate your state upon entering the examination area, including appearance, equipment, physical condition, and the four spells in your magic slots, through the Alchemic Magic Circle authorized by you] The license read as so. Titles bestowed by the gods couldn''t be replicated, naturally, because a god-given title held sacred uniqueness. As the license was signed, the top-tier magic circle slowly started up. Ai Xueli''s hair color changed; her originally lustrous golden hair gradually shifted to a brownish hue, and her refined and haughty features took on speckles of frecklesshe was slowly morphing into the likeness of the young girl before her. Even the gear on Ai Xueli''s body changed: it was now identical to the candidate''s. It was somewhat rustic, somewhat ordinary. Sarch* The N?velFire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. That''s why Ai Xueli hated being an examinershe would temporarily turn into these unsightly creatures. She especially detested those from the borders; they always seemed to have a certain smell. Utterly repugnant. Regarding her ''earthy'' doppelganger, Ai Xueli mocked, "Well then, let''s begin." ... Number 59. It was Arthur Sunny''s turn to take the stage. He was the first of the three from the borderlands to undergo the test, and it was his role to lead the charge. [The Radiant Young Lion] He rose slowly under everyone''s gaze, with eyes steadfast and confident. Arthur looked at An Su, who nodded gently to him. The surrounding candidates regarded him with great expectation, as their morale was at a lowAi Xueli had given the candidates a tough time. They needed a leading figure to boost their spirits. And Arthur was that beacon of hope. Firstly because he was the second to turn in his exam yesterday, and secondly because of his image. Handsome and tall, with golden eyes like those of a lion, his blond hair cascading down, his smile so confident it seemed to dispel the gloom of winter. He was dressed in an expensive high-rank magic gown lined with a gold armored shirt, master-crafted alchemic trousers emblazoned with the pattern of the sun, wielding a resplendent golden magic wand. In that moment, Arthur was like a Holy Knightholy and magnificent. He strode confidently towards the center of the great hall on the second floor. "Sign the license," Ai Xueli said, not even bothering to look at Arthur, skipping even the basic courtesy of ''you''. "Such a weak and ostentatious man," Ai Xueli commented scornfully. She swiftly signed her portion of the license. Ai Xueli disliked individuals from the borderlands; she found the man before her to be flashy and boring, likely to make for another swiftly concluded exam. Her mentor had warned her to be wary of a few troublemakers from the borderlands, but what was there to worry about with mere minnows? "Before I sign the license, I need to prepare," Arthur replied sunnily, as the license appeared out of nowhere in his hand. "Given that the test will be over so soon, what do you need to prepare for...?" Arthur took a slow breath and An Su''s passionate words from the previous night echoed in his ears: "Courage is the wellspring of strength." "?" Ai Xueli was caught off guard. The next second, her pupils trembled! All the candidates in the room trembled in unison. They couldn''t believe what they were seeing, And today they would bear witness They witnessed the descent of the great Holy Light. But behold, Arthur tore off his noble robe and ripped away his undershirt to reveal a broad and magnificent chest, with sharply defined six-pack abs, and quickly removed his trousers. His whole body was so white it seemed as if he were the embodiment of Holy Light itself, with the sole adornment being the golden underwear hanging around his crotch! "Wow..." some girls exclaimed with a wow. Although they were far away and couldn''t hear what Arthur and the examiner were saying, the scene looked absolutely explosive! "Sign the authorization!" Before Ai Xueli could react, Arthur confidently signed his name with flamboyant strokes. [Authorization confirmed] [The examiner will fully replicate all the states you are in at the time of signing the authorization, titles excluded] Including, equipment. That golden underwear was Arthur''s only piece of equipment! Ai Xueli was astonished and terrified to find that all her clothing had disappeared as well. She had a robust physique, sharply defined six-pack abs, that broad and majestic chest, and the dazzling golden underwear at her crotch! In the cold early winter wind, she was stark naked. And her soul was colder than her body. Freezing to the bone. "You... you..." Ai Xueli stared fixedly at Arthur, at those big words above his head, "Radiant Young Lion." Was the Radiance of the Young Lion like this? So this is how lowly and despicable the people from the borderlands are! Ai Xueli clenched her teeth. She had decided that she would humiliate him thoroughly in the most cruel and insulting way possible. Let''s see what magic spells he chose... and then quickly work out the magic combination based on those spells. Hmm? Why are there no magic spells in the four memory slots? Ai Xueli was dumbfounded. "The examination manual states, ''You may freely choose magic to equip in the memory slots.''" Arthur smiled confidently and brightly, "Equipping none at all is also a form of free equipment!" "Ansu told me that, with my staggering intellect, no combination of magic is the best combination." Are you really exploiting loopholes like this... Ai Xueli gritted her teeth, forcing herself to calm down, "Then why did you bring a magic wand?" "Who said this is a magic wand?" Arthur slowly lifted the stick-shaped object in his hand. At this moment, in his belief, he was like a Holy Knight standing on the battlefield, just as his countless ancestors from the Sun Family were about to draw their swords from their sheaths "This is my Holy Sword." Ai Xueli''s expression became utterly numb. How could that huge lump be your Holy Sword? We''re in a Magician''s examination, big guy. "You once said courage, persistence, wisdom are the three main criteria for passing this examination." Arthur swung his staff in a clean sword gesture, "And what I am going to show you, is the courage of the Radiant Holy See!" He had no armor, no clothing, no defense to cover his body, what was left was only that unyielding courage. This was Arthur Sunny, the dream of this Radiant Young Lion all along. This was the glory of the Sun Family. Is your radiant courage just some exhibitionist streak? Ai Xueli covered her stark chest muscles, feeling that the person before her was purely a pervert! "The courage to face the snowstorm, the courage to overcome hardships, the courage to be upright and forthright" Arthur drew his staff from its sheath. He said with admiration, "Just as Ansu said, this is my knightly [Awakening]." In the stands, Ansu showed a contented smile. Who is Ansu? Are they their leader? Was it this kid who gave you this idea...? Ai Xueli suddenly remembered the name Ansu. Yesterday, that guy seemed to be smiling at her. A lowly and despicable commoner, Ai Xueli bit her teeth. Bastard. "Draw your sword, Knight Ai Xueli," Arthur called out loudly. "This is a Magician''s examination, not a Holy Knight''s examination," Ai Xueli said with an ugly expression. She was a magic prodigy, not some Holy Knight prodigy! And she was no Knight Ai Xueli! She was a scholar of the liberal arts! "I have had enough of those red tapes" Arthur launched an attack, directly approaching Ai Xueli, his staff raised high and smashed down ferociously! "Strength is indeed the Magician''s rationale!" The stands erupted with a tumult of noise, especially from some of the young girls who were particularly excited. Although they didn''t understand what was happening, seeing two attractive muscular men grappling in their underwear was quite the treat! Today was the "Radiant Young Lion''s" debut battle, and from now on, a more resonant title would echo throughout the imperial capital, One of the Borderland Triumvirs, "The Bare-Butted Louse"Arthur Sunny! His father, far away in the borderlands, would surely feel pride and honor for him. Chapter 42 Your Holy Sword, Broken Ai Xueli was a genuine magic prodigy.Born into a noble family in the imperial capital, her life was destined to be different from that of ordinary people from the very beginning. After graduating from the Magic Academy, she became a saint of the Alchemical Church at fourteen, a Priest of the Church at nineteen, and a prospective Fourth Order Magician at twenty, as well as an examiner for saint examinations... Her life was just that smooth sailing. Serving as an examiner was merely a stepping stone in her brilliant future, nothing more than a very small interlude. She was different from those commonersAi Xueli was well aware of this, she was going to have a dazzling life. Those without talent, those from remote places, could only be left far behind by her, only able to cast admiring glances at her retreating figure. But when Ai Xueli stood naked, her robust body exposed before the eyes of all, feeling the admiring glances cast by those people, the only emotion she felt was shame, unparalleled shame. Shame like she had never felt before. Ai Xueli covered her naked chest muscles, and since there was nothing to cover between her legs, she squeezed them tightly together. The piercing cold wind cut through her skin, yet what was colder was her heart. She could feel the eyes of the surrounding audience landing on her burly skin, and of course, even more gazes fell on the glinting golden underwear, stinging like needles. She bit her lip slightly, her cheeks blushing slightly with shame. If it had been just that, it would''ve been bearable, but what made her feel even more ashamed were Arthur''s words. "Seven-foot man, why are you acting like a shy little girl!" Damn it! Who the hell is a seven-foot man! I was a girl all along! Ai Xueli lamented in her heart, but Arthur never had any thoughts of gentleness and chivalry; his lion-like gaze was fixed intently on her body, his Magic Wand like a holy sword striking straight down from above her head! This strike was fierce; the Magic Wand cut through the air, producing a whistling sound. Ai Xueli had never had any experience with combat. She had always been a magic prodigy, not a Holy Knight prodigy. Fortunately, the Scales of Order Alchemic Magic Circle could fully replicate the physical condition of the examinee, and Ai Xueli, relying solely on the instincts of this warrior''s body, subconsciously stepped back, allowing the Magic Wand to graze past her face and smash into the ground with a dull roar. Arthur launched another strike, and Ai Xueli, relying on her instincts, blocked it, and as the two Magic Wands collided, sparks of metal flew. Damn it, his wand is made of alloy! "Let us have an honorable duel then!" Arthur pressed, his wand close to Ai Xueli''s face, "Knight Ai Xueli!" Cheers erupted from the audience stand, although nobody understood why a mage''s duel had turned into a brawl between burly men, but having witnessed this battle between the strong made even failing the exam worth the price of admission. This bastard from the frontier... Ai Xueli took a deep breath slowly, forcing herself to calm down. There''s no need to fear. Their physical conditions are the same. If she just explored slowly, perhaps she could keep up with the paceshe gripped the Magic Wand tightly in her hand, her muscles tensed rapidly, her robust heart pounding fiercely, mixing strength in her blood, delivering it to every part of Ai Xueli''s organs. They had already exchanged a few blows, and although Ai Xueli was the only one getting hit, she was slowly adapting to the rhythm of the fight. Or rather, it was Arthur''s replicated body that was learning how to fight, solely through instinct. Sarch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. She imitated Arthur''s stance and swung her Magic Wand at him in return. This strike was also powerful and heavy, bringing with it a strong air pressureAi Xueli was going to prove that a prodigy could rapidly surpass ordinary people in any field. She had already vowed in her heart to use the cruelest means to humiliate and torment these barbarians from the frontier. And defeating them in the field they were most proud of would be the ultimate insult. But unfortunately for her, Arthur''s greatest skill was not in swordsmanship, but in skulduggery. In the dishonorable realm, Ai Xueli would forever remain a mere mortal at the foot of the mountain, only able to look up at the god... the lunatic on the mountaintop. Facing the Magic Wand pressing against her face, Arthur slowly closed his eyes. Arthur remembered the words his father taught him when he was a child. Archduke Annand once said, "For a knight of the Sun Family, offense is the best defense." He still remembered his father''s teachings, he would not disappoint his father''s expectations, and he would not tarnish the honor of the Sun Family. At this very moment, epiphany dawned. Offense is the best defense. Arthur gave up resisting, his face even bearing a smile. A bright and untamed smile, like sunshine. Just like the sun itself. His foot swung down with a mighty heave, whooshing through the air, the kick''s target was clear, and its attitude precise, encapsulating Arthur''s purest and most noble will. It was a foot filled with honor, with determination and courage, and it had but one destination Ai Xueli''s groin. That was also why Arthur didn''t wear clothes. The golden underwear made first contact with the back of Arthur''s foot, fabric compressed by the wind pressure, then it caved in, continuing its unstoppable advance upwards! Advance! Advance upwards! Forge ahead with resolve and will! Breaking through all difficulties and obstacles, Like a charging knight, This was the song of courage composed by Arthur Sunny! Ai Xueli''s wand-wielding stance froze, the metal magic wand stopped in front of Arthur''s face, but it no longer had the strength to advance, her whole body going limp. "Crack." Her expression became frozen. Her eyeballs first ceased rotating, widened in shock, her mouth and nose flared open, eyebrows rising, and the skin on her face slowly contracting. Eventually, even her breathing ceased. "Hiss" Her teeth gritted fiercely, a sound emerging from deep within her throat. "Hiss" All the male spectators cooled from the lower half of their bodies, as they too felt the phantom pain. The Holy Order Alchemic Magic Circle was perfect, perfectly replicating the physical state of the test takers, so it could perfectly replicate that kind of suffering. This was a touch Ai Xueli had never encountered in her twenty years of being a young miss, a sensation never experienced before, even a sense beyond comprehension. First, a slight coolness, then sourness, a wave of acid spread from the lower abdomen into the organs, churning through her intestines like a writhing poison snake; after the cold acid surge passed, what followed was pain. The pain was neither sharp nor throbbing but a heavy, dull ache. It came abruptly and left slowly, and between its coming and going, it stripped away all of a man''s stubbornness and dignity. This was, from one man to another: The ultimate insult. "Hiss, hiss, hisshiss!" Ai Xueli clutched her crotch and collapsed to the ground, writhing like a maggot, her eyes empty and helpless as they stared at Arthur, as if looking at an inhuman entity. To Ai Xueli''s further despair were Arthur''s words. "Knight Ai Xueli, as a Holy Knight, your holy sword has shattered," he said with the air of a lonely master, "but my holy sword remains erect." Stop insulting the holy sword already! Ai Xueli was in too much pain to speak. "Such an honorable duel." Arthur knightly sheathed his wand, his face still adorned with a sunny, radiant smile. The courtyard''s sunlight streamed through the mist, illuminating his handsome profile and casting a sacred glow over his perfectly sculpted body, "But you remain but a lone warrior." He extended a gentlemanly hand to Ai Xueli while loudly addressing the surrounding crowd, his voice echoing across the larger part of the Alchemy Hall, "I acknowledge your courage, Knight Ai Xueli." "Well done!" Ansu led the applause, and Lister followed suit with clapping, lauding the courage of our fellow countryman. [The examination is over.] The voice of the Scales of Order announced. [Examiners may not stand again.] [Candidate Arthur Sunny, examination number 59, examination score one hundred percent.] [Next candidate, please prepare, examination number 60, Lister Muen.] Is your courage stripping in public, is your honor a kick to the groin in full view of everyone? Ai Xueli felt like she was going to cough up blood from anger. The Alchemic Array had already stopped, her simulated state disappearing along with all injuries and pain. But for some reason, whenever she walked, Ai Xueli could still feel a twinge of phantom pain. "From the frontier" She bit her lip, rage filling her eyes, "Is the next one also from the frontier?" Gazing distantly at Lister on the preparation platform, This time, she would not be as careless as before. Nor would she fall for the same tricks again. They are just frontier riffraff after all. Chapter 43 Ai Xueli Completely Doesnt Understand An Sus Design The Alchemy Church''s Sixth Cathedral, third floor.Apart from the Priest and sub-bishop of the Alchemical Church, there were also several examiners from the Order Church and two Priests from the Radiant Holy See, with even a sub-bishop from the Radiant Eighth Cathedral in attendance. They surrounded a mahogany round table, engulfed in complete silence. The Priest Paxi of the Order Church gazed constipatedly at the naked man scurrying around on stage---at this moment, Arthur was searching everywhere for the clothes he had torn off, After much thought, Priest Paxi finally heaved a sigh of relief as if a huge burden was lifted from him. The heart that had been hanging by a thread was now dead. He had already alerted his junior sister, saying that all three individuals from the borderlands were troublemakers and to be on guard, but he hadn''t expected to still be bested by this rascal''s tricks. "This isn''t someone from our Church," said a Priest from the Radiant Holy See, breaking the silence. "Our Church does not have this pre-saint." Denial was pointless, it was definitely one of their own. Otherwise, could he be one of ours? The officials from the other two Churches remained silent. "This child, although he was somewhat rash," Priest Paxi kindly attempted to smooth things over, "still has his strengths, like his good physical condition." The Church officials stayed silent. Indeed, Arthur Sunny''s physical condition was excellent. This isn''t to say anything about the amount of muscle he had, but rather about the talent within his body. Priestess Ai Xueli had never learned martial arts, nor did she have any talent in the way of the Holy Knights, but just by getting a skin experience card of Arthur Sunny, with only a few exchanges, she was able to imitate convincinglya sure sign of genius-level talent in Arthur''s physique. He was undoubtedly talented. "After he becomes a Radiant Saint," the sub-bishop of the eighth Cathedral said slowly, "throw him over to the Paladin Academy of the Radiant Holy See." After exchanging glances, the two Priests nodded in agreement. The Radiant Holy See did actually have Holy Knights; for instance, the witch-hunting team captain Agni who was a Holy Knight, and had established a dedicated Paladin Academy. However, Holy Knights and saints are part of two distinct systems. Specifically set Paladin examinations are in the first half of next year. You, a sports student, why are you here for a liberal arts test? Are all the talents from the border city like this? This was the question in the minds of all the officials. "Cough." Priest Paxi coughed to ease the awkwardness, "The next border candidate is about to appear, shouldn''t we change something...?" "This is also a request just brought up by Priestess Ai Xueli," Priest Paxi added. Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Hmm." The Priest of the Alchemical Church picked up on Paxi''s implication, "This is necessary." "Let''s amend the ''examination rules'' then." "Agreed." "This is a new request proposed by Priestess Ai Xueli," displayed Priest Paxi. This was undoubtedly a rare occurrence, The rules for the Church''s saint examinations had never been changed on the fly for any candidate. The ancestral laws are immutable, and that is precisely the principle. But today, a change was necessary. If that Lister turned out to be another muscle-brained lunatic and did a streaking session like Arthur, engaging in a bare-knuckle brawl au naturel, that would truly be too much to bear. . [Please prepare the next candidate, examination number 60, Lister Muen] Lister calmly took a breath. He was dressed in a light purple tailcoat, gold-rimmed glasses, a top hat, white shirt with a bow tie, and wearing white gloves, emanating the elegance and nobility of a gentleman about to attend an evening banquet. Upon hearing his name, he slowly rose from his seat. He first bowed gracefully to the surrounding candidates, every move showing the dignity of nobility. Living up to the Seaside Morning News #ranked second on the list of saints most wanted as an acquaintance#, Lister had an elegant and distinguished demeanor, the very image of a cool and handsome nobleman. Seeing Lister''s graceful comportment, the surrounding candidates also relaxed a little, thinking surely this one wouldn''t strip in public, right? But recalling they were all from the borderlands, and that before the examination started, Arthur too had seemed like a normal human being. Their confidence wasn''t very great. He always feels like he''s going to pull the same trick again! Just then, all the candidates experienced a moment of vertigo as the calm voice of the Scales of Order echoed in everyone''s ears: [Please all candidates take note] [Change to ''Examination Instructions''] [Original Examination Instructions: Under the limitations of the Alchemic Magic Circle, you may and can only have four memory slots. You may freely choose from the following spellbooks for temporary use and allocate ten magic points for use] [Now changed to:] [You must choose to equip four spellbooks and allocate ten magic points to use] The candidates nodded one after another, everything was normal so far. [Exposing the body in the examination hall is prohibited, candidates must ensure they are dressed neatly and presentably, must carry a magic wand, and the material of the magic wand used must be wood] No streaking allowed in the examination hall, no hitting people with magic wands either. So far, is this also considered normal and reasonable...? [Violence is prohibited, especially attacking the private parts of examiners] "...." [You must ensure that your body is in a normal state during the exam, may not carry any ''cursed buffs'' into the arena, may not ingest any magic products pre-emptively that could cause abnormal physical reactions] By the time An Su heard this, his brows slightly raised. He hadn''t expected Ai Xueli to have learned to anticipate. If one came to the arena with a load of instant death buffs or a plethora of weakness curses, or if they ingested poison, neither party would be able to move and would just wait to perish togetheras long as they defeated the examiner, they could be declared the victor. That''s progress. An Su slightly narrowed his eyes, watching Priestess Ai Xueli in the center of the hall. This is truly a contest of wisdom, Priestess Ai Xueli. To oppose the system, to grapple with official patches, to fight against real-time updates and find loopholes in the perfect rules, that''s the true upbringing of a heretical player. "Can you hold on?" He said to Lister. "Brother Su, have no worries." Lister pushed up his glasses with a calm and elegant air, his tone solemn and sacred, "Calmness and restraint are the foremost virtues of nobility." "I shall show her what it means to maintain an unwavering noble spirit." "I''ll go first." He stepped off the platform with confidence and elegance, slowly walking towards the examination hall. Putting on airs... Ai Xueli had gradually begun to recover from the phantom pain. Ai Xueli was very confident. The authorization she personally modified this time was sure to be flawless, ruling out any avenue of cheating for this uncivilized country bumpkin. Moreover, she wouldn''t be as careless as she was the last time when signing the authorization. Ai Xueli would check Lister''s four spells in advance and design a plan ahead of time. Hmm, Is he a Holy Light magician with a minor in water magic? All of his spells are water-based. It didn''t matter to Ai Xueli, for she was confident, being a magician of all attributes. [Initial Stage Magic, Water Surge] [Magic Power Consumption: 1] [Auxiliary Blessing Type] [Can double the flow of water] It''s an auxiliary spell, usually used in conjunction with [Water Spear] for a thicker and larger water spear... but there''s no Water Spear among the remaining spell slots, is there? There''s also [Water Elemental Gathering], [Ripple on Water]... The combination of spells designed by An Su, Ai Xueli couldn''t make heads or tails of it! Chapter 44 [Mother Goddesss Bladder] —— Lister Muen Ai Xueli observed the candidate before her.He looked quite presentable, not like Arthur who barely resembled a human form. At least his attire was tasteful. A custom-made purple tie from the Imperial Alchemic Tailor Shop ''Fili'', a top-brand tuxedo from Centurion, every button fastened neatly, the collar revealing the inner lining of snow duck feathers, matched with pure white trousers, and a period-style top hat. "Moonlight of the Goddess" this was his God-given title. His manners were also quite gentlemanly, as he slowly took off his hat, his left hand resting on his chest, he bowed slightly towards Ai Xueli and gracefully performed a salute, "Beautiful lady, I am honored to dance with you." Although this man also came from the borderlands, at least he knew some etiquette and could speak human language. He wouldn''t be as perverse as the last guy, right? Lisiter Muen''s refined appearance somewhat put Ai Xueli''s mind at ease. She had checked everywhere and found nothing abnormal, and according to the revised authorization, Lisiter could not, like Arthur, strip and brawl. Although she had not yet grasped the routine of the magic book Lisiter had chosen, Ai Xueli was very confident that in real combat, she could perform the same magic with more precision and achieve higher effects. A pure magic duel, Ai Xueli would not lose to anyone. This was the confidence of a magic prodigy. "Sign the authorization," she said softly after confirming everything was foolproof. Ai Xueli paid no attention to Lisiter''s salute, nor did she return it. There were enough people from the borderlands who fawned over her every month, and she never paid them any mind. S~ea??h the ovelFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Ai Xueli also noticed that Lisiter''s shoulders trembled slightly as he saluted. Was it because of nervousness and fear? Heh. Ai Xueli let out a disdainful laugh in her heart. No matter how splendid their attire, it couldn''t hide their inherent cowardice and barbarism. Only nobles from Phalos were true nobles. She took up a pen and signed her name on the newly drafted authorization contract. "I have been impolite," Lisiter said without showing anger, his face still adorned with a calm and elegant smile. He slowly signed his name on the authorization, "Please be my witness." "Please be witness to my resolve." He spoke slowly. What... Ai Xueli had not yet reacted. Witness what resolve? Alchemy biomimicry had already been initiated, the light began to weave Ai Xueli''s altered form, the expensive tuxedo, neat tie, gold-rimmed glasses, and the top hat were all woven from the light, and her appearance began to transform into Lisiter''s gentle visage. Everything was normal. Except for... a certain impulse. That impulse which suddenly surged to her heart. A strong and irresistible impulse. An urge from the instinct of life, an undertow that surged like a tide, an unstoppable urge, a submissive urge, like waves crashing against the rocks, as if the next second would break the dam, every wave splashing ripples of impulse! Unable to resist, unable to contend with. It was an instinctual urge. The next second, Ai Xueli clenched her thighs together, her pupils trembling! Ai Xueli checked her body for any abnormal states, but no matter what, she could not find any cursed negative buffs. Incredulously, she looked up again at the candidate from the borderlands; her lips trembling, she asked, "What, what have you done? What have you done to your body?" Lisiter pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses, his actions still graceful, every move filled with gentlemanly demeanor, but since his appearance, all his movements had been quite slow: "I did nothing." "According to the rules I''ve revised, either taking taboo drugs or bearing a cursed state to the competition is a violation," Ai Xueli said, biting her lip. But Lisiter had not violated any rules. If he had, the Scales of Order would have already disqualified him from the exam. Lister revealed an elegant and aloof smile, as pure and flawless as the moonlight. But his words were as if they came from the depths of hell "This is not any cursed state; it is simply the most normal physiological condition." "I have not consumed any ''forbidden'' drugs; I merely drank six bottles of water last night in one go." "And, it was the cleanest pure water." "It was Holy Water sought from the church." He smiled elegantly, with a tone filled with sanctity, spreading his arms wide in an open and above-board manner, "Completely unrelated to the filthy curse." Ai Xueli''s anticipation had already been preempted by An Su''s prediction. It was only at this moment that Ai Xueli finally understood why Lister''s actions were so slow, why his body was trembling slightly. Because this perverted glasses guy, was he holding his pee this whole time! And it was even the back-up from last night! "Come and feel the sanctified power contained within the Holy Water," he proclaimed. Lister spread his arms sacredly, declared loudly, "This is indeed the great power of the Goddess, praise the Mother Goddess." Holy Water is for exorcism, not for holding pee! The streaker kicked the holy sword and you, the pee-holding glasses guy, are about to desecrate the Holy Water now! Ai Xueli only felt her cheeks flaring up, clenching her legs tightly, and covering her abdomen with her hands, Only by doing this could she maintain her sanity amidst the intense urge. The audience on stage saw Ai Xueli''s unusual behavior, and a commotion began, as they discussed and tried to figure out what was happening. The priests on the third floor were also quite puzzled; everything seemed normal at the start, and no abnormalities were detected. What exactly was Priestess Ai Xueli up to? Countless curious eyes fell on Ai Xueli, making her cheeks turn even redder. If she urinated in the church hall, her career as a priestess would be over, wouldn''t it? "Miss Ai Xueli," Lister''s stable voice began, "Having observed your performance, I must say I am quite disappointed. You do not have the right to call yourself a ''noble''." What are you talking about, kid? Her noble lineage was what Ai Xueli took the most pride in, yet now some pee-holding savage from the borderlands was telling her that she had no right to call herself a ''noble''? But Lister adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses again, his gaze as sharp and stunning as that of a hawk, the sunlight spilling onto his figure, casting a straight shadow from his upright stature: "A ''noble'' should be able to maintain their grace and restraint under any condition. This pride, this determination, is the awakening and responsibility of those who are truly noble!" "As Brother Su said, the spirit of perseverance is the essence of the noble soul!" "You started complaining after holding out for just a short while, whereas I endured an entire night." "Your noble spirit, is thus so weak and fragile!" "What I am about to show you, is the perseverance of the Radiant Holy See!" Ai Xueli''s gaze went dead as if she was about to turn to ashes. Your noble spirit... is holding pee? Brother Su... Brother Su? It''s that damned An Su again! It''s another of his born-to-think ideas! "Who said I can''t hold on..." Ai Xueli slowly straightened her body, gripping her Magic Wand tightly, glaring at Lister. Her gaze was murderous. "Then, beautiful miss," Lister slowly lifted his Magic Wand, "let us begin." Today was the first battle of "The Moonlight of the Goddess", and hereafter, a more resonant title would echo throughout the entire imperial capital, One of the Borderland Triumvirs, "The Mother Goddess''s Bladder" Lisiter Muen! Surely his father, far away in the borderlands, would also feel proud and honored for him. Chapter 45 A New School of Water Series - Nezhas Riotous Ocean Stream Greater shame.Urinating in public, is even more shameful than standing naked in front of an audience. This shame is different from the naked body; if exposing the body is a physical embarrassment, then the challenge of holding one''s urine is an internal to external shame, one that reaches deep into the soul. It is more malicious than any cursed state, more evil and desperate. Yet it passed the examination of the Scales of Order, deemed as ''non-cheating legitimate behavior''; the person who thought of this is truly a devil among men. Ai Xueli could feel that any slight movement from her would provoke a reaction in her lower abdomen. But at this moment, she had no room to retreat. She could hold it in. To be insulted by a barbarian from the frontier was more than enough to ignite Ai Xueli''s fury. She had to wash away this humiliation and reclaim her honorbefore she wet herself. Ai Xueli could hold it inthat is, if Lister did not act. Every time Ai Xueli thought they had reached their limits, those born on the frontier would break through their own barriers. When a gentle breeze swept away the haze at the edge of the sky, and when sunlight poured down along the rim of the clouds, under the watchful eyes of all, Lister slowly made his move. He raised his magic wand in slow motion, his lips parted, and the faint water elemental energy in the air pulsated, causing ripples wave after wave. Magic power scattered, forming faint vortices in the air. "Water Flow Surge!" He chanted aloud. [Water Flow Surge] [Initial stage magic, support blessing type] [Magic Power Consumption: 1] [Can double the flow of water] Ai Xueli was astonished, Since before the test began, she had found it strange. According to common practice, this beneficial magic was usually paired with water javelins or water arrows, but Lister''s memory cell did not contain similar attack magic. There wasn''t even water here... But her surprise lasted only briefly before she immediately realized. The target of Water Flow Surge was not any water javelin! It was herself! It was the Holy Water within her bladder, already desecrated! But it was already too late for her to resist, the amplifying vortex struck instantaneously, and Lister aimed precisely, striking her lower abdomen elegantly. The water flow doubled! Ai Xueli''s expression froze. What would happen when the already brimming dam suddenly received double the water volume? The effect of one plus one is not two but an exponential increase. She could only clench her legs even tighter, her spine, which had just straightened, instantly curved again, she clutched her abdomen, biting down on her tongue. It was the only way she could keep from losing ground. And her more pronounced behavior, in the eyes of the audience, sparked another wave of discussion. "What exactly is happening to Priestess Ai Xueli?" "What kind of exquisite magic did Lister use?" "She had barely returned to normal for a short time, why is she bending over again?" "The priestess''s expression is so strange" S~ea??h the ovelFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "I always feel... the priestess seems to be enduring something." The murmuring around her further damned Ai Xueli''s rational defenses. She raised her eyes, staring deathly at Lister. Fine, since you are shameless, I will accompany you to the end. Copying the tactics of examinees was something Ai Xueli, since becoming an examiner, had never done before. She disdained doing it and found it shameful. Because, as a magic prodigy, she could always think of more excellent and more effective combinations. Until today, She met An Su, a being a step higher than a magic prodigya magic tormentor. Faced with a tormentor, she could only choose to follow suit. [Surging Waters] She shakily raised her magic wand, and a whirlpool''s torrent burst forth instantaneously, targeting Lister''s bladder with the same maneuver. Even though it was the same move, even though it was the same body, as a magical prodigy, the spell she cast was more precise and powerfula fact that stood undeniable. This was the micro-control of a genius. The test was a battle of micro-control and decision-making. On the surface, it seemed to have the same effect, but in the end, it was Lister who couldn''t hold it in any longer and urinated first. What surprised Ai Xueli, however, was that after Lister was hit by the spell, his complexion remained unchanged, his shockingly composed and elegant demeanor didn''t even cause his shoulders to tremble, and his movements and speech sped up. This guy was just forcibly holding on... Ai Xueli consoled herself internally. "Copying the wisdom of my brother An Su, are you..." Lister said calmly, shaking his head, "You have lost the reserve of nobility." The total magic power was ten points; Surging Waters had already used up one point. Blessing and enhancement magic couldn''t be used on the same target repeatedly, otherwise just by using Surging Waters, he could have turned Ai Xueli into a fountain. But it didn''t matter, Brother Su had designed a whole combo for him. Surging Waters was just the beginning! [Ripples of the Water''s Surface] [Initial-stage magic, reconnaissance magic] [Magic power consumption: two points] [By creating ripples in the water body, one can detect the whereabouts of enemies in the water, or use the ripples to pass messages to comrades] This piece of reconnaissance magic was even more puzzling to Ai Xueli. Where would you have comrades during a test, and what messages could you pass oncheat notes from outside the arena? That would be utterly transparent to the Scales of Order. Seek out the enemy? The enemy was clearly in front of you, with only the examiner as the adversary, so how could that be investigated? Now, however, Ai Xueli finally understood. This reconnaissance magic wasn''t meant for scouting, the key was the front! Creating ripples in the water body! The dam on the verge of collapse suddenly added double the floodwater, and that doubled amount of what was previously still water began to churn violently under Lister''s magic! Ai Xueli only felt the urine in her bladder beginning to sway, rippling wave after wave, as if dancing inside her, even pulsating to a beat with a splashing sound. She was about to lose her bearings in this tide, ready to be overwhelmed by the floods at any moment! Ai Xueli tried to use the same magic on Lister, but to her horror, he merely winced slightly, his complexion as unchanged as ever, with his demeanor still graceful, even politely tipping his hat to her. His lips even bore a smile. A smile as cool and refined as moonlight. This damn man... This... twisted and base man. Ai Xueli, the capital''s young noblewoman, the Alchemical Priestess, the magical prodigy, experienced two sensations she had never encountered before in the span of just half an hour. One was the ecstasy of physical ascension as her Holy Sword shattered, the other was the turmoil of soul degradation as the Holy Water surged. "I must kill you..." Ai Xueli struggled to resist the urge, and even up to this moment, she still chose not to submit. As a proud priestess, she would not bow to a frontier savage. "Then, let us continue. Beautiful lady," Lister said, pushing up his gold-rimmed glasses, "This is merely the foreplay of the style designed by brother An Su." An Su, An Su, always An Su! "What is this style..." Ai Xueli clenched her teeth. "Nezha''s Riotous Ocean StreamBrother An Su said so," Lister revealed a tranquil smile, "Although I do not know which hero ''Nezha'' is, this style''s name is very apt, very tasteful." The accursed Riotous Ocean Stream! What kind of sea are you causing a riot in! Chapter 46 Your Holy Water, in Disarray (End of the month, asking for monthly tickets) Ai Xueli really felt she had misjudged.Is everyone on the frontier this talented? At first, seeing this fellow''s humanoid attire, matched with quite tasteful clothing, she thought he must at least be a humanoid creature, but she didn''t expect him to be even more secretive and repressed than the previous streaker. She realized why he chose to wear pure white trousers one leak and the whole room could see! This trick was even more perverted than streaking in front of everyone. Clamping her legs tightly, biting her lip, her body slightly bent like a shrimp, Ai Xueli struggled hard to overcome the urge to urinate. She looked unwillingly at Lister, yet saw his complexion remained unchanged, still elegant and graceful. She was puzzled in her heart. Why, affected by the same magic, could Lister hold on? She couldn''t understand. Was her willpower not as strong as Lister''s? Or was it that Lister''s talent in using magic was more refined and exquisite than her own? Why should that be? Why? Ai Xueli would definitely not accept this. Sar?h the n?vel_Fire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. No matter the reason, Ai Xueli would not accept it, for the pride of a genius magician did not allow her to be defeated. She slowly straightened her back and took a deep breath. She would hold on. As long as she could endure the ten minutes of the test, the Scales of Order would not grant him a perfect score. She told herself in her heart. Bring on whatever trick you have. "Candidate Ai Xueli, are you really able to hold on?" Lister pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses with a calm elegance, a graceful smile on his lips, and a tone carrying a touch of human concern, "Can you really last ten minutes without urinating?" "If you can''t, I as a person wouldn''t mind letting you have a few drops first." Such magnanimity, such gentleness, such respect for women, such noble thoughtfulness, These were the ideals of a perfect noble spirit that Lister had pursued all his life, the gentlemen''s soul that ran through countless ancestors of the Moon Family for a thousand years, and now, at last, it was inherited by Lister. Surely his honorable ancestors would also feel comforted by Lister in heaven. Damn it, you''re the candidate...! I am the examiner! This guy is actually turning the tables! This secretively saucy glasses-wearer, others duel by ''letting you have a few moves first,'' but his dueling offer was ''letting you have a few drops first'', which simply insults one to the extreme. Ai Xueli''s gaze at Lister was murderous; she gritted her teeth and spitefully said, "Frontier barbarian, bring out whatever you''ve got." I will hold on. Lister sighed slightly in resignation and said calmly, "Then I shall offend." "Proctor Ai Xueli, honorable ancestors, please witness" Lister declared loudly, "Please witness my enlightenment!" Nezha''s Riotous Ocean Stream style, the third move. He lifted his magic wand and light blue water elements gathered around him. The surrounding water vapor surged up at once, An Su had once told Lister that Nezha was a young hero who disturbed the sea, and Lister felt like he was that hero at this moment, churning the oceans, conquering the tides. [Water Element Gathering] [Intermediate Stage Magic] [Attack Magic] [Magic Power Consumption: Four] [Creates a tidal vortex, capable of attracting surrounding water streams, eventually forming a massive attacking water bullet. If too few water elements are attracted, activation fails.] There''s no water around here. If it were the usual amount of urine, it would not be attracted by the gathering of water elements. But inside their bodies, there was an entire six bottles'' worth of Holy Water, which now had been doubled by "Nezha''s Riotous Ocean Stream", reaching a total of twelve bottles of water, and it just met the threshold for the gathering of water elements. However, even so, it was still not possible. Ai Xueli could not understand even more now. "Gathering of Water Elements" was an offensive magic and could not be directly used on enemies like "Nezha''s Riotous Ocean Stream"a type of Blessing Magicor "The Rippling Surface", a kind of detection magic. When faced with Blessing Enhancement Magic, the human body''s resistance to magic tends to be low, while the opposite is true for offensive magic. Use "Gathering of Water Elements" to extract the urine from Ai Xueli''s body? This was simply not possiblethose who could come up with such an idea clearly did not have enough understanding of magic. Was it possible that An Su was actually a magic idiot? By the way, "Nezha''s Riotous Ocean Stream" could not affect bodily fluids within the human body. It could not double the volume of blood inside one''s body or waterlog one''s brain. According to Druid biology, human bodily fluids account for eighty percent of body weight and are classified into extracellular and intracellular fluids, both of which are protected by magic resistance. Excretory organs, the reproductive tract, and orifices such as the mouth and nose are directly exposed to the external environment. The fluids contained within, such as saliva, mucus, and urine, are not internal fluids and have very low magic resistance. An Su had also aimed for this point, thus choosing "Nezha''s Riotous Ocean Stream". But why did he use "Gathering of Water Elements"? Why did he choose this offensive water magic, Ai Xueli could not understand at allshe was completely baffled. But in the next instant, her pupils shook violently as though struck by enlightenment. Realizing that possibility, her shoulders shuddered slightly. She had fallen into a cognitive trap, Based on the thinking patterns formed by her upbringing in this region, if Blessing Magic was used on enemies, then who was offensive magic meant for? The answer was, for himself. Lister, that perverted spectacled beast, this perverse and terrifying individual, abandoned his resistance to magic and used "Gathering of Water Elements" on his own body. He wanted to extract the urine from his own bladder to createa gigantic attacking urine bomb!! And the target that this urine bomb was crashing towards was Ai Xueli. Her pupils trembled violently as Ai Xueli could not imagine such an outcome; just thinking about it made her entire body break out in goosebumps. This would be an ultimate insult, worse than wetting herself. When that gigantic urine bomb hit her face in front of everyone, all dignity, all pride would vanish. She could not fathom how bleak a future that would be. Ai Xueli also realized another horrifying truthit was her use of "Nezha''s Riotous Ocean Stream" on Lister that provided him with enough urine to use "Gathering of Water Elements". It was her mimicry and counterattack that had enabled Lister to create his urine bomb. Was her own action, her own response, also part of the gambit by this ''Brother Su'' Lister mentioned? What wicked intelligence! Why not use that brain for something good! Ai Xueli bit her lip hard, cold sweat dripping down her forehead. Could she mimic and counterattack this time? No. She could not. She did not have the courage, nor the resolve. The resolve to forsake oneself. She could not do it, she could not do like Lister Because using "Gathering of Water Elements" on oneself was equivalent to urinating directly! To urinate in public was social suicide, and to be hit with a urine bomb was also social suicide. Neither choice would give Ai Xueli any opportunity to turn the tables. Now there was only one way left, to concede defeat before Lister''s urine bomb was formed, Let Listerthe barbarian from the frontierscore a complete victory. Ai Xueli clenched her fists, her nails digging deeply into her skin, But her pride would not allow it, would not allow her to yield to an inferior being! Chapter 47 Ai Xueli I concede Ms. Aixueli truly felt sweat soaking her back.She looked at Lister as if he were a demon, watching him intently. Waving his magic wand with a solemn, serious, and sacred expression, he resembled a mythological Water God or a deep-sea mermaid stirring up the tides, his light purple tailcoat fluttering in midair, his long hair swaying in the warm sun of early winter, dancing slowly with the surrounding water elements. The audience in the stands, seeing Lister''s grandiosity, all exhibited looks of admiration. He truly deserved to be the second man most wanted as a friend by readers of Seaside Morning News, with just that abstinent-looking face, he oozed charisma. However, why did those dancing water elements seem to have a faint yellow tinge? It must be the reflection of the sunlight. They thought to themselves. This damned nerdy glass-wearer, I absolutely must not let his magic conclude! Absolutely not! We''re just at the initial stage of the magic, with only a few droplets of urine gathered, but if I let him complete his spell, it''s going to be a massive urine bomb of twelve bottles! I must stop him! I simply cannot give up. This moment was undoubtedly the most critical, the most urgent one in Ms. Aixueli''s life. Since it''s a vortex used to gather water elements... Ms. Aixueli raised her own magic wand, also chanting "Gather, water elements," but she created a water element vortex in complete opposition to Lister''s, smashing it against his vortex. She was determined to show these barbarians what true talent looked like, what real nobility was! The two opposing vortices collided, rubbing against each other, gradually nullifying one another. She was truly a rare magic prodigy, and in this most critical moment, her magical potential finally ignited. Ms. Aixueli was still chanting "Gather, water elements," but she created a reverse spiral. The few rare droplets of urine elements stopped spinning, hitting the ground, and quickly dried up by the wind. This time, they tied. Only one spell remained. Seeing his magic negated did not anger Lister, on the contrary, he was quite calm, even joyous from deep within. This was how it should be, this is how it should be, a smile splitting from the corners of his mouth as he gazed at his opponent before him, this was perfect! What a blood-pumping honor duel, Ms. Aixueli, he praised inwardly. ...What a piss-boiling dumbass duel, Lister, you beast, Ms. Aixueli lamented in her heart. Too focused on casting the reverse vortex, it seems... I might have leaked a drop or two... Ms. Aixueli''s complexion turned ashen, as if she were dead. Her peripheral vision glanced at the exam time. Seven minutes passed. Only three minutes remained. Just one last spell to go, the final test... And the toughest test of all. The last spell was not of the water school. It was from the Holy Light school of magic. This time, Ms. Aixueli caught on to these intrinsic brain circuits and instantly figured out what the Holy Light magic was striving to do. "Sensory Blessing" "Low Rank Magic, Beneficial Magic" "Consumes three Magic Power Points" "Holy Light''s blessing enhances all the senses by a hundred percent, including hearing, touch, vision, and so on, lasting for five minutes." This was an all-purpose aid magic, useful for detecting enemies as well as assisting swordsmen in combat. But enhancing all bodily senses, Included, of course, the urgency of urination. The exam was finally approaching its climactic finale. Lister was the first to use the spell, waving his magic wand as Holy Light shone brightly around him, the glory so resplendent and sacred it seemed to transcend all worldly suffering, casting the Blessing Skill directly upon Ms. Aixueli. The bastard... Ms. Aixueli could no longer stand; she half-collapsed to the ground, her body curled up, pupils violently trembling. All she felt was her senses magnified, every pore on her body breathing, her vision incredibly broadened. ``` The river, already on the verge of breaching its banks, had reached its peak with the surging waters and fluctuating surface, enhanced further by the supportive magic. Now beneath the Universal Illumination of the Holy Light, the urge to urinate had surpassed any human''s limit of endurance! Only willpower, only that which transcends human capacity, could keep reason intact in this deluge! Ms. Aixueli had also bestowed Lister with sensory blessings, but to her dismay, the man across from her remained unfazed. He was still elegant, still calm, standing tall and straight-backed as if nothing in the world could break his poise. How on earth did Lister manage it? Could it be, as he claimed, that he was the true noble, the man who truly possessed the qualities of nobility? The audience around them, though unaware of what had happened, wondered why Ms. Aixueli was half-kneeling on the ground. They guessed she must have sustained a severe internal injury. They knew that both parties must have engaged in the most profound and intense magic duel, and they couldn''t discern the details simply because it was too arcane, beyond their level of understanding. It was indeed a profound confrontation. "Two minutes." With only two minutes left, the exam would be over, and, no matter what, Ms. Aixueli was finally holding on, about to claim victory. "One and a half minutes." The hint of a smile was already forming on her lips. Ms. Aixueli knew she was in danger, at the very limits of endurance, where any slight disturbance could cause her to crumble. She was just one straw away from breaking the camel''s back of her rationality. But, fortunately, Lister had already used up his four memory slots, and had just exhausted his ten magic points as well. He couldn''t do anything more. "Examiner Aixueli," said Lister slowly pushing up his glasses, his voice calm, "Congratulations for enduring this far." "I respect your willpower." "But your struggle ends here." "I am about to use the ultimate essence of ''Nezha''s Riotous Ocean Stream''," declared Lister with solemnity and reverence, "the ultimate magic taught to me by Brother Ansu "[Tide Summoning Song]" Ms. Aixueli''s pupils trembled violently. Tide Summoning Song...? A magic she had never heard of. Could it be Ansu''s own creation? What kind of genius was he? At her best, Ms. Aixueli could only manage to adapt existing spells, unable to create new ones on her own. And, Lister had run out of magic points... She watched his movements intently. He stood with an expression of solemn sanctity, his left hand on his lips, right hand over the left, lips slightly parted, chanting the holy prayer: "Sshh~ Sshh~ Ssh-Sshh-Sshh~ Sshh-Sshh~." "Ssh-Sshh~ Ssh-Sshh, Ssh~" ? What is this? S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Yet somehow, upon hearing that sound, Ms. Aixueli''s body began to react involuntarily. It was an instinct from this body she had taken over, a copied conditioned reflex! An inescapable, irresistible instinct. And this was the last straw that broke the camel''s back! Even as Lister walked up to her, hissing in her left ear, then her right, back and forth, a 360-degree surround of hissing whispers, it was as if she were at the ocean, with the soothing sound of the tides all around her ears. The moon called to the tides, and Aixueli could resist no longer! In the expanse of the ocean, she was nothing but a helpless little girl. She was about to wet herself! "I..." Ms. Aixueli was on the verge of tears, whimpering, "I concede... I am sorry, I was wrong..." ``` Chapter 48 He Came Up with a Disposable Diaper! As Lisiter had said, it was indeed a duel of honor.Whoever failed and wet themselves would lose their honor. Ai Xueli admitted defeat. If she had conceded even a second later, she might have utterly wet herself amidst the beautiful whistling of the "Tide Summoning Song". As a favored child of the heavens, she excelled in every field, and her naturally proud nature never allowed her to admire anyone, let alone admit defeat or concede. But today, Ai Xueli had been thoroughly defeated. In this duel of honor, she had lost to this man named Lisiter, both physically and in will. "I concede..." As soon as she uttered these words, it was as if she denied the pride she had always cherished. The Scales of Order confirmed the results of the test, and the Bionic Alchemy Array ceased its operation, causing Ai Xueli''s mimicry to fade away as well. Her state reverted to that before the signing of the treaty, all injuries and pains disappeared quickly, and that overwhelming, tide-like urge to urinate also receded swiftly like the tide. But the scars on her soul would probably take a lifetime to heal. Yet there was still a trace of defiance in her heart. Her voice still choked with emotion, she struggled to lift her head and, biting her lip, stared at Lisiter, "I don''t understand how you were able to hold on..." Why those spells had no effect on him whatsoever! Just how strong must one''s willpower be! Or was it that his micro-control over magic far exceeded her own? Ai Xueli could never figure it out. Lisiter calmly pushed his glasses up, his expression still cool and indifferent, every move still elegant and graceful, the pure daylight casting on his side face, reflecting a gentlemanly demeanor, "Because of ''realization''." "Just as Brother Su said, the ''realization'' to establish a great undertaking." ? What does that mean? Ai Xueli was still somewhat baffled. "Ms. Aixueli, your persistence is not inferior to mine, but what you lacked was the spirit of realization!" Lisiter''s voice became even more impassioned and holy, "What you''re missing is the realization to let go of everything, the courage to wet yourself in public!" "It is this great spirit of realization that created nobility, the very soul of great humanity." "With chains upon you as you entered the field, you could never defeat me, who broke free from those chains!" Nobility isn''t created by wetting oneself in public! What does it mean to break free from chains? Ai Xueli''s eyes filled with a grayish despair as she looked at Lisiter. Her lips quivered, her tone frantic and helpless, "So you''re saying, from the start, you just wet yourself?" "Precisely so," Lisiter answered with a profound look, "From the moment I signed the authorization, I had already wet my pantsthis is my realization, the noble realization to let go of everything." ... Ai Xueli collapsed. No wonder all her spells had no effect; it turned out this guy had already wet himself! "Impossible... Aren''t you wearing white pants on purpose?" Ai Xueli wanted to die with her eyes closed, "If you had wet yourself earlier, it would surely be obvious... I should have noticed." "You are the worst examiner I''ve had the misfortune of dealing with." Lisiter sighed with a touch of helplessness, "The white pants were merely a disguise, even though you were wearing it, you failed to noticethe hidden intricacies within." "A disguise?" What intricacies could there possibly be inside? "Brother Su once said, for a saint, the key equipment is essential for victory." There''s nothing wrong with that sentence; choosing different magic equipment with various enhancement effects can yield different outcomes; against a Cultist, one would choose Holy Light equipment, and against a Priest, one could opt for magic equipment that disrupts healing... But against the urge to urinate, what kind of equipment could Lisiter possibly have? "...What equipment did he recommend to you?" "Are you sure you want to see it?" Lisiter asked again. "..." After hesitating for a moment, Ai Xueli bit her lip and nodded her head, she had to understand her demise. But the next moment, she deeply regretted her decision. "Then let me enlighten you: This is a high-rank piece of equipment custom made overnight by the top Alchemy Tailor Shop ''Feiya,'' designed with Brother Su''s participation, made from the feathers of a Second Order Magic Beast Water Magic Duck, and pine fibers as the paper base..." Up to this point in the introduction, it seemed quite normal. "With superior elasticity, ultra-thick absorbency, and an ultra-thin touch... It is precisely because of its baby-skin-like softness that you failed to detect its presence." ? What the hell... Ms. Aixueli was flabbergasted. Before she could even react, her pupils quivered violently. "Brother Su deemed this equipment as ''The Infant''s Bliss''," Lister elegantly undid the zipper of his pants and slowly pulled it down. With a dazzling burst of white light, unlike Arthur, what hung from Lister''s crotch wasn''t golden silk underwear but rather that pure white, super absorbent sacred relic, soft and light for comfort. This was a key piece of gear for the top tier water school, ''Nezha''s Riotous Ocean Stream'' He, ''Goddess''s Moonlight'', Lister Muen, he produced a ''diaper''! Ms. Aixueli''s worldview seemed to collapse. She asked in disbelief, "So, when you used ''Water Element Accumulation'', you were actually gathering urine from it?" "That is indeed what this humble one did," Lister replied calmly and proudly. Ms. Aixueli completely lost. Seeing ''The Infant''s Bliss'', she knew that from the moment she stepped onto the battlefield, she was utterly defeated. Controlled from the beginning to the end. From the start, Ms. Aixueli never stood a chance of victory. An Su Moningsta, with such a brain, couldn''t you have done something more righteous? _ [Exam Over] The metallic voice of the Scales of Order echoed in the hall; many candidates hadn''t come to their senses yet. These prospective saints were still pondering the profound magic Lister had used. Furthermore, ten minutes hadn''t even passed for the exam; how had it ended so quickly? Not one person didn''t have this question in their hearts. [Examiner Abstains] [Examiner Insisted on Nine Minutes] [Candidate Lister Muen, Exam Number 60, Exam Score: One Hundred Percent] [Next Candidate, please prepare, Exam Number 61, An Su Moningsta] The unfluctuating voice of the Scales of Order sounded again, leaving the candidates baffled once more. What does the examiner abstaining mean? Today was a day of eye-opening experiences for them. For years there had been saint exams, but there were always only candidates abstaining; an examiner''s abstention was unheard of. Could an examiner even abstain? Moreover, why did Lister suddenly start undressing below the stage? What did he show to Ms. Aixueli that made Priestess Ai Xueli''s expression so astonishingly shocked, as if her worldview had just crumbled? Could this also be part of a faceoff between magic masters? Not only were they dumbfounded, but the priests in the third-floor monitoring room were silent as well. A silence never before experienced. Priest Paxi, massaging his forehead, was all covered in metaphorical dark lines. His heart had already given up after seeing Arthur''s move. But just when his heart had died, after witnessing Lister''s method, it felt like it was fiercely necromanced... "This isn''t from our Church either," one of the priests from the Radiant Holy See broke the silence once again, "this prospective saint isn''t one of ours either." You''ve already said that line before. He''s from your place. The priests from the other two Churches were staring at them. "The flow of the water, the ripples on the surface, the gathering of water elements, the blessing of sensation," a priest from the Alchemical Church was perusing their exam records, his mouth twitching slightly as he exclaimed, "It''s a marvel someone could design such..." Sarch* The n?vel_Fire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. He paused to choose his words, "a uniquely imaginative magical combination." "...who is next to perform?" "An Su Moningsta." "...." Priest Paxi exchanged a glance with the other priests, nodding in silent agreement as if telepathically communicating. "Let''s continue changing the rules." Chapter 52 An Su What did the aunt say? The Sixth Alchemic Church, Third Level. Watching An Su pull out a magic wand from the lining of his clothes, Priest Ai Xueli looked so sweaty that the priests fell silent once again. "This isn''t ours," a priest from the Alchemical Church was the first to break the silence, "Our Church does not have this examiner." Another silence ensued. Only the priests from the Radiant Holy See cracked a smile, but they dared not to smile too obviously, managing only a more subtle one. The wheel of fortune turns! Now it''s your turn to be dissected! Priest Paxi wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, having overseen the saint examinations for so many years, this was the first time he encountered such a bizarre examination. Great God of Order, please guide the lost him. This examination, from candidates to examiners, there was not a single anthropomorphic creature! The streaker, the man holding in urine with sses, and the woman with delusions of universal faith! The imperial capital is just tooplicated, he wanted to go back home. .... "Now, please tell me," An Su said with a smile, "where do you think I ced this wand?" As An Su spoke, he tilted his head slightly, his cyan pupils innocent and wless. "I..." Ai Xueli stepped back, stammering without being able to speak. If the location of the wand was invalid, then all subsequent reasoning would be invalid as well. The location of the wand was the most fundamental premise. Including things like "interference resonance" and the like, all would be invalid. "Exactly what filthy things were you thinking of to conceive such a dirty school of thought?" An Su advanced a step closer and stared at her, "Please tell me." With every sentence An Su spoke, Ai Xueli''s momentum weakened, if she had previously been like a raging lion, now she seemed like a timid chick, with her head down and shoulders trembling. Prior to this, Ai Xueli had spoken so many shameful words out of sheer indignation. But now, with that indignation gone and realizing how shameful her words had been, Ai Xueli''s cheeks turned a deep red with embarrassment. An unparalleled shame washed over her strongly. Could it be, that everything before had been a misunderstanding? Could it be that she was really just a silver digger? No... She needed to calm down now. She couldn''t admit it now, her brothers in the Church would help her get past this, she couldn''t admit it now. The words she had just said hadn''t been heard by people outside. There was no evidence. She wasn''t that kind of person... she couldn''t be. The important thing now was to stay calm. Yes, all of this was false. And, since An Su did not use that sneaky move, she could sign the authorization. As long as she could defeat An Su and humiliate him severely in the examination, she could still regain her honor. She would still be able to humiliate these despicable bordenders. Discover stories with empire Ai Xueli forcibly kept herposure and stared at An Su, managing a strained smile, "Ah ha... it seems I misunderstood." "But," Ai Xueli continued stubbornly, "bordenders are born to be misunderstood, it''s not our fault." "With that said, let''s start the examination." "Please wait a moment." An Su smiled again, that sun-drenched smile as clean and pure white as the first snow of winter, "I actually told you, this is a ''customized'' mini wand that I had specially made yesterday." He leaned close to Ai Xueli and whispered very softly. "Inside, it contains a small Alchemic Magic Circle." He indicated the magic wand in his hand and lowered his voice, "That Alchemic Magic Circle has just one small function, which is recording." "You were nning to use this shock..." "...to draw your gun?" Priestess Ai Xueli''s words came weakly from the magic wand. Her gaze became vacant. "Priestess Ai Xueli, you wouldn''t want reporters to know about this recording, would you?" An Su''s smile remained bright and cheerful, but in Ai Xueli''s eyes, it was as terrifying as a demon''s. If the outside world were to find out about this, she couldn''t imagine the consequences. This brat! He was fishing!! He was threatening her. Perhaps imagining a certain scene... Ai Xueli''s pupils trembled violently, her cheeks flushed, and the breath escaping her thin lips was slightly muddled. "...Even if you use this recording to threaten me, I will still sign the authorization." Ai Xueli''s breathing was rapid as she forcibly calmed down, clinging to thatst bit of defiance, "Threatening an examiner constitutes... cheating, and it cannot pass the judgment of the Eye of Order." "I don''t need to threaten you," An Su said softly, "because you are no longer able to sign the authorizationI will win outright." Having taken the examination so many times in the game, An Su had already found the fastest way to clear it. That is, by any means necessary, to directly eliminate the examiner is always the fastest! This unorthodox way of clearing the examination is viable under the judgment of the Eye of Order. And the reason An Su pursued an extreme speedrun this time is because the saint test has hidden rewards. "What are you talking about?" Ai Xueli felt her worldview copse, since when did it be a thing for examinees to eliminate examiners? An Su calmly said, "Because you have just vited the rules of the Scales of Orderthe very rules you proposed." You''ve got it backwards... What did I vite? Ai Xueli expressed her iprehension. "[No acts that vite secr moral ethics]this rule. What you said to me earlier, those filthy words, go against secr morals, and the magic wand in my hand is the evidence." "Therefore, you shall be eliminated by your own established rule." Ai Xueli''s cheeks were so red they seemed ready to bleed, as she denied it, "Sex is sacredording to the third chapter of the Bible, talking about sex does not vite secr morality." She truly hadn''t expected the situation to turn out like this. "You did not vite morals by discussing sex, but by the subject you chose to discuss it with." An Su smiled brightly, "ording to the fourth use of the fourth chapter of the Bible, verbally harassing individuals under sixteen, minors, is a serious desecration of God''s intentthis naturally also constitutes [an act that vites secr moral ethics]." Ai Xueli, this is indeed a battle of wits! "If I really had those vile and profane intentions, you''d be fine; but since I don''t, it''s you who has uttered those filthy and sphemous words to me who is in fact sexually harassing a minor." "I will use the rules you have established to eliminate you!" His words were very calm, but to Ai Xueli''s ears, they were as ear-piercing as ice.N?v(el)B\\jnn She felt her worldview shatter, looking at An Su as if staring at a monster, stepping back involuntarily, until she copsed onto the ground, weakened, her lips slightly parted, "Could it be that you... you are?" "I just turned fifteen this year." An Su said with a smile, "You understimated, Auntie." No matter the server, An Su was always top tier. Ai Xueli looked at An Su dumbfoundedly,pletely taken aback. With so many examinees, Ai Xueli never bothered to pay attention to their ages. Especially someone from the bordends. This was the arrogance of a genius. She had always assumed someone as mature as An Su must be at least sixteen or seventeen years old, but it turned out this kid was precocious from birth! She was just there to supervise an exam, not to be sent to jail by an examinee, right? Chapter 50 This battle of wits will be her, Ai Xuelis, victory! "Bastard...you can''t, you can''t do this..."Listening to the girl''s whisper in front of him, An Su cocked his head, feigning curiosity, "What have I done?" His appearance was very deceptive: his cyan eyes were clear and pure, his gray-white hair draped over his shoulders, and he wore a pure white robe and a light undershirt. When the boy slightly tilted his head, the gentle sunlight fell on his exquisite profile, making his skin appear as clean and flawless as white jade. He really did seem like an innocent young man. But Ai Xueli knew that the young man in front of her was a genuine born demon. This bastard, still pretending! Sarch* The Novl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The more normal and sunny An Su seemed, the more terrified Ai Xueli felt inside. She understood all too well those born on the border; the more normal they seemed on the surface, the more twisted they were behind the scenes. The more Ai Xueli thought about it, the more convincedindeed, certainshe became that this kid was hiding something big. How could the one who designed ''Nezha''s Riotous Ocean Stream'' be so upright and forthright! Who knows, maybe he looks like a perfect gentleman now, but the moment she signs the authorization, he''ll turn into a sex-crazed demon! The nut-kicking streaker, the urine-holding glasses guy, the Ziwei lustful guy, those are the true faces of those three border-born demons! "Will you sign this authorization or not?" An Su said calmly, "The examination is about to begin, Invigilator Ai Xueli." Ai Xueli lowered her head slightly and stared at the authorization paper, [Persist, courage, wisdomnot only is this an examination, but also a trial to surpass oneself] [The only standard for a perfect score is to overcome yourself] These were lines from the examination instructions in the authorization paper. She felt as though she had returned to seven years ago, when she was also an examinee, arriving at the examination room and staring at these same lines, filled with the same nervous and worried emotions. Ai Xueli now realized that the examination for these border people indeed was a triala trial for the invigilator! "You...that kind of thing," Ai Xueli bit her cherry-like lips, her cheeks flushed red, and she glared at An Su fiercely, "I know what you want to do to me." "What kind of thing?" An Su tilted his head to the other side, speaking calmly. This bastard, he even wanted her, a girl, to say it. "That..." Ai Xueli''s momentum slowly weakened, "it''s that kind of...shameless act." "Shameless?" An Su continued, his voice clean and natural, "What kind of shameless act? Please enlighten me with your wisdom; what shameless act will I perform on youyou''re quite full of yourself, aren''t you?" You...! Ai Xueli clenched her silver teeth. "Your plans, your magic arrangements, all of your intentions, I''ve seen through them all." Ai Xueli''s eyes bore into An Su fiercely, like an angry little lion, she mustered up her courage, her tone becoming increasingly hysterical, "Border people, I am no fool!" These lowly border people! Being forced to streak in public, being brutally kicked in the nuts, being forced into a pee-holding contest only to find out the opponent had already peedthey''re all a bunch of outwardly pretentious, inwardly vile low-lifes, and seeing An Su still pretending to be so innocent completely enraged Ai Xueli. Something that everyone understood, This bastard was still pretending, which was simply an insult to her intelligence! Humiliation had accumulated to the maximum and slowly turned into rage. Ai Xueli''s pride would no longer allow her to accept further insult. Fine, Let her expose him here, before the signing of the authorization, expose his dark and evil plans. This is the place! Expose his hypocritical face and leave him no ground to stand on! Reveal An Su''s dark side under the bright light of day. Under the surveillance of the Scales of Order, Ai Xueli said coldly, "Your magic combinations may appear normal, but in fact, they are riddled with the filthiest of thoughts." "For example?" An Su observed Ai Xueli''s expression with interest. "My magic combinations are quite normal. Can you tell me what is wrong with them?" Discover more stories at empire This kid has such thick skin, still putting up a tough front at this point. Ai Xueli snorted coldly in her heart. But, your schemes have already been seen through by me. You border folk just best yourselves in a realm with no bottom line. Yet when it comes to wisdom, you cannot outsmart yourself! "Take ''Interference Resonance'' for example." "What about ''Interference Resonance''?" An Su''s gaze tightened slightly, a momentary flash of confusion crossing his face but quickly covered up by calmness, "It''s just used to disturb the frequency of the opponent''s magic wand." "Hmph." Ai Xueli noticed An Su''s slight perturbation and uttered a light snort, "Your very aim is to manipulate the enemy''s magic wand to cause continuous vibrations because you have already inserted your wand in that spot." "You intended to use this vibration to crush me before the eyes of everyone!" An Su took a small step back; he shook his head, indignantly denying it, "I have never harbored such dark thoughts." The more he strenuously denied it, the more it proved she was right. Ai Xueli felt a faint sense of satisfaction. After being humiliated so many times, she could finally return the favor. "And ''Tremor of the Earth''." Ai Xueli continued relentlessly, seizing the opportunity to follow up, "This magic seems to create ripples of impact, but it is actually to enhance the vibrational frequency of the wand!" "Such an appalling desecration." An Su''s pupils shrank slightly, he pursed his lips, but still maintained a calm demeanor, "I, An Su, have never thought of such filthy things... It''s truly unimaginable what kind of shameless person could conceive of such dark and cunning moves." Although he appeared calm on the surface, he must be sweating profusely behind the scenes. This battle of wits, she had won. Ai Xueli''s smile grew as she spoke, her excitement growing with the feeling of having taken her revenge, making her cheeks flush even more. She had finally exposed his conspiracy! "And ''Blessing of Sensation''." "What''s wrong with ''Blessing of Sensation''?" An Su took a step back, his pale blue eyes showing a trace of fear, "That is the Holy Light bestowed by the Goddess..." As An Su stepped back, Ai Xueli aggressively advanced a step closer, her crimson, excited cheek almost pressing against the young man''s face, "You intended to use the Holy Light''s blessing for such impure acts," Ai Xueli''s smile curved higher, mercilessly exposing An Su''s plot, "All senses enhanced twofold, the body will become exceedingly sensitive. Under ''Blessing of Sensation'', I bet we would soon turn into fountains!" - The third floor of the great hall. The Priests watched the magic projection screen in silence. Priest Paxi stared at his junior sister, his expression as if he were dead. His heart, previously petrified, felt hammered once again. "What on earth is she talking about!!" Chapter 51 An Su What did you just say? "What on earth is she talking about?"The third-floor examination room. Staring at the magic screen in the center of the mahogany round table, all the Priests fell silent. The atmosphere became somewhat awkward for a moment. Priest Paxi, a kindhearted man, decided to say something to break the rather awkward silence. He coughed, "We all understand Priestess Ai Xueli. She is an upright and proud lady who wouldn''t make groundless accusations." Damn, he had been smoothing things over for the candidates from the border before, but now it was his turn to do the same for the examiners from the capital. "That is indeed the case." A Priest from the Alchemical Church chimed in, "Though what Priestess Ai Xueli said... is too shocking and scandalous, she is, after all, a quasi-saint of the Radiant Holy See, which is understandable." Many Priests nodded tacitly, although lacking evidence, it sounded very plausible. Indeed it did. But the Priests of the Radiant Holy See were not pleased. Why should there necessarily be a problem with our quasi-saint? Find more to read at empire At least, An Su was still acting quite normal, for now. What if it was a false accusation? though the performance of the previous two before signing authorization did seem quite personified. "The judgment of the Scales of Order is determined by the God of Order, beyond anyone''s influence. An Su has already signed the authorization, which is protected by the deity. According to the Order''s rules, Ai Xueli should sign the authorization too." Another Priest of the Order Church spoke gravely, "If she does not sign, it will be seen as An Su passing directly." "There is also room for discussion here, let''s first hear what Priestess Ai Xueli has to say," Priest Paxi replied, "According to our newly drafted rules, ''no act shall go against common morality''. But if An Su''s plan is too vulgar, the Scales of Order will still pause the examinationat least, it will announce a re-examination." Though sex is sacred and lawful, unbridled sexuality also contravenes the precepts of the Church''s doctrine of chastity. There is a measure to it. While not illegal, it is enough to restart the examination and to reformulate the rules. "Agreed." The vast majority of Priests expressed no objections. The Priests of the Radiant Holy See started to sweat coldly. Staring at An Su on the screen with his evasive eyes, they were already contemplating how to quickly disassociate themselves from him. The first two were already such perverts; this An Su must be an even bigger deal! The Radiant Holy See could not afford to lose face today! In the great hall. The dim sunlight gleamed on the not-yet-dried water stains, casting An Su''s slightly pale face in a bright light. He stepped back unconsciously, biting his lip lightly, his pupils slightly evasive as if daunted to meet Ai Xueli''s piercing gaze. Yet he could only feign calm, struggling to maintain a composed and indifferent expression, like a fearful little deer At least that''s how An Su was acting. It seemed, he wouldn''t even have to take the stage today... he thought to himself. An Su was going to directly eliminate the examiner. Seeing An Su''s evasive demeanor, Ai Xueli''s excitement grew. She experienced a vindictive thrill and became even more assertive. She stood firm and exposed An Su''s conspiracy; in the battle of wits, she had the upper hand. "So... if I came up with such a dirty and despicable magic combination," An Su took a slow breath, "what then would be the purpose of the final spell, ''Arrow Shot''?" Ai Xueli had just received magic sound transmission from Paxi, She was now certain that An Su''s plans were exceedingly wicked and depraved, a blasphemous act so vile that merely speaking of it could impregnate someone! Arrow Shot was for what... A smile formed on Ai Xueli''s lips; having witnessed Lister''s ''Water Gathering'' urine bullet attack, ''Arrow Shot'' was naturally not hard to infer. She was, after all, a genius capable of deduction and extrapolation. These words, once spoken, are terrifying. "Of course, it''s from that place." Priestess Ai Xueli stared at An Su with intense eyes, whispering softly, "It''s time for a shootout clearly, this is a duel that tests composure and restraint." What a shootout! Priest Paxi on the third floor nearly choked on his own saliva. What on earth, a shootout using that thing from there? He simply couldn''t believe what he had heard. That kid, An Su, actually concocted such an evil and blasphemous plan. Very well. An Su was very satisfied. He hadn''t expected that this examiner, Priestess Ai Xueli, would have such a talent, a diamond in the rough, so quickly catching on to their frontier-style line of thinking. S~ea??h the N??elFir.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "How, how could there be such a filthy thought..." Yet his face still showed worry and fear, which in the eyes of Ai Xueli, must be the panic of a plan falling apart. He continued to deny it. Still pretending to be innocent even now. But the more he denied it, the more it proved her own correctness. These country people from the frontier would finally pay for their arrogance. How thrilling and satisfying. Sensing the gaze of the Scales of Order, Priestess Ai Xueli''s smile became even more pronounced, her cheeks flushed with excitement like the rose-colored twilight, her eyes blazing as she watched An Su, as if watching prey that was as good as nailed. "You..." An Su''s pupils dodged, his shoulders trembling slightly, "do you have any evidence?" Hmph. Under the scrutiny of the Scales of Order, and the watchful eyes of several priests, Ai Xueli decided to strike the final blow. "I ask you, where is your magic wand?" She stared into An Su''s pupils. "Can you bring out that so-called custom-made miniature wand of yours and show me?" When An Su heard Ai Xueli''s words, he turned aside as if he could not bear to look at her, his shoulders trembling slightly. We will win. Seeing An Su like this, she felt certain of her victory. "You can''t bring it out, can you? Because you''ve hidden it in that place... when you were in the washroom, you had already secretly put it on, and that''s the premise of your entire plan." Enjoying An Su''s expression, Ai Xueli became increasingly delighted. But the next second, her smile froze. An Su calmly took out a wand from the inside of his garment. It didn''t look very big indeed, but its shape was normal, with sage-green branches and pale green leaves. And, it was very clean. Neat and odorless, without any trace. "Do you need this?" An Su displayed a calm smile. "It''s been in my pocket all along." Ai Xueli was stunned. How could this be... How could it be. If you had it in your pocket, then why didn''t you say anything when I asked you earlier! "Maybe... maybe you brought two." She tried to maintain her composure. "This is just a cover." "You can only bring one magic wand," he calmly stated. "According to the rules, only one is allowed. Otherwise, I couldn''t have signed the authorization." "Now, please tell me." An Su tilted his head, his expression innocent. "Where did you say I put this wand?" Ai Xueli was sweating profusely. Chapter 52 An Su What did the aunt say? The Sixth Alchemic Church, Third Level.Watching An Su pull out a magic wand from the lining of his clothes, Priest Ai Xueli looked so sweaty that the priests fell silent once again. "This isn''t ours," a priest from the Alchemical Church was the first to break the silence, "Our Church does not have this examiner." Another silence ensued. Only the priests from the Radiant Holy See cracked a smile, but they dared not to smile too obviously, managing only a more subtle one. The wheel of fortune turns! Now it''s your turn to be dissected! Priest Paxi wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, having overseen the saint examinations for so many years, this was the first time he encountered such a bizarre examination. Great God of Order, please guide the lost him. This examination, from candidates to examiners, there was not a single anthropomorphic creature! The streaker, the man holding in urine with glasses, and the woman with delusions of universal faith! The imperial capital is just too complicated, he wanted to go back home. .... "Now, please tell me," An Su said with a smile, "where do you think I placed this wand?" As An Su spoke, he tilted his head slightly, his cyan pupils innocent and flawless. "I..." Ai Xueli stepped back, stammering without being able to speak. If the location of the wand was invalid, then all subsequent reasoning would be invalid as well. The location of the wand was the most fundamental premise. Including things like "interference resonance" and the like, all would be invalid. "Exactly what filthy things were you thinking of to conceive such a dirty school of thought?" An Su advanced a step closer and stared at her, "Please tell me." With every sentence An Su spoke, Ai Xueli''s momentum weakened, if she had previously been like a raging lion, now she seemed like a timid chick, with her head down and shoulders trembling. Prior to this, Ai Xueli had spoken so many shameful words out of sheer indignation. But now, with that indignation gone and realizing how shameful her words had been, Ai Xueli''s cheeks turned a deep red with embarrassment. An unparalleled shame washed over her strongly. Could it be, that everything before had been a misunderstanding? Could it be that she was really just a silver digger? No... She needed to calm down now. She couldn''t admit it now, her brothers in the Church would help her get past this, she couldn''t admit it now. The words she had just said hadn''t been heard by people outside. There was no evidence. She wasn''t that kind of person... she couldn''t be. The important thing now was to stay calm. Yes, all of this was false. And, since An Su did not use that sneaky move, she could sign the authorization. As long as she could defeat An Su and humiliate him severely in the examination, she could still regain her honor. She would still be able to humiliate these despicable borderlanders. Discover stories with empire Ai Xueli forcibly kept her composure and stared at An Su, managing a strained smile, "Ah ha... it seems I misunderstood." "But," Ai Xueli continued stubbornly, "borderlanders are born to be misunderstood, it''s not our fault." "With that said, let''s start the examination." "Please wait a moment." An Su smiled again, that sun-drenched smile as clean and pure white as the first snow of winter, "I actually told you, this is a ''customized'' mini wand that I had specially made yesterday." He leaned close to Ai Xueli and whispered very softly. "Inside, it contains a small Alchemic Magic Circle." He indicated the magic wand in his hand and lowered his voice, "That Alchemic Magic Circle has just one small function, which is recording." "You were planning to use this shock..." "...to draw your gun?" Priestess Ai Xueli''s words came weakly from the magic wand. Her gaze became vacant. "Priestess Ai Xueli, you wouldn''t want reporters to know about this recording, would you?" An Su''s smile remained bright and cheerful, but in Ai Xueli''s eyes, it was as terrifying as a demon''s. If the outside world were to find out about this, she couldn''t imagine the consequences. This brat! He was fishing!! He was threatening her. Perhaps imagining a certain scene... Ai Xueli''s pupils trembled violently, her cheeks flushed, and the breath escaping her thin lips was slightly muddled. "...Even if you use this recording to threaten me, I will still sign the authorization." Ai Xueli''s breathing was rapid as she forcibly calmed down, clinging to that last bit of defiance, "Threatening an examiner constitutes... cheating, and it cannot pass the judgment of the Eye of Order." "I don''t need to threaten you," An Su said softly, "because you are no longer able to sign the authorizationI will win outright." Having taken the examination so many times in the game, An Su had already found the fastest way to clear it. That is, by any means necessary, to directly eliminate the examiner is always the fastest! This unorthodox way of clearing the examination is viable under the judgment of the Eye of Order. And the reason An Su pursued an extreme speedrun this time is because the saint test has hidden rewards. "What are you talking about?" Ai Xueli felt her worldview collapse, since when did it become a thing for examinees to eliminate examiners? An Su calmly said, "Because you have just violated the rules of the Scales of Orderthe very rules you proposed." You''ve got it backwards... What did I violate? Sar?h the n?vel_Fire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Ai Xueli expressed her incomprehension. "[No acts that violate secular moral ethics]this rule. What you said to me earlier, those filthy words, go against secular morals, and the magic wand in my hand is the evidence." "Therefore, you shall be eliminated by your own established rule." Ai Xueli''s cheeks were so red they seemed ready to bleed, as she denied it, "Sex is sacredaccording to the third chapter of the Bible, talking about sex does not violate secular morality." She truly hadn''t expected the situation to turn out like this. "You did not violate morals by discussing sex, but by the subject you chose to discuss it with." An Su smiled brightly, "According to the fourth clause of the fourth chapter of the Bible, verbally harassing individuals under sixteen, minors, is a serious desecration of God''s intentthis naturally also constitutes [an act that violates secular moral ethics]." Ai Xueli, this is indeed a battle of wits! "If I really had those vile and profane intentions, you''d be fine; but since I don''t, it''s you who has uttered those filthy and blasphemous words to me who is in fact sexually harassing a minor." "I will use the rules you have established to eliminate you!" His words were very calm, but to Ai Xueli''s ears, they were as ear-piercing as ice. She felt her worldview shatter, looking at An Su as if staring at a monster, stepping back involuntarily, until she collapsed onto the ground, weakened, her lips slightly parted, "Could it be that you... you are?" "I just turned fifteen this year." An Su said with a smile, "You understimated, Auntie." No matter the server, An Su was always top tier. Ai Xueli looked at An Su dumbfoundedly, completely taken aback. With so many examinees, Ai Xueli never bothered to pay attention to their ages. Especially someone from the borderlands. This was the arrogance of a genius. She had always assumed someone as mature as An Su must be at least sixteen or seventeen years old, but it turned out this kid was precocious from birth! She was just there to supervise an exam, not to be sent to jail by an examinee, right? Chapter 53 Lost.In this contest of wisdom, Ai Xueli was utterly defeated. Even her last shred of dignity had been completely stripped away. She was an... an auntie who sexually harassed minors. "I... I was wrong." In the long silence, Due to the shame of being scolded, Ai Xueli''s cheeks flushed red, her shoulders trembling as she whimpered, "Please... please don''t... please don''t spread the word, I... I am that auntie." "Did you just say that people from the borderlands are born to be misunderstood?" An Su said calmly. She hung her head low, whimpering, "I''m sorry... I was wrong, I... never again... I''ll never look down on the borderland lords again... please, please forgive me, borderland lord..." "Now, sign the authorization," An Su said softly, "although shortly after the test began, you will be eliminated by the Eye of Order for violating ethics." An examiner''s signature was needed for authorization, otherwise An Su would just have a perfect score. "You..." Ai Xueli bit her lip, her eyes reddened as she looked at An Su with a look of desperation and anger, and deep resentment. Born, born... She was clearly a genius. A magic geniusthis was Ai Xueli''s only pride. Yet she was going to be eliminated for such a reason. Eliminated for the reason of ''sexually harassing a minor''! She couldn''t accept it at all. With a slightly trembling hand, she slowly signed the authorization. The Bionic Alchemy Array slowly activated, and she gradually transformed into An Su''s appearance, her hair slowly turning to grey, her pupils slowly taking on a deep blue hue, her clothes turning into a snow-white robe. The Alchemic Magic Circle finally activated. The impatient examinees made quite a noise. They whispered amongst themselves. "The test has finally started... What exactly happened?" "An Su Moningsta, I remember this guy, did he do something strange to the examiner?" "This guy can only play despicable tricks." "Like what?" "For example, after he finished the test first yesterday, he actually posted his correct answers all over the dormitory! They were everywhere! You could see them the moment you got up!" "...So it was this guy who did it!" "He''ll show his true colors during the practical test..." "Real combat is still about real strength after all." Meanwhile, the priests on the third floor were also watching silently. Priest Paxi didn''t know that the test was destined to end from the beginning. An Su watched another self, finding this feeling quite peculiar. Things developed so smoothly... even he was quite surprised. After about ten seconds, the Scales of Order would announce the end of the test. And he himself would achieve the feat of the fastest clearance. With that little time, An Su thought he could still bluff for a moment. This was mainly to fool those priests up there, to show that although An Su''s moral level wasn''t high, he still had some skill in magic. After that, when the reward was given to him, they wouldn''t have much to complain about. It was best to make the priests acknowledge him. An Su weighed the magic wand in his hand, feeling Ai Xueli''s resentful and aggrieved gaze, and found it quite interesting. "Priestess Ai Xueli," An Su said earnestly, "the selection of these four initial stage magics is not as dirty and lowly as you think. Each has its unique uses." Actually, there were many combinations of magics to choose from, but An Su intentionally chose in that direction. Hearing An Su''s words, Ai Xueli''s cheeks flushed even redder; this guy was talking nonsense again. In the game strategies from his previous life, the four most basic initial stage magics[Arrow Shooting], [Interference Resonance], [Earth Tremor], [Sensory Blessing]could be combined into a hidden intermediate stage magic. "[Arrow Shooting]." An Su deftly swung the magic wand; Arrow Shooting was an initial stage non-attributive magic that consumed one magic point and could create arrows out of the elements nearby, For instance, An Su this time chose the water stains on the ground to form a bundle of water arrows. This was standard procedure, as Ai Xueli thought to herself. "[Earth Tremor]," An Su used this magic on the water arrows, integrating the continuously circling tremor waves into the water arrows. Blending magics, huh... Ai Xueli was somewhat surprised. This required a high demand on spiritual power, but An Su had received so many blessings from the Mother Goddess that his spiritual power far exceeded that of ordinary people. "[Interference Resonance]," An Su then used Interference Resonance. He moved quickly; these three magics were used in a matter of seconds, and if Ai Xueli''s gaze hadn''t been fast enough, she wouldn''t have even been able to keep up with his pace. Now, Ai Xueli was somewhat confused; she didn''t cast any spells either... Who was An Su interfering with? Was he interfering with his own spellcasting? An Su was indeed disrupting himself, or rather, the fusion of "Earthquake Tremor" and "Arrow Shot". Applying disruption magic to the realm of magic fusion to create heterogeneous magic combinations... this was a line of thought he had never considered before. Ai Xueli''s pupils became even brighter. But such an experiment should have been conducted hundreds of times in the alchemy workshop to find magic texts that could be fused together, and the magic produced by heterogeneous combinations was highly uncertain, with the vast majority being less useful than before. An Su naturally didn''t need to experiment, as in his previous life those gaming experts had already tried it out. Moreover, the most important point was that disruption resonance was a kind of disruption magic, which required a high level of precision and strong perception abilities to control it. Ai Xueli suddenly thought of something, "Sensory Blessing", all senses could be doubled. Was the magic she had always thought to be crooked actually having legitimate uses? With this thought, cold sweat trickled down Ai Xueli''s cheeks. Keep in mind that An Su was not yet fifteen years old. He, who could think this far ahead, was his magical talent not far surpassing her own? What mattered now was whether "Earthquake Tremor" could heterogeneously fuse with "Arrow Shot". The answer was yes. Sar?h the ovelFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Priest Paxi made a questioning noise. Several priests subconsciously leaned forward. The arrows in An Su''s hands had completely changed in appearance, as the mixed magic vortices swirled and weaved within the water arrow, elongating it until it resembled less an arrow and more a sinister spear. "Arrow Shot. Tremor Hetero-fusion" These four initial stage magics formed a magic of intermediate stage or higher. An Su''s casting speed was very quick; almost simultaneously casting the four magics, within a few seconds, the spear was formed in his hands, and the surrounding examinees couldn''t even understand what had happened. He threw the watery spear straight at Ai Xueli. Ai Xueli also fused "Earthquake Tremor" and "Arrow Shot" but she couldn''t use disruption hetero-fusion like An Su; when the two magics collided, a tremendous torrent of magical power rushed back towards Ai Xueli''s side, kicking up a huge cloud of dust. The breathing of the surrounding examinees seemed to come to a halt. When the dust settled, Ai Xueli''s disheveled appearance was revealed. You, you could have passed the test using sheer strength, Why did you have to toy with me! Do you think humiliating others is fun! She was almost on the verge of tears. Ai Xueli had been thoroughly convinced. Whether it was intelligence, perseverance, courage, or her most prized magical talent, she had been utterly defeated by the boy not yet fifteen standing before her. Having lost in both body and mind to An Su, she could no longer muster the will to resist. She wasn''t even able to make An Su fully enjoy himself. The one thing Ai Xueli couldn''t accept was that, with An Su''s level, if it were a normal exam, he could have won within two minutes at most. "You could have won directly, so why did you go around in circles?" Toying and training people, was that this guy''s hobby? Was this his sexual desire! Of course, it was to brush achievements... An Su calmly watched her, thinking to himself. "Examiner Ai Xueli," under the clear sunshine, An Su''s expression was solemn and sacred, "I used my wisdom to uphold the Church''s order, that''s all." He used his wisdom to identify a potential sexual offender, preserving the Church''s order! Meanwhile, the verdict of the Scales of Order resonated throughout the entire hall. None of the examinees even realized what had happened by the time the exam was concluded. "Examination over." "Examiner disqualified for rule violation." What... the examiner got disqualified for rule violation? All the examinees were bewildered. They doubted they were hallucinating. "Examiner''s endurance time: 27s" "Examinee An Su Moningsta, exam number 61, scored one hundred percent, for breaking the thirty-year record speed and for defending order and the law, the God of Order has granted a divine title." "Divine Title: Star of Order" That was the hidden reward of the Radiant Holy See''s exam for joining the Church, the record-breaker could obtain a title granted by the God of Orderthis was the hidden reward. The previous record holder, sixty years ago, was Merlin Andre, lauded as the ''God of Law'', who took only one minute to overpower a Priest. And if An Su wanted to break this record, he had to use unorthodox means. Today marked the first battle of the "Star of Order", and in the future, an even more resounding title would echo throughout the empire, the first of the Borderland Triumvirs, "Star of Orderly Desire"the born An Su Moningsta. Your journey continues with empire His father, far away in the borderlands, would also feel proud and honored for him. Chapter 54 Hes Going to Skew the Entire Churchs Style! [Starlight of Order][God-given Title] [Title Effect: You can establish a ''Law'' within a certain area, lasting for fifteen minutes] [Note 1: The law is only effective for targets of a rank lower than or equal to your own] [Note 2: The established law must be followed, including by An Su himself] [Note 3: The established ''Law'' must revolve around basic order, otherwise it is considered null and void] [Title Introduction: Under the starlight''s gleam, all are equal, within the law, do as one pleases] The title''s effect is not displayed to the public; all anyone can see are the glittering words [Starlight of Order] like twinkling stars. When the cold, metallic sound of the Scales of Order rang out, the entire place fell terrifyingly silent. It was broad daylight, yet they faintly saw a starry sky. Between the clear, translucent firmament drifted pale silver clouds, with stars cascading down the entirety of the sky vault as if droplets of aquamarine paint spilling on a canvas, and An Su was at the very heart of the starlight''s caress, his white robe billowing with the wind, transforming into a canvas smeared with starlight. [Starlight of Order] This moment was but an illusion, for at the blink of an eye from the saints, the starlight vanished, leaving only An Su still standing at the center of the hall. The saints were enveloped in silence. Without a doubt, that illusion was a blessing from the God of Order. The silence lasted only a moment before it was drowned by an uproar. All sorts of discussions were threading endlessly. They discussed everything imaginable. "That was a blessing from the God of Order...." "Does the God of Order bless during a saint''s test?" "How many seconds did An Su take to finish the test, 27 seconds?" "Worthy of my Ansu, he forced that woman to kneel, compelling her to become Star Fury!" "This score must be a record-breaking performance, can someone from such frontier be this fierce?" "If Brother Su were to stir the seas like Nezha, surely he could do it more elegantly than IBrother Su would definitely dare to drink eight bottles of water... no, Brother Su would dare drink straight eight bottles of urine!" "Did you understand the principles of the combination magic he used at the end? I was dizzy by the second spell." "Never thought he wasn''t only good at studying, his practical abilities are also impressive..." Discover more content at empire During this period there were also a few odd remarks mixed in, but the main topic centered on An Su Moningsta. In the monitoring room on the third floor, all Priests sat up straight, their eyes widened in disbelief at the scene unfolding on the magic screen; Priest Paxi even abruptly stood up from his seat and walked straight towards the screen. Is this a [God-given Title]? He had not anticipated the God of Order granting a title. [...and defended Order and Law...] The words of the Scales of Order echoed in Paxi''s mind, making him wonder if he was experiencing auditory hallucinations. An Su? Was it that An Su Moningsta? The one who pressured other examinees during the test by handing in his paper early and plastered the hostel with exam answers overnight, he defended ''Order''? sea??h th n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. What exactly was his method of maintaining order? Was it by Sunny''s testicular kick, or Lister''s urine retention? Or was it from being verbally harassed by the big sister? Does the God of Order fancy such conduct.... He rubbed his nose bridge, finding the world too crazy for his liking. In the future, when they hunted Chaos Followers, should they equip themselves with holy urine before entering the fray? Or perhaps strip naked? Or maybe dress up as a little boy and entice pedophilic Chaos Followers? Clearly, it was not only Ai Xueli''s train of thought that An Su had led astray, but even Priest Paxi, who was proctoring and watching the battle from upstairs, found his thoughts somewhat skewed. This man, who had believed in the god of Order and Justice for nearly thirty years, experienced doubt towards Order for the first time. He shook his head, expelling those messy thoughts from his mind. The priests of the Alchemical Church fell silent, their complexions now uglier than constipation. "Ahem." At that moment. "This is our Church''s." It was still that priest from the Radiant Holy See who first broke the silence, "Our Church''s saints are exactly this outstanding." Why aren''t you disassociating yourself this time... The priests of the Alchemical Church stared at him with deep, somber eyes. The constrained smile on his face was almost too much to hold back, even his eyelids were trembling, but he felt he couldn''t laugh too recklessly... No, he couldn''t help it. The examination this morning was indeed the most dramatic one he had ever proctored. The rule that a saint test might bestow a divine title had actually been forgotten by many since Merlin set the record thirty years ago, as no one since then had received a divine title from a saint test. And today, their own saint had broken the Law King''s recordnever mind what principle he used to break it, the record was broken regardless. The Scales of Order had recognized it, so how could the proctors of the Order Church not? Mentioning this outside would surely increase his own achievements. Priest Paxi''s lips twitched slightly, and he pressed his temples, "Although we are unclear about the specifics of how An Su passed the test, it feels like..." An Su had been quietly threatening Ai Xueli, something they hadn''t heard on their side. The true circumstances, only the parties involved would know. Priest Paxi paused, then said with uncertainty, "...this should not be good, right?" At this point, Bishop Sharl, who was from the sixth Church of Order and had not yet spoken, finally spoke up. Although Bishop Sharl''s expression was also subtle, he slowly concluded, "According to the doctrines of Order, anything within the rules is permitted. The alchemic bio-test is precisely a test of a saint''s comprehensive quality, endurance, courage, intelligence... And using rules to eliminate enemies is also a form of intelligence." "In the Nether Worldespecially for the final exam tomorrow, An Su''s ability to apply rules flexibly is very important." "Furthermore," Bishop Sharl coughed softly again, "This border student named An Su, his final combination magic, is indeed very interesting... quite novel and creative. It feels suitable for our path of Order integration." "Plus, his unruly temperament is precisely what needs to be tempered in the Order Church." Priest Paxi knew trouble was brewing the moment he heard the old man''s tone. Everything he had said before was just a preamble; the real point came in the last few sentences. The implicit message was clear. Bishop Sharl was taken by An Su''s advanced understanding of magic, his perfect scores in written and combat tests, and his recent blessing from the god of Order. He wanted to pull him into the Order Church. As had been mentioned before, since all seven gods are one family, believing in one is believing in all. It''s completely normal for the saint tests to be occasions for talent scouting. If it wasn''t for scouting, Bishop Sharl wouldn''t have bothered to come proctor. But they can''t let this guy be pulled into the Order Church... One must not be fooled by his appearance. Priest Paxi always had a vague premonition that if this guy entered the sixth Church of Order, he might end up tempering the entire Church instead. Then, during witch hunts, Order Knights would truly pick little boys who run naked holding back their urine to eliminate the Chaos Followers. His hopeful gaze turned towards the priest of the Radiant Holy See, praying he wouldn''t agree. The priest of the Radiant Holy See fell silent for a moment before slowly saying, "We can let An Su go to you, but the condition is to give one and throw in two more." "What do you mean?" asked the friendly-looking bishop. "Arthur and Lister are the two to be thrown in." "...." Bishop Sharl fell silent. "Excuse me," he said firmly. Chapter 55 The Law of Magic, is the Law of the Protection of Minors! As soon as An Su stepped out of the Alchemic Sixth Church, he was swarmed by reporters. Enjoy new tales from empireAfter all, the title above his head was too eye-catching. Just like the written exam, the second subject of the saint test, the biomimetic alchemy exam, was also a national point of focus. Moreover, rumors had leaked that the record of Magic King Merlin had been broken by a newcomer and that the God of Order had bestowed a Divine Title... This was undoubtedly big news. As soon as the door opened, there was a crowd of reporters. However, there were far fewer education experts at the exam today. In fact, they were few and far between. Part of the reason was that most education experts were good with the pen, skilled at writing exam outlines, but in magic combat, nine out of ten were noobsso useless that the Mother Goddess wouldn''t tip them even for a sacrifice. Another reason was that quite a few education experts listened to An Su''s interview yesterday, asserting that the Radiant Holy See was about to venture into the adult realm, and they worked overnight on new exam strategy guides, like "Five-Year Crossbreeding, Three-Year Gender Change" and other educational subjects, also taking reference from the recent hit in the Imperial Capital, "Forbidden Love between the Child of the Curse and the Maid," and publishing it speedily overnight, as firsthand information is the most profitable. Although the "Imperial Capital Morning Post" clarified yesterday''s exam content this morning, the education experts stumbled upon an unexpected windfall; they were astonished to find a brand-new track: It seemed that writing royal literature could scam money from the youth even more effectively than educational materials. And so, they all transformed from teachers of the outer world to teachers of the inner world, using their professional pens to write new legends, becoming the enlightenment teachers for many fiery-blooded young mena wonderful tale indeed. The few remaining experts who wrote too explicitly and explosively, more professional than the professionals, were taken away by the Order Church. Due to the reasons stated above, the interview today was lacking the presence of education experts. The reporter at the very front was still from the "Imperial Capital Morning Post," and he clearly had an impression of An Su: It was, after all, An Su who led the educational experts astray, causing trouble for himself and earning the editor''s reprimand. But seeing the "Starlight of Order" above An Su''s head, the Imperial Reporter was even more shocked. Yesterday, he was just a "Novice," so how did it change to "Starlight of Order" today? Could it be this kid who has broken the record today as well? And why would the God of Order choose him... The reporter''s eyes were suspicious and aghastcould it be that it was actually the Order Church planning to delve into the adult realm? He shook his head, dismissing the messy thoughts from his mind, and approached An Su. There was definitely an inside story here, A conspiracy. As a righteous reporter, he was determined to expose these dark secrets! "Hello." The reporter put on a forced smile, "Do you remember me, Mr. ''Arthur Sunny''?" He deliberately emphasized Arthur, indicating that he knew An Su had been spouting nonsense the day before. Caught red-handed, An Su did not seem flustered and looked at the reporter calmly, "You have the wrong person, my name is An Su Moningsta." "As a professional reporter, you can''t even get the name of the person you''re interviewing right," An Su said with a look of disbelief, "You''re really disappointing." Colleagues around him cast disdainful glances. ...Can''t you tell that''s sarcasm? The reporter''s smile was strained, "You are the first saint in thirty years to break Magic King Merlin''s record. May I ask which ultimate magic you chose for the biomimetic alchemy test?" "I''ve always been very interested in magic," nodded An Su, "For example, the ultimate magic I chose this time was the ''Pharos Juvenile Canon Protection Law''." Minor protection law, now that''s top tier magic. This guy is spouting nonsense again... The reporter smiled like he was constipated. An Su, for once, had told the truth, but nobody around him believed it, convinced that this magic prodigy was hiding his own secrets, unwilling to share with the public. "By the way, if you''re looking for Arthur Sunny, he''s here. Go interview him." An Su had spotted Arthur''s flashy golden hair from afar and, leaving that remark, he slipped away. Miss Enya was waiting for him outside, and he wondered what delicious treats she had prepared today. ...I''m not here to interview Arthur, I came to interview you. The reporter''s mouth twitched slightly, but Arthur was already schmoozing up to him with an eager face. He walked out of the exam room with utter pride and arrogance. The smile on his lips was more licentious and unruly than ever. After all, the Scales of Order testified that he had aced this time. It was a complete turnaround from yesterday''s blank submission, and dad would definitely be proud of him! Arthur had plenty of confidence. Today marked his first battle as the "Radiant Young Lion," and it would indeed end in the most perfect way. "If there''s anything you''d like to ask," Arthur casually flicked his long hair that was billowing in the wind, his smile as dazzling as the sun, full of warmth, "just shoot." "...Mr. Arthur," the reporter''s gaze slightly lowered, his pupils contracted slightly, revealing a shocked expression as he gasped. "Go ahead and ask," Arthur said with even more confidence, convinced that the reporter was in awe of his commanding aura. "Your zipper is undone." As the reporter spoke, he took out his expensive Magic camera and snapped a photohe''d learned his lesson about not using a camera yesterday. "Please don''t mind this little detail," Arthur was not embarrassed at all. It was just that he had forgotten to zip up after changing in the washroom after the exam. It was a mistake any man could make. After all, he was wearing gold underwear underneath. "This is not a little detail," the reporter''s pupils dilated, "Your ''goods'' are showing!" The reporter had already thought of tomorrow''s news headline: #Arthur Sunny''s bold exposure in the exam room, thrillingly provocative# Tomorrow''s sales were going to explode. "Please don''t mind this thick strand," Arthur pulled up his zipper with a hint of embarrassment. His rough motion caused him to pinch himself slightly, eliciting a subtly bittersweet expression. "This is also a mistake every man makes," he said with a smile. The stress of the exam had soaked his underwear in sweat, making it very uncomfortable, so he took it off while changing his clothes, hoping to air dry it naturally. Sar?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. But then he turned around to see An Su breaking records, and his excitement got the better of him. Caught up in the excitement, he rushed out and left his underwear behind in the exam room. Sitting in his seat just now, no one had noticed. Given the current circumstances, he couldn''t leave his own name behind. If dad saw it, he would definitely chastise him again. Not for streaking, as bare exposure is a noble Sun Knight tradition, but for being forgetful and carelessa cardinal sin for a knight. To think he had forgotten his underwear. "Actually, I''m not Arthur." Arthur''s mind was spinning rapidly. After two days of fighting side by side, he had come to regard An Su and Lister as good brothers, so naturally he couldn''t leave their names behind anymore. Sun Knights never betray! So, he would have to trouble that great being once again. Surely the one lying in a hospital bed wouldn''t mind stepping out for a bit of air. After some thought, he said, "Actually, I''m Kavensis." "..." The reporter gave him a look that said "Do you think I''m an idiot?" "Actually, I''m Kavensis." Arthur inconspicuously stuffed a heavy stack of Gold Coins into the reporter''s pocket, then addressed the eager crowd behind him, "Everyone gets a shareactually, I''m Kavensis." The reporter weighed the money pouch in his hand. By rough estimation, the stack of Gold Coins in his grasp could cover ten years of his salary. "Actually, you are Kavensis," the righteous reporters all nodded in agreement, jotting down the name Kavensis in their notebooks, "Who''s Arthur Sunny?" Chapter 56 Mr. Arthur, please come to collect your underwear after hearing the broadcast. [Mr. Arthur Sunny of Dormitory 301, Radiant Holy See''s Sixth Diocese Third Dormitory, please proceed to the Alchemic Sixth Church''s storage room to retrieve your lost item after hearing this announcementyour underwear was left in the examination hall.][Your underwear was left in the examination hall.] [Mr. Arthur Sunny of the Radiant Holy See''s Sixth Diocese...] [Your underwear was left in the examination hall.] ... The voice of the magic broadcast echoed in the hall, with the church''s broadcasting system''s penetrating effect ensuring the message played several times over, clearly heard by all the saints passing by. The entire Sixth Diocese could hear it. "The announcement has been broadcast, Mr. Lister." The beaming smile of the freelance old priest, who wasn''t on the church''s official roster, shone as he turned his head to look at the elegantly dressed young man beside him. "Hmm. Thank you for your trouble." Gentleman Lister graciously removed his hat in thanks. From his education onward, Lister had prided himself on being a gentleman of noble demeanor, constantly holding himself to a high moral standarddoing good deeds without leaving his name behind, which was very much in the spirit of the noble Moon Family. Arthur had left in such a hurry from the examination hall that he dropped his underweara detail that the observant Lister had naturally noticed. But the crowd was too dense, and Arthur had left too quickly for chasing after him to be practical. Besides, navigating such a crowded corridor would compromise the elegance of his own stature as Lister. However, the clever Lister soon thought of a solution: he would go to the storage room and make a lost and found announcement so Arthur, upon hearing it, would joyfully come on his own to claim his underwear. "Would you like me to leave your name?" the old priest asked again. "No need." Lister pushed his glasses up calmly and flashed a serene smile, "This humble individual never leaves his name after doing a good deed." Humility was indeed one of the noble virtues. The crowd in the corridor had mostly dispersed, and he walked straight through the door, leaving the examination hall behind. The holy candidates, having finished the day''s exam, had another thing lined up: to report to the Celestial Church''s Fourth Church for tomorrow''s final test. As the final examination for entry into the priesthood, this test would be uniform for candidates from all six Churches. The first two exams were devised individually by each Church, but for the final one, all candidates, except those native to the Celestial Church, had to participate. Not just the candidates from the Radiant Holy See, but those from the Churches of Order, Alchemic, Chastity... all the candidates would be together. All the masters and geniuses from the Entire Hell would gather in one place. Bishops from each Church would also attend to invigilate and observe. Sar?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Such an ultimate stage was exactly the time for them to show off their skills! After leaving the examination hall, most of the reporters outside had already scattered. However, the reporter from the Imperial Capital Morning Post was still lingeringhoping to catch a big scoop. After all, he had not yet managed to obtain the secret magic technique that was the ultimate prize. Upon seeing the familiar face of Lister, the reporter immediately approached; he felt that interviews with these candidates from the frontier regions always led to explosive news. According to rumors, Mr. Lister''s exam scores were also perfect. "Mr. Lister, I heard you excelled in this exam," the reporter said with a smile, "do you have any secrets to share?" Lister frowned; he wasn''t fond of giving interviews. After all, as he said, he was a gentleman who preferred humility and keeping a low profile. But then, something crossed his mind. "Is this for the national newspaper?" Lister inquired. "Yes," the reporter said with a proud smile, "our newspaper has nationwide sales and is ranked in the top three in the imperial city." Lister fell into contemplation. True to his claim, he was a gentleman who enjoyed helping others. The "Holy Infant''s Comfort" designed by Brother Ansu was a groundbreaking product that should not be left unnoticed; if marketed successfully, it could easily sweep into the homes of expectant mothers among the imperial capital''s nobility. Lister knew the Morningstar Family was into commerce, and if sales of Holy Infant''s Comfort were a success, their family head would surely appreciate Brother Ansu''s business acumen. Perhaps he would even pass on the family fortune to Ansu directly. And now was the perfect opportunity for promotion. An interview with concerning the Saints'' Examination was sure to catch the entire imperial city''s attention as hot news. Engaging in such a good deed of helping others, Lister naturally found it impossible to decline. "I have only one secret to my success," Lister, under the reporter''s surprised and astounded gaze, proceeded to pull down his trousers, revealing the pure white diaper underneath. ``` "That''s the Holy Baby''s Anle brand diapers!" The reporter''s pupils dilated once again, as he took out the magic camera from his backpack again and snapped another photo of his lower half. What on earth do you want to do... You folks from the border like to expose your lower halves, huh? "What are diapers?" the reporter asked. "Diapers are a name I''ve just come up withHoly Baby''s Anle brand diapers." Lister calmly pushed up his glasses, "This is precisely my secret to success. They feature an ultra-thin softness, high breathability, and strong absorbency, capable of being worn all night long, providing babies with the most peaceful and comfortable sleep. While the quality is excellent, the price is cheap. Alchemy shops interested in large-scale cooperation can come to room 301 to discuss contracts." "The first step for a saint, Anle diapers." You''re here to advertise? The reporter was utterly at a loss for words. But as Lister stuffed a bag of gold coins into the reporter''s arms, the upright journalist once again showed a smile, "Mr. Lister, this is... this is too..." "I am not Lister." Lister said calmly as he pushed up his glasses. True to his word, he was a gentleman who did good deeds without leaving a name. A humble and low-profile noble. He never wished for An Su and Arthur to be grateful to him because of this; he only wanted to act with a clear conscience. "Then you are...?" At times like this, they could only rely on him again. It surely wouldn''t bother the one lying in the sickbed to do a diaper endorsement. "I am the spokesperson for Anle diapers," Lister said serenely, "Kavensis Black." You rich folks call the shots... Mr. Reporter quietly noted down the name Kavensis. The following morning. The border. The first day''s exam results had come back. The Sun Family, Archduke Annand was seething with rage, Arthur got a mere seventeen points, the family''s bravado had already been proclaimed far and wide, the rebellious son! Stab him with a swordArchduke Annand thought. The Moon Family, Marquis Norman was seething with rage, Lister scored eight points, the family''s bravado had already been proclaimed far and wide, the rebellious son! Hit him with a bookMarquis Norman thought. The Morningstar Family, Count Karlo was seething with rage, An Su scored full marks, the gold mine had already been arranged, the rebellious son! Drown him in moneyCount Karlo thought. The Church at the border, Priest Black could not even vent his frustration. Still before the same desolate grave. Priest Black gazed tremblingly at "The Imperial Capital Morning Post" in his hands, feeling the world so strange and alien. #Kavensis Black boldly exposes himself in the exam room, dramatically stimulating# There was also a photo with Holy Light splashed over it attached. Priest Black felt he was about to have a stroke. He then saw the adjacent advertisement for rent, boldly writing #Recommended by KavensisThe first step for saints, Anle Diapers, the intimate apparel for babies# The news students in the Imperial Capital are quite skilled, Based on these two completely unrelated pieces of news, he concocted a very plausible story. ''This man, named Kavensis, is a saint candidate who wet his pants during the alchemic exam out of fear, so he had to take the test naked, boldly exposing himself, dramatically stimulating, but was ultimately eliminated. But if you have Anle Diapers, you will never have to worry about such awkward problems againThe first step for saints, Anle Diapers!'' Priest Black looked gloomily towards his own child''s grave. After his son had won the resurrection match and made his debut, how did he get involved in advertising sponsorships too...? Exorcise him with the BiblePriest Black thought. ``` Chapter 57 All the Talented Individuals Have Arrived The next day.The morning sunlight penetrated the window lattices, creating several layers of color through the stained glass. An Su squinted his eyes slightly uncomfortably and turned his head to avoid the dazzling sunlight. Today was the last day of the saints'' examination. After getting out of bed, he found that Lister was already washing up and dressinghe was struggling to fasten the ''Cradle of Heavenly Peace'' and had pulled on his tailored dress pants over it, a snug fit, and then donned his signature tailcoat and top hat. "You don''t need to wear diapers for today''s exam, do you?" An Su couldn''t help but say. "Doing so would give me a bit more of a sense of security," Lister replied with elegance. What kind of person finds security in diapers... An Su pushed open the balcony door, ready for his morning routine, and saw Arthur Sunny. He was standing naked, basking in the cool breeze of early morning, his golden hair fluttering in the wind. "You still need to wear clothes for today''s exam," An Su said again. "Boss An Su," Arthur turned his head, "for the glorious Sun Knight, being naked gives more of a sense of securityand besides, I couldn''t find my underwear." What kind of person feels more secure streaking. That loud broadcast yesterday was heard by the entire diocese, except for Arthur. And do you usually travel with just one pair of underwear? Perhaps sensing An Su''s doubt, Arthur proudly replied, "Because the proud Sun Knight generally doesn''t wear underwear." "Well, you go to the exam commando, then," An Su decided. After some tussling, they finally left the dormitory side by side. It must be said, the three of them walking together, at least in terms of looks, were quite eye-catching. Arthur was handsome and unrestrained, Lister was elegant and noble, and An Su was the abstinent and beautiful youth. Along the way, they turned quite a few heads among the ordinary female believers, "Look... that blond hunk looks so dominant..." "I think the gentleman in the tailcoat has more flavor..." "In terms of looks, the youth with the grayish-white hair is the most handsome..." What they didn''t know was that among them, one was going commando, and another was wearing diapers. Today was the last exam. And the most important comprehensive examination of the whole Church. The examination hall was located in the first church of the Celestial Church, the Astro Grand Church. The Astro Grand Church is the largest one in terms of land area. The church dome is made of semi-transparent Alchemical Metal ''Astroids,'' each reflecting the bright sunlight. The entire church was vast and empty, devoid of any statues, murals, or columns. The floor was covered with transparent glass, and apart from that, there were no extra decorations. Walking in the Astro Church truly felt like walking in the boundless universe. The waiting area was divided into six sections, one for each Church. Although it was still early before the start of the exam, many saints were already there waiting. They were also sizing each other up, especially the saints from different sections. After all, it was the first time they had been gathered together for an exam. The saints who had distinguished themselves in the first two exams, especially the top few, had become well-known in their respective Churches. Sear?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Look, there''s Miss Xiana, currently the top name from the Druid Court." Xiana was a genius Druid with teal hair, who passed the written exam with nearly perfect scores. Her demeanor was cool, and she was quite beautiful. "And there''s the top candidate from the Order Church, His Excellency Rosen, son of a bishop of the Order Church... It''s said that he''s about to become a Third Order Knight." Rosen, dressed in pure white armor, walked into the church alongside Shana. "It''s said that the top three of this examination will be blessed by the deity..." The candidates eagerly discussed and analyzed these outstanding saints, evaluating the merits and demerits of each Church''s top candidates, with a thick and fervent atmosphere. It wasn''t until An Su and his group appeared that this fervent discussion abruptly stopped, and the atmosphere fell as silent as the grave. Although it was sunny and breezy outside the window, it felt as though the clouded breath of the borderlands had already seeped in. Silence is the greatest respect. After all, these three had rather widespread reputations. And just by looking at their faces, one could tell they were not the kind to be trifled with. First, consider the one with bright golden hair, whose demeanor was icy and stern, his eyes as authoritative as a lion''s, with an endless brutality and pain hidden deep within (he hadn''t worn underwear, and the big steps were chafing his balls). Then the second one, with his shadowy gaze like that of a stern owl, harbored a damp regret deep within his eyes, a man blackened by a heart wounded to its core (he realized his diaper was soaked and not yet dry). Finally, the top candidate from the Radiant Holy See, An Su Moningsta, who nearly scored full marks on the written test and broke the record in combat, [Order''s Celestial Flame]. Although his appearance was handsome and his smile sunlit, if he was walking with these two, how could he play a friendly character! Therefore, the atmosphere turned solemn. An Su could feel several malevolent gazes upon him. However, he didn''t care much. This solemn atmosphere didn''t last long before the examiner arrived. Instantly, it fell quiet. The one responsible for proctoring the exam was actually an archbishop from the Celestial Church. He was dressed in a blue robe, with patterns of stars, his face devoid of any unnecessary expression. The Celestial Church, officially known as the Celestial and Nether Church, is the most unique among the seven Orthodox Churches. They do not worship a fixed deity; instead, their faith and research revolve around the stars themselves. What they study and explore is the [Nether Frontier], one of the core mechanics of this game. There are countless event fragments in the vast cosmos, and they are referred to as ''Nether'' The term Nether originates from Sanskrit, meaning a state in which beings struggle upwards only to continue falling, also known as the infinite hell. Within these world fragments, events that have occurred will repeat infinitely, following entirely new rules. Their believers will enter these events, following the rules set by the Celestial Church to conquer the Nether World. In short, these are the raid instances in the game. The Celestial Church represents the most neutral existence, showing no favoritism towards any side. The world fragments conquered by the followers of the Esoteric Religion will belong to the Esoteric; those conquered by the followers of the Orthodox Church will belong to the Orthodox. Everyone watched the archbishop closely. He spoke softly, his voice low but resonating in everyone''s hearts, ethereal and serenely beautiful. "Welcome to the Astro and Nether Church. I''m pleased to meet all of you." "I am the Cosmic Examiner Lannis... or rather, I am not the true examiner." "This universe itself is your examiner," he said slowly, turning to gaze upon the starlight flowing down from the vault. "And the examination venue is not within the Astro Church, but in a place much farther away." "Now, I shall read out the rules for this final test." "I hope everyone will achieve good results." Chapter 58 An Su I Believe in the Bonds Between Us "I hope everyone will achieve good results.""As a saint, there''s only one most important subject." Bishop Lannis said slowly, "The theme of this examination is ''team witch hunting''." "The Nether World is a playground for the celestial gods, beyond the surveillance and help of the Church. The only one you can trust is your partner." "Trust is the only standard for passing." "And the invigilator is only the absolutely neutral incarnation of the Celestial." As soon as his voice fell, Flowing starlight poured down, the light interwoven into different shapes, and the alchemic magic circle at the center of the Astro Church slowly activated, the stars on the entire dome began to rotate, converging into layers upon layers of spinning galactic maps. It was also an examination instruction manual, but what made it different from the previous one was that this instruction manual was made of starlight. An Su Moningsta You are about to enter the vicinity of ''Pain and Blood,'' one of the Seven Great Mystical Sects'' prospective believer strongholds. This is a training ground for esoteric forces located in a border area, where a Fourth Order legion commander is recruiting and training new Pain Warriors, providing troops for the war against the Orthodox Church. You are to assassinate the legion commander of the Painful Esoteric Sect''s training ground. You are to eliminate sixty second-order Pain Believers. You are to interfere with or prevent the impending arrival of two hundred first-order Pain Prospective Believers. You are now entering the preparation process. You can freely choose to form a team with a maximum of six people for the witch-hunting squad. The Scales of Order will issue a corresponding number of Holy Relic supplies based on the number of people in the squad. As you are about to enter the Nether World, the Celestial will temporarily make the examinees forget everything. Team members will undergo an assessment of their true personality components, and based on the assessment results, they will be assigned identities in the Nether World, mostly noble, soldier, official, etc. Your God-given title will not be displayed to others. After completing the preparation, all memories of the preparation stage will be deleted, and your privacy will not be violated. Experience new stories on empire If you agree to the personality component assessment, please confirm. The saints stared at the text on the instructions, looking very excited. Most saints were tackling the Nether World for the first time. Of course, there were also veterans who weren''t new to assailing the Nether, like Rosen, the top-ranked saint of the Order Church. As a prospective Third-Order Order Knight, he had already assailed several Nether Frontiers. Saints who knew each other had mostly formed teams, and Rosen, along with other high-achieving saints, had become the target of many witch-hunting squads'' recruitment efforts. Rosen seemed to have been chosen as the leader of all the squads. He flashed a perfect smile, "Don''t worry everyone, I''ve trespassed the Nether World three times now, and I will ensure everyone''s safety." At this moment, he was very much the center of the storm, being eagerly escorted by the crowd. In contrast, the atmosphere over where An Su was seemed rather cold. "Why isn''t anyone courting me?" Lister sighed faintly, showing an expression of heroic loneliness, "Well, it''s all because I''m too low-profile." "I think it''s mostly because of Arthur," An Su said, "and partly because you smell too strong." At this very moment, Arthur was busy as could be, hunching over slightly, bending down, gently pulling the zipper, making a concerted effort to smooth out the jammed thread. His strange appearance made the saints attempting to approach him veer away, casting fearful and dreadful glances while whispering amongst themselves: "Look, that''s Arthur with his bare butt..." Sar?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Is he the fool who left his underwear in the examination hall yesterday?" "Boss An Su, Brother Lister." Finally, Arthur was done with his task. He raised his head, revealing a warm, sunny smile, "I believe that with the friendship and trust between us, we will definitely be able to pass." However, An Su wasn''t particularly concerned about whether he was being invited. In fact, it was better for him if no one invited him. That way, it was easier to resort to despicable methods that couldn''t stand the light of day. As for being seen by Arthur and Lister... those two would welcome it. Rosen had already conquered three instances? As a speedrunner, An Su had already played through hundreds of trials. [Confirmed] His brain gradually became chaotic; the stars above the dome were dazzling and blinding. As his consciousness slowly shifted with the revolving starry sky, by the time his thoughts became clear, they were no longer in the Astro Church. "So the three of them have formed a team, huh?" On the second floor of the Astro Church, Priest Paxi''s mouth twitched slightly. He was genuinely worried that those three had led another invigilator astray. Since his junior sister returned from invigilating, she seemed to have been completely transformed. "Priest Paxi, there''s no need to be so tense," Bishop Lannis said slowly, full of confidence. "The invigilator is one of the absolutely neutral celestial incarnations; there won''t be any issues." "An Su couldn''t possibly make even the celestial beings change the rules." "They should be selecting temporary Holy Relics for their supplies now." "From the moment they signed the contract, the celestials have been evaluating their composition. The choice of their supply Holy Relics will play a certain role in determining their initial identities." "What Holy Relics are available to choose from this time?" "There are six Holy Relics. The ''Goddess Amulet'' can increase the number of uses for Divine Titles, and there''s the ''Knight''s Holy Shield'' that can take on damage for teammates... but since their team only has three people, they can only choose three relics." "I see." "However, how exactly they choose, we are unable to probe further." ... In the Nether World. An Su stared at the Holy Relics supplied before him, lifting his head to look at the Celestial Messenger before him. "Have you made your choices? Your team only has three lives, so you can select three relics." To outward appearances, the latter was simply an ordinary middle-aged man. But faintly, there were starlights swirling in his pupils. This was the gatekeeper of the Nether World, the absolutely neutral Celestial Messenger. "How do you define ''life''?" An Su asked. "The definition of life is not complicated," the messenger did not understand why An Su suddenly asked this. "All creatures with souls are lives." "An unborn baby is also a life?" An Su asked. "Naturally, it is a life," the messenger answered, "according to the records in the Bible." Although in his former life''s definition, an unborn baby wasn''t considered a life. But this was another world. "Then interdimensional beings are also ''lives''?" "Of course." The smile on An Su''s lips became more apparent, "As long as it''s life that has entered the Nether World, they are eligible to form teams, right?" Sure enough, this method of exploiting a bug in the game was still existent in its early stages and hadn''t been fixed. And after preparation was complete, everyone''s memories would be erased. Then he could do as he pleased. "Please begin selecting the Holy Relics," the messenger said. "Wait a moment, our team isn''t just three people," An Su said. "We''re adding three more teammates." "Three more teammates?" Arthur didn''t understand what An Su meant. Where did these three more teammates come from? "Just bear with it for ten more minutes, it won''t be born. After receiving the supplies, we''ll be set," he said, speaking incomprehensibly. "Brother Arthur, Brother Lister." An Su turned back to them, gazing at them with a pure smile; Arthur and Lister knew this smile of An Su''s well, the last time he came up with the idea of a strong man kicking eggs and Nezha causing chaos in the sea, he had smiled just as brightly! "I believe that with the [trust] and [bonds] between our teammates, we can overcome anything." Chapter 59 The Celestial Messenger is Confused "Brother Su, what are your wise thoughts?"Lister was familiar with An Su''s smile. Whenever Brother Su smiled like this, he was sure to come up with a plan that was both elegant and grand. At the same time, such graceful plans often also required some kind of sacrificial awareness. For instance, ''Nezha''s Riotous Ocean Stream'' required the resolution to urinate in public. This kind of resolution was exactly the noble spirit that Lister had always pursued. "Do you believe in me?" An Su spoke slowly, his gaze sweeping past the two men, his tone serious and solemn, imbued with an indefinable aura, "Do you have that resolution?" Just as expected. Lister humphed disdainfully. After the battle of wetting his pants, his soul had been completely sublimated, and there was nothing that could make Lister waver anymore. No matter how intense the pain, no matter how terrible the ordeal, Lister would not retreat. This was the very essence of his noble soul. "A Knight of the Sun never lacks courage and resolution," Arthur revealed a confident and unworried smile, "Brother Su, don''t underestimate us." "Border people have no cowards," he declared loudly. "...May I ask which three Holy Relics you are choosing?" the Celestial Messenger was somewhat unable to understand what these three were up to. As one of the attendants of the starry sky, he had been guarding the Nether World for hundreds of years already. He had seen plenty of righteous leaders and was no stranger to various leaders of the Esoteric Religion, but he had never encountered anyone as indecisive as these three. "Are you truly without regret?" An Su fixed his gaze on them, "I''m asking one last time." "Brother Su is underestimating me too much, we are teammates after all," Lister pushed up his glasses, his eyes now slightly angry. "Then can you sacrifice for your teammate?" An Su asked slowly. Lister snorted lightly. An Su''s repeated confirmations clearly showed his disdain for Lister''s resolution, his disdain for Lister''s noble honor Lister had always prided himself on his noble spirit throughout his life and would defend it with his life. Including the diaper advertisement in the newspaper, broadcasting Arthur''s lost underwear, using Kavensis''s name in the news, were all heroic deeds he silently contributed to. He just disdained telling everyone about them. "I refuse to accept such an insult, I will show you what true noble resolution is!" An Su was moved by Lister''s spirit. He applauded warmly, praised Lister''s poignant resolution, and happily stated, "Since Brother Lister is so willing to make a sacrifice, then bear two." What did ''bear two'' mean... Lister was a bit confused, he hadn''t reacted yet, but he saw An Su raising the Magic Wand toward him "God''s Gift." An Su whispered softly. Lister had never heard of this magic, but judging by the situation, it was a Blessing Magic. And God''s Gift sounded like quite a decent spell. If it was Blessing Magic, then there was nothing to worry about. He stood there willingly, accepting the Blessing Magic willinglyLister maintained the perfect gentleman''s smile throughout; he wanted to prove to An Su that no matter the circumstances, a gentleman would never lose composure. It was just a Blessing Magic after all. Could it be more painful than holding urine all night long? So with a smile, he smiled on... slowly savoring... Hmm? Lister noticed something was off. [Gradual Dawn]. [God''s Blessing State Stack] Read exclusive content at empire An Su used the God-given title on Lister again. Hmm? Lister''s pupils dilated slightly. Hmm.... "How do you feel?" Arthur curiously asked, noting that An Su had cast a Blessing Magic on Lister. He just didn''t know why Brother Lister''s stomach had suddenly grown so much. "This humble one feels full of strength all over," Lister responded, turning his head with a perfect smile. Now was the time to test a nobleman''s self-control, his smile easy and relaxed, his head tilted slightly, even his eyebrows seemed curved with joy, cheeks trembling with delight. "I''ve never felt so good in my life, every part of me brimming with the breath of life." With apparent ease, Lister told Arthur, "Arthur, would you like to experience it too?" Definitely can''t let this humble one be the only one to take the plunge... Lister pushed up his glasses. Brother Arthur, A good brother should share weal and woe, fighting side by side, right! "I thought it was something serious, it''s just an ordinary Blessing Skill. Big Bro An Su sure knows how to scare people." Arthur easily fell for Lister''s performance, being the sunny, cheerful big boy he was, and said in a lively voice, "Come on, Big Bro An Su, give me one too, don''t be stingy." "Don''t worry, you both will get your turn," An Su said with a grin as he cast the Blessing Skill "God''s Blessing" on Arthur. "Thank you..." Arthur couldn''t finish his sentence before he felt a strange wriggling. That sensation came from the depths of his soul. Spreading upward from his lower abdomen. It was a touch Arthur, in his more than a decade of manhood, had never felt, an experience he had never had, and even a sensation beyond comprehension. The pain was definitely not from aching balls It wasn''t the cold of aching balls but filled with the fervor of life; there was no sourness spreading to his organs but rather his whole being was suffused with this vigor of life, "Hiss... Waah, uh, uh, uh!!" Arthur clutched his belly in pain, cold sweat streaming down his cheeks like water, his eyes vacant and helpless, no longer sunny as before, but filled with the dead silence of a harsh winter. "Brother Lister..." Arthur''s pale gaze fixed on Lister, "why deceive me...." At least Big Bro An Su had warned him to be prepared, but Lister had utterly hoodwinked him! Lister couldn''t hold back the pain eitherhis discomfort far exceeded Arthur''s, his entire shoulder trembling. He struggled to maintain his noble elegance, speaking in a solemn and serious voice, "What friendship is, what teammates are... that is fighting together!" "It seems..." Arthur gasped, "there is some reason to it?" The Celestial Messenger watched these three fools with a hazy look, blinking his eyes. Having observed their entire operation, he was utterly, baffled. In the several centuries he had lived, the Celestial Messenger had seen all kinds of people. Sarch* The ovlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Life cultists sacrificing their lives, wild and unrestrained chaotic chosen ones, or those from the Painful Esoteric Sect who killed without blinking... he had seen them all. But he had never encountered such an outrageous and shameless trio! Speaking of bonds and friendship, then turning around and making your own teammate give birth to an alien creature! Are these really from the Radiant Holy See? "We now have six creatures in our squad," said An Su, showing him a pure and clean smile, "Please give us all six Holy Relics." Huh? The Celestial Messenger''s gaze on An Su grew more bewildered. ... In all the Nether Worlds of all saints and esoteric followers, the ethereal voice from the cosmos suddenly echoed, ancient and vast. [New Nether Rule] [From this day forth, pregnant individuals are forbidden from receiving multiple Holy Relics, regardless of gender] "Huh?" This was the confusion of everyone. Chapter 60 Borderland Triumvirs Be Your Truest Self! In the central hall of the first cathedral of the Celestial Church,all the candidate saints had disappeared. Layer upon layer of barriers and magicians wrapped into a gigantic celestial body, with countless stars operating and flowing within, vast magic power flowing out from the alchemic magic circle, converging at the heart of the celestial bodythis is the Astral Terminal that connects to the Nether World. Aside from priests from various churches who had come to attend the ceremony, three high-ranking individuals, equivalent to bishops, were inspecting the situation, with Bishop Lannis of the Celestial Church being one of them. After listening to Bishop Lannis''s comforting words, Priest Paxi also felt relieved. He actually understood that he had been worrying too much. The inspector this time was the absolutely neutral Celestial Messenger; no matter how strange those three kids from the borderlands were, they surely couldn''t make the Celestial Messenger change the rules, right? Now that he thought about it, he indeed had been too sensitive. With these thoughts, his mood gradually relaxed. "According to the schedule, all candidate saints have already selected their holy relics." Bishop Lannis said, "Next is the personality verificationbased on their personality traits, it will be decided what initial identities are most suitable for them." "How are they being verified this time?" Priest Paxi knew that the method of personality verification varied every time, with all sorts of twists and turns, all decided by the Celestial Messenger. During personality verification, saints will temporarily forget everything to ensure their components are determined by their most genuine reactions. The identities obtained by the saints are mostly soldiers, merchants, etc., and exceptional saints with leadership abilities might also become officials, nobles, clergy, and the like. "This time it''s simple," Bishop Lannis said slowly, "The theme is ''collective witch hunt,'' so it will be a real battleanalyzing their personality through combat." "The team they form will be matched against an equally numbered and leveled team of suffering cultists, which is also the first hurdle of the examination." "Teams that fail will lose the right to enter the Nether World." Bishop Lannis added, "However, our candidates will not truly die, because this second-tier fragment of the Nether World currently belongs to the true gods and is part of the church''s world." A Nether World belonging to the true gods is also known as the church''s world. Saints who die in the church''s world won''t truly die; they''ll simply lose their memories of the Nether World, whereas invading cultists who die inside will indeed meet their end. But if the saints'' main mission fails completely, the fragment of the Nether World will be snatched away by the cultists, and the cultists'' piece of the Nether World is known as the esoteric world. Each respective Nether World must be opened regularly for believers to re-conquer it, or it will degenerate into a borderland worldand this is also the opportunity for invasion. The esoteric religion of the stars has listed the reconquest of this second-tier world as a test subject for the candidate saints, with only second-tier and lower believers allowed entry. It''s simple to distinguish between saints and cultists, entering the Nether World from the terminal of the Celestial Church makes one a saint, and entering from the terminal of the esoteric religion makes one a cultist. The unclaimed fragments of the world that appear beyond the imperial capital''s borders are known as the "borderland worlds" and represent the greatest battleground between the church and the esoteric religion. After hearing Bishop Lannis''s words, Priest Paxi was reassured. He leaned back in his chair, relaxed, waiting for the saints'' return. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The Celestial Messenger watched expressionlessly as An Su stowed away six holy relics in his pouch. The young boy''s face was aglow with a sunlit smile, brimming with the joy of harvest, while his two companions behind him clutched their bellies, curling up like worms and twisting in pain, The stark contrast between light and shadow made it really hard for the Celestial Messenger to discern An Su''s composition. By all accounts, An Su should be a saint. "Where exactly do you come from?" the Messenger asked An Su. From the terminal of the orthodox church, or from the terminal of the esoteric religion... A saint, or a cultist? "I come from the borderlands," An Su replied, remembering his father''s earnest teachings, which were filled with nostalgia and bittersweet reflection, and answered directly. Beyond the orthodox and the esoteric, a third type emerged: borderlanders. The Celestial Messenger exhaled a helpless sigh; well, An Su''s composition would be revealed in the upcoming personality test. "Next, I will guide you to your most authentic selvesdon''t worry though," the Celestial Messenger said softly. "Nothing that happens in this process will be disclosed, and no one''s memory will be preserved." As soon as he finished speaking, he saw the stars in the Messenger''s eyes slowly revolve, and just by gazing, An Su felt dizzy and his consciousness began to dim, before slowly becoming clear again. "I have restored the magic power you expended; next, you will battle against an equally grouped team of cultists," said the Messenger with a slightly mischievous smile, "Since your team has six creatures, you''ll also be matched with a six-person cultist team." The stars are absolutely neutral. They favor no side. Regardless of good or evil, right or wrong. And the gift of fate already had its price tagged in the shadows. Since An Su chose to cheat, he would also have to pay the price... The Celestial Messenger could already imagine the unsightly and helpless expression that would soon be on An Su''s face. After all, he was just a child under fifteen years old. This time, let it be a lesson for him to grow. Everything that happened next would be their most genuine reaction. The youth bowed his head, pausing for a moment. "Hehe." An Su raised his head, his cyan-blue eyes filled with joy, his mouth curling into an exaggerated arc. That smile was no longer bright and sunny, and his entire being was filled with an eerily strange atmosphere. "This is exactly what I wanted, this is exactly my plan!" Ah...? The Celestial Messenger was stunned. What sudden nonsense is this? "No one to oversee, no memories left afterward... That means I can do whatever I wantI can experiment with some interesting magic, haha." He tilted his head, muttering to himself, "There are actually six cultists, not three, there are six... It''s been too long since I''ve had a customer, maybe I can sacrifice them all... Ah, I can''t set up an altar, but I can use their bones and blood... Haha, as long as they don''t expire before the sacrifice." "Here." An Su said joyfully, "This is simply my playground!" The Celestial Messenger was shocked. What the hell are you talking about? What do all these foreign words mean...? What''s this about experimenting with new magic? What''s this about using their bones and flesh to build an altar? What''s this about not letting them expire before the sacrifice? Is this the real An Su? What kind of creature had he unleashed An Su Moningsta, birth form? The Celestial Messenger hadn''t recovered yet when he heard another wave of hearty laughter. "Warrior of the Sun! No need for restraints!" Arthur slowly rose from the ground, the divine blessing had ended, and he was now full of vigor, his golden hair rising with the wind as he tore off his upper garment, howling to the sky, "Knight of the Sun! No need for burdens!" He danced proudly in the breeze, standing tall and steadfast! "The lion of the Sun should fight openly and honorably!" What kind of heavyweight creature was this one... Arthur Sunny, form? The gaze of the Angel Envoy was slightly vacant as he stared at Arthur''s lower body, confounded and forlorn. "Excuse the spectacle from these two gentlemen, Most Honored Envoy." Lister''s calm voice came, "Self-control and modesty are the spirit of nobility." The Celestial Messenger looked at Lister with a touch of relief, but soon, the all-seeing Envoy sensed something amiss again. Lister maintained an elegant and humble demeanor on the surface, very much the air of nobility. But why was the odor getting stronger? ...Did you piss yourself? "Do not mind it." Lister pushed up his glasses elegantly, maintaining self-control and modesty, "You mentioned fighting against the painful cultists of evil, I am merely preparing in advance." Last time, his act was interrupted by a magic prodigy. But this time, Lister was determined to wash away his shame and reclaim the lost spirit of nobility. This one was truly the heavyweight! Lister Muen, form! The pupils of the Angel Envoy trembled, for hundreds of years he had never encountered such an incomprehensible group. Compared to them, the three Void Moths that had just perished in the team were relatively more anthropomorphic. Borderland creatures, far surpass the void creatures. Chapter 61 Border Specialties of Fireball Technique and Water Sphere Skill The Painful Esoteric Sect, officially known as the Pain and Blood Esoteric Sect, is one of the Seven Great Mystical Sects.They worship primal suffering. Unlike the Life Esoteric Church, which is disorganized and individually governed, the Painful Esoteric Sect boasts a strict and extensive organizational structure. They have a job division similar to that of the Radiant Holy See. Their strongholds are scattered across the continent, causing suffering to please their gods and gain power, making them the most dangerous cultseveral small countries have already been destroyed due to their wars, with all the citizens massacred, and their blood and wails echoing through the skies. Sharp had been a Squad Leader for three years now, and currently leads a six-member elite squad, already having invaded several Church worlds in these short years. He was about to advance to the Third Order, with a combat skill point count of seventeen. Invading Church worlds and fighting for the borderlands, where they wreak massive slaughter, is also a crucial way for the Painful Esoteric Sect to please their gods. They are both believers and soldiers. To them, this elite squad, killing is a trivial matter. Children, women, or the elderlyit doesn''t matter to them; they are all just numbers. Killing people is no longer significant; what Sharp is researching now is how to make death more painful. Only suffering can please the gods better. Sharp, the Squad Leader, also considers himself an artist of killing. He once carved a fetus from a pregnant woman''s belly, letting her bleed to death; He even pulled off a child''s nails, burned through their skin, and let them die from infection... Sharp was immersed in this art of pain. And he gradually understood that not all lives are created equal. The suffering of saints pleases his gods more. So Sharp became an invader of Church worlds, hunting those noble saints, fulfilling the missions of the Painful Esoteric Sect. Sharp knew that in the Church worlds, those saints wouldn''t truly die. But that didn''t matter, Sharp never intended to kill them anyway; it was the suffering that mattered. He could guarantee making the life of the saints worse than death. "Squad Leader Sharp." The team''s scout, Kaman, pushed open the door, first offering a respectful military salute. He said with awe and solemnity, "Headquarters has notified us, the passage is ready, our squad should report now." "The saints of the Astro Church, it has begun." Sharp slowly stood up, first straightening his collar, attaching the military insignia with a skull to his lapel, donning a deep black military hat, and strapping a slender boning knife to his waist, "Let''s move out." Outside was muddy and damp, with a torrential downpour, dozens of soldiers in skeleton uniforms filed out, forming their respective battalions, and marched in step towards the headquarters. As his long boots splashed in puddles, Sharp, the Squad Leader, wore a derisive smile on his lips. Their prey this time was just a bunch of rookies, barely initiated saints. Upon entering the Nether World and selecting their Holy Relic, Sharp was pleased to find that they could battle the saints during the personality component recognition phase. The fictitious battlefield was a desolate plain with brown-yellow wild grass rolling up waves with the gale. Their team''s Scout Kaman first used the initial stage magic, "Eagle Eye Vision". The magic turned into a hunting eagle circling above the plains, bringing everything into his sight. Very clear. There was also a zoom function. The Magician John used the Second Order Blessing Magic "Blood Consensus", allowing those who had previously drunk Kaman''s blood to share the scout''s vision. They coordinated extremely well. An eleven combat grey point scout and warrior, a ten magic point magician and priest, a thirteen magic power point assassin, and their seventeen magic power point Squad Leaderthis was their most elite Second Order squad. Scout Kaman had already spotted the enemy and seemed to have noticed something unusual. He clicked his tongue slightly in disbelief, slowly enlarging the image on his screen. And so the behemoth appeared in everyone''s field of vision. "....?" Squad Leader Sharp was stunned, he hadn''t anticipated it, and the thing just took over the center of his view, exuding the regal aura of a lion and shining with the golden brilliance of the sun, so blatantly magnificent and authoritative. This was the spirit of a knight. "...Turn off the shared vision." The battle had not even begun when they first received a strong mental shock. Even though the magician had closed off his vision, the roar of the lion remained branded in Sharp''s mind and would not fade away for a long time. At the same time, all of them inexplicably developed a sense of inferiority. Their morale inexplicably fell by a great margin. What kind of trick are these guys up to? The howling wind became increasingly fierce, as if playing music for his arrival, generating a desolate and grim sound as it rubbed against the rocks. At the barren plain''s end, the figures of three people slowly emerged. The one in the lead was none other than Arthur Sunny, the cause of their tremendous feeling of inferiority. Only three people...? And they all carried magic wands, not a single warrior capable of taking a hit among them. Sharp was practically laughing in anger. Moreover, what kind of creature was leading the way? Fueled by humiliation that turned into anger, it was clear that Arthur''s nakedness had a mocking effect more than anyone else''s could. Sharp drew his boning knife, used the combat skill "Blood Step," and his boots stomped on the wasteland, splashing waves of crimson ripples as he lunged straight for Arthur''s neck. It seemed like it would be a fatal blow. But it was evident that he had underestimated his opponent. Arthur raised his alchemically forged superalloy magic wand and blocked the deadly strike. Sparks flew as blade met wand in a clash. Although Arthur studied magic, he was the legitimate son of the Sun Family, and his father was a demigod-level warrior; naturally, he had the blood of a warrior running through himwith a talent for combat that even priests found astonishing. He was, in fact, one of the original work''s main characters. Merely using his body''s reflexes, he blocked Sharp''s attack. "Fireball Technique," Arthur chanted solemnly. This spell was very common; it conjured an initial-stage fireball out of thin air and wasn''t very powerful. Sharp wasn''t very concerned about it. But unexpectedly, Arthur lifted his staff with a swing, leveraging his high talent in martial arts to repel Sharp, who took several steps back. Arthur then aimed his wand directly at Sharp''s crotch and began to conjure. Sarch* The n?vel_Fire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. This fireball carried Arthur''s fiery passion, shining with the noblest knightly spirit. The soul of the sun, inherited from his ancestors, was now having its moment of full bloom, free from the constraints of clothing. "Hiss... Aaagh!!" Sharp was terrified, feeling intense heat between his legs. Fierce flames surged suddenly, scorching his skin so fast that one could even faintly smell the scent of burnt chicken. That ball was shockingly red, just like a dazzling fireball! "Fireball Technique, was it this damn fireball?" Sharp''s facial features twisted in pain, and he cried out in alarm. He had been too complacent. Seeing only three fragile magicians, he thought to use "Blood Step" to close the distance quickly and eliminate them swiftly. But he didn''t expect to encounter a strange creature like Arthur, a magician who could both attack and resist. And to top it off, he used such a ludicrous Fireball Technique! The damage was average, but the agony and humiliation penetrated deep into the soul! Who in the world came up with that idea? Now his teammates were still far from him, and he needed to retreat. After all, it was just a simple Fireball Technique, and he could still withstand it. He was about to use "Blood Step" to dodge, but just as he took a step back, he heard Lister''s calm and restrained voice; he had already finished charging up. "Water Sphere Skill." "The water sphere is coming!" Chapter 62 The Boiling Blood Combo Technique [Water Sphere Skill] Your next journey awaits at empireJust like the Fireball Technique, it''s the most basic entry-level magic, with both low power and low lethality. Even resisting with the flesh wouldn''t cause any damage. The top priority now was to retreat back to the squad. As long as he returned to the priests, he would be able to receive healing. This was Sharp''s judgment. Therefore, he didn''t panic. As a professional Painful Esoteric Sect Soldier Leader, maintaining calm at all times was the most important quality; even if his butt was on fire, he would still be able to make extremely accurate judgments. He must not lose his composure, his mindset must not be in chaos, or it would affect his footwork. Sear?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. His footwork must not falter. [Blood Step] was an intermediate-stage combat technique of the Painful Esoteric Sect, and also an extremely difficult mobility skill, creating blood-red ripples in the air, achieving nearly the speed of hawks or falcons through the vibration of the body''s qi and blood. The high reward came with high difficulty, requiring extreme focus and composure to execute Blood Step. Otherwise, one would suffer from the backlash of qi and blood. This was also a feature of the Painful Mother Goddess. The combat techniques and magic she bestowed were double-edged swords, not something ordinary people could handle. After killing so many and torturing even more, Sharp had always maintained a good mindset. Sharp saw the magician casting this Water Sphere Skill, a nerdy noble with glasses, dressed in a pretentious tuxedo; what kind of power could such a fragile and pompous noble possibly have? It was just a Water Sphere Skill... No need to block, just take it head-on and then use Blood Step to retreat. Sharp''s steps had already started, and his qi and blood vibrated once more. He was about to enter the state of Blood Step, ready to quickly retreat. However, he suddenly noticed something was off. Why, was there a strong odor from this water sphere? And, wasn''t the amount of water a bit excessive? Why did the color look a bit off? The huge water sphere that Lister had created was hovering in the sky, with a vortex at its center, spinning continuously. The yellowish-brown water flowed into the vortex and expanded quickly. [Elemental Water Gathering], from the moment he entered the plain, from the moment Arthur''s Holy Light intimidated the cultists, Lister had been secretly storing up water elements, and now it had reached its maximum. This humble and plain man was about to fulfill a long-held wish that he had not been able to realize yet This water sphere, carrying Lister''s clear and pure will, reflecting the most elegant spirit of nobility! That soul of the moon inherited from his ancestors was now, with the support of Anle Diapers, finally in its moment of full bloom. In Sharp''s gradually widening eyes of horror, that yellowish-brown water sphere smashed directly onto his head, He first felt a substantial impact, as if his head had been struck hardthis level of physical damage shouldn''t have shaken Sharp. But when that foul stench poured into his airways, down his throat, and flooded through his eyes, mouth, nose, and ears, and his eyelids were coated with an orange-yellow liquid, that''s when Sharp confirmed the true nature of the water sphere. This fucking thing was a piss balloon! It was full of fucking urine! Sharp roared in agony and despair within his heart! He now had a fireball affixed to his lower half, and his upper half was being doused by a sphere, fire and water synergizing, intermingling, the fierce sun merging with the tranquil moonlight, fire interlaced with water, water charged with fire. He had finally experienced the ultimate pleasure known to mankinda pleasure Sharp had sought all his life: the ultimate agony! Sharp''s composure, utterly shattered. His steps, too, became disordered along with it. Once his steps faltered, the circulation of his vital energy turned chaotic, and he spat out a mouthful of stale blood. He stumbled and fell out of his blood-stepped state, staggering several times. He needed a Magician''s help. Sharp had to extinguish the fire on his body, to snuff out the flames, even though as a warrior with high defense and magic resistance, if he continued to be scorched like this, he wouldn''t be able to hold uphe had to find a way to cool down. He also needed to clean his upper body, especially his face of the liquid; the sticky fluid had smeared over his eyes, and he couldn''t even see where he was walking, not to mention it would affect his swordsmanship. At that moment, the kind-hearted An Su also took action. "Ice Sphere Skill." An Su''s lips were curled in a brilliant, sunny smile. Seeing Sharp in such a state, grilled by fire below and smeared with urine on top, An Su truly felt sorry and decided to lend a hand, to remove both the fire and water. An Su was just that kindhearted youth. [Ice Sphere Skill] [Initial stage magic, consumes one magic power point] It was one of the many other elemental magics he had casually exchanged for; its effect was quite straightforwardto lower the temperature and solidify into ice. Sharp, reeling from the rebound of his vital energy, hadn''t recovered yet and couldn''t avoid An Su''s freezing. Ice, water, and fire collided; stars, sun, and moon complemented each other, blending into the most dazzling and noble spirit of the borderland, the very epitome of the boiling blood of their Borderland Triumvirs'' combined skill! An Su cast Ice Sphere twice in succession, the first aimed at Sharp''s cheeks, the second at Sharp''s crotch. The liquid on his face rapidly solidified due to the low temperature, solidifying along his cheeks until it tightly clung to Sharp''s face, forming a half-spherical mask, its shape akin to an astronaut''s oxygen shield. His entire facial features were tightly squeezed into the urine, with zero gaps, in complete, snug contact. With a slightly astringent taste, a hint of stickiness, and a touch of cool, refreshing ice, it was like swimming in a rotting, dizzily fermenting septic tank; no matter how much he struggled upwards, he couldn''t break free, forever unable to escape from that stench-filled mirebecause the goddamn septic tank was frozen solid! Unable to breathe air, he was about to suffocate from urine asphyxiation! The flames extinguished instantly, and Sharp could feel the burning heat rapidly fading, but he felt no joy, for soon, he couldn''t feel anything at all! His lower half was devoid of any sensation, empty, quiet and solemn, beyond any response. He no longer felt the presence of his own ''brother''. There was only loneliness, just loneliness. As if placed in the limitless cold of space, with his urine-filled astronaut helmet, he aimlessly floated, searching for his lost ''little brother''. But he could never find it again. Chapter 63 The Kiss of Death from the Mother Goddess Sharp, the Soldier Chief, was a seasoned member of the Painful Esoteric Sect, having delved into various arts of inflicting pain since his initiation.How to make death painful was the very subject of his research. He always considered himself a prodigy of pain. Young as he was, he had already become a Soldier Chief, and his future seemed bright. He was the man chosen by the primal pain. That''s what he had always believed. Only today did he realize, when confronted by these three followers of the Radiant Holy See, that in the study of the path of pain, he was merely mortal. This was the first time he questioned his faith: Oh great Mother Goddess of Pain, do you truly watch over us... or is the true doctrine of pain actually with the Radiant Holy See? Soldier Chief Sharp didn''t understand, he couldn''t see through it. He knew he had been defeated. Utterly defeated. Defeated by the combined tactics of these three. It was only after being frozen that he understood that real pain is feeling more dead than alive. He was an invader, and what he had lost could never be regained. Between every two breaths lay silence and emptiness, in his mouth and nose was the stench of decay and bitterness, He knelt before the three of them, wanting to cry, but tears wouldn''t come; as the icy mask on his face slowly melted, it wasn''t tears of sadness and regret that rolled down his cheeks, but a yellowish-brown urine. Damn it, just kill me. "Although you have lost, you remain a honorable Remnant Ranger," Arthur solemnly said, raising his magic wand. The metal magic wand struck directly on Sharp''s crown, and with a wave of dizziness, he fainted, silent thereafter. When Sharp''s teammates arrived, they were met with a terrifying and awful scene. The fight between Sharp and the three from An Su didn''t last long; the spells were cast in succession, totaling only a dozen seconds or so, In just such a brief time, their respected and admired captain had been defeated by these three. What kind of righteous beauties were these three to have brought Soldier Chief Sharp to his knees? And what was that yellowish-brown liquid next to Sharp... An ominous guess arose in their minds, Could it be that Soldier Chief Sharp had been scared to the point of wetting himself? The urine could only have come from Sharp himself, as it was right on him... Most teammates downgraded their opinion of Sharp by a notch; this was too embarrassing. Meanwhile, their wariness toward the three An Su reached an unsurpassed levelto them, these three must be prodigies from the Radiant Holy See. But it didn''t matter. The reason for Sharp''s defeat was his arrogance. Picking a fight with three people all by himself. Now they had five, all second rank magicians, with no one to fear. Only Scout Ka Man, who possessed an eagle''s eye view, had fully observed the entire event, cold sweat trickling slowly down his cheeks. These three were not Church prodigies... they seemed more fitting for the Painful Esoteric Sect than us... But he thought better of voicing such a morale-disrupting thought. With Soldier Chief Sharp out of commission, Ka Man automatically took over the command. He evaluated the three in front of him: The blond, big guy was strong and resilient, not suitable for focus fire; The bespectacled man in the tailcoat was too bizarre, able to attack with urine, thus untouchable as an enemy; the grey-haired youth in the middle seemed the youngest, likely less experienced than the other two. For group combat, one should start with the weak spot, And pick the softest persimmon to squeeze. Ka Man made a decisive call and communicated with his teammates via the magic "Echo," ordering them to prioritize taking out the grey-haired youth first! The assassin and the healer would engage the big blond, while the magicians would take on the bespectacled man, And as a scout himself, he would team up with the second strongest warrior to take down that youth first! Upon hearing the command, his teammates immediately sprang into action. The assassin slipped into the shadows, moved through the spread of leafy silhouettes, and teleported behind Arthur, striking with a poison-coated dagger aimed at his forehead. The magician launched several blood magics in quick succession at Lister. And Ka Man exchanged glances with the warrior beside him, a burly man with a scarred face, a greasy, drooling smile, named Kuiter, known as the biggest pervert in the team. Kuiter''s favorite pastime involved violating beautiful young men, deriving pleasure from their pain to please the gods. No one wanted to cross paths with Kuiter. At this very moment, he was leering at An Su, drool trickling down from the corner of his mouth. But An Su was not panicked. On the contrary, he was delighted. He even laughed more maniacally than Kuiter. At last, he had found a subject for testing his new magic, which he exchanged from the Mother Goddess of Life and had yet to find an opportunity to use. "Heh heh... beautiful boy." Kuiter dragged his battle ax that was as tall as a man, charging forward with the sound of war horns, sparks flying as the ax scraped against the ground; On the other side, the scout had already shared his vision with Kuiter, leaving no movement unseen by his eyes. Their vision shared... An Su''s gaze was piercing. An Su, however, was not panicked. He raised his magic wand and cast another intermediate magic from the Mother Goddess of Life. [God''s Kiss] Its original name was [Mother Goddess''s Kiss of Death], but An Su had changed the name to sound more aligned with the Holy Light. [Intermediate Magic, Blessing Magic] [Magic Power Consumption: 3 (originally 6)] [Magic Effect: This is a kiss from the Mother Goddess of Life, bestowing a curse on the kissed area, causing the loss of six percent of life force every minute along with the addition of a state of desire; the effects grow stronger over time and last for ten minutes, only effective on second rank or below] [Magic Introduction: A kiss from the Mother Goddess, only another kiss can lift the curse] Many of the Mother Goddess of Life''s spells have this characteristic; named as a blessing, their essence is a curse. This appears to be a quite powerful spell. Continue your adventure with empire However, almost no cultist of the Life Esoteric Church would choose it. Because the method to break the curse has been discovered, quite simple indeed. It has been widely circulated. Merely a kiss will do, a kiss would lift the curse. If nobody can help you, kissing oneself is also viable. It can only serve as a distraction. Disturbing the opponent by making them take a brief moment to eliminate the curse, yet for a total of six points of Magic Power consumption, it was totally not cost-effective. "Don''t panic." Kaman''s voice echoed in Kuiter''s ear, "This is the Mother Goddess of Life''s kiss, a paper tiger spell, and I will break it for you." "Just charge forward and chop him into mincemeat." Although An Su chanted God''s Kiss, Kaman still recognized it as the Mother Goddess of Life''s Kiss. After all, this spell was once so commonplace it was infamoushaving been included in textbooks, everyone knew how to break it. It has been outdated. Indeed, [God''s Kiss] had become obsolete, but combined with another white spell for assistance, it would be different. A smile formed on the corners of An Su''s mouth. Holy Light white magic, [Precise Assisting Healing] [Low Rank Magic, Assisting Magic] [Magic Power Consumption: 2 (originally 1)] [Magic Effect: Can pinpoint the exact location affected by a Blessing Skill, preventing unnecessary Magic Power loss, leading to a more effective healing] Sear?h the n??el Fire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. [Magic Introduction: The entry-level magic for a healing magician] The effect of this assisting spell is simple: it can locate the specific part affected by a Blessing Skill. For example, if a saint is injured only in the thigh and uses a Blessing Skill for the entire body, the effectiveness is greatly reduced. By using the assisting magic, the Blessing Skill can precisely target the thigh. But An Su was not assisting a healing Blessing Skill, instead, he was pinpointing the application location of [God''s Kiss]this Blessing Skill! And the target was only one Kuiter was clearly stunned. He turned his head with a strange look and saw Kaman with an equally odd expression, "... The Mother Goddess just kissed my drum," he said. "A bit on the inside." "..." Chapter 64 The New Light and Dark School "Brother..."Kuiter''s chubby cheeks, though covered in a generous layer of fat, now betrayed a hint of embarrassment. "You see..." What do I see... Scout Kaman''s face turned a shade paler. The Mother Goddess''s kiss of death had been something he''d encountered numerous times in the past few years, mostly manifesting on places like arms, but he''d never seen it appear in such an awkward spot! Could it be that the taste of the Mother Goddess had grown so bold? He could feel cold sweat trickling down his back. Moreover, this young man in front of him was clearly from the Orthodox Church, so where had he learned magic from the Mother Goddess''s system? Was the legitimate Painful Esoteric Sect part of the Radiant Holy See, just as the Mother Goddess''s lineage was? Putting aside the mess of thoughts in his head, the pressing matter was how to deal with Kuiter''s situation. As brothers-in-arms, it was his unshakable duty to help a teammate break a curse... but every time Kaman looked at Kuiter''s dignified presence, he felt as if they weren''t brothers at all. "Brother." Kuiter fixed his gaze on Kaman, his hand covered in thick black hair patted him, "Please be gentle." The kiss of death had already started taking effect, causing a burning pain that felt as if hemorrhoids had flared up. sea??h th Novl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Kuiter could sense his life force steadily ebbing away; now was not the time for delays. In ten minutes, most of his life force would be sucked out. Why was it that Kuiter was struck by the kiss, yet the one feeling the agonizing despair was himself... Kaman''s complexion grew even more ashen. "Don''t you plan to help me?" Seeing Kaman still hemming and hawing, Kuiter''s tone became quite dissatisfied, Already affected by the Mother Goddess''s influence, his mental state was becoming increasingly irritable and excited; although he maintained his rational fa?ade, his pupils flickered with a subtle flame of desire. "Didn''t you say you would help me?" Kaman knew that if he continued to procrastinate, the squad''s relationship would eventually shatter. "..." Kaman swallowed hard, "I... I''ll go catch that young man immediately, and force him to..." He finished his words and drew a dagger from his waist, directing his gaze toward An Su not far away. An Su was smiling at him, his face still wearing that ever-unchanging calm smile, as he slowly raised his magic wand. "[God''s Kiss]." "[Precision Support Healing]." Kaman''s pupils dilated rapidly; how could this young man still cast two spells? The kiss of the Mother Goddess cost six points of magic power. He had scanned the young man in front of him with a scout''s skill, and his total magic power was only thirteen. Just now, he had used an initial-stage spell of the Holy Light and a kiss from the Mother Goddess, which should have cost seven points of magic power; by rights, he should not have been able to cast another one with less than six points remaining... There was only one possibility. Kaman had suspected it from the start, but he just didn''t dare to confirm itAn Su''s dark elements were exceedingly high compared to ordinary people. This person was a ''Child of the Curse''! When the Child of the Curse used dark abilities, the magic power consumption would be halved. A Child of the Curse so rare in the world, if he didn''t perish prematurely or get sacrificed halfway by the lunatics of the Mother Goddess''s cult, would grow into an unparalleled genius in dark magic! Does the Radiant Holy See even have a Child of the Curse now? You, a Child of the Curse, why not develop on our side? How good would that be? Two unexpected spells of Blessing Magic landed directly on Kaman. His body shuddered, then another wave of burning pain followed, an unbearable torment. His own life force was also being rapidly drained. Find exclusive content at empire What Kaman found more terrifying was the fact that a large hand covered in black hair was placed on his shoulder. Kaman turned his head tremblingly and saw Kuiter''s face, drooling with fat, unable to contain himself anymore, "Brother, let''s help each other out, I''ll go first..." He licked his thick lips. "Turn around." What Kaman found most painful and despairing was that under the influence of the Mother Goddess''s kiss, he actually found Kuiter''s ugly face to seem somewhat sexy and seductive... Damn it! This damned Mother of Life! Anger filled Ka Man''s eyes as he gritted his teeth, glaring at An Su whose smile was as radiant as the sunshine. The kid looked frail, but unexpectedly, he turned out to be the toughest of them all! But now, the arrow was on the string; it was a critical moment. The Mother Goddess''s Kiss of Death, being easy to dispel, counterbalanced by its immensely powerful adverse effect. Six percent of life force drained every minute, ongoing for ten minutes, Reality is not a game, with half one''s life force gone, a person becomes too weak to even walk, Having sixty percent sapped, they were at constant risk of fainting or going into shockand their Magician was busy dealing with the bespectacled, swallow-tail-coated man. There was absolutely no energy left to heal them. Damn it. Ka Man cursed himself in his heart, wondering why he had to pick the toughest nut to crack! Reluctant as he was, he had no choice but to do it, It was just a kiss, over in an instant. Once the curse was lifted, he and Kuiter would torture An Su in the cruelest ways imaginable! He shakily turned around, while Kuiter slowly crouched and moved closer. Just at that moment. An Su''s lips curled into a sunny, brilliant smile, one that made Ka Man fear. For when he smiled like that, he would always pull the darkest tricks. But even though he was the Child of the Curse with halved magic power depletion, after casting four spells, his magic power should be nearing depletion by now, right? He shouldn''t be able to pull off any more stunts, should he? But Ka Man overlooked one thingthat was the god-given title. It could be used only once a day, and while using the god-given title, it wouldn''t consume magic power. An Su was in a good mood; he had just tested another branch''s viability, [God''s Kiss]and [Precise Support Healing]were just foreplay, Without the final showstopper, these two spells combined were only good for harassing and holding the enemy for a whilegiven that they could shake off their psychological burden, they would be able to remove it quickly. This time, the title An Su equipped was the newly acquired [Starlight of Order]. [Title Effect: You can establish a ''law'' in a certain area, lasting for fifteen minutes] [Note: The ''law'' established must revolve around basic order, otherwise, it is considered an invalid enactment] An Su had earned this god-given title during an examination. But it was not an omnipotent title; the law it established must revolve around the basics of order, such as prohibiting open defecation, littering, and the like, thereby many creative ideas were forbidden. For example, legislations such as ''cultists are not allowed to breathe here'' were invalid. The basics of order are fair, order does not discriminate against Cultists, neither can laws specifically target Cultists, as Cultists too can be enlightened and saved. The laws established must be based on basic order and cannot be too far-fetched. Having scoured the entire [Basic Law of Order]and the [Bible], An Su had still found a loophole. And with that, he had crafted a new magic school. "Starlight of Order." "Enact legislation." An Su said solemnly and with great earnest, as he enacted a new law, "Homosexual activities are forbidden here." Kuiter found he could no longer move forward; that little flower was within reach, yet he couldn''t take another step. He was halted by the force of the law. According to the records in the [Bible], in the faith of the masses, God does not discriminate against Cultists, but God discriminates against homosexuality and considers same-sex activities against the fundamental order. This was the second Dark Light school that An Su had uncovered after the ''Startled Pregnancy Tactic''the ''No-Homosexuality Doctrine''! "Damn it!" Ka Man felt his life force ebbing rapidly and roared in agony within his mind, "I''ve already taken off my pants, and you pull this on me?" Chapter 65 Scout Kaman''s emotions were complicated.As the deputy to the sergeant, he, too, could be considered battle-hardened. He had experienced all sorts of things, and had seen all kinds of people with a low sense of morality. But he had never seen anything as outrageous as the birth of this young man before him! It was he who allowed intimacy, and it was also he who forbade it; all the good things were done by him. Just when he had finally steeled his mind, it all turned out to be in vain. Who would have thought that an outdated magic could be played to such an extent by him! After being hit by the first two magics, Kaman was not yet in utter despair, after all, it was just a matter of being disgusted for a while, but when An Su used his title, this combination of magics became the most terrifying insta-kill magic! Now, even if he wanted to kiss, he couldn''t; he could only wait for the Mother Goddess''s kiss to slowly suck away his life force. Kuiter''s eyes were already blood-red; he had been under the kiss the longest, his desires significantly aroused, yet he couldn''t enjoy what was right in front of him, driving him almost to madness. Threads of blood coursed through his pupils. "I''m going to... kill you." Kuiter glared at An Su with a lost mind, dragging his huge axe like a mad bear charging towards An Su. Kaman too showed similar symptoms, his face pallid; one minute had passed since the kiss, more than half of his life force was drained, causing him considerable discomfort and pain. More dangerous than losing life force was the gradual loss of sanity. He had to kill the young man before him. He had to complete his mission. His companions were still in a fierce battle... His companions still needed his help... Now that he was struck, he could only complete his mission, fulfill his duty. Regardless of the pain, they couldn''t give up, they could not abandon hope. Only this way could they do justice to the sergeant''s mandate, to the brotherhood between them, The theme of this world was "trust"; their teammates trusted them, so they could not fail their teammates'' trust. No matter how painful it was locally, they could not give up. Even as believers of the Esoteric Religion, they too had their honor and passion! "Not giving up, huh..." "If that''s the case, then I can only accompany you to the very end." "Let us decide the outcome fairly." An Su snorted coldly with composure, as the cold wind of the wilderness flapped his clothes; amidst the howling wind, his silhouette stood tall and proud, with the sunset''s afterglow casting upon him a sacred and majestic hue. Just like a true saint. Kaman''s gaze finally carried a bit of consolation; at last, there was a proper showdown between a saint and a Cultist of the Esoteric Religion. Although he was on the brink of death ten minutes later, this was just the right moment to cast aside everything and fight for his brothers! Moreover, the enemy''s magic power was running low, making it a fair and square fightdamn it, as a believer in the Esoteric Religion, he was being forced to seek fairness and uprightness by this bizarre situation. The style was completely warped by this guy. Facing the enemy, An Su was not afraid. He too was blessed by the Mother Goddess; his physical quality was extraordinary from early on, and he had also learned some combat skills, With the enemy''s life force continuously being drained, even if they were warriors, they were not a concernAn Su was very confident in himself. He finally moved; under Kaman''s grave gaze, he made a firm decision and turned to run! An Su was very confident in himself, confident he could outrun these two in a long-distance race. He could drag them out to death in ten minutes. "..." Watching An Su''s retreating figure grow more distant, Kaman felt as though all his passion and righteousness had gone to the dogs. Which one of us is the Cultist here! ``` Your teammates are still fighting! Bearing the burning pain in his back, he and Kuiter desperately chased after An Su. On the vast grasslands, under the twilight of dusk, a familiar scene reappeared. The young man ran ahead, head held high and chest out, with a confident and splendid smile, heading towards the direction of the sun; Two sick Cultists from the south entered the fray, steadfastly pursuing the silhouette of the youth against the backdrop of the setting sun casting its glow over the mountains, the glow spilling over the layers of hillsa scene nearly eternal in its beauty. Despite the continual drain of life force, Kaman was, after all, a scout, and he also had the swift movement battle skill. Although it wasn''t as fast as "Bloodsteps," it was enough to outpace An Su. With one battle skill executed, the distance between him and An Su rapidly closedKaman also had a Holy Relic with him, "Bloodfeather," which could enhance his movement speed by fifty percent. Simultaneously, An Su could curse him. Then, he could curse An Su as well. There were plenty of painful curses to choose from! At that moment, An Su slowly took out a whistle from his pocket, a Holy Relic he had gotten from the Celestial Messenger, named ''Soul Summoning Whistle.'' Its effect allowed the short-term summoning of a Light-type magical beast he had contracted with. And the Light-type magical beast that had "voluntarily contracted" with An Su was the Holy Knight ''borrowed'' from Kavensis. [Holy Beast Unicorn] [Intermediate Holy Quality] [Skill: Sanctuary] [Riding on the Unicorn, one can fend off some Low Rank curses] In Kaman''s life-questioning gaze, An Su mounted the beast, pulled the reins, and sped off into the distance. The painful curses cast on the sprinting Holy Knight were completely deflected by its Sanctuary skill. ...So much for a fair duel! You, kid, how come you suddenly have a mount! If Kaman were in perfect condition, he could outrun this Holy Knight, but his life force had already been drained by a quarter. Under the interference of the Mother Goddess'' kiss, Kuiter completely lost his rationality, continuously drooling, his pupils so red they seemed to bleed. "Drums... Drums..." he muttered. Kaman''s rationality was almost gone as well. Otherwise, he would have noticed the anomaly with An Su. An Su was riding his horse and circling them around the plains, maintaining a certain range, because the law of the stars could only legislate within a specific area, roughly the size of half a soccer field. Outside of it, they were no longer under legal jurisdiction. But Kaman failed to notice this last opportunity. They were completely blinded by desire and rage, tirelessly chasing after An Su, their life force constantly drained. This was the ultimate form of torture. Time passed, minute by minute, and by the time An Su led them back to the starting point, it had been nine minutes. Half of their life force was gone. Kaman and Kuiter could run no more. They weakly knelt on the ground, their expressions blank and bewildered, incessantly murmuring drums, drums... To An Su''s surprise, the battle on Arthur and Lister''s side had also just ended. That made sense. Kaman, Kuiter, and the sergeant were the highest-ranked elites in the squad. The remaining three lacked the strength and experience of the former trio. Lister alone deployed the combo technique ''Ice and Fire.'' According to him, he was a bit ''fired up'' from peeing heat, so it also counted as ''Ice and Fire.'' Arthur, on the other hand, was a fierce man, shouting ''Holy Light Spell is about smashing the brain out with Holy Light,'' banging people''s foreheads with his metal magic wand, and with Lister''s help upon arrival, they eliminated the enemy together. Read latest stories on empire The Cultist squad was completely annihilated. "Lister, Arthur," An Su sincerely said to them, "You guys go ahead, I''ll deal with these fellows." sea??h th n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Actually, it didn''t matter whether Lister and Arthur left or not, as their memories would not remain anyway. The Celestial Messenger was absolutely neutral and wouldn''t disclose anyone''s information. Finally, he could set up shop againtime to sacrifice them all! ``` Chapter 66 An Su has always been the most faithful believer of the Mother Goddess of Pain ```The bones were detached from the Painful Esoteric Sect believers, amid their anguished howls, slowly constructed into an altar; during this process, it was imperative to ensure that the cultists did not diethey were, after all, offerings only acceptable to the Mother Goddess while alive. For An Su, this was still considered a technical task. Seeing how painfully the cultists were screaming, he thought to offer a gentler touch, to serve with a smile, hoping to alleviate their fear; yet, when he himself smiled, their expressions turned even more horrifying. After so many years as Painful Esoteric Sect believers, they had never encountered someone so adept at tormenting others! "The Mother Goddess of desire and the moon, the great Matron of fertility..." "Eternal Motherhood above the spirit world," "This is the hymn of the sincere, this is the feast of soul and spirit," "This is the delicacy of blood and flesh..." "Your devout follower, An Su Moningsta, presents this gift," A total of six second-order Painful Esoteric Sect believers were sacrificed, after which a considerable number of life points could be obtained. However, An Su chose not to convert them into magic this time. After all, his current intermediate stage magic was sufficient, and he couldn''t use any higher-rank magic presently. It would be better to let the Mother Goddess herself purify his flesh. An Su once again experienced that long-lost pain, his skin felt as if it were bursting open, his flesh torn and reconstituted, his heart wildly pumping dark red blood to his limbs. An Su was already accustomed to this pain, he even found a strange pleasure in the tearing apart of his old body... His perception became clearer, his vision widened, his spirit more agile. [An Su Moningsta] [Magic Points: 13] Sarch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. [Combat Skill Points: 1] What was unexpected and delightful for An Su was that his unchanging combat skill points finally broke through the zero after countless sacrifices. The hardest step is the first one. After the initial breakthrough, further progress would be much smoother. Read new chapters at empire Even though An Su had no plans to become a warrior, having combat skill points was certainly better than none. At least now his physical fitness had greatly improved. The second surprise for An Su was a prompt from the Celestial Messenger; [You have drawn the attention of the primal pain] An Su found this somewhat baffling; he was clearly making a sacrifice to the Mother Goddess of life, was already inviting the Mother Goddess to dinner, so why did it attract the attention of the Mother Goddess of pain? What bull-head Mother Goddess? He thought his sacrificial methods were quite gentle, constantly serving with a smile. No matter, it must not be anything bad, right...? [Personality component recognition completed] [Eliminating the memories of the believer test] [Adaptive identities are being detected; your faces will be disguised to facilitate the infiltration of the believers into the Nether World''s ''Town Seden''] [Reminder! After infiltrating the Nether World, do not mention the mission to any of the natives of the Nether World, nor reveal your identity, otherwise, you will be forced to exit] The voice of the Celestial Messenger resounded in everyone''s ears. Based on the performance in the personality tests, the Celestial Messenger would choose the most suitable identity for the saints. Rosen, highly anticipated by the Order Church, became the ruler of Seden; the Druid Court''s prodigious girl, Shana, became the high priestess... Everyone was assigned the most suitable starting identity for themselves. "I shall become a nobleman," said Lister, who had his memory wiped as he adjusted his glasses, confident in his recent actions despite forgetting what they were. As a nobleman of high birth, he would always maintain the most elegant demeanor. This was the spirit of the Moon Family. "Count Seden, His Excellency Lister," declared Lister confidently. ``` "I suppose I''ll become a Holy Knight too," Arthur revealed with a roguish, confident smile, "Maybe even a knight-commander." Although he didn''t know what he had just done... why he was naked when he woke up... Arthur still had a lot of confidence in himself. This was precisely the spirit of the Sun Family. An Su looked at these two, pondering the plan in his heart. The world task was to conquer a Pain Nest with no less than a hundred first-order Cultists, sixty intermediate Cultists, and to assassinate the Legion of Pain''s commanderlikely Fourth Order. The group combat ability of the Painful Esoteric Sect''s followers was the strongest among the cults because they trained their soldiers in a particularly painful way. For An Su and his two companions to forcefully attack was simply impossible, but if their initial identities were nobility or something like a knight-commander, spending some time, mobilizing the local military, and cooperating with other Church examinees, they could potentially succeed. So initial identity was especially important, although looking at these two blockheads, becoming a count or knight-commander was out of the question but scraping by as a baronet or a squad leader shouldn''t be too difficult, right? An Su was still pretty optimistic. All three of them were quite confident. [Confirmation obtained] [Nether World affiliation: Church] [World Rank: Second Order] [The war between the Painful Esoteric Sect and the Orthodox Church is intensifying. The frontier town Seden, as a town eroded by pain, serves as the Esoteric Sect''s training ground for new recruits, continuously supplying fresh blood to the battlefield. The legion commander, Angela, is a Fourth Order warrior of pain. She collaborates with her trusted hounds to bully and dominate, wreaking havoc everywhere. You are tasked to destroy Seden''s training ground for new recruits and attempt to assassinate the legion commander.] [Entering the Nether World...] He did not know what his identity would be... An Su certainly knew he wasn''t anything good, but, as a Radiant Believer, in the worst case, he could still scrape by as an auxiliary soldier, right? He had always been the most loyal follower of the Radiant Mother Goddess! An Su felt his consciousness gradually blurring, countless stars streaked across his mind, and the scenery he was seeing also slowly faded away. He didn''t know how much time had passed, but after a dizzying spin, he slowly opened his eyes. The cold autumn rain struck against the iron bars, producing chaotic, urgent sounds; in front of him was a rusty iron table, half its metal peeling away, revealing bright red rust; on the ground lay a large pile of dried scabs, which mixed with the drifting autumn rain, turning into orange-yellow puddles. Looking up, the room was adorned with skulls and iron crosses, the very symbols of ''pain and blood.'' This seemed like a classroom... A red banner hung above; "Welcome to the Pain Newcomers'' Enrollment," An Su observed closely and found that the banner was dyed red with blood. He blinked, somewhat bewildered. Shouldn''t the birthplace be somewhere a bit more... aboveboard? [An Su Moningsta] [Title: Heart of Pain] [Identity: The confidant of the Legion of Pain''s commander] [You are the leader of the first group of the third class at the Pain Drill Academy. As one of the commander''s confidants, you aid tyranny, cunning, deceitful, and truly evil, known as ''Heart of Pain,'' one of the cultists wanted by the Church.] "...?" His mouth twitched slightly. What kind of hellish start was this? What does it mean to be the confidant of the legion''s commander...? What does it mean to be wanted by the Church...? No, Comrade An Su was steadfast in his faith, so how did he suddenly betray the Goddess! Chapter 67 An Su This intensity counts as a holiday where we come from. At this moment, the classmate on his right knocked on An Su''s desk and passed over a wad of paper that read, "Lister and I have become henchmen."Teammates in the same squad could see each other''s identities. An Su turned to look and saw the classmate''s name shining brightly: [Arthur Sunny]. ...whatever happened to all members of the Sun Family being Holy Knights? An Su''s gaze lingered on Arthur with a deep intensity. He had originally thought that only someone born under circumstances like his would betray the Church, but here was Arthur, a Knight as bright and honorable as they come, also betraying the Church! Sar?h the ovelFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. [The Legion Commander is a Fourth Order Painful Warrior, who, along with his favorite henchmen, bullies men and women everywhere...] So the result is the Legion Commander leading the three of them to do bad things, right? Arthur had never felt such embarrassment, the man who was always so hearty and carefree now found it difficult to meet An Su''s gaze. By rights, it shouldn''t be this excessive. An Su was a confidant, and he and Lister were henchmen. They were all in the same boat, there was no need for such theatrics. "I am the hawk, and Lister is the dog," Arthur explained awkwardly. So hawk and dog were separate entities... An Su checked his own identity. [Arthur Sunny] [Title: Painful Falcon] Painful Falcon, that title sounds pretty domineering and cool... An Su mused to himself. But the next second, he sensed something was amiss. [Identity: The Legion Commander''s trusted hawk] An Su''s eyebrows raised in a show of respect. [You are a warrior from the third class of the first group in the Painful Esoteric Sect''s training camp, born abnormal, with unique tastes, exposing your majestic bird to classmates everywhere, causing immense psychological pressure of pain, hence the title ''Painful Falcon''] ...Are you THAT hawk? What kind of perverse character setting is this? What exactly did you do in the personality test...! What about Lister then? If Arthur is the hawk, then Lister should be the dog, right? He glanced sideways and saw Lister was his classmate''s neighbor. At this moment, Lister''s expression was also one of utter constipation. Lister had never felt such embarrassment, even though he was always known for his calm and elegant demeanor, now he was completely thrown off. [Lister Muen] [Title: Painful Evil Dog] [Identity: The Legion Commander''s trusted dog] This should be pretty normal, right? An Su thought to himself. [You are a scout from the third class of the first group in the Painful Esoteric Sect''s training camp, born with a strong territorial sense, marking your territory everywhere around the camp by urinating, causing great psychological pain to others, thus you have been named ''Painful Evil Dog''] "..." An Su fell silent. This character setting was also quite hefty. An exhibitionist hawk, a dog who pees everywhere, are these the legendary henchmen? Compared to them, An Su even started to feel that his ''trusted confidant'' identity wasn''t so bad... What exactly did you two do in the personality test for the star body to short-circuit and assign such bizarre identities to you... Though An Su had a rough idea. He sighed softly. Born in the enemy''s headquarters, all his previous plans were now in vain. He was surrounded by enemies, and once his identity was exposed, death was certain. Now, he could only take one step at a time. In the game''s setting, the Painful Esoteric Church trained its soldiers through the most cruel and painful methods, but An Su wasn''t sure about the specifics of the training as the game hadn''t shown it. According to the setting, it was a terrifying form of torture. Because the Painful Court draws energy from suffering, they not only make their enemies suffer but also their new recruits. There must be quite a few Painful Esoteric Sect cultists infiltrating the Nether World, and at this moment, these infiltrators must be hiding in the classroom. Stay tuned for updates on empire It was a small class, with only about twenty people. An Su observed the faces of those around her, noticing that some people were showing signs of fear and panic. It seemed that they too had not expected to return to the Painful Military School. An Su grew more curious. "Don''t whisper during class." The iron door was slowly pulled open, making a creaking sound. "Your class is the noisiest in the hallway." A low and icy voice sounded. It belonged to a middle-aged man with a stern and authoritative face, a faint scar at the corner of his mouth, wearing a deep brown military uniform with a white cross pinned at the collar, and long boots marked with a skull. [Regimental Commander of the Training Corps: Angelo] "No whispering," Angelo said evenly, "according to the regulations, cut off a finger." So harsh. Arthur''s expression tensed. Angelo walked over slowly, his long military boots making a solid echo on the floor. He pulled out a smooth, sharp knife from his sleeve and advanced towards them. The oppressiveness of a Fourth Order was almost tangible. All believers dared not speak, as if the worst memories in their brains had been triggered. They all lowered their heads, not even daring to breathe heavily. So harsh... A pained grunt came from beside An Su, followed by the sound of a blade cutting through flesh, the sound of bone being severed. Angelo crisply cut off the index finger of a believer and casually tossed it into the waste bin in the sanitation corner. Lucky he didn''t see me passing notes... Arthur slowly breathed a sigh of relief. Angelo put the knife away. "Prepare for outdoor assembly." In the following day, Arthur and Lister finally realized why this was called the Painful Esoteric Sect. How it inflicted pain. Why would the infiltrating cultists show such fearful expressions. Every morning began with tidying up and personal grooming. The morning was for Magic theory classes, the afternoon for practical sessions, with only a three-minute break between classes. The theory classes generally involved the study of various Esoteric Church ceremonies and all manner of knowledge pertaining to torturing people, whereas the practical sessions consisted of military training. This cultist schedule was precise to the minute, even with designated times for eating and using the bathroom. From noon to 12:10, Second Order believers dined; from 12:10 to 12:20, First Order believers had their meal. The communal washing room was open only twice a day, during the fifteen minutes of free time at one o''clock in the afternoon, and another fifteen minutes at eight o''clock in the evening. Combat training lasted until 11:30 pm, then it was back to the dormitory, lights out and sleep in a room for ten people. It was only one day, but Arthur and Lister felt they were done for. The other new recruits felt the same agonyspiritual pain in the morning and physical pain in the afternoon, under constant high surveillance and tight control throughout the day. And this routine was to continue for a full six months. Often, cultists chose suicide. The visible resentment and suffering rose up, absorbed by the Array at the center of the school. To Lister and Arthur''s surprise, although An Su initially seemed a bit uncomfortable, she quickly adapted to the high-pressure training regime and began to thrive. She even had a radiant, sunny smile on her face. She stood in stark contrast to the rest of the new recruits who appeared as though they were on the verge of death. "Don''t you feel uncomfortable?" Arthur was shocked. Is An Su that tough? "I graduated from the Radiant Holy Academy." An Su smiled at him. Chapter 68 The Painful Trio Worries They Are Too Kind ```Hengshui Glorious Holy Academy... Although Arthur had never heard of such an academy, he always sensed an indescribable, great terror. No wonder it could cultivate talent like Brother Ansu. sea??h th N??elFir.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Arthur even felt that for Brother Ansu, coming to the Painful Esoteric Sect was like coming home. The Cultists woke up at half-past five in the morning, and getting up at that time in the cold was the most grueling, but Brother Ansu always got up at four-thirty. They were in mixed-dorm room 201, with about ten people in one room, and Ansu was always the earliest to rise. If it was only that, it might have been fine. Ansu''s movements upon waking were so large that the bed creaked and groaned; if it were only this, the roommates might have endured it, after all, as they would be colleagues in the future and would understand one another. Including the noise from dressing and walking, it wasn''t too much of a problem either, they slept when they should sleepuntil this fellow started to read out loud in the morning. All the roommates could no longer sleep. ''Is this guy even human?'' They were tormented by training all day long to the point of losing their human shape, yet this guy could still get up an hour early to read books? ''Are you a devil?'' The spiritual pressure of room 201 started with Ansu getting out of bed. The next to wake was Lister, who generally got up at five, because he went to sleep wearing diapers every night, so he had to go to the balcony to hang them out to dry, the smell that had festered all night being the second wave that jolted the Cultists awake once again. Lastly was Arthur, who woke up the latest. Discover stories at empire As a Holy Knight, he possessed perfect sleep quality, aside from the occasional snoring, the occasional talking in his sleep, and his habitual sleeping in the nude, he was a normal roommate. In his dreams, he even practiced the basics of being a Holy Knight, which manifested as punching the walls in his sleep. The dorm next door would also often reply with punches as if to spar with Arthur, usually accompanied by a few passionate greetings. Full of energy. The new students of room 201 felt indignation but did not dare to voice it, after all knowing that these three were infamous pets of the powers that be, and there were rumors about them being the terrifying ''Painful Trio'' on the rise. After getting up, it was time to go for the early assembly and class division for the morning exercise. Ansu was always the earliest to arrive, adding even more pressure to the hearts of the Painful Esoteric Sect members, as this guy would even read books while running, and even read out loud! Could it be that this fellow never felt pain? After Ansu''s last baptism by the Mother Goddess, his mental state had greatly improved, and he naturally did not feel fatigue; As for so-called pain, he did not feel it at all; this level of intensity even made him reminisce about his bittersweet school days, yearning for his youth, and even brought a radiant, sunny smile to his lips. Commander Angelo nodded to himself as he watched from the side, He had observed the young Ansu for a long time, that even at a young age he was no good, and that growing up he would surely become a major scourge on society, with a future so dark it looked promising. Now, to be able to smile so pervertedly even while running, his understanding of the doctrine of pain had already far surpassed his peers, entering the exalted realm where one derives joy from pain. The Painful Court needed geniuses, but it needed perverts even more, and when one person was both a genius and a pervert, his future achievements were boundless. As for Arthur and Lister who followed behind Ansu, these two were not bad either. One got up late, didn''t have time to get dressed, and went straight to run naked on the exercise field, causing the Believers running before and behind him to have pained expressions, Those in front feared slowing down and getting their behinds poked; those in the back were afraid of running too fast and poking his behind. A clear vacuum formed around Arthur. The other was quite a heavyweight; the pressure on the new students running behind him was even greater, obviously, the name ''Painful Hound'' had already spread far and wide, ``` The new recruits behind were afraid that the fierce dog would mark its territory while running, so they chose to drink their beverages upwind. All three of them were promising seeds of the Painful Esoteric Sect... Commander Angelo was very certain of this. After the morning exercises, it was time for cultural classes. Because warfare was still ongoing outside, the instructors were military officers called in temporarily. The cultural curriculum was about the ceremonies of the Painful Esoteric Sect, such as the origins of the Painful Esoteric Sect, the explanation of primal pain, the explication of the spirit of pain in the new era, and other courses with high intellectual content. The afternoon''s curriculum included practical combat classes, such as assassination, subterfuge, poisoning, killing techniques, etc., all personally taught by Commander Angelo. An Su was quite looking forward to these classes. Among the Seven Great Mystical Sects, the Painful Esoteric Sect had achieved the pinnacle in terms of human body development. Many of their battle-ash skills were closely related to sheer slaughter; An Su had just received battle skill points, it was like being offered a pillow as he was falling asleep. The training venue was the academy''s drill field, where the sun was scorching, causing the grass blades to start curling up. After enduring a whole morning of torment, all the new recruits in the class were exhausted and couldn''t muster up any energy. Only An Su and his two companions had steady gazes and beaming smiles. An Su needs no further explanation, Arthur''s lifelong dream was to become a glorious Holy Knightbut his family enrolled him in the Magician''s academy, and now, at last, he was able to realize his dream within the Esoteric Religion, so he was fully focused. Although learning Assassination Skill, he could hardly be called a glorious Holy Knight. Lister, on the other hand, thought Assassination Skill sounded cool and had a vibe of a dark-night hero, which greatly stimulated the modest and humble noble soul within him, so he also listened very attentively. Seeing the firm and studious demeanor of these three, Commander Angelo felt more relieved, thinking that this should be the future of the Painful Esoteric Sect''s Cultists, pillars of the community, thus he taught with even greater dedication. ''As soon as I learn it, I''ll assassinate you.''The trio thought unanimously in their hearts. All of the classes were over. There were fifteen minutes of free time in the evening, allotted for the Believers to wash up and attend to personal matters. An Su and his two companions chose a secluded grove to hold a temporary debriefing meeting. "Brother Su," Lister pushed up his glasses, "now that we have become Cultists of the Painful Court, what about our mission?" There were three tasks in total: to kill sixty second-order Cultists, to disrupt one hundred first-order Cultists, and to assassinate the Commander of the Whole Legion. Now, the three of them were separated from their organization, born in the enemy''s main base, and under surveillance by Magic Eyes everywhere. Their schedule was packed so tight that they couldn''t take any action. The students often moved in groups, no one was alone, making it even harder to make a move. Exposure meant death. Without contribution, death meant a zero score. The star body test alone accounted for forty percent of the marks; if they failed this subject, no matter how well they had done in their previous exams, it would be the end for them. Arthur''s expression became serious as well, and he wore a deeply troubled look, "We, as righteous and just saints, are at risk of being exposed at any time." "Indeed," sighed Lister gently, "I also feel that I do not fit in well with those surrounding Cultists of the Painful Court." "Truly, kind and glorious people like us," Arthur said helplessly, "stand out like fireflies in the dark night, no matter where they are." Arthur and Lister were quite worried about being exposed. "In three weeks, there will be the practical combat test for the second-order Cultists, and those who score at the bottom will have their fingers chopped off. The top scorers in the monthly exam get battle-ash rewards, and the top three will be promoted to freshmen instructors." An Su said calmly, "Let us, the good ones, think about how to cheat gloriously." "Good," both Arthur and Lister nodded in unison. Chapter 69 Cultist With An Su Leading the Way, Were Set Dusk sunlight filtered through the glass windows.At this moment, a meeting was being held. In the dimness, dozens of cold eyes gleamed faintly as they scrutinized each other with a vigilant, wary gaze. The atmosphere was gloomy and filled with oppression. All present were invaders from the Painful Esoteric Sect from Nether, with the goal of killing all the saints and seizing control of the fragments of this world. S~ea??h the novlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. They had all been matched with new identities best suited for them, infiltrated among different classes like venomous snakes lurking in the shadows. All were elite among the elite. Only members of the same squad could reveal their true identities to each other. So this was the invaders'' first meeting. They were both comrades and rivals; within the Painful Esoteric Sect, apart from one''s squadmates, no one was trustworthy, thus their eyes held caution. After all, the resources of the Nether World were limited; one had to compete to secure more resources and greater merits. In a silence as heavy as death, a hoarse and deep voice broke the quiet. "Six are missing. Only forty arrived," it said. One of the squads had vanished. It was a man with a ferocious face and shrouded in a dark hood, his eyes as piercing as a hawk''s. He seemed to be just a minor character, but none of the cultists around him dared to speak up. The man had already revealed his true identity. Assyria.Xius, now known as the Serpent of Pain. He was the captain of the Third Order of the Painful Esoteric Sect and concurrently, the class leader of Class 2 in this world. He was bloodthirsty and murderous, infamous in the outside world and also a shrewd strategist, a think tank for the legion. A fearsome character indeed. "Assyria, what are your thoughts?" a burly man slowly said. The cultists held their breath even tighter; the burly man was a favored son of heaven known as Dak, his title the Bear of Pain, a nearly Third Order cultist with nineteen points in combat technique, and the captain of the Second Order. If there were no surprises, this second-degree world would be the last second-degree world Dak would encounter. "It''s Sharp''s squad, the First Order that has gone missing," the Serpent of Pain drawled. Sharp! The First Order! The cultists were even more alarmed; this campaign had actually mobilized the squad led by Captain Sharp. The last three members of the First Order could be ignored, but the first three were notorious figures within the Esoteric Religion. Captain Sharp, the most deranged murderer who slaughtered pregnant women and skinned men, was an artist of extreme pain. Kuiter, the soldier who had been a notorious sadist since childhood, was the most infamous and terrifying manno one wanted to be an enemy of Kuiter. Then there was Scout Kaman, the second-in-command, who seemed humble and average, but in reality, harbored a soul more twisted and evil than anyone. "This conceals a conspiracy." Assyria spoke enigmatically, "Three people are trying to deceive us, but their acting is so clumsy that they stand no chance of escaping my notice." At his words, the cultists fell silent all at once. "Brother Assyria is right," Dak said, his voice deep, "Someone has tricked us." "There''s only one truth in this matter," Assyria slowly stood, his intelligent and shadowed gaze sweeping over everyone present. A chill went down everyone''s spine as if their very souls were laid bare, "Their squad has deliberately concealed their identities, avoiding a meeting with us." Many felt a chill in their hearts, so that was it. No believer thought about failing the credential verification; after all, if someone like themselves could pass, how could such elites fail? And the idea of saints being born as cultists was even more preposterous! There had been no precedent for this in the textbooks for thousands of yearsof course, the likes of Su only emerged once in a few thousand years. There was only one possibility. They had hidden their identities. "However," Assyria said seriously, "Evil people like them, no matter where they are, stink like dung beetles in the daylight." "After observing for a few days, you must have some idea of their true identities," he said. "The Painful Inner Circle. An Su" The captain of the Fourth Order, Fadeli, spoke up. He was now known as the Eye of Pain, his tone decisive, "Is none other than Captain Sharp." His eyes also showed a trace of fear, "I had no idea that after a few years, his art of pain had become even more sophisticated." ``` "He has actually attained the ultimate realm of finding pleasure in pain," Fadeli said admiringly, "When I heard him loudly reciting at four-thirty in the morning, I knew this man was terrifying." "He has escalated from physical torture to the insult of the soul." Fadeli''s words triggered wave after wave of agreement from the Esoteric believers, all of them lamenting the suffering of the past few days. "It''s really him...!" "Sharp''s path of suffering has improved again!" "Every day I''m woken up by his reading." "The most repeated phrase from our instructor is ''Learn from An Su in the next class!''" "Because of him, our platoon''s wake-up time has also been adjusted by the instructor to four-thirty..." "And there''s Warrior Kuiter." The bear of pain, Dak, spoke solemnly, even he, as a squad leader, had a hint of apprehension in his voice, "It''s the Painful Falcon. Arthur." "Kuiter''s path of suffering is beyond imagination as well." Hearing this terrifying name, the shoulders of the Esoteric believers trembled slightly, and a chill arose. So that''s it. Years have passed, and Kuiter has become even more perverted! He used to be somewhat discreet, only targeting attractive young boys, but now he''s heedless of gender! He''s even added the traits of an exhibitionist! At the crack of dawn, all the Cultists could see this perverted man''s naked body, and he would show off his falcon to anyone he met, He must have awakened a new fetish, excited by being seen by others of the same sex. Especially for the few Esoteric believers running before and after Arthur, the pain was unbearable, It was all premeditated. "I dare not run too fast for fear of bumping into him..." "I dare not run too slow for fear of him bumping into me..." They shared their painful experiences with each other. "Lord Kuiter doesn''t sleep at night, knocking on the walls of our dormitory. Is he hinting at his loneliness to me..?" Some believers let their imaginations run wild. "As for the last one, Scout Kaman." Assyria propped his chin with his hands, "You all know it in your hearts." "It must be that Painful Evil Hound. Lister." Everyone looked fearful, this one was heavyweight. On the surface, he is a calm and elegant man, but behind the scenes, he is more terrible and cunning than anyone. Anyone passing the dormitory can smell that distinctly masculine scent, so they all know, this is the Painful Evil Hound marking his territory! So domineering, so evil, so unfathomable. No one dares to make an enemy of the Painful Evil Hound. The scene suddenly fell into a deadly silence. The Esoteric believers looked at each other with complex expressions, even showing signs of shame. They hadn''t expected that the First Squad had advanced their path of suffering to such a terrifying level in a blink of an eye, leaving themselves far behind. "Since they are so strong," someone asked, "why won''t they come forward to lead us... Could there be a problem?" "Hmph. Foolish." The Serpent of Pain, acting as the sage, scoffed, "What do you know about the squad leader''s affairs?" He propped his chin with his hands, Continue your journey on empire "Their squad must have a secret mission from the great Church, so they can''t reveal their identitiesyou shouldn''t disturb them, in fact, you should cover for them." "Surely once the mission is complete, they will annihilate those dim-witted saints on the other side." _ Meanwhile. "Boss An Su, we''ll do as you say. Now we can complete the Church''s mission." Arthur said cheerfully and joyfully, with an expression of admiration, "We''ll use this move to wipe out the idiots on this side of the Esoteric believers!" ``` Chapter 70 The Ultimate Path of Agony (Thanks to the Grand Alliance Leader Vera!) The following day.Town Seden, a persistent drizzle. The desolate rain knocked against the old, damp tower, with droplets slowly infiltrating into the castle, ivy swaying shadows outside the windowsill, and the fireplace casting a gloomy light on the faces of all the saints. At this moment, a meeting of the saints was in session. The presiding officer of this meeting was Knight Rosen of the Order Temple, who held the position of High Priest; sitting beside him were the leading representatives of the Druid Sect and the Alchemical Church, their ranks being Priest and Viscount respectively. This fortress was also the residence of Viscount Seden. The saints seated at the round table were representatives of various Sects, along with team leaders from each groupgenerally taken up by the top performers from the previous two exams. "...Only ten teams have assembled." Rosen''s handsome face looked grave as his eyes swept across the saints at the round table. Personality verification was also part of the examination; those saints who failed against the Cultists had no qualification to enter Nether. Nearly half of the saints were eliminated at the very start. All team leaders at the round table had grim expressions. Enjoy new chapters from empire A shortage of manpower was the least of their problems. More serious was that the stronghold of the Painful Esoteric Sect was incredibly difficult to conquer, impossible even from the outside. According to the scouts'' reconnaissance over the past few days, the stronghold was surrounded by alchemical matrices, even connected with alchemical iron wire; every night, Cultists patrolled the area. The Cult''s stronghold likely had several hounds trained to detect strong scents. Inside the stronghold, there was no communication with the outside world. Not even a fly could get in. Inside was also a Fourth Order top-tier Legion Commander... All knew the difficulty of this assessment. "What about the representative of the Radiant Holy See, that An Su Moningsta?" Despite a strong reluctance, someone still called out An Su''s name. Faced with such an impasse, they could only resort to the underhanded tactics best known to the frontier folk. "Him?" Someone at the round table scoffed, "We haven''t seen him since we entered this world." "You still expect him to show up... I bet they didn''t even pass the personality test." "Just a crafty frontiersman." The speaker was Viscount Seden, the top scorer of the Alchemical Church, Alice Sean, clad in a dark noblewoman''s yarn dress, her face delicate. "Your cousin, Saint Ai Xueli Sean, also viewed the frontier people in this light," said High Priest Shana, supporting her cheek and half-squinting lazily, "But in the end, she apologized." "Don''t mention my cousin!" Alice flared up like an angered cat. Seeing the situation spiralling out of control, Rosen gently tapped the edge of the table, producing a thumping sound. Sar?h the N?velFire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. All the saints promptly quieted down. As Order Knight Rosen, an almost Third Order Holy Knight, he indeed commanded such respect. "The Order does not need the presence of failures to uphold us," his deep, magnetic voice resonated, "If An Su and his group failed the test... then they have disappointed the expectations of the Order and are already failures." "Even if they were here, they would achieve nothing." An Su''s God-given title from the Order Church was a disgrace for the new generation of the Church. A title from their own God had been taken by a saint from another church. "He cannot enter the closely guarded Painful Prep School, cannot stride boldly into the stronghold of the Esoteric Religion, cannot conquer the cunning and ruthless Painful Believers, with mere tricks can''t make the proud enemy submit, cannot defend the Orderbut we shall accomplish these feats!" Rosen''s tone gradually became heated, "And we must succeed!" "We are gathering knights from the lord''s land, summoning soldiers from the town, pushing forward from the front, we are about to establish a new Order!" His solemn speech immediately drew applause and cheers from the saints, who exclaimed that this was indeed how saints should be. - Dusk, the rain ceased. An Su, leading Arthur and Lister, walked boldly down the central avenue of the Painful Prep School. Their stride was even somewhat swaggering. The three wore the Painful Esoteric Sect''s Second Order military uniforms, the dashing dark capes fluttering in the wind, the remaining autumn rain dripping off their glossy long military boots, and pure white military caps adorned with the symbol of a skull. They marched in step, backs straight, their boots splashing ripples as they hit puddles. And all the First Order Believers who passed by, upon seeing the trio from afar, promptly made way, the cunning and cruel Painful Esoteric Sect members all lowered their proud heads, daring not to make eye contact. "Hello, Senior Brother An Su!" There were even freshmen who bowed deeply, only daring to straighten their backs after An Su had walked far away. In this past week, the reputation of the Trio of Pain had spread far and wide; their unique way of suffering was slowly subjugating the local believers in pain. Some of the newcomers had even begun to study the trio''s philosophy of suffering. There were roughly three factions forming: The Painful Pleasure Alphabet Sect, the Naked Enthusiastic South Faction, and the Urine-leaking Shy and Coquettish Faction. Most second-year seniors were infiltrators and had all tacitly acknowledged An Su and his two companions as the Sharp Trio from the first squad, assuming they had secret missions and thus could not reveal their identities. They felt reverence and trepidation toward them, not daring to provoke them for fear of messing up the organization''s big plans. They saw them as the future of the Painful Esoteric Sect''s boot camp. And now, this future hope of the organization was striding toward a certain place with a murderous aura, their presence commanding and causing a breeze as they walked, prompting those around them to give way, unwilling to compete with them. How should they destroy or torment these cultists? At the very least, they needed to disrupt their training and weaken their combat effectiveness, contributing to the cause of their future defeat to earn points. How could they escalate the torment? A day ago, when An Su raised this question, Lister and Arthur fell silent. They did not know. What they were doing currently was not enough; there was much room for improvement. Their understanding of the way of suffering had not reached its peak; they could not think of any methods. The defenses of the boot camp were impeccable. Poison them? This was impossible: the food in the cafeteria was securely sealed. Work with saints from the outside? While they might seem prestigious on the surface, they lacked the qualifications to communicate with the outside world. Assassination? This too was impossible. Since the main area of the boot camp was equipped with Magic Eyes, any assassination attempt would reveal them; and revelation meant death. All cultists could only move within the main campus since there were only two intervals of freedom each day, fifteen minutes at noon and in the afternoon, for eating, hygiene, and sleep, all under strict management. Every day was the same routine: cafeteria, washroom, dormitory, classroom. This was also absurd. If things continued to stagnate, An Su and his companions would end up with zero points. But at that moment, An Su, the crucial player in pain, proposed a solution. They were about to embark on the first phase of their plan, and they were approaching that placethe public washroom! The entire Painful Esoteric Sect had only one large public washroom, open only during free activity time for first and second-tier students to wash and attend to personal issues the instructors had their own private bathrooms. The sole public washroom was only open twice a day, fifteen minutes each time. Among the temporary Holy Relics An Su had obtained, there was one called ''Goddess''s Charm,'' which allowed him to impart divine titles one more time each day. An Su entered the public washroom with a calm smile playing on his lips and pushed open the door slowly. Inside, there were many believers. Watch closely, for this is how the Way of Order is to be used! An Su randomly chose a stall, pushed the door open, went inside, and swiftly took care of his personal needs. Then, in a voice so quiet that no one else could hear, he softly spoke: "This place is a public area." "The radiance of Order." "Enact the law." He declared, solemn and sacred, "It is forbidden to urinate or defecate anywhere in this place." On that day, for some reason, All the cultists of pain, Suffered painfully From constipation. Chapter 71 An Su Once Again Catches the Attention of the Grieving Mother Goddess The stars of order dictate that the laws which are to be enacted must revolve around the most fundamental order.One may not enact discriminatory rules, nor may one establish outrageous laws, nor may one promulgate dangerous statutes such as those permitting the killing of others. However, prohibiting public urination and defecation in public places is clearly based on the most fundamental order. Therefore, public restrooms can also be considered public places. To be a lawful and civilized citizen of order is indeed the expectation of the god of order and the doctrine of the Order Church. Thus, the laws enacted by An Su are valid. Time slowly passed by, the restrooms were only open for fifteen minutes, and exceeding this time meant violating school regulations and would be severely punished. In the distance, the sound of a bell slowly rang out, echoing in the night sky. It was the preparatory bell for bed check, signaling that one must immediately return to the dormitory after it. Stall doors opened one by one, revealing puzzled and embarrassed faces. They looked at each other without a word, yet none would disclose their own indelicate issues. After all, the matter was quite private. Perhaps... it was just because they weren''t feeling well today. The Cultists did not know that it was, in fact, the power of the law that had prevented them from committing uncivilized acts. Once they stepped out of the restroom, they suddenly felt a subtle inspiration, but the preparatory bell had already rung, and they would have to return tomorrow to resolve it. [You''ve caught the attention of the Mother Goddess of Pain] The ethereal voice of the celestial body resounded once again in An Su''s ears. He knew that the final judgement was observed and evaluated by the incarnations of the deities in the spirit realm. But An Su was still puzzled. I''m an adherent of the Orthodox Church, what does the Mother Goddess of Pain have to do with me? Having used methods of order, shouldn''t it have drawn the attention of order instead? I, an adherent of the Orthodox Church, acting uprightly and doing right, why do I always catch your attention... Is the Mother Goddess of Life below, and the Goddess of Pain above? It doesn''t matter anymore. An Su straightened his somewhat disheveled military cap, fastened the buttons at his collar, and washed his face with cold water at the washstand, ready to leave the place. In the copper mirror''s reflection, just then, the stall door slowly opened. A man with eyes as cold and venomous as a serpent''s slowly emerged. He was also dressed in dark military attire, and the skull badge on his cap marked him as a second-tier Cultist. His demeanor was gloomy and majestic. This man was the mastermind behind the invading legion, the sergeant of the third squad, known in the present world as ''Serpent of Pain'', Assyria Xius. Assyria approached An Su with a stern and somber expression, his venomous gaze piercing through the latter. "An Su Moningsta," he turned on the magical faucet and slowly washed his hands beside An Su, "that is your name, isn''t it?" "So it is," An Su said. "Let me introduce myself. I am the ''Serpent of Pain'', Assyria." Assyria appeared as if he had already seen right through An Su. "We''re both intelligent people," Assyria said slowly, "there''s no need to pretend with me. I''ve seen through your true identity." An Su''s heart skipped a beat and, looking up, he saw that this person was not joking in the slightesthis dark green eyes were frighteningly deep, faintly shimmering with colors of wisdom. When had he been exposed... An Su didn''t feel there was anything wrong with his behavior. He''s probably bluffing. "I don''t know what you''re talking about," said An Su. "Hmph," Assyria snorted coldly, "If you continue to deny it, you would be insulting my intelligenceI refuse to accept such a contemptuous insult." He seemed a tough nut to crack. "Please speak plainly," An Su was already thinking about how to eliminate this person silently, calling over the Arthur Lister outside for a group beating? But how should the scene be handled afterwards... In any case, it was best to take one step at a time. "You might have mistaken me for someone else." He tilted his head, revealing an innocent and clean smile. "I told you I''ve seen through your identity, An Su Moningsta!" Assyria Xius said solemnly, "Someone as evil and corrupt as you stands out like a cockroach in daylight wherever you go, so conspicuous, so vivid! Your profound and dark demeanor has thoroughly exposed you!" Are you praising me, or scolding me... An Su blinked his eyes. Assyria Xius leaned in close to An Su''s ear and whispered in a voice so low that no one else could hear, "You are Sharp Hughesman, the sergeant of the first squad." This guy must have some screws loose in his head. Seeing that An Su still appeared clueless, Assyria Xius upgraded his assessment of the man by another notch. True to form for Sergeant Sharp, even at this juncture, he could still perfectly play the role of a bewildered and na?ve young man, especially with those clear eyes betraying a hint of confusion, simply a stroke of genius. In fact, An Su was indeed quite baffled. Experience new stories on empire This was the first time things hadn''t gone as he expected. It wasn''t that he played the role of a cultist poorly and got found out. Instead, he played the student too well and was mistaken for a leader! Since that was the case... An Su immediately caught on, his voice slowly deepening as he sneered, the bewilderment in his eyes fading away, replaced by depth and iciness, "How did you make sure?" He started to act. "At first, I merely had my suspicions and dared not be sure," Assyria Xius said in a serious tone, "but just now, I confirmed it, you are indeed Sergeant Sharp." "Because I sensed it, the great original Serpent of Pain," Assyria Xius said with a solemn expression, "Her gaze briefly lingered upon you." "Only a chosen of the gods, the epitome of evil, could draw the Mother Goddess of Pain''s attention." ...So you mean to tell me your bovine Mother Goddess blatantly peeks at others. That''s really low. An Su sneered inwardly, but his expression became even more grave and stern, his pain tinged with a faint anger, like the calm before the onset of a storm, "Who gave you the guts... to disrupt my plan." Assyria Xius was intimidated by An Su''s imposing aura, sweat slowly trickling down his cheeks. But after all, he was the Cultist called Serpent of Pain, a professional sage, the sergeant of the third squad, and he would not be so easily cowed by An Su''s demeanor. For his own purpose, he would not fear facing Sharp himself. "I didn''t want to address you by name," Assyria Xius''s voice was low as he locked eyes directly with An Su, "and I didn''t mean to interrupt your plan, but circumstances changed, everything happened so suddenly, it was too urgent, I had no choice but to stop you." "And I chose you because only Sergeant Sharp is trustworthy, for anyone else I would be worried about information leakageI feared the news might spread." An Su thought to himself, now we''re getting to the crux of the matter. Using this opportunity, he could extract vital intelligence. At this very moment, the warning bell had already rung for the third time, and there was only one minute left before the check. The atmosphere was cold and silent. The chilly autumn wind howled between them, whistling under the steep night sky, and Assyria Xius said with gravity; "This important matter, you must ensure, absolutely not to tell a third person." "Absolutely not to tell a third person." Sar?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The secrecy level was so high; An Su pondered silently. It should be alright to tell Lister and Arthur, considering one was a dog and the other a bird. Neither counted as human. Assyria Xius took a deep breath slowly, "That sudden, urgent situation is..." An Su held his breath in anticipation. "When I was halfway through resolving it, I suddenly lost my inspiration, thought to get up and leave, and then I discovered," An Su was all ears. "I forgot to bring paper, could you lend me some?" You''ve got to be kidding me. Sergeant Sharp getting caught by a subordinate without paper, that would be quite embarrassing if it got out, wouldn''t it...? This guy is also some sort of anthropomorphic creature! Chapter 72 The First Kill of the Trio of Agony! "I don''t have paper either,"An Su said with a smile. In fact, he did have it. Obviously, Assyria''s expression instantly stiffened. His face looked more constipated than actual constipationthough he was indeed constipated. His lips trembled slightly, his pupils contracted and then slowly dilated, he lowered his gaze and finally let out a soft sigh as if he had made some kind of decision, "In that case, please wait for me a moment." Experience tales at empire Assyria headed back, and after a rustling sound, he finally came out, turned on the tap in the washroom, and fiercely scrubbed his fingers, washing them several times as if trying to scrub off his skin. This guy is really cruel. Fingers are also paperthought An Su to himself. "Please, don''t let what happened today get out," Assyria said after a long silence, "Please don''t let a second person know. The pre-inspection bell has rung for the last time, there''s only one minute left until the room-check, let''s leave quickly." "Okay," An Su nodded, already thinking about how to spread the word. Although it was quite embarrassing, if only Sharp knew about it, it wasn''t too hard to accept. Sharp is a very reliable man. "Actually, a second person already knows," a dull male voice came from behind them. But the next second, Assyria''s heart seemed to skip a beat. With the creak of the old door being pushed open, the neighboring stall was slowly opened, revealing Arthur''s slightly embarrassed smiling face; he scratched his head in discomfort. Assyria looked over in panic, when did this kid hide there? He thought everyone had left. Little did he expect a pervert to be lurking in the stall! For a moment, the scene went deathly silent. Feeling the awkwardness, Arthur let out a few laughs towards Assyria, trying to use his carefree and hearty smile to ease the latter''s embarrassment, such an understanding man he was. Now was the time to rely on humor. "These things happen. I''ve often encountered this kind of situation..." Arthur showed an expression that all men understand, winking at Assyria, "I know, you wouldn''t want the instructor to know about this either." Little did he expect, seeing Arthur''s smile, Assyria''s expression became even more horrified. Why is the Kuiter warrior smiling at me? This pervert couldn''t have taken a liking to me, could he? Does he really have such heavy taste? This pervert wouldn''t use this incident to blackmail me into doing that kind of thing, would he? Several thoughts spun through his mind... Assyria''s expression changed uncertainly, he took a deep breath, telling himself that he must calm down, "It''s nothing if only you two know." At that moment, the nearby magical broadcast began to sound slowly, but it wasn''t the bell, rather a metallic broadcast voice. It echoed melodically within the academy grounds. [Urgent help needed, urgent help needed] The academy had a broadcasting room too, right next to the dormitory, but only second-order believers and above had the privilege to use it for broadcasting calls for help. [An attentive believer near the public washroom, please go to the first floor, stall number fourteen, Serpent of Pain, Assyria.Xius needs the help of a kind soul, he has forgotten his toilet paper while defecating!] [...Assyria.Xius needs the help of a kind soul, he has forgotten his toilet paper while defecating!] [He has forgotten his toilet paper while defecating!] The broadcast repeated three times before slowly stopping. Inside the washroom, the three were silent. "Who did this..." Assyria''s shoulders trembled slightly. "Don''t know," An Su and Arthur firmly denied, "Probably someone we don''t know." Who else could it be with such a familiar scheme. When Lister, who was in the outermost stall, overheard that Assyria had forgotten his paper, his eyes lit up and, while no one was paying attention, he pushed up his glasses and sprinted out decisively. For Lister, as a proud yet humble noble, it was his duty to help a suffering classmate! With the opportunity to help others, Lister naturally felt it was his duty to do so. Assyria felt his face burning with shame, never before had he experienced such embarrassment, and his pride was indeed very strong. The cold-blooded, venomous snake image that Assyria had painstakingly cultivated over the years was about to be ruined over a mere piece of toilet paper, and the key point was that despite making such a big sacrifice, he still didn''t get the paper he needed. In the end, he had to figure it out himself! Assyria was just about to say something to salvage his lost image. Right at that moment, the bathroom door was slammed open. It was the teammates from the third squad. "Captain, the paper''s here!" The remnants of sweat were still visible on their faces as they panted heavily, their eyes seemed to shine with a light, that twinkling glow was the noblest of teammate affection! In the Nether World, what''s tested is the trust and friendship between teammates, so as soon as they heard their captain was in trouble, the third squad immediately mobilized as one, beating the curfew deadline with a hundred-meter dash speed, hurriedly delivering the rescue supplies! Just ten-odd seconds were all it took for this miraculous speed, epitomizing the precious bond between teammates! Facing the fervent gazes of his subordinates, Assyria felt a surge of frustration welling up in his chest, at that moment, he knew, his life was over. That night. Before lights out, most Cultists wouldn''t go straight to sleep but would share their experiences and gossip in bed to alleviate mental stress, which was the only form of entertainment available. In a previous life, this was known as dormitory night talks. Various incredible stories would spread like wildfire and grow increasingly far-fetched, evolving continuously with someone''s crazy exaggeration. In the second squad''s dorm, "Did you hear? Assyria forgot to bring paper when he went to take a dump today!" "Nobody had any, it was even his own subordinates who brought it over, haha." "For real?" In the fourth squad''s dorm. "Did you hear? None of his subordinates had paper either, so Assyria resolved it using his own fingers today!" "He''s really harsh on himself!" Next building over. Sar?h the Novl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Assyria forgot to bring paper when he took a shit today, and his subordinates didn''t have any either, so Assyria used his subordinate''s fingers to handle it." "He''s really harsh on his subordinates!" In the dorm of the newbies who follow the Painful Pleasure Alphabet Sect. "Assyria is seeking pleasure from pain, so he deliberately didn''t bring paperthat''s the master''s task." "He plays it really tough!" In the dorm of the newbies who follow the Excited Nude Wind Sect. "Today Assyria and his subordinates were stirring shit in the bathroom!" "He and his subordinates play it really tough!" In the dorm of the newbies who follow the Leaky Shame Sect. "Assyria has come to understand the essence of painful shame, he got stirred up too much and started leaking shit!" "He plays it really tough on himself!" In the instructors'' dorm. "Did I hear that your troop''s Assyria, was eating shit in the restroom and even asked for a napkin to wipe his mouth?" "... That guy isn''t from our troop." The next morning, An Su opened his eyes. He got out of bed, opened the window, and reveled in the morning breeze. After a brief autumn rain, the sky that morning was crystal clear as if washed clean, while the fresh and slightly chilly autumn wind swept through, stirring the dew on the grass and setting off waves of color amongst the leaves. It was a very refreshing morning indeed. Bathed in the warm sunshine, he broke into a clean, radiant smile. Life is truly wonderful. [Mother Goddess of Pain has noticed you once again] Just don''t know why the Mother Goddess is peeking this early in the morning. Meanwhile, the voice of the Celestial Messenger slowly rose, a channel exclusively for saints, audible to all saints: [First Kill] [Serpent of Pain, captain of the second squad, second tier Magician, Assyria.Xius has forfeited his qualifications and withdrawn from Nether, eligible to return to the original world due to voluntary withdrawal] [Contributors: An Su Moningsta (50%), Lister Muen (40%), Arthur Sunny (10%)] [Due to first kill bonus, An Su earns five points, Lister four points, Arthur one point] "?" The saints gathering troops were confused. Chapter 73 It was still dark when Miss Alice and her squad set out.Today, they were going to visit the Count of the neighboring town, His Excellency held a company of thirty second-order personal guards. If they could secure his help, the likelihood of eradicating the Painful Esoteric Sect would increase significantly. Riding in the carriage to the pale green plains outside of Seden Town, the biting autumn wind filled the collars of every team member as a pale fish-belly white slowly rose from the horizon. First, they passed through the lookout, ascending along the hillside, and after being scrutinized by several coarse soldiers and paying a few Gold Coins, they finally saw the Count''s fortress. After letting the maidservant send word, they faced a long wait in the hall. Alice had originally thought that requesting military aid would be simple. sea??h th N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. A light and natural matter, of course. However, what surprised and astonished Alice was that they had waited in the hall for a full hour and the Count had still not appeared. It was just a Count in a remote area, after all. What airs he was putting on. As a noble from the imperial capital, Alice had never been treated with such cold disregard; wherever she went, she was greeted with respect. Though she was not as arrogantly talented as her cousin, Alice still possessed the pampered temperament of a noble. But considering her current status was merely that of a Viscount under Count Seden, she had no choice but to swallow this cold treatment. So long as she could request troops... She would endure it for the time being. This time, she was determined to earn the top spot in the exam and fiercely slap the face of that borderlander named An Su Moningsta. The thing Alice could least tolerate was that her cousin, whom she had always adored, Ai Xueli, had actually succumbed to that borderlander. Before the exam, Ai Xueli had even told her, "If you encounter An Su, you can choose to surrender directly. I won''t blame you, cousin." A mere lowly borderlander, showing off with a few tricks, what''s there to be proud of? Where had the pride of the imperial nobility gone? These fellows hadn''t even passed the personality verification test and were just losers who had been defeated by cultists. Being trampled underfoot by such people was truly infuriating. But now everything was about to change. With a faint smile on her lips, Alice was ready to use her years of experience negotiating in noble circles to secure military assistance at the fastest speed. Even taking the first kill would be a feather in her cap. And those borderlanders could only watch her enviously. "Miss Alice, the Count doesn''t seem to have come out yet... Do you think this is worthwhile?" After a long wait, an Alchemist couldn''t help but speak up. They had set out early in the morning, braved the cold wind for two hours on a mountain road, and were now weary, cold, and hungry. Seeing that the Count kept delaying, complaints inevitably arose. "Mr. John Cyst, I recall, your father is also a Viscount in a remote area, is he not? Really..." Alice elegantly lifted her lovely eyes, and her lips parted lightly. "You should know that with the social skills and eloquence of the upper-class nobility, even an army can be persuaded." With a venom that had shades of Ai Xueli, Alice elegantly stated: "For nobles of the Count''s level, time is the least valuable thing. If you''re dissatisfied, you''re free to follow that borderland Mr. An Su..." "Ah, I forgot, they apparently haven''t even entered Nether." No sooner had she spoken this than she received nods of agreement from several supporters. At that moment, Just after Ai Xueli had finished speaking, The ethereal, crystal-clear voice of the Celestial Messenger rang out: [First Kill] At the first line, all the saints were shocked; their weariness vanished in an instant. All doubted their own ears. First kill? They had been in Nether World for less than a week; how could the first kill have happened so quickly? Was it done by the almost Third Order knight, Sir Rosen? But according to the original plan, Sir Rosen should be recruiting soldiers in Seden Town... ``` Who completed that? Which saint, which team, could actually be faster than His Grace Rosen? They exchanged glances, each looking for answers in the other''s eyes only to find confusion. [Serpent of Pain, second squad leader, Second Order Magician, Assyria Xius forfeits his qualification....] Another wave of shock. They might not know what the Serpent of Pain was, but the word ''squad leader'' was undeniably significant. A squad leader, also known as a soldier chief in the Painful Esoteric Sect, was truly the elite of the elite. The teams from the Alchemical Church couldn''t even enter the sect''s stronghold, yet a team had managed to kill a soldier chief. Everyone was curious about the identity of this killer. Miss Alice had a subtle expression on her face, her eyes widened as she listened intently, eager to know who had stolen her first kill. Was it Shana from the Druid Court? Or...? Several names flashed through her mind, but when she heard the next sentence from the Celestial Messenger, Alice felt the world was absurd and bizarre, and even wondered if she hadn''t woken up properly. [Contributors: An Su Moningsta (50), Lisiter Muen (40), Arthur Sunny (10)] [For the first kill bonus, An Su earns five points, Lisiter four points, and Arthur one point] "Hmm...aha?" Alice was so baffled she couldn''t speak; her head tilted, eyes blinking rapidly, as if the words she heard were familiar but their combination made no sense to her. "An Su?" "Is it that An Su Moningsta? And those two from the borderlands?" "How did he do it...." The saints were equally astonished and lost, a cacophony of voices rose and fell, as they kept confirming with their companions, all doubting their own ears. According to Rosen and Alice, weren''t those three from the borderlands eliminated right from the start? Enjoy new chapters from empire Did they collectively win a comeback round? Even if they had won, how did they manage to assassinate someone without making a sound? With the Painful Esoteric Sect''s tight and perfect management, they hadn''t managed to step inside even after a whole week, let alone assassinate a Second Order cultist... What kind of brilliant method was it? Societal assassination, is the most silent assassination. But no...they finally realized something. According to the Celestial Messenger, the soldier chief had chosen to withdraw voluntarily. That could only mean suicide. Though it was suicide, it was judged as a contribution from those of the borderlands. Could it be they were so terrifyingly powerful that they scared a cultist into suicidesome saints passed this unrealistic thought. Alice found it the most unacceptable. She felt a burning blush on her face, "How...could it be possible?" What made Alice''s face turn even uglier was, a middle-aged man in the attire of a butler walked into the hall, first, he bowed, then spoke deliberately: "Dear Viscount, Your clamor is too loud, losing the dignity of nobility... Please, go back." Because of the surprise from An Su''s first kill, their discussions had indeed been too loud, disturbing the count, who deemed them rude and issued an eviction order. They were being driven away. ...Alice finally felt a glimmer of her cousin''s sentiments. What on earth was all this... "With the social skills and eloquence of an uncouth nobleman, even a soldier chief can be coerced to death." John, the saint she had just mocked, clapped his hands and showed an expression of sudden realization. ----"Is it too late to join An Su now?" ``` Chapter 74 Assyria said he had no objections ```Seden Town is a remote seaside village that has been constantly raided by the Painful Esoteric Sect throughout the years, with scarcely a tenth of its population remaining. The desolate autumn light covers the broken and ancient streets, where withered leaves rot alongside dead rats in the sewers, and every household''s doors are tightly shut. Theoretically, this town shouldn''t have many able-bodied men, nor should it be able to offer much in the way of resources. Yet, Knight Rosen still managed to assemble a squad of around a hundred men. With his innate leadership and charisma, along with his status as the head knight of the Church, he delivered an impassioned speech that successfully persuaded the local authorities. Moreover, he recruited about ten local Second Order saints from the local church. If Alice''s side goes smoothly, they would be able to muster nearly two hundred Second Order saints, plus a hundred civilian soldiers for cover, giving them enough strength to confront the Cultists Even against that Fourth Order legion commander, they would stand a significant chance of winning. As for the sacrifice of local soldiers, it was not within the considerations of an Order Knight. This was just another Nether World, an anomaly of an event, and it was irrelevant to them. As long as they could defend the glory of the Order, all would be well. After training this hastily assembled team and harmonizing for half a month, they would be ready to attack head-on. Rosen was in an exceptionally good mood today, a perfect and elegant smile constantly on his lips. That is until he heard the voice of the Celestial Messenger. [First Kill] [Serpent of Pain...] "..." Rosen''s eyes narrowed slightly, It was a surprise to him that An Su had come to this world. And he had achieved the first kill... Rosen unconsciously gripped the hilt of his sword, exerting a slight force. Although he didn''t know where they were hiding, or how they did it. Still, just killing a Second Order sergeant wasn''t enough to make Rosen lose his composure. As a candidate for Third Order knight, and a new generation of the Order Church, his sole purpose was hunting down the legion commanders of this world. In this kind of world conflict, driving out the invaders was only the most basic taskto ensure the world wasn''t taken. Task Three: Assassinate the legion commander of the Painful Esoteric Sect. That was the ultimate mission for this Second Order worldthough no saint had ever accomplished it. After all, to defeat a Fourth Order enemy in a Second Order world was nothing short of a fantasy. But Rosen was confident he could do it, firmly believing that he would accomplish this feat, by relying on the trust and friendship between him and his comrades, they would surely be able to win back the approval of the god of Order. An Su was of no concern. He would surely crush the Cultists! -- "Order''s starlight." "Lay down the law." It was one o''clock in the afternoon, the time for fifteen minutes of free activity each day. An Su wore a calm smile on his lips, it was time for the daily routine tasks again. He, Lister, and Arthur quickly resolved their personal matters, then went straight to laying down the law, an invisible code instantly enveloping the entire washroom. "Urinating or defecating anywhere in this area is forbidden." Enjoy new stories from empire As a standard-bearer of modern civilization, An Su naturally could not tolerate people urinating or defecating anywhere in public areas. He was going to enforce strict supervision over the Cultists, correcting their improper behaviors. Garbage cans must not contain garbage, there shouldn''t be people on the beds, no water in the basins, and naturally, urinating or defecating anywhere in the washroom was not allowedthis was the basic etiquette of a student in the new century, and these barbarians from another world had much to learn. With the law laid down, a chorus of groans rose throughout the washroom. More agonizing than constipation was, ``` Two days of constipation in a row! Under the relentless pressure of non-stop rigorous study, their spirits were already teetering on the edge, and now they had to endure such excruciating issues; many Cultists were on the verge of madness. The worst part wasn''t the constipation, but that moment during the process when the inspiration suddenly vanished. It was said that Assyria.Xius just committed suicide this morning because of constipation. When An Su stepped out of the door with a fresh and clear face, he was met with one deeply aggrieved expression after another. What was rather interesting was that, some Cultists, with faces full of discomfort, left the sanitation facilities and continued walking, once they gradually stepped outside the range covered by the radiant Starlight of Order, they would suddenly feel a tumultuous stirring in their stomachs, sensing an explosion of inspiration and would hurry back at a hundred-meter sprint''s speed, but the moment they pushed the door open again, that spark of inspiration would fade away as quickly as a receding tide, leaving behind nothing but an infinite emptiness and loneliness. This bizarre cessation was driving them insane! Was there something wrong with them, or was the problem with this bathroom? Observing their gradually contorting faces due to agony, An Su found it quite amusing. His fresh and clean smile contrasted sharply with the Cultists around him. He used the Holy Relic "Goddess''s Amulet," which added one more use to the Starlight of Order. There would be another opening tonight; let''s continue with the daily tasks. In the following days, An Su''s life was quite orderly. He did morning exercises at dawn, studied the theoretical knowledge of the Painful Esoteric Sect during the day, and engaged in combat training in the afternoon and evening, these intense learning activities benefited An Su greatly. He first learned an initial stage magic spell of the Painful Esoteric Sect, [Shadow of Blood] [Auxiliary Magic] [Magic Power cost: 2 (originally 4)] [It can temporarily transfer wounds to one''s own shadow for ten minutes; if the enemy who caused the injury dies during that time, the wounds can be transferred a second time onto the enemy''s corpse] Then, under the instructor''s guidance, he learned an initial stage Battle Ash. [Blood Flow] [Auxiliary Battle Ash] [Combat Technique point cost: 1] [It can add a bleeding effect to a certain attack, causing the targeted part to bleed uncontrollably for ten minutes] Both were very practical skills. Besides, his daily activities consisted of preventing Cultists from relieving themselves just anywhere, once in the morning and once in the evening, Visible to the naked eye, after several days of torment, the complexions of the vast majority of Cultists were terribly miserable. They were now certain there was something wrong with this bathroom! Someone was messing with it! Also, through the deliberate distortions and instigations of a few paragons of civilization, a religious myth emerged about ''the Snake in the Latrine Pit,'' which rapidly spread among the newcomersof course, for the time being, only some of the newcomers believed in it. This bathroom was cursed. Not long ago, a senior student named ''Assyria.Xius'' died in the bathroom due to years of painful constipation. He turned into a serpentine ghost lurking in the pit, his icy and malicious eyes fixedly staring upwards. Every day at noon and midnight, the troubled spirit cursed every decent and good-natured Cultist equally, subjecting them to agonizing suffering to satiate his malevolent and twisted soul. In an extraordinary world, such a scenario is quite plausible. So to say, all these misfortunes were caused by that guy named Assyria.Xius! It had nothing to do with the model citizen An Su. Anyway, Assyria had no complaints. Thanks to relentless promotion by his Esoteric brother-in-arms, Sergeant Sharp, Assyria''s reputation posthumously grew ever more resounding, winning him fame both in life and in death. Surely the real him, far away in the world of reality, would feel comforted and proud of this fact. Sar?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 75 Model of Civilization Action About the mystery and curse surrounding the washroom, over a dozen Cultists jointly reported the matter to the organization, and it even gradually became known to the Legion Commander''s ears.Because of this, the Legion Commander dispatched a Third Order Instructor to investigate the matter to see if there was indeed a curse. But the result was quite disappointing. The Instructor did not uncover any traces of a curse, nor did he find any signs of such strange apparitions as a ''snake in the lavatory pit''. He even brought with him a Magical Tool specifically designed to detect traces of Magic Power, to see if it was an effect of magic. Or possibly the work of an Orthodox Church adherent. Enjoy exclusive adventures from empire He found nothing. There were simply no signs of spellcasting. Beyond that, it could only be the work of a god-given title, but which deity''s effect would cause constipationThe god of toilets? The Instructor scoffed at this. Seeing that the Instructor did not take it seriously, the desperate Cultists strongly requested that the esteemed Instructor personally experience the washroom to sense the oddity within it. But the investigation''s outcome was clear. Sarch* The N??elFir.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. An Su''s "Starlight of Order" had a restriction, "It can only work on those of a lower rank than An Su." An Su was Second Order, and the military academy''s Instructor was Third Order. When the Instructor walked out of the stall looking refreshed, the Believers present despaired. ''Constipation caused by lack of schoolwork''this was the conclusion the Instructor reported. Remarkably scientific and modern, the Legion Commander, with a stroke of his pen, issued a solution, Pushing back the Cultists'' rest time by an hour and doubling their daily assignments, effectively solving their constipation dilemmathey were too academically challenged to have time for the washroom. In fact, the Painful Esoteric Sect did not care about these matters. On the contrary, the more the Believers suffered, the better. The more suffering they absorbed, the stronger the Esoteric Religion became, which even related to the Legion Commander''s promotion assessment. For the Legion of Pain''s Commander, apart from a few elite students, the vast majority of Believers were just nourishment for the Esoteric Religion. He would not bother too much even with their life or death. Those who were eliminated were merely the weak. The Legion Commander would no longer concern himself with such trivialities; he was now focused on one major matter. That was his promotion; he was there to gild his credentials. Having been in Town Seden for several years, he was just one opportunity, one merit away, from leaving this remote and backward rear areait was well-known. And the saints who had recently been active in Town Seden were precisely the Legion Commander''s opportunity. In the absence of action from the higher-ups, such days continued for another day or two, besides the ''incontinent bashful exhibitionist faction'' whose numbers surged, the Cultists who were tortured to the point of mental breakdown finally gave up the washroom. This moment was two weeks out from the exams. But once people are pushed to the breaking point, they often rebound, doing things in desperation that they could not normally do; as if reaching some extremity of pain, the Cultists gradually returned to normal. Their vigor slowly recovered as well. "Boss An Su, it seems our plan has failed," "Everything was going smoothly." In a secluded corner, the obscure and chilly autumn light was reflecting on Arthur''s visage as he said, with an unpleasant look, "For some reason, they are all fine now." It was a dim afternoon, the daylight slowly dissolving into the lonely mountains. In a dark corner at the end of the dormitory, a secret meeting was underway. "According to my professional judgment," Lister calmly pushed up his glasses, being an experienced senior with his own unique insights. He said in a profoundly mysterious tone, "They must have taken care of it outdoors." That explained it. A look of sudden understanding dawned on Arthur''s face; if someone was causing trouble in the bathroom, then taking care of business outside in the school''s wilds made sense. The Cultists weren''t fools, either. As exams were fast approaching and his rivals'' mental states were gradually recovering, Arthur was feeling quite vexed. He turned his gaze toward An Su in the corner, "Boss An Su, the ''Civilization Vanguard'' operation has failed. What should we do now?" The ''Civilization Vanguard'' was the name An Su had given to their operation. As night slowly descended and the temperature dropped, An Su''s cyan eyes were especially dazzling in the darkness, "It hasn''t failed." He revealed a smile, "The ''Civilization Vanguard'' operation has just entered its second phase." "The second phase?" Lister''s heart tightened. He was all too familiar with that smile of An Su''s; whenever he smiled like that, he would come up with the most elegant and noble plans. And these plans could only be executed by the most enlightened of nobles. "Assassination." An Su looked at Lister, "We once discussed assassinating the Cultists one by one, but we discarded that plan. Brother Lister, can you tell me why?" "The main places in the school are under Magic Eye surveillance, and the Cultists always move in groups, making it impossible to make a move." Lister blurted out, but quickly he realized something, "You mean?" "If you were to take care of personal hygiene outside," An Su said calmly, "would you choose to do it in a place monitored by Magic Eyes, openly and above board?" "As a noble of high birth, I have that level of determination, but ordinary people don''t have such strong spirits, do they?" Lister pushed up his glasses again, already grasping the implication in An Su''s words. He started to tremble with excitement as he sensed the elegant and noble plan taking shape: "Moreover, if detected by the Magic Eye, it would be a violation of school rules that would warrant fingers getting chopped off." An Su''s smile grew cleaner and more translucent, like the brilliant glow of the sunset in the afternoon light. He whispered, "Exactly, they would not choose a place with surveillanceso it could only be the hinterlands behind the school, where there are no Magic Eyes, no surveillance, barren and deserted." "Would they go in groups to tackle personal matters outdoors?" An Su''s gaze shifted to Arthur. "They can only scatter," Arthur said slowly. Going to the toilet in groups wasn''t uncommon. But to assemble for such a wild endeavor, without stalls or cover, no normal person would do thatin fact, even if they did go in groups, it would only be in small cliques of two or three close friends, not large-scale excursions. "Now, they''ve dispersed and voluntarily headed to the deserted hinterlands, which are also bereft of Magic Eye monitoring." An Su''s smile became even purer, the cold moonlight casting over his delicate features, "Isn''t that the perfect opportunity for us to assassinate them?" Arthur and Lister took a deep breath, their hearts filled with admiration. It was just like Boss An Su to come up with such an elegant strategy! The most vulnerable moment for a man, the easiest time to strike, is when he has his pants down, squatting to use the toilet. Such was An Su''s ''Civilization Vanguard'' operation! Chapter 76 The Third Step of Action, the Offer Begins! Dusk. Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.The setting sun spilled over countless mountains. The Painful Esoteric Sect had several mountains behind it, not far from the dormitory buildings, and with quick steps, it would take only a minute or two to reach them. Although within the jurisdiction of the Esoteric Religion, no believers would usually come here, At this moment, in late autumn, the mountain path was thickly covered with birch leaves, and as dusk slowly enveloped the area, the hues of twilight gradually turned murky, making the forest eerily quiet. Farid, the squad leader of the fourth unit, tread lightly on the silent jungle floor, his footsteps crisp upon the fallen leaves. He had to be extremely cautious. At the same time, he also had to be swift. He needed to finish dealing with his personal issue before the free time ended. He had been tolerating it for several days now, and he truly couldn''t hold on any longer. Farid did not bring any attendants; there was no need to have attendants for such private matters. If he were seen by others, it might even affect his image as a squad leader. Farid always believed that so-called pain was built on a reputation of terror. Over the years, he committed countless murders and evil deeds, including the torment and killing of women and children, all to construct his fearsome reputation. Terror brings pain. Farid found a secluded slope covered with a thick layer of dead leaves, an ideal place for handling private affairs. The squad leader''s eyes lit up, and he stepped lightly to crouch behind the slope. He was not an idiot like Assyria; Farid was well-prepared, at least he had brought tissue paper. Farid had been unable to restrain himself since the afternoon classes; he had been enduring it all along, his mind completely overrun by desire, which was gradually eroding his willpower and judgment. Even the most evil cultist, at this moment, was as pure and vulnerable as a baby. This moment was also when a man''s nerves were the most relaxed. Thus, Farid at this instant did not notice the three sinister shadows slowly approaching him. It was the trio of exemplars of civilization. It was also thanks to the concealment and assassination techniques learned from the legion commander, Right now, was the time for practical lessons. Find more to read at empire The three shadows suppressed their breathing, and even their heartbeats were minimized. Arthur was using a newly learned group ability: "Shadow of Death". An Su always felt that he was leading the character further and further astray; originally, this guy could become the Radiant Saint Heir... But An Su didn''t think it was a big problem, as long as he became the Holy See of the Radiant Church himself, and recognized Arthur as his godson, to some extent, it could be considered as becoming the Saint Heir. The setting sun had completely sunk into the graveyard of the mountains. At this moment, Farid was still immersed in the pleasure of release, squinting slightly as he hummed some tune. Watching Farid''s back, The leading shadow whispered "Move". Suddenly, a figure burst out from the left; it was Arthur Sunny, holding a metal magic wand, aiming a heavy blow directly at Farid''s crown, the force so mighty that it created a whooshing sound through the air; Farid grunted, feeling the world spinning above him, but after all, he was still a squad leader, and he did not faint on the spot. Just as he was about to cry out, Another shadow burst out from the right; it was Lister, who stuffed a yellowish-white cloth into Farid''s mouth. The latter only felt a heady smell rushing to his brain, assaulting his soul, His consciousness began to blur, and as Arthur delivered another powerful blow, Farid could no longer resist. ''Who is ambushing me'' Before his consciousness completely faded, he stared resentfully at his assailants; in the cold moonlight, three figures stood starkly. The Painful Confidant, the Painful Falcon, the Painful Hound... They were even staring and sneering at him! Damn it, where did these people come from! To ambush someone using the toilet!! Farid had never felt such fear before; right now, he was exposed, surrounded by three men, The chilling night wind swept past, colder than ever before; he felt like a trembling child in the frigid gusts. He shifted a few inches backward, eyes filled with fear, his mouth only able to mumble a few words, "Don''t... come over... Who are you, who exactly are you?" "Sir, we are the Civilized Brigade Squad." An Su was the picture of politeness, flashing a clean smile at Fadeli, "We''re here to correct all uncivilized behavior." So using a magic wand to hit people is civilized? Fadeli roared inside, but then he saw An Su kick viciously at his head. He felt his throat sweeten, a rush of heat surging upwards, as he completely lost consciousness. Watching the collapsed Fadeli, Arthur restored his wand solemnly into its sheath with a light hmph, his handsome features filled with sanctity, "Truly a holy duel." He felt he was getting more and more like a Holy Knight. Surely his solar ancestors would be proud of him. "The first quarry of today," Lister said, pushing up his glasses. "Ansu, is it okay for you to be here? Doesn''t the washroom need you to guard it?" "Just issuing the decree is fine, I don''t need to be there all the time." An Su wiped the bloodstains from his long boots with a tissue, "What I''m here for is something more important that I must handle alone." "What?" Lister asked. "Disposing of corpse traces," An Su answered. "Everyone who often kills knows that it''s easy to kill, but hard to dispose of the evidence." Lister''s face showed realization. Indeed, if one were to mess up the disposal of traces, it would inevitably be exposed sooner or later. But whoever was in charge of disposing of the bodies would bear the greatest risk of exposure. And yet An Su was willing to assume that responsibility. Lister looked at the man before him with an admiring gaze, a teammate he himself admired, not only for devising such an elegant and great strategy but also for his spirit of self-sacrifice for the team. He decided to follow An Su from now on. As long as he followed him, his own noble path would certainly become more refined. "In summary, everyone will hunt separately from now on." An Su probably guessed what Lister was filling in the blanks with and, considerate of team camaraderie, said, "Just knock people out, then leave them to me; I''ll handle the rest." "There''s no need for everyone''s hands to get dirty." "Good!" Lister and Arthur nodded in unison, touched. After those two cleaned up and left, An Su turned to look at Farid, who was barely breathing. "Okay, let''s start with the third step of the ''Civilized Brigade'' plan," An Su muttered as he took the backpack off his shoulder. The third step of the Civilized Brigade Plan! Time for the offering! He had prepared the materials for the altar long ago, In a school dedicated to the study of esoteric religion, there''s all sorts of materials. Skulls, human skin, and the like are the most common things in the schoolavailable for students to use at will. The cool moonlight poured down, An Su''s lips curled in a smile. Time for the offering! What Painful Esoteric Sect, what Radiant Believer, An Su has always been the most devout follower of the Mother Goddess since ancient times. Able to dispose of bodies perfectly and to gain benefits too. Today is another win-win day for An Su! Chapter 77 An Su I will definitely uncover the person behind this! "O Mother Goddess of desire and the moon, great matriarch of life, eternal maternity beyond the spiritual realm.""This is the hymn of the sincere, this is the feast of spirit and soul, this is the delicacy of blood and flesh." "Your devoted believer, An Su Moningsta, offers up a gift, dedicating the heretical sufferer upon the altar to You" "Inviting You to dine with me!" Flesh and blood engulfed the captain''s body rapidly, swelling continuously until it reached a breaking point and exploded, Fadeli turned into a puddle of blood, and with a gentle breeze, it dissolved with the evening''s twilight at the edge of dusk, leaving not a trace behind. [Kill (Esoteric Cultists remaining at the second order 58/60)] [Eye of Pain, Fourth Squad Captain, Second Order Magician Fadeli Sien is dead] [Contributors: An Su Moningsta (fifty percent), Arthur Sunny (twenty-five percent), Lisiter Muen (twenty-five percent)] [An Su earns one point, for a total of six points, ranked first] [Lister earns half a point, for a total of four and a half points, ranked second] [Arthur earns half a point, for a total of one and a half points, ranked third] An Su was thrilled. In the Nether, although one could only receive the blessing of the Mother Goddess of life, once this world ended and he returned to the Radiant Cathedral to pray to the Radiant Goddess, Sarch* The N?velFire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. the cultists he sacrificed in the Nether World would transform into the Goddess''s blessings once again. The more he offered here, the more rewards he would receive upon exiting. Perhaps, he could break through to the Third Order in one go after exiting. The Third Order was another huge watershed from the Second Order. He would be able to use most of the intermediate stage magic. Bear in mind, even the Little Holy Maiden Luojia had only recently reached the Third Order, and she was even a year older than An Su. Increase the effort! An Su revealed a sunny, radiant smile. Continue hunting these cultists. The following day. The Painful Esoteric Sect had two fifteen-minute activity periods in the morning and afternoon each, as the washrooms had been cursed, leading believers gradually to opt for the outdoors. Hence, there were two hunting opportunities per day. Their three-person hunting pattern was quite peculiar. First, they would identify their hunting targets based on the cultists'' complexions. Those with overly flushed faces, bloodshot eyes, and sallow skin were generally at the brink of endurance and were the easiest to deal with. Lister was also thrilled. It was finally time for him to play to his strengths. This was when the noble spirit shone. As a hound of pain, Lister, who had always relieved himself outdoors, was well acquainted with the terrain of the outdoors and had detailed knowledge of the academy''s geomantic treasures, where the prey gathered, where arousing scents were, and where traces of prey lingeredhe understood it all with just a sniff. The three of them each picked their targets first, The prey would be blinded by intense primal desiresonce the classes ended or it was time for free activities, they would dash towards the outdoors at a sprinter''s pace, they would ignore the dangers around them, not even noticing a pervert might be following them all along. The civilized elite were about to make their move. For this, Arthur was also thrilled. He applied the knowledge from the classroom very well against his classmates, even honing his craft to greater proficiency. Typically, he would start by knocking them out with a magic wand while covering their mouths to prevent any noise, trying to avoid using magic, so as not to leave any traces, ``` All were uniformly taken to boss An Su for processing. Arthur felt that he had truly become a great Knight of Holy Light, hunting down evil believers everywhere and stopping their filthy and degenerate acts, a deed both meaningful and worthy of pride. Indeed, it was a mistake for his family to let him study magic. A real man should learn battle skills upright and forthright! But the most exhilarating was still An Su. He found a cave, set up a temporary altar, and just waited every day for Arthur and Lister to bring sacrifices to his doorstep, then recited blessings and offered them all to the Mother Goddess, with the whole process flowing as smoothly as drifting clouds and flowing water. [Kill count (57/60)] [Kill count (56/60)]... These past few days, there was no shortage of sacrifices, creating an efficient cycle: Bathroom laws set, cultists so repressed they''d rather die than comply, going outdoors to be sacrificed; If they don''t go outdoors, bathroom laws set, cultists so repressed they''d rather die than comply, ultimately unable to hold back and going outdoors. All that An Su did was for the civilization of the campus. There was even an industrial trend. By grasping the focal point of civilized campus life and deepening the underlying logic of sacrifice through policies like ''a sacrifice, a knockout, a law set,'' and using ''No public urination or defecation'' as the legal basis, he implemented an industrialized mode of civilization and built the highest-quality civilized campus. Another dusk fell. "Another disappearance," came the murmur. Lately, the cultists had been spreading panic. In just one short week, fully fifteen cultists had gone missing. Absolutely without a trace. The back hill seemed to possess a strange magic power, attracting cultists to continuously plunge into The Abyss; the upper echelon of the esoteric religion had also investigated this matter, but in the end, they could find nothingafter all, the back hill was simply too vast. For every month, there were cultists who couldn''t stand the oppression and committed suicide. Those eliminated by the torment were not worth further cultivating. Among the believers, alongside these shadows of death, that once-forgotten legend was mentioned once again. [The Serpent in the Washroom Pit] Assyria, who had died unjustly in the washroom, his resentment had reached its peak, no longer content with wreaking havoc inside the cramped quarters of the washroom, he widened his scope to the forests. Anyone who violated the taboo and dared to engage in unauthorized historical revisionism would be devoured by the Serpent of Pain. The cultists were now caught in a triple dilemma. Not going outdoors meant death from suppression, dealing with it on-campus directly violated school rules and meant certain death, going outdoors might lead to being devoured. It was already a blatant scheme. After resisting going outdoors for several days, their vitality quickly diminished, and their complexions revealed a sallow color. In this moment of greatest peril and darkness, finally, a hero stood up. "All of this is someone''s doing!" declared the hero, "In this moment of danger, we must unite!" He led the believers to cast aside shame, to abandon biases, He proposed the formation of collective squads, named the ''Outdoor Mutual Aid Team'', to help each other out, and also arranged for people to patrol the back hill, hoping to catch the person behind the scenes. At the same time, they would keep each other informed of their locations and share intel. And naturally, the leader of the squad had to be the most prestigious, the essence of the Painful Esoteric Sect believers. That would be the leaders of the three major academies of the dry campus. An Su, the mastermind behind this plan and a devout follower of the Painful Sect, although he declined repeatedly, still took on the role of commander-in-chief amidst unanimous agreement, The Painful Hound, Lister, was responsible for everyday patrols and liaison work, The Painful Falcon, Arthur, took charge of coordinating the various squads. "With our [Bonds] and [Fellowship], we shall surely overcome this dark time," An Su emphasized on the first day of his position, "I will root out the sinister scoundrel behind all this!" ``` Chapter 78 An Su! The Chosen One! (Thanks to the leader of Sues Inch of Land!) Ever since Nether assumed the role of commander-in-chief and tasked Lister and Arthur with patrol and security,they worked diligently and made great efforts, resulting in a visible decrease in the number of missing believers within just three days. The believers cooperated actively, reporting their itineraries daily, releasing in designated areas, and strictly adhering to the schedule of procedures. Effective governance was achieved. The worried hearts of the cultists slowly settled. The esteem for Nether among the people rose increasingly highor rather, Sharp, the soldiers'' commander, grew even more convinced that An Su Moningsta was the chosen one of pain, the guide who would lead them on their path; likewise, they believed that bound by the ties of kinship and friendship, they would ultimately overcome the terrible curse and usher in a new future. For a moment, the prestige of Nether and his two companions reached a peak among the believers. By the fourth day, very few cultists were disappearing, but as the saying goes, "extremes breed reversals," and many proud cultists had grievances against Nether: "Who is he to lead us?" "It''s just good luck, that''s all," and so on. On the fifth day, Nether, Lister, and Arthur took the initiative to resign. He expressed that he did not wish to control everyone''s actions, nor did he wish to control the thoughts of his companions; he simply wanted to be a common believerNether seemed very sincere. Just at this time, seeing that the situation was gradually improving, some cultists who did not wish to be controlled by Nether conveniently abolished the collective control plan. For the first few days after the cancellation, things were fine, but by the third day, the situation suddenly retaliated. [Killings (40/60)] [Killings (39/60)] ... In just two days, a total of five cultists disappeared. The cultists fell back into days of constant fear, creeping timidly in every move, often fearing to go out, only daring to deal with their affairs within the campus, even breaking school rules and being dismembered... At this time, the believers began to recall Nether''s goodness again. The believers who saw the error of their ways begged Nether to come out of retirement once more. Those from the Opposition knelt at the doorstep of their three chambers, beseeching their return in the snow. "Master Nether, we respect no one but you!" The fervent followers of the three major factions had by this time swept through more than half of the dry campus: the Painful Pleasure Alphabet Sect, the Exhilarating Southern Banyan Nude Running Sect, and the Humiliated Shy Blushing Sect, all cheering in the floors of the building. "General Arthur, we adore you!" "Your Majesty Lister, please lead us one more time!" Nether kept refusing, only then indicating that he would listen to the voice of the people. It was then that Nether made his famous "Declaration of Liberty." On a crowded platform, in just fifteen minutes, Nether, wearing a military uniform, ascended the stage. His back was ramrod straight, and his pale-blue eyes seemed to flicker with light; every move he made was inherently captivating. The surrounding cultists fell into total silence, holding their breath, not daring to speak loudly. "In fourteen days, we have lost fifteen brothers," Nether said in a low, magnetic voice, "and in the last two days alone, the number has reached five, surpassing the total of the previous weekthis is a startling figure." "Clearly, we have failed in this battle against the enemy." For a moment, all the believers on the grounds fell silent. The hardships they had endured over these two weeks were well known only to themselves. The esoteric religion''s high-ranking officials looked down on them, not treating them as human, even hoping they''d suffer more the better; No one could understand them. "Regrettably," Nether spoke slowly, his voice low but filled with profound sadness, his eyes appearing to shimmer with tears, "We do not know who the enemy is, nor where he comes from. He might be a curse, possibly an undercover agent from the Orthodox Church...he is despicable and cunning," But Nether''s gaze swept over each believer, making eye contact with each one. He paused, his pitiful eyes gradually becoming resolute, ``` "Despite this, we shall never surrender, never submit," "We shall release to the very end!" An Su''s tone became instantly impassioned, his voice increasingly choppy, and his body''s movements more vigorous as he waved his left hand, "We must release with soaring urgency and surging strength!" "We must release in the mountains and forests!" "We must release upon Seden!" "We must release in the fields and streets, we must release in the mountains, we shall never surrender!" The cultists below listened to An Su''s spirited speech, and although the content was bizarre, they were moved by the emotion and shouted along in a frenzy, raising their arms high and letting the primal impulses sweep through their brains. "When necessary, we wage a war of attrition," An Su strode quickly to the front of the podium and continued his passionate oratory, "When necessary, we fight alone!" When necessary, wage a war of attritionhold on with all your might. When necessary, fight aloneone person holding on with all their might. "I have a dream that all of us, whether first-order believers or second-order," An Su''s intonation even shifted toward the lyrical, tears glistening in his eyes, "All children of the Painful Mother Goddess, can release together like brothers and sisters under the sunshine of Nether!" To be sacrificed together like brothers and sisters! After An Su''s final words, he spoke no more, He lowered his head, falling into a long, deep silence, only the ethereal sound of a bell ringingthis was the bell signaling the end of free time, at which every believer would return to their dormitory, back to the endless torment. And that was the reality. Their sad and heart-wrenching reality. A deadly silence enveloped the playground, and everyone fell into a long, deep silence. [You, damn it, have caught the attention of the Painful Mother Goddess again] An Su suddenly heard the stretched voice of the Celestial Messenger in his ear, Everyone could feel that great and vast gaze descending, filled with indescribable terror and even a touch of fond remembrance, landing on An Su''s silent and serene silhouette. A sudden burst of applause arose. At first, it was just a smattering of claps, but it grew louder and louder, eventually converging into thunderous acclaim, with the cultists cheering madly and shouting in unison, "For freedom, we shall never surrender! We shall release to the very end!" "An Su, the Chosen One!" S~ea??h the ovlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "An Su, the Chosen One!" "An Su, the Chosen One!" Never surrender! The future described by An Su was so beautiful that it led them to fly into the flame like moths. Coupled with the gaze of the Painful Mother Goddess, It was as if they were brainwashed with the back of a hand. Backstage, Lister and Arthur were teary-eyed with emotion, unable to believe how magnificent An Su was, their blood boiling with passion, even thinking of contributing their strength to the great cause of the Painful Esoteric Sect. An Su stepped quickly off the stage, first taking off his hat and instructing Lister and Arthur, "Increase the intensity!" "Organize the personal guard." "Now, anyone who opposes us has fallen into being a righteous believer of the Orthodox Church," An Su said with a calm smile on his lips, "Anyone with objections, label them as spies sent by the Church, and then drag them to the back mountain for me to dispose of!" "There are really too many followers of the esoteric religion," the young man''s smile was clean and innocent. Arthur and Lister: "?" ``` Chapter 79 The Day of the Final Battle is Coming A week later.The setting sun dipped behind the mountains, turning the evening sky to blood-red as the continuous fiery clouds spread out. The dim sunlight, passing through the floor-to-ceiling windows, covered the legion commander''s study, casting a shadow over everything around. An Su Moningsta, a Fourth-Order Peak warrior, was at this moment reclined in a leather chair, flipping through the documents in his hand. His mind was preoccupied with how to annihilate the saints outside of town. With just one more meritorious deed, Angelo would be able to leave this remote little town and be promoted to the front lines; Therefore, he hadn''t paid much attention to the recent happenings in the dry camp. To him, who was on the verge of reaching the level of a saint, the believers were just a number. If this batch died out, a new one could be replenished at any time. Besides, he was about to leave. As long as they didn''t rise in rebellion, they could make as much trouble as they wanted. Lately, partly thanks to someone''s management, the believers had become much quieter. But even if they did rebel, he would just kill them all. Right at that moment, there was a gentle knock on the door. "Come in," Angelo said with a slight frown. Creakas the door was pushed open. A young man walked in with a calm gait, clad in a dark military uniform with a skull badge signifying ''instructor'' on his left chest, standing erect, his long military boots making a crisp sound on the floor; The cold green eyes beneath his military cap, sharp and dazzling, were like stars in the night sky. "An Su Moningsta." Angelo slowly enunciated An Su''s name, the unique pressure of a superior instantly weighing on An Su''s shoulders, a dark and terrifying aura rising up, almost congealing into the most evil entity. "It seems you''ve become an instructor." An Su had passed yesterday''s monthly test with top marks and, according to previous practice, outstanding students could be promoted and remain at the camp to teach. An Su, whose reputation among the students had already peaked, was smoothly promoted to instructor. Of course, the main reason An Su came first was that those who could have competed with him were already dealt with as part of the opposition. And of the remaining forward-thinking believers, who would dare compete with the leadership? Angelo was no fool; he could more or less see through the dark schemes An Su had been orchestrating this past week. Therefore, Angelo''s assessment of An Su had become even higher. Because he had also come this way. Indeed, he hadn''t misjudged this young man. He had long realized this guy was no good! In the Painful Esoteric Sect, there is only one truth, and only one school rule that is most correct: ''Survive and climb up.'' No matter the means, as long as you remain unseen by the Magic Eye, you can do as you please. The Cultists who were eliminated were all losers, unable to grasp this hidden school rule; they were doomed to be abandoned by the Esoteric Religion. And someone like An Su, a failure of society, was a natural Esoteric Religion Sacred Body, born for this kind of work. "What brings you here?" Angelo looked up, his eyes sharply piercing as if they could see right through An Su. "Your Excellency, the legion commander," An Su answered, observing the man in front of him, "It''s about the saints in Seden Town." The muscles always tight like a hunting cheetah, slightly hunched in readiness, the dagger he always carried at his waist, And the magic power that flowed continuously through his body all sent a strong signal: even while lying down reading, the legion commander was always ready for a fight. This was the ultimate leader of the Seden World, the legion commander who had remained unconquered for so many years, the ultimate goal for the saintsAngelo Xivier. There were a total of three tasks, two of which An Su had already nearly completed. Sixty Second-Order Cultists were reduced to about twenty, And a small half of the two hundred First-Order Cultists were also taken out. But it was slowly reaching a bottleneck period. It wasn''t possible to eliminate all the Cultists. As for the final task: [Assassinate the Esoteric Religion legion commander], it was an impossible mission to complete. Actually, if it were an average player, the current score could already be considered good enough for them to quit while they were ahead. The top three placing was almost a certainty. But An Su was a villainous player, and also a full-achievement player; he knew there was still room for improvement. And a villainous player naturally has villainous methods. "The war is about to begin." Having become an officer, his authority was even greater. He could even temporarily leave the camp, So knowing the movements of the saints was quite normal for an instructor. An Su took the initiative to mention the saints in town, Angelo narrowed his eyes slightly, showing an interested look, "What are you trying to say?" The legion commander''s aura reached its peak at this moment, visions of a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood emerged in An Su''s mind, the painful screams and wails cut into An Su''s ears like a knife, his lips trembling slightly. "I have confirmed," An Su took a slow breath, "that there is a traitor among us, and I already know his name." - In Seden Town. For the past month, Rosen had been numb. Alice had become numb as well. All the saints had gone numb. Starting from the beginning of the month to now, without pause, notifications of their nearly daily killings swamped their screens! And the contributor was always An Su, Lister, Arthur from the three border areas! [Kill count (59/60)] ... [Kill count (25/60)] On the first day, Alice could still comfort herself thinking it was just the three of them getting lucky, claiming the first kill of a Second Order Believer was nothing extraordinary. Not to mention, that Second Order Believer had committed suicide; it wasn''t by An Su''s hand. It had to be just some underhanded tactics. After the first kill, several days passed with no more killing news, and Alice became even more convinced that An Su had just resorted to petty tricks. But by the seventh day, her mentality began to experience some subtle shifts. An Su and his group had killed another squad leader. Moreover, this time it wasn''t the squad leader committing suicide. They had killed him with their own hands. ...? That was very confusing. For a moment, Alice thought she was hallucinating. On the eighth day, at the same time, another killing notification appeared, but this one felt even more surreal and absurd. Four times it rang out, twice at noon, twice at night. In a single day, the three from the border had killed a total of four people. Four Second Order Cultists. While the saints were still recruiting soldiers, let alone hunting Second Order, they hadn''t even hunted any First Order Cultists. How did An Su do it? The following two weeks could be described as nothing short of a nightmare. Alice had originally thought that four kills in one day was already the peak, but she had no idea that was just the beginning. After a brief lull, the kill count suddenly skyrocketed at some point, one or two a day, three or four a day, five or six a day, reaching a staggering daily double-digit figure at its peak. It wasn''t just the Second Order Cultists they were killing, they left not even a single First Order soldier alive! And all at the same time of day, Every day at noon and in the evening, they could hear the sound of An Su''s notifications flooding in systematically. This was no longer just assassinations, this had evolved into a full-blown massacre! What on earth were they doing at those three border strongholds? Was this some kind of purge? Alice couldn''t comprehend it at all, not just her, even the experienced Order Knight Rosen, who had gone through numerous Nether Worlds, couldn''t understand An Su''s operations. How exactly did he manage it? Sar?h the n?vel_Fire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. They were nearly at the point of wiping them all out. An Su''s score had reached an unprecedented forty points, Arthur twenty points, Lister clung to his nineteen pointshis creed being to always be third. Keep in mind, this score was just from killings and not the total score. Points for completed missions and scores from the Celestial Messenger and the various gods had not yet been tallied, After all the calculations, An Su would be approaching a perfect score. At the very least, it would start at ninety-five. For a time, the inner workings of the saints were in a state of panic. Thankfully, at the critical moment, Order Knight Rosen stabilized the morale with a speech that could only be described as fiery and impassioned. "An Su has merely cleaned up some riff-raff; it''s nothing to be concerned about." "There''s no need for everyone to worry too muchthe ultimate victory will belong to us." Your adventure continues at empire At the end of his speech, he emphasized heavily, "Through a month''s effort, I have successfully made contact with a high-ranking official inside the military academy." "He is an officer of considerable prestige and authority, who has been awakened and decided to abandon the dark to turn towards the light, willing to cooperate with the Sacred Body." "We do not know that person''s specific name, but all the information he provides is accurate." "We only know his title," "[The Painful Confidant]" "Tomorrow, Alice and I will have a secret meeting with that person." "Believers of the divine, the day of the final battle is upon us." "We shall triumph!" The saints erupted in applause; truly, a Order Knight with such a great charismatic character could even influence an evil officer from the Painful Esoteric Sect. Just this alone was something those despicable and vile individuals from the three border areas could never accomplish. Chapter 80 Inner Pain: ```The night was pitch dark, the wind fierce. Thick clouds piled upon the mountains, the night low-hanging, and the sky''s color a dull near-charcoal, the bone-chilling wind bowing the thorny roses on both sides of the mountain path. Between the leaden night sky and the pale blue of the mountain plains, one could faintly make out an abandoned outpost. Rosen instinctively tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword, slowly adjusting his breathing as he surveyed the surroundings; He turned to look at Alice, who followed behind him, only to see that the noble lady with her delicate features, too, had paled, her cat-like eyes nervously fixed on the path ahead. They were cautious, even tense. The reason was the person they were about to meet. Sear?h the n??el Fire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. [Serpent of Pain''s Right Hand] The reputation of the Serpent of Pain''s Right Hand had even subtly spread in Seden Town. Rumors claimed he was a ''Chosen of the Painful Serpent,'' watched by the Mother Goddess from birth. Some said he was the ''Serpent Slayer,'' who, according to tales, rose to prominence from behind the mountains of the Esoteric Religion where a Serpent of Pain wreaked havoc, causing the Believers great indignities and despair. But after the Serpent of Pain''s Right Hand slew the beast, life for the Believers flowed smoothly, and he was embraced as their destined leader. Regardless of the veracity of these rumors, they revealed one thing: This Serpent of Pain''s Right Hand, his methods were terrifying indeed. Such a powerful second-in-command harboring thoughts of rebellion seemed quite reasonable. Throughout history, members of the Esoteric Religion defecting to the Order Church have not been rare. Although recently, Rosen had only irregular contact with the said noble, mainly one-sidedly receiving his letters. Initially, Rosen was skeptical, but the information revealed by the Serpent of Pain''s Right Hand, upon verification, proved to be accurate sentence by sentence. Including the composition of the guardhouse staff, the schedule for changing of the guards, the distribution of Magic Eyes, and the approximate layout of the strongholdall were recorded in detail. Hence, the meeting today. Meeting was perhaps an understatement; in truth, they aimed to win over the Serpent of Pain''s Right Hand. Nevertheless, this progress was indeed promising. If they could establish a connection with the second-in-command of the Esoteric Religion and have him as their inside man, taking down the stronghold would be child''s playat that time, their merits would surpass even those of Ansu Moningsta. The night grew even denser, the dim moonlight casting a subdued color over everything around. After passing through several checkpoints manned by the personal guard, Rosen first laid down the sword secured to his waist, and Alice removed her Magic Wand, ensuring they carried no eavesdropping magical devices, only then were they allowed to pass. Rosen, observing the personal guard''s expressions, felt even more acutely the terror of the Serpent of Pain''s Right Hand. He saw the soldiers'' sallow complexions, their pupils as if concealing dark shadows and desires (can''t hold back any longer), their bodies slightly bent, muscles throughout their bodies tensedas if poised for the hunt (leaning forward makes it a bit easier to bear), their souls alight with a certain fervor (Long live leader Ansu). To have trained unruly Believers of the Painful Esoteric Sect to such a degree, the noble indeed was fearsome. "Enter," a guard said slowly. Rosen and Alice entered the wooden cabin, ascended to the second floor, the dim candlelight dragging shadows into long streaks, flickering with the wind. The moon''s light gradually dimmed, and yet the stars in the sky shone ever more brightly, casting the night anew, as if the canvas of night was unevenly painted and some of the starlight dripped down, landing on the verdant plains, also enveloping the small wooden cabin. Finally, they encountered the Serpent of Pain''s Right Hand. The noble at this moment had his back to them, bathed in starlight. He possessed a certain imposing air. In facing a target with such an air, one must respond with the same gravitas. This is something the simpletons from the borderlands could never learn. Alice coughed lightly, and at this moment, it was time to showcase her impeccable social maneuvers; first, she gently lifted her dress''s hem, bending her knees slightly, and performed an elegant curtsy with the grace of nobility, "Your Highness, greetings," she said. Her lips parted, a clear voice like the chirping of a songbird, neither sycophantic nor aloof. "You may call me Alice Sean. This is Order Knight Rosen. We are honored to collaborate with you." The Serpent of Pain''s Right Hand paid no heed to Alice''s greeting; he still gazed at the starry sky, half of his face enveloped in darkness. Only members of the same squad could verify each other''s identities. Clearly, having changed his appearance, Rosen and Alice both failed to recognize Ansu. ``` In the long, drawn-out silence, the two waited patiently. Finally, An Su slowly said, "Actually, I have always been the most loyal follower of the Radiant Goddess." ...you''re fucking kidding. Rosen and Alice thought to themselves. But since he had spoken in such a manner, they couldn''t undermine his dignity; moreover, since he was willing to engage in pleasantries, it indicated that the negotiations held great promise. "May the Goddess always illuminate your path," Rosen said with solemn reverence, "The Church is fortunate to have such a devout follower as you." "If you could do some trivial service for the sacred cause," Alice added gracefully, "that would be most ideal." "What does the Goddess desire?" An Su asked softly. "If you could disable your stronghold''s defenses at eleven-thirty tomorrow night," Rosen lifted his gaze, looking straight at An Su, "that would be the best offering to the Goddess." An Su did not respond. Rosen knew what An Su wanted; he took out a charm made of silver from his waist, within which faint glimmers of light flowed, "This is a High-Rank Magical Tool forged by the Order Church and the Alchemical Church, named ''Law''s Forgiveness,''" Rosen felt a pang of loss, as the item was indeed a treasure, but one must be willing to sacrifice something valuable to capture something even more so. [Law''s Forgiveness] [High-Rank Magical Tool] [Able to temporarily erase enmity, lasting five minutes] Indeed, befitting a student of law, An Su held the young person''s progressive consciousness in high regard. "It seems the Goddess is quite sincere, isn''t she?" "I''ve heard there''s a guy called An Su amongst you," he added with a clean smile, "What do you think of him?" Rosen''s heart tightened, and Alice also felt a shiver. Clearly, by saying this, the heart of pain was hinting at something to them. This past month, An Su had assassinated too many Cultists, likely including the underlings of the heart of pain. This crude frontiersman had managed to enrage the esteemed one. "An Su is despicable and shameless," Alice quickly distanced herself, her expression of disgust not even feigned, "He''s just a vulgar man from the borderlands." "As an Order Knight, my greatest loathing is reserved for agents of chaos," Rosen followed up, "An Su is clearly a natural-born agent of chaos." "But he''s also from your Church, kind of a comrade, right?" An Su asked with a tilted head and a smile. "We have never acknowledged him as such." "Then, if I were to ask you to capture and deliver him to me," An Su''s smile grew more tranquil, "you would be willing, yes?" "Of course," they both thought, sacrificing a borderlander was perfectly in line with the principles of justice and order for the sake of the collective good and the achievements of all saints. "That''s wonderful," An Su said. "Let us sign the contract now." Both parties produced a holy contract blessed by the deity, which was among the Holy Relics they had acquired. No need to sign names. Instead, they each touched the contract with their spiritual power, leaving a trace of their souls. Continue your adventure at empire This was a high-level contract that couldn''t be breached. Rosen''s condition was that An Su had to disable the cult''s defense Array and assist them from within, with no betrayal permitted. An Su laid out two conditions, [One. If information about An Su Moningsta is obtained, he must be captured and killed immediately] [Two. Never harm or betray an ally] An Su said with a laugh, a truly joyful expression emanating from within as he rose to shake hands with the two, "For our great cause, let us work together with sincerity. I trust in our ''friendship''." Chapter 81 Report to the Chosen of An Su! The next day.The weather was exceptionally gloomy. A murky dusk covered the desolate plains, as if it was about to rain, with the cool mist drenched in the deathly stillness of late autumn. Faint lightning flashed through the gaps in the clouds. The location of the Painful Esoteric Sect''s dry campus was to the left of Seden Town and bordered by mountains on the right, with a large expanse of continuous woods behind the hills. Hidden among the trees, pairs of eyes watched the base below intently. These uninvited guests were wrapped in deep black hoods. Underneath the hoods were pure white helmets, the garb of the frontal Holy Knights; behind the knights, the saints acting as scouts had a cold gleam flickering in their eyes as they looked down at the base from afar. In the very back were the mages and priests. This entire troop consisted of fully one hundred and fifty second-order saints. It was almost half-past eleven. According to the schedule provided by An Su, the Cultists were to return to their dormitories at eleven o''clock, followed by lights-out. Accompanying the sound of bells, the lights in the base went out one room at a time. Rosen frowned slightly; according to last night''s agreement with his Painful confidant, he should have come to meet the Holy Knights by now. There was an Alchemic Holy Array set up around the dry campus, making it very difficult for them to infiltrate. Added to that was the widespread Magic Eye System covering the entire school, making a surprise attack impossible. Rosen was not worried that the Painful confidant would break the alliance. The Soul Contract was the highest level of contract; as long as the contract''s content was reasonable and established, no one could break it. Having studied law, he naturally understood this. Boomanother bolt of lightning slashed across the clouds, momentarily whitening the world and illuminating the figures in the distance. Amid the woods stood three figures. Rosen perked up; the Painful confidant had finally arrived. The three approached them leisurely. The lightning flickered in the clouds, casting their faces into alternating light and shadow. They were all dressed in pure black military uniforms with skull-decorated caps, and their long military boots splashed ripples as they trod into puddles. Walking in the night with rain looming, the three''s footsteps were ghost-like and nimble, quite stylish. Their steady footsteps echoed in the silent woods and stepped into the hearts of every saint. Everyone was on high alert, tense. The Painful confidant, The Painful Falcon, The Painful Hound. This is professionalism... Rosen thought admiringly to himself. These three were none other than the Painful Trio, with their names upstarting and celebrated. "Boss An Su, my rehearsal wasn''t bad, right?" Arthur, on the far left of the three, asked, It was Lister who came up with this explosive opening. He thought that as a Cultist with style, one should start with an elegant and awesome impression. For this, they even practiced marching in unison for half a day. "You''re a bit offbeat..." An Su silently hinted to Arthur with his eyes. "Who stepped on my foot..." Lister''s mouth twitched slightly, but he barely managed to keep from making a sound in order to maintain an aristocratic grace. Regardless of the details in private, they were concealed by the heavy rainy night, and the appearance of the three indeed caused great psychological pressure on the saints. "Your Excellency, greetings," Alice was the first to break the silence, lightly lifting her skirt, "May I ask if you have dismantled the Alchemic Magic Circle''s defen" "The person I wanted." An Su interrupted Alice''s words, furrowing his brows, speaking in a low tone with a mocking air, "Have you brought him to me?" Alice pursed her lips; she had hated this frontier man since long ago, but now, where was she supposed to find him at this moment? An undisciplined and disorderly fellow, For over a month, there was never any contact with the Church. S~ea??h the ovlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Having caused such a big blunder and obstructed the team''s plans, If he had any shame left, he should step forward and commit suicide as apology. "Your Excellency, rest assured," Rosen said calmly, "we will find him." "Very well," An Su nodded slightly, finally showing a calm smile. Lister and Arthur both knew that whenever Brother Su smiled like this, he was bound to cause a big stir. "Please, follow me." He turned and walked down the mountain; lightning struck once more, etching An Su''s smiling face into sharp relief. "Action." Order Knight Rosen instructed his men, and the Holy Knights quickly got into formation, protecting the priests amongst their ranks as they advanced toward the base. At this moment, all the lights in the academy had gone out. The entire campus had fallen into a prolonged silence. The stealth attack seemed to have succeeded, when the Holy Knights stepped over the array, it did not trigger any defensive response, and the Magic Eye had not monitored them, and the believers responsible for patrolling and guarding had already been called away. They deftly crossed the fence and set foot on the soil within the academy. Everything was quiet all around. Rosen''s tense heart gradually relaxed. An Su led them forward; first, they reached several rooms of new members. Sharp blades pierced the hearts of the first-order cultists, silently snatching their lives away in their sleep. [Kill confirmed] The voice of the Celestial Messenger rang in everyone''s ears, but this time, the contributors were no longer those damnable borderlanders. A smile hung on the corner of Rosen''s mouth. Finally, he no longer had to be trampled underfoot. Of course, even the most perfect infiltration could not kill all the cultists in their sleep. They were bound to be discovered eventually. The real fight was coming... Rosen thought to himself. However, they were not worried. Because they had already entered the inside of the stronghold. The hardest part was already done. Death was not scary, because they would be resurrected even if they died. What was scary was not getting any points. And with their current military strength, they had nothing to fear even if they faced a legion commander. After slaughtering nearly twenty first-order cultists, finally, a believer rang the alarm bell. In an instant, the entire stronghold lit up as bright as day. Cultists from several buildings immediately awoke; those who had been professionally trained took daggers from their sleeves and got out of bed in unison. They quickly formed into teams and rushed toward the location of the attack, like wave upon wave of dark clouds. Rosen gazed at that mass of dark clouds from afar, his fighting spirit reaching its zenith. The fighting spirit of all the saints had reached its zenith. This was exactly what he had longed for, a righteous and great battle for order! "Tonight!" Rosen shouted, his arm raised, beginning an impassioned speech, "We will surely win, we will reclaim the lost order!" "We will surely win!" "We will surely win!" Explore stories on empire At this moment, An Su said softly, "It''s about time." At the same time, three other special teams burst in from three different directions, They wore black uniforms, but the badges on their caps were different from the other cultists, consisting of patterns of the sun, moon, and stars. Rosen had seen this team the night before; it was the personal guard established by the most trusted of Painful Esoteric Sect. They followed the Painful Triumvirate with a brainwashed fervor. Truly worthy of that great person. He watched An Su, only to see a slight smile on the latter''s face, eyes as bright as stars in the night. With such a powerful insider to help, how could they not annihilate the Painful Esoteric Sect in one fell swoop? But then the personal guards came to a halt; standing firm, they saluted the three in unison, their eyes filled with a certain zeal. Their voices were uniform, echoing in the quiet night sky. "Reporting to the chosen of An Su!" "Reporting to the chosen of An Su!" Chapter 83 Shelf Speech ```Hello everyone, I''m Metal Raindrop. S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. A newcomer at Qidian. Although I''m new to Qidian, Raindrop is indeed not a newcomer to writing novels, maybe considered so? The last time I wrote a book was a year ago. After such a long time away from writing, naturally I have made many mistakes and overlooked many thingsI''m so grateful that everyone has been tolerant of Raindrop. This book, "Opposition," is the first book I wrote upon arriving at Qidian. Coming to Qidian for the first time, there was a lot I didn''t understand, but I was very fortunate to have received so much kind help along the way. First of all, I want to thank my editor Canaan. I truly am especially grateful, for inspiring me to press on, providing me with so much support, and safeguarding my journey. There are too many things to be thankful for, but I''ll just mention one of them here. One thing that left a deep impression on me happened at the start. When opening my book, I was delayed by an entire week in signing the contract because my phone number couldn''t be used for real-name verification. Throughout that week, I pestered with all sorts of foolish questions daily, but Canaan was always patient. He didn''t become impatient because I was a newcomeralways very friendly (at that time, Canaan didn''t know about my previous book). Finally, this book was able to rush to sign the contract before the New Year. Canaan is a good editor who is patient and friendly with newcomersthat is my first impression of him. It''s safe to say, without Canaan''s help, this book might never have met all of you. I also want to thank my operations team, especially Bai. Bai is a responsible operations officer. As a newcomer to Qidian, there was so much I didn''t understand; it was Bai who taught me to release bonus chapters, told me the rules of the new book list, helped me manage my book, and patiently and meticulously analyzed the various data with me daily. When my data dropped, he encouraged me... In short, I''m very thankful. Lastly, I want to thank all the big shots who''ve helped me, my good brother Xixi, Experience more on empire thank Puff, the top dog of the kindergarten, the whitest crow, Love So Deep, Gentle Stream''s Murmur, Pray Not the Ten Strings, and the support from Quiet Adoration. The book has already reached two hundred thousand words, and it''s time to be launched. Today at 11:50 AM, Raindrop will publish the launch chaptersa total of five chapters! I''m honored that this book, thanks to the decent following from before, has managed to secure a subscription event with Qidian. Subscribers can receive a customized profile frame for the book, and after casting a monthly vote, they can also participate in a lucky draw. At 11:50 AM, let''s not miss each other! ``` Chapter 82 Saints, sweating profusely ```plaintext"Reporting to the Chosen of An Su!" Rosen had been an Order Knight for many years and had conquered numerous Nether Worlds. What strange scenes had he not witnessed? He truly had never seen this one before. Not only had he not seen it, but all the saints were baffled. An Su, Chosen, Reporting? He could comprehend each term individually, but what on earth did they mean when strung together? Rosen looked as if he had seen a ghost as he turned toward his Pain Guards, who were also smiling at him. "Hello." That great personage tilted his head at him and even blinked his eyes, "I am An Su Moningsta." Holy... Rosen just felt he hadn''t woken up properly; there must be some illusion at play. At that moment, all the saints present were thinking the same thing. Either they were mad, or the world had gone mad. Rosen''s gaze shifted back to the Pain Guards, who stood upright and reverent, looking at An Su with feverish admiration... No, How the hell had An Su become the Chosen of the Painful Esoteric Sect? In just over a month, while these saints were still negotiating among various nobles to solicit troops, had you three already formed your own guard within the Painful Esoteric Sect? Over the past month, all the saints had grown calluses on their ears from the constant execution notices from the three border locations... With so many heads, in Rosen''s mind, An Su and the others should at least be fugitives of some sort, how did they become confidants? Confidants of trouble was more accurate! His brain felt as if it had been struck head-on by a lightning bolt from a clear sky, his thoughts swirling in utter disarray. Shame, an unprecedented shame enveloped Alice and Rosen when they thought back to the flattering words they had spoken the night before; they wished they could bury their heads in the ground. Who knew that the person across from them was An Su! But soon, another even more terrifying fact emerged in the minds of Alice and Rosen, A detail they had subconsciously overlooked. Last night, when asked by a confidant about their impression of An Su, how had they answered? "An Su is despicable and shameless." "Just a vulgar person from the frontier." "As an Order Knight, what I despise the most are agents of chaos." "An Su is evidently a born agent of chaos." "We have never acknowledged him." Cold sweat trickled down their foreheads, soaking their backs. Last night they had harshly distanced themselves from An Su, even using various words to insult him. In front of An Su Moningsta himself. It was while asking for An Su''s help that they cut away from him. They even assured the Pain Guards that if they caught An Su, they would definitely bring him inthis was already tantamount to betrayal. And now, they needed the assistance of An Su''s personal guard. The first thought in their minds now was only regret. Profound regret. Realizing this, Alice''s pupils trembled slightly as she forced herself to calm down and took a light breath. She could understand her cousin''s feelings now. She strained to show an elegant smile, "Lord An Su, you really do enjoy joking with us." "You know, we are all saints, saints whose existence is to eradicate the Cultists," ``` Alice''s voice remained crisp, "Sometimes, we need to tell a small lie to the enemy; sometimes, for the greater good, we might choose to sacrifice a small portion of our saints... Each one of us is always ready to sacrifice for our comrades." "But all of this is absolutely without personal grudges... We sincerely apologize." Alice paused, her tone sacred, "All this is for the Church, all for the Goddess, and we hope you can understand." "The Celestial Messenger once told us that the theme of the Nether World is ''trust'' and ''friendship''." "We should trust each other, be honest with one another, not trick our teammates or play these meaningless jokes on them." "What we should do now is let go of personal grudges and unite to eradicate the Pain Cultists." This sort of talk did have that Holy Light flair. It was both logical and emotional, standing on a sacred platform. But fortunately, An Su was no good thing. "I''m not joking with you," An Su cocked his head, "I''m quite serious." S~ea??h the novlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. That rain lake that had been building up for half the sky finally opened its gates, pouring down everywhere, lines of silver rain falling amidst the silvery downpour and the dim night, An Su''s pale green eyes shone like stars. The cool gleam in his eyes reflected the shadows of every saint. "An Su Moningsta, what on earth do you mean..." Rosen stared at An Su intently, having been an Order Knight for so many years, he had never felt such humiliation and shame, "Are you thinking of defecting? Don''t forget, we signed a soul contract; you cannot violate the contents of the contract!" No wonder he was so overly confident, after all, Rosen was a legal scholar, and a soul contract was the highest level of contract, An Su was obligated to act according to the contract, not to betray his allies and must serve as their inside man. "You really misunderstand me." An Su was not angry, on the contrary, his lips still carried a calm smile, "Of course, we must follow the content of the contract and adhere to it strictly." "So," Continue reading on empire In the white lines of rain, surrounded by numerous Cultists, An Su stretched out his arms toward Rosen, "You have now been informed of ''An Su Moningsta''s'' whereabouts, and he stands before you; according to the contract, please kill him." This fellow was being crazy again. What do you mean, I should kill myself? But Rosen quickly realized the absurdity of the conditions An Su proposed: [1. If the news of An Su Moningsta is learned, he must be caught and killed immediately.] [2. Never harm or betray an ally.] He broke out in cold sweat. At first glance, there seemed to be no issue with this contract, and there was no problem at the time of signing, but if one finds out that an ally is An Su himself, then it becomes a contradiction. The first clause states that after knowing of An Su, one must kill him immediately, yet this violates the content of the second pact. In the doctrine of Order, in cases where the content of a contract contradicts itself, the contract does not have legal effect and is not monitored by the Order. In layman''s terms, from the beginning, this contract was an invalid piece of paper. But who could have thought that within a mere month, An Su would become a confidant of Pain? Rosen himself was not obliged to follow the contract, and equally, An Su was not obliged to either. From the beginning, it was a trap. The purpose was to lure them over. This guy was truly an agent of chaos! "An Su..." Rosen''s tone gradually softened, "No, Your Excellency Chenxing, we are all saints, as you know." "I have wronged you, but my companions have not betrayed you; as a saint, it is our duty to maintain order and eradicate the Cultists, Chenxing, please trust us." Rosen maintained a smile on his face, pretending to be ingratiating as he moved closer to An Su, stepping forward one, two steps... Suddenly, he lashed out, drew his sword from its sheath, and slashed straight for An Su''s throat! Since the contract was non-existent from the start, he no longer had to abide by it! Chapter 83 Only When the Map is Cleared, Comes the True Order! The sword light swept through the night, flashing white across half the sky.That strike from Rosen came unexpectedly to all saints, who had thought given the Order Knight''s calm and friendly tone, he might be attempting to appeal to An Su''s sense of comradeship. They hadn''t anticipated a direct assault. It was a ruthless and tricky sword move, one Rosen had put all his might behind. Sarch* The n?vel_Fire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. He was well aware of the stakes involved. As far as he was concerned, An Su had to be eliminated. He couldn''t let this opportunity, so close at hand, slip by. Otherwise, he would remain the one with the greatest contribution from the three border areas. Even if he were to stab a saint in front of everyone, he could later explain that An Su had fallen and became a Cultist first, and his sword was wielded in defense of the Order. After An Su''s death, all of his memories would vanish, and naturally, he would not know who killed him. Only the victor would have the right to interpret the Orderthis was the true doctrine of the Order Knights! As long as An Su was killed, no one would know of this incident! An Su was just a frail Magician who had not undergone training; at such close range, he surely wouldn''t be able to dodge! But Rosen was only half-right. After a month of massive sacrifices and the cruel, high-intensity training from the Painful Esoteric Sect, An Su''s physical condition had nearly reached that of a second-tier warrior. Facing this surprise attack, An Su was not shocked, for he had anticipated it. If he were in his adversary''s place, he would have made the same choice. The corner of his mouth remained calm with a smile. He just stepped backward slightly as the sword blade slashed through his grey hair, slicing upwards across An Su''s shoulder, leaving a trail of blood. [Shadow of Blood] It seemed An Su didn''t feel the pain in his shoulder, and his will didn''t waver in the slightest, He softly chanted the magic of the Painful Esoteric Sect as shadows grew wildly from his feet, the slender silhouette now tinged red at the shoulders as if soaked in a mist of blood. [Support Magic] [Magic Power Consumption: 2 points (originally 4)] [Temporarily transfers the wounds to one''s shadow for ten minutes; if the attacker dies within that time, the wounds can be transferred a second time onto the attacker''s corpse] In Rosen''s astonished gaze, The wound on An Su''s shoulder swiftly disappeared, and the smile on his face grew even more genuine, "In ten minutes, you will die, and your cause of death will be shame, leading to suicide." Nonsense! Faced with the fearful and questioning looks from the surrounding saints, Rosen felt like his lungs were about to explode. As an Order Knight bathed in admiration and reverence for so many years, he had never been treated this way! Having taken action, he was determined to see it through. He twisted his sword blade, a cold gleam surged back, thrusting once again towards An Su; Enjoy more content from empire But An Su bizarrely took a step back, narrowly avoiding the blade''s edge. The sleeve of his hand flashed coldly, and his slender fingers flicked a poisoned dagger toward Rosen. The angle was both cunning and quick, Leaving Rosen all the less expecting that An Su, a Magician, could possibly possess combat skills. Caught off guard, the dagger managed to slice a gash across his cheek. [Bleeding] [Combat Skill Point Consumption: 1] [Effect: Causes continuous, unstoppable bleeding in the affected area for ten minutes] Blood flowed like a fountain, staining his visage crimson. Their exchange happened in the blink of an eye, as fluid as drifting clouds and flowing water, and in just that brief moment, Knight Rosen''s cheek was streaming with blood. Alice''s eyes went wide, utterly unable to believe what she saw. She had long heard from her cousin Ai Xueli that An Su''s mastery of magic far surpassed hers, to the point of being one level higher than a magical prodigy. But since when had this magical beast learned combat skills? Could it be that he was also a genius in the warrior domain? That he could engage an Order Knight in close combat and even gain the upper hand seemed far-fetched. ...The truth was that An Su had little to no natural talent in the warrior domain. His ability to use this move depended entirely on the huge sacrifices that had been piled up; this sleight of hand with a dagger had been a trick he spent a month mastering. The success of his move was also due to Rosen''s carelessness. With just a bare blade, he definitely couldn''t beat an Order Knight. But it didn''t matter, An Su was just looking for a test subject to try out his new moves onthis was also a bad habit of players on the dark path, always wanting to test their new skills on a target. Rosen''s face was half-covered in blood, his eyes filled with a bloody redness, his hatred for An Su had reached a peak. To be humiliated by a Magician in his area of expertise was simply outrageous. He must personally wash away this disgrace. But to his surprise, An Su said with a smile, "Then I won''t bother you." "I''m slipping away first." In Rosen''s stunned gaze, An Su put the blood-stained dagger into his sleeve. His farewell was tinged with apology, and his sunny smile was like that of a big boy leaving the party early. If you have henchmen, only fools fight personally. Of course, a group beating is always better than fighting alone! Moreover, An Su indeed had other things to attend to. His previous behavior, including the deliberate cut he had taken, was all just for show. The show was for someone special to see." The Cultists were already pressing forward in unison, confronting the Holy Knights in a semi-encirclement, their cold eyes fixed dead on Rosen. That tense atmosphere suddenly reached its peak. Leading Lister and his company, An Su once again stepped forward with the swagger he had practiced for days. Their steps were uniform and precise, filled with the commanding air of superiors. Damn it... Rosen watched An Su''s back fade away, his eyes almost turning grey. He had never seen such a shameless fellow! To slip away from a battle at the front! And yet, An Su''s personal guards were very convinced by him, proactively clearing a path for him, Every time An Su passed someone, the latter would lower their head respectfully and call out with fanatical eyes full of fighting passion, "Boss An Su, Well done!" Where was he ''well done''? Rosen was almost speechless, wondering what benefits An Su had promised these Cultists in advance to boost their morale so high! Of course, the Cultists were excited because the chosen one, An Su, had promised them, if the battle went well, a new washroom would be built in the military school. That was a new washroom, after all. A washroom symbolizing freedom! If Rosen knew about this crude promise, he probably would have coughed up blood in anger. Rosen looked back at his own saints, their morale already scattered, their eyes filled with doubt and mistrust when looking at him. From their perspective, An Su and his company were saints who had killed dozens of second-tier Cultists in one month and had even climbed to high positions within the Esoteric Religion. While Rosen was just all talk, up to now, the achievements of his people were almost zero. All they felt now was regret. Regardless, they were already aboard this pirate ship, so they had no choice but to press on. They still had a numbers advantage, Even without an inside helper, The odds of winning were still very good! The Holy Knights drew their swords, and the Magicians took out their Magic Wands to start chanting blessings. Under the interweaving lines of silvery rain, the saints and Cultists clashed in the rainy night, their battle cries echoing. An Su watched this scene from afar and turned to walk towards the legion commander''s study. Good, all the characters were in place. Let the offering commence. For An Su, Those who were alive brought chaos, Only by going to great lengths, could one find true orderthis was the true doctrine of the Order Church! Chapter 84 Legion Commander An Su Moningsta! ```Flames soared into the sky, dyeing half of the night red with blood. Legion Commander Angelo gazed into the distance at the fierce fighting, then turned his attention to the young man in front of him, his lips twitching slightly. He''d known early on that Ansu was destined for a dark future, an immeasurable potential to become a scourge on society. Yet he hadn''t anticipated that there was no need for growth C the kid was already a scourge in his youthful form. He was born for the Esoteric Religion. As the commander of the Legion of Pain, he considered himself to be quite the scum of the earth in terms of morality, but he never expected there was still room for improvement in the realm of moral depravity. How did this guy turn out to be even more of a natural-born scumbag than himself? Angelo still remembered the conversation they''d had the day before, when Ansu had come to see him: ''I am certain of it now.'' Back then, Ansu had spoken seriously, "We have a traitor among us, and I know his name." At that time, Angelo, far from taking Ansu seriously, was even slightly irritated, thinking Ansu was once again trying to suppress rivals through false accusations C was such a trivial matter really worth reporting to him? But Ansu''s next words left the seasoned Angelo, who had been through thirty years of trials and tribulations, stunned for the first time. ''The traitor from the Radiant Holy See is named An Su Moningsta,'' Ansu said, staring straight into Angelo''s eyes, ''I am the traitor C and this secret is only known to the high bishops of the Church.'' ...What kind of twisted and sinister ploy is this? I had just started to suspect you, and you''re already confessing! Are the operatives from the Radiant Holy See so forthright when undercover? The corners of the Legion Commander''s mouth twitched slightly. According to Ansu, though he was a spy sent by the Church, he had suffered endless bullying and discrimination within the Orthodox Church and had never felt friendship or respect, but it was in these days within the Painful Esoteric Sect that he realized it was the perfect place for him, where he felt the warmth of a family. In short, he had loyally defected! His story seemed plausible, but Angelo still harbored some suspicions. So, to prove his loyalty, Ansu volunteered to lure the Believers into the dry college and guide the imperial army. And he did indeed keep his promise. Over these days, Angelo had set spies to watch the Saints. They truly detested Ansu. This did corroborate his words C but what really convinced Angelo was the strike that Order Knight Rosen had aimed at Ansu moments before. Cunning, cold, filled with deep hatred and intent to kill, aiming straight for Ansu''s throat. As a Fourth-Order Peak warrior, Angelo had perfected his sense for malice and hatred. Rosen''s murderous intent couldn''t be faked, he genuinely wanted to kill Ansu C Angelo was certain of it now. Having witnessed that, Angelo was completely convinced Ansu had broken with the Church. He had still doubted Ansu somewhat, but now that the latter had come clean voluntarily, the doubt had dissipated. The rain began to pour down harder and harder. White lines of rain wove across the world, the sounds of combat growing more intense. "Your Excellency, the Legion Commander," Ansu looked at him, "I have led the Saints here as promised; I know you need a meritorious deed." "Exterminate the Saints in Seden Town," murmured Ansu softly, "with this deed, you should be up for promotion, shouldn''t you?" Angelo pondered for a moment, and finally, he grasped Ansu''s underlying message and laughed heartily, "You, young man, have quite a future ahead of you! Quite the knack for advancement!" The news of Angelo''s impending promotion was hardly a secret in Dry College anymore; it turned out this kid had his sights set on this place. "Then when I''m promoted to the front lines," Angelo said, laughing as he posed the question deliberately, "Who should manage this Dry College... Really makes one worried, has to be someone trustworthy and reliable, doesn''t it?" "An Su Moningsta." Angelo slowly stood up, his aura of a Fourth-Order Peak expanding and filling the room, his pupils turning blood red. His bloodshot eyes reflected Ansu''s face, as his lips split into a maniacal grin, "Finally, prove your pain and loyalty to the Esoteric Religion," ``` ``` "No matter the means," "Be it saints or cultists, it doesn''t matter." "Kill them all." "Only then will I trust you completely." For the Painful Esoteric Sect, where they come from is not important, nor are the means used, not even the faith mattersthe only thing of importance is inflicting pain, for only pain can bring pleasure to the gods! Only pain can redeem this world! In some respects, the Painful Esoteric Sect is quite an enlightened cult. And Angelo had run off immediately, leaving An Su to clean up the mess he had made. "You will take over my position and manage this stronghold." Angelo spoke slowly, enunciating each word, "You will become the new Legion Commander." Outside the window, lightning flashed, exploding into pure white at the edge of the sky, illuminating An Su''s stern smile with exquisite clarity, "That is exactly what I was hoping for, Your Excellency." An Su said with a smile, "Since you say any means are acceptable, then I can sacrifice them to the Mother Goddess of Life, right?" What a novel method of inflicting pain... Angelo raised his eyebrows; the young people these days are truly creative. "Do as you like." This was An Su''s ultimate goal. The only shortcut for the wicked. [Assassinate the Legion Commander of the Painful Esoteric Sect]This ultimate world quest had never been completed by a saint in all these years. The Fourth-Order Peak warriors were too powerful, especially the boss Angelo. But for a wicked player, for An Su, it was not impossible to complete. The quest stated to assassinate the commander of the Legion of Pain, but it didn''t specify Angelo! An Su adjusted his military cap, donned a cloak, hid the dagger in his sleeve, and straightened his disheveled tie before turning and walking in a certain direction. "Brother Su." Outside the door, Lister pushed up his glasses, admiring Brother Su''s outrageously elegant plan, "Everything is ready." It was truly too elegant. Now that everything was about to end, Lister even felt a bit reluctant. He always felt that there was much more aristocratic knowledge to learn at the Painful Correctional Facility! "Big Boss An Su, my part is also done." Arthur too felt his blood boiling; the preparation of a month was finally drawing to a close, and it was time to see the results. Spending time with evil cultistsmainly An Suhad twisted their moral compass as well. The sacrifice to the Mother Goddess of Life has its limits. Otherwise, the sacrificial path would be as invincible as a supermodel. Initially, sacrificing a dozen or so cultists at once was the limit. To sacrifice over two hundred people at once, the quality of the altar is key. Small altars simply cannot achieve this. They had begun covertly modifying the surroundings of the dormitory a month prior, S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. choosing the dormitory building as the battlefield and leading the saints there was also for this reason. At this scale, beyond the quality of the offerings, it also depends on the level of the chief priestat least saint-tier strength, which means a Fifth Tier priest. Such a large-scale sacrifice cannot be easily accomplished just by uttering an improved chant or prayer. However, there is always a way. The high-level magic that An Su once exchanged from the Mother Goddess of Life, his only piece of high-level magic, was prepared precisely for this situation. The name of that high-level magic is [Gift of Life] ``` Chapter 85 [All World Invaders Are Dead] "[Life Offering]""[High-Level Magic]" "[Summoning Magic]" "[Magic Power Consumption: 20 magic power per minute (originally 40)]" "[Magic Effect: Summons a Fifth Tier undead from the altar of life, allowing choice of summon type, with unlimited duration, until the summoner''s magic power is exhausted]" "[Magic Introduction: Ashes, are but an offering]" This was a summoning magic. Though it consumed a vast amount of magic power, the returns were not exceptionally high. Simply put, goddess-made, able to fly nationwide, types customizable, modes selectable, overpriced to gouge the market, leaving you desperately thirsty, guaranteed to drain your energy. An Su''s task was quite simple since he was not qualified to preside over the ceremony himself, he would summon a saint-ranked Priest to help him do it. As long as he was the one being baptized, he could receive the blessing. The thought process of a heretical player was never constrained by the conventional head-on clash. One must learn to be flexible in their thinking. But the drawback to this magic was its huge consumption, with An Su''s current magic power, he could only summon for half a minutehardly enough to complete the ceremony. However, this was the Painful Esoteric Sect''s boot camp. It was mentioned before that in the center of the boot camp, there was a giant Alchemic Magic Circle connected to the headquarters of the Painful Esoteric Sect, which accumulated magic power by absorbing the students'' pain, storing it for the war against the saints. This was also the ultimate purpose of establishing the Painful boot camp; all students were its nutrients. Over the years, the magic power accumulated by the Alchemic Magic Circle had reached thousands. An Su had already applied to the legion commander, who had approved forty magic power for An Su''s usealso the maximum that the commander could apply for. That would be enough. "Life Offering." Standing atop the Array, An Su whispered, as a vast amount of magic power left his body; as the Array gradually activated, new magic power poured into his increasingly drained body, an eerie and terrifying aura descended from the spirit world into the mortal realm. It was a soul so terrifying, his body already decaying, eyes flickering with a gloomy light, wielding a scepter and enshrouded in a black robe. The aura of a saint was unmistakable. "What I recite shortly," An Su said, "you will follow and recite with me. I need to perform a sacrifice ceremony." "Young man, show some respect..." the saint-ranked Priest gazed deeply at An Su. Though he was already dead, he was not to be summoned and ordered around at will! A sacrifice ceremony was hardly something a mere youth needed to teach him! Ten seconds later. The saint-ranked Priest hurriedly made notes in a tattered notebook; although dead, he still was filled with the desire for fresh knowledge and said obsequiously, "Please continue, go on." The downpour intensified, everywhere a blanket of white, the urgent cold wind rustled through, pressing tree trunks low, tree leaves rubbing together to emit a demon-like howl. The battle had only begun for a few minutes, and blood was already flowing into rivers. Rosen had a smile on his lips as the indestructible blood slipped away. Even though he was duped, he knew the scales of victory were slowly tipping in his favor. Even if he couldn''t ultimately defeat the legion commander, wiping out these Cultists posed no problem. Though the cost was that his allies on his side would be decimated, it didn''t matter anymore. After all, this was their world, where death was not the end as one could always be resurrected. As long as he survived, that would be enough, he was determined to kill An Su by his own hand. To torture him in the most cruel way possible. As long as he was the last one standing, he would receive the ultimate survivor''s reward, and the final score would completely crush An Su, with the final victor belonging to the Order Church. sea??h th N?velFire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. What nonsense about ''dying in ten minutes''. Rosen plunged the holy sword into the abdomen of a Cultist, driving the battle technique, the brilliance of order streaked across, severing the Cultist at the waist, blood splattered; the surrounding Cultists, intimidated by his prowess, all took half a step back. His smile grew even broader. Just then, in the deepest part of the rainy night, a figure slowly emerged. Pale long hair, shadow as bright as stars. The youth was none other than An Su Moningsta. His long boots splashed in the puddles, rippling wave after wave, his dark cloak dancing in the wind as he slowly approached the saints and Cultists. "One more minute," An Su said with a smile, looking at the watch in his hand, "it''s about time." "An Su Moningsta!" Rosen stared intently at An Su, realizing that he had won the game. Several assassins obeyed Rosen''s orders and instantly moved to kill An Su, but An Su neither dodged nor avoided them. He whispered, "Red moon of death, the first life." "Eternal maternity above the spirit world." "Your devout believer, An Su Moningsta, presents a gift for your birth." Discover hidden stories at empire This was a new prayer. In a place unnoticed by others, the Priest of Life raised his bone Magic Wand and chanted the same words. [You''ve actually attracted the attention of both the Mother Goddess of Life and the Mother Goddess of Pain] The voice of the Celestial Messenger echoed in An Su''s ears, and this time, the Messenger was truly astonished. Two vast and indescribable gazes collided, and everyone was engulfed by the terrifying aftershocks. The bodies of those few assassins were the first to dissolve, consumed by ever-expanding flesh. From a distance, Legion Commander Angelo felt the pain steadily rising, and he watched with rapt attention. This young man was just too promising! He managed to combine it with other religions and come up with such a creative torture method. His birth was truly groundbreaking genius. Who would doubt his loyalty to the Esoteric Religion when he could achieve this? [One Second Tier saint has been sacrificed] As this world belongs to the Church, sacrificing saints here means only their flesh will be consumed by the Mother Goddesstheir souls will not be taken away. Therefore, it cannot be counted as a true sacrifice, and the life points gained will be halved. In the Church world, saints will lose their memories upon death. The saints were just an addition. After all, An Su was just playing games with the saints. He found it quite interesting. The real highlight was those hundred or so Cultists of the Painful Esoteric Sect. All Cultists of the Painful Esoteric Sect were villains, determined by the Mother Goddess they worshipped to lead lives of creating wars and slaughtering civiliansbut fortunately, An Su knew he was born for this. Sacrificing the wicked by the hands of the wicked was the most interesting part. "Offer up flowing flesh, tender bones, and insignificant souls." Under Rosen''s horrified gaze, with every person An Su passed, their body would be swallowed by flesh and blood, eventually disappearing from the world. Cultists and saints alike, all became puddles of blood under An Su''s feet. Regardless of friend or foe. The Mother Goddess of Life, the Mother Goddess of Pain, to Rosen, the young man before him was the true Evil God. [Second Tier Cultist killed (25/60)] [First Tier Cultist killed (89/150)] ... By the time An Su reached Rosen, he was already drenched in blood, with a smile still on his lips. Rosen''s shoulders trembled, and he knelt on the ground. "Your devout believer invites you into the dream" An Su placed his hand on top of Rosen''s head and finished the last sentence of the prayer, "May you rest peacefully tonight." A sword injury appeared on Rosen''s shoulder, damage transferred over by An Su''s shadow. As the sword wound appeared, it marked, Rosen''s death. [Task One complete, all Second Tier Cultists are dead] [Task Two complete, all First Tier Cultists are dead] The Painful Esoteric Sect, which had plagued Seden Town for years, was wiped out. [All world invaders are dead] [Contributor: An Su Moningsta] [Current score: 90] [Final Task: Assassinate the Commander of the Legion of Pain] Chapter 86 Final Settlement Several days later, early in the morning.Under a luminous and serene sky. After the rain, everything was cleansed. The entire sky of Seden was clear and crystal, and if not for the occasional breeze ruffling the clouds, all of Seden looked like a still painting of blue. The military school was tranquil and silent, with only the sound of delicate bells echoing through the empty floors. An Su was putting on his new military uniform, He had replaced the skull pattern on his military cap, finding it too tacky, with a pattern of stars. Donning the insignia that symbolized the ''Legion Commander'' and fastening the buttons of his cloak, [An Su Moningsta] [Title: Chosen of Pain] [Current Identity: Commander of the Legion of Pain] [After wiping out all the Cultists and saints, you have successfully become the ultimate head of the Painful military school] From this day forward, An Su was the new commander. Although there was no one left in the legion. Warm sunlight filtered through the window, shining on An Su. The morning light of autumn was intoxicating and tinged with pale yellow, making this morning truly peaceful and beautiful. The sound of the telegraph suddenly rang out, and the old magic-driven machine printed out a letter, heavy with the scent of ink. An Su now had the authority of a legion commander, He picked up the letter curiously and saw that it was a file with an encrypted headerthis file was sent directly from headquarters. [Prepare new pain materials, supply the front, and fight against "it"] An Su frowned. Saints of the past had never reached the point of receiving such secret files. An Su had become the commander, naturally, he was to take over the tasks of the previous commander. The ''pain materials'' referred to the new recruits, but what piqued An Su''s curiosity was where this ''front'' actually was. Or rather, were the Painful Esoteric Sects really battling the Orthodox Church? Why would they use ''it''? What exactly was this military school training soldiers for which battle? An Su couldn''t figure it out with the limited information he had so far. A knock on the door interrupted An Su''s thoughts, "Brother Su, it''s time to prepare to leave." It was Lister''s voice. Indeed, it was time to end this, having stayed in this world long enough, An Su put away the file, stood up, pushed the door open, and walked out. Lister and Arthur were waiting at the door, and An Su said to them, "Let''s go." "Boss An Su, wait a second." Arthur suddenly stopped An Su, "We''re not going to leave with you, boss." S~ea??h the novlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "What?" An Su raised his eyebrows. Arthur smiled foolishly at him, always cheerful, "Although I might look a bit dim, I''m actually as cunning as they come. We understand what you''re about to do, boss." "Brother Ansu is planning to commit suicide," Lister spoke slowly, "Arthur and I have discussed it, and we''ve decided that if we''re brothers, we should die togetherif not, I would not be worthy of calling myself nobility." ...Isn''t this just getting sick again? It''s only a game... An Su was somewhat baffled. "It''s different." Arthur said earnestly, "Arthur and I owe our high scores to you, boss An Su. We''re content now. The saints who survive to the end get extra points. But I don''t want to earn points from a brother''s death." "For a Sun Knight, that would be a disgraceI''d rather not have it," Arthur shook his head. "The most important thing is..." Lister added, "Believers who die in the Church world lose all memory of that world. If Arthur and I go back alive, we''ll retain our memories." "The Order Church might interrogate Arthur and me, asking us about various thingsafter all, this time, the saints were wiped out." Lister''s expression was also very serious. "What are you trying to do?" An Su tilted his head. "With that in mind, we won''t give them the chance. I''ve decided we''ll take the secret to the grave without leaving them any evidence," Lister said with a smile, which was unusual for his generally stoic demeanor, but now he was very happy, "Brother An Su, you''ve finally been a bit dumb, haha." "We are teammates, and this world tests exactly that[Friendship]." The warm autumn sun bathed Arthur''s face, his golden hair waving in the air, revealing his signature big laugh, "Boss An Su, of course we should live and die togethereven if it''s just in the game." "Either we all survive, or we all die together." Discover more content at empire "Sun Knight, Arthur Sunny, taking the lead!" Arthur tore off his clothes, drew a long sword, and without hesitation, slashed his own throat. Blood gushed out instantly from his throat. Blood trickled down, yet he smiled brilliantly, as if not feeling any pain, "An Su, after we get back, we must drink to our heart''s content!" For Arthur, for a Sun Knight, this was truly exhilarating! "The Moon Nobility, Lisiter Muen, has also exited the stage!" Lister doffed his hat, bowing elegantly, He elegantly slit his throat with a small knife, and even as blood poured forth and his consciousness rapidly faded, he maintained the noble etiquette and grace in the face of death. "Brother Su, see you tomorrow." An Su was somewhat stunned, these two had quickly committed suicide, their bodies falling stiffly before him, blood splattered all over the ground, the dim autumn light casting over their corpses. [Arthur Sunny, dead] [Lisiter Muen, dead] "..." Ha. Were these two idiots? Alive, they could have still claimed the survival points. An Su couldn''t help but laugh out loud, this time was indeed beyond his expectations, He thought he was crazy enough, but it turned out these two were not normal either. Interesting. These two guys were quite interesting. In that case, let''s go crazy too. Choose the most profitable way to die. Facing the early morning autumn light, An Su walked straight ahead, he pushed open a door to a room where a faint scent of incense spread out. Human skin, bones, and dim yellow candles, flickering with light. This was a small altar. But there was no sacrifice. An Su stood in the center of the altar, his smile slowly widening. [What do you want to do?] The voice of the Celestial Messenger reached his ears, sensing that An Su was about to make a big move. Every time he smiled like this, nothing good ever happened. "Desire and the Moon''s Mother Goddess, the great matriarch of fertility, the eternal motherhood above the spirit world." An Su paid no attention to the Celestial Messenger, whispering his prayers with a smile, "This is the hymn of the sincere, the feast of spirit and soul, the delicacy of blood and flesh." The gaze of the Mother Goddess of Life converged here, that indescribable terror peaking in an instant. "Your devout believer, An Su Moningsta, offers a gift," An Su said softly, "Offering An Su Moningsta on the altar to You" There was a long silence, as if the air itself had stopped moving. Suddenly, that indescribable terror spiked to its apex, the whole sky dimmed, and all the candles went out at once! "I invite You to dine with me!" This was a nefarious method that no one had ever tried before! Never before! I offer myself! Both cultists and saints must offer, and I too must offer! Only then can one be considered whole. An Su''s vision soared rapidly, countless illusions shattered and were reborn, he arrived above the spirit world, He saw the red moon, and beneath that red moon, a beauty so heart-stopping it did not belong to this mortal realmAn Su locked eyes with the deity, but for just a brief moment. His physical body was instantly devoured within the mass of flesh. The spiritual body broke free and returned to Nether, back into reality. [An Su Moningsta, dead] [Ultimate World Quest: Assassinate the Legion of Pain''s Leader, Complete] [Contributor: An Su Moningsta (100%)] [You have strongly attracted the interest of the Mother Goddess of Life!] [The last believer is dead] [End of the Church World Seden] [Commencing Settlement] Chapter 87 Almost Crashed during Settlement [Second-Order Church World: Seden][Cleared] An Su felt his flesh and blood carved into tiny chunks, hands, feet, bones, and even hair, every part carefully cooked into the most delicious dishes; arrayed on a long dining table made of mahogany, candles burning atop it, their flames reflecting the beautiful crimson moon at the end of the table. Even though An Su''s body was segmented, he himself was also a diner. His spiritual body sat at the end of the long table, fork and knife in hand, dining, partaking of his own flesh. The more he ate, the more intact his spiritual body became, the clearer his memories grew. All of this seemed but an illusion. An Su blinked, and the mahogany dining table vanished, along with the tableful of delicacies, replaced by a dazzling starry sky, where the flowing starlight spun continuously across the heavens. This was the realm of the Celestial. The flow of time in the Nether World and reality was not the same; over a month had passed in the Nether, yet only a day had gone by in reality. Upon returning, An Su immediately saw the Constipated face of the Celestial Messenger. This absolutely neutral messenger uncle, having lived through hundreds of eventful years, witnessed the rise and fall of many heroic figures of the righteous and Magic Tao, had become indifferent to past smoke and clouds, reaching a state of equanimity in affairs, until he met An Su The Celestial Messenger felt he was hitting a midlife crisis. "How did you come up with," his mouth twitched slightly, "''sacrificing oneself'' as a plan?" This was the space of the Celestial, where everyone let go of their constraints to be their most authentic selves. "Because sacrificing everyone present gave the highest benefit." "And what about Lister and Arthur?" "The Mother Goddess does not consume the dead." The more he conversed with this being, the more the Celestial Messenger''s blood pressure soared, An Su, being the observant good kid he was, instantly picked up on the messenger''s micro-expressions and knew he was not pleased. After a moment of thought, he found the answer and said apologetically with high emotional intelligence: "I''m sorry, I was negligent." The Celestial Messenger''s face softened a bit. "Your avatar, as a supervisor, was also present at that time - I should have sacrificed you as well!" An Su said with a hint of regret, "It''s a pity, my power was insufficient, causing you to be neglected." After speaking, the youth''s face brightened with a sunny smile, his eyes shimmering confidently, "Rest assured! Next time I will definitely try harder!" "..." To try harder to be served up neatly together? After a short conversation with An Su, the Celestial Messenger felt he was about to enter an old age crisis. Who on earth had brought up this little being? The utterly neutral him wouldn''t hold a grudge against a child; he was just pondering... maybe it was time to retire. He couldn''t keep up with the times. "Your friends are waiting for you over there, you better go," the Celestial Messenger no longer wanted to talk to An Su. An Su turned around and indeed saw Lister and Arthur not far away. They too saw An Su and waved at him. The flow of time differed between the Nether World and reality; they spent over a month inside, yet only one day passed in reality Lister and Arthur had emerged mere seconds before An Su. "It seems I have amnesia," Lister pushed up his glasses, sighing softly, "It appears I died in the church world." Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "So did I." Arthur said with a bright, confident smile, "I must have fought as a radiant Holy Knight against the nefarious Painful Esoteric Sect followers, until the very last second, and died a glorious death." Lister too hummed elegantly, even more confident and vibrant, "Then I must have also died as a radiant noble, leading my people and ultimately dying for the masses!" "It would not have been a life wasted." One of you is a falcon that loses its prey, the other a malignant hound scattering urine, helping tyrants to do evil until driven to suicideAn Su silently said in his heart. An Su didn''t know why he retained his memories since he, too, had committed suicide in the end. Perhaps it had something to do with sacrificing oneself...? An Su thought to himself and suddenly noticed that the speed of the light flow had increased, and his vision was filled with intertwining and swirling starlight. These beams of light wove together, gradually forming words. The surrounding space also vibrated continuously. It seemed that the Celestial Messenger had begun the settlement process. For some reason, this Celestial Messenger''s settlement process was very slow. Was it that difficult to calculate...? [The church world Seden has completed its conquest] So far, so normal. [Final ownership of the world fragment: Radiant Holy See... Life Esoteric Church... Painful Esoteric Sect...] An Su watched as these three churches were repeatedly refreshed before his eyes, causing a dizzying effect. The Celestial Messenger was bewildered by An Su''s composition... Finally, the text stabilized and settled on [Radiant Holy See]. [Generating team evaluation for unified settlement] [Team members: Lisiter Muen, Arthur Sunny, An Su Moningsta] [The team hunted down 130 first-order cultists, 58 second-order cultists, and one Painful Esoteric Sect Legion Commander, surviving a total of thirty-two days,] [All missions completed] [Overall team evaluation S+, achievement ''Triumvirate of Pain'' achieved] Lister and Arthur both wore expressions of considerable pride, even bordering on shock. To have taken down so many cultists was one thing, but to have killed even a Legion Commander! Before they came, they had heard about it, that it was a Fourth-Order Peak Painful Warrior! In a second-order world where a near-saint level leader was present for a whole decade, no saint had completed the final task. Were the three of them so awesome? [Now generating individual achievements] After the overall team evaluation comes individual achievements. Specific achievements are only available for one''s own viewing. [Lisiter Muen, survival time: 761 hours 40 minutes] Lister calmly pushed up his glasses, confident in the glorious achievements he was about to claim. If his father heard of his accomplishments, he would surely be proud. [Painful Hellhound CAccording to statistics, you marked territory in the Esoteric Religion''s school a total of forty-one times, creating a significant psychological shadow for the cultists and laying a spiritual advantage for the eradication of the Esoteric Religion] [Sect Leader AThe sect you founded, ''Embarrassed Shy Sly Sect'', has affected the development of local sects to a certain extent] "..." Lister fell silent. [Cunning Backstabbing Assassin AYou participated in witch-hunting operations against ten second-order cultists and thirty first-order cultists, twenty-six of whom were killed by you in backstabs while using the restroom] [Your killing score is 45, comprehensive weighted score is 85 points, overall evaluation A] Lister decided it was better if his father didn''t find out. Arthur was also looking quite uncomfortable. [Painful Falcon C] [Sect Leader A] [Brave Frontline Fighter That Rises Straight to the Challenge A+] After weighting, his total score was 87 points, and his evaluation was also A, but Arthur was not pleased. His demigod father would kill him. "Boss An Su," Arthur looked towards An Su and asked, "how did you fare?" He tentatively asked, "Is it something you can take home to your family?" An Su was silent; he lowered his head and silently observed the first achievement in his field of vision. [Delicious Child S The Mother Goddess of Life thinks your flesh is very fresh and tasty] Chapter 88 SSS Rating [An Su Moningsta, Survival Time: 762 hours][Delicious Child SThe Mother Goddess thinks your flesh is very fresh and tasty, She looks forward to tasting your soul.] "..." Beneath the Mother Goddess. An Su knew he must be quite tasty, which was also why he attempted to sacrifice himself. Fortuitously, in the Church''s world, the souls of saints were shielded by celestial forces and true gods. They would not be sacrificed. As a Child of the Curse, a rarity of the century innate with dark attributes, he was the ultimate delicacy, able to conquer the Mother Goddess''s palate at the very core. Otherwise, there wouldn''t be so many cultists lining up to kidnap him. At the same time, An Su was also a Second Order Radiant Saint, bearing the mark of the Radiant Goddess. Radiant Saints were Mother Goddess''s favorites. This taboo and stimulating combination was like the most luxurious steak served with the richest red wine, one bright and the other dark, rich without being greasy, full of mellow flavor. An Su was the only Light and Dark Priest in the Entire Hell, a brand-new flavor the Mother Goddess had never tasted. But what An Su hadn''t expected was the Mother Goddess to be so craving... that she would grade his body with an S. Continuing to read, [Great Trouble of the Heart for the Legion of Pain SYou established a personal guard, conducted inspections to scrutinize the composition of churchgoers within the entire Legion of Pain, established a strict ''collective unofficial history'' system, persecuted and suppressed reactionary factions, According to statistics, you sacrificed fifty-eight Second Order cultists and one hundred thirty-nine First Order cultists. Under your influence, the population of the Legion of Pain''s school was wiped out, earning kill points: 90] [Great Trouble of the Heart for the Church AYou collaborated from within and without, engaged in espionage on both sides, and under your influence, the entire army of saints was wiped out.] [Achievement Unlocked: Land Without Gods SFrom now on, there would be no more Church or esoteric religions in Seden Town, you successfully completed the ''de-deification'' movement in Seden Town, and where the people of Seden would go from here would be determined by the will of the people.] [Leader at the End of the Road SSAs the leader of the Legion of Pain, facing the death of loved ones and depletion of ammunition, you walked towards the end of your life, choosing to commit suicide in despair in the study. At the same time, you completed the sole task: assassinating the leader of the Legion of Pain, earning kill points 10.] Seeing this, An Su''s lips slowly relaxed. Though only ten points, they were the most precious ten. Insurmountable ten points. Achieving ninety kill points wasn''t difficult; over the past decade, many geniuses could slaughter followers of the Light and the esoteric religions. But they would never score full marks. The gap between ninety and one hundred points was night and day. The blessing rewards received at the end would also differ as widely as heaven and earth. And this was just the reward from the stars. An Su also had blessings for sacrificing heretics from the Holy Light, which he would need to claim at the Radiant Holy See. With just the sacrifice blessings from the Mother Goddess alone, An Su''s body had already reached the level of a Second Order warrior. The same heads, when exchanged for blessings on the side of Holy Light, could very likely catapult him straight to Third Order Magician! [Your kill score is one hundred points, weighted score is one hundred points, overall assessment SSS.] If you had only killed the leader of the Legion of Pain and done nothing else, the kill score would only be ten points, yet in the end you could still get above ninetythis is the value of the final mission. However, there would be no SSS in the overall assessment. "Boss An Su, how did you do?" Arthur cocked his head and asked again. "I flunked it." An Su showed an expression of pain and self-reproach. He lowered his gaze, his pupils trembling slightly, "I''ve just got three S''s." He should have sacrificed the stars as well. Arthur was about to offer some comfort to An Su, but upon hearing the second part of his sentence, his face became even more pained than An Su''s. "..." He could already imagine how, after leaving Celestial Space, An Su the elder would torment the other candidates. And at this moment, they were still unaware, that outside, a great uproar had arisen. Dusk draped down, the brilliant colors drenching the sacred church, while the ethereal tolling of bells echoed through the night sky, instilling a sense of peace and tranquil beauty in all who heard them. But inside the Astro Church, no one could feel at peace. At the church entrance, a throng of reporters had already packed the area, their numbers far exceeding the total from the previous two examinations. Priest Paxi paced back and forth around the Astral Terminal, Bishop Lannis reconfirmed the messages from the celestial domain, and after numerous verifications, the celestial priests announced to the world, that the second-order world of Seden had been thoroughly conquered, and its form permanently fixed. A complete conquest signifies that this world fragment will forever belong to the Church, and the Cultists can no longer invade it. To achieve this condition, it''s not just about exterminating all the invading Cultists, but also completing all the main missions. The first two missions were not very difficult, but the last missionto defeat the leader of the Legion of Pain no Second Order saint had managed to complete it in ten years. Every complete conquest of a world is a matter of great glory. No one could have imagined that a contender embarking on a conquest with the goal of the saints'' examination would manage to permanently define Seden. Sear?h the n??el Fire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The saints of various Churches had already gone to notify the bishops of their respective Sects. It was an event worthy of attention. What people were most curious about was, which Church''s saint had achieved the conquest? Soon, the priests of the seven faiths arrived with numerous dignitaries in tow, as the reporters at the door made way, looking upon these figures with eyes full of reverence; the most noteworthy was the representative from the Radiant Holy See. She was a young girl. Silver-white eyelids veiled in a layer of white rime frost, with glittering golden eyes beneath the frost, the girl had an air of aloofness and delicacy about her, appearing to be no more than fifteen years old. A fifteen-year-old girl naturally could not represent the Radiant Holy See, unless she was the Holy Maiden. Luoja Fast. If one disregarded her humble origins from a remote borderland, she would be the perfect Holy Maiden. The surrounding priests also held Luoja with enough respect. But at the same time, as the Holy Maiden, Luoja also had duties to fulfill. Such as these face-saving appearances, consoling the saints and the like, were part of the Holy Maiden''s responsibilities. Clearly, Luoja didn''t seem very interested in this. It was already late in the evening, and she was feeling a bit weary, During these days in the imperial capital, she was constantly attending various ceremonial events, dealing with all manner of important people, and receiving compliments from a wide array of individuals. She had no time to herself. Luoja did not feel happy. Compared to this, she began to miss her remote and oft-looked-down-upon hometown; she liked the sweets from the city on the border, as well as the port''s sea breeze that blew in. Thinking of home, Luoja inexplicably thought of that annoying guy. She wondered whether he had come to the imperial capital yet. That idiot of Holy Light... Could he pass the saints'' examination? Chapter 89 After Leaving the Examination Room, All the Examinees Cried Dusk gradually lost its color, and the faint moonlight crawled up the window lattice.Having attended various rituals everywhere today... Luojia was already very tired. Luojia yawned lightly, thinking that she shouldn''t show too much fatigue, lest she lose the propriety of a Holy Maiden, Feeling slightly guilty, she looked around; upon seeing that no one noticed her, she let down her guard and curled up in her chair like a kitten. The progress that had been stalled for ten years in the Second Order world was completely conquered by the saints, and the world fragments became fixed. The term ''Nether'' originally meant the cycle of creatures constantly falling downward. The events occurring in the world fragments would endlessly repeat, but once fully conquered, they would no longer recur and thus were known as fixed. The world fragments would then continue to develop normally. Besides cultists who could no longer infiltrate, the Church could send priests and saints as missionaries, granting them full authority to establish church strongholds in the fixed world. According to convention, the right to proselytize in the fixed world for the first year belonged to the first conqueror. Various churches would send representatives to offer their condolences. The outside of the Church was packed with various scholars and reporters, eagerly awaiting news from inside; this was the biggest news of all. Many saints were discussing in low voices, "Who do you think it will be?" "I guess it''s Miss Alice from the Xien Family, a renowned alchemic lineage." "I think Miss Shana from the Druid Court also has a chance..." "Don''t you know? Lord Rosen from the Order Church also went!" "That almost-Third Order Knight?" "I''ve heard of him, this knight has already been through several world clearances... truly a perfect knight." "Since it''s him, it''s not surprising at all." "Definitely an elite from the Order Church!" "What about that thing from the Radiant Holy See?" "..." Luojia frowned slightly as she listened to their conversation, What did they mean by ''that thing'' from the Radiant Holy See? When it came to their Church, why were they using such an inexplicable reference? Before she had a chance to speak, she saw a commotion at the front, as the starlight rapidly flowed, and a celestial saint exclaimed, "Someone''s coming out!" S~ea??h the novlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Suddenly, the scene fell silent, and in everyone''s anticipation, the starlight slowly coalesced into human forms, and three figures staggered out. They were the very assassin squad first sacrificed by An Su. Their gaze was somewhat empty, resembling the despair of the forsaken, with a pale complexion. "It''s the scouts from the Order Church..." Priest Paxi was the first to greet them, asking his own saints with concern, "How do you feel, what''s the situation?" "We don''t remember." The leading saint was dazed for a moment before moving his lips and his shoulders trembled slightly as he spoke, "I... we don''t know anything..." It appeared they died in the world and thus lost all their memories. And judging by their reaction... They must have experienced something terrifying before their death, Even with the loss of memory, the soul''s innate reaction would retain symptoms of fear. Was the Legion of Pain''s commander that terrifying? This situation was generally referred to as ''Nether World aftereffects,'' typically taking several weeks to recover from. It was a rather uncommon ailment. Generally, saints with weaker wills would suffer from it. Order Priest Paxi frowned, checking the scores of these three individualshe couldn''t see the specific achievements, but could inquire about the scores and their contributions to the main mission. ...Why were all the scores in single digits? The contributions to the main mission were almost zero. Not even a single cultist was vanquished? "Priest Paxi, seems like your Church''s saints lack mental fortitude," Priestess Ai Xueli from the Alchemical Church said with a light laugh. This magic prodigy seemed to gradually emerge from the shadow of the three border individuals, and today she also came as a representative of the Alchemical Church to welcome her sister. "If it were Alice, she definitely wouldn''t be like this." She revealed a proud smile at the corner of her mouth. As nobles of high standing, the Xien Family always maintained perfect demeanor. Priest Paxi couldn''t shake the feeling that something was amiss. He had supervised two exams already, each filled with surprises. Could this final test... also bring him some big trouble? It wouldn''t, He consoled himself, telling the saints with vacant eyes from the Order Church, "You go back and rest first..." Before Paxi could finish, the stars gathered again slowly, and more saints followed out. "It''s Miss Alice from the Alchemical Church!" Alice, biting her lips, moved step by step, and first saw the dense crowd around her. Her shoulders quivered, then turning her head, she caught sight of her sister, and the tears in her eyes could no longer be contained. "Whimper..." "I was wrong, sob, I''m sorry, sob sob." The noble young lady clung tightly to Ai Xueli, sobbing incessantly, "I want to go home. I want to go home." Ai Xueli was bewildered. When asked what happened to Alice, she said she couldn''t remember and just kept crying; Ai Xueli felt this scene was eerily familiar, as if she herself had sobbed like this before? In a flash, those shameful memories surged, striking Ai Xueli''s mind fiercely. "Young people these days are too mentally fragile!" a senior bishop from the Druid Court criticized, "How did your church train them? With this kind of mental fortitude, how will they go to battlefields and hunt witches in the future?" But the next second, a group of Druid Saints also ran out in a pack. Each one with a vacant look in their eyes. "Whimper." "Whimper whimper" "Mommy, mommy..." The senior bishop''s expression suddenly became subtle. Are Fifth Tier warriors really that terrifying...? After the Saints of the Druid Sect left, waves of believers escaped in groups, Upon checking, their scores were in single digits, upon asking what happened, they said they couldn''t remember, and by looking at their expressions, one could tell they were on the brink of suicide. Was an Evil God hidden inside? Wasn''t it said that this world had been cleared? Why does it feel like Seden has been completely overrun by Cultists? Everyone has been wiped out! So, did we actually win or lose? Priest Paxi felt sweat drenching his back, with all the reporters outside now. If all the saints of the Church were to run out crying, some even shouting ''mommy mommy'', and this was reported, where would the Church put its face? The Holy Maiden of the Radiant Holy See was still watching... Priest Paxi, trying to maintain his dignity, showed a slightly awkward smile to Luojia, "Your Grace Luojia, this is just an unexpected situation..." Please, let a reliable one come through! Perhaps in response to his hope, The stars once again converged, The man who stepped out from the stars had a calm and normal expression, with a smile on his lips, His sharp features glimmered with faint starlight, and the girls who had come to watch couldn''t help but cheer at the sight of him. It was the eagerly awaited Order Knight, Rosen. Rosen would never lose the dignity of an Order Knight, always wearing a perfect smile. While he had forgotten what had happened, Rosen was never one to show fear. Meanwhile, At the moment of his emergence, The starlight reached its apex, The night was bright as if it were day, The magnificent and great attention was slowly converging here, It seemed Rosen had vanquished the legion commander, accomplishing the task no one else could. Upon seeing the dependable Rosen, Paxi breathed a sigh of relief, and he introduced him to the Little Holy Maiden, "This is the rising star of the Order Church, Order Knight Rosen Hogan..." Luojia stared at the figure emerging from the starlight, her tired eyes suddenly widened, she tilted her head and a smile appeared on her face. Is the Holy Maiden smiling at me... Rosen intended to return a gentlemanly smile, but he felt several slender fingers touch his shoulder. "Excuse me, let me through," A clear and polite voice from a youth came from behind, "You''re blocking the spawn point." Rosen turned his head and saw An Su''s clean and innocent smile, Strange yet familiar as if from deep within the soul Despite having forgotten, the fear engraved in his instincts, For some reason, Upon seeing this smile, he suddenly felt a dampness between his legs. His heart nearly stopped. Rosen looked down and realized It seemed like... He had been scared into wetting himself. . Chapter 90 ...Are you also one of the Hounds of Pain?As soon as An Su stepped outside, he saw a man''s crotch gushing forth a flood. The one named Rosen first stood there with trembling legs, then a moistness began to seep out from between his legs, He stared at An Su as if seeing a ghost, instinctively backed away, then fell to the ground, wriggling like a twisting earthworm as he kept scooting backward, shuffling through a patch of shadow before finally half-crawling, half-rolling out of the church. After pushing the door open and leaving the church, the journalists outside swarmed him like sharks smelling blood. "Excuse me, are you from that Church?" This was a journalist from the Religious Pioneer Newspaper; he made money by covering religious issues. "Why did you pee yourself?" This was a journalist from the Evening Entertainment Weekly; he earned his living by digging up entertaining news. "Would you pay me to change your name to Kavensis Black in the article?" This was a journalist from the Capital Morning News; he made money by accepting cash to change interviewees'' names to Kavensis in his reports. "The first step to sainthood, An Su''s diapers! Would you be interested in purchasing Happy Baby Brand diapers?" This was a diaper salesman, earning commissions provided by Lister. After Rosen left, the entire First Celestial Church, plunged into a long, lasting silence. "...he''s not one of ours from the Order Church." Priest Paxi''s face turned ashen as he watched his protege''s abstract performance, slowly making the cut. In the first two exams, the Radiant Holy See disassociated themselves from their Radiant Saints, the Alchemical Church from their alchemic examiners, and now, as fate would have it, it was the Order Church''s turn to disown their rising star! Sar?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Priest Paxi''s mouth twitched slightly, then he turned back, staring at An Su, who wore a brilliant smile, and at Lister and Arthur who followed behind him. All the believers were wailing and beseeching heaven, except for these three, faces beaming. He felt just like the Celestial Messenger, on the verge of a midlife crisis. "What on earth happened inside?" Paxi asked slowly. "No idea, I''m dead too," An Su cocked his head, "Memory wiped." The first half was true, the second half false. He was playing for an undeniable proof of death. Priest Paxi reviewed An Su''s results, and on the very first line saw the survival time: [762 hours], indeed dead. He looked at Lister and Arthur and found that they too were completely dead. Annihilated. Not a single saint with memories left. Paxi felt he might as well retire. The events that occurred in Seden Town were now known only to the gods and the Celestial Messenger. The Celestial Messenger, being absolutely neutral, would not disclose anything. No evidence, no witnesses, no information whatsoever. And almost all the saints scored in the single digits, the highest just over ten points. ...A complete and utter mystery. Who exactly vanquished that Fourth Order legionnaire...? Wait... An Su''s survival time was 762 hours, the longest... Since he was the last to die, could it be? Priest Paxi looked down at An Su''s score, suddenly frozen, blinking his eyes as if he couldn''t believe what he was seeing. Luojia, seeing Paxi''s astonished expression, also stepped closer, standing on tiptoe to look She too was curious about An Su''s score. I wonder if that idiot made it... "Huh?" Luojia''s eyes slightly widened, her eternally cool expression revealing surprise, "Wow..." [An Su Moningsta, survived 762 hours] [Secured one A-grade achievement, three S-grade achievements, one SS-grade achievement] [Kill score one hundred, weighted score one hundred, overall evaluation: SSS grade] [Task One: Kill.... (Contribution 80%)] [Task Two: Kill...(Contribution 90%)] [Final Task: Assassinate the Legionnaire of the Painful Esoteric Sect (Contribution 100%)] He looked again at Lister and Arthur''s scores, one eighty-five, the other eighty-seven. "You are the first strategist to achieve...? Double full scores?" Priest Paxi''s voice wasn''t loud, but in the silent church, it was especially piercing and clear, "An Su Moningsta?" All the saints, priests, and even the bishops'' gazes converged, landing uniformly on the youth with the shy smile in their midst. At the same time, the scores of An Su Moningsta, were displayed on the alchemical screen, directly in the center of the Celestial Church. That huge screen, made of alchemical materials, penetrated half the church, so that even the reporters on the corridor could see it clearly. The kill score was perfect, and the weighted score was also perfect. The priests all understood what this meant. Nearly all of the cultists were killed by this young man in front of them! Moreover, he had slain the nearly saint-tier leader of the Legion of Pain, which was the only way to achieve a full score in killing. The very demon that brought a psychological shadow over all the saints, turning every saint''s complexion pale with fear, had been personally vanquished by this Radiant Saint right before them! There was only this one possibility. As for why An Su had died... many priests constructed a conjecture in their hearts, a fairly reasonable explanation, and they discussed it in low voices. An Su, leading Lister and Arthur, three men from the frontier, fought bloodily in an isolated battlefield, assassinating one cultist after another. In the end, only the leader of the Legion of Pain remained. Lister and Arthur had already sacrificed themselves; only An Su was left! But he did not choose to submit. No one knew what kind of sacrifice An Su made, what kind of forbidden magic he employed, but in any case, this saint from the Radiant Holy See had perished together with the leader of the Legion of Pain in the end. A hero at the end of his road. If that was the case, then this youth from the frontier was the true rising star of the Church! Priest Paxi''s mouth twitched slightly; he always felt things weren''t as simple as they seemed... but everyone had lost their memories, there was no way to investigate, so the facts had to stay as they were. Moreover, the crowd was waiting outside... The reporters were there; the Church had lost enough face for one day. A story of a hero from somewhere unknown, the masses would like it. And also, the night sky was growing ever brighter... The blessing of the celestial body was also waiting outside. Someone had to go out and present themselves. Priest Paxi patted An Su''s shoulder, "Go and accept the awards from the Holy Maiden and the deity, young man; this is the honor you deserve." The awards from the Holy Maiden...? An Su looked puzzled at Luojia beside him, who also tilted her head, her golden eyes focusing on An Su. Speaking of which, after reuniting in the capital as fellow villagers, they hadn''t exchanged a single word yet. Luojia seemed to notice An Su''s confusionshe quite liked seeing him baffled; with a playfully cheeky smile, she then remembered she was now the Holy Maiden and had to maintain a dignified demeanor; thus, she gently lifted the hem of her gown and elegantly began to speak with her lips slightly parted: "An Su, please come with me, let''s go out together." The noise outside grew increasingly loud, with the lights coming on, the cheers from the crowd sounded like waves, barely able to be contained. Under the splendid night sky, the pure white hair intertwined with the light, as Luojia smiled and said: "Tonight''s glory belongs to you, Chenxing." Chapter 91 Epic Blessing An Su and Luojia ascended to the second floor, pushed open the heavy door, and as they gazed down from the balcony, they could see the dense crowd below.The conferring of knighthood by the Celestial Church was unlike the secular notion of knighthood. As the molders of the Nether World, one has the right to pioneer the fragments of that world for a year, along with the responsibility and obligation to establish new churches there. To some extent, it''s like being a temporary appointed district bishop. Though there were no believers, no church, and no resources, everything had to be built from scratchit was, after all, a glorious privilege, hence the ceremony. Such bishops, unlike the real bishops, were uniformly known as ''Nether Bishops.'' Their rank was actually not that high. Not even as high as a real-world priest. A real-world bishop could even serve as a Nether Bishop for a dozen or more fragmented worlds. However, for a novice not yet formally inducted into the Church, to become a Nether Bishop was astonishing and scandalous. Luojia sprinkled water from the Holy Grail onto An Su''s head and then rested the sword symbolizing the Holy Light on An Su''s shoulders, tapping it three times. She went on tiptoes to place the holy emblem on the left chest of the youth. The cheers of the populace grew even more enthusiastic. "Alright, go outside," Luojia said. An Su went up to the balcony. Apart from the onlooking believers, there were also quite a few reporters. As soon as An Su appeared, the flashes from the magic cameras were aimed at him. For the public, completely clearing a second-order world fragment was not novel; what was novel was that this victor was not yet fifteen years old. And he was quite handsome. That was a very marketable quality. "He''s coming out, he''s coming out!" "Mr. An Su, what do you think about this victory?" "What are your feelings right now?" Everyone eagerly fixed their eyes on An Su above the balcony, each face beaming with joyous smiles; Luojia stood beside An Su, her face also wearing a smile, but her eyes were filled with worry as they looked at An Su. After all, such a large event was rather daunting to handle. As planned, An Su was to give an inaugural speech next, and then receive the blessings of the deities. For her as the Holy Maiden, such occasions were the most troublesome; it was An Su''s first visit to the Imperial Capital, so perhaps stage fright would take hold of him? He had once told Luojia that he was quite introverted by nature... Looking at the profile of An Su''s face, Luojia saw a faint smile on his lips. An Su''s smile was subtle, merely a flash across the corner of his mouth. Had Luojia not observed carefully, she would not have noticed it at all. Having spent a month with him in the border city, she understood his behavioral tendencies quite well. Every time he smiled like thishe was about to cause trouble. "Did we triumph?" "Did we truly triumph?" An Su''s voice was deep, filled with profound pity. Once An Su spoke, the entire venue fell silent in an instant. You''re going to act up again... Priest Paxi watched him from below, feeling his face twitching involly. "One hundred and twenty-one saints, in this war, I lost no less than one hundred and twenty-one brothers, as close as my own limbs," An Su''s eyes shimmered with sorrow, each word utterly sincere, "If this were a real battlefield, all my dear brothers would have died, and I could not call it a ''victory.'' What a bunch of beastly brothers... Looking down from the stars, the Celestial Messenger stared at his abstract speech: You''ve served your brothers as dishes on the Mother Goddess''s table. "They''ve contracted severe aftermath symptoms, some weeping profusely, some shouting their parents'' names, some even crawled out of the Church, their honor gradually slipping away beneath them..." An Su''s voice grew deeper. Just shut up already! It was so hard to suppress this! Priest Paxi wanted to cut off An Su''s magic microphone. "Alice, Shana, and Rosen..." As if calling roll for the underworld, An Su read out one name after another, and every saint he called felt an unbearable shame. Is this guy a demon? The reporters hastily jotted down names in their notebooks. Yeah, let''s write that these people all peed their pants and cried for their mothers. "I will not forget their sacrifice," An Su spoke with solemn gravity, "But I cannot tolerate that all these sacrifices only led to such an outcome; it can hardly be counted as a victory." So many churchgoers were offered, yet the rewards were scant; An Su was greatly dissatisfied. "I shall continue to advance," The tone of An Su''s voice steadily rose to an energetic pitch, his arms waving about, his movements filled with vigor, "Have you ever understood how much a churchgoer''s life is worth in the Church of the Mother Goddess in terms of life points?" "Three life points." That was knowledge from the church textbook, but ordinary folks had never been exposed to such information, and upon hearing this harsh number, many were bewildered and disconcerted. It was a shocking revelation. The veil was brutally pierced by An Su, leaving the masses shocked and stunned. So many... no wonder the Esoteric Religion hunts down Orthodox believers, many citizens secretly thought. So few... no wonder the Esoteric Religion fares so poorly, An Su thought to himself. "You might say, Mr. Chenxing, I need a blessing from the goddess. Yes, you''re right, blessings are indeed too important. But I have to tell you, there is something in this world that''s even more important than life, and that is freedom! That is dignity!" The churchgoers need to train well, so they can fetch a good price when offered; just three life points really is downright shameful! No dignity at all. "As long as the banner of the Painful Esoteric Sect still flutters over the Nether World, our dignity is nonexistent! As long as those Chaos Followers, those followers of the life creed, rampage across our lands, our dignity is nonexistent!" Esoteric believers could offer a good price; An Su wanted to offer all the esoteric believers in Nether World. "What we need is not just a blessing from the goddess! We need a radiant future! An ordered world!" Not just the goddess''s blessings, An Su would also take those from the Mother Goddess. "It''s not achieved through begging or protest, but through iron and blood!" An Su''s words seemed to possess magic, filled with the passion that stirs hearts. Each sentence he emphasized swelled with rhythm, and every shout that reached to the marrow seeped deep into the minds of the common believers. Their infectivity continued to spread among the crowd. "We shall pioneer, in unknown territories, in uninhabited regions, throughout the vast world." "I, An Su Moningsta, have become the Nether Bishop of Seden Town," "I hope some of you will walk this path with me," "My fellow kin," The previous lines were all a buildup; his last sentence was An Su''s ultimate goal. After the world stabilized, even ordinary believers could enter the world fragments, but, ultimately, world fragments were far from reality, and few civilians wished to go there. Seden Town''s church construction needed oxen and horses to build! Even more, it lacked believers to preach. He intended to trick people into going there. You''re not working for An Su, but for a radiant future! Of course, An Su would still pay double the wages, as money was the least of his concerns. The public gazed at An Su on the stage, the splendid celestial light pouring over him, making the young man appear so divine. Many youths became impassioned, An Su''s speech was so compelling, they began to shout together, "Morning star! Morning star! Morning star!" "We don''t fight for sacrifice, we fight for radiance! We are not machines, not oxen, not horses, we are people! The undying children of God!" Sarch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. An Su spouted utter nonsense through his speech, placing his left hand gently against his chest, his right index finger drawing a cross, then opening his palm to extend outwardthis was the benediction ritual of the Radiant Holy See. "My fellow kin, glory to the light, forevermore!" Moved by the speech, the attending believers joined in the chanting, "Glory to the light, forevermore!" "Glory to the light, forevermore!" Watching the fervent An Su beside her, Luojia silently facepalmed, What happened to being introverted? After the speech concluded, it was time for the divine blessing. An Su stepped forward, maintaining the pose of the Holy Light, as Celestial Priests also activated the terminal to communicate with the divine, converging their sacred gazes on this spot. Behind him, Lister and Arthur followed suit. One second, two seconds... they waited a full half-minute. Why is there a delay this time... the Celestial Priests wondered, has it gotten lost? Finally, after another dozen seconds, the blessing descended. Due to a perfect score, An Su received an epic blessing from the Radiant Goddess, while Lister and Arthur got faith points and a usual blessing. The blessings were unique magics, also known as epic magics. They were designed according to the performance in the Nether World, automatically adapting to the recipient''s personality. Rather than saying it was given by the goddess, it would be more accurate to say it was crafted by An Su himself. The Radiant Goddess''s blessing was: [Holy Light Praise] [Holy Light Praise] [Blessing Domain Magic] [Unique Magic (Epic Magic)] [Consumes three magic power points (originally three, epic magic, unaffected by Child of the Curse''s negative effects)] [Effect: In the domain range, for every Cultist who dies, five magic power points are restored, lasting for ten minutes] [Note: Mr. An Su Moningsta is a devout believer of the Holy Light. After many years of research, he has found that Holy Light comes in many forms, among which the killing light is a rare branch of the Holy Light] It feels like this could team up with [Life Sacrifice] to become an eternal sacrifice engine... An Su mused internally. At the same time, the rewards for hunting Cultists were granted to An Su. All told, there were a whopping one hundred and twenty faith points. Later, when he visited the church to exchange them, it would be enough to raise An Su''s Rank to the Third Order, "From the beginning to the end." An Su prepared to make his closing statements. He looked at the zealous crowd around him and said with conviction, "I, An Su Moningsta, am the most loyal believer of the Radiant Goddess." . Meanwhile, in a place even more distant than the borderlands. In the Northern Continent, The Avad Empire, the land of esoteric religion. In the third church of the Painful Esoteric Sect, fourth district. A similar ceremony was taking place. Although almost all of the infiltrated companions had perished, the Painful Priests were indifferent. Because the saints had been annihilated, too. However, they were now somewhat perplexed, gazing at the top name on the leaderboard, the Painful Cultist with the highest number of converts. They fell into deep thought. Now, they were searching for a mysterious man known as the Painful Confidant. Chapter 92 An Su is also the Number One in the Painful Esoteric Sect! The Avad Empire had completely fallen under the control of the Seven Great Mystical Sects.But its capital was not in ruins. On the contrary, it had reached another level of ''extreme prosperity''. The steel city soared high into the clouds, casting vast shadows; Magic Trains snaked through the streets, emitting foggy plumes of smoke, enshrouding the entire city in a haze, the great metropolis functioning like a ceaselessly operating machine, with life as the fuel for its workings. The power source of the Magic Train differed from Phalos''s Magic Power batteries, where none required a first-level Magician to charge the batteries, in the last carriage lay rows upon rows of incubators, where humans were soaked, as the Alchemic Magic Circle extracted their flesh and blood for fuel. This was indeed an invention of the Alchemic Esoteric Sect. The Seven Great Mystical Sects had a complete grip on the kingdom, deciding on the nation''s operations through a form of council as well. In the heart of the City-State, the third church of the Painful Esoteric Sect stood tall, its corridors made of white bones and fresh blood, with the Astral Terminal at the end of the hallway emitting a faint glow. Their Astral Terminal, unlike that of the Church, was entirely connected by flesh and blood. The Serpent of Pain, Assyria.Xius, stepped out from the Astral Terminal. He didn''t look too well. sea??h th N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Mainly because the evaluation given by the Celestial Messenger was quite baffling... [A Serpent that Devours Crap A: Death is not the end, but the beginning. Numerous Believers murmur your revered name in low voicesin bathrooms, in wilderness, in deserted corners, trembling. Your death brings fear, and fear is the breeding ground for pain] [Pain Score thirty, weighted score sixty] The scoring of the Painful Esoteric Sect differed from that of the Radiant Holy See; it was all about the suffering caused to those around. Snakes behind latrines caused many Cultists to lose sleep in terror, hence Assyria''s score went up as well. What the hell is this supposed to be!Assyria.Xius couldn''t accept this. What on earth did he accomplish in Seden Town! What the hell did he devour! He had lost his memory, but when he vaguely recalled, he was shrouded with a sense of inexplicable embarrassment. With such an embarrassing achievement, he considered whether to commit suicide again... Although his score wasn''t bad, he was not number one this time. He ranked fourth; the third was called [Suffering Hound], the second [Suffering Falcon], Assyria narrowed his eyes, gazing at the name on the screen, that legendary first place: [Pain Confidant] [Pain Score one hundred, weighted score one hundred, overall evaluation A] Because he failed in the contest for the world, the overall evaluation was only A. Because An Su wasn''t registered amongst the Believers, his real name wouldn''t show up, but a code name was used instead, and correspondingly, the achievements he attained in the Esoteric Religion were disclosed to the public. These are invisible within the Celestial Church. There was another set of criteria for judgmentbased on the value of the pain caused. [The Bane of the Church''s Heart S: One hundred and twenty Orthodox Church members sacrificed under his influence. All saints in Seden Town were wiped out.] [Land without History A: Under his influence, the hygiene standard of Sorrowful Cult''s school reached an all-time high, the pain value of the Cultists reached an all-time high.] [Art of Sacrifice S: After sacrificing everyone, he sacrificed himself as well, successfully maximizing the pain value for all humanity] Where did this freak come from? All priests were pondering over one question. Perhaps he sneaked in from the Mother Goddess Sect? The Mother Goddess Sect is the most scattered and self-serving among the seven great sects, lacking even a formal Church structure. Although the Parliament reserved seats for them, it was merely a facade. They are all disorganized drifters, so it''s not surprising they pulled off this stunt. Most importantly, the Mother Goddess''s gaze had passed over earlier, as if to bestow a blessing. But finding no one, she left. This was quite preferential treatment. If this remarkable man known as the Heart of Pain could be brought into one''s own fold, he certainly could be developed into a significant social misfit. "The Heart of Pain, huh..." What the priests didn''t know was that the matter of Seden Town was being discussed by the lower house at this very moment. A second-tier world that could actually stir the lower house. This is the highest echelon of the city-state, with walls adorned by eerie and exquisite frescoes, painted throughout with blood as the pigment. A long table made of bone material occupied the entire chamber, surrounded by seven chairs. "The Sorrowful Cult has failed." A mocking and seductive voice rang out, her face indiscernible, the high-backed chair''s patterns twisted lines and Scales of Order, the very emblem of Chaos and the Ladder Sect, "Franz, representative of the lower house~" "We''ve just received word," the man named Franz replied calmly to the laughter, the pattern on his chair bone white, the sign of a Cultist of Pain, "Seden Town has been completely fixed." "Seden Town is not important." Another figure spoke slowly, his voice ethereal and prolonged, with a deathly cold as if a living corpse were speaking, "What''s important is the ''information''the telegrams sent to the Legion of Pain across different spacetimes." "It points us to the place we seek, that lost border world, the kingdom forgotten by historythe Kingdom of Chaos." Border worlds, a type of the Nether World. Belonging neither to the Church nor to the Esoteric Religion, they are undiscovered fragments of the world. "We have never obtained this piece of the puzzle, and we never will." The lower house fell silent. "An Su Moningsta, a lovely name~" the woman of the Chaos Sect uttered this name, "to become the Nether Bishop of Seden Town." Her crimson eyes gazed at the photograph of the beautiful young man on the document, taken at the time of An Su''s inaugural speech. Watching his earnest and sacred pupils, "I really want to see him fall. I really want to witness his bewildered look," her eyes excited and full of desire, she breathed heavily, "Chaos, chaos is the ladder to the world!" "Chaos is the universe''s most primal state, chaos! What a marvelous pleasure!" "Anyway, we must lay claim to Seden Town." The Cultist of Pain drew a conclusion, "An Su Moningsta, no matter how devout a saint he is, we shall make him fall. This is something your Chaos Sect excels at." "The era of chaos is about to begin." Today is An Su Moningsta''s first day as an official saint As per the ritual, he must first bathe in Holy Water in the sanctuaryessentially just a bathhouse. After quickly washing up, he casually issued a decree. [Exposure of the body here is forbidden] Several saints, unable to control themselves, ran naked from the bathhouse, pulling on their pants as they went. Heh, quite amusing. Chapter 93 Another Win-Win Day for An Su! Everyone knows.Public bathhouses are public places. Everyone knows. Nudity in public places goes against public order and good morals, representing chaotic behavior that contradicts order. Therefore, nudity is not allowed in public bathhouses. [Nudity is prohibited here.] An Su enacting this law was both sensible and in keeping with order. It was also to create a harmonious and beautiful atmosphere of faith. The morning air was just right, and the thin mist that once enshrouded the canopy of the sky was dispersed by the rising sun, revealing the azure heavens. The first rays of sunshine through the window fell upon An Su''s clean visage, his gray-white hair still damp and gleaming. A refreshing morning marked the start of a beautiful day. For An Su, today was another day to uphold order. His mood was rather good. Casually donning a clean white robe, he wiped his still-wet hair with a towel while Miss Enya''s voice came from outside the door, "Do you need me to help you wash?" "...No need," An Su answered from inside. "Hmm?" The maid''s voice carried a trace of surprise, "I thought you wanted to unlock a new place." "...What new place?" An Su always felt this person was thinking about something strange. "You just dispersed those bathers and idlers, wasn''t it to create an environment with no one around?" Miss Enya calmly stated, "But to do that in the sanctuary... That place is indeed rather bold." She spoke such taboo words with an indifferent expression. The harmonious atmosphere that had been so hard to build up was instantly shattered. "..." An Su was very curious about what was going on in the maid''s mind. "Ah, or do you want to do it in front of the goddess statue?" Miss Enya continued to speak her mind from outside. Such blasphemy. "I''m coming out," An Su put down the towel and opened the door to step out. Enya was leaning against the wall of the baptistery, clad in a light-colored pleated skirt and open-toed high heels. Seeing her master emerge, she stood up from the wall and followed An Su out. "The Radiant Holy See sent your appointment notice yesterday; you are now officially the bishop of Seden Town. At the same time, for the convenience of your administration, the Celestial Church has also granted you the adaptive status of Seden Town''s legislative officer." Though her head was lowered slightly, Miss Enya''s professional standards were unquestionable. She reported the assorted affairs methodically, and An Su listened earnestly. "At the same time, ''The Capital Morning Post'' would like to interview you," she added. "Interview me about becoming the bishop of Seden?" "Not exactly, they''re interested in your entrepreneurial journey," Miss Enya replied smoothly, "Unknown to you, after your promotional speech yesterday, the ''Peace for the Holy Infant'' brand baby products were an instant hit," "By that evening alone, ten incontinent saints had purchased diapers, and the slogan ''A saint''s first step, An Su diapers'' has become a reality. Now several Alchemical Companies are hoping to collaborate with you." "Your spokesman Kavensis even held a press conference overnight, emphasizing the key importance of this crucial item for saints and even made projections for the future," "''Wearing ''Peace for the Holy Infant'' into Astro-World will become a trend, especially when teaming up with Chenxing.''so he claimed." Kavensis must also be starting a business in the underworld, huh? An Su knew immediately it was Lister at work. Talk about full service. In the Nether World, he offered up his brothers-in-arms, earning their life points and leaving them with terrible psychological scars, Then in the real world, he sold them diapers, making money off his brothers again. Virtual or real, he profited from both worlds. Utilizing the informational advantage within Astro-World, he established a new production chain in the real world consisting of the process: sacrifice - scare - sell. An Su needed Gold Coins right now. "How''s that matter coming along?" An Su inquired. "Forty ordinary citizens and forty ordinary believers have applied for the job, ten copper coins per day for each, and they are expected to head to Seden Town today." One Gold Coin equals a hundred copper coins; the two thousand Gold Coins An Su brought could hire them for about a year. Exactly until the end of An Su''s term. Of course, if he continued to recruit, that might not be enough. Moreover, ordinary people are just that, ordinary. They could work on the construction of the church and manage affairs but lacked any real fighting ability. So then, which creatures in this world, possess both power and the talent for deception, charge a low fee, or even offer their labor for free, and do so without complaint? Of course, it''s An Su''s brothers in arms. The smile on An Su''s lips grew ever more serene, as warming as the morning sunlight. "All the prospective saints of this year have been eliminated, right?" An Su spoke slowly, "They need to wait for next year''s saint examination; there''s a one-year gapAnd I just so happen to have a one-year tenure. Isn''t it curious how things work out?" Miss Enya fell silent. She seemed to guess what An Su wanted to do. An Su''s tone was laced with a thick sentiment of comradeship, reflective of his unique consideration for others, and he said earnestly and responsibly, "I cannot abandon them. As comrades who have fought together, I will never leave any brother behind, no matter our shared fortunes or misfortunes; we will stand together." "...So you mean," Miss Enya instantly understood An Su''s implication, tilting her head slightly, "you actually want to hire them to work for you cheaply?" No wonder Count Karlo was so fixated on his master inheriting the family fortune, Miss Enya thought to herself. The young master was born for this sort of thing. "Employ them? Please don''t say something so worldly." I''m giving them a job, do I need to pay as well? Why should they get all the good stuff! The smile on An Su''s lips remained, brimming with humanity, "I''m here to help them." "How do you plan to help them?" "Of course, by aiding their studieshelping them pass the saint''s test next year. I call it the ''Saints'' Study Group''." Also known as the college entrance examination crash course. An Su seriously announced his plan, "On the outskirts of Town Seden, there is an old site called the ''Legion of Pain Academy.'' With a bit of renovation, it would serve perfectly as the site for the Saints'' Study Group." You''re planning to use an existing Esoteric Religion stronghold... to cultivate saints? What will that breed? Miss Enya''s pupils dilated slightly, even for a maid as calm and collected as her, she could not help but admire her master''s ingenious idea. Generally, when a Nether Bishop takes office, the first thing he does is to completely eradicate Esoteric Religion buildings, burn them down, and hold a holy ceremony for three days and nights, finally purifying the contamination. But An Su directly started recycling what others would consider waste. Not only did he not purge the evil presence, but he also decided to set up a tutoring class in its stead. "I will personally act as the president of the society. Lister and Arthur will be the vice presidents. With such a teaching lineup, it will certainly be attractive to their family heads," An Su spoke firmly and righteously, "Under the guidance of the top three, they are sure to pass next year''s saint test. Meanwhile, it''s only reasonable for them to complete some duties they''re obligated to." "Let me guess, you''re planning to charge them money, aren''t you?" Miss Enya hazarded a guess at An Su''s next move, "Their families must be very wealthy." "That would be the progress fund," An Su corrected Enya''s supposed grammatical error, "We are still talking about money!" "Don''t mention such vulgar things as money." Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the dancing tree shadows, casting its glow on An Su''s exquisite profile. The boy''s smile was warmer than the sunlight, but the most important reason was that, the holy Array in the center of the Legion of Pain Academy still existed. His position as ''Legion Commander of Pain'' was still reserved for him, giving him the authority to activate the Array. No one knew about this. As long as he collected Pain, it could be offered to the Mother Goddess of Pain, and in return, receive Pain''s blessings. And the pain of the saints was the most valuable of all. How to make the students suffer? An Su had plenty of experience, and he was confident he could do even better. The Painful Esoteric Sect had been too conservativeHe would launch a brand-new ''Morning Star Mode''. Undoubtedly, this was what you would call a ''win-win'' situation. Sar?h the ovlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The Mother Goddess of Pain would receive suffering, winning once, The prospective saints would all pass next year''s examinations, winning another time, And An Su would win twice! Chapter 94 The school rule is Pursue Excellence Radiant Holy See, the Ninth Church, the Third Division.The shadows of the trees swayed. In the Falor Imperial Capital, the Radiant Holy See had a total of nine churches, each overseeing different affairs, and the Third Division of the Ninth Church was responsible for the personnel movements of the Radiant Holy See. The Ninth Church was very lively today. The day before yesterday, the news that nearly all the believers died in the church world dominated the newspapers. This also revealed a hidden message: they had completely failed their third examination. And the third examination comprised a full forty percent of the total score. This meant that the vast majority of the believers had failed in this Holy Saints test, and they would have to wait until next year''s exam. For the various academies in the Imperial Capital, this was extremely good news as they all smelled the opportunity to make money. Even some education experts who had been swimming in the private world, upon hearing such big news, began to entertain the thought of making a comeback. The families of prospective saints lacked nothing but money; taking in these heartbroken candidates and blindly coaching them for a year could easily bring enormous wealth. So since early in the morning, the Ninth Church had been packed with faculty from various academies. They waited with bated breath. But, having waited from morning until noon, they still hadn''t seen a single saint willing to enroll. Instead, they saw quite a few noble parents. The families qualified for the saint entrance tests were not just wealthy but also connected to the interior of the Church; they were either the distinguished counts and viscounts of the Imperial Capital or the bureaucratic class such as ruling officials. Stodgy, solemn, traditional, valuing noble honor. They all represented the upper echelons of the Imperial Capital. At this moment, the expressions of these dignitaries and nobles were far from pleasant. Their children had failed across the board, and they had to prepare for a second attempt. This was a complete disgrace! A few of the Imperial Capital''s counts talked in low voices, "Have you read the newspaper..." "That An Su Moningsta founded an academy?" "I remember that name." "It''s this year''s top scholar, the young man who scored double full marks, who''s already become Nether Bishop." "''Radiance of Order'', I recall this title broke the record of Merlin the Mage King." "He''s also from the frontier, certainly a man both plain and hardworking!" "In that case, why don''t we go and ask?" In just two short days, the name An Su had spread throughout the Imperial Capital and even caught the eye of the upper echelons. After all, a fourteen-year-old Nether Bishop had already broken the record for the youngest bishop. This was certainly more reliable than many educational institutions. An Su''s speech that day was also published in the newspapers, and the nobility were reassured after reading it. It would definitely be better than those money-grubbing institutions. By the way, they could also get to know this new star of the Imperial Capital. But the saints nearby, upon hearing their own fathers planning to hand them over to An Su, instinctively became frightened, their shoulders trembling, some even starting to shrink back timidly, "Father, I do not wish to go." Though they didn''t understand why they felt afraid. But who would have thought, seeing their children like this, the viscounts and counts were even more excited, more convinced that Bishop Ansu would be able to take charge properly. Their offspring had been born into noble families, spoiled and arrogant since childhood, inherently prideful, not obedient to the teachings of Church educators. The more afraid the student is of the teacher, the better they learn! The traditional nobles naturally had the most traditional views on education, and immediately slapped the latter and dragged them over forcefully, "Even if you don''t want to, you must go!" They were already very angry. The fact that the holy test was failed and they still dared to talk terms! So the education experts could only watch helplessly as the candidates were dragged away, crying and calling for their mothers while being taken. "...." They might as well go back to the private world to write books... the education experts thought to themselves. It just so happened that the fourth volume of "The Forbidden Love between the Child of the Curse and the Maid" was out, maybe they could ride the wave... By the time the counts arrived at the recruitment hall rented by An Su, a long line had already formed outside. After all, personal tutoring by the top scholar was desirable in any world. "Next, Alice Sean." A clear youthful voice came from inside. Instantly, a buzz swept through the crowd. The Xien Family was here too? That magic family? It was as if the devil had called her name; Alice shivered uncontrollably upon hearing An Su''s voice and looked at her sister beside her with pleading eyes. sea??h th n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "An Su''s understanding of magic power exceeds my own," said the talented witch of the Xien Family, unwilling to admit it, "You''re sure to gain something from this." Ai Xueli encouraged her, "You can''t lose the noble demeanor of the Xien Family." He''s just someone from the backwater, nothing to be afraid of... Alice bit her thin lips lightly and rose elegantly to her feet. Dressed in a pleated aristocratic gown with alchemic earrings crafted by a top artisan swinging gently in the wind, the idle autumn light enveloped her delicate profile as she slowly relaxed her mouth into a perfect ladylike smile, displaying the gracefulness of nobility in every move. She pushed open the door and walked in. She would overcome her inner demons with the aura of a superior being. She pushed open the door. "Lord Morningstar, greetings," Alice said elegantly. "Take off the earrings," An Su spoke calmly, "Piercing your ears at such a young age, truly shameless!" A blow to the head. Alice froze. What the heck? "These, these are magic items," Alice weakly defended. She was baffled, slightly annoyed, but at the same time, inexplicably felt a bit guilty. There was something about the way An Su spoke that was oppressively authoritative. "Magic earrings are still earrings! These things will only distract you from your studies!" "If you don''t take them off, then don''t bother coming," An Su stared straight at her. Alice bit her lip and removed the alchemic earrings dangling from her ears. An Su took out a small box, "Put them in here, and I''ll keep them safe for you for the time being." For the time being I won''t use them. I''ll return them to you after a year. Recalling the instructions from the organization, Alice steeled her heart and placed the alchemic earrings into the box. "This is the school uniform." An Su then slowly took out a stack of clothes from the table, It was a fabric that would feel very nice on the skin. Thick cotton pants for women, a simple and unadorned gray top, a plaid shirt that provided a sense of securitythese were the female school uniforms from An Su''s previous life. The winter is coming edition. "?" Alice stared at these old-fashioned and ugly clothes in disbelief. "At our school, you will have to wear this uniform from now on," An Su said calmly. Are you a devil... Alice looked at An Su with eyes filled with despair. Her noble temperament would be completely ruined! For the mission... she bit her teeth and endured. "Now, sign this enrollment contract," An Su took out a contract from the file bag, "and you will be enrolled." Alice examined the contract carefully, noticing that everything appeared normal. The only requirement of the contract was to ''strive for excellence'', to achieve erudition, integrity, cooperation, and ambition. This didn''t seem too difficult. What Alice didn''t know was that the contract she was signing embodied the motto of Hengshui Holy Academy from her past life. And even less did she know, what kind of future was waiting for her. Chapter 95 When Everyone is in Pain, That is Equality An Su did not charge any tuition fees.Despite many traditional nobles wanting to give him Gold Coins, they were all righteously declined by An. This traditional practice had long been eliminated by the times. From the beginning, he disliked money, An Su had no interest in money. As he said, everything he did was for his brothers and sisters, for a bright future. This speech touched the hearts of various parents who all praisingly exclaimed: such an honest and industrious frontier problem-solver is truly the hope of the Church! They felt even more reassured about An Su. An Su truly did not collect any tuition fees, as such filthy external things would defile the devout hearts of saints, He even told the traditional nobles that the reason why the saints failed the Nether exam was because they were influenced by external things. Coveting vanity. Admiring flashy exteriors. Competing in dress and adornment. It was precisely these distractions, which weakened their faith, that led to the students'' failure! The nobles found themselves in heartfelt agreement. S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Indeed, students should look like students! So, in just one morning, An Su confiscated three strings of intermediate stage alchemic pendants, two low-rank alchemic rings, a Radiant Order Bracelet, and three Druid earringsof course, as a bishop, An Su would never take the saints'' possessions, He was merely safeguarding them. After they completed the saint''s exam in a year, he would return them. If they did not trust him, they could make a contract. After all, in a year''s time, An''s Rank would be too high to require these lower-rank adornments. When An Su declared this with an air of nobility, his gaze was stern and his expression was holy, sincerity shone from his greenish-blue eyesconvincing the traditional nobles, who all agreed there was no need for a contract, the young man should just keep them. The education experts present, after witnessing An''s actions, were utterly dumbfounded: Who would have expected such an innovative approach? How could he be even better at persuasion than themselves? Some eager-to-learn experts immediately took out their notebooks and began taking notes. Next, An Su proposed an innovative system. ''Boarding system'' Basking in the radiant sunlight, An Su emphasized the superiority of the boarding system, explaining that the reason for the nobility''s lax behavior was due to their comfortable home environment and the lack of centralized management. Six days of boarding each week, with the option to go home on weekends. Spending mornings and nights together would foster relationships among companions, living and learning collectively makes it easy to develop a sense of community, unity, and cooperationall indispensable virtues for a saint. As for the boarding location, An Su told them that it needed to be a place isolated from the outside world, undisturbed by the hustle and bustle, and the learning paradise he shared without asking for anything in return was his private church world, Seden Town. An Su intended to kidnap these individuals to the Nether World, creating his own exquisite pain. He even promised that if there was a single candidate saint who failed the saint''s test or the terrifying challenges of the Nether World next year, An Su would compensate a thousand Gold Coins in return. An Su was very confident. Because he believed that his own school would be even more terrifying than the Nether World. Seeing An Su so professional and advanced, the parents signed contracts with him on the spot, where An Su had the responsibility to ensure the safety of the candidate saints, and at the same time, the candidates were obliged to follow An Su''s management. When the sun set and the twilight stained the mountains, all the procedures were completed, and a total of eighty candidate saints chose to enroll. What surprised An Su was that, in addition to Alice from the Alchemical Church, even Rosen from the Order Church had enrolled. After giving this batch of supplies... after changing the new students into the most suitable skin for learning, they were all taken to Seden Town. The original Pain Dry School had already been renovated by An Su. First, he had all those heaps of taboo and evil materials such as bones and flesh dug out, but An Su did not plan to discard them. After cleaning them, he renamed the room where the materials were stored to "Druid Biological Laboratory". He soaked the bones in a medicinal solution, labeled them, and they became biological specimens. For those evil Magic Eyes that filled the dry school with surveillance, and the room that controlled them, An Su had people paint them white and added a signboard, naming it ''School Security Booth''. Because the Pain Dry School had once been a battlefield, filled with human resentment, An Su didn''t deal with it but built the dormitories in places with heavy yin energy, directly suppressing it with the yang energy of the saints. It was standard practice in a past life to build schools over graveyards. Flowers and plants were planted in places where the dead lay, nourished by flesh and blood, they grew lush and robust. The dry school playground was covered with a lawn, engraved stones with the school regulations, ''Pursue Excellence'', and the dilapidated and gloomy buildings were painted white. Propaganda slogans like ''Strive for improvement every day'' were posted everywhere. Suddenly, the entire Pain Dry School became bright and sunny, To anyone looking, this didn''t seem like an old den of Esoteric Religion. The next day, they just waited for the saints to enroll. That day the sunshine was clear, the campus was quiet and beautiful, birds sang among the fragrant flowers, and the shadows of trees swayed with the sunlight twinkling through. When they came here from the real world, the first thing they saw was a brightly shining school gate with the words "Saints'' Study Group" inscribed in large letters. As soon as Alice stepped into the academy, she felt goosebumps all over, an inexplicable fear filling her soul. Even though the academy was so sunny, Alice always felt that there seemed to be some great horror lurking inside. More than a few saints with severe psychological shadows immediately burst into tears, Although they had lost their memories, deep in their souls, they still retained a fear of this place, of course, no matter how they refused or explained, their traditionally noble parents also traditionally said: "It''s all just an excuse not to go to school!" Looking at these embarrassing moments of the Low Rank nobles, Especially those from poor, rural nobilities, Alice took a slow breath. There was a hierarchy in society, and there was also a hierarchy within the academy. From the first day of birth, from the first moment they stepped into the academy, the hierarchy of nobility was already formed. She was different from these people. As a major noble of the old Phalos, Alice had to show her authority from the top, and had to establish her rank on the first day, with a light snort: "Country bumpkins really are..." The reason Alice came here was simple, to defeat An Su and take back the dignity and honor of her family. She hadn''t finished speaking when she heard a calm voice from a boy behind her. Hearing that voice, Alice shuddered all over, feeling fear from the depths of her soul. "In the Training Society, everyone is equal," An Su said slowly. "Miss Alice, this is the first lesson I''m giving you." Alice wanted to retort. "Copy the school rules five hundred times," An Su said. "Then, have it copied a thousand times." "...I''m sorry." [Intermediate Stage Saint. Alice. Pain Value Increase 0.1] After gaining the Legion Commander''s authority, he felt a connection to the Pain Array at the center of the Esoteric Religion. The Pain Array was absorbing the pain value, and An Su''s smile became even brighter. In the Training Society, everyone is equal, regardless of your status outside, they all had to equally provide suffering for Bishop An Su! Chapter 101 "I Command You to be Admitted to the Radiant Holy See! What an interesting fellow. Ael wasn''t afraid, instead, she found it even more amusing. As the Chaotic Saintess, she was naturally driven to seek pleasure as her goal. The so-called mission was just a way to seek pleasure, nothing more. Failure was failure; it didn''t matter to her at all. Even if An Su possessed the so-called ''Chaos of the Good'', it was of no use against Ael. Her soul would soon leave this body. She was actually quite curious about what kind of excessive suggestion An Su would make to her. An Su shook the pendant, the gem sparkling with magnificent light between shadows, shining into Ael''s eyes, her consciousness gradually leaning towards confusion, her pupils slowly losing their luster, "Next, you will answer whatever I ask," An Su said. "Ael." "Age." "Sixteen." "Gender." "Obviously, I''ve taken a girl''s body," Ael rolled her eyes. Though she was in a state of answering whatever was asked, she still retained her consciousness. "That''s why I need to ask clearly," An Su narrowed his eyes, his gaze sharp as if X-ray vision, "In our hometown, men usually use female avatars." "...Female," Ael felt that An Su''s home was far more chaotic than the Sanctuary of Chaos. What a bizarre custom. "What is your purpose?" An Su asked, "borate a bit." "Three thousand years ago, the Kingdom of Chaos went to war with the gods. After that, the Era of Chaos ended, and the kingdom sank into Nether World, bing a vast border world." "The true secret of the Era of Chaos''s destruction is hidden within the Nether World." "Seden Town, controlled by the Painful Esoteric Sect, is the world fragment closest to the Kingdom of Chaos. ording to historical records, spies nurtured in the town participated in the infiltration of the Kingdom of Chaos." "Seden Town is the key to unlocking the Kingdom of Chaos, it is one of the three fragments." "Having thoroughlypleted Seden Town, time would also continue to flow normally. Next, the ''mission to proceed to the Kingdom of Chaos'' wille, won''t it?" Ael said to An Su.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om So that was it. In simple terms, it was a massive instance. An Su noticed that the soul inhabiting Alice''s body was fading, and it seemed he needed to take action while the body was still warm. He then instructed Enya to hold that despicable soul down as he was about to do something bad to Ael. The smile on his face grew more chilling. Merely brainwashing, Ael snorted with disdain in her mind. Although she had lost control of her body, she wasn''t afraid. Let An Su do whatever he wanted to her. An Su couldn''t possibly issue outrageousmands like ''explode your soul immediately'' or ''recognize An Su as your master'', as that would only trigger the anti-hypnosis mechanism, making her immediately wake up. No matter how vile and corrupt the brainwashing was, the Chaotic Saintess wouldn''t be afraid. Once out, she could easily lift it, leaving perhaps just a little after-effect. The Mysticism of Chaos also had a great advantage in the field of anti-hypnosis. The more evil and excessive the instruction, the easier it was for them to untangle it. "Listen, Ael...listen to my voice, follow mymand." The Chaos of the Good emitted a slight tremor, An Su''s voice was deep and maic, echoing in Ael''s ears, prating deep into her soul, "Imand you to go to bed early and rise early every day," An Su said, "Your daily routine must be regr." "..." Ael was stunned. She never expected An Su to give such an order. The origins of the faith of the Seven Great Mystical Sects actually had their own histories, and within those, there were secrets unknown to others. As stated in the Mass Codex, before the dawn of time, gods wandered between the spiritual realms, their gazes not fixed on the mortal world. Seven children of humanity touched the taboo,mitted the seven primal sins, and thus attracted the anchor point of the Evil God. For instance, the first follower of the Painful Esoteric Sect loved to be addicted to being whipped, and one time, after getting too carried away, died from theshings, thereby drawing the attention of the Mother Goddess, and the sect came to be known as the Esoteric Religion of Pain and Blood. As for the very first follower of the Mysticism of Chaos, they peeked every day at the whipping games next door, leaving them with an erratic sleep schedule, and one day, distracted, fell down the stairs to their death, attracting the gaze of the Evil God, and the sect was hence known as the Esoteric Religion of Chaos and Stairways. Therefore, the followers of the Sanctuary of Chaos have always had irregr daily routines. Addicted to chaos. If they themselves weren''t chaotic, how could they receive the blessings of the Mother Goddess of Chaos? Making a Chaos Follower go to bed early and rise early every day was worse than killing her! "Imand you to eat your meals on time, three times a day," An Su said slowly, his smile as brilliant as the afternoon sun, "Study on time every day, andplete at least three sets of papers." [Pain Value from Second-Order Saint Alice increased by ten] Elf''s eyes now fully showed terror, she had never been so afraid before, desperately trying to struggle free, her soul also frantically trying to leave her body, You bastard... you can''t do this... Even if the brainwashing were to be removedter, there would still be a lingering effect. And An Su''smands weren''t too excessive. They were even positive and encouraging. "You can''t do this... No, please don''t." You could have hypnotized me to do X, then make me do Y every day, and finally Z, that''d be fine, but you can''t make her do homework every day! Since when does a Chaotic Saintess do homework every day! She''ll be expelled from the Esoteric Religion! Elf''splexion turned crimson, she felt her soul progressing upwards, stepping up and forward, But she didn''t want to love this life; her nature was to be chaotic and evil, a member of an Esoteric Sect. Flesh and spirit seemed oddly separated, which brought endless torture. This odd pleasure from pain, she felt like she was about to ascend. It started to get to her head. ''The Chaos of the Good'', the radiance on the jewel dimmed even more, and cracks started to appear on its surface, clearly, hypnotizing a powerful being like Elf was pushing this High-Rank Sacred Relic to its limits. Sunlight flooded through the window, making An Su''s smiling face look more brilliant and pure. He slowly started to speak, uttering the final phrase, "Imand you to get epted into the Radiant Holy See next year." [Pain Value from Second-Order Saint Alice increased by thirty] Damn it. What''s this ''An Su encourages study''? Elf stared at An Su with a deathly gaze, determined to imprint this guy''s face in her heart. People from the Sanctuary of Chaos usually have a strong mental constitution, but An Su hadpletely breached Elf''s defenses. "An Su Moningsta." The crimson eyes reflecting An Su, she bit her lip, filled with deep resentment, "...just you wait." The voice was ice-cold, brimming with boundless anger and a hint of embarrassed resentment. Shepletely detached from the body, and Alice''s form wavered slightly before copsing onto the floor. "Holy Maiden is Holy Maiden, a single burst from her tops an entire pig farm in yield." An Su revealed a satisfied smile. He stood up, instructing Enya to clean up the aftermath. During this time, all of Alice''s memories would be preserved, Elf was not possessing another body, but her soul was temporarily fused with it, so for the past month, Alice was indeed studying at the schoolthis was rather difficult to handle, but An Su still had ways to deal with it. Offer it up. When a saint dies in the Church world, only their memories are erased. And just tell the parents that she wanted to use this trick to skip school. After sorting out the altar, the sunset outside was about to rest, and the night sky as dark as iron revealed the stars. An Su suddenly heard an unusual noise from the magic telegram, "Enya, there''s no need to send fake faxes anymore." "I haven''t been doing that," replied Enya. An Su turned to look at the telegram. [Legion Commander An Su Moningsta] [With no more than two guards, proceed to the northern part of Seden Town, the border city of the Kingdom of ChaosFarol] [A new mission awaits you] Seden Town was just a fragment of a world, not contiguous with its surroundings; it was impossible to go directly from Seden Town. But it was essible through the Astral Terminal. An Su found it amusing that now the imperial capital Farol, three thousand years ago...was actually the border of the Kingdom of Chaos? Could it be that the capital of the Kingdom of Chaos was? As he pondered, the voice of the Celestial Messenger resounded in An Su''s ears, [You have discovered an unregistered fragment of a world] [You have unlocked the coordinates to the world fragment] [Coordinates XC288378] ["The Free City of Light," one-third of the world fragment of the Kingdom of Chaos, has been unlocked] [World Rank: Fourth Order] Chapter 97 An Su Begins to Torment the Dead Souls "Boss." Bone scratched his own skull, "Three minutes might be too little. I can''t teach much.""I have a very efficient method. Just don''t resist," An Su responded. An Su took a small knife and gently sliced the tip of his finger, squeezing out a drop of blood, which he smeared on the crown of Bone''s skull. The blood acted as a catalyst, and instantly, Bone felt its spirit connected with An Su''s. Information could be transmitted through mind-voice. This was an initial-stage spell that An Su had newly acquired from the Painful Esoteric Altar, called "Friendly Pain Message." "Friendly Pain Message" "Pain-Related Magic" "Initial Auxiliary Category" "Magic Power Consumption: Two (originally four)" "Using blood as a contract, establish a mental communication with a teammate, sharing status, significantly improving the rate of information exchange. Moreover, the greater the pain one side is in, the stronger the signal and the more efficient the information transmission is." "Note: Pain is the proof of friendship!" Very characteristic of the Painful Esoteric Sect. Bone discovered it could now communicate with An Su using mind-voice, and the speed of information exchange was about three times the usual. Taking that into account, three minutes of teaching became nine minutes. "Nine minutes is barely enough." Bone chuckled, "It''s a pity we''re not in pain now. Otherwise, it could be even faster." An Su watched it with a smile. The High-Rank Priest suddenly felt an inexplicable chill, "An Boss?" "Illumination Skill" An Su then employed a very low-rank Holy Light magic, However, this magic was used on An Su himself, and the sacred halo quickly illuminated his entire body, For a moment, An Su looked like the Saint Heir descended from the gods, especially with the innocent smile at the corner of his mouth, which was particularly reminiscent of the Holy Light. "Holy Light Magic" "Initial Auxiliary Series" "Magic Power Consumption: Two (originally one)" "Effect: Create a source of light with Holy Light, which can be used for basic illumination, and at the same time, Holy Light also has a certain effect on dispersing spirits." "Note: Where the light shines, darkness can''t hide." "..." Bone was dumbfounded. If it were just the Illumination Skill, no matter how much was cast on it, it wouldn''t be afraid, being a High-Rank undead, and naturally immune to such trivial things due to its passive magic resistance; But it had foolishly made a blood contract with An Su just now, sharing statuses, and the Illumination Skill was used on An Su himself. The Holy Light easily entered An Su''s body and then shared this Holy Light state with the Priest. With a very smooth combo, it bypassed the magic resistance of its exterior. "Hiss hiss hissAhhhhhh." It felt as if its insides were nearly being burnt by the Holy Light, and it cried out in pain. An initial auxiliary magic, even after penetrating the magic resistance, couldn''t possibly cause Bone any harm. But it hurt! The pain Bone felt instantly strengthened the signal of "Friendly Pain Message," and their mental communication became even more efficient, skyrocketing by ten times, moving from 3G signal straight into the 5G era, turning three minutes of teaching time into half an hour. "A pain value of five from the High-Rank Priest has been added." "..." Bone stared at An Su lifelessly, its facial bones even manifesting a look of grievanceit was hard to imagine a skeletal frame could exhibit such expressive emotions. "All right, we have half an hour now," An Su still wore that innocent smile, speaking to it in his mind. "What would you like to learn?" asked Bone in its mind. "Custom magic." An Su said, "After reaching the Third Order saint, one can try to write their own Holy Light magic book. I''m a novice right now, and since you come from ancient times as a Life Priest, you must possess a lot of knowledge overlooked by the ages." An Su was eager to learn. He wanted to amalgamate the strengths of hundredsit was actually about cobbling together. Bone was a Demigod in its previous life, so its skill in creating custom magic was certainly very strong. Creating custom magic in the past world was somewhat nonsensical. Frankly, it was all about drawing cards, Based on player talent, knowledge as the foundation, consuming experience, consuming materials, to synthesize magic. Sometimes it was a fluke, sometimes divine. If one created a high-quality rare magic, it could even be presented to the corresponding goddess and become an official blessed magic. In the future, whenever a saint exchanges faith points for this magic, they will be able to extract at least ten percent in commission. But surely the game and the real world are different; it won''t be as simple as drawing cards. That''s why An Su says he''s a beginner. "Beginner... more like a newborn, right?" Bone looked at An Su and thought to himself, then realized, startled, that now his thoughts were connected to An Su''sweren''t his words going to reach the boss? [Illumination Skill] An Su felt the light was too dim and harmful for his eyes, so he cast Illumination Skill on himself again. Suddenly his head was as bright as a lightbulb, and Bone felt even more pain. Their bond of friendship became even stronger. [Suffering from a Priest of the Saint Rank increases by one] Sarch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. An Su didn''t deny that he was a newcomer; in fact, he quite agreed with this view, so to better corroborate Bone''s statement, he cast another lighteverything for the sake of their friendship. "The creation of magic is essentially based on imitation." Bone decided to re-establish some of the Demigod''s dignity, having once been the Azure Sorceress, who was best known for creating magic. Bone was very confident when discussing this field, "The essence of magic is magic power working through different circuits, matching and colliding to produce various effects. Each magic has its own unique magic corridor." "The more complex the magic corridor, the higher the rank of magic. Initial stage magic has one to three corridors, intermediate stage magic has four to ten, and High-Rank has more than ten." "To learn to create your own magic, you must first trace the simplest magic corridors;" "At the same time, even if you imitate the same corridor, the result will differ slightly due to your talent, knowledge, and experience, and these deviations are uncontrollable, sometimes good, sometimes bad." "Moreover, using your own created magic will not be affected by reductions due to one''s physical condition." Essentially, the epic magic [Holy Light Praise] that An Su obtained from the Nether World could also be considered his own creation, an invention based on his experiences in the Nether World. "To use humanity''s skills to imitate the blessings of gods is called creation." "To create, we must start with imitation," Bone said, "You can try to trace the simplest [Illumination Skill], which only has two corridors. Let''s see if you can replicate it." It extended its palm, and light traced through the air, sketching two magnificent routes out of nothing. Bone, in its previous life, was truly of Demigod Level. It understood the construction of the Illumination Skill''s circuits at a glance and displayed them. It was just a mere Illumination Skill. An Su believed that with his talent for Holy Light, he would certainly be able to do it. The actual operation could not be included in the telepathic communication. It needed to be timed with the normal flow of time. But An Su was quick in his actions. Children of the Curse are geniuses in the use of magic power. An Su controlled the magic power, tracing slowly along those routes; his talent in this area was not bad, and he quickly constructed the two corridors before slowly fusing them together. It only took him two minutes of real time to initially construct the corridors. Forty seconds remained until the summoning ended. In the space of telepathic communication, seven minutes were left. What followed entered an unpredictable realm. His knowledge, experiences, and talentsall were variables. "I did it," An Su announced happily. Bone Priest also showed surprise. An Su was indeed a genius; he had succeeded on his first try. Bone hurried to check. [X-ray Illumination Skill] [Unknown Property] [Magic Power Consumption: One] [Novice Healing White Magic] [Effect: Creates a source of X-rays that can be used for comprehensive lesion detection, while the X-rays also have a certain radiation effect on the human body] [Note: Mr. An Su Moningsta is a devout follower of Holy Light. After many years of research, he discovered that Holy Light is divided into many kinds, among which X-rays are a rare branch of Holy Light] "..." Bone Priest stared at An Su as if he were looking at an Evil God from another realm. An Su looked somewhat embarrassed. In his previous life, he studied medicine for five years and turned to gaming only after abandoning that path. His brain contained a wealth of knowledge in that area. This variable had affected the creation of magic. At the same time, he realized many pieces of knowledge and experiences from his previous life were unprecedented in this world. "Would the Church be willing to accept this... What kind of magic is this considered...?" An Su asked uneasily, "Radiance Series?" Bone remained silent for a long while before finally squeezing out a phrase, "Consider it An Su''s own Series." Chapter 98 Life Priest? Fertility Technician! It has been mentioned before that all types of magic creation can be both ghostly and divine at times.However, the ghosts in An Su''s system are brutal, and the gods are made of pure gold. "An, this could be given to the Healing Church, and who knows, it might get an official blessing from the goddess," said Bone. After some thought, Bone gave a fair assessment, "It might even catch fire, no... it will definitely catch fire, right?" That X-ray illumination spell, An Su had used it on Bone Priest. It clearly penetrated his outer clothing and captured the structure of his bones, displaying them before An Su''s eyes. "You have a bit of osteoporosis," An Su commented, "Your bone density is low." "..." The Priest of saintly rank with osteoporosis sensed this never-before-seen ''Holy Light'' had the ability to penetrate bodily structures. Patients with illnesses, once illuminated by this light, could be roughly diagnosed for serious diseases. If it were just that, it would not have been enough for the holy Priest to give such an evaluation. The most miraculous part about An Su''s magic was that since it wasn''t classified under any attribute, it passed through the Priest''s magic resistance and clearly captured the internal structures. This light could not be blocked by magic resistance! The more powerful the rank, the higher the magic resistance, making it harder for this type of magic to successfully detect diseases within the body. But An Su''s illumination spell was unaffected. Therefore, it was not only effective for ordinary people but also very useful for the extraordinary. Moreover, it consumed only a minuscule amount of magic power. sea??h th N?vel(F)ire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The cost-effectiveness was very high. There would definitely be a long line of initial-stage healing Magicians queuing to exchange faith points for the [X-ray Illumination Skill]. Although this thing was now completely unrelated to ''illumination skills''. The more Bone looked at An Su, the more it doubted its existence, It wondered whether it, a former Demigod Witch and now of Saintly Rank, had somehow gone wrong in its teachings, leading An Su astray? It now wanted to use the X-ray illumination spell to take a good look at An Su''s brain and see just how many huge voids were in there. There was only one explanation for such novel magic: there were many unknown and novel pieces of knowledge in An Su''s head, Of course, this was also related to his brutal yet golden magical talents. Thinking of this, Bone''s gaze became even more gentle and clear. It had a yearning for unknown knowledge that rivaled a taboo. Even after death, it was deeply enamored with knowledge, and An Su was a veritable embodiment of it. For the sake of that knowledge, enduring the illumination by the Holy Light was tolerable. An Su was quite satisfied, too. They could form a long-term collaboration, By afflicting saintsand Bone Priests provided plenty of painit was possible to accumulate pain points, then use those points to summon Bone, Bone would help dismantle various magic circuits, teaching him higher-ranked magic creation knowledge, And An Su, in turn, would use the magic he created to inflict pain more effectively, Forming a perpetual pain machine. At the thought, An Su couldn''t help but reveal a radiant smile. The summoning time was nearly over, and the magic power in the Pain Array was almost depleted. "An, is there anything else I can do for you?" Bone asked An Su. "There''s something else I want to ask you." An Su took an envelope from his pocket, which contained a telegram. [Prepare new pain materials, supply the frontlines, and battle with it] It was a telegram An Su received before leaving Seden Town, which he had hidden in the closet before leaving. This was an unknown intelligence. In his previous life as a multiple-playthrough player, he had never heard of this, indicating just one possibility: this was a background story not mentioned in the main storyline, possibly even a hidden plot. After all, the setting of the Nether fragments is that they are spatial-temporal alternates different from the main world, parts of the world have been destroyed, fallen into eternal destruction, and incessantly repeat this destruction, which is then known as the Nether. There are many unknown events. "This is a directive from the Painful Esoteric Sect headquarters," An Su explained, "In your life, you were a demigod-level life Priest, do you know who the Esoteric Religion fights against?" "I''ve been dead for over two thousand years... Except for knowledge, I''ve forgotten many things. I can only offer my advice." The Bone shyly said, "Since this has happened in the Nether World, I suggest you could start by investigating this town." "If the town was to be destroyed, then there would be a reason for that destruction. Including the era it belonged toit might have been destroyed thousands of years ago... or even earlier, its location, and the composition of its people." "And another most important point: if the Nether''s Esoteric Religion has sent you this telegram, it would send you a second one, or even a third." "These are all cluessince you''ve become the Nether Bishop, you now have the right to investigate these." An Su pondered for a moment, "What do you think is the most likely scenario?" "Seden Town''s destruction might be the work of the Painful Esoteric Sect, but the extinction of this town may only be the beginning, possibly hiding an even greater factor of ruin," the Bone Priest paused, a blazing soul fire flickering in his eyes, "It could even be the destruction of an epoch." "If it is the extinction of an era, then there would be more frontier fragments unknown to the Church and even to the Esoteric Religion, as it would take more than one to compose an era." An Su appeared thoughtful. "But this is just my guess." The magic power on the Pain Array was completely depleted, and the figure of the Bone started to slowly fade. He waved to An Su, "Boss, do you want to add more time?" ...An Su felt that the dignity of this Saintly Rank Priest was getting worse. Priest of life? Fertility technician. Truly turned into a nationally recognized flying technician. "No magic power left." An Su spread his hands towards it and secretly thought, it was necessary to assign more homework to the saints. The more homework students did, the more resources the principal would have to pay the technicians. "Then please call upon me next time, Boss An~" The Bone completely dissipated into the void. An Su stretched his limbs and walked outside; the sky had already dimmed, with dusk nearly spent, and a few flames of cloud still hung on the horizon. The saints should be attending evening self-study by now. He decided, notify them of a test during evening self-study. A faint smile lingered on the corner of An Su''s mouth as he couldn''t help but sigh to himself, he truly was a perfect teacher. The next thing to do, was to take a trip to the town''s library to investigate Seden Town. He thought to himself. For the next half month, life became routine. Routinely causing the students pain, routinely offering sacrifices to pain, routinely summoning the Bone, routinely crafting magic, Initially, An Su could only mimic two magic circuits, but with guidance from the Bone, he slowly began to progress toward a third. The investigation into the town was also proceeding methodically. The investigation results were beyond An Su''s expectation. A rough estimate, the town must have been destroyed thirty thousand years ago. The era was so distant that there was almost no record of it. All that was known was that it was in the Third Epoch. That epoch was also known as: [Era of Chaos] Chapter 99 The Chaotic Saintess is About to Fall from Grace The Era of Chaos, huh...An Su had a thoughtful expression on his face. In the original setting of the work, the Era of Chaos was mentioned in passing. It was an era dominated by the faith in chaos. The Chaos Sect and Hierarchical Mysticismat that time, it should have been called the Kingdom of Chaos, which occupied nearly half of the continent. The ''front line'' mentioned in the telegraph might just refer to the war with the Kingdom of Chaos. However, following a certain disaster, the Kingdom of Chaos was completely destroyed. The remnants of its people were displaced for decades, until they slowly gathered together again to form what is now known as the Chaos Sect and Hierarchical Mysticism. As time went by, Mysticism of Chaos had become one of the Seven Great Mystical Sects. Followers of chaos are cunning and sinister; they pursue pleasure in their own lives, excel at disguise, and love to sow division. Betrayal, for them, is as simple as drinking water. Of all the Seven Great Mystical Sects, they are the one with the most unstable emotions, akin to a cult of mental illness, and An Su had no desire to confront these individuals. In the original work, the Mysticism of Chaos also occupied a significant portion of the narrative, particularly the new generation of the cult: the Hierarchical Holy Daughter Elf, the Chaos Child Doug, and the Chaos Priest Ganaknown together as the Trio of Chaos. They roamed freely across the northern continent, infiltrating various social strata, and inducing chaos in city-states. They could destabilize a city-state within a matter of weeks. Leading priests to corruption, inciting territorial splits, and turning kin into enemiesto create delight in the goddess through chaos and thereby receive the deity''s blessings. He feared they would come to wreak havoc on him. Since ancient times, An Su had always been the most devoted believer of the god of order. What if he accidentally fell into their clutches? He feared nothing more than being led astray! An Su was very satisfied, having operated the training seminar for nearly a month noweverything was so calm and peaceful. Full of life and vibrancy. He would continue to conduct exams for the students during evening self-study. October was fast approaching the early winter. The academy''s corridors were adorned with whistling cold winds, and rime formed on the floor-to-ceiling windows. Sunlight filtered through the frost, scattering rays of desolate chill across the room. In the washroom, Alice stared at her reflection in the mirror, her index finger gently pressing against her cheek. The figure in the mirror rippled with the wind, revealing another face hidden beneath. Bright red pupils, with blossoming flowers at their center. "Damn it," the person in the mirror cursed softly. Elf felt that she was on the verge of becoming virtuous. "An Su Moningsta, no matter how devout a saint he may be, we shall surely make him fall. This is what your Chaos Sect excels at." This was the command from the Avad Empire a month ago. An Su Moningsta had taken the key to the Kingdom of Chaos, and Seden Town had already taken shape. If they wanted to reclaim it, they needed to corrupt this saint named An Su. He was now the bishop of Seden Town. They couldn''t kill him, they had to lead him to fall. Just a boy of not yet fifteen, such matters were naturally very simple. A child born on the borderlands, steadfast in belief, kind and na?vethe most valuable kind to throw into chaos. This mission was crucial, and Elf had made all sorts of preparations. For example, a High-Rank Sacred Relic masquerading as an ordinary accessory, "The Chaos of the Virtuous." It could momentarily hypnotize beings of lower Rank than herself, and with long-term use, it could even brainwash them. To get close to An Su, they had chosen to hide their identities early on. As usual, this meant disguising themselves as someone close and trusted by An Su. To make an enemy fall, one must first understand the enemy. In his inaugural speech as Nether Bishop, An Su asserted with heartfelt conviction that all saints were his brothers in arms, According to the newspapers, he had even specifically mentioned three names, "Alice, Shana, Rosen..." So they had their targets for infiltration. Elf disguised herself as Alice, while the other two members of her team took on the identities of Shana and Rosen. The Church had inside help from the Mysticism of Chaos, coupled with the fact that after experiencing the church world, these individuals were in a very poor mental state, bordering on breakdown, As a Chaotic Saintess, she easily took the identity, quickly seizing it. After a brief fusion with the soul, she temporarily became Alice. Alice''s thoughts were also influencing Elf''s mindset. Alice was her, and she was Alice. All along the way, she played the part very well. She even imitated the inner emotions. She hypnotized herself to believe, "I came to Seden to learn." Then, the innate fear from An Su was reflected in the Chaotic Saintess''s mind through Alice''s body. "...Aren''t you brothers in arms?" Having fully integrated Alice''s memories, including her emotions, demeanor, honor, and more, she greeted An Su gracefully on the day of the recruitment, but he bluntly retorted: ''Take off your ear jewelry!'' ''So young and already piercing ears, truly shameless!'' ...Elf watched helplessly as An Su placed her ''Chaos of the Virtuous'' into a small case. ? No, aren''t you a truly good frontier boy! Why are you taking people''s belongings on the first day? What Elf didn''t know was that this was just the beginning of her ordeal. ''A hypocrite of a saint'' Elf thought quietly, but decided to endure it for now, in order to infiltrate Seden Town. Even without the help of the Chaos of the Virtuous, she could easily take down An Su with her methods! As long as she could find the opportunity, she could get it done on the first day. Then, on her first day in Seden Town, the Chaotic Saintess was punished to copy school rules five hundred times. She was almost unable to recognize the words ''strive for excellence'' anymore. Then the second day it is. On the second day, she realized that Magic Eyes were everywhere in this place. An Su euphemistically commanded them to be ''security booths''. The three of them were assigned to three different classes; the Child of Chaos entered the class taught by Arthur, and the Chaos Priest joined the class under Lister''s instruction. She had to make these three turn against each other! Arthur advocated the spirit of knighthood, believing that a true knight should keep his body vigorous even in the dead of winter, thus, the Child of Chaos trained shirtless each day, too exhausted to get out of bed, with no energy left to strike at An Su. A month later, the Child of Chaos chose to withdraw from school. He returned the body. Lister taught the will of nobility, believing that a true noble should possess unyielding persistence. Practically, this meant that Lister''s classes always ran over, occupying all the breaks, leading to the Chaos Priest not only lacking the time to strike at An Su but also missing time to even use the restroom! A month later, the Chaos Priest also chose to withdraw from school. He returned the body. Elf, however, was assigned to the class personally taught by An Su. Sarch* The N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. An Su believed that moral thought was of utmost importance, as one with a fragile mind and low morals couldn''t become a perfect saint. This sounded rather normal. So, Elf began on An Su''s path of moral education. Then she was almost brainwashed in return. An Su''s motivational education, like a pyramid scheme, with non-stop inspirational messages, alternating between criticism and oppression in his teaching artistry, every step was near perfect. The more homework the students did, the happier the principal became. Everything appeared orderly, yet it contained the purest chaos. He successfully convinced all the saints: ''It''s all because I''m not working hard enough.'' Only now did Elf realize, if this continued, she would truly end up as a devout believer! Chapter 100 The Avad Empire, Lower House of Parliament."How is the progress of the Chaotic Saintess?" Brilliant flames flickered across the faces of several Priests, cutting through light and shadow. Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, the piercing sound of a human-skin train''s whistle roared by, causing the entire City-State to tremble with it. "The plan is going very smoothly," Mr. Franz said, looking at the letter that had been passed to himsent by Elf during her weekend. He paused, pursed his lips and then continued slowly, "She has achieved very good results." "Worthy of being the chosen of Chaos indeed." "Princess Elf has always been so outstanding," the Priests said with a smile. All of this was as easy as reaching out one''s hand. How could a mere child from the frontier resist the great Chaos? "What kind of results has the Holy Maiden achieved?" someone asked. "Has she completely taken over Seden Town, created chaos, or made those Believers slaughter each other?" Franz was silent for a moment, "In this month''s examination, she scored full marks in both ''Radiant Origin Theory'' and ''Hunting Cult Practice Operation,'' ranking first in her class." "...." What the hell? Everyone fell into bewilderment and confusion, feeling as though they were hallucinating. They exchanged glances, seeing in each other''s eyes a clear confusion. Radiant Origin Theory... Hunting Esoteric Religion Practitioner Operations? What the hell are these? Aren''t you a Cultist yourself? Are you trying to commit suicide? Everyone knows Chaos Followers are mad, but no one has ever seen such an outrageous madman! Councilor Franz''s expression was also quite awkward. He coughed lightly to maintain order in the assembly. "Cough," Franz said solemnly, "Princess Elf stated in her letter that all this is part of the plan." "What plan?" A glimmer of hope rose in the hearts of many Believers. Franz looked at the letter, "She mentioned that the student with the best examination results could become the class monitor." "..." The hope that had just risen was immediately dashed. Your grand aspiration as an Esoteric Religion Holy Maiden is to be a class monitor? "The class monitor is a confidant of An Su," Franz coughed again, "which provides an opportunity to be alone with An Su every day." "She stated in her letter that she has made full preparations and will win." Franz put away the letter, his icy gaze meeting everyone''s as his cold voice echoed in the council chamber, "She will surely subvert Seden, and the era of chaos will come." Dusk. A light rain was falling. Raindrops fell from the gaps in the sky, weaving diagonally at the intersection of twilight and nightfall, pattering against the eaves. "Come in." Hearing the voice from inside the room, Alice smiled at the corner of her mouth. Lightning streaked across, illuminating her face through the window lattice, her features as detailed as a sculpture. Her eyes were as red as blood, the madness inside seemingly about to drip out. After enduring for a full thirty days, The time for her revenge had finally come. Her lips curled upward in pleasure, her shoulders quivering with excitement, but in an instant, she regained her composure as the lightning flashed by, and she was once again Alice. The elegant and proud noble girl. Although this body was not Elf''s original body, but just a projection of the Spiritual Body of the Chaotic Saintess, Alice could possess the strength of Third Order or above. She was confident that as long as she was alone with An Su, she could control him. And here, there was no one else. Elf pushed open the door, The young man stood by the window, bathed in rain. His grayish-white hair trailed on the floor, his pale blue eyes conveyed gentleness, and his lean figure was cloaked in a golden cape, with a white bow tied over the shirt underneath. "Here is the report card, Your Excellency An Su," Elf placed a thick stack of papers on the desk, observing An Su''s expression. She already knew, the saint before her was more troublesome than anyone she had encountered. Could this creature really be called a saint? Alice''s soul still retained a faint fear of An Su; every move An Su made seemed strange, and Elf had the illusion that in the depths of An Su''s eyes flickered a cold, invisible light, as if it could see right through a person, penetrating deep into the soul. "X-Ray Illumination Skill" The light was not an illusion, for the cold light in An Su''s eyes was indeed one of the Holy Light''s, the X-Ray. Elf''s skeletal imaging was clearly reflected in An Su''s retina, leaving nothing hidden. And within Elf''s little bag, all sorts of items were also fully visible to An Su. Elf suddenly felt a sense of crisis; this feeling of danger arose from instinct, reminding her that something was amiss, and she gently put away the documents, thinking that today was not a good day to make a move. Just at this moment, An Su''s magic telegraph emitted a slight buzzing sound. A brand new letter came out of the telegraph. The Painful Esoteric Sect had sent a second one. Elf let out a soft breath, she lifted her head, gazing at An Su, her lips slowly curving into a pleased arc. Her pupils quickly turned to a blood-red color. Complex lines spun, intertwined, warping all reason. "Eyes of Confusion" "Intermediate-stage Magic" "Can cause beings of a lower rank than the caster to fall into a dizzy, chaotic state" An Su swayed, about to fall, her pupils also gradually losing their light. It had worked. Elf''s smile grew increasingly manic; she acted swiftly, first snatching the telegram that contained crucial information, her blood-red pupils glancing inside "You score zero." She instantly sensed something was wrong, a more terrifying shadow lurking behind her. The unease in Elf''s heart did not stem from An Su, but from the shadow behind her. Thunder flashed between the window lattices, casting a silhouette of the figure behind her, and those amber-like dazzling pupils! The assassins who could deceive Elf could only be of the Fourth Order. The shadow severed Elf''s meridians, and blood spurted out instantly, Enya didn''t give the former any chance to resist, the cold blade''s glare reflecting the thunder outside, cutting upward along the blood vessels, the temperature fading from the body. So the telegraph was made for bombing people, huh. Elf first froze in shock, then she laughed out loud, Despite the piercing pain in her body, she didn''t care at all. S~ea??h the novlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. It was her first time admitting defeat, and she found it quite interesting. "How did you find me?" Elf asked An Su, "I''m using Alice''s body." By then, An Su had already recovered from the chaotic state. "A pig farmer always cares about the weight of the pigs," An Su rubbed her swollen temples, "Alice is only a Second Order saint, but she gave me the pain worth two." What on earth is she talking about... the Chaotic Saintess really gained some insight this time. It didn''t matter anymore, it was just her spiritual body projection, she just needed to withdraw. "Look at what this is first." An Su saw Elf''s intention, he pulled a pendant from his sleeve and gently swayed it in front of Elf''s eyes, "Enya, help me hold down her limbs." High-Rank relic, "Chaos of the Righteous" At this moment, An Su had already peeled off its mundane pendant shell. It held a hypnotic effect. "How did you see, this thing is also disguised very well... huh?" "I scanned it with X-ray, an illegal item." "..." "Enya, hold her down for me, I''m starting the hypnosis!" Chapter 101 What an interesting fellow.Ael wasn''t afraid, instead, she found it even more amusing. As the Chaotic Saintess, she was naturally driven to seek pleasure as her goal. The so-called mission was just a way to seek pleasure, nothing more. Failure was failure; it didn''t matter to her at all. Even if An Su possessed the so-called ''Chaos of the Good'', it was of no use against Ael. Her soul would soon leave this body. She was actually quite curious about what kind of excessive suggestion An Su would make to her. An Su shook the pendant, the gem sparkling with magnificent light between shadows, shining into Ael''s eyes, her consciousness gradually leaning towards confusion, her pupils slowly losing their luster, "Next, you will answer whatever I ask," An Su said. "Ael." "Age." "Sixteen." "Gender." "Obviously, I''ve taken a girl''s body," Ael rolled her eyes. Though she was in a state of answering whatever was asked, she still retained her consciousness. "That''s why I need to ask clearly," An Su narrowed his eyes, his gaze sharp as if X-ray vision, "In our hometown, men usually use female avatars." "...Female," Ael felt that An Su''s home was far more chaotic than the Sanctuary of Chaos. What a bizarre custom. "What is your purpose?" An Su asked, "Elaborate a bit." "Three thousand years ago, the Kingdom of Chaos went to war with the gods. After that, the Era of Chaos ended, and the kingdom sank into Nether World, becoming a vast border world." "The true secret of the Era of Chaos''s destruction is hidden within the Nether World." "Seden Town, controlled by the Painful Esoteric Sect, is the world fragment closest to the Kingdom of Chaos. According to historical records, spies nurtured in the town participated in the infiltration of the Kingdom of Chaos." "Seden Town is the key to unlocking the Kingdom of Chaos, it is one of the three fragments." "Having thoroughly completed Seden Town, time would also continue to flow normally. Next, the ''mission to proceed to the Kingdom of Chaos'' will come, won''t it?" Ael said to An Su. So that was it. In simple terms, it was a massive instance. An Su noticed that the soul inhabiting Alice''s body was fading, and it seemed he needed to take action while the body was still warm. He then instructed Enya to hold that despicable soul down as he was about to do something bad to Ael. The smile on his face grew more chilling. Merely brainwashing, Ael snorted with disdain in her mind. Although she had lost control of her body, she wasn''t afraid. Let An Su do whatever he wanted to her. Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. An Su couldn''t possibly issue outrageous commands like ''explode your soul immediately'' or ''recognize An Su as your master'', as that would only trigger the anti-hypnosis mechanism, making her immediately wake up. No matter how vile and corrupt the brainwashing was, the Chaotic Saintess wouldn''t be afraid. Once out, she could easily lift it, leaving perhaps just a little after-effect. The Mysticism of Chaos also had a great advantage in the field of anti-hypnosis. The more evil and excessive the instruction, the easier it was for them to untangle it. "Listen, Ael...listen to my voice, follow my command." The Chaos of the Good emitted a slight tremor, An Su''s voice was deep and magnetic, echoing in Ael''s ears, penetrating deep into her soul, "I command you to go to bed early and rise early every day," An Su said, "Your daily routine must be regular." "..." Ael was stunned. She never expected An Su to give such an order. The origins of the faith of the Seven Great Mystical Sects actually had their own histories, and within those, there were secrets unknown to others. As stated in the Mass Codex, before the dawn of time, gods wandered between the spiritual realms, their gazes not fixed on the mortal world. Seven children of humanity touched the taboo, committed the seven primal sins, and thus attracted the anchor point of the Evil God. For instance, the first follower of the Painful Esoteric Sect loved to become addicted to being whipped, and one time, after getting too carried away, died from the lashings, thereby drawing the attention of the Mother Goddess, and the sect came to be known as the Esoteric Religion of Pain and Blood. As for the very first follower of the Mysticism of Chaos, they peeked every day at the whipping games next door, leaving them with an erratic sleep schedule, and one day, distracted, fell down the stairs to their death, attracting the gaze of the Evil God, and the sect was hence known as the Esoteric Religion of Chaos and Stairways. Therefore, the followers of the Sanctuary of Chaos have always had irregular daily routines. Addicted to chaos. If they themselves weren''t chaotic, how could they receive the blessings of the Mother Goddess of Chaos? Making a Chaos Follower go to bed early and rise early every day was worse than killing her! "I command you to eat your meals on time, three times a day," An Su said slowly, his smile as brilliant as the afternoon sun, "Study on time every day, and complete at least three sets of papers." [Pain Value from Second-Order Saint Alice increased by ten] Elf''s eyes now fully showed terror, she had never been so afraid before, desperately trying to struggle free, her soul also frantically trying to leave her body, You bastard... you can''t do this... Even if the brainwashing were to be removed later, there would still be a lingering effect. And An Su''s commands weren''t too excessive. They were even positive and encouraging. "You can''t do this... No, please don''t." You could have hypnotized me to do X, then make me do Y every day, and finally Z, that''d be fine, but you can''t make her do homework every day! Since when does a Chaotic Saintess do homework every day! She''ll be expelled from the Esoteric Religion! Elf''s complexion turned crimson, she felt her soul progressing upwards, stepping up and forward, But she didn''t want to love this life; her nature was to be chaotic and evil, a member of an Esoteric Sect. Flesh and spirit seemed oddly separated, which brought endless torture. This odd pleasure from pain, she felt like she was about to ascend. It started to get to her head. ''The Chaos of the Good'', the radiance on the jewel dimmed even more, and cracks started to appear on its surface, clearly, hypnotizing a powerful being like Elf was pushing this High-Rank Sacred Relic to its limits. Sunlight flooded through the window, making An Su''s smiling face look more brilliant and pure. He slowly started to speak, uttering the final phrase, "I command you to get accepted into the Radiant Holy See next year." [Pain Value from Second-Order Saint Alice increased by thirty] Damn it. What''s this ''An Su encourages study''? Elf stared at An Su with a deathly gaze, determined to imprint this guy''s face in her heart. People from the Sanctuary of Chaos usually have a strong mental constitution, but An Su had completely breached Elf''s defenses. "An Su Moningsta." The crimson eyes reflecting An Su, she bit her lip, filled with deep resentment, "...just you wait." The voice was ice-cold, brimming with boundless anger and a hint of embarrassed resentment. She completely detached from the body, and Alice''s form wavered slightly before collapsing onto the floor. "Holy Maiden is Holy Maiden, a single burst from her tops an entire pig farm in yield." An Su revealed a satisfied smile. He stood up, instructing Enya to clean up the aftermath. During this time, all of Alice''s memories would be preserved, Elf was not possessing another body, but her soul was temporarily fused with it, so for the past month, Alice was indeed studying at the schoolthis was rather difficult to handle, but An Su still had ways to deal with it. Offer it up. When a saint dies in the Church world, only their memories are erased. And just tell the parents that she wanted to use this trick to skip school. After sorting out the altar, the sunset outside was about to rest, and the night sky as dark as iron revealed the stars. An Su suddenly heard an unusual noise from the magic telegram, "Enya, there''s no need to send fake faxes anymore." "I haven''t been doing that," replied Enya. An Su turned to look at the telegram. [Legion Commander An Su Moningsta] [With no more than two guards, proceed to the northern part of Seden Town, the border city of the Kingdom of ChaosFarol] [A new mission awaits you] Seden Town was just a fragment of a world, not contiguous with its surroundings; it was impossible to go directly from Seden Town. But it was accessible through the Astral Terminal. An Su found it amusing that now the imperial capital Farol, three thousand years ago...was actually the border of the Kingdom of Chaos? Could it be that the capital of the Kingdom of Chaos was? As he pondered, the voice of the Celestial Messenger resounded in An Su''s ears, [You have discovered an unregistered fragment of a world] [You have unlocked the coordinates to the world fragment] [Coordinates XC288378] ["The Free City of Light," one-third of the world fragment of the Kingdom of Chaos, has been unlocked] [World Rank: Fourth Order] Chapter 102 An Sus Efficient Means ```The Church fragments are already in possession of the Church, while the Esoteric fragments belong to the Esoteric Religion. The Border fragments, on the other hand, are the ones that neither the Church nor the Esoteric Religion has managed to discover. They are lost worlds shrouded in dust, one after another. The coordinates of the Border fragments can also be found among the world fragments already obtained, which is one of the reasons why the Nether Bishop is sent to manage worlds. Every unexplored world is of great value, Precious and rare. If An Su directly hands over the fragment coordinates, he can make quite an achievement. It would be very helpful for his performance appraisal. He might even get promoted to an ''acting deacon.'' The Church would naturally dispatch a professional Fourth Order squad to clear this Fourth Order world before the Cultists arrive. The first-clear rewards for an uninhabited world are several times that of a normal instance. Given that, normal people would know what to do. The warm sunshine showered upon An Su''s face, and he had already made up his mind--let''s keep it for ourselves. Why should he give away the instance he found first for others to conquer? He was now a Third Order Magician on the verge of reaching the intermediate stage, And the difficulty of increasing his Magic Power was higher than at the initial stage. The exchange rate of faith points went from ten to one to twenty to one. Of course, the Rank of Magic he could use was also higher. Having rested for a month, it was time to tackle the next Nether World. Merely tormenting saints and farming pain value was not enough. The only problem was that the Rank of this Border world was Fourth Order. The difficulty was several times that of Seden Town. Lister and Arthur were still dallying around at near Third Order, unable to be of help for the moment. An Su could now offer Miss Enya a recommendation to become an acting saint, which would qualify her to tackle Nether Worlds. But they were still short one team member. Where should he go to sweet-talk someone? In the entire empire, An Su didn''t know any other saints. They had to be strong, And not going to betray him. Such a tool person... Hmm. ---------- It snowed. S~ea??h the ovlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. This was Farol''s first snow of the year; the sunlight had not yet faded when the snow started to fall gently. The snowflakes entangled with the light beams in a flurry. Luojia leaned against the window, her snow-like pupils quietly fixated as she listlessly counted the branches of snowflakes condensed on the windowpane. She yawned lightly and exhaled a thin mist. The Farol trip seemed somewhat different from what she had imagined. Waking up at four o''clock every morning, following the Church''s schedule, starting with morning prayers, then attending ceremonies, visiting the common folk at noon, doing homework in the afternoon, and in the evening, spreading the sacred light of the Radiant in the countryside. Repeat for thirty days, and that would be a month gone by. Many eyes watched her, Any little movement that lost the poise of a Holy Maiden would disgrace the Radiant Holy See. This was the case for any Holy Maiden, and all the more so for a Holy Maiden from the Border. It was as if ''Border person'' was a label attached to her. Seemingly, being a pretty decorative vase was all a Holy Maiden could do. Whispers of this sort were faintly circulating outside. In these placid, monotonous days, the only thing that might be considered a ripple was that guy''s arrival. Luojia was quite surprised. She had not expected An Su to actually pass the exam to the capital and even become a Nether Bishop. A Child of the Curse had become a saint. Compared to the labels on herself, the prejudice of being a ''Child of the Curse'' was much heavier. But An Su seemed to have never cared about others'' opinions. In some ways, Luojia was quite envious of An Su. Right now, the sunset was gradually declining; with the rose-colored twilight spilling over mountains, ethereal bell sounds echoed in the heart of the monastery. ``` According to the schedule, the Mother Superior from the monastery will soon notify her to attend the dinner tonight. The Mother Superior was not particularly kind to Luojia, and her background was only one reason for that, Another reason was that the Radiant Holy See had several aspiring Holy Maidensthese young ladies were all of noble birth, mostly from church families, and some of them even had Cardinals in their families, holding considerable prestige. Luojia was also nothing more than an aspiring Holy Maiden, the aspiring Holy Maiden from a frontier church. She didn''t have a noble family background either, just an orphan picked up by the church. Perhaps having received some hints, the nuns'' attitude towards Luojia became unpleasant. The guards spoke of defending the Holy Maiden, protecting her from the harm of sinister people, but in reality, it was house arrest. They wouldn''t let her out, nor would they allow her to enter the Nether World, and the aspiring Holy Maidens wanted to use this to diminish her reputation. How could there be so many sinister people in this world? As for these criticisms, Luojia didn''t care much, finding it only boring and tedious. She propped her cheek with her hand and listlessly watched the guards patrolling outside the villa, and then... Luojia saw the sinister person. An Su was sneaking around the edge of the bushes, first handing a thick bag of coins to a guard on the left, Luojia clearly saw the latter''s eyes light up, but the leading saint still shook his head, wrestling with the decision for a long time before eventually indicating that he couldn''t let An Su in. "We don''t accept bribes," there were orders from above, not even for the Holy Maiden''s friend. After all, they had taken money from the other side as well. They needed to maintain professional integrity. Seeing his offer rejected, An Su didn''t get angry, he still wore a faint smile on his face, [Decree] [The Radiance of Order] [Bribery is prohibited here]. The guards returned the money while looking befuddled and out of control. We said we''re giving it back to you, what are you doing... By this point, things should have come to an end, merely a farce. But unexpectedly, An Su chose not to take it back. Even more, when faced with the extended bag of coins, he turned and ran. Under the influence of the decree, the guards had to return the money to An Su, chasing him uncontrollably to stuff the money bag into his arms; they couldn''t accept any bribes. The Teenage Protection Law is the most powerful magic. An Su still refused to take it, he even ran faster, reaching the streets and shouting as he ran, "Someone help! Someone''s trying to bribe me! They''re violating a minor!" What a reversal of virtue and vice! That''s clearly your money! The guards said they certainly didn''t have it, crying out their innocence, but their bodies were out of control, creating a strange scene. "This is your money!" a guard roared. "This isn''t my money..." An Su''s shoulders trembled slightly. "It is your money, you better take it!" "I don''t want to do that kind of thing!" What the hell. In full view of the public, a group of burly men forcibly stuffed a thick stack of gold coins into the arms of a teenager, the powerless minority struggling with tears gathering in his eyes. So the guards were detained by the patrolling Order Knights. If there''s anything to say, say it back at the Order Church The verdict of the Scales of Order would be that the guards are definitely going to be okay in this incidentthey didn''t take An Su''s money, nor were they planning to give him any. But as to whether they were guilty of bribery, that''s hard to say. With no guards left at the monastery for the moment, An Su easily entered. Luojia, who witnessed the entire scene, first stared dumbfounded for a second or two, cocked her head, then couldn''t help but burst into laughter. Ha. What an idiot... What was he thinking? She almost laughed to tears. Since there were nuns inside the monastery, An Su climbed directly onto the outer wall, the stealth skills he learned from the Painful Esoteric Sect now coming into play; he covertly arrived at the window and tapped on Luojia''s window. "Do you want to sneak out for a bit of fun?" Chapter 103 Xianzong Reappears! Luojia didn''t know what had gotten into her.She had actually followed through and slipped out. The snow gradually stopped. The skies, clearing up after the rain and snow, became so transparent they were nearly see-through, with the sunset spreading along the mountains. From the Radiant Monastery, the endless golden clouds, stirred by the wind into layers upon layers of folds, resembled waves of swaying rice fields. Although the guards were gone from the door, there were still nuns in the corridors of the monastery. Watching Luojia closely. Luojia didn''t even dare to put on her shoes and walked barefoot with a pitter-patter on the gallery, fearing she might disturb those elderly nuns, An Su was ahead, providing cover for her, and the two of them snuck down the stairs as if they were thieves. After leaving the corridor and walking to the end of a small path, Luojia could only feel her heart pounding. This was an unprecedented experience. Without a doubt, she was doing something naughty now. The monastery had strict schedules for the Holy Maiden, and it was already late and time for curfew. According to the rules, Luojia was not allowed to go out. The Little Holy Maiden was an obedient top student; doing something against the rules like this was a first for her. It was her first time being naughty, and she had no experience, so she turned her pleading eyes to the despicable An Su. Committing mischief felt somewhat reassuring when teaming up with An Su. "What should we do if the nuns find out after we leave?" Luojia asked quietly. "It''s simple," An Su said. "The lax defense of the monastery''s nuns leads to the Holy Maiden being kidnapped by a devious villain, and then we can get rid of all of them." "What about the devious villain?" "The devious villain is a minor." "..." Luojia felt she was becoming more enlightened. Sarch* The N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. It made quite a bit of sense. She felt that indeed she needed a change. Being compliant all the time will get you nowhere. Maybe being a bit bad occasionally isn''t such a bad thing? Looking at An Su, she felt she should learn from this guy. After pushing open the last door, they finally snuck out of the monastery. The evening breeze on the street was fresh and clean, softly brushing against their faces. Luojia took a gentle breath, and for the first time since arriving in the imperial city, she felt such a crisp and free evening breeze. "What should we do next?" "Smuggling." ...Wasn''t that a bit too bad? Luojia almost couldn''t catch her breath, "What did you say?" "According to established custom, anyone who discovers the coordinates of a border world must voluntarily offer them to the Celestial Church," An Su smiled and said, "And then the Church will give you a ''Model Triple-Good Believer'' pennant." "So you''ve discovered the coordinates of a border world?" "That''s right." An Su looked at her. "Just enter the coordinates at the Astral Terminal, and you can smuggle in directly." "...This is doing something bad, right?" Border worlds, yet to be explored, are far more dangerous than the Church worlds but also offer rewards several times greater. "It''s not against the law." An Su, who was most adept at the magic of law, said sternly, "Neither the ''Astral Basic Laws'' nor the ''Covenant of Order'' stipulate that discovered coordinates must be turned in. As long as we clear it and get the fragment, no one can say anything." "The Church would be too busy rewarding us." Luojia felt like An Su sort of had a point. "You''ve never been to the Nether World, have you? They don''t let you go because they don''t trust you," An Su had already seen through Luojia''s thoughts. "Do you want to see what the Nether is like?" "..." Luojia felt she was being tricked. Originally, An Su had suggested ''how about sneaking out for some fun,'' but once they got outside, it turned into ''how about checking out the Nether''. The guy was like someone tempting a little girl step by step to go astray. But she couldn''t deny that she was somewhat tempted. Ever since she set foot in the imperial city, she had been confined to the Seven Gods Church, Staying in the monastery and dealing with all kinds of figures, attending all sorts of ceremoniesupon reflection, this life was not what Luojia had hoped for in becoming a saint. She didn''t like it. "Would the Astral Terminal let us use it?" Luojia shook her head again. "I don''t have actual authority." "I have a plan." An Su was about to lead someone astray, showing that calm smile of his. "We can go to suburban dioceses, just as long as you can cooperate with me." Luojia hesitated, biting her lip, "Isn''t that a bit wrong?" "You''re always confined in that small place, dealing with boring people and events every daydon''t you find such a life boring?" An Su gazed straight into Luojia''s eyes. "Let''s find some fun." "To hell with the Church, the monastery. To hell with the border and the imperial city," An Su''s smile broadened, his azure eyes earnest and pure with the purest deception. "Clearing the worlds inside, you can prove to those boring folks, to the outside world, that you''re not a caged canary, you''re Luoja Fast, you are the most authentic Radiant Holy Maiden." Looking at this An Su, even though Luojia knew he was up to no good, She still felt her heart softly tremble, An Su was right, She really was beginning to tire of such a life. Luojia pursed her lips and nodded. ... Astro Church, Tenth Temple, Ninth District. This church was located in the outer suburbs of Farol, and despite its remote location, there was still an endless stream of saints challenging the Nether World. The church stored a massive amount of world fragments that needed to be guarded regularly. Within the vast expanse of the church hall, one door after another shimmered with starlight, as the saints first registered with the priests in the antechamber, confirming the coordinates of the Nether World they intended to protect, before walking through these doors to choose their Astral Terminal, where the clerics would input the coordinates. Every part of the process required registration with a holy seal. But today, a visit from a significant figure has come to the Ninth District. The priests were frantically asking their superiors for instructions, as the Priest in charge of this diocese didn''t even know who was comingsuch an important figure with an unknown face, someone they had never seen before, but definitely a mysterious big shot. Although looking low-key, and with a seemingly plain and unadorned face, they were definitely not simple. Even terrifying. After all, the Radiant Holy Maiden herself had personally opened the door for him! With such treatment, how could his status be low? At the very least, he must be at the level of a Cardinal! ...Luojia''s expression subtly changed as she opened the door, thinking of the plan the other had mentioned, she laughed helplessly, made way for him, and ushered An Su inside, The Little Holy Maiden tried hard to suppress the corners of her mouth, conjuring a solemn and sacred expression, deliberately lowering her voice, yet just loud enough to be heard, "Your Excellency, please come in." Luojia felt she was about to lose hold of her composure and laughter. The priests who witnessed this scene were sweating profusely. At this moment, An Su was wearing the mask of ''Xianzong.'' That plain and unadorned face concealed a superior''s dignity, and with a nod to Luojia, he walked straight into the grand doors of the Astro Church. His eagle-like pupils surveyed the surroundings, occasionally making tsk-tsk noises. The priests were even more afraid. Although he was dressed plainly, no priest dared to underestimate him, Besides the Holy Maiden Luojia, there was also a young girl following him, who just by her aura alone, had already reached the Fourth Order. The Fourth Order was sufficient for one to become a Priest, yet she merely served as this person''s guard. All the priests responsible for registration were guessing the identity of this man, He must be a leader from headquarters. But why weren''t they informed in advance? Was it a surprise inspection from above? With such a mysterious identity, Could it be someone from the Heretical Tribunal? What mistake had their own district made to attract the attention of the Heretical Tribunal? To the point of prompting a private investigation? Were their performances substandard, or did something go wrong within the organization? The priest at the front desk stood up with a sweaty forehead, and he mustered his courage to say, "Please... could you register?". "I am not in a position to register right now." An Su turned to him with a kind smile, speaking in a low voice, "Just treat me like an ordinary saint. I''m just here for a look." An Su''s statement was entirely truthful, of course, he couldn''t register, Once registered, once his identity was checked, ordinary saint An Su, everything would be exposed! Explore more stories with empire But the priest certainly wasn''t going to think that way. Only an idiot would believe your nonsense! An ordinary saint who could make the Holy Maiden open the door for you? This person must be carrying out a special mission and doesn''t want to cause panic. The Priest on duty approached with a serious expression, a smile plastered on his face as he greeted him with hellos, all the while wondering who the esteemed visitor could be. Had he made a mistake? He wouldn''t be removed from his position this year, would he? "The matter of my visit here, don''t mention it to anyone for now." An Su spoke sternly, "Keep it confidential." If he spoke, the cat would be out of the bag. But to the Priest, these words were alarming indeed, making him think it was certainly a secret operation. He accompanied his words with a smile, "Please look around as you like, visit at your leisure." "I can also look inside? Is that okay?" inquired An Su. "Please do, look at anything you want," the Priest wasn''t afraid of the inspection; their progressive funds were well hidden and not susceptible to discovery. "Can I also have a look at the Astral Terminal?" As expected, an old hand even suspected the Astral Terminal. "Please, as you wish." The Priest smiled, "Feel free to inspect, I won''t disturb you further." Seeing this Priest''s obsequious bureaucratic demeanor, Luojia found it amusing, almost unable to hold back her laughter. Her snow-white eyes watched An Su''s profile, wondering how he had come up with such a clever ruse. She forcibly kept her face straight. From the moment he entered until now, everything An Su said was true. Not a single lie. Even if it was later discovered, it would only be the Priests who had misunderstood, Only those with a guilty conscience would misunderstand. Leading Luojia and Enya, this brand new frontier trio, An Su walked straight to the inner parts of the Astral, activated the terminal, and quickly input the border world coordinates. [Coordinates XC288378] [Free City of Light (One-third of the Kingdom of Chaos)] [World Rank: Fourth Order] [Chaos is not a vortex, but an ascending ladder] [People thirty thousand years later, welcome to the City of Freedom the gateway to the Kingdom of Chaos, the most free City-State in history] [This world has but one theme: ''Freedom''] Chapter 104 The Freest City in History The stars gradually dispersed, and the surrounding scenery became clearer.An Su opened his eyes with a slight sense of bewilderment. Since this was a one-way challenge, there were no hostile believers, so there was no need for the identity verification process. Where is this... What did Falor look like thirty thousand years ago? He squinted his eyes, the twilight outside the window was dim, and the shadow of the window lattice was elongated and twisted by the setting sun. Ancient tower buildings at the edge of sight bathed in the dusk, with pedestrians passing by underneath. Trolls with green skin and strong muscles, and blue patterns on their cheeks, Beastmen covered in long hair and with green faces and sharp fangs, Dwarves skilled in metallurgy. Races of demons whose skin flowed with volcanic magma, their breath carrying the scent of gunpowder. And humans serving as law enforcers. Unlike thirty thousand years later, when other races were expelled from human territories, the Kingdom of Chaos was a free kingdom with a diversity of races and beliefs. The more races there were, the more racial conflicts and discrimination existed, and the more chaotic the governance became. The Mother Goddess of Chaos was all the more delighted. Moreover, this was the frontier. The entire street was in utter chaos. A troll accidentally flattened a dwarf beneath its foot, intestines and organs flying everywhere. Beastmen, smelling the blood, started to eat the dwarf''s corpse right there on the spot. Fortunately, they thought eating raw meat was too crude and caught a Volcanic Demon, cracked its skull open, and hot lava erupted forth. The beastmen used axes to pick up the dwarf''s intestines and used the body of the Volcanic Demon, like dipping food in a hot pot, to scald the dwarf''s intestines. Truly a city of freedom, everywhere was filled with the scent of sizzling cooking pans. The dwarf was cooked deliciously. Humans, serving as law enforcers, immediately arrived on the scene to stop their illegal acts, but the tickets issued were not for murder or anything like that, but for their food not having passed quarantine, and without a business license, open-air barbecuing was prohibited... They warned the beastmen not to affect the city''s appearance, emphatically stating that today was the once-a-year civil servant interview at Falor City Hall. "Civil servant interview, huh..." An Su''s gaze shifted downward and he discovered that he was dressed in a dark suit, with a white cravat tied at the neck, looking quite formal. He observed his surroundings, the creatures nearby were not only humans but also elves, ghouls, vampires... truly a gathering of the exceptional. He wondered what rewards would be granted for sacrificing other races. The tastes of the dishes served on the Mother Goddess'' table varied with different races; perhaps the Mother Goddess also favored the taste of scalded dwarf intestines. An Su had already started to calculate how to serve everyone present as dishes on the table. Suddenly, a prompt from the Celestial Messenger appeared beside An Su''s ear. He didn''t know what was up with that guy, not having shown his face for over a month, he had just directly thrown them into the world. No supplies to take, eitherthis uncle was getting stingier. He hadn''t offended him, had he? [Confirmed] [Squad members: An Su Moningsta, Enya Moningsta, Luojia Fast] [Border World: The City of Free Radiance] [Rank: Fourth Order] [Background: At the end of the Third Epoch, your city, Falor, was rated the freest nation in Entire Hell, with a terrifyingly high crime rate, poverty at the top of the country, and because of these outstanding achievements, Falor was also recognized as a model city nationwide, attracting various city-states to learn from it. All of Falor''s achievements were the result of the diligent corruption and leading degradation of the officials at Falor City Hall.] [Meanwhile, the friction at the border between the Painful Esoteric Sect and the Kingdom of Chaos is becoming more intense. Believers of the Painful Esoteric Sect are gathering secretly, coming to this city of freedom, to this radiant nation to learn the advanced experience of Falor City Hall.] [Mission: Your identity is that of a commander of the Legion of Pain, and at the same time, you have another identity as a spy of the Radiant Holy See. You are currently hiding in Falor City Hall. According to historical records, Falor will be completely destroyed in three days. Please conceal your identity and survive this period.] [Mission 1 All Members Survive: Ensure the survival of squad members for 72 hours.] [Mission 2 Service to the People: Obtain at least three different types of civil service licenses and achieve a 100% approval rating in the district you serve (Progress: 0%).] [Final Mission Beginning of Destruction: Investigate the cause of Falor''s destruction (Progress: 0%).] [Hint: The forces of the Painful Esoteric Sect are not the only ones lurking in City Hall; you each work for different powers. While learning the advanced experience of Falor, you are also contributing to its destruction.] An Su frowned slightly. So, there were believers of the Painful Esoteric Sect hiding in City Hall... This Falor City Hall was full of spies everywhere. This truly did not suit his style of forthright conducthe thought to himself, being the commander of the Legion of Pain in secret, yet also a Radiant Believer, and at the same time infiltrating the Kingdom of Chaos. First, let''s meet up with Luojia and the others. In any case, let''s start with what seems like the easiest task. There are many types of civil servants, as long as you deal with government affairs you can be called a civil servant; An Su flipped through the registration form in his hand, and one of the positions caught his interest, Civil Service Exam: Healing Magician. Job requirements: [The ability to heal people''s hearts.] Falor City Hall, third floor, room two-oh-one. That''s the one, An Su''s best at healing, and especially good at healing people''s hearts. - Meanwhile, the outside world had already been stirred into a storm. Priest Paxi was supposed to be very happy today. The snow had just cleared, the weather was bright, what a beautiful day. The most important thing is, the three border areas have finally quieted down. And so had An Su. Not a single disruption for a whole month. Until today''s dusk. He really shouldn''t have been on duty at the Order Church today. "Priest Paxi, we''ve just received a report!" "Three men tried to assault a boy and even forcefully gave him money!" Priest Paxi immediately spit out a mouthful of tea, shocked. Broad daylight, under the vast sky, who would do such a thing? "And the boy? What''s his name...?" "Hmm, I remember now, gray hair... it''s the recently famous An Su, right?" ...Priest Paxi sat back down. His complexion returned to normal. If it''s An Su, it''s not surprising. After interrogating those men, the Scales of Order showed that they hadn''t assaulted An Su, but it did uncover other bribery crimes, An unexpected find. Just a little accident, no need to spoil the mood. Priest Paxi brewed another pot of tea. Discover hidden tales at empire Soon after, another law enforcer came running. "Priest Paxi, there''s trouble!" "The Radiant Holy Maiden has disappeared!" Priest Paxi sprayed out another mouthful of tea, "Quick, go check..." After a while, the law enforcer came back. "It seems she eloped with An Su." Priest Paxi''s complexion went back to normal again. If it''s An Su, it''s not surprising. He brewed another pot of tea. Dusk had completely faded away, and his shift was almost over when another law enforcer arrived. "Priest Paxi, there''s trouble!" S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "The Astro Church headquarters has detected three saints entering a Fourth Order world." "It must be An Su again, don''t make a fuss. Stay calm... it''s just a small matter like entering a Fourth Order world..." Paxi said unflapped. But in the next second, his teacup shattered on the floor. "What!?" Chapter 105 The Healing Magician with Chaotic Features Astro Church''s First Cathedral.The sunset had already fallen, and the afterglow of dusk had been worn away by the silhouettes of the mountains; the midnight bells had already rung thrice. By all accounts, the Astro Church should have been at rest by now, but tonight, the cathedral was still brightly lit. Across the street on the Champs Elysees Avenue, many believers had finished their daily tasks and were walking in pairs and threes on the maple-covered avenue. Some senior Nether saints were discussing today''s harvest, mainly talking about their evaluations and which rank of church world they went to. These were upperclassmen, preparing for this year''s deacon examination. Compared with the neophyte wannabe saints, they had already experienced many church worlds but had yet to qualify as deacons. One of the mandatory conditions to become a deacon was to clear a frontier world. The danger level of frontier worlds far exceeds that of church worlds. They are beyond the control of the Church. Which means that once saints die in the frontier worlds, their death is true, beyond resurrection. New saints are ineligible to challenge frontier worlds. Only with a year or more of world exploration experience are they eligible to be recommended for frontier world challenges. But it is not so easy to obtain a recommendation, since the coordinates of each frontier world are hard to find and exceedingly precious. Whenever a frontier world appears, it sparks a scramble, and usually only the top-ranked saints qualify. Otherwise, they would forever only be prospective deacons. At that moment, someone suddenly noticed something unusual, "Why is Astral Church flickering so abnormally?" "I just heard, a new frontier world has emerged." "...The Kingdom of Chaos, thirty thousand years ago? That ancient?" "It seems to be a very important world." "A Fourth Order frontier world... surely only a personage of priestly rank could conquer it." Many saints had their attention drawn, as watching the spectacle is a human trait; numerous gazes were fixed on the Astro Church, and they were discussing among themselves C with the focal point being who the conqueror of this world would be. Is it Xidan, the Holy Maiden of the Radiant Holy See? Or is it Priestess Ai Xueli, the genius witch of the Alchemical Church? Or perhaps the knights of the Order Church? They discussed one eminent personality after another. Discover exclusive tales on empire Of course, none of their guesses were correct. Although An Su had a reputation among the newer generation of saints, it stopped there. The Little Holy Maiden of the Radiant Holy See, in external rumors, is just a mascot; most of the Holy Maiden''s powers are hollowed out by several former prospective Holy Maidens. Priest Paxi, on duty, came to the Astro Church with a somber face, and many familiar prospective deacons tried to pump him for informationPriest Paxi denied all the names they had guessed. "It couldn''t possibly be a freshman, could it?" they joked. Priest Paxi''s expression grew even more somber, and he even had a hint of a cold sweat on his forehead. Perhaps... it seems... it is. This was an unauthorized Astral Terminal activation, and the Astro Church had already contacted all priests and deacons in Farol immediately; none of them had entered the frontier world. That left only the freshmen. And as for who it was specifically, Priest Paxi already had a clue. It was that damn An Su, who had been quiet for a month, so he was saving up for something big, huh! He''d eloped with the Holy Maiden to the frontier world! Could a human even pull off such a maneuver? Seeing Priest Paxi''s grave expression, the surrounding saints started feeling that things were amiss. Could it be? Of course, some of the prospective deacons quietly breathed a sigh of relief. Freshmen daring to challenge a Fourth Order frontier world, so overconfident. They must be certain to die. The first batch had failed, so perhaps the second batch of raid slots would come around to him. He harbored hopes for the examination of the deacon office. Even some started to feel a secret delight. Most of them belonged to the faction of the would-be Holy Maiden Xidan, and they had already learned that it was that vase-like Holy Maiden who had entered the world. Should she perish, the Holy Maiden''s position would be vacated. At this moment, countless gazes converged upon this place, some with ill intent, others filled with worry. For it was the Kingdom of Chaos, after all! How could simple border folks like them survive in the Kingdom of Chaos? An Su looked at the application form in his hand; the exam for the position of Magician was on the third floor, a third-tier position. On his way there, he encountered Luojia. It was Luojia''s first time in the Nether World, and she looked around curiously at everything. "Have you seen Enya?" An Su asked. "No, Miss Enya might be in another district of the building," answered Luojia. "Our current location is in the southern municipal district." "What position are you planning to apply for?" An Su asked again. "I haven''t decided yet." Sear?h the N??elFir.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "I''m planning to interview for ''Healing Priest.'' Want to come with me?" "Healing Priest, ah." In Luojia''s impression, Healing Priests used Healing Magic to assist others and were respectedit must be quite a good position. "Then I''ll also try for the Healing Priest interview." The recruitment conditions were [Having the ability to heal the heart]. As it happened, Luojia was very good at healing spells. The city hall occupied a large area, with a complex network of corridors and hundreds of rooms. It took An Su quite some time to find ''Room 201,'' where the Healing Priest interview was to take place. The decorations outside the door were quite warm and sunny, with white paper pasted up and potted plants on both sides, giving a sense of the Holy Light, which was a completely different style from the Kingdom of Chaos. This was what Luojia thought. Just then, The door suddenly opened, and a low-rank, thickset troll ran out. This huge creature had tears welling in its eyes while running and crying, "Run, get away... don''t go through this door... don''t... wu." Crying, it collapsed and passed out on the ground, then was dragged away by someone. "..." Luojia was stunned. "Looks pretty normal," An Su remarked calmly. Amid Luojia''s dazed gaze, he slowly opened the door. What a bizarre scene this was. What caught his eye was a hall filled with various creatures, rows of work desks joined together, trolls, goblins, humans, demons... creatures of different races were packed together as if caged like pigeons, Each of their eyes was lifeless and empty as if they were corpses devoid of vigor. Malice that seemed capable of swallowing the world rushed at them. "By East of Four Horses! When will the sewers be fixed!" "I curse your ( ), why can''t I ( ) on the main street, I''ll put your ( ) ( ) into the Volcanic Demon''s hot pot and scald your brain!" "( ) ( ), your ( ) like that!" Each civil servant held a magic communication device in their hands, with the messages coming through from the other end of those devices. The cacophony from the telegrams echoed in the hall, carrying magic power that created a sea of vile noises, crashing directly into one''s chest. The civil servants'' gazes were lifeless, but their mouths bore the smiles of the dead, like tamed dogs speaking gently and pleasingly as they responded: "Please await notification for when the sewers will be fixed, respected citizens..." "I will send my ( ) ( ) home to you..." "Thank you for your blessings... my ( ) has been like that for a while." Luojia stood there dumbfounded, tilting her head, questioning whether she had woken up. [Welcome, both of you, to the interview for the third-tier position ''Healing Priest'']. [Professional Background: Due to the godlike, awe-inspiring corruption management of the high-ranking officials of the municipal government office, Farol, while achieving splendid chaotic accomplishments, had part, a few, just some tenacious citizens holding certain opinions about the government. To prevent the minor probability of citizens rioting and smashing into the municipal hall, and to alleviate the psychological stress of the citizens, handling their complaints, this position of ''Healing Priest'' is specifically set up.] [Position Introduction: As a Healing Priest, please patiently reply to all kinds of opinions raised by citizens and, without making any corrections, use your ''ability to heal hearts'' to wipe out the bad reviews of the government.] Just a third-tier position, yet capable of destroying one''s soul... Luojia''s eyes widened. In the Kingdom of Chaos, the ''Heal'' in Healing Priest, So it was this kind of healing! Chapter 106 The Healing Magician with An Su Features [Third Order Position, Reply Magician Assessment Requirements are as follows][Please immediately respond to the following six friendly citizens'' suggestions, and within one hour, eliminate their negative feedback] [A feedback removal rate of fifty percent is considered passing, below fifty percent is a failure, and in the event of failure, the city government will adopt the method of live execution by hanging the reply magician to help citizens soothe their emotions, in order to achieve elimination of negative feedback] [Note: If the feedback removal rate reaches one hundred percent, a special commission can be earned] "..." Luojia blinked her eyes, now she understood the difficulty level of the assessments in the Fourth Order frontier worlds. Even if a Fourth Order priest came, it would be very difficult to pass the assessment. At the very least, half of the negative feedback must be eliminated, otherwise, it would be the reply magician who gets eliminated. The third-order position is the lowest rank, merely a temp worker for the city governmenthanging a temp worker seems like a cost-effective way to erase the citizens'' dissatisfaction. There''s no need to pay salaries. The one thing the city government is never short of is temp workers. After pondering for a while, Luojia felt that the task was quite challenging but seemed... fun? At least, more interesting than being confined in the Monastery every day. She wasn''t the faint-hearted type. Luojia turned to An Su and noticed that he was not panicked either, the corners of his mouth even held a smile as he seriously browsed through the information of those six citizens. This guy didn''t seem surprised at all. Luojia even had the illusion that An Su felt like he was coming home when he arrived in the Kingdom of Chaos. She felt that she needed to learn from An Su''s spirit of taking things as they come. "Relax a little," An Su said calmly, his azure eyes full of sincerity, "I believe that as long as we are patient and caring enough, no matter how difficult the citizens are, they will be moved by us." Love is invincible. Luojia thought there was some sense to what An Su said and began to look through the materials as well. The first one. [Fourth Order Volcanic Demon, Kabussis] [Reason for negative feedback: On the way to a civil servant job interview, its head suddenly got spun off by a group of orcs and it is now asking the patrol officers to find its lost head. However, the head was deemed ''a low-quality hotpot skull that exceeds emission standards'' and was confiscated by urban management, then sold to a recycling station] "..." Luojia went silent, her snowy white eyelashes trembling lightly. Could this negative feedback really be eliminated with love? The second one. [Third Order Goblin Leader, Lucien] [Reason for negative feedback: On the way to the civil servant examination...] The third one... They are all around the city government. Luojia thought to herself. Not even being the same species as them, would it be possible to achieve mutual understanding? "It''s okay." An Su''s smile was sunny and radiant, probably noticing Luojia''s concerns, he confidently explained, "As reply magicians, we can heal people''s hearts, and we are also a bridge for communication across species." "We can definitely achieve mutual understanding." Dinglingling. At that moment, the sound of the magic communication rang out, echoing through the hall like a death knell; because it was powered by magic, the distinct magic vibrations of the Volcanic Demon spread out, and the scent of gunpowder reverberated within the Reply Magician Hall. It was that Volcanic Demon calling. The surrounding reply magicians all expressed sympathy for the two newcomers; the Fourth Order Volcanic Demon originally came to apply for the ''Urban Management'' second-order title, but never expected its own head to be confiscated by them. The head was certainly not going to be reclaimed. The money from the sale had already lined the pockets of the upper echelon. So the Volcanic Demon was very angry, and it had already left many negative feedbacks in a row; the troll intern who had just run out was roared away by it. He had failed his assessment, and now it was An Su''s turn. A human child like this would surely be overwhelmed. An Su sat down with a smile, his expression so radiant, The warm sunlight poured gently through the window lattice, lightly draping over the big boy, his azure eyes as clear as the night sky, radiating a sense of tenderness and warmth. He truly had the aura of a Reply Magician. Luojia involuntarily began to feel hopeful. An Su picked up the magic phone, and soon, the roaring voice of the Volcanic Demon came from the other end, It had lost its head and couldn''t speak, so it used Magic Power to roar instead, and each time it opened its mouth, it let out a soul-shattering magic screech, "Roar!!" "Return my... head... to me..." An Su frowned slightly. Indeed, the roar of a Fourth Order Volcanic Demon was quite lethal, but his body had been blessed by the Mother Goddess multiple times; it was just a roar, and naturally, he could withstand it. He didn''t speak, but blocked his ears and patiently waited for the demon''s roaring and bellowing. Perhaps it got tired of cursing or its Magic Power started to wane, for the demon''s voice gradually quieted down. It was then that An Su spoke up. He said warmly and politely, "Esteemed citizen, I have heard your complaint. Please calm down a little and don''t harm your body. Give me some time, and I will answer all your puzzles." The soothing power of An Su''s voice could heal the heart. The surrounding Magicians began to look at An Su with newfound respect; after enduring such a screeching ordeal, he managed to keep his sanity intact. It seemed like he could negate the negative feedback now. Next, all he needed to do was apologize, play dead, and change the subject. "You... you speak... I''m listening..." After venting several times, the Volcanic Demon was no longer as angry, its tone softening a bit. An Su''s mouth curved into a faint smile, while Luojia, who was observing him, suddenly got a bad feeling. The last time this guy sacrificed Cultists, he wore the same smile. An Su began to speak, his thin lips parting gently, his voice as smooth as jade: "I have found your head. On behalf of the city''s personnel, I apologize to you. Your skull is not ''a low-quality hot pot accessory''" "This... is... of course..." the Volcanic Demon said proudly. An Su''s tone remained gentle. "Your head is better suited as a high-quality cremation oven for your () () corpse." Sar?h the N?velFire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The youth''s gentle voice, crisp with a magnetic touch, like the tipsy sunshine of an afternoon, warmed and melodiously echoed in the healing hall, followed by dead silence. Dead silence. All the Magicians doubted their own ears, and even the Volcanic Demon on the phone was too shocked to speak. Only Luojia, by his side, held his forehead with a helpless look that seemed to say, "I knew you were going to stir up trouble." "You... you said... what?" The headless Volcanic Demon was slow to comprehend. "I mean, your head is fitting as a cremation oven for you (), an act of filial piety for your relatives," An Su said, swift with his words and wit. "I''ve never seen such a creative head; crematoriums would vie to purchase it." "Of course, if a cremation oven isn''t to your liking, it can also be used as a () () keep-warm and heated box for your driftwood, ensuring the most comfortable experience 24 hours a day." "You... you fuck..." The Volcanic Demon was getting ready to unleash another Magic Power roar, but its powers were somewhat depleted, and without a head, its thinking was slow, while An Su had entered a lethal rhythm. After a series of sweet, friendly, and polite evasions, the Volcanic Demon was utterly infuriated. Demons are the most straightforward kind. Insulted to this extent, only a personal duel could slake its anger. "You... name the place..." the Volcanic Demon said. "Across from the City Hall, on Purgatory Street," replied An Su with a smile, goading, "If you dare not come, you''re just a coward, you can hide under the covers and give me a poor review directly." "Not coming... is a grandson..." the demon slowly said. "You... what... is... your name?" "A green-skinned goblin." An Su looked at the list of bad feedback, "Your father''s name is Lucien. Bring more people. If I, Lucien, don''t come, I''m the grandson." "You... wait..." the demon hung up the phone. Having completed his task, An Su revealed a joyful smile. Today was another heart-healing day. All his colleagues in the healing hall stared at An Su as if looking at a devil. What the hell kind of thinking is this? What the hell kind of move is this? "Alright, don''t zone out. Time to take the next one." An Su patted the Little Holy Maiden on the shoulder, "Let''s respond to Mr. Goblin''s queries." Love is invincible. All of this comes from An Su''s love for his sons. Little Holy Maiden had a face full of black lines, My ideal of a healing Magician was completely destroyed. Chapter 107 An Su is About to Start a Racial War! The city government response hall was dimly lit, the light casting somber hues upon the mahogany floor.At this moment, whether demons or Forest Elves, trolls or humans, all unanimously ceased their work and fixed their gazes on a particular workstation. I''ve worked here for so many years, and this is the first time I''ve seen such a lively character. He actually dared to directly insult a citizen. And to insult them so deeply and so artfully... He''s definitely doomed, right? We''re all seasoned veterans here, having worked in the response hall for years without being sacked, our edges smoothed, our spirits tamed. No matter how the citizens insult us, we must reply patiently and apologize sincerely, Even though the mistakes aren''t ours, we still have to apologizeotherwise, would our leaders do it? Everyone was staring at An Su, truly curious about how this newcomer would manage and whether he could survive what comes next. "..." Luojia''s eyelashes fluttered slightly, feeling embarrassed under the scrutiny of everyone''s eyes. Since stepping into this response hall, the image of the revered and respected healing Magician had already crumbled by half in Luojia''s mind. So much for being healing Magicians, they''re just municipal operators? If it were only that, it would only be halfway to ruin. But when An Su began to offer substantial responses, allowing Luojia to witness his unique style of Magician-customer service, The profession''s image was thoroughly demolished. She glanced sidelong at An Su, who seemed undisturbed by the attention, without a hint of shame, even sporting a bright, sunny smile. Luojia always felt that with An Su''s presence, order seemed to spring up around him instantly. "Luojia, take the next one for me." "That might not be a good idea..." Luojia felt it necessary to salvage the Magician''s image. "What''s so bad about it?" An Su turned the tables on Luojia, "As healing Magicians, we should actively solve the citizens'' problems. How could we slack off?" You''re not actively solving the citizens'' problems, but actively ''solving'' the problematic citizens. "I don''t agree with the professional standards of the Kingdom of Chaos. Healing Magicians have always been doctors, not some customer service"It''s just that we heal through conversation." An Su said seriously, I feel there''s a need to redeem the reputation of our profession. What he says seems to make some sense... Luojia blinked. She connected the call to the next listener, a Third Order goblin chieftain. [Third Order Goblin Chieftain, Lucien] Sarch* The N?vel(F)ire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. [Reason for negative feedback: On his way to the civil service exam, his dwarven girlfriend was trampled to death by a troll and then got served as hot pot by orcs. He is now seeking compensation from city management for his girlfriend but was told that she was ''low-quality, expired, and stinky food material, and even a legendary biohazard mother.'') [Several orcs simultaneously contracted a certain disease in their stomachs. The hospital described this new hobby as a rare occurrence, and the Food Safety Authority has filed a lawsuit demanding that Lucien pay compensation and reimburse medical expenses.] "...." Luojia remarked that the Kingdom of Chaos truly lived up to its name. An Su took the phone, faced with a barrage from the goblin. According to An Su''s years of experience in treatment, such clients belong to the agitated type of citizens, their psychological shadows caused by the loss of a loved one, leading them to become overly emotional and impulsive, Healing Magicians are never customer service, they are doctors To treat such patients, one must first soothe their agitated emotions, allowing them to gradually calm down. Meanwhile, Service with a smile, Use laughter to heal their wounded hearts. Your tone should be light and humorous, that''s the only way to make the patient let down their guard. This is the basic cultivation of a healing magician. After enduring the goblin chief''s emotional outburst for three minutes, An Su replied with a smile and a playful smirk, "Haha, getting impatient, huh?" All the watching healers fell silent. That''s all you''re going to say after the citizen said so much? There was also silence on the other end of the phone for a second or two, The goblin chief felt like he had punched cotton; all the words he spat out bounced back, his anger stuck in his chest making it impossible to vent. An Su''s light words pushed his rage to the limit. He started his tirade again, his eyes bloodshot with anger, each sentence more emotionally charged than the last, He attempted to criticize An Su from a moral high ground, from the city hall''s rubbish management, to the ridiculous standards of the food inspection bureau, from the whimsical behavior of enforcers to the racial discrimination against orcs and trolls. Lucien was confident that he could crush this man. After a long pause, "Don''t rush," said An Su calmly. . Lucien''s green skin turned red with anger; no matter how he ranted, whether with long, critical sentences or plain insults, the response from the other end was always just "don''t rush," an impeccably defensive tactic. He wanted to say he wasn''t in a hurry, but the more he tried to explain, the more he seemed to be incredibly impatient. His well-paced rant rhythm was completely disrupted, making less and less sense, which, in turn, made him even angrier and thereby more desperate. He was the goblin chief, with all his subordinates watching by his side; he couldn''t back down now! "Where are you!" he roared. "Have the guts to share your location! I''m going to take you down right now!" "I know you''re in a hurry, but please, don''t be," An Su replied graciously like a gentleman, as he glanced over the list of negative reviews, spotting the name and race of the next citizena case of food poisoning with an orc... [Third Order Orc, Scarde] [Reason for negative review: Suffered food poisoning from expired ingredients on the way to a civil service exam, currently reporting to the food inspection bureau...] An Su''s smile became even gentler, "Your girlfriend tastes good, just a bit smelly. You should be thanking me." What an innuendo... Luojia felt that good children shouldn''t listen to such remarks. Upon hearing An Su''s response, there was silence on the other end. If they don''t speak, that''s fine, but when they do, it''s a piercing strike. A plain statement, yet it hit Lucien directly in the most vulnerable part of his heart. Lies don''t hurt people; truth does, like a sharp knifehe was furious to the point of suffocation, "You... it''s you! It was you! What''s your name!" An Su looked at the name on the list of negative reviews, "Scarde." "I''ll be waiting for you on Purgatory Street, opposite the city government building." "Bring more people with you." An Su''s smile grew even more tender. Luojia had a nagging bad feeling that this guy was about to start a race war right at the government''s doorstep. "If you don''t come, you''re a coward!" the goblin chief hung up the phone. Chapter 108 Luojia Was Led Astray by An Su (Monthly ticket request at months end!) In the recovery hall.All the races stopped their work, their eyes filled with respect tinged with a hint of fear, as they all watched the young man simultaneously. Having mingled in the Kingdom of Chaos for so many years, they knew well of the kingdom''s openness and the flourishing diversity of races, but they had never before seen a creature of his kind. Dusk descended, painting the ghastly walls with the grandeur of a stage''s curtain, and standing in the center of the stage, was An Su Moningsta. He lifted his left hand slightly, like a proud conductor, drawing out rhythms and keeping the beat, his bluish-green eyes overlooking everything, as if he was not standing in the dirty and cramped recovery hall, but in the music palace of the chaotic capital, playing a melody solely his own, his voice light as he began, the epitome of high art. Oddly enough, the young man exuded a sort of divine radiance. He had entered a critical rhythm. As he played the climax, the tempo accelerated, his movements becoming more forceful and expressive; the notes did not just resonate on a sensory level, they were an artistic critique that reached straight to the soul, stripping away the audience''s fragility line by line, bringing forth the most wondrous musical feast. At times soothing, at times passionate. At times a fusion of yin and yang, at times a forthright outpouring of the soul. For different listeners, he healed with different answers, played different movements. This was true order, An Su made everyone equally, orderly chaotic, equally attacking everyone. "I am a virtuous knight," An Su said to Luojia. Without doubt, he was a noble and upright knight, an all-rounder who did not tarnish the glory of order. First came the Eisbing Knight. For the orc suffering from stomach ulcerations and metastatic lesions, An Su pointed out his lifestyle issues very gallantly, gently comforting that it was all trivial, the likelihood of the disease was negligible, nothing to worry about, In the end, An Su even kindly expressed his human and moral concern for such illnesses, suggesting the orc could kindly die further away, so as not to affect normal people. The orc was so moved he was nearly in tears, desiring to personally thank Dr. Ansu for his help, he asked An Su''s whereabouts and name, intending to bring his brothers to thank An Su warmly, An Su, adhering to the principle of doing good deeds anonymously, left the name of the next citizen in line. The healers sitting in the hall looked at An Su with even more fear in their eyes, even feeling that their own work wasn''t so hard and troublesome anymore. Because what they faced were ordinary citizens, but the citizens were facing An Su! Then came the race knight. [Fourth Order Dark Elf, Dais] [Reason for poor rating: Sued by the Food Management Bureau for ''contaminating food'' and ''poisoning,'' but the Dark Elf claimed it was just a joke with the dwarf and may not have been his poison, could also be his friend''s doing; still, he lost the case.] [Since the prosecutor was a fair-skinned Forest Elf, Dais felt that he suffered unjust treatment and thus appealed to the city government.] This was the fourth citizen with a poor rating. As a race with a higher crime rate, they brought sustainable chaos to the kingdom''s stability, earning the Dark Elves praise from the Kingdom of Chaos, With the recent passing of the Dark Elf Protection Act, their status has risen even further, Minority races began to honor and please the Dark Elves, especially female goblins and dwarves, hoping for intermarriage, even without any responsibilities from the Dark Elves. While enjoying privileges, the Dark Elves'' tensions with other elves intensified. To better heal this citizen and bridge the gap between the two sides, An Su shared knowledge with Dyson about the hottest-selling product of the second century; Dyson, moved by emotion, expressed his desire to meet with An Su, who warmly suggested, "When you come, don''t wear black clothes; it''s dark now, and I can''t see very well..." Of course, as a knight who does good deeds anonymously, An Su flipped through the list of poor reviews and left the name of the fifth citizen. You will go to hell. The recovery hall was terrifyingly quiet, all the healers stared at An Su, their faces pale as if the youth before them was a demon playing with the mortal world, every word he uttered seemed like the whisper of the devil. Such agents of chaos, rather than running for the chaotic parliament, why come here and tangle with their menial level three temporary jobs! It was Luojia who now found this interesting. Since stepping into the capital, she could distinctly feel the strange stares around her. She could also faintly hear many rumors but chose to pretend ignorance. For the sake of the Radiant Holy See''s dignity, She had just been enduring it all this time. An outsider, and especially a commoner in such a position, had to bear these public opinions. The status of the Holy Maiden was high, but she had no real power. Yet at this moment, seeing An Su freely expressing opinions, attacking directly, replying delightfully, without any concern or hesitation, Luojia felt the stifled feeling in her heart dissipate. She couldn''t help but feel ashamed for having such thoughts. As the Holy Maiden of the Radiant Light, she shouldn''t take pleasure in attacking others. But she just couldn''t help finding it, quite interesting. She propped her cheek in her hand, her snow-white eyes fixed on An Su''s profile. "The fifth, it''s your turn to try," An Su said, turning his head and smiling at Luojia. "Ah? I... I can''t do it," Luojia waved her hands dismissively. "It has to be you, the sixth negative comment was made by a woman and to impersonate, it must be a female voice answering." Only this way, it would match up. "The fifth citizen comes from the imperial capital of the Kingdom of Chaos, a Vampire Nobility, of course, 30,000 years later, that place should be on the border." An Su said, "You can look at the reason for the negative review." Luojia looked down, [Tier Four Vampire Viscount, Sir John] [Negative Review Reason: The frontier is the frontier, home only to inferior goblins, dwarves, orcs, dark elves, with poor and substandard blood quality. The blood supply to the imperial capital is scarce, not enough for their Vampire Nobility to consume. He filed a complaint with the blood station, demanding the improvement of the frontier bloodlines, to remove the impurities] The sound of the magical guided phone rang again on the other side. That unique and accented voice of the Viscount, rising like a chant, "Lowly frontier people~ Can''t you even do the job of replying~" "How come you haven''t died out yet~" "Do you know who I am?" This one was even a Hell Knight. An Su winked at Luojia and handed her the magical guided phone. The Little Holy Maiden pursed her lips, her fingers pinching the hem of her garment; she was torn and hesitant, the teachings about the morality of Holy Maidens, the codes and rules of saints, echoed repeatedly in her ears. These rules were relentlessly ordering Luojia not to reply. Not to lose her dignity. Not to utter comments unworthy of the Radiant upbringing. "If you keep being silent and don''t wish to reply, you''ll only end up just like them," An Su gestured towards the other responding Magicians. "This is an opportunity." Luojia also looked at them, All of them had expressions empty of emotion, corners of their mouths upturned in a perfect yet lifeless smile, every move they made was gentle and courteous. Like one living corpse after another. Did she want to become like this? Was this the ''Radiance'' she was seeking? Luojia sighed as she took the magical guided phone. On the other end, the noble Viscount''s incessant, superiority-laden complaints continued. Various sounds collided, The sound of magical guided vehicles in the streets, the noise of passersby walking, the breathing of magical beings, but gradually all sounds disappeared, leaving only her own heartbeat. Luojia felt her heart beat faster as she watched An Su, watched the youth''s pale blue eyes, "Imperial capital, might be the frontier in 30,000 years." "Frontier, might have been the imperial capital 30,000 years ago." "Whether it''s 30,000 years later or 30,000 years ago, whether it''s the imperial capital or the frontier," Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Noble people remain noble, vile people remain vile." Luojia listened to her own heartbeat and crafted her response to the Vampire Nobility, which was also a response to herself, "Brightness lies in spirit, not in origin." The Vampire on the other end of the phone paused momentarily. He really did not expect a frontier person to dare backtalk him. Does she know who I am? Luojia glanced at An Su again, who was silently mouthing words to her, implying she should reply like him. This guy... Luojia frowned. What surprised and felt alien to her was that she actually repeated after An Su. She really must have a screw loose in her head. Ah, whatever! After all, this is the Nether World, no one outside knows about it! "I," An Su mouthed. "I," Luojia echoed. "Son of a bitch bat." "Son of a bitch bat... eh?" Under the twilight''s fading glow, they spoke in unison. "Come find your frontier granny if you dare." Chapter 109 "If you''ve got the guts, come find your granny at the border."After saying those words, Luojia''s heart hammered in her chest. Her cheeks also flushed slightly with excitement. In her sixteen years of life, she had never uttered such bold and impolite low-class speech. This was also the first time she had directly expressed her emotions like this. She didn''t know how to describe the feelings in her heartwas it annoyance, worry, or some other emotion...? In any case, it gave her a sense of forbidden pleasure, as if she had tasted the forbidden fruit. What should she say next, what should she do next? She didn''t know what to do anymore. In the face of such a low-class situation, it was still necessary to seek the help of professionals in this area, Her misty lashes trembled slightly as she looked towards An Su with an uneasy expression, her eyes filled with a plea for help. "What should I do next..." she whispered. Luojia could feel that the vampire Viscount across from her was already fuming to the extreme. Worried that she wouldn''t be able to out-curse him, she preemptively covered her own ears. An Su still looked undisturbed, a calm smile hanging on his lips. He ignored Luojia, leisurely flipping through the bad review list, and slightly raised his eyebrows after a careful look. The sixth one was even more significant. [Fourth Order Enforcement Officer, Forest Elf, Hannah] [Bad review reason: Speechless, fam, I''m literally speechless. I was going to the Municipal Court and ran into a hot-headed Volcanic Demon, who just started blowing his top off and took his head off right there.] [Then the orcs went barbeque crazy, delicious enough to chop off little feetsies, so they just went and chopped off a dwarf''s foot. I mean, seriously, thanksgiving time, a huge speechless event.] [After that huge speechlessness, on court, met a dark-skinned tool, goes into defense cracking about not poisoning the stuff, like, seriously, I''m thankful, even if girls are 100% wrong, don''t tools have a bit of fault, dare say they''re gonna complain about us, speechless, fam, can we get sterilized here or what.] "..." An Su sunk into thought. It took him half a day to make sense of these three lines. Some kind of Ancient God language. Luojia, with her ears covered, saw the vampire starting to rant incoherently. Seeing that An Su still wasn''t helping, she gently kicked him. ''What, to, do!'' Luojia glared angrily at An Su. "...So you say," An Su paused, feeling that to fight fire with fire, he mouthed to Luojia, "He''s lost his cool." Only a gender-equivalent knight of high standing could confront a Hell Knight. That was exactly fighting magic with magic. Would this really work? Luojia was filled with doubt. And she also felt like it was quite impolite. Seeing the look on Luojia''s face, An Su knew she was playing the game poorly; being underage and female, she still managed to be at a disadvantage, "You''ll know once you say it." Swallowing hard, Luojia imitated An Su and tentatively said, "Lost his cool...?" She thought it improper to emphasize gender, so she omitted ''hot-headed male.'' Despite this, the impact wasn''t much reduced. The vampire across from her became even angrier, his voice growing high and shrill. Copying an ostrich, Luojia lay down on the table, covered her ears with her hands, and draped her hood over her head, as if by doing so she couldn''t hear the vampire''s words anymore, and kept repeating, "Lost his cool, lost his cool, lost his cool, lost his cool..." Imperial aristocracy, being insulted by a bumpkin like this! Sir John felt his blood rush to his head, almost exploding with rage. The self-proclaimed elegant vampire nobility could no longer stand it; they had to personally drain the blood of this despicable woman to vent their fury. "What is your name! Where are you now!" John roared in anger. "Hannah," Luojia, looking at the list too, imitated the format An Su had used before, "On Fierce Hell Street, opposite the Municipal Court... yeah, yeah." Gathering up her courage, she mimicked, "If you don''t come... then you''re a coward!" "You wait!" The Vampire Nobility hung up the call. The magicians who had witnessed the whole scene looked at An Su differently, It was well-known that the chosen of Sanctuary of Chaos had the ability to disturb the mind and induce corruption. A fine young girl had changed so much after some time with this guy. Why should such a person be entangled in their third-tier duties? Many of the magicians had a sneaking suspicion, They couldn''t be wrong! sea??h th n??el Fire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. This guy must be an impostor sent by the higher-ups of Sanctuary of Chaos... To supervise their work! If that''s the case, they better watch and learn well. Feeling increasingly more eyes on her, Luojia''s ears turned a bit red, "What do we do next?" The battle for Fierce Hell Street is about to erupt! [Third-order position, reply to the Magician assessment requirements as follows] [Please immediately respond to the following six friendly civilians'' suggestions, and eliminate their negative reviews within an hour] "Connect the last civilian''s call," An Su glanced at his pocket watch, with half an hour left before the hour was upplenty of time. An Su was not completely satisfied with Luojia''s performance. As a knight, he actually felt pity for the enemy. He was going to personally demonstrate how to be a righteous knight and protect the order of my Lord. The next magic communication call was from that woman called Hannah of the Forest Elves, And upon connection, An Su started with courtesy before getting down to business, "Hello" Then the voice came through the magic communication, pinching the tone and mixing it with the voice, blending yin and yang to perfection, "Yo~ it''s Nanbao again~ Of course, only Nanbao would take on the job of a reply Magician, that third-class profession," An Su maintained a calm smile. "Why isn''t Nanbao speaking?~" "Could it be that Nanbao has been triggered?" Right at the start, triggered! Luojia, overhearing this, saw her pupils shrink and sensed trouble brewing. The caller was no ordinary person, confronting An Su with the same tacticwhat to do; her gaze towards An Su couldn''t help but carry a shade of worry. After all, that was how the Vampire Nobility had been enraged. An Su''s smile remained placid, showing not the slightest sign of agitation. The twilight''s afterglow shone on the young man''s cheeks, casting a sacred hue as he slowly said: "Do you think my defense is as easy to break as your () () magic?" What taboo and filthy words these were. ...Luojia felt she had worried about this guy for nothing! She must have been out of her mind to worry about him. The one who should be worried was the person on the other end of the line. In this magic assault and defense, An Su merely needed to strike once to trigger a counter. Hannah was clearly choked up. As a superior race, nobody had dared to insult her so bluntly, with such a fiery and bloody sting. Wanting to strike back, she sorrowfully realized that her vocabulary comprised no more than the two words ''triggered''. Then An Su entered a fatal rhythm. "..Who are you! Where are you!" Hannah was about to cry from the scolding, her voice barely hiding a sob. "Looks like the lady below has been triggered." An Su said with a chuckle. "You... you!" Hannah was so furious her pale skin was turning red, "What''s your name!" "Volcanic Demon, Kabussis," An Su replied calmly, "Right opposite the Municipal Court, on Fierce Hell Avenue." Very well, the last hero has made an appearance! "Alright, let''s go watch the show," An Su said, hanging up the call and turning to Luojia, "Heh, this is going to be interesting." Luojia thought An Su was probably in the wrong religion. ---- The crowd of onlookers at the Astro Church was growing larger too. The news that An Su had brought the Radiant Holy Maiden into the Fourth Order border world without authorization had spread. People were eager to know what was going on inside even though everyone had little hope. What could two newcomers possibly accomplish in the cruel and wicked Kingdom of Chaos? That kid from the border world had shaped the Second Order world, but that was about it. In the Fourth Order world, any Cultist could kill him. Because the Holy Maiden''s safety was a significant concern, the Astro Church specifically took out the half-divine level star relic ''Rite of Life'' for surveillance. Although it couldn''t directly observe the border world, it could display in real-time the casualty status related to the challengers and the contributors to the deaths. This was to make clear whether the Holy Maiden had perished or not. It was crucial to ascertain the exact time of death, the only thing they could do now. Everyone silently waited, eyeing the giant Rite of Life at the center, which slowly rotated and refracted faint starlight. "The Rite of Life has begun to move..." "It''s starting to show the names of the deceased!" Someone exclaimed. Have they given up so soon? Are they really that bad? Chapter 110 An Su Achieved the First Kill! [Thirty minutes until the assessment ends][Current number of negative reviews (6/6)] [Negative review elimination rate zero percent] An Su, holding a small stool, sat down next to Luojia by the window, looking out at Fierce Hell Street across from the municipal building. The blood-red dusk draped down, spreading the afterglow on the bumpy street as the fiery clouds spread out completely, covering the area in their warm hues. The puddles on Fierce Hell Avenue reflected the shadows of the clouds, and with puddles everywhere on the street, it seemed as though burning cloud reflections were everywhere too. This place had been a battlefield five hundred years ago, where Nether demons and Volcanic Demons had killed each other once again, with blood and flames burning the entire street, hence it was named ''Fierce Hell Street''. Five hundred years later, despite being rebuilt, this street still shrouded in an air of solemn killing. The race war between the Nether demons and Volcanic Demons was still a favorite topic of conversation to this day, and no one knew when such grand occasions might be seen again. Such chaos, such delight; for Chaos Followers, witnessing such a battle between the strong was worth the price of admission, even if it meant death. ''Green-skinned goblin'' ''Lucien'' Sarch* The N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The headless Volcanic Demon walked slowly down the street, with smoke billowing out from between its skin. Without a head, its thinking capacity was limited, only remembering these few phrases. "Kill... him..." The moment it saw the goblin, it had to tear him to pieces! Meanwhile, at the other end of the street, the goblin leader who had lost his dwarf girlfriend was carrying a spiked club upside-down, leading a dozen Low-Rank goblins, gritting his teeth as he moved toward the center of the street. ''Orc, Skard'' That''s the guy! He ate his girlfriend! And dared to say his girlfriend was a bit stinky! And dared to insult him over the magic telephone! If he didn''t avenge this, how could he continue being their leader? He had now reached Fierce Hell Avenue, but still hadn''t seen any orcs, suspecting he had taken the wrong way. Seeing a headless Volcanic Demon in front of him, he thought of asking for directions. "How do I get to Fierce Hell Avenue" he hadn''t finished speaking. The headless Volcanic Demon, having observed him with its Magic Eye, saw the green skin, the short stature, it was undoubtedly a goblin. "Are you... called Lucien?" "I''m called that name, what about it?" The goblin leader was on a short fuse, speaking nothing but hostility. Seeing the Volcanic Demon hesitating infuriated him even more. Before he could curse out loud, the Volcanic Demon slapped him across the face, "Beat it... you... mo" The voice of the goblin leader did not resemble An Su''s, but the headless Volcanic Giant couldn''t tell the difference at all. I was just asking for directions, was that necessary! The goblin leader quickly came to his senses. His clever intelligence took the high ground; that orc had said on the phone he was bringing people over, could it be that this Volcanic Demon was the backup he called for? No matter what, he took a slap for no reason, how could he possibly let that slide! "Get him!" The goblins, carrying their spiked clubs, rushed toward the Volcanic Demon, the iron bars clashing against the volcanic rock, sparking off a sky-full of flames. The Volcanic Demon was massive in size and, despite being mobbed, still held its own, squeezing a goblin''s head in one hand and with a fierce squeeze, splattering brains and blood, followed by the aroma of roasted brain. "The Volcanic Demon and the goblins are at it again." The passersby in the vicinity treated it as nothing unusual, just another minor scuffle. Such small-scale brawls were commonplace, not even enough to make it into ''Chaos Daily'', utterly trivial. It was the scent of roasted meat that drew the attention of Orc Skard. He had come to fight a battle, against that dark elf named Dais, who dared to disrespect his illness! His chest was ablaze with rage! This time, he did not come alone. Behind him followed more than a dozen patients. Each one possessed a powerful biochemical buff, their faces covered with pale moss, green pus dripping from their mouths, sores all over their faces, each attack bringing with it viral propertieswho could stop such mighty biochemical soldiers? The passersby around them took sharp breaths and made way, terrified of being contaminated, exclaiming, "The small Fierce Hell Street has actually attracted the Biochemical Legion, retreat quickly!" The Biochemical Legion was a terrifying group that stood tall even at the borders, with a chaos level ranked twenty in the "Chaos Daily!" But Skard had come to Fierce Hell Avenue and had been searching for a while with no sight of dark elves; instead, he first grew hungry due to the erosion in his stomach, each movement of his intestines bringing him immense pain. The more he hurt, the angrier he became! However, from a distance, the goblin saw Orc Skard and this completely confirmed his clever guess, and he yelled at the Volcanic Demon, "You really are the helper he called for!" "Roar... I... am" The Volcanic Demon originally wanted to say, ''I am your dad,'' but due to his slow mouth movement, the goblin leader directly smashed a hammer onto his neck, causing him to swallow the rest of his words. The goblin leader became even more certain, and upon seeing the enemy who ate his girlfriend alive, he could no longer restrain himself, swinging his iron rod at Orc Skard right there and then. The heavy iron rod, carried by immense wind pressure, crashed directly onto Skard''s cheek, the hit was so powerful that it made his green blood splatter all around. The people nearby retreated even further, afraid of getting stained with blood. Skard had never suffered such humiliation; ever since he''d become infected, everyone around him treated him with fear and respect. He immediately signaled his brothers to join the fight; The Volcanic Demon at this point also recognized Skard, the one who had taken his head; his rage could not be contained, and he launched a High-Rank fire magic spell at the latter. In an instant, flames and green blood splattered everywhere, plunging the entire Fierce Hell Street into chaos. "The Biochemical Legion has joined the battlefield as well!" This three-way race for supremacy caught the interest of many chaotic onlookers, who watched the battle cautiously from the side, knowing they would be in big trouble if they got pulled in. This kind of major brawl didn''t happen every ten days, so getting a look was considered entertainment before dinner or aftertea. After a half-day''s fighting, the battle was starting to yield some results, The Volcanic Demon, after all, was a Fourth Order powerhouse, and with the Orc supplemented by the Biochemical Legion, the goblin leader was the weakest; first he was covered in green blood, then the Volcanic Demon drove a fist down, flames surged in ferociously, burning the latter into char. [There are 25 minutes left until the assessment ends] [Number of bad ratings 5/6] [Bad rating elimination rate 16%] An Su laughed innocently, saying to Luojia, "Look, the bad ratings have been completely eliminated, Mr. Goblin will have no more troubles, this is the true meaning of us recovery magicians, ah. Helping others is truly beautiful." "..." Luojia expressed no emotion. With the goblin leader dead, the morale of the Low-Rank goblins also dissipated, clarifying what had been a tense situation. The chaotic spectators around lost their interest, all thinking, this is the end? Just this? How uninteresting. It was just a small scene. At that moment, An unexpected change occurred. A suffocating dark presence crept in, instantly shrouding half of the street in a terrifying and fear-inducing deep darkness, The saying goes, black clouds over the city spell its doom, and in such times, all felt a chill in their hearts, perceiving the terrible dark aura, involuntarily swallowing their saliva. Could it be the stuff of legends... they couldn''t help but shift their gaze towards the crushing dark clouds rolling in. There was no time to mourn the goblin leader now, for the next to arrive on the battlefield were The "Nether Newspaper" ranked among the top ten terrifying groups, for thirty consecutive years awarded as the ''Outstanding Group of Chaos'', comprised of dark elves The Shadow Legion! Chapter 111 Negative Reviews Be Gone "Look, Mr. Dais is here. We told him to wear something brighter... you can''t even see him at night."An Su pointed to the dark cloud in the distance, his young face bearing an innocent smile. "Mr. Dais has his troubles too, as healing spellcasters, we should actively help eliminate the worries of the citizens." An Su felt he had a talent for becoming a skin whitening makeup artist. "He''s very self-conscious and sensitive about his skin color, but as long as the dead''s little faces are brushed white, whitening is also our duty as doctors." Your image of a healing spellcaster has been completely tarnished by you! Luojia rolled his eyes and muttered to himself. They sat side by side on small stools, gazing into the distance. Purgatory Avenue was right opposite the city government building, directly facing the healing hall. This was the best vantage point for watching the battle. At the moment, it was shrouded in dark clouds, the heavy aura of darkness almost seeming to solidify into something real. Undoubtedly, if the Biochemical Legion was the group to avoid at all costs in the Chaotic Frontier, then the Dark Legion was the most domineering group in the Chaotic Frontier. They received respect in every field. Listed as a first rank chaotic animal in the Kingdom of Chaos''s Rare Animal Protection Law, and as a primary clean renewable energy source in Falor City Hall''s Code of Recyclable Resources, they were even awarded first place in the Encyclopedia of Tool Usage, garnering rave reviews from users. Whether it was animal law, energy law, or even tool instruction manuals, they had their place. They were an invincible presence. Mr. Dais would not boast about this series of glorious honors, but today he found himself in court on a charge of ''food poisoning,'' which was simply outrageous! For them, it would be an honor for dwarves to be looked upon by noble dark elves, so how could it be considered poisoning? And that detestable vampire, who brazenly told the truth, saying they were the best-selling product of the late second century, how dare he speak such words? At that moment, Dais called upon more than twenty dark elves and headed to Fierce Hell Street to settle accounts with that vampire. The chaotic passersby on the street had never seen such a spectacle; it was one thing for dwarf groups, volcanic demons, and the Biochemical Legion to be involved in a three-way brawl, but now even the Dark Legion had come to Fierce Hell Street this was no longer just a street fight, this was war! The doctrine of the Chaos Sect was to thrive on creating chaos and disturbances, and the scale of this grand melee, involving four different races, was the handiwork of which believer? Was this the graduate project of an outstanding graduate from the University of Chaos? Someone had already gone to notify the reporters of Chaos Daily; the entire street and its surroundings were encircled by excited chaotic passersby, their faces flushed with excitement, cheering loudly. The crowd was packed so tightly that they were rubbing shoulders with each other, and yet more and more onlookers kept pouring in. At this moment, dwarves, volcanic demons, and biochemical demons equally turned their gaze towards the newly entered Dark Legion, "They must be reinforcements called by the other side!" "That''s downright despicable and shameless!" "Attack them before they get us!" They all thought the same without any agreement. So, the goblins threw their shiny iron clubs, volcanic demons hurled seething magma, and biochemical orcs sprayed their greenish bodily fluids, all converging on Dais at once. I was just asking about a vampire! What does your fighting have to do with me...? Dais was shocked; had the disdain for shadow elves in society reached such a point that as soon as they appeared, all races stopped fighting each other to target them? Talk about being a rat crossing the street. Dais was furious inside. He activated his shadow magic, his figure turning ethereal to dodge the iron clubs, magma, and other physical attacks, but he didn''t expect that the biochemical fluids, with their spatial penetrating properties, splashed onto his dark skin, instantly causing flesh to tear and skin to split open. "This is Falor, and you''re the ones who should scram!" Dais roared, leading the dark elves behind him in a surge forward, clashing with the Biochemical Legion in a tangled melee. Instants later, the two chaotic groups slaughtered each other. It was a high-level showdown between experts. What a battle of the mighty. Green blood splattered, red magma fell, and black ghostly shadows flitted among them, turning the entire Fierce Hell Avenue into a chaotic stewpot, with screams mingling with the cheers of the populace. After all, Dais was a Tier Four Dark Elf, a natural-born assassin. In just a few movements, he had already reached the orc chieftain and, with a flick of his curved knife, beheaded him. ``` [Negative Reviews: 4/6] [Remaining Time: Twenty Minutes] "Great!" An Su applauded and cheered in the audience, praising such an exciting confrontation, "Another citizen''s troubles have been resolved." The audience in the reception hall also began clapping, with Luojia caught in the middle, thinking it would be awkward not to clap, so they joined in as well. What a ridiculous bad-review eliminator... Luojia thought to themselves. - The First Star Church. sea??h th novlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The azure starlight painted over the night sky, the entire church brightly lit, the demigod relic ''Life Ceremony'' trembling slowly, about to display the name of the deceased. Priest Paxi''s expression was particularly grave. Even he didn''t harbor optimistic expectations for this. Despite An Su being somewhat cunning, that was after all a full Fourth Order frontier world, especially in the Chaotic Falor of thirty thousand years ago; how could An Su cope? Paxi felt he was exceptionally unlucky; why did it have to happen during his duty shift? Now, the only thing he could do was pray. The starlight slowly converged, forming huge letters, while saints and deacons present all held their breath. [Deceased: Third Order Goblin Leader] [Second Order Goblin] Thank goodness, the Holy Maiden wasn''t the one who died. Paxi let out a sigh of relief. [Death Composition: Volcanic Demon Kabusis (40%), Biochemical Orc Skard (40%), An Su Moningsta (20%)] This result immediately sparked a wave of discussion. Some believers were relieved, others dissatisfied, but most were confused. "A Third Order goblin leader, and an initiate took it down?" "Looking at the contributors, An Su has taken advantage of his teammates, hasn''t he." "Stolen credit?" There were also believers who derided in low voices: "To team up with a demon and an orc, truly shameful..." Most of these believers were assistant deacons, strong enough, but lacking the chance to explore the frontier worlds for their promotion; for them, killing a Third Order goblin wasn''t a big deal, especially when teamed with demons. Just then, The Life Ceremony started flickering again, everyone was startled - had another death occurred this quickly? [Deceased: Third Order Biochemical Orc Skard] [Death Composition: Fourth Order Dark Elf Dais (80%), An Su Moningsta (20%)] "...." All the believers widened their eyes, doubting their sight, or thinking there was an error in the Life Ceremony display. You had just teamed up with an orc and now you mercilessly kill it! And where did this Dark Elf come from? A spy amidst them? Everyone was curious as to how the orc died. "What exactly is he doing in there..." Priest Paxi''s lips twitched slightly, but then he thought of An Su on the other side and felt it was quite normal. It was something An Su could do. What Priest Paxi didn''t know was that all of this was merely the beginning. In the next twenty minutes, An Su was going to dominate the Life Ceremony readings. ``` Chapter 112 The Final Battle! (Thanks to the alliance leader Yun Duo Bai Bai de Ah!) Fierce Hell Street right now truly lived up to its name.The sulfur flames of the volcano flowed through the sewers beneath the street, steaming up the entire world, while green blood smeared half the block, emitting a turbid and thick stench. The corpses of goblins had piled up into a small mountain. The reporters of the magic broadcast also occupied the prime spots, reporting live through magic communication. "Good evening, Free City!" "Welcome to watch this no-holds-barred, comprehensive chaotic fighting tournament, today''s contestants come from...." "At present, the mysterious sponsor of this banquet remains unknown, our reporters are actively searching." "Both sides have politely exchanged greetings during the match, cordially expressing their admiration for each other''s mothers." "Enthusiastic viewers outside can dial the magic hotline to join the Deadman''s Lottery, while the audience on site can warmly engage in interaction." "The crematorium hotline is now open, I bet that tonight''s crematorium hotline will be hot, with the incinerator assembly line too hot to touch." The Chaos reporters were brimming with enthusiasm. "Oh my God! The dark elves have already scored a quadra-kill, such a fearsome groupwho else on this frontier can stop them, who can block their way? They can now be called invincible under heaven." Dais had a crazed smile at the corner of his mouth as he held a dwarf''s head in one hand and an orc''s brain in the other, looking down on all the spectators present with disdain, even making extremely insulting gestures. "Inferior races should just get out, all of you should roll out!" The dark elves stuck out their tongues playfully, grinning from ear to ear. The surrounding audience was furious, but they were powerless against him. After all, he was protected by various laws, even an encyclopedia was protecting himthe cover read, "Take care of the tools, handle with care"so no one dared to hit him hard. The dark elves were triumphant. Tonight, they would prove with their strength and the law that the Kingdom of Chaos was their dark elves'' kingdom, all these orcs, dwarves, and demons, should all roll out! The smiles on their faces became more and more brazen and bright. At that moment, suddenly the reporter''s tone shifted, "My God, look at the sky above Fierce Hell Avenue, what is that?" "That is! What on earth?" An Su, holding the telephone receiver from the restoration hall, broadcasted to the listeners through the hall''s internal line, passionately commenting, "It''s actually, foes from beyond the heavens!!" At this very moment, the broadcast''s listening rate in the restoration hall had reached the highest among all platforms, with tens of thousands of listeners tuning in, and nearly a thousand Chaos Followers had gone to the scene to witness the grand event. The newcomer to the battlefield was simply too terrifying. The dark elves were invincible under heaven on the frontier, but the only ones who could defeat them were the visitors from the capitalthe visitors from beyond the heavens. Even nobler than the dark elf legionsthe Vampire Nobility Visiting Group. This chaotic battle even shook the capital''s visiting group? Being able to witness such a grand occasion in person, Chaos viewers were nearly driven mad. In the rankings of "Chaos Daily," they far surpassed the dark elf legions at the tenth place, even breaking through boundaries, reaching the realm where there are mountains beyond mountains. Everywhere they went, whether township or city, street or neighborhood, all blood was drained dry, everyone turned into mummified corpses. In the sky above, nearly ten Vampire Nobles lined up side by side, now forming a ''human'' character formation, then shifting to a ''line'' formation, looking down from high above at the entire frontier with great arrogance. Dais looked up at the Vampire Nobles in the sky and snorted coldly. He was already bloodthirsty. What of the visiting group from the capital? The capital belongs to the dark elves too, it''s them, these vampires, who should roll out! But before the words to insult someone''s mother could be uttered, he felt a chill at his neck, and blood gushed out rapidly. In the blink of an eye, his life force had drained away, Hmm, tastes like cotton candy, quite soft. Sir John commented. "Such strong oral skill," Dais didn''t even have time to be shocked, his complexion lost all color, turning as pale as ash, and he was transformed into a dried-up corpse. The dark leader fell on the spot! [Negative Reviews 3/6] An Su clapped her hands happily, innocently smiling, "The whitening project is a tremendous success!" Luojia stared at An Su, inwardly remarking, aren''t you playing a bit too wildly... "The blood from the borders is of inferior quality, sickening," S~ea??h the N??eFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Sir John, a Fourth-Order noble, elegantly wiped his mouth, his luxurious noble attire emphasizing his arrogant gaze toward all races around him. To him, whether it be orcs or demons, they were all merely blood supplements. Appetizers. Sir John first used a Blood Flash to appear behind the remaining goblin soldier and took a bite at the neck. Mmm, grass-flavored, somewhat sweet. commented Sir John. Another Flash brought him behind a Volcanic Demon, where he took a bite at its neck. Mmm, hot pot flavored, quite scalding. remarked Sir John, his mouth blistered from the heat. [Negative Reviews: 2/6] Sir John used yet another Blood Flash, arriving behind the remaining bio-engineered orc, aiming for a bite at the neck. Mmm, HIV-flavored, rather deadly. commented Sir John, as the blisters on his mouth burst, oozing green pus. Vampire Nobility circled above in the sky, diving down and attacking all the contestants with abandon, not even sparing the spectators. Wherever they passed, corpses lay strewn about, every one pale and withered dry. Such chaos! Such delight! Chaos Followers didn''t run; they even opened their arms wide, celebrating with ecstatic joy. At this moment, the chaotic theme had reached its zenith, and this feast was the best offering they could give to the Mother Goddess of Chaos. They cheered loud and wild, "Chaos is the ladder to ascension." "Chaos is the ladder to ascension!" The audience of Farol would never forget this night, the battle between five races, which, although it didn''t compare to the Fierce Hell Battle five hundred years prior, at least counted as the finest chaos to start off the year. The Vampire Nobility had nearly exhausted their prey, with the formidable presence in the sky left unchallenged. As children of the patch, they had grown unstoppable, truly deserving of their ranking as the number one group by Chaos Daily. But it wasn''t over yet. Because the entity that couldn''t be observed had now made its entrance. And the racial battle had finally reached its climax! "Let us welcome the last group of contestants." With a passionate voice, An Su announced, "The drafters of the version rules, the editors of Chaos Daily, the undefined beings, the Chaos Fairy Legislative Assembly!" Viscount John finally became serious. This was his ultimate enemy that had drawn him to Fierce Hell Avenue. The drinks before were mere appetizers. He would never forget how he was humiliated on the other end of the phone. Bloodsteem surged upwards, his aura becoming ever more terrifying. All the blood he had absorbed transformed into his power, and in this moment, Sir John was like a demon god. And at the end of Fierce Hell Avenue, that unobservable, undefinable, indescribable, unrecordable Evil God, finally revealed Its face. Although Its race was the Forest Elves, Its face was more terrifying than any demon''s, Its body more formidable than a troll''s. The entire earth trembled! The Fourth Order Peak Law Enforcer, the Forest Elf, Lady Hannah, leading the beauties of the Chaos Court arrived on the battlefield! [Negative Reviews: 2/6] The Imperial Visit Group versus the Fairy Legislative Group, this was the final battle! Chapter 113 An Su Attracts the Attention of the Mother Goddess of Chaos! (4000 words) Twilight had descended, and the last rays of the sunset had completely dissipated, yet the entirety of Fierce Hell Avenue was still illuminated as if it were broad daylight.The flowing magma had dried up, leaving a silent, yellow-brown crust behind. Rows of pale, mummified corpses lay on both sides of the street. After enduring the ravages of the five great races, Fierce Hell Avenue was in a state of utter disrepair. Despite the horrific scene before them, the chaotic spectators'' expressions grew even more frenzied and excited. They swarmed from all directions, crowding the venue to the brim. The number of onlookers kept growing, especially when the Chaos Fairy Legislative Assembly made its appearance, pushing the event''s popularity to its peak. How bitter is life, yet it grants us the chance to witness such wondrous sights. The Chaos Legislation Group, a group that could only be described as the most indefinable force at the frontier. Indefinable, indescribable. If capital city envoys are considered foreign invaders, then the Chaos Legislation Group is the embodiment of the Heavenly Dao. Lady Hannah, a Fourth Order enforcer. John, a Fourth Order Vampire Nobility. They stood opposed to each other, and for a moment, the air almost seemed to solidify. Reporters from the Chaos Wheel Daily News had already linked up to the main hall for an interview, and an emergency headline was printed for today''s edition. The news pointed out that, according to a Mr. An Su who wished to remain anonymous, this great battle was actually a result of a troubled romance. He declared that the Chaos Followers were unaware of the fact that Sir John had once peddled his services at the frontier. This background had already been romanticized; during his youth in Fanael, he peddled his servicesgoblins, orcs, shadow elves, and even the Volcanic Demon were among his customers. While many Believers may not believe it, if one thinks carefully, how could a vampire bat become a noble unless it offered something in return? That something could only be his services. But after his rise to success, he would have to return to the frontier to erase this history. Otherwise, why would he massacre so many people for no reason? Could it possibly be because of some vile act of provocation? And the reason Lady Hannah approached Sir John was to make personal use of public resources and keep him as her patron! An Su''s interview was quite gossipy, but the Chaos Daily loves outrageous and wild stories as they stir hearts and attract attention the most. They thus published the story, with one spark igniting a fire and one rumor, the excitement soared, and in no time at all, the streets were empty. Chaotic spectators flocked to the scene, and the betting houses had already given out the odds for tonight''s fight: Hannah versus John at two to one. It was only to be expected that John''s odds were higher than Hannah''s. After all, although both were of the Fourth Order as Magicians, the Chaos Legislation Group inherently possesses the law of chaos, Female Fourth OrderMale Fourth OrderMale Sacred Order! This law, which twists all creation, is Mother Goddess of Chaos''s blessing to the Legislation Group, and it is also why the Chaos Legislation Group can stand at the pinnacle of frontier cities! ''Who is the one spreading these rumors about girls.'' Hannah felt she had quite the charm. Though she was from the frontiers, she held an official post in Farol. Sarch* The N??elFir.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. As for that vampire above her head, despite having an appearance of a certain standard and a seemingly refined demeanor, he was born in the capital with an inherited titlehis status was passable. His family might own a few hundred acres of estate, but he was nowhere near her match. To think that such a man hoped to attract her attention through media manipulation was simply delusional. She had come to settle accounts with the Volcanic Demon below, but upon her arrival, she found the demon already dealt with by the vampire, its mouth scalded with several blisters. To go to such lengths to pursue her certainly earned the man some points! Hannah was willing to give John a chance to court her. She sent him a covert glance. With a slight bat of her bell-sized eyes, her full lips parted, and her sturdy finger lightly touched her red lips, blowing John a kissan indication that it was all right for the man to take the initiative. John clearly understood the monster''s message. It was an ancient vampire''s hunting etiquette, meaning "Your blood and life are now mine!" This was simply preposterous. Sir John had never known such humiliation before, Luojia''s incessant ''broken through, broken through, broken through'' loop continued to replay in his ears, turning the sweet chirping insults into the delusion of a young maiden on the opposite side. In his anger, he could not help but feel a touch of desire for this woman who had caught his attention. If that was the case, to bestow a favor on such a lowly creature from the frontier by deigning to grant her a first embrace, making her a blood descendant, would be a way to make this wench less arrogant! That could be acceptable. Entertaining the notion of a love story between a Vampire Count and a commoner woman, was something he could accept too. It was comparably romantic, a matter of elegance, and might even become a bestselling book. However, upon actually meeting Hannah, he was confronted with a creature so corpulent and large! Count John felt profoundly deceived. Deeply hurt. He would never again believe in illusions! That creature must have used ''Voice-Changing Magic'' to deceive a young lord from the capital like him! The fury in his chest had reached a peak. Since you want battle, let there be battle! The chaotic spectators around him erupted into cheers, and after such a tense stand-off, Count John finally made a move! His form dispersed into a swirl of blood mist, quietly chanting an intermediate stage Blood Magic spell. The blood mist surged backward, engulfing Hannah in an overwhelming assault, each touch of the mist leaving a bloody hole in her robust body. In an instant, blood gushed from Hannah''s surroundings. Chapter 113 An Su Attracts the Attention of the Mother Goddess of Chaos! (4,000 words)_2 Not a single man is worth a damn!Heart seething with pain and fury, Hannah thought back to the early days of their relationshiphow charming he appeared, spouting sweet nothingsand yet here he was, betraying her in the blink of an eye! As Sir John was about to chant magic once more and transform into a mist of blood, the Hannah who had been cruelly betrayed by a scumbag, led her sisters behind her, Hannah''s slender mouth split open to reveal dark green teeth as she scoffed coldly from her lips, covered her mouth with a sneer, and chanted, "Silence Child." The chaotic spectators around them immediately felt a chill to the bone. It was no wonder she was a Fourth Order Executiveher very first move was this terrifying. It was a Silence Domain-style law! [High-Level Magic: Silence Domain] [Support Domain] [Suppresses the ability to chant all non-epic magic below high-rank within the domain, lasting for ten minutes] The chaotic spectators immediately felt the invisible domain enveloping them, rapidly expanding to nearly block off half of Infernal Street, with the chaotic laws running wild and stripping most beings of their ability to chant. Sir John''s chanting failed, and he reverted to his original form from the blood mist. Hannah landed a straight punch right into John''s chest. Sar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. This punch was earth-shattering, shattering all in its path. Infernal Street rustled in the wind of her fist, the ground cracking with fissure after fissure. Sir John''s blood surged backward, and he could feel that most of his ribs had shattered. It turned out that Hannah was not only proficient in laws, but she also had considerable skill in hand-to-hand combat. Now, boosted by the laws of chaos, the punch she delivered was comparable to the might of a Holy Order knight. Another punch flew, followed by more, each carrying her rage against the scumbag, and the heartrending pain of betrayal! Sir John was half-dead; most of his blood had drained. His body''s healing couldn''t keep up with the damage, and he was on the brink of collapse right there on the spot. He had no choice but to use that one move! But after all, he was a vampire nobleman. Lacking blood to heal his body, he immediately ordered his underlings to start a blood donation drive on the spot! His minions, holding blood bags and syringes, put up banners and began organizing nearly a thousand nearby citizens to donate blood to John on a voluntary basis, asking them to line up without crowding and take turns. With every punch Hannah landed, Sir John drank from a blood bag, For a time, the fight was so fierce that it was hard to tell who was winning. The chaotic spectators around them turned pale, and the extraordinary chaotic scene was captured by reportersan absolute spectacle of chaos! The brawl resulted in the depletion of the chaotic citizens'' ability to contribute further, with Fierce Hell Avenue nearly destroyed, and both the law enforcement team of Forest Elves and the vampire delegation suffered heavy losses, Lady Hannah had expended all her strength, The Vampire Count''s body was also heavily damaged and beyond recovery. Both were significantly weakened. "Let''s stop." They simultaneously chose to cease fire. They were not like those lowly demons, orcs, and dwarves; their lives held more value, and moreover, in his anemic and dizzy state, John even began to hallucinate, finding Hannah opposite him more enchanting than ever. [2/6] [Time Remaining: 5 minutes] It seems this battle had finally come to an end. As if. An Su gazed across to the other side of Infernal Street, his smile growing more serene at the corner of his mouth. He excused himself to use the restroom to briefly step out of everyone''s sight and entered the washroom outside the recovery hall. Ten minutes prior, An Su had cast a spell on Infernal Street unknown to anyone else. A fixed reward from Nether Town, Epic magic. [Holy Light Praise] [Magic Power consumption: Three] [Unique Magic (Epic Magic)] [Effect: For each Cultist that dies within the domain, five magic power points are restored, continuing for ten minutes] Killing Light is a branch of Holy Light, and it had already shrouded that area of Infernal Street! This place was the Kingdom of Chaos, Thus, Everyone on this street, Were Chaos [Cultists]! Every death restored five points of magic power to An Su, and while receiving a continuous supply of magic power, he put all the magic power points into his one high-level magic: [Sacrifice of Life]! [High-Level Magic] [Summoning Magic] [Magic Power consumption: Twenty per minute] [Magic effect: Summon Fifth Tier undead from the Altar of Life] This was the third spell combination that An Su had created, after the Pregnant Flow and the Banishment Flow The Killing Light Flow! In the washroom, under the dusk of the setting sun, the young boy''s bluish-green eyes shone like the starry sky, "The Azure Sorceress who overturns life," "Emerging from the ancient Dark Priest." The breath of life flowed in reverse, and a vast amount of Magic Power streamed into the forbidden Summoning Magic through An Su''s body as the medium. In just the past ten minutes, more than two hundred Chaos Followers had been killed or wounded, a total of one thousand Magic Power points. Of course, Saintly Praise also had its limits and could not provide an unlimited supply, In other words, An Su''s current body had a hidden limit. Using the body as a conduit for Magic Power, a total of only one hundred Magic Power points could be tolerated passing through the body; any more, and An Su''s Magic circuits would be damaged. But one hundred Magic Power points could also provide five minutes of sustenance. That was enough. "I call upon Your name," "May You awaken from Your eternal slumber." "An Su Moningsta summons You to this world!" A sinister and terrifying presence descended abruptly, lost souls following the anchor''s guidance, swimming upstream in the river of life, accepting the invitation! Because the Magic Power provided was quite substantial, the Dark Priest even faintly took on a physical form, with azure, stunningly beautiful pupils under the black hood, burning with an ethereal Spirit Fire. Just like the serene beauty of death. "Thanks for choosing me again, boss An Su~" The moment Bone spoke, her elegance evaporated. She gracefully curtsied, "May I ask what service you require?" "I have come to fulfill my promise, in return for you teaching me the construction of Magic Power, I shall teach you the incantation for altar-less sacrifice." An Su''s smile grew even calmer as he gently said. Altar-less sacrifice... High-Rank Priest Bone revealed a perplexed expression. At first confused, then excited, and even thrilled. What she loved most was the practice of new knowledge! She immediately took out her notebook and noted it down vigilantly. Altar-less sacrifice was also a prayer updated in the official version to accommodate senior players, and only those of High-Rank or above could use it. While convenient, it also came with a corresponding cost. Because no altar was set up, the effect of the sacrifice would be halved. "You have five minutes," "Sacrifice the vampire and the Forest Elves across the street for me." Standing on her tiptoes, Bone''s Magic Eye saw through the walls to Fierce Hell Street. "Without an altar, I can''t conduct a large-scale sacrifice," she explained seriously, "but I can still manage a small one." The Azure Magic Eye''s soul fire was dim, yet it could penetrate everything. Bone had already noticed that the Fourth-Order Forest Elves and the Fourth-Order Vampire Nobles had exhausted their strength, nearly burnt out. Just sacrificing these two was within the five minutes she could manage. This was also the first time An Su had attempted to sacrifice beings of Fourth-Order; until now, the highest he had ever sacrificed was a Third-Order life Magician, never higher. Because it was an altar-less sacrifice, two Fourth-Tiers equaled one. But that was a Fourth-Order Magician! General Angelo of Seden Town was also just Fourth-Tier. This sacrifice was equivalent to sacrificing a final boss in a dungeon. "Please leave it to me," Bone whispered, the soul fire in her eyes reflecting joy. Learning and practicing it timely, isn''t it joyful? The new knowledge she had just learned could be immediately applied in practice, how could she not be excited? "Why were you gone so long?" As soon as An Su returned to the recovery hall, Luojia excitedly said to him, "You just missed a splendid moment, the Vampire Noble confessed to the Forest Elves." A perfect match. Internal digestion, right? It''s better to go on the road together. An Su looked at the now calm Fierce Hell Avenue, smiling innocently, thinking to himself, "The most exciting part is about to come." This chaos was about to welcome its most heavyweight contestant! [You have attracted the attention of the Mother Goddess of Chaos] Chapter 114 An Su Attracts the Attention of the Mother Goddess of Life! The flames on Fierce Hell Avenue seemed to have been extinguished.The blood had also dried up. The whole street was deathly silent, once again sinking into tranquility. The Chaos Followers were all satisfied, having witnessed the war of the six armies; they felt content with their lives. Such a level of chaos was enough to be nominated for the best chaos of the year. Although it still couldn''t compare to the great battle of Fierce Hell, after all, it had ended on an anticlimactic note. Their enthusiasm waned. Vampires and Forest Elves shook hands and made peace. There was no point in fighting to the death over this. Sir John''s complexion was pale as he leaned against the broad chest muscles of Lady Hannah, the illusions caused by his anemia still not faded, although his head was muddled. They had even begun to discuss the inheritance of titles and the distribution of territories. Lady Hannah demanded that half of the inheritance should be kept by her after marriage, and the dowry must be half the pre-marital property; Sir John, his head spinning, was utterly unaware that all his money had been taken, and he agreed cheerfully. It was insignificant, anyway. If his own blood was drained, he would just suck the blood of lesser beings. There would always be an inexhaustible supply of blood for him to drink. This six-army melee had already ended, and the people were preparing to disperse. After all, there was no excitement left to watch; cursing it as boring, they felt cheated with such a contrived climax after risking their lives to spectate. The gamblers were the biggest losers; having bet on both sides, not a single one had died their bets were all lost! There were already many gamblers cursing and demanding their money back. And at this final moment, As twilight waned and night was about to fall, life burst forth on Infernal Street. The blessing of life touched this place, tree roots began to grow wildly, breaking through the earth, and all things eagerly drove their roots into the corpses'' bodies, sucking the last of their flesh and blood. In an instant, all was teeming with life; the tree shadows were dancing, blocking out the sun and sky, Infernal Street laid out its stage, only to welcome the arrival of the last guest. All Chaos Followers stopped in their tracks to leave, "There''s still a master to come!" Because they felt it, They felt that forbidden, twisted presence, filled with desecration yet paradoxically bringing flourishing to all! Sir John''s every hair stood on end, cold sweat running down his cheeks, as he lifted his narrow eyes, gazing into a certain spot in the sky. Lady Hannah''s face turned cold as well. The surrounding silence reached an extreme, That terrifying presence had arrived at the battlefield! In a blink, the once-lively trees withered, and bones rapidly decayed, leaving only desolation and skeletal remains. The hooded girl, her blue eyes burning with soul fire, stepped barefoot on the rotten bones, slowly advancing one step after another. All the conflicts on Fierce Hell Avenue, Whether it was the Shadow Legion, the Biochemical Legion, the Imperial Visiting Group, or the Chaos Legislation Group, were all organizations from within the Kingdom of Chaos, all under the same sky. But there are skies beyond our sky And that is the sacred foreign emissary! From the Life Esoteric Church, once a demigod, after falling, still a holy Magician. The blue Witch, the subverter of life, An Su''s appointed top engineer, the Bone Lady whose craft could soar across the nation! The surrounding Chaos spectators were so excited they nearly went mad. What day was today? Not only had they witnessed a battle among six races, but now even a holy member of the Life Esoteric Church had come to Fierce Hell Avenue! The significance suddenly changed. This was no longer just an internal conflict of the Kingdom of Chaos, this was diplomacy between chaos and life. It wasn''t just a matter of getting your money''s worth even if you died; being resurrected strong was more than enough! Being able to witness such a chaotic spectacle with one''s own eyes! It was simply intoxicating! They were now curious about only one thing. Who could be behind instigating a war between the six great races and the brawl between two Esoteric Religions? Who could be the mastermind? This person must be incredibly cunning and deceitful. This was no longer the level of an excellent graduate, This was a masterpiece of a grandmaster. "It is the holy Priest of the Life Ecclesia" Luojia looked toward Fierce Hell Avenue from afar, she too was quite astonished; there had been no life priests calling the hotline. "An Su, An Su," the Little Holy Maiden tugged at An Su''s sleeve, "do you recognize this person?" An Su looked at the chief technician he had summoned, his expression solemn as he shook his head, his tone cutting with sanctity, "I do not know him." "From beginning to end, I, An Su, have been a faithful believer of the Holy Light, not acquainted with anyone from the Esoteric Religion." His gaze was unwaveringly firm. "Especially not the despicable followers of the Mother Goddess of Life!" Luojia also knew that this could not be related to An Su, for this was the border world, and they had just arrived; how could An Su possibly know a holy priest from the Life Esoteric Church? Nobody could have anticipated that the situation would spiral uncontrollably to this extent! Atop Fierce Hell Avenue, the atmosphere of grim determination had reached its zenith. Lady Hannah did not know when she had provoked such a mighty being; she waved her stout hand, her red lips parting as if to mention something like ''girls helping girls''. But Bone didn''t let her speak. She had only five minutes, she needed to act quickly. John evaded the blood shadow, knowing the battle was now inevitable, and charged at the holy priest. If both he and his ally were at their peak, even against a holy priest, not to say five minutes, they would have had more than enough to last half an hour. But now, both were severely weakened. John''s body was even more badly damaged. Any resistance was like using an egg to smash a rock. In order to perform the sacrifice, one must first strip the offerings of their ability to resist. The blood shadow, forcefully gathered by that forbidden vitality, once again outlined the form of John. As the life force continued to swell, roots began to grow on John''s skin, and the little blood that remained was plundered away. Hannah tried to counter with her fists, but her strength was utterly drained; the punches she threw no longer held their former sharpness and couldn''t even come close to Bone. Thorns burst forth from the cracked earth, piercing straight through her corpulent body. And in the distance, the holy priest Bone, smiled at the sight. Damn, that hurts. In truth, she was in pain too. At that very moment, An Su was using ''Friendly Painful Messaging'' to communicate with her, enhancing the signal by first casting a few Illumination Spells on himself. "Turn the lights brighter, to see more clearly," he said to Luojia, "Besides, the Holy Light can dispel these evil beings." Evil beings, An Su''s gaze fixed upon Fierce Hell Avenue, and in his mind, he said to Bone, "Follow my lead and chant silently." "Primordial life, lord of the Red Moon." "May You forgive our presumptions," The Life Priest in his heart echoed An Su''s silent chant, as the gaze of the Mother Goddess slowly descended upon them. Every Chaos Follower felt that exciting sense of dreadwas even the Mother Goddess making her presence known!? Hannah and John, facing such horror directly, felt a fear more acute than anyone else. For the first time, they felt fear. One was the Legislation Fairy, the other, the Count from the capital, Throughout their decades of unrestrained lives, they had never felt such fear. And now, regret. "Upon the crownless altar," sea??h th ovelFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Speak with blood, offer with bone." As their bodies were slowly consumed, they wished to plead for mercy, but their throats were choked by the wildly growing flesh. "Offering Vampire Count John and Forest Elf Hannah to You," Slowly they turned to blood and flesh, and then slowly they melted into blood water. "Your devoted believers invite You to partake in this crude meal." But after An Su finished this last sentence, both the Legislation Fairy and the Count from the capital completely vanished from this world, without leaving a trace. The entire Fierce Hell Street lay empty, bathed in the bright moonlight, as gentle and clear as water. [0/6] [Bad Review Elimination Rate 100%] [Eligible for special reward] "Such a terrifying sacrifice," An Su said to Luojia, "Truly cruel." At the same time, the voice of the Celestial Messenger reached his ears. [...Delicious child, you have caught the attention of the Mother Goddess of Life] Chapter 115 The Saints Astonishment: Is An Su Scheming a Murder Inside? The Astro Church''s first sanctuary shone brightly, despite the deep of night, as if it were still daytime.Ever since the Third Order bio-engineered oni was killed by An Su and the Dark Elf, the believers hadn''t stopped discussing it. Half the believers felt that An Su''s actions sullied the glory of the Holy Light, a disgrace. Tainted with darkness. The reputation of Dark Elves, thirty thousand years hence, was not good, to say the least; they were infamous. They were a taboo race. An example was the neighboring Cersei Kingdom, where Dark Elves had proliferated, beginning to crowd out and reject local elves, leading to a stranglehold where from parliament members to judges, all were uniformly Dark Elves. Thirty thousand years later, today. Farol had consecutively abolished the "Animal Protection Law" and after the "Encyclopedia of Tools" was promulgated, the "Human Supremacy Act" followed, one by one driving non-human races out of the empire, with the Dark Elves being the first to be expelled. Anyone associated with the Dark Elves was considered fallen and drawn to the dark. For a saint, any rumor of involvement with Dark Elves could impact their career, or worse, be branded as a heretic. Priest Paxi wore an unpleasant expression. If possible, he still wanted to save An Su Moningsta, the child. Even though this person was despicable and cunning, after all, he was still a child who had just joined the Church. With proper guidance, he could yet be led onto the path of order. Now he started to regret asking the Celestial Bishop to retrieve the Rite of Life. Once the scandal was exposed through the Rite of Life, An Su was immediately thrust into the limelight, becoming the target of public criticism. Sarch* The n?vel_Fire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. His reputation seemed irredeemable. Dark Elves were like a stain; once you were tainted, it never left your record. However, it was hard for An Su to come back alive now. What the public thought no longer mattered... At this thought, Paxi felt a profound cruelty. "Have you heard? This season''s An Su appears to be the Child of the Curse" "No wonder... he would fall with the Dark Elves." "Teaming up with a race notorious for betrayal like the Dark Elves, An Su will eventually suffer." The senior believers talked amongst themselves, none too optimistic, "Unless he kills the Dark Elf on the spot, how else could he turn things around?" "Haha, you''ve got jokes... joke... huh?" At that moment, the Rite of Life began to flicker again, [Tier Four Dark Elf Dais is dead] [Death Contribution: Fourth Order Vampire Count John (80%), An Su Moningsta (10%), Luoja Fast (10%)] ? He actually got killed? Believers speaking just a second ago now felt a searing pain on their cheeks, caught between embarrassment and disbelief, utterly flabbergasted. No way? You actually backstabbed him? You were cooperating just moments ago! That was a Tier Four Dark Elf! In a Second Order world, it could be a clan leader. How could you kill it just like that? Though your contribution was only 10%, it was still an impressive feat. And how come you''re teaming up with the Vampire Count again? First, you cooperate with an oni to kill the goblin, then you partner with the Dark Elf to kill the oni, and next you join forces with the Vampire Count to kill the Dark Elf? What kind of traitor are you... And after so many betrayals, how come there are still countless formidable ones seeking to team up with you? Is this youth''s race that of a succubus? Priest Paxi felt his earlier concerns for An Su had been wasted. ''Joining forces with an unfaithful race like An Su''s, it''s the Dark Elves who would eventually suffer.'' What made his mouth twitch even more was that the Little Holy Maiden Luoja also took part in An Su''s backstabbing operation... That Little Holy Maiden, Paxi had seen her a few times, elegant, well-mannered, and noble. Could such a promising young girl have been led astray by An Su? Priest Paxi cocked his head, shaking off these unrealistic thoughts from his mind. Even though he didn''t know how An Su managed it, he did indeed achieve a decent resultfor a Third Order saint, this performance was qualified. The night grew deeper, and the Rite of Life quieted down. Priest Paxi thought that An Su probably couldn''t cause more trouble now. Most of the believers thought the same way. Although the conquest of a fourth-order world by a saint was novel, they still had homework to do tomorrow, and continuing to linger here was a waste of time, so a few started to think about leaving. Then, they were proven wrong. Horribly wrong. The Ritual of Life first fell briefly silent, maybe for a minute, perhaps two, then the starlight suddenly brightened, illuminating the hall as if it were broad daylight, before negligently dimming again. A short circuit? The believers began to feel doubtful. The priests of the Astro Church were also puzzled, as there had never been such an occurrence with a relic of the holy order. Little did they know, this was merely the calm before the storm. After the burst of starlight, the Ritual of Life took a while before it revealed names, [Deceased: Fourth Order Volcanic Demon] [Death Contribution:...An Su (ten percent)] [Deceased: Second Order Goblin] [Death Contribution:...An Su (ten percent)] [Deceased: First Order Chaos Follower.....] Starlight continued to gather, forming one name after another. The names appeared faster and faster, which also meant the deaths were accelerating. Everyone knew what this implieda massacre was unfolding in the border world. And in that massacre, there was always ten percent of An Su Moningsta! The starlight-formed names kept flashing by, faster and faster, as the entire Ritual of Life seemed to flicker. "How is this possible!?" "Is there a problem with the Ritual of Life?" Everyone was desperate to know how exactly An Su managed to do this! As the starlight flickered, the believers'' faces were cast in ever-changing light and shade. Roughly estimated, in just about two minutes, fifty to sixty people had been slain, and the pace of this massacre was still increasing. It did not discriminate against any race. The doctrine of annihilation that An Su followed was a rare branch of Holy Light, eliminating racial, gender, health, and regional conflicts with equality. It disregarded the wealth gap and lowliness of race, achieving an unprecedented grand harmony of life! The names on the Ritual of Life were now leaving afterimages as they flashed. Priest Paxi had already sent someone to notify the bishop of the Radiant Holy See. He should have known sooner! This brat An Su had been quiet for a month, definitely saving up for something big. The Ritual of Life was almost smoking from the display! It wasn''t until the death messages of [Fourth Order Vampire Count John] and [Fourth Order Forest Elf Hannah] appeared that the starlight, which had been flickering for a full ten minutes, finally came to an end. But then, Priest Paxi was completely dumbfounded. All the believers present were dumbstruck. They found the world absurd and bizarre. [Deceased: Fourth Order Vampire] [Death Contribution: Hannah (fifty percent), An Su (fifty percent)] [Deceased: Fourth Order Forest Elf] [Death Contribution: John (fifty percent), An Su (fifty percent)] How on earth was this unbelievable result of slaying achieved... And An Su''s contribution actually reached fifty percent? This meant that whether it was killing the fourth-order forest elf or the fourth-order vampire, An Su was the main combat force. He was just a newcomer... How did he do it! The interest in this border conquest wasn''t limited to the Astro Church, but also in the far-off land of the Esoteric Religion in The Avad Empire. The members of the Mysticism of Chaos also turned their gaze toward this border world, as the church''s insiders conveyed intelligence. The Chaotic Saintess was naturally paying attention too. "...Absurd," she commented. Chapter 116 An Su Feels that the Chaotic Frontier is Too Orderly The entire Fierce Hell Avenue had turned into ruins.With the arrival of a saint-class Priest of Life, the chaos reached a new peak. No one knew the methods she employed. In just a few minutes, two Fourth Order individuals were sacrificed. The indescribable Lawgiver and the vampiric Count of the imperial capital ended up as blood mist, disappearing without a trace. After cleanly sacrificing two people, the fearsome saint-class Priest uttered incomprehensible vocabulary. "Welcome to request my services again~" Although it was not understandable, it felt very professional. The Chaos Followers inexplicably felt it was impressive. To be held in such respect by a saint-class Priest, perhaps the ''you'' she referred to was the Cardinal of the Life Ecclesia. Once Bone left, Fierce Hell Avenue became quiet. The Chaos Followers felt a bit unsatisfied, wishing it could have been more chaotic. They are currently competing for the title of the nation''s most chaotic district, lacking chaos KPIs. If there were more events like today, maybe Farol could have won the title. From the city hall to the ordinary citizens, all are madmen seeking chaos. Nobody knows when they will next witness such a wondrous scene, perhaps not for several years. Bright moonlight poured down, casting light upon the ruins on the street, so pure and transparent. Fierce Hell Avenue, bathed in moonlight, seemed eerily clean and beautiful. The cleanliness index of the entire district suddenly shot up several notches. An Su pushed open the window, breathing in the fresh air, as the moonlight also fell on the boy''s clean smile. He said to Luojia, "Look, we''ve upheld the Lord''s order again." "With no people on the street, the security is much better." "We have eliminated people''s pain." You''ve eliminated the people in pain! Luojia was powerless to object; she could sense that the boy in front of her was sincere, it seemed he truly believed what he said... Maybe, probably, should be, somewhat reasonable? [Mission Two: Service to the People: Obtain three or more civil service licenses, and achieve a 100% approval rating in the district you serve (30% progress)] [Fierce Hell Avenue negative comment elimination rate has reached 100%] [Achievement of additional bonus: Job promotion, Level 2 PositionLevel 1 Position, Outstanding Employee of the Restoration Hall] [Outstanding Employee Task: Please ensure that the disapproval rate elimination of your responsible district reaches above 50%] "It''s finally over tonight," Luojia slowly exhaled, Feeling that the past hour had been longer than several days. But, it wasn''t boring indeed. Causing such destruction, this guy should be satisfied by now. Luojia glanced at An Su. "We still have three days, it''s time to start investigating the main quest," She said, "How exactly did the Chaotic Frontier perish in history... that period is lost, with various records being unclear." "Some say it was the descent of the Evil God that brought ruin, others say it was an external warthere are rumors that unraveling this history is key to the return of the ''Era of Chaos,'' we must know before the Chaos Followers do." This, too, was the responsibility of a saint. Luojia''s academic performance was exceptional; she was the top scholar of the previous class, with a particular interest in history. Whenever history was mentioned, her snow-white eyes sparkled with light. "Over?" Luojia hadn''t expected An Su to be so surprised, or even incredulous, "Comrade Luojia, did you just say our work for tonight is over?" "Ah... Isn''t it?" Luojia couldn''t understand, "Fierce Hell Avenue has already been destroyed. The negative rating has also been completely eliminated." "We are civil servants, and even more, servants of the city." An Su righteously criticized Luojia''s negative thoughts, "Our service to the citizens is a never-ending endeavor." Have you gotten too deep into character... Luojia''s face darkened. "Although the citizens of Fierce Hell Avenue no longer suffer, those in other districts are still living in dire straits." An Su''s expression was saintly. "What about the historical truth?" Luojia felt he couldn''t lose momentum and, standing on tiptoes, he looked An Su in the eye, "We still have three days. Let''s find out the truth first, then ''serve the citizens.''" "What three days, one day, by tonight!" An Su emphasized each word, "Three days is too long. Service to the citizens cannot wait." For speedrunners, saving time and completing levels quickly is basic etiquette. "What about the historical truth?" "What historical truth," An Su shook his head, "I don''t care, it''s none of my business." For speedrunners, skipping dialogue and ignoring the text is also basic etiquette. Luojia felt his worldview under assault; what species was this creature in front of him... "Then how do you plan to serve all the citizens of the frontier within one day?" Luojia intended to argue the point, "Farol is so large, Fierce Hell Avenue is just one of its streets, the two of us alone can''t possibly manage." "Who said it''s just the two of us..." An Su said. "Even with Miss Enya too" Luojia instinctively objected, then paused. In the cool moonlight, An Su gave Luojia a calm smile, and Luojia immediately sensed a bad premonition; whenever An Su smiled like that, nothing good ever followed. She realized she must have overlooked something. Is he planning to do that! Luojia''s pupils dilated slightly. She knew what she had overlooked. Not possible... The Little Holy Maiden touched her forehead in disbelief. And the smile on An Su''s face became even more peaceful and serene, bathed in the moonlight, giving him an aura of sanctity. The young man turned and looked around the recovery hall. The entire recovery hall was also bathed in the pure white moonlight, which gently brushed over everyone''s eyes, whether it was the expressionless goblin recovery agents or the mentally exhausted demons, elves, dwarves, lizardmen... Although they were still breathing, they were nothing more than walking corpses at this point. Not just their bodies, but their souls too were wearily exhausted. Unable to protect anything, not even their own mothers. The recovery hall comprised over a dozen different species, with a hundred or so Magicians processing different districts and streets, all basking under the same moonlight at this moment. The night had deepened. Their work was not over. Beside everyone, the magic telephone kept ringing, with countless voices of abuse and roars echoing through the hall. They were the lowest Third Order position, temporary workers hired for the job. If their negative rating removal rate fell below fifty, they would be executed by the city government office. The telephone rang incessantly. But they all ignored the phone and stared straight at An Su, at the young man before them. Under the cool moonlight, Sear?h the ovlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "My operation just now." An Su smiled at them, "Did you all understand it?" Like a devil tempting the heart. Chapter 117 This idiot.Luojia stared at An Su expressionlessly. I should have guessed this earlier... This guy must have been playing this game from the beginning! No wonder he insisted on teaching me how to scold people in public, it turns out it was for these Magicians to see! Luojia even thought of more details, ''If you keep swallowing your anger and refuse to reply, you will become like them.'' Those were the words An Su said to her, and they were actually a challenge to these Magicians! It''s like when parents say in front of others to their child, ''If you don''t study well, you''ll end up moving bricks like your cousin.'' The one who is most stimulated is not their child, but the cousin who moves bricks! "Did you understand my operation just now?" An Su said calmly, his voice clean and pure yet as if it were a seductive siren''s call, "All my negative reviews are gone now, and I''ve been rated as an excellent employee, promoted to a Tier 2 position." Indeed that was the case. An Su was right. The negative reviews were gone, and the position was promoted. The Magicians looked at one another and communicated in low voices. They had some guesses about An Su''s real identity much earlier. The doctrine of the Sanctuary of Chaos is to incite the masses and stir up chaos. Someone outstanding in causing chaos like An Su is naturally cut out to be a councillor of chaos, at least starting from Tier 1, so how could he be rolling with them at a Tier 3 position? Sar?h the N??elFir.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The act that An Su deliberately displayed has led them to speculate. It''s very likely that he was sent down to guide their work. And An Su''s current speech has undoubtedly pierced through this layer of paper. Several Magicians were moved, the emptiness in their eyes seemed to flash with a hint of spirit. But most Magicians were still hesitant and fearful, years of workplace humiliation had tamed their souls, the thought of scolding citizens like An Su made them shudder all over. "Are you content with this?" An Su''s voice was icy, the chill penetrating deeply into their hearts, "Are you content to endure such a life forever!" "Credit goes to the higher-ups, mistakes to the underlings, and apologies to you temps. Are you willing to accept such a life?" They certainly were not willing. "Just now, I also guided Magicians like you facing citizens'' insults, she was meek, she swallowed her anger, she didn''t dare to fight back." An Su sneakily winked at Luojia, hinting for his outstanding disciple to cooperate. Like hell I will cooperate with you! Did you think I''m such an easy woman to deal with? Luojia snorted coldly, unmoved, still angry about being fooled by An Su. "But look at her now." An Su pushed Luojia to the front, "How confident, how natural, how beautiful, how..." An Su poured down a torrent of extravagant adjectives, In front of all those eyes, Luojia felt terribly ashamed, her cheeks red as the evening glow, she pinched An Su''s waist fiercely several times, though clearly in pain he still maintained his eternally unchanging smile. This birth. If I don''t agree with this guy, he''ll just keep talking! Luojia had no way to deal with An Su, she could only bite her lip and nod, "....He''s right about everything." Indeed oh. More Magicians were persuaded. The little girl had just come in, and they had all seen her. She looked scared and incredulous, as if her worldview had collapsed. But under An Su''s instruction, she had managed to say words of dominance like "come and challenge your granny from the borders," and now she appeared confident and optimistic, with a sparkle in her eyes (the kind that wanted to strangle An Su). An Su let go of Luojia. Seeing that most of the recuperating magicians were already tempted, the young man''s smile became even more splendid. "I have already imparted my skills to you." Whether it was the Defenses-Breaking Truth or the Irritation Secret, the Yin Yang Path, or the Lineage Extraction Skill, all kinds of Knight Teaching were thoroughly conveyed to everyone in the recuperation hall through six real battles. "I have already proven to you that this is feasible, government-endorsed, and expected by the people of Chaos." Every sentence, every word, was leading people into The Abyss. It was full of temptation and full of promise. The recuperating magicians listened to An Su''s words, their pupils trembling, and their eyes, originally as stale as pond water, slowly showed signs of life, and eventually, slowly filled with desire. "You will break free from this shameful and never-ending nightmare." An Su stretched out his hand, the moonlight draped over the teenager''s figure, making him seem as holy as a savior. He seemed like the serpent that tempted Adam and Eve to taste the forbidden fruit. "You know what to do next." An Su said slowly. "Let the entire Farol feel your rage." He spoke each word with emphasis, "Let''s burn this city to ashes!!" The ringing of the magical phone echoed relentlessly in the hall, a lizard person from Nightmare Third Street was cursing madly, their sharp and venomous voice filling everyone''s ears, The dwarf responsible for dealing with Third Street shakily picked up the phone, He took a deep breath, mimicking An Su''s Lineage Extraction Skill, "Keep yapping and I''ll stuff your ( ) ( ) into your ( )." The person on the other end was obviously baffled, while the dwarf became more and more excited and satisfied with his cursing, their eyes increasingly bright. "Don''t give me your whining rubbish! Name the place! Let''s see if I don''t flatten you!" The dwarf directly accessed the bad review list, called out the next citizen''s name, and arranged to duel them on Nightmare Street. So thrilling! The dwarf was so excited he was nearly waving a flag! Once one person took the plunge, those magicians who had been hesitant started to try it too, one after another they began to curse the citizens, spreading like a chain reaction. The forbidden pleasure spread rapidly. They were not only recuperating magicians, but also Believers of Chaos. The excitement chaos brought was like poison, irresistibly spreading. "Don''t rush." "Broken defenses, hahaha." "I''ll ( ) your ( )" Luojia''s lips twitched slightly. At this moment, the recuperation hall was filled with a chaotic frenzy! Splendid colors and sunsets were flying together! All the grievances and anger accumulated over the years were like kindling piled up deep in one''s heart, pressing heavily, the more they accumulated the deeper they got. An Su simply flipped the switch, made a demonstration, then set off an explosion throughout the entire recuperation hall! The entire recuperation hall housed one hundred twenty recuperating staff, responsible for twenty streets in Farol, all citizens'' feedback was dealt with here! This also meant Not just Fierce Hell Avenue. Instead, all of Farol was plunging into chaos!! Chapter 118 First-Level Position: Head of Recovery Department, An Su! ```At first, no one paid attention to the chaosa mere recovery magician, a brawl, a sacrifice, a street''s destructionuntil the chaos became intimately connected with everyone. Chaotic Frontier. Farol. Also known as the ''City of Free Glory.'' Farol, bathed in moonlight like water, possesses a steel-like beauty and prosperity. The streets are disordered, with glaring magic neon lights swaying, slums without trees, replaced by barbarically growing rebars, and the brilliant architecture that covers it allthe Municipal Building. Since the Fierce Hell War, it has endured for five hundred years. The dilapidated Farol, truly a city of freedom, but slowly it began to change. Farol might nominatively belong to the Kingdom of Chaos, but the municipal government operates independently. The bureaucrats have monopolized the upper echelons of Farol; beneath the shadow of the bustling Municipal Building are countless barbaric slum streets. Under the guise of freedom, the social classes and citizens are shackled. The ossified city, where so-called freedom is but a sham hope conjured up, seemingly within reach, spurring recklessness. Outsiders pour into the Municipal Building like mad, as though this could change their fate, as if this could hoist them to the pinnacle of the City of Glory. But the vast majority of dream chasers end up with so-called ''Third Order'' public service jobs, living a mediocre life; even in death, they are manipulated by bureaucrats and become fuel for Farol''s savage growth. They lack talent and connections, not born of noble vampires like those from the Imperial capital, not favored by the Mother Goddess like fair legislators, and even the ''Encyclopedia for Tools Application'' won''t protect themso they can never break free from their destiny. They become blood bags for vampires or accomplishments for legislators, or they are driven out by the tools. The lifelessness of so-called freedom and the chaos disguised as ordersuch is the current state of Farol. The stratified classes can no longer be changed. "Let''s burn this city to ashes." Until that young man appeared. He was definitely not a local of Farol; the people here did not have his kind of warmth and heart-touching quality, instead they were all listless and dull. Some speculated he was from the Imperial capital, some said he was a Saint Heir nurtured by the Sanctuary of Chaos, others claimed he was a chosen one sent by the Mother Goddess of Chaosbut whatever the possibility, it no longer mattered. He brought a new hope, not a false and distant illusion, but a tangible future; even they, as mere Third Order citizens, could see it within their reach! Chaos, chaos, only chaos! Let''s burn this city to ashes! If everything is already fixed, let it all turn to ashes and then be reborn from the ashes! Chaos is the ladder to ascension! Excitement. The only thought in everyone''s mind was excitement, driven mad by it. They enthusiastically made calls, eagerly inquired about each other''s families, dutifully left the names of other dissatisfied reviewers, as recovery magicians had never loved their work more. Regret. The only thought in Luojia''s mind was regret. Luojia watched An Su''s smile of pleasure and fulfillment at serving the citizens, then scanned the chaotic recovery hall where demons danced wildly and lyres ascendedshe quite regretted playing along with An Su''s antics. The Little Holy Maiden had never felt such annoyance before. This was outright fraud. She wanted to be a bit bad, but not to this extent! Boom At that moment, an explosion suddenly came from outside, flames shot up into the sky, rolling up thick smoke; The clash occurred on Nightmare Street, where lizardmen and dragonkin were locked in battle, spewing flames at each other. The spreading fire streaked along the block, engulfing several buildings. The two races had long-standing grievances; the recovery magician''s taunts were merely the spark. The switch pressed by An Su had triggered an avalanche of chain reactions. In the entire Recovery Department, there were more than a hundred recovery magicians, addressing all the negative reviews of Farol''s streets. ``` Luojia looked out the window, and the fire was growing larger and larger. The Chaos Followers were even more elated, the more chaotic it became, the happier they were. Having just witnessed the great battle on Fierce Hell Avenue, they didn''t expect to encounter new chaos so soon, and they hurriedly rushed to watch. Reporters also gleefully rushed to report the news, vying for the headline. The underlying contradictions of Farol had long reached a critical point, the tensions between races, between classes. Like a pile of firewood just waiting to ignite. It had always been diverted by the municipal government, which found various ways to release the dissatisfaction of the citizens. An Su simply lit a match to that pile of firewood. Soon, the second riot broke out. sea??h th novlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. In the slums further away from Nightmare Street, flames once again surged into the sky. "Is it New Year''s Day today?" many Chaos Followers thought to themselves. As long as there was new entertainment, that was all that mattered. They couldn''t wait for things to get even more chaotic! The third, fourth, fifth riots occurred in succession, thick smoke swirling above the city like millions of black crows, with gunpowder and ashes as their feathers. The fire was spreading further, and chaos escalating further. [Nightmare Street negative reviews reduction 10%, 20%...] Screams and cheers were incessant, and blood and death had ignited every chaotic citizen''s emotions. It triggered a series of avalanches. Even many thugs in the blocks, without waiting for the Magicians'' instigation, spontaneously joined the chaotic carnival. [Death Park negative reviews reduction 30%] [Pleasure Square negative reviews reduction 40%...] ''Other streets are so lively, if our block is this quiet, wouldn''t that be losing face!'' they thought. ''Get ready for action!'' they shouted. Gang members clashed in street fights, Dark elves roamed the streets, taking advantage of the fire to shoplift from one shop after another, And biotics, amidst the chaos, launched stealthy attacks like dragons, silently targeting the dark elves'' rear, seeking to expand their groups, as biotic viruses spread wildly among the populace. Some biotics accidentally attacked Volcanic Demons and turned into delicious roast chicken. All races held a vision of a wonderful future. When chaos expanded to a certain threshold, even without the Magicians'' provocation, citizens spontaneously joined the chaotic revelry. "Chaos!" "Chaos!" "Chaos!" They yelled with frenzy. "Turn everything to ashes!" Luojia saw wyverns dragging plumes of smoke, crashing directly into another Municipal Building, triggering a series of explosions; He also saw gatherings of goblins outside the government offices, pounding the government doors time after time; the Imperial Embassy had already been surrounded by demons, hurling fire bombs one after another. Steel-cast edifices collapsed with a thunderous noise, successive explosions of fire from afar looked like a sequence of fireworks celebrating the arrival of the New Year, with everyone jubilant. Nightmare Street, Death Park, Pleasure Square... more and more streets turned to rubble! And the more people died, the faster An Su''s promotion came, according to the rules of the border world. It was then that An Su heard the voice of the Celestial Messenger, [An Su Moningsta] [...Your damn promotion notification has arrived.] Chapter 119 Luojia: Im Really Not a Trusted Agent of Chaos! [An Su Moningsta][A total of ten streets have negative review elimination rates of 30 percent, six blocks have negative review elimination rates of 50 percent, and two streets have negative review elimination rates of 100 percent.] [Secondary Position: Recovery Hall''s outstanding employee An Su exceeded his task, achieving his 30-year performance goals, and is now issued a promotion notice] [Primary Position: Minister of the Recovery Department] [You have perfectly cleared the civil servant profession ''Recovery Magician''] All Recovery Magicians stood up and applauded, their eyes brimming with tears. They harbored no envy for An Su''s ability to take a thirty-year shortcut overnight, for everything he got was well-deserved. "Prosperity brings happiness, right?" An Su was rather satisfied with his work; whatever he did, he liked to pursue excellence, as that''s what netted the richest rewards. Outside, it was as lively as if it were New Year. There was red blood everywhere, and fire. So lively. Luoja stared at An Su, then turned to look at the chaotic streets engulfed in flames, her face expressionless. Although this was interesting, wasn''t it too much so...? She sighed. Her demeanor was cold. As a Holy Maiden of the Church, Luoja felt a duty to guide this young man onto the correct path. The situation had become quite grim, and if he continued to develop like this, he would assuredly stray off course, ever further away from the path of radiance. Luoja felt it was her responsibility to guide An Su. Saving every confused believer, This was also the duty of a Holy Maiden of the Church. With that thought, new energy sparked in Luoja''s previously dim eyes. At that moment, Luoja suddenly heard the voice of the Celestial Messenger. [Luoja Fast] [Secondary Position: Recovery Hall''s outstanding employee Luoja, as a key insider of Chaos who has shamelessly abetted An Su in achieving his thirty-year objectives, is now issued a promotion notice] [Deputy Primary Position: Deputy Minister of the Recovery Department] [Congratulations] "...Eh?" Luoja blinked her snowy white eyes, tilting her head first to the left, then to the right, then blinked again, "Eh?" She suspected she had heard wrong. Please, no promotion. This... How had she become "a key insider of Chaos"? The Little Holy Maiden was truly flustered now. Please... I have nothing to do with this, I''m innocent... Luoja then realized she wasn''t quite innocent. I am the Radiant Holy Maiden, not some insider of Chaos! Her cool composure collapsed instantly. All Recovery Magicians stood up and applauded again, their eyes brimming with tears, for Luoja had taken a thirty-year shortcut overnight with no envy from them, as it all was well-deserved. "You guys... stop applauding," Luoja''s ears burned red like a twilight sky, her face flushed with embarrassment, and she wished she could burrow into a hole and become an ostrich, "I didn''t, I''m not, stop applauding!" "Wuu." She let out a whine like a small animal. Yet there was An Su, still giving his inaugural address, patting Luoja''s shoulder solemnly, his tone full of gratitude, "Deputy Minister Luoja, I couldn''t have achieved such success without your help along this journey..." "Thank you, my confidant." Even now, the guy was deliberately misbehaving. Luoja bit her teeth, immediately sensing his mischievous restraint. She was boiling with anger but refrained from making a scene and exposing him right there. Maintaining a pleasant facade, she discreetly stepped on An Su''s foot with her deer-skin boot and leaned close to the boy''s face, whispering through gritted teeth in his ear, "Don''t you dare speak again." "As you say," An Su was sensible enough to agree. "What position are you planning to apply for next?" Luojia asked softly. "A position that serves the people." This fellow still harbored such ideas. "Look out the window," Luojia said, "the chaos is subsiding." An Su followed Luojia''s gaze and frowned. Indeed it was. Although the flames outside soared to the sky, the trend of chaos gradually lessened. Sar?h the N??eFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Firstly, many people had died, and secondly, as time passed, the violent groups of the city governmentthe city managementwere deployed. The city government needed chaos to boost performance, to offer to the Mother Goddess, but it had to be kept within limits. It couldn''t go too far into chaos. They needed to fish the pond sustainably, without depleting it. It was like the remote areas of the Radiant Holy See; they not only hunted the Cultists of the Mysticism of Chaos but also maintained their existence, as you cannot kill pigs if you let them go extinct, and then you would not receive the blessing of the goddess. The city management lived up to its name, having great strength, and cleansed one area after another. Time slowly passed, and the night began to fade, with the break of dawn revealing a hint of white belly in the east; the sky was about to brighten. The unrest would last several days, but it was ultimately going to end. The rate of growth of negative reviews for the streets slowed down as well. "It seems my consciousness to serve the people is not strong enough," An Su reflected and concluded. But that was okay, An Su had further plans to serve the people. He would ignite the chaos thoroughly. "I plan to apply for the position of a librarian in the city government''s library." Luojia spoke earnestly, still not giving up on the pursuit of historical truth, "Maybe I can find out the reason for the demise of the Chaotic Frontier from inside the library. What about you?" "I will continue to serve the people." "After the people celebrate, there are bound to be casualties." An Su''s smile grew calmer as he took out the civil service exam brochure, "I plan to take part in the ''Recovery Magician''s assessment." "..." Luojia''s eyes widened. What on earth are you talking about? Is it really a Recovery Magician this time, not a Reply Magician? She stood on tiptoe, peering at the exam brochure: [Recovery Magician] [Assessment content: Provide emergency care to the wounded sent into the emergency room, using any method necessary to ensure a healthy life leaves the emergency room alive] [A survival rate of sixty percent is considered passing. Below sixty, the Recovery Magician will be executed] The Mysticism of Chaos demands chaos, but also sufficient life, the population must remain unchanged, otherwise, there is no chaos. An Su had his eye on this profession for a long time. It looks like a proper doctor this time... No matter how Luojia looked at An Su, he seemed to have no connection with being a Recovery Magician, so she asked, "Do you know healing magic?" "I know X-ray," An Su replied. Regardless, An Su seemed to have chosen a relatively normal position this time, Hopefully, it wouldn''t cause as much chaos. So Luojia nodded at An Su, "Then let''s part ways for now, I''ll go for the administrator exam, and you go for the doctor''s." "I am sure I can find out the real reason behind the destruction of the Chaotic Frontier, and I can certainly pass the administrator exam on my own!" The Little Holy Maiden was full of confidence. "I will also rely on my own strength," An Su said with a smile to Luojia, "Let''s both do our best." As long as an equal amount of life comes out, that''s fine, It doesn''t necessarily have to be human. Chapter 120 The Benevolent Heart of a Healer (Asking for Monthly Votes!!) The Municipal Hospital is in the government''s northern district.Miss Enya is also in the north district, maybe I''ll even run into her. After Dr. Ansu left the reply hall, dawn had broken, and the morning sunlight shone down. Palm trees were planted on both sides of the path, and the long, narrow palm leaves rustled in the wind, slicing the sunlight into fragments through the gaps in the leaves. What a glorious morning indeed. Dr. Ansu was in a good mood. Even though there was chaos everywhere outside, the atmosphere inside the government district was serene and sunny. In that case, I should serve the citizens even better. Sar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Heading towards the north district, Dr. Ansu walked through the long corridor, made a few turns, and saw the Municipal Hospital, which boasted the best doctors on the border. With so many senior doctors around, competition for patients was fierce, which was the first concern for Dr. Ansu. Moreover, there would be many candidates interviewing for the Magician restoration position. Far more than those interviewing for the healing Magician. After all, while the restoration Magician was also a Third Order position, it was at the pinnacle of the Third Order; aside from the risk of baldness from overusing magic, it was far less risky than a healing Magician. Your soul wasn''t even insulted. Because of the multitude of applicants, the assessment was much harder. There were soldiers at the entrance of the Municipal Hospital. Upon seeing Dr. Ansu, they asked, "Can you perform restoration techniques?" "I can do X-rays." Dr. Ansu showed them the spell, which was described as a ''healing support magic'' in its introduction. "Alright, you''re hired. Go in and start working," said the soldier. [Third Order Position: Restoration Magician] "?" Dr. Ansu was puzzled. Is it really that simple? Upon entering the gate of the Municipal Hospital, Dr. Ansu saw rows upon rows of injured people lying at the entrance, queuing up in a long line, with stretchers reaching all the way outsidenaturally, there were many casualties due to the large-scale riot outside. Dr. Ansu was quite satisfied. As a doctor, being able to help more patients and save more lives was definitely a joyous thing. Dr. Ansu was a doctor with great medical ethics. The patients at the front of the line were either wealthy or of noble birth, or they were of higher-ranking races such as Volcanic Demons, elves, dragonfolk, and so forth, and they had the right to skip the line and receive treatment. The patients at the front were arrogant, having been wounded in battle, with limbs hanging by a thread and severe blood loss. Even though they were barely breathing, they made sure not to lose their imposing demeanor, and their attitude was quite unpleasant. "This damn hospital." "Why has no one come to attend to your father yet?" "Kid next door, are you the new doctor?" "Hurry up and treat your master, I still need to get back to the battle!" Some even shouted at Dr. Ansu furiously. "I feel worse just seeing you." That was an elven elder named Ska, a member of the old nobility. He was evidently very experienced with medical extortion, "You''d better wait to pay up!" Actually, he wasn''t ill at all. He was just getting old. The reason he was at the front of the queue, hogging medical resources, was purely to extort money. If the Restoration Magician refused to pay, he would claim that his heart condition flared up due to anger, threatening to die right there in the emergency room. If a nobleman died in the emergency room, the Restoration Magician would pay with their life. Enjoy exclusive adventures from empire By exploiting this tactic, he had grown wealthy. He would come every week to make money. Facing medical disputes, Dr. Ansu was not angered but rather pleased, for such high-quality patients were more memorable contributions to his dedication to... his dedication to the medical profession. However, it was strange that in such a large Municipal Hospital, not a single doctor was in sight. Not even an intern. Something seemed odd. After pondering for a while, Dr. Ansu had an idea. Enya was at the North Hospital, could it be... "Master Ansu." The voice of Miss Enya suddenly came from behind, and Ansu turned around. "I''ve been waiting for you for a long time." The dazzling sunlight made it hard to see, and Enya had appeared behind Ansu at some unknown time. She wore a snow-white doctor''s coat, with the dance of palm tree shadows casting on her robe, making her tall figure seem even more mature and cool. "Do you like this uniform?" She broke the charm with her first words, "It seems you like this kind of play." "...So you guessed that I would come to interview for the Restoration Magician," said Ansu. "Of course." Enya said calmly. "How did you guess?" "A maid needs to anticipate her master''s thoughts, it''s only natural. I can also guess some of your next moves." Enya spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world, and then she lowered her voice, "I''ve already cleared the obstacles for you." "..." Dr. Ansu finally understood why the hospital was so empty. He remembered when he said he wanted to take the exam to become a saint, Miss Enya''s reply, "I can go and assassinate the other candidates, so you can pass." And this time, she really did it. All the interviewees at the Municipal Hospital had been assassinated one by one by Enya! "What about the other doctors?" Ansu asked. "Took care of them along the way." ...Epic. Ansu thought to himself. He figured out why just showing one X-ray was enough to pass the interview. Because all the healing magicians had been assassinated by Enya! Enya had always aimed to be the perfect maid, so these things were just the basics for her, "I have dealt with all your obstacles. Now, you are the only doctor left in the entire hospitalmy position is that of a nurse." "Both the patients and I belong only to you; you can do whatever you want." Please don''t say these misleading things... Ansu thought to himself. When Enya said this, she gently brushed her bangs behind her ear, the cool breeze fluttering her snow-white coat, blinking her amber eyes, and lifting her head proudly, "So, can you praise me a little?" "You did an amazing job," Ansu said sincerely, actually keeping up with his own train of thought. Enya comfortably tilted her head, like a satisfied cat. Indeed, as Enya had said, with no other doctors around, all the patients were now his to deal with. Ansu was very happy. He could now help others well. Entering the emergency room, the hospital bed was equipped with very professional medical tools, with blood bags, a baby skull specimen, chunks of decaying flesh... The construction of the hospital bed was also quite meticulous, with a skeleton made from bones, very professional, and to ensure a clear view for surgery, candles were burning at all four corners of the bed, casting flickering shadows. Very cozy. "Did you prepare all this in advance?" Ansu asked Enya. "I thought you would need them," Enya responded thoughtfully. "I saw you set them up at the border and am not sure if they were set up correctly." "Preparing the hospital bed is just the basic competence of a nurse, after all." The maid miss had prepared the altar in advance for Ansu! Outside, the cursing was getting worse, and relatives of the patients started throwing stones into the emergency room. If that was the case, it was time for Ansu to show some basic medical competence. [Surgery in progress] [Please ensure the survival rate of the surgery is above 60%] [Current patients: one hundred] "Viscount Ska, please come in," Ansu said. "I''m telling you, I can be in life-threatening danger at any time... danger..." The old nobleman strode in huffily; he initially wore a look of arrogance, ready to extort Ansu, but at a glance, he saw the ghastly operating table constructed of skeletons. His bravado faltered immediately. Did he walk into the wrong place...? "Please lie on the operating table," Ansu offered a smile of service. Having lived for several hundred years, Ska was well-experienced. This was no operating table; it was clearly an altar used by the Life Esoteric Church for sacrifices! He wanted to leave but saw Enya slam the doors of the operating room shut with a bang. "Please proceed with the surgery," Enya said with a smile. "I... I''m not sick," Ska swallowed hard. "You must be joking," Ansu said, with X-rays flashing in his eyes as he scrutinized Ska''s belly, "You''re clearly pregnant, and with twins, no less." "Where did I get pregnant with twins..." Before Ska could finish his sentence, he felt his abdomen swelling rapidly. The excruciating pain pierced deep into his soul, and the old man fell to the ground in agony. God dammit... Ska was close to crying. He had been in this business for so long and only now did he encounter a birth! [Intermediate Stage Magic: God''s Gift] [God-bestowed Title: The Gradual Dawn] Before arriving, Ansu had also used "Holy Light Praise" on the most chaotic district outside. A night had passed, and his body could handle the infusion of magic power once more. So he had plenty of energy to serve the patients. "I am a professional doctor, would I lie to you?" Dr. Ansu earnestly said with a healer''s compassion, "Let me help your children be born first." "Saving lives is our holy duty." "Our hospital even offers full-package, one-stop services." Let the chaos reach its peak! Ansu''s eyes were filled with delight. The young man was clearly smiling, but in Ska''s eyes, it was so terrifying and dreadful. "I''m not sick, I''m not sick, let me outahhhhhh!!" Chapter 121 The Gynecology Master Jian Dongxi Municipal Hospital.The sharp shadows of the glass dome fell on the ground like the edge of a knife, with neatly planted palm trees on both sides. The dawn of daybreak twinkled between the layers of leaves, the scent-infused breeze tainted the air, the only emergency room open in the entire hospital. The sign above was lit: [In Surgery] From the outside, one might assume these were the quiet years. Faint sounds of fighting and shouting came from next door; the hospital abutted Death Park, one of the first districts to experience riots, but with the intervention of several Fourth Order city enforcers, the restive mobs had already been suppressed. These troublemakers were like dogs that couldn''t be trained. City administrators thought privately, but it wouldn''t be long before the riots in Death Park were quelled. All the injured from Death Parkmainly those high-ranking officials of superior raceswould be given priority treatment at the Municipal Hospital. Cutting in line was taken for granted. These distinguished gentlemen had survived the turmoil caused by the troublemakers, and having narrowly escaped the harassment of the lowborn, of course, they deserved priority treatment. As for those dying citizens, Volcanic Demons were disassembled, their parts sold to hot pot restaurants, dwarf blood was drained to create fruit-flavored drink pouches, and orcs were picked for their fat and slaughtered for the market... every part was properly utilized, Farol would not waste a single resource. This was taken for granted in Farol. The superior races had the right of way in everything they did, so it was only natural for them to have priority even in queueing for pregnancy. Elf Elder Sika was quite terrified at the moment. His abdomen eerily swelled, forming two large bulges. Having lived for hundreds of years, it was one thing to have children in old age, but to be pregnant with twins! He was forcibly tied to the so-called hospital bed by the nurses, with bloody chunks of flesh sticking to his gaunt back and dim, eerie candles surrounding him on all four sides. Dr. Ansu wore a white coat and had an innocently smiling face, looking no different from an ordinary youth. "Do you wish to save the mother or the child?" the young man asked with a healing smile, "Rest assured; our hospital offers full-service care." Damnit!! What kind of devilish speech was that! "Save the mother, doctor, I want to save the mother, the mother!" Sika''s pupils trembled with terror, entirely clueless about the intentions of the young doctor before him. "You should know if, if I die on your operating table, unable to leap out alive and well, it would lower the survival rate, and you would die too!" Even now, the old aristocrat tried to threaten Ansu. Tears streamed down his face as he contemplated his mere act of queue-jumping and medical fraud... He was about to issue various threats when Ansu already began the surgery. [Blessing of Growth] [Blessing Magic] [Magic Power consumption: 2 (originally 1)] [Magic effect: Blessed by the Mother Goddess of life, whoever is affected by this magic ages half a year, lasting for one minute] Was this Holy Light magic...? Sika felt the warm and peaceful Holy Light integrating into his abdomen, the warm glow comfortingly ordinary. Until Ansu cast another Blessing of Growth. The life in his abdomen throbbed violently, and the pain pierced deep into Sika''s soul. He watched in horror as his abdomen was torn open, blood and viscera freely flowing out. He had birthed aberrations. Two void beings emerged from the flesh. They were both envoys of the Mother Goddess. With the appearance of insects and the features of mammals, their overall structure resembled that of a gray moth, with countless tiny mouths beneath their terrifying mandibles and a human face on their abdomen, its features distinct. That strange and twisted aura of terror filled the entire ward with their birth. The children were all very healthy and lively. Ansu looked at the babies, who were jumping around right after birth, feeling a great sense of accomplishment as a doctor. Indeed, nobles were nobles, their offspring had to be somewhat superior. These two Void Moths, judging by their aura, were both Fourth Order beings, somewhat stronger than Kavensis. At birth, the Void Moth immediately thought of gnawing on its mother, crawling toward her chest along the ancient waist and belly of Ska. Ska was even more terrified. "Enya, use Secret Magic to erase our scents," An Su was a doctor with great medical ethics. Since he had promised to ensure safety, he would naturally keep that promise. With a wave, Enya erased the presence of the three, and the Void Moths, half-way through their climb, could no longer sense their mother''s existence; they tilted their heads in confusion. Although they possessed a certain level of intelligence, they were just born and couldn''t see through Secret Magic. Unable to find their mother, they immediately began to wail. The infants fluttered their wings, crying as they flew away, bursting out of the ward. Hunger invaded their minds, and instinct drove them into a frenzy. They urgently needed to feed, especially on fresh and healthy life! The preferences of void creatures were the same as the Mother Goddess, The more powerful and evil the life, the happier they were! And in the nearby park, there just happened to be several strong evils lives. Once out of the hospital, life and death were no longer the hospital''s concerns. The hospital only guaranteed a survival rate. Meanwhile, as soon as they stepped out of the ward, the surgery was over. The patients outside waiting for rescue were baffled. What was that fluttering thing that just flew out? It was the Forest Spirit Elder who went in. How come two giant moths flew out? Am I hallucinating because my time is almost up? [Surgery Completed] [Municipal Government''s Third Hospital, Leading Physician, Third Order Recovery Magician An Su Moningsta] [Survival Rate: 200%] Entire Hell naturally had more than one hospitalafter all, running a hospital is very profitable. The hospitals were also in competition with each other, and the benchmarks were survival rate and the number of patients treated, with daily live updates on the Magic Network for citizens to check. If one hospital''s ear doctor had a high survival rate, his ranking would also be higher, and citizens would be more inclined to make an appointment with his specialists. Sarch* The n?vel_Fire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Before An Su, the number one rank in survival rate was the Druid Hospital with 95%. But now, with this against-the-odds survival rate of 200% out, the shocked locals were astonished. "Who is this Third Order doctor?" "How come it''s a buy-one-get-one-free situation?" "Definitely a famous physician!" "A 95% survival rate is terrifying enough, but 200%? Unbelievable!" The curious minds of Chaos Followers were the strongest, and this 200% survival rate captured their eyes completely; they were now amidst great turmoil, with friends and family mostly dead, and thus thought of seeking out Dr. Ansu for a chance at revival. Maybe it could bring back the dead. Of course, there were other hospital doctors who looked down on this, thinking An Su''s treatment history was too sparse and with only two treatments, it might just be a fluke. As for the various discussions outside, An Su didn''t care. He only wanted to dedicate himself to the noble cause of medical care. Ska had narrowly escaped disaster with the Void Moths. Although his lower half was mostly shattered, he had kept his life and was joyous from cheating death. Until Dr. An Su gave him a serene smile. "Doctor... can I leave now?" he asked, trembling. Continue reading stories on empire "It seems you''ve misunderstood something," An Su''s smile grew gentler, "I mentioned that we provide a full-service package, from birth to funeral to catering. We cover everything to ensure you are born happily, leave peacefully, and eat joyously." You''re fucking kidding me. Ska''s expression fell apart. He stared at the title "Gradually Dawning Light" above An Su''s head. The youth said earnestly, "I have already dedicated myself to the cause of medicine, and now it''s your turn to devote yourself to the catering business." The so-called kind-hearted physician at birth, the obstetrician sage Gradually Dawning Light! Chapter 122 "I''ve devoted myself to the medical profession, and now it''s your turn to devote yourself to the culinary arts."Is my devotion literally offering up my body! Before Ska could even voice his hopeless cry, An Su professionally began the sacrificial ritual, "Mother Goddess of desire and moon, great Mother of fertility..." "Your devout believer An Su..." "Invites you to dine with me." After the prayer was recited, there was no longer a trace of Ska''s body upon the sickbed, only gobs of flesh and blood that soon turned to ashes. The sacrifice assembly line was complete. [The Blessing of God] consumes four points of magic power, two shots of [All Things Grow] consume four points of magic power, thus summoning the Void Moth requires eight magic power, lasting one minute. The adjacent street had already been covered with killing light by An Su, restoring five points of magic power with each death. All that was needed was to let the summoned Void Moths wreak havoc, to keep causing deaths. And the more chaotic the situation, the more injuries there would be, and An Su could create even more Void Moths. Thus entering into a manic troop-surge mode! The Kingdom of Chaos and [Praise of the Holy Light] were a match made in heaven, for just about any passerby was a Cultist, dying would restore magic power. In future generations, An Su would have no means to play such a combination of styles. As for the limited amount of magic power one''s body can withstand, An Su had already thought of a solution. That was to use the life points gained from sacrificing patients to exchange for blessings upon his body! The more he sacrificed, the more vigorous his body became, the more magic power it could withstand, the more Void Moths he could create, and the more he could sacrifice! The Kill Light flow, Pregnancy flow, Sacrifice flow, When the three styles of the Light and Dark Priest combined, they crafted An Su''s most powerfuland Kingdom of Chaos exclusivestyle, The Chaos Flow! This was the new era of healthcare proposed by Dr. Ansu, where if all patients were killed off, the world would no longer have diseases! "Next patient," An Su called out towards the door. The patients waiting for resuscitation had sensed something amiss, whatever the shadow that had just flown out was, it must have been a void creature, right? They found it very ominous, but already weak at the core, they had no strength to flee. Enya was a very professional nurse who directly dragged the next patientcrying and screaming for their parentsinto the emergency room. As the surgery light turned on, cries once again echoed from within, followed by another giant moth flapping its wings and flying out. One after another, patients were dragged in, and one after another, the giant moths flew out! Soon, a whole batch of patients was cleared. [Surgery Completed!] [Surgery Completed!] [Number of Patients Treated: Ten, eleven, twelve...] An Su''s patient count soared, as did his ranking among doctors on the magic network. In a time of war, a doctor was in great demand, especially one who maintained a 100% treatment rate. Many nobles decided to use their privileges to jump the queue, sending their ailing friends and relatives over. Although some patients protested something was wrong, the nobles were dismissive, believing these people were only trying to monopolize medical spots for themselves! These lowlifes! In such great chaos, a medical spot was precious; how could you expect it to be snatched away by just a few words? An Su''s operating room gradually became a popular one. This room wasn''t just known for high survival rates but also the highest fertility rates! It even proposed a novel solution to the Kingdom of Chaos''s aging population problem: just let the elderly breed more! And as the number of patients treated increased, to temporarily divert attention, Enya began to cast invisibility spells on each Void Moth. Concealed in magic, the moths rose into the sky, emitting sharp and hoarse chirps, spreading from the Municipal Hospital out in all directions! Once out of the Municipal District, everywhere was ablaze. The chaos was not yet quelled, but a stalemate had been reached with the city management. The arrival of the Void Moths gradually broke this balance. Although their lifespan was only a minute, their vast numbers were nearly unending! Hunger drove them towards the most vigorous and most evil areas of life! And that often meant the most chaotic districts. In the slums, a high-ranking demon serving as a city administrator was about to swallow a young orc wholehis father had taken part in the rebellion against the city hall. It was time to rid the area of the despicable hybrids, and incidentally, to satisfy a bit of one''s hunger, fulfilling a craving. "Please...eat me instead!" "Please don''t eat my child... he''s only four years old!" The orc''s mother cried, kneeling on the ground, her expression one of utter despair, frantically pleading for her child to be spared; but the city administrator naturally ignored her, planning to chop the she-orc into pieces to take away later. In the eyes of the ruling class, the lives of lowly creatures causing some chaos for the lords of chaos to enjoy was one thing, but to actually dare to rebel? sea??h th N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Orcs were born to be their food. The weak were to be eaten by the strong. This was the law of chaos. The city administrator thought this as he suddenly sensed something strange, a trickle of drops falling on his forehead. When he touched it, it was too thick to be rain and carried a certain stench. Raising his head, he saw several massive Abyssal mouths with countless feeding tentacles pressing down upon his skull. "Tasty..." "Tasty." "So fragrant..." "mua" The Void Moths uttered delighted childlike voices. Unlike demons, these life messengers preferred to eat powerful creatures and the noble dark races, for they contained a vigorous life force, while ordinary civilians were rather bitter to the taste, which the Void Moths didn''t fancy much. Too bitter. They tore off the city administrator''s ears, bit out his eyes, and swallowed his head in one clean gulp, feeding frenziedly, and devouring him. The Void Moths could never be satisfied, could never fill their thousands of feeding tentacles, and after leaving the demon''s corpse, they flew off towards a distant place. They had no intelligence; to fill their stomachs was mere instinct. "Devour this city to the ground!!" It wasn''t just the slums where Void Moths appeared; farther away, down Queen Boulevard, Nightmare Street... Void Moth sightings emerged one after another. These moths would die within a minute, but new ones quickly took their place. The city administrators could handle it at first, but as the number of patients treated by An Su increased, they too began to have a hard time; At that moment, the rebelling citizens, seizing the chaos brought by these new forces, began to fight back! The previously subsiding rebellion, with the arrival of a third force, was now completely disrupted! All of this happened within less than ten minutes! The chaos could no longer be suppressed! It spread throughout the entire city! An Su was a healing magician and also held the role of head of the Recovery Department, the voice of the Celestial Messenger constantly updating in his ear. [The negative rating elimination rate for Queen District has reached one hundred percent] [You have treated forty patients] [The negative rating elimination rate for Pleasure Park has reached one hundred percent] [You have treated sixty patients...] Meanwhile, at that very moment, Luojia was in the library reading. Discover more content at empire She was engrossed in the books, trying to find the cause of the Chaotic Frontier''s demise. Chapter 137 Today is Another Day of An Su Helping Others When Priest Paxi saw An Su leading the Little Holy Maiden back for a second time,he felt the urge to die. "It never ends, does it?" Now when he saw An Su''s face brimming with innocent joy, it made his trigeminal nerve ache. After a few more conversations with this individual, Priest Paxi felt he could apply for early retirement. Especially after hearing about the incident, Priest Paxi''s expression turned sour. He looked at Luojia, thinking to himself that the Little Holy Maiden had finally caught the incurable disease of the frontier. "Leave everything to me," An Su earnestly told Luojia, "You''re inexperienced in these matters, and I''m afraid he might swindle your money." Luojia nodded. Indeed, it was her first time being detained, and she was certainly lacking in experience. In such situations, it was natural to heed advice from someone who had been there before, "Then I will wait for you outside." Listening to their conversation, Priest Paxi''s forehead throbbed with barely contained veins, reminding himself repeatedly that An Su was underage and that he could not lay a hand on him "Give me the money." Once the Little Holy Maiden had stepped outside, An Su got straight to the point with practiced ease, starting with high-level magic, "Luojia is fifteen this year; you deal with it." "..." Priest Paxi took a deep breath. First writing a fine of Two Hundred Gold Coins, which would be deducted from the World Conquest bonus, An Su again profited a net of three thousand eight. "Oh, and I picked up Enya''s too," An Su added, "I lean towards helping others." Priest Paxi thought it would be better for An Su to go home and inherit his family business. He felt it necessary to discuss with An Su''s father how such a promising capitalist seedling ended up being lured into faith. It was simply a waste of potential. His father truly didn''t know what he was squandering. Writing another check, Priest Paxi waved his hand, signalling An Su to get lost quickly; he couldn''t stand to see the kid''s face any longer. "Don''t forget to check out the Magic Association!" Priest Paxi called out lastly. An Su carefully pocketed the check and left the confessional. The warm and gentle sunshine pierced through layers of palm leaves, casting upon him and illuminating his clean, sunny smile. When Luojia saw An Su emerge, she stood up from the bench, sea??h th novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "How much was the fine? I will pay you back." It was Luojia''s first offense and she was not attuned to such amounts; moreover, it was her first time in Nether World, still unaware that a standard world came with a basic bonus. But she was quite wealthy. Although the Monastery imposed many bans on her daily life, she still had the basic entitlements of being a Holy Maiden, with monthly offerings punctually provided. "Just three hundred gold coins," An Su said calmly to the Little Holy Maiden. At the mention of the amount, Luojia felt a little deflated. How many cakes could that buy? After all, she had only served as the Holy Maiden for a month and received just a month''s worth of offerings. Although she could afford it, her life was bound to become a bit more frugal. "You don''t need to repay the money," An Su offered considerately, believing himself to be quite generous for a fledgling, "My family isn''t short on money." "Then... thank you?" Look, Luojia even had to say thank you. An Su felt it was yet another day dedicated to helping others. "What are your plans now?" Luojia asked. "I''m heading to the Magic Guild to have a look. Our pioneering rights should come through tomorrow, and then we''ll need to make another trip to the Chaotic Frontier the day after." Find exclusive stories on empire At the mention of the Chaotic Frontier, a flicker passed through Luojia''s eyes. About the event "When the Crimson Moon Falls," she hadn''t told anyone because before the crimson moon could fall, the world had already been destroyed by An Su. She had not mentioned this to anyone. If the prophecy of the apocalypse were true, with the extinction of one era every ten thousand years, then the Sixth Era was at present, and based on the years of destruction in the Chaotic Frontier, the sixth end of the world was about to come. She could only hope that all of this was just her speculation. "Then I''ll see you tomorrow," Luojia murmured, pursing her lips slightly before lifting her head to address An Su. ... The blazing sunlight shone on the glass dome of the Magic Association, as if coated with a thick layer of platinum, while the rivers in the distance glittered with a shimmering light. The Magic Guild was situated in the northern city district of Farol, at the confluence of the Starfall River and the Marie River, built jointly by the royal family and the Seven Gods Hall. Every Magician was proud to be able to join it. It had a history of over a thousand years. To join the Magic Guild and become a registered Magician, the minimum requirement was starting as a Priest of the Great Church Court and creating magic that could be rated at least ''intermediate stage ordinary'' or higher. The Magicians coming and going all had status; it could be said that it was a gathering of distinguished figures. Today just happened to be the weekly open day, and even saints who were not Priests had the opportunity to enter for a visit and observation. Expensive obsidian paved the grand corridor, which was packed with Magicians in line waiting to enter the Magic Association. An Su spotted Arthur and Lister even amidst the throng. The aura of these two scoundrels was so unique and outstanding in the vast crowd that they could never be drowned out by the brilliance. Today was a painful dry school holiday, and these two goods also came out for a stroll. "Brother Su." As soon as Arthur saw An Su, a sunny, characteristic smile spread across his lips. In the recent days, he and Lister hadn''t been wasting their time. Just a few days ago, they had perfectly cleared a second-order border world, causing quite a discussionthey had also invited An Su, but at that time, he was learning magic with Bone. News of An Su solidifying a Fourth Order border world had not yet spread widely, nor had it been announced in newspapers. The Order Church had ordered the saints at the scene that day to keep silent about it because smuggling was not a glorious matter. It was inconvenient for mass publicityafter all, smuggling couldn''t be advertised, could it? Clearing a Third Order world immediately after becoming a saint was indeed quite impressive. Having connected two worlds, they had reached the Third Order rank and could also craft magic. Having achieved results, of course they had to brag about it to a good brother. Arthur even had the mistaken impression of venting his spleen. If Brother Su knew about the rewards they had received, he would definitely regret not having gone with them. Arthur had already thought of an opener, just imitating An Su''s previous manner; first make the impression of being in heartfelt sorrow, then the other party would console him, and at that moment he could smoothly bring up their achievement, and then continue to express regret that his own performance was too poor... Having grown up with An Su, he had already learned a bit of essence. He coughed a few times, then sighed softly, "Brother Su, our performance in the strategy a few days ago was very poor..." "What happened to you?" An Su asked. He was a kind-hearted young man who asked out of concern, following Arthur''s expectations. "We cleared a border world." Arthur sighed again, seeing that Brother Su had initially fallen into the trap, he began to feel gradually more delighted, "We only got an A+ grade evaluation." "That''s indeed a pity," An Su said. Chapter 124 Its All Kavensiss Doing! At this moment, a Fourth-Order High Priest of Life watched An Su with a grave expression.He was the overall commander of this region, with the god-given title "The Undying Elder of the Life Tree," and had lived for a great many years. It was the first time he had ever been so tense. The reason was the figure of holiness from before, that saintly priestess with a hidden face, wrapped in a hood, with only a glimpse of azure blue pupils visiblethere was no way he could be mistaken. Others may not know, but he did. Because he had once been granted an audience with her. He was familiar with that aura. Just making eye contact with those azure blue, magnificent pupils made his entire soul tremble. Her name was too sacred to be mentioned; she could only be referred to by the title bestowed by the godsthe Azure Sorceress. S~ea??h the n??el Fire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The Azure Sorceress of the Life Ecclesia. And also the Church''s first in hundreds of years The Holy Maiden of Life. When he heard the news yesterday that a saintly figure of life appeared on Fierce Hell Avenue, he was already shocked beyond belief. He had never expected that the saintly figure would be Her Holiness the Holy Maiden! A flood of questions raced through the Priest''s mind. Wasn''t that great person at the Church''s headquarters? How had she appeared in the borderlands? And when had the Holy Maiden reached the saintly realm? It was no wonder she was the Holy Maiden, The last time he saw her, she was clearly at the peak of the Fourth Order. She had definitely come here on a mission from above. No matter how much turmoil raged within the Priest of Life''s heart, he dared not question the Holy Maiden''s actions. Every move she made carried deep significance, and they needed to contemplate it wholeheartedly! Otherwise, it would be their death. Bone looked at the old man, whose face was filled with shock and reverent awe, and felt somewhat puzzled. The clear foolishness twinkled in her azure blue eyes. After all, she knew nothing. She had been dead for nearly ten thousand years, and her memories had mostly dissolved. She had completely forgotten about things from thirty thousand years ago. Now her mind was filled solely with a thirst for knowledge, an eagerness to be completely saturated with it. Having finally been summoned by An Su, the first thought the nation''s flying life technologist had when making an appearance was, "Thanks to the boss for nominating me again." But this time, she would remain unsatisfied. An Su''s magic power wasn''t enough, and he could only summon her for about half a minute. Bone showed her face, left a message, "Leave the situation to his command," and then swiftly went back. Suddenly, the High Priest looked at An Su with even greater reverence. Although he didn''t know the identity of the young man before him, the fact that he was so highly regarded by the Holy Maiden meant that his status within the Life Ecclesia couldn''t possibly be low! And so familiar with knowledge of sacrifices, Even though he was young, he must certainly be a despicable, disgraceful, terrifyingly cunning, and utterly evil big shot. They had been infiltrating the Chaotic Frontier for many years now, keeping a low profile without achieving much, Even their club ranking in the "Chaos Daily" wasn''t in the top thirty, one rank lower than the "Biochemical Legion," only slightly better than goblins. There was a lot of room for improvement. This leader had only arrived at the frontier for a few days, and he had already brought their club''s ranking to number onebecause all the clubs that had been ranked higher were now dead. The old Priest was someone who understood progress. Having survived for so many years in the Esoteric Religion, his emotional intelligence was naturally not low. He immediately knelt down to An Su, expressing his readiness to follow all commands. An Su said politely, "You are too kind; let''s progress together." "How should your subordinate address you?" the old Priest asked, with a knowing smile. "Just call me old immortal." The old Priest said his own name to show sincerity. Because he was often cursed as "old immortal" within the Church, hence his god-given title was "The Undying Elder of the Life Tree." Ansu Moningsta definitely wasn''t this great person''s real name. As clever as he was, he had already seen through everything. After all, when travelling outside, who would use their real name? The identity of An Su was certainly a pseudonym. His true identity must be a high-ranking figure secretly cultivated by the Life Ecclesia! The old Priest had already shown sincerity, indicating that everything was under the leader''s command. Now it was the leader''s turn to express something. At least tell them his real name. They were ready to give their lives for him. "An Su is my real name," An Su replied. "No more jokes, please." The old Priest smiled, as if everyone understood, "We''re all intelligent people here." ...Are you sick in the head? An Su thought to himself. "So be it..." He pondered for a while, his pale green eyes shining with a cold light, his young voice calm as he looked intently at the High Priest, "I won''t hide it from you then." The old Priest swallowed, sensing the young man''s aura change before him. He might have offended this important figure. If the impression he made was of a bright and sunny boy before, at this very moment, he had revealed his true nature, dark and fearsome. The cold wind whistled. "Since that''s the case, I''ll tell you," An Su said slowly. Since that''s the case, they could only call upon that person again. He wouldn''t mind. "Kavensis Black." An Su''s mouth curled into a cold, harsh smile, "My name is indeed, Kavensis Black." "Since ancient times, I, Kavensis Black, have been the most loyal believer of the Mother Goddess." The surname Black... the old priest savored the name, breaking into a cold sweat. Did it signify darkness? What an apt name. Kavensis Black, was this young man''s name, the mastermind behind everything! The old priest etched this dreadful name deep into his memory, never daring to forget it. Standing before him was, the destroyer of Fierce Hell, the creator of chaos, the nurturer of the void, the magician with a zero percent negative review rate, the chief doctor of the emergency room with a two hundred percent birth rate, the secret Chosen of the Life Ecclesia, the despicable, shameless, brutal, terrifying villain who burned and devoured the people of Chaotic Frontier as sacrifices Kavensis Black! All the bad things were his doing! "Your subordinate has remembered," the old priest said respectfully. Being an old fox, he planned to write a letter in secret to warn the younger members of his family to never provoke someone named Kavensis Black, lest they be sacrificed carelessly. "Let us" Having no more doubts, he turned around and addressed all the believers of the Life Ecclesia loudly, "Offer this city up to the Mother Goddess''s table!" "As a gift for the great Lord Kavensis!" The countless believers of the Life Ecclesia before him, wrapped in black hoods, their faces showing fervent zeal, also shouted in unison: "Offer this city up to the Mother Goddess''s table!" "As a gift for the great Lord Kavensis! The following day. Which was also the third day. The last day of the border city. The rainy season in Farol had arrived. The rain was persistent, having started the previous night. Now it was early morning, the lingering raindrops still carrying the color of the night''s darkness, densely streaking across Farol''s sky, sewing last night onto the skin of daytime. Explore more stories with empire The entire city was frighteningly dark. It was just three days'' time. The city was already on the brink of collapse. At this moment, Luojia had already spent two full days in the library, leafing through thousands of books, immersed in the ocean of knowledge, unable to extricate herself. Politics, faith, history, and the cycles of celestial bodies. Combining this with knowledge from later ages, various records of the Era of Chaos, she truly deserved to be called the Radiant Holy Maiden, and also the scholarly saint, as she was about to deduce the true reason behind the destruction of Chaotic Frontier from clues and traces! [The Red Moon Falls] At midnight tonight, the Red Moon will fall for the first time in the Frontier, a divine punishment from the deities! This was the historical cause for the demise of Chaotic Frontier. Luojia couldn''t wait to share with An Su, and even to boast a little, that since they had discovered the historical reason, they would be able to complete the final mission and thoroughly clear this Fourth-Order world. She was indeed remarkable. The Little Holy Maiden stretched lazily and yawned. After researching for two days straight, even she was tired. It was morning already. First, let''s relax by listening to the magic broadcast. "Good morning~ City of Chaos!" "Breaking news, An Su Moningsta''s mayoral campaign has reached a thirty percent approval rating, and the City of Chaos may welcome its first mayor in five hundred years!" The Little Holy Maiden blinked her eyes, "Hmm." "Hmm?!" Chapter 125 Special Hidden Position: Mayor of Ansu! The drizzle of an overcast morning was accompanied by the sound of magical broadcasts echoing across the entire city."Good morning, City of Chaos!" "Yesterday''s sacrifice of life concluded with a grand total of exactly three hundred souls! Thanks to the unending sectarian strife of the Esoteric Religion, the City Administration District alone lost ten; there was also a council member who perished, and I bet you all owe money now because the City Administration Bureau surely won''t swallow this loss easily!" The followers of the Life Ecclesia were very efficient, and they had long coveted the fertile grounds of the border city, having endured much and suffered contempt and humiliation for a long time, They had borne scorn and insult all this while. The past three years they didn''t even make it to the top thirty in the Chaos Daily ratings; they''ve lost to the Biochemical Legion for two consecutive years, and last year they lost to the goblins. The shame alone would have been enough, but no This year their undercover agents were named one of the ''Top Ten Advanced and Progressive Collectives of Farol'' and were officially recognized as ''Good Citizens,'' complete with certificates and awards. For undercover agents to be named Good Citizens was an utter disgrace within a disgrace! It''s no wonder the city government couldn''t blame them, as the followers of the Life Church neither carried haemobio diseases nor engaged in robbery. Lacking any distinct social flair, even their killings and sacrifices were pollutant-free and harmless; the Mother Goddess of Life consumed it all, leaving not a trace of city trash behind, demonstrating a strong sense of public spirit. Even their sacrifices were without discrimination, targeting everyone equally. Such an exemplary citizen group was naturally named Good Citizens. The followers of the Life Ecclesia had endured the insult for too long. Now it was time for them to exact their revenge! Kavensis''s leadership was merely the spark. They had actually entertained the fantasy of sustainable sacrifice... This cursed place, corrupt from top to bottom, ought to all be sacrificed! Thank Lord Kavensis for giving them this opportunity! In an instant, the prestige of Lord Kavensis Black among the followers of the Life Ecclesia reached its zenith. On the City Administration Bureau''s side, they saw the Life Church openly emerge and unabashedly carry out sacrifices all over the place. sea??h th N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Discover exclusive tales on empire With that, all the events of the past three days became crystal clear. The Life Priesthood and even the creatures from the void... This entire series of birth actions was indeed orchestrated by them! Minister Ansu''s guess had been correct after all. These followers of Life Esoteric, though appearing as Good Citizens on the surface, harbored wolfish ambitions! Thanks to Minister Ansu for giving them the chance to cleanse the city! In an instant, the prestige of Minister An Su Moningsta also reached its peak among the followers of the Sanctuary of Chaos. The Mysticism of Chaos and Life Esoteric had fully erupted into conflict. Though referred to as a conflict, "war" would be a more fitting description. City Administration enforcers and followers of Life Esoteric were engaged in street battles everywhere. With the outbreak of war, The civil unrest of the Chaos citizens had completely reached its climax. "Recovery Department Minister Mr. An Su Moningsta will be attending today''s press conference," "At the conference, Mr. An Su strongly condemned the Life Esoteric''s act of sovereignty infringement, stating that the hegemonic sacrifice-oriented behavior of the Life Church would sooner or later be sanctioned by the law, an inviolable baseline for the Sanctuary of Chaos." "According to the introduction, since taking office, Mr. An Su has restored neighborhoods with a ''zero percent'' disapproval rating, making an indelible contribution to Fanael''s selection of the most beautiful city." "At the same time, Mr. An Su, who also serves as Minister of Health, is world-renowned for surgery survival rates far exceeding one hundred percent, making a tremendous contribution to our city''s population optimization efforts and being hailed as ''Farol''s Most Beautiful Doctor'' for his compassionate medical practice." "City Hall is becoming ever more disappointing, and in these most unstable times, the council has become incapable of responding to the people''s expectations. Only new leadership can lead us forward." "In keeping with principles of fairness and openness, this segment now initiates a vote for mayoral candidates. We call upon all citizens to cast the most just vote with all their hearts." "We assure all citizens that this vote will adhere to principles of openness and transparency; there will be absolutely no deceit and no bias toward any candidate." "At the end of the program, please allow us to thank Mr. An Su Moningsta, the largest sponsor of this event, and also thank Mr. An Su for the wonderful benefits he is providing for the audience." "If you do not vote for Mr. An Su, you may freely receive the full set of medical services from City Hall." Inside the Recovery Hall. After finishing the magical broadcast, the editor-in-chief lifted his head, his face breaking into an ingratiating and pleasing smile, and he said to the young man before him, "Minister Ansu, do you think this presentation is satisfactory?" According to his position, An Su was the Minister of the Recovery Department, truly the superior of the chief editor. "Why do you ask for my opinion? That''s odd," he said. An Su revealed a calm smile, "I can''t interfere with you. As long as it''s fair and just, that''s fine." Warm sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, brightly shining on the youth''s body, causing him to squint his eyes, a gentle smile playing at the corners of his mouth. [An Su Moningsta] [Mission One: All Members Survive (Progress two-thirds, Time Remaining 24 hours)] [Mission One: Devotion to Public Service (Progress two-thirds)] [Final Assessment Begins] [Special Hidden Position, Mayor of Farol] [Please, within twenty-four hours, obtain more than eighty percent of Farol citizens'' votes, as well as the support of the majority of the blocks. If you fail, the city council will settle accounts with you and your party members.] [Fierce Hell Avenue Public Support Rate: One hundred percent] [Nightmare Street Public Support Rate: One hundred percent] ... [Queen Street: Ten percent] [Radiance District: Three percent] ... [Your overall support rate is thirty percent] An Su had high support rates in many blocks, such as Infernal Street and Nightmare Street, because there were no voters left alive to oppose him, so the support rate reached one hundred percent; In contrast, some blocks with larger populations, like Queen District and Radiance District where the nobility resides, had low mortality rates, resulting in low support rates for An Su. This guy had already made the support rates directly proportional to death rates. There are also some blocks, such as the slums, where the mortality rate wasn''t high, but support rates were very strong; not because they liked An Su, but because the current council was too corrupt and incompetent, An Su couldn''t possibly be worse than them, could he? "By the way." An Su said to the chief editor again, "Just asking, no need to feel any pressure, but could you give me the voting list for Queen District and Radiance District? Do they have any objections to me... I just want to understand." He was sweating profusely. Cold sweat seeped from the forehead of the chief editor who quickly ordered his subordinates to compile a list, and soon, they brought him a directory. The reasons for not choosing An Su were varied and strange; dark elf nobles complained that his skin wasn''t dark enough, female voters complained that An Su was male, biochemical nobles felt that An Su not being sick was a slight against them, On the other hand, the vampire ladies rated An Su quite highly, expressing they had never tasted blood from someone of An Su''s breed, Due to his ''Child of Darkness'' talent, and being a saint, His blood was dark with a touch of light, light with an infusion of dark, a very rare panda blood type, truly a delicious treat! If they could have a good taste, they would vote him into office. These voters were all noble officials, and their votes had a much higher priority than those of common citizens. Even though it was said that everyone had the same priority on the surface. "Here is the complete list." The chief editor''s voice trembled, "Minister, you won''t do anything to them, will you?" "You must be joking. I''m just an ordinary Third Order Magician, what could I possibly do?" An Su said with a smile. He stepped out of the Recovery Hall, casually taking Miss Enya''s robe and draping it over himself as he left the City Hall. "Tell that old immortal to sacrifice everyone from Queen District and Radiance District." Chapter 126 [Respected Major Angelo Xivier][Since ancient times, I, An Su Moningsta, have been the most loyal follower of the Painful Mother Goddess] Last night, Angelo received a telegram from the Chaotic Frontier of Farol. Only a few people knew about this telegram''s route. He furrowed his brow slightly, his eyes which were half-closed now suddenly widened, revealing a sharp eagle-like gaze. "Major, may I ask what this telegram is about?" asked the aide-de-camp. "Just an ordinary undercover operative," Angelo replied. Angelo spread out the telegram, reading it word by word, and responded nonchalantly, "A student I used to teach at the Painful Training School." "Sending him to Farol was merely for him to learn some advanced knowledge there and, by the way, to act as an undercover agent." The aide-de-camp thought that the mission was by no means simple; the situation in the Chaotic Frontier of Farol was much more hellish than at the Painful Training School, and newly graduated students were far from capable for the job. At least a Fourth Order legion commander with strict military undercover training was needed. Could a student from a lower tier school like the Painful Training School really accept such a terrifying missionThe aide-de-camp was skeptical, The young man either had offended the Major or indeed possessed some talent. Or perhaps both. Major Angelo believed the youth had talent while also wishing to get rid of him. But even with talent, that was all there was to it; he surely couldn''t compare to Major Angelo. Angelo himself was at the very peak of the Fourth Order; after his promotion, he was already half a step into the realm of Saints and could even attempt to reach the rank of Painful General in the future. "What does the telegram say?" the aide-de-camp asked admiringly, looking at Angelo, "What news has the undercover operative sent?" "Farol is about to descend into great chaos," said Angelo, his slender eyes shimmering with a sharp light, "The Sanctuary of Chaos and Life Ecclesia have started fighting within the city." The recent turmoil in the Chaotic Frontier had reached their ears even at the Painful Esoteric Sect; if there was now a war with the Life Ecclesia, the entire city could potentially be annihilated. Nobody knew whose divine hand was behind this series of unrest. "Is the information from An Su reliable?" the aide-de-camp inquired. Angelo massaged the bridge of his nose. As for An Su, he had never trusted him. After all, he was inherently material for the Mixed Cult; could anyone from the Mixed Cult be trustworthy? To control An Su, one must learn the methods. This time, by placing him in Farol and assigning him such a difficult task, there were two objectives to achieve. One was to continue testing him and establish dominance, to let An Su understand that no matter how many tricks he had, the power over life and death rested in Angelo''s hands, and he should not overstep his boundaries. The second was for him to learn some advanced skills in Farol, so he could better manage the Painful Training School upon his return. If An Su died along the way, it would save Angelo some worries. "The intelligence should be correct; An Su has no need to deceive us, and he cannot fool us," Angelo said, "War between the Life Ecclesia and Sanctuary of Chaos is a significant event; it''ll be in the newspapers tomorrowhe wouldn''t dare deceive us." The consequences of fooling the Major were not something An Su, a mere Training School legion commander, could endure. "Now that we have received this message in advance, we should start preparing." Angelo''s eyes twinkled with a dark and excited gleam, "Prepare to reap the benefits of a fisherman watching two others fight." He had a premonition that he would take complete control over the Chaotic Frontier! This military achievement will belong to him! "Notify the soldiers, march toward Farol!" The rain drizzled relentlessly. Angelo donned his skull cap, draped a large cloak over his shoulders, and walked in the direction of Farol. Behind him, the soldiers clad in dark black military uniforms marched in unison, their high boots splashing in puddles, creating ripple after ripple. Their encampment was hundreds of kilometers away from Farol; even with marching through the night, they would only arrive by the next afternoon. The battle must not fail; Angelo''s face was expressionless. He knew that after this night, all the soldiers behind him, including his aide-de-camp, would die in battle. But it didn''t matter as long as he survived. As long as he could take Farol. The Painful Esoteric Sect was never short on soldiers. Unexpectedly, An Su, the little undercover operative, could still be of use, After he achieved his great success and fame, he would deal with him later. ---- The following day, at noon [Queen District support rate 10%, 20%, 30%... 100%] [Radiance District support rate 10%... 100%] [The current overall support rate is 35%] The surviving followers of Chaos went completely mad. They had never witnessed such grand chaos! So many blocks had been destroyed! Communication with the outside world had been completely cut off. Whether it was the magical network or newspapers, all had collapsed. Nobody could leave Farol alive. Rebellious citizens stormed the Municipal Building, countless splendid buildings were knocked down by them, high-ranking demons and dragonfolk battled in the sky, and the torn bodies of bipedal winged dragons crashed squarely into the central square; The Life Esoteric Church sacrificed one block after another, specifically targeting the noble districts, and one noble after another became dinner for the Mother Goddess of Life. Many legislators and politicians sought to compete with An Su for the position of Mayor, but all were sacrificed. At 3 PM. [The current overall support rate is 40%] All Chaos followers knew that Farol was doomed; nearly half the districts had been completely destroyed, and the remaining half was also on the brink of chaos. The city administration officers had already seen too much bloodshed, no longer distinguishing between different faiths, and began to mass slaughter all citizens indiscriminately! Four o''clock in the afternoon. [Fifty percent] Three more streets had been destroyed. Five o''clock in the afternoon. [Seventy percent] The rebelling citizens had been completely wiped out, and correspondingly, the staff of the City Administration Bureau were also greatly reduced. The victory was gradually leaning towards the Life Esoteric Church. The Life Esoteric Church was the crutch that allowed An Su to become the mayor, but it was also the last obstacle. Becuase if the followers of the Life Ecclesia took over the city, his position as mayor would only be temporary. The ownership of Farol would still have to be forfeited to the Life Ecclesia. By then, once the higher-ups of the Life Ecclesia''s headquarters conducted a check and found that there was no one by the name of Kavensis, An Su would be finished. Farol cannot belong to any church, it cannot be controlled by any deity or faith. It must break away! Therefore, last night An Su sent that telegram to Angelo. A cold smile crept on his lips, let the chaos reach its climax then! It had brought in the last of the contending forces! Tonight, there would be a battle of chaos among the three spiritual orders! Six o''clock in the afternoon. Angelo arrived in Farol. He too had heard the news, An Su, this little fellow, had scrambled to a decent position. But the entire frontier had already collapsed, all routes of communication, the magic web too had crumbled, and messages were being conveyed by word of mouth. Angelo took it as but hearsay, How high could a newly graduated cultist have climbed? He was busy preparing to go to war with the Life Ecclesia. [Overall support rate seventy-five percent] The Municipal Building. The moonlight tonight was blood-red, sweeping across the streets turned to ruins, casting the city in a blood-red hue. The carnage between the Life Ecclesia and the Painful Esoteric Sect had reached its zenith, both sides wrestled for ownership of the city. The remaining city administration officers were resisting to the death. Leaving behind one corpse after another. The High Priest of Life watched his enemies intently, the man was frighteningly strong. Worthy of being the Painful Court''s major. No one could have imagined that such a force would emerge at the end of the war. He, an old man who was close to death, had already been stabbed through the heart, his life force draining away; on the other hand, the opposing major, though not in a good statewith an arm severed and having lost much bloodwas still alive. Eight o''clock in the evening. "For the sake of Lord Kavensis, serve this city up on the Mother Goddess''s dining table!" The followers of the Life Ecclesia, shouting their fanatic slogans, perished alongside the vast majority of soldiers from the Painful Esoteric Sect. Who exactly Kavensis was... Angelo had never heard the name. Probably a chosen one of the Life Ecclesia. Stay tuned with empire Losing too much blood, his thoughts were becoming blurry. Soldiers of the Painful Esoteric Sect were decimated, one in ten survived, No matter what, the battle was ultimately his victory. Just take over the Municipal Building and the city''s rights of ownership would be his. Once he returned, he would be able to use this meritorious service to be promoted directly to colonel. Sar?h the N??elFir.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. No one was left to stop him. Angelo secretly thought, growing more elated by the moment. Suddenly, the surroundings became terrifyingly silent, and then came the sound of light footsteps. Under the full glory of the red moon, the youth walked slowly through the long corridor of the Municipal Building, stepping in the blood-hued moonlight. [Overall support rate eighty percent] [Final hidden position: Mayor of Farol, examination passed] [Please expel the foreign invaders] An Su locked eyes with Angelo. In the second-order world of Seden Town, he was no match for the captain of the Painful Soldiers and had to use a suicidal heretical method to pass through Seden Town. But today, in the fourth-order Farol, they met again. And An Su was no longer the An Su of the past... mainly because he brought thugs along. The chaos of tonight was finally coming to an end. It was the conclusion of both him and Angelo, and of the city itself. "Officer Angelo Xivier, long time no see." The youth showed a serene smile, adjusting the military cap decorated with starry patterns. Enya draped a snow-white cloak over the youth''s shoulders, the blood moon casting his shadow long and ominously. "An Su Moningsta, reporting to you," An Su said. The remaining breath of the believers of the Life, respectfully calling him ''Lord Kavensis'', those city administration officers who were barely alive referred to him as ''Minister Ansu'', and the rest of the lower-class citizens were all fervently chanting An Su''s name: "An Su Moningsta!" "An Su Moningsta!" "Your faithful Farol awaits your arrival!!" Chapter 127 The Final Battle ```"Hm?" An Su Angelo was somewhat bewildered. He felt as if he hadn''t woken up yet. Or perhaps he had misheard. What did the person next to him call An Su just now? Mayor An Su Moningsta? In all the years since Angelo had been on the scene, now a Major of the Painful Court, what kind of bizarre situations hadn''t he encountered? There are plenty of geniuses in the Esoteric Religion. Some who infiltrated the Orthodox Church had become converted enough to take holy orders, some who went undercover in the red-light district and ended up as its star attraction, some who started as street vendors and later established a chain of stores. On the grand stage of the Esoteric Religion, there are plenty of living geniuses. What had An Su Angelo not seen? Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. But he had indeed never seen someone quite like An Su. Weren''t you sent to Farol to learn advanced techniques? How did you become the mayor in just three days, lad? Back in the grueling training school, Angelo always thought this kid was born low and shameless, naturally cut out for the Esoteric Religion, and predicted his future would be bleak yet significantyet he never expected that this kid would achieve so much so quickly! And what were those followers of the Life Ecclesia calling him? Kavensis? Which religion''s follower is he, and how did he become a titled figure of the Life Ecclesia? Whose side is he really on? Is it Chaos, Life, or Pain? An Su Angelo, recently gravely wounded by the High Priest of Life, was severely bleeding, and his thinking was not very clear, but one thing he was certain of was that he had been played by An Su. Anyone who betrays the Painful Court must pay the price. He''s only a Third Order Magician! "An Su Moningsta," "whose man are you, really?" "What exactly do you believe in?" "The glory of the Painful warriors does not permit your desecration." An Su Angelo unsheathed his sword, the cold blade casting a chill over half the Municipal Street as his near-saintly presence exploded forth, pressing down on everyone present. The remaining members of the Painful Sect rallied and drew their blades as well. "Commander Angelo, I belong to no one; I am just an ordinary citizen," An Su responded with star-like bright azure eyes and calmly explained, "It seems you have misunderstood something. I have never betrayed the Painful Court, not betrayed anyone." To betray all churches is to betray nonethat''s the important equation Mr. An Su Moningsta has proposed. "I merely wish to serve the people earnestly, striving to be a courteous and amiable healer, a compassionate doctor, while coincidentally being a mayor dedicated to public service." What utter nonsense. There''s no one else here; who are you performing for! Dragging his sanguine afterimage, Angelo moved with lightning speed, pressing down on An Su in a flash. His alchemic longsword thrusted straight down, as if tearing the very air apart. But An Su, having been blessed by the Mother Goddess of Life during the past three days, had stepped up a notch in physical capability. Without any talent for combat, his proficiency was amassed solely through treating a multitude of eager patients. Additionally, Angelo himself was already seriously injured, making his attack far from his best. An Su stepped half back, his cheek grazing past the blade''s edge, while the full extent of the techniques he learned at the arduous training school revealed itself fully within his body at that moment. A flash of cold light from the dagger hidden up An Su''s sleeve collided with Angelo''s alchemic blade, sending sparks and embers flying. His smile growing ever more serene, he said, "Let''s have an honorable duel then!" Surprised, Angelo wondered firstly how An Su had improved so rapidly, reaching such a level of combat skill just days after graduation. Could he actually be a genius in the warrior department as well? And secondly, Angelo was astonished by how shamelessly thick-faced An Su was. An honorable duel my ass! Angelo felt a chill in his lower back, blood seeping out coldlythere was an assassin quietly stabbing his flank! Due to excessive blood loss, his attention was already scattered. Add to that An Su''s distraction, Angelo had failed to notice Enya''s approach. ``` "I don''t believe in anyone." An Su sincerely said, his clear voice echoing in the night sky, "I do not believe in any deities." "I only love this land deeply." "My faith lies solely with this city." "Even if I''m alone, I will fight to the end to protect the city I love." In the depths of his azure eyes, there was only the purest love and sincerity, and even though he faced formidable enemies, even though he was only of the Third Order, and even though all the guards had died, this young man would still fight for the city he cherished. What the hell is he talking spouting! Commander Angelo felt that this guy was trying to fool everyone; who didn''t know about his moral character? Who was he saying these words for? It was making his skin crawl. There was no one else around. As he thought about this, Commander Angelo gradually calmed down and considered carefully. Knowing this guy''s shameless virtues, he should be hiding behind the scenes. He was only a Magician after all; did he really need to fight in person? Piecing together all of An Su''s actions... he sensed something was amiss. "Your Excellency Lieutenant Colonel!" his adjutant exclaimed, "Look up, quick! Look at the Municipal Building, this guy is live streaming through the recovery hall!" "?" Commander Angelo looked up, only to see on one of the remaining buildings of the Municipal Building, a recovery Magician laying the Magic Prism across the surface of the building. An Su, through ''Friendly Pain Transmission,'' had passed all information he perceived directly to the recovery Magicians with his mind. The magic network might have collapsed, but the internal lines of the recovery hall were still usable. Dozens of recovery Magicians employed image preservation magic and echo magic to project the fight between An Su and Commander Angelo on the entire facade of the building. The Municipal Building, being at the heart of Farol and the tallest structure, allowed all the remaining citizens, all the slums, lower-class orcs, dwarves...to watch this live broadcast. And also to hear all of An Su''s words. They watched An Su, alone, desperately fighting against the invaders from the Painful Esoteric Sect. All for the protection of their city. This guy, he''s actually engaging in political showmanship! Commander Angelo had never seen a creature like An Su before. He signaled the remaining Painful Soldiers to swarm forward, intent on tearing this guy apart! Explore more at empire And to give them a buff as the enemy''s aggression surged. [Your overall support rate has reached 85%] "Let''s have an open and fair confrontation, then." The corners of An Su''s mouth lifted into an increasingly sunny smile, "Dear Commander Angelo, one of my knight friends once told me what ''fearless courage'' means." "I will teach you the courage to face your own flaws with sincerity!" A glint flickered deep within his eyes, [X-Ray Illumination Skill] This magic spell was something An Su had researched; X-Ray was indeed a special branch of Holy Light. The baptism of the Mother Goddess of Life had not only enhanced An Su''s physical fitness but had also improved his spirit and Perception, thus bringing his control and usage of magic to a delicate level. An Su could now control the X-Ray to penetrate only clothing, not skin. The Holy Light in his eyes swept over the approaching Painful Believers, and everyone felt as if they had been thoroughly seen. And now, what An Su was seeing and hearing was connected with the recovery Magicians through the Friendly Pain Transmission, and was being broadcast to all the citizens of Farol via projection. Thus, all of Farol got to admire the nakedness of the Painful Esoteric Sect! [You have attracted the gaze of the Painful Mother Goddess!] Chapter 128 An Su Sacrificed the Entire City! The deep crimson moon covered half the night sky, and the flowing scarlet moonlight streamed across the streets of Farol,The already extinguished neon lights, the messy tube buildings, the web of magic circuits entangled like bee pupae, the rotting chunks of orc flesh in the slaughterhouse, chaotically luring mosquitoes, the bustling city hall plummeting to the ground amidst the flames. Tens of thousands of glass windows shattered on the dilapidated streets, splashing piece after piece reflecting the crimson moonlight. At this moment, All the remaining citizens raised their heads, watching the battle projected by the tower. Never before had they felt such emotions, Overwhelmed with excitement. They were just ordinary citizens, just lower-class dwarves, just nondescript elves, just goblins used as blood bags, they who were tired of the cold stares and discrimination, were feeling such intense emotions for the first time. Their mayor was so affable. Even if it was just political showmanship, the fact that the mayor was willing to put on a show for them meant they were in his heart! The enemy was so crafty, cruel, vile, even perverted. These perverts didn''t even wear clothes! Even in the most chaotic of frontiers, such perverts would be at the bottom of the discrimination chain. They couldn''t imagine what these perverts would do to their mayor, nor could they bear their mayor being subjected to such humiliation! Their city was already destroyed. Everyone was acutely aware that they needed to do something, that they must struggle! Angelo stared at the giant image on the magic screen, his face deathly pale and mouth twitching violently. He was about to burst a blood vessel in anger. How could his own damn academy be able to foster such talent. If he had known, he should have strangled him at the start. Find your next read at empire Not letting him graduate and wreak havoc on society! He had never seen such a breed before; every time Angelo came to a conclusion about An Su''s quality, the guy would shatter his lowest expectations! Fighting while broadcasting the opponent''s naked body to the entire city! Sarch* The N??elFir.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Could a person even do such a thing! For the first time, he felt pain, not from physical hurt but from a wound to his soul. Several soldiers of the Painful Esoteric Sect stumbled in their steps, cringing in every move, fearing that a careless action would expose their weaknesses. These distracted soldiers soon lost their heads to hidden assassins. And yet there was An Su, his face the very picture of sanctity and solemnity, "Even though you are so despicable, I will not give up on the city I love." [Public support rate at ninety percent] Angelo took a deep breath. His eyes were filled with blood red. Already gravely wounded, and now infuriated by An Su like this, the blood scabs that had just healed cracked open again. Killing this youth before him! That could cleanse all humiliation. "An Su, come on!" He readjusted his stance, and with a reverse grip on his long sword, his Fourth-Order Peak heart beat intensely, channeling all the pain and blood into his limbs, He was determined to kill An Su, then torture him with the most painful means! "Ah, I''m off then," An Su cocked his head, "The video is all recorded." An Su didn''t record that statement. Angelo took another blood step forward, his alchemic long sword slicing through the air, cutting towards An Su''s chest; but the latter didn''t dodge or flinch, taking the blade straight on, and blood splattered in an instant. This blood, too, fell into the eyes of all the citizens through the magic screen. Their eyes turned bloodshot. An Su seemed exhausted, lying in the pool of blood, his eyes slowly closing. [Your overall support rate has reached ninety-eight percent!] Under the guidance and provocation of the healing magicians, the remaining citizens flooded into the city hall avenue. After slashing out with that blade, Angelo realized something was wrong; the feeling was off, An Su had taken the blow on purpose, and his injuries were not as severe as they appeared. He was looking for an honorable exit! To end this political charade! And to stimulate the emotions of the public, for nothing stirs emotions like bloody, vivid red! The furious citizens had already charged into the city hall avenue. Although they were all from the lowest order, mostly from the slums, their numbers were vast. In contrast, the believers of the Painful Esoteric Sect, having fought successive battles with the chaotic City Administration Bureau and the believers of the Mother Goddess and under the harassment of Enya''s assassinations, were already demoralized, a mere tenth of their number remaining. And the believers of the Painful Esoteric Sect never imagined that they would have to fight against the citizens themselves. The believers were instantly overwhelmed by the sea of people, Angelo wanted to kill An Su, to at least die together with this bastard, but he saw Miss Enya had already taken advantage of the chaos, extracted An Su from the battlefield under the cover of invisibility magic. Angelo could only watch helplessly as An Su left; dwarves'' knives and forks stabbed into his chest, and orcs'' claws sliced his flesh, leaving him with endless pain. [Blood Shadow] After leaving the City Hall, An Su released Miss Enya. The shadow of the Painful Esoteric Sect cast his wounds onto the shadow, so that after Angelo died, the wounds on the shadow would transfer to Angelo''s body. An Su took off his bloodied robe and changed into a new noble coat, fastening a snow-white cravat. [Remaining time: one hour] Tonight, he was to attend his final soiree. He was to accept the position of mayor at the very top of Chaos Tower. An Su entered the City Hall building, walking calmly along the corridor, his complexion serene as the bloody moonlight brushed across his face. At this very moment, The councilors of the Mysticism of Chaos, adorned in lavish attire, sat on expensive human-skin sofas as the skulls of Volcanic Demons provided heat, dispersing the cold of this night, each elegantly holding a goblet, swirling the fresh blood of a child. There were thirteen in total, this was the pinnacle of Farol''s power. Their Ranks were not particularly high, The highest being only Third Order, but leading did not require a high Rank. Noble blood was all that mattered. "Minister Ansu, well done," The speaker was a dark elf with a large belly, from the top-tier dark families, known to those around him as Earl Yaro. He patted An Su''s shoulder with affection, "Young man, we hold you in high regard." They weren''t afraid that An Su would turn hostile on the spot, After all, behind each official present, their families represented a power, tied to the empire in innumerable ways. If An Su wanted to secure his position as mayor, he couldn''t do it without their support. Even if he became mayor, he would ultimately become a puppet of the council. "May I have the list?" An Su asked with a smile, "Please give me the list, so I can get to know the leaders." Please give me the menu. An Su was ready to start ordering. All the council members showed a relieved expression; the youngster knew the rules of the game, "From today, you are our mayor. We must cooperate very closely~oh," A noblewoman threw a flirtatious glance at An Su, her face heavy with flesh, the gesture resembling a declaration of war. The blood-red moon stretched across the horizon, Although tonight was the annual night of the red moon, the sky had never been so blood-red before. An Su took the scepter symbolizing the citizenry from Earl Yaro''s hand. From the moment he stepped onto the top floor, a mass slaughter covered the City Hall street, continuously supplying him with Magic Power. Bone had already been summoned as well. Facing the bloody red tint, with the menu in hand, An Su started ordering. Although these council members were not of high Ranks, each was overwhelmingly dark, and the Mother Goddess loved such dishes the most. "O Goddess of Desire and the Moon, Great Mother of Life, Eternal Maternity above the spiritual realm." This time, he didn''t need an altar. The altar had already been arranged by the council members. This place already pleased the Mother Goddess most. Everything the council members enjoyed, everything the high officials used C the human-skin sofas, Volcanic Bone skulls, and the crimson fresh blood swirling in the goblets C all the grease they consumed from the populace, were altars they had willingly presented to themselves! But there was something wrong with the arrangement of the altar, which had to be corrected with precise sacrifices. "This is a hymn to the sincerely devout, a feast of spirit and soul, a delicacy of blood and flesh." "Your faithful Believer, An Su Moningsta, offers a gift." He walked amid the astonished gazes of all the council members, "I sacrifice the dark elf on the altar, Earl Yaro, to you." Earl Yaro, who had patted An Su''s shoulder, wore a look of disbelief. How dare this lowly human! But he couldn''t resist anymore, his entire body had turned into flesh and blood, as he fell to the ground. The red moon spread over the corridor as An Su walked forward. With each step, he recited the name of a council member. "I offer Lady Ska, the legislator on the altar, to you." "I offer Sir Lorens, the vampiric noble on the altar, to you." ... He took thirteen steps in total, stopping in front of the floor-to-ceiling window. The vast red moon reflected on An Su''s face, and behind him, the flesh and blood of thirteen council members were slowly vanishing. [Your approval rating has reached one hundred percent] [Special hidden occupation: Chaos Mayor has been perfectly cleared] An Su had once issued an order, For the hidden disciples of life to take advantage of the great civic unrest, and spend all night preparing altars on the main thoroughfares of the business and political elite; the City Administration Bureau, the street governments... all power institutions had altars ready, and only Bone could carry out such decentralized sacrifices. This view was the apex of chaos. "I offer this city to you." An Su, looking out over the city of chaos, spoke calmly and elegantly, "I invite you to dine with me." Chapter 129 [Complete Clearance of the Border World Farol] "I offer this city to you,"An Su whispered. "I invite you to dine with me." This was the final closure. At this moment, the crimson moonlight reached its peak. The red moon seemed to plummet to the earth, the gaze from the spirit realm above descended upon An Su, that indescribable magnificent presence arrived here, and the entire building swayed, the canopy of the sky darkened and turned terrifying. The red moon crawled up the chaotic streets, weaving through the densely-packed, hive-like apartment buildings, climbing along Queen Avenue, igniting the hidden altars that the believers of the Life Esoteric Church had prepared one by one. There was originally a complete defense system in Fanael to counter the sacrificial attacks of the Life Esoteric Church. But now all members of the City Administration Bureau were dead, there was no one left to handle affairs. The council members had also been slaughtered, the streets destroyed, the magic network supply was annihilated, and the city''s defense system had totally collapsed. sea??h th Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The first altar to be ignited was the Imperial Embassy, where nobles watched in terror as lumps of flesh on their bodies expanded and grew wildly, piercing through their beautiful and expensive clothing, reaching a certain peak, and then exploding, blood covering the corridors built of obsidian, flesh proliferating wildly along the corridors; The executives of the City Administration Bureau desperately grasped their own throats as blocks of meat frenziedly grew in their windpipes, their eyes rolled back as they attempted to flee, but no one could escape the Mother Goddess''s dinner table. Layer upon layer of the Municipal Building burst open with blood, waves of flesh rolled over the historic building, twisted and profane, blood splashed as if each drop were blooming datura flowers, and the Municipal Building was decked in splendor. Life was painting the city with moonlight as the brush and blood as the paint, vibrant yet rotten and decrepit, containing the essence of rebirth amidst death. From high above, looking down at the center of the city, several decentralized small altars were linked together by moonlight and blood, forming the grandest of sacrificial rituals! An Su stood on the top floor of the Municipal Building, the highest point in the entire city of chaos, the whole city lay at his feet. Death washed over the city, completely reshuffling all power structures, the frenzied citizens cheered wildly, celebrating the great chaos, celebrating the destruction! "Burn this city to ashes!!" "Burn this city to ashes!" "Chaos is the ladder to ascension" The remaining citizens emerged from the slums, swarming into streets that only nobles could enter, breaking through the fences of the Municipal Building, arriving directly below the Municipal Building, their faces twisted with maniacal grins, reaching out their hands, all eyes fixated on An Su Moningsta at the pinnacle of the building, shouting wildly, "Chaos is the ladder to ascension!" They sang praises to chaos, for only chaos could destroy the rigid social strata that had been solidified for five hundred years, and their future would climb the spiraling ladder of chaos. "An Su Moningsta!" "An Su Moningsta!" The lumps of flesh that once were officials blocked Queen Avenue, the streets were filled with the stench of decay and the metallic scent of blood, the splendid blood-red moonlight had passed over all sacrificial offerings and districts, reaching the top floor of the Municipal Building, All the moonlight, at this moment, shone solely upon An Su. An Su felt the Mother Goddess lacked a sense of proportion. Although the officials of the Chaotic Frontier were not numerous, the darkness element within them was far greater than that of the average citizen; these delicacies could be considered a full banquet for the Mother Goddess. Was she still not satisfied? All the dishes on the dinner table had been consumed, she should be full by now... Why was she still lingering here? An Su could feel that the indescribable, magnificent gaze still lingered here, still rested upon him. There was nothing left to eat... An Su pondered a moment, then considered offering Celestial Space as well. It would be fulfilling an old dream. Too bad his current level wasn''t enough. An Su thought about the unrealistic ideas. "I won''t let you eat this time," An Su said, beginning to negotiate with the moonlight, "This world isn''t the Church''s, if you eat it I will die..." One could still differentiate between being full for a meal and being full always. The blood-red moonlight continued to envelop the youth''s surroundings, as if hesitating about something, and finally, carrying a sense of regret, the moonlight at last departed, along with the Mother Goddess''s attention, withdrawing back into the starry sky. It seemed to be a signal. The sacrificial ritual was completely over. At the same time, Farol was completely destroyed. The power structure had completely collapsed, turning all the blocks into ruins. The streets, once crammed with chunks of flesh, had now been wiped clean. The bodies at the municipal building swiftly dispersed, turning into wisps of blood mist that rose into the night sky of Fanael. With a gust of night wind, they turned into dust and scattered away. Farol had cleaned itself up, all the decay and stench had disappeared. As the blood moon gradually faded, the night sky became clear and transparent, its watery radiance covering the empty streets, quiet and peaceful. Perhaps this was what they meant by a cleansing wind and a clear moon. An Su felt he had made an indelible contribution to the city''s street cleaning. He should have known to apply for a cleaning license earlier. In the sky, a few faint stars could now be seen. The night was over. And with the break of dawn, a new morning in Farol would arrive. [Farol has been destroyed] ... [Farol has been destroyed] "Hmm...?" Luojia felt she must be seeing things. Wasn''t she just reading books for two days? How come the city had changed so drastically as soon as she stepped out? Luojia had always devoted herself to finding the cause of the destruction of Farol, pouring through thousands of books, and deducing based on the knowledge of Celestial Space and the laws of celestial bodies that the destruction of Farol was a once-in-ten-thousand-years occurrence, marked by "The Day of Divine Descent when the Red Moon falls." In the early hours of this morning, the Red Moon was expected to fall. The fall of the Red Moon was a true descent, symbolizing the fall to earth of a celestial body that represented life, and its fall was merely the beginning. Within the next year, the stars that orbited the night sky were to fall to the world, one after another. The destruction of Farol was but a clarion call for a god to end the world, casting the entire century into an end time. However, the fall of the Red Moon was just a legend, with no evidence to prove such an apocalyptic catastrophe had ever occurred. Scholars of later generations argued over it for a thousand years. According to the sayings of later generations, every ten thousand years, the deities would wipe clean the old world. All faith would be shattered. And anew in the new world, reborn. Ushering in a brand new era. But it was still just a legend. No one could prove that the end of the world would actually occur. Now Luojia, had begun to refute her own theories. She was originally very excited and couldn''t wait to share her findings with An Su. If the existence of the destruction day was confirmed, it would be groundbreaking news elsewhere. Little did she expect that Farol hadn''t met its end due to the Red Moon''s fall. It had destroyed itself! The Red Moon might have appeared for a moment, but now it was back to normal... Luojia looked out the window at the clear moonlight and sighed lightly. She looked at her pocket watch, it was just past midnight, without any changes. According to Luojia''s deductions, the Red Moon should have begun to fall by now. The Little Holy Maiden sought to confront An Su for an explanation, having countless questions to ask. The cause of destruction was not the deities, it was An Su! [The Fourth Order border world has been completely cleared] [The border world of Farol, ended] [Returning to Celestial Space] [Beginning settlement] Experience tales with empire They left Chaotic Frontier, returning to the realm of Celestial Space. What Luojia didn''t know was that after they departed, after An Su had left, the pure white, watery moon slowly started to take on a blood-like hue. Chapter 130 Luojias Final Settlement: [Chaotic Deputy] [Fourth Order Border World: City of Free Radiance][Cleared] [Kingdom of Chaos Fragment Unlocked (2/3)] Dizziness and blurred vision. An Su saw visions again. But this time there was no lavish dining table, no cutlery, no blood-red candles burning, and he was not being consumed. Not invited to dine together. The visions he saw this time were even more bizarre, even vast. An Su saw countless stars falling, worlds vanishing and being reborn from ruins, faith wildly developing to its utmost, civilizations climbing to their zeniths, advancing towards the stars, and then he saw their demise. As the starry sky fell and the Milky Way poured forth, all beliefs and all splendors turned to ashes, and from those ashes, a new era was born. An Su saw himself standing at the end of an era, bathed in the blood-red moonlight that illuminated his shadow. And so, all the stars fell towards him He died. All the visions faded away like the tide. An Su opened his eyes. The brilliant stars still twinkled in the firmament, well-placed in the sky, with countless streams of starlight rotating along the horizon. An Su had returned to Celestial Space, this peculiar world independent from the universe''s machinations. The Celestial had existed for who knows how many tens of thousands of years, had witnessed the birth and fall of many kingdoms, and seen the melting and flourishing of numerous epochs, as one of the spokespeople of Celestial Space. Having worked here for several hundred years, the Celestial Messenger should have attained a level of composure that was unaffected by honor or disgrace. This is also one of the principles of absolute neutrality. It''s as well the professional standard for a messenger. But every time he dealt with An Su, the Celestial Messenger just couldn''t help but lose his cool. He had never seen such a character before. When facing An Su, he had even practiced a bit to ensure he could maintain good facial control. Only in this way would he not lose the messenger''s dignity, would he not tarnish the vastness and grandeur of the stars. The Celestial Messenger felt he was prepared. As soon as An Su saw him, he bowed at a ninety-degree angle to apologize, the young man''s tone filled with regret and self-blame, and even more so brimming with sincerity, every word, and action coming from the heart, "I am truly sorry!" "I did not keep my promise!" "I still haven''t managed to sacrifice your incarnate, making you feel neglected. Please, don''t be angry. I will try harder in the future, I promise to do my utmost to sacrifice yours!" In the Astro-World, everyone is very honest. ...The Celestial Messenger suddenly didn''t want to talk to him anymore. Damn professional ethics. Even now, he''s still thinking about sacrificing himself! For hundreds of years, he had never seen anyone with a clearance mindset as peculiar as An Su''s! An Su was sent to assassinate the leader of the Esoteric Religion, so An Su worked hard to get promoted to leader, and then committed suicide. They told An Su to investigate the secret behind the destruction of the border, so An Su went ahead and destroyed the border himself; he himself was the truth. And yet, somehow, he was successful. The Celestial Messenger felt he shouldn''t bother with him. After a few more words with An Su, the Celestial Messenger felt he couldn''t keep up with the times, that he should retire. "Your girlfriend is over there; you better crawl away," the Celestial Messenger told An Su to get moving. An Su looked back, first seeing Miss Enya, who waved at him elegantly. She was clothed in a Lolita-style long dress, her amber eyes glinting against the starry backdrop, her expression cool and indifferent. From afar, the elegant young lady beneath the stars had quite the air of a haughtily detached literary maiden. Enya emerged before An Su by a short while. "I''m underage and don''t have a girlfriend." "Then over there must be your... friends with benefits," the Celestial Messenger said, and couldn''t help but feel amazed inwardly, An Su really knew how to play, such a young kid and already this impressive. "To this extent, and yet not a girlfriend." "..." An Su felt the topic was getting more and more awkward. "What did Enya tell you?" An Su asked. "Ah, you don''t know?" The Celestial Messenger thought An Su was playing dumb, "When she registered her identity, she did it like this, ''Little Girlfriend of Young Master An Su,'' claiming you both battled together at the abandoned Grey Tower, researched biology in the library, and played interesting little games together in the bathhouse." They teamed up to scam people in the Grey Tower, read biology books in the library, and played ''no nudity allowed'' interesting little games in the bathhouse. An Su didn''t want to deal with this awkward uncle anymore and walked toward Enya. Young people these days... the Celestial Messenger sighed helplessly. At that moment, Luojia returned to the Astro-World as well. Little Holy Maiden, biting her teeth, her silver-white eyes as pure as the sunny snow on the mountains, pursed her lips, staring at An Su not far away; As a Holy Maiden, Luojia believed it was her duty to guide An Su toward a more normal human development... Even if she couldn''t guide An Su to be a normal person, at least be a normal creature. She didn''t ask him to take civil service exams to destroy the city! Luojia only read for two days, and when she opened her eyes, she found the world had changed. ...Actually, the main reason was, Luojia was very curious about how this guy An Su had done it. Explore hidden tales at empire She thought knowing the enemy and oneself could ensure victory in every battle, and only by deeply understanding this guy could she guide him correctly. "Hello, may I ask what your relationship is with An Su?" the absolutely neutral Celestial Messenger inquired. "Want to understand his relationship," Luojia answered subconsciously, her demeanor commanding as she walked toward An Su, "and another thing, to settle accounts with him." As expected, the Celestial Messenger looked enlightened, a smile on his lips, now convinced that An Su was a true prodigy. sea??h th N??elFir.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. It''s the duty of the Radiant Holy Maiden! "An Su..." Luojia called out to An Su, gazing at the profile of the youth, she felt it was necessary to have a proper conversation with An Su, not let him keep wandering further down the path of the non-human and the peculiar, and just as she opened her mouth to speak The space around them spun rapidly, starlight twisted and regathered, light intersecting, combining into new scripts. The Celestial began its tally. [The conquest of the border world Farol has been completed.] [Final ownership of the world fragment: ....should be the Radiant Holy See.] The starlight spun for quite a while before slowly coming to a stop and very uncertainly added the word ''should'' to show respect for An Su. [Generating team evaluation for unified settlement.] [Team members: An Su Moningsta, Luojia Fast, Enya Moningsta.] [The team has survived for 72 hours, all missions completed.] [Overall team evaluation SS, achieving the title ''Trio of Chaos''.] Individual evaluations are now being generated. Luojia saw her own personal achievement and immediately her voice lowered, her commanding aura deflated suddenly as if she were a balloon that had been let out of air. "Whimper." [Luojia Fast, survival time 72 hours.] [Chaotic Lieutenant S] "Eh??" She only read for two days, how did she become the Chaotic Lieutenant! Chapter 143 The Borderland Triumvirs Annihilate the Magic Association Experts On the third floor of the Magic Guild, the warm afternoon sun shone on the flowing Mercury Mirror Wall, causing ripples tinged with sunlight to splash about.The second floor was divided into several areas, and walking inward along the corridor full of classical design, one would arrive at the Magic Identification Hall. Ancient alchemic devices stood tall, and exquisite and powerful arrays spread throughout the hall, with one identification room after another arranged in line, and the thick aura of Magic Power lingering in the air. They were responsible for assigning rank to magic and classifying various types of magic. This place gathered the most authoritative and professional evaluators, with clergymen from the seven great Churches also taking office here. The place had an air of prestige. Ai Xueli, together with the Borderland Triumvirs, first completed the registration and paid the procedure fee, then handed over the designed Magic Circuit to the staff. "Identification Room 201, it will take about thirty minutes," said the priest, his attitude rather perfunctory. He had seen too many of such magic registrations. Looking at these three, they were merely informal members of the Guild. Newcomers who had just learned to write magic often made haste to have their magic identified, hoping to prove themselves as one in a million geniuses, but often they couldn''t even achieve a ''common'' rating, producing nothing but trash magic. The incident on the first floor had not yet spread. After all, the charity event "Magic into the Home, Magicians to the Countryside," although initiated by His Excellency Merlin, was snubbed by most of the talented Magicians, as it was only about civilian magic. "Please wait patiently in the rest area." With that, he left. Directly opposite was the waiting area, offering pastries and beverages. Comfortably leaning on the soft sofa, An Su ordered a cup of coffee, drinking it with a relaxed mood and surveying the surroundings. There were already quite a few Magicians waiting here, All formal members of the Magic Guild, all at least of Deacon rank, respected outside, but in the Magic Guild, they could only queue up honestly. Most of them looked tense and anxious, not even daring to breathe heavily; the results of the magic evaluation would determine their current level. In front of the rest area was a huge magical screen displaying the results of the identifications. [Deacon Andre, evaluation result ''Common.Average'', classified as Order-Type Magic, can be dedicated to the Scales of Order] A significant buzz broke out in the rest area. It had been mentioned before that all public magic that can be exchanged for faith points are common-area magic, like legendary and above magic, which can only be created or gifted by deities themselves, possessing uniqueness and non-transmissibility. Being able to dedicate to a deity was already a great honor. The majority of magic written was not even deigned a glance by deities. The Deacons around looked tense, but An Su was quite relaxed. The warm sunlight poured in through the glass windows, casting everything nearby in a shallow golden light, and time seemed peacefully suspended. Lister and Arthur also looked serene and self-possessed. Ai Xueli felt that An Su''s attitude was a facade, wondering how one could be so naturally at ease during their first magic evaluation. She remembered her own first evaluation: the anxiety and trepidation were still etched in her heart. After all, the priests responsible for the evaluation were experts among experts, exuding an image of grandeur and eminence when Ai Xueli was younger. Time passed by bit by bit, and soon thirty minutes were up. Just when Ai Xueli felt puzzled, the results of their evaluation had not yet come out. Identification Room 201. All the learned had gathered. A typical evaluation would be equipped with one officer from each of the seven Churches, but the evaluation for An Su''s group brought as many as seventy. Surrounding their Magic Circuit diagrams, the expressions of all evaluators were subtle, the air nearly stagnant, the atmosphere tense and suffocating. Each priest felt fearful and had palpitations, their faces strained, not even daring to breathe heavily. The results of the Borderland Triumvirs'' magic evaluations would determine their professional careers. Actually, the magic evaluation isn''t complex. First, rank the level, then establish the attributes. Based on the effects of the magic, the properties of the Magic Circuit, etc., categorize the magic of the corresponding divine system. But when it came to An Su''s groups'' magic, there was a problem with the attribute classification. No Church wanted to acknowledge it as their own! Such perverse and evil magic, whoever acknowledged it would lose face! The priests from each Church had already written reports to their superiors, and the superiors'' replies were simple: deny any association at all costs! "They belong to the Radiant Holy See''s saints; naturally, it should be classified as Holy Light magic," said a chief Order evaluator. "Our Church does not recognize these three people." The evaluator from the Radiant Holy See was really something, resorting to divine segmentation swiftly. "The Magic Circuit referenced in [Friendly Exchange] are all under the dominion of the Alchemical Church, it should be classified under the Alchemic system." "Such wicked and forbidden magic is something our Radiant Holy See''s saints would never use," declared an expert from the Radiant Holy See! "Neither would our Alchemical Church study it," stated the Alchemic expert, with righteous indignation. At first, their discussion was quite friendly, but after a while, it gradually became heated, with all the priests passing the buck. For a full thirty minutes, the atmosphere grew tenser and tenser. The language they started with was relatively elegant, but as time passed, it grew more and more fierce. Gradually, their discussion turned into an argument. The more they argued, the more agitated they became. "This is your damn family''s problem!" "It''s not our family''s!" Just as it looked like they were about to come to blows, an expert from the Radiant Holy See on the spot learned the Magic Circuit on the platform. Truly a senior expert, he learned it quickly and well, ready to give the Alchemical expert a ''friendly exchange''. "Meow?" A soft and tender loli voice. The Alchemical expert looked at the former with a gaze reserved for the newly born, him being an esteemed expert at the age of sixty, with white hair commanding respect. Yet at this moment, he was being sabotaged by the old man opposite him, forced to utter such tender words. Having lived so long, this was the first time he had suffered such a great humiliation. You cunning old thief of the Radiant Holy See, no sense of martial ethics. He, on the spot, replicated the circuit for the ''friendly exchange'' and hurled the Magic Circuit right back. The old expert from the Radiant Holy See''s voice came out seductive and full of allure, like that of a charming mature woman. "Mmm-hah~you~!" So many experts are watching; it can''t just be the two of us looking foolish. As long as everyone looks foolish, this incident won''t spread. They exchanged a look, an unspoken understanding between them. Immediately leading their respective teams of appraisers, they began to hurl ''friendly exchanges'' at the old heads of the opposite side. The other Churches, already dissatisfied, seeing these two old rascals'' nuclear operations, directly ignited the dissatisfaction in their hearts. Sarch* The ovelFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. They too immediately began to learn the ''friendly exchange'', and in no time, the whole Magic Identification Hall was in chaos with Magic flying everywhere, eventually escalating to physical confrontations as tempers flared. This was a ''holy war''. Whichever Church lost in hand-to-hand combat, that''s where the magic of the three borderlands would be categorized to. There were moans of pain from mature women, muffled grunts from lolis, filled with the twittering sounds of delicate charm, "It''s been an hour, why isn''t it finished..." Ai Xueli couldn''t help but walk to the door of Room 201 in the Identification Hall, intending to knock. Sultry female moans came from inside. "Umm, don''t do this, stop, Lord Dak of the Radiant Holy See, please spare me, oh~" This was the old head of the Healing Church being pummeled into a bloody pulp on the floor by the old head of the Radiant Holy See. Ai Xueli''s pupils trembled, That expert Dak of the Radiant Holy See, she had seen him before, kind and magnanimous-looking, almost at retirement age, Why bother with such behavior in the sacred Magic Association! Before she could recover from the shock, another petulant loli voice came from inside. "Hmph hmph, weaklings, weaklings, kneel down and lick my feet." This was the expert from the Druid Court threatening the old head of the Celestial Church. Ai Xueli''s eyelids twitched again. Scholar Sven, she knew him too; He was a great scholar who researched the origins of the universe. Who would have thought he was also into little girls? And such a perverted, deviant manner of enjoyment, It was a scandalous stain on his reputation. Ai Xueli''s cheeks flushed, her heart pounding, thinking she needed to report this to the Order Knights immediately. "Oh my, oh my, Lorne, is that all you''ve got? I can''t feel a thing~" After taking a punch from Lorne Priest of the Order Church, Dak of the Radiant Holy See expressed his disdain in a voice befitting a mature woman. Ai Xueli''s worldview shattered. How was it that even a priest of the Order Church engaged in such morally bankrupt shenanigans! The seductive cooing from inside grew more fervent; there were all sorts of female voices, and by a rough estimate, there were at least seventy. How could there be so many! Ai Xueli was completely unaware that inside they were engaging in sound magic battles, mistaking it for something far more salacious! These old perverts! The towering images of her childhood had completely collapsed! Chapter 132 sss+ Rating (Thanks to the Chosen Fools Alliance Leader!) [An Su Moningsta, Survival Time: 72 hours][Benevolent Healer SSWith the Chaotic Frontier in critical danger, Mayor Ansu decisively intervened, saving the people of Farol from illness, disaster, and chaos.] [According to statistics, you personally sacrificed a total of three hundred second-order Chaos Followers, twenty third-order chaotic officials, one fourth-order Vampire Count, and one fourth-order Forest Elf legislator. Tens of thousands of followers left this troubled and painful world under your indirect influence.] Ansu showed a relieved smile. As a public servant serving the people, this was what he was supposed to do. [Negative Review Elimination S-: Through your tireless efforts, a total of twenty-three districts in Chaotic Falor had their negative reviews completely eradicated. You made an indelible contribution to solving the problems and difficulties of the citizens.] [Because of your efforts, Farol no longer experienced discrimination and strife, nor pain and lamentation. Only the everlasting radiance of order remained. On some level, you created an ideal state that existed only in books.] Ansu felt that this was his duty. As the head of the Recovery Department, it was his responsibility to solve the troubles of the citizens. Ensuring that the rare branches of the Holy Light enveloped the Chaotic Frontier was also the responsibility of a Radiant Saint.] [Obstetrician Extraordinaire AYou made an indelible contribution to the low birth rates of the Chaotic Frontier. Under your direct care, nearly two hundred void babies were born. Your department had the highest birth rate among the resuscitation rooms and was the only department with zero negative reviews.] Addressing the problem of an aging population was another duty Ansu felt compelled to fulfill. A city needed its vibrant young people to secure a bright future! [Chaotic Mayor SSAs the first Chaotic Mayor in five hundred years, faced with the abnormally naked Painful Esoteric Sect followers, you chose to fight despite overwhelming odds, and ultimately you were caught off guard and critically wounded.] [All of your efforts were seen by the citizens. Your public support rate reached a rare 100 percent.] [Achievement UnlockedRadiant City of Liberty SSS] Sar?h the novlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. [From now on, the Chaotic Frontier will have no government, no class hierarchy, no faith or gods. Everything will return to chaos, back to the beginning. You are both the cause and the result of destruction. Chaos is the ladder of ascension, and Farol has returned to the first rung. The people will climb anew in anxious hope, and in the end, they will meet you again at the top of the steps.] [Untasted Delicacy Child DThe Mother Goddess tasted neither your flesh nor your soul, and though the city was full of delicacies, it all seemed tasteless to her.] [Mission One: 100% Survival Accomplished] [Mission Two: 100% Dedication to Public Service Accomplished] [Mission Three: 100% Initiation of Destruction Accomplished] [An Su Moningsta, Overall Assessment, SSS+] Ansu wondered if there was something wrong with the Mother Goddess below. Was his body smeared with poison? She was so eager to eat him? Ansu knew he wasn''t exactly a good person, but surely he wasn''t to the taste of the Mother Goddess. In any case, the conquest of the border world had come to a complete end. The overall assessment for Ansu was quite a surprise; he thought at best he would get triple S. Instead, he reached SSS+. The rewards he was to receive were certainly going to be substantial. After all, this was a fourth-order border world. He was just at the threshold of becoming a third-order Magician, with a magic power value of twenty. Now that he had become an official Believer, he could continue to exchange for blessings. The conversion ratio of faith points to magic power value had reached 1:30. As mentioned before, the calculation of faith points must be from personally vanquishing Cultists to be counted as contribution pointsof course, enemies vanquished by one''s summons could also count towards this. Cultists who died in mutual conflictsthat is, how most Cultists meet their endcould not be counted towards faith points. Ansu''s faith points mainly came from those two hundred void lives rampaging through the city for one minute each and from the sacrifices of Bone. Although it was only this, when accumulated together, the numbers were also quite terrifying. This wasn''t even including the other rewards Ansu gained. He should be able to reach the middle or late stages of third order and approach fourth-order Magician status in one go. At this age and level, no newcomer could match him. Discover hidden tales at empire It would take several years for an old saint with exceptional talent to reach this level. So An Su was quite satisfied. After all, faith points were just a part of it, and there were also the rewards given by the celestial, based on the clear evaluation. Last time, he had received the epic blessing of the Radiant Goddess, the unique magic "Holy Light Praise". This time, he could clear with an SSS+ rating, all thanks to this killing light. He didn''t know what he would get this time. He would have to wait until after he got out to find out. Of course, even though he was quite pleased inside, An Su still traditionally displayed a sorrowful expression. It was a habit engraved deep in his soul, impossible to change now. "Bombed the test again." Just like how the Mother Goddess couldn''t give up ice, after finishing the magic exam, he naturally couldn''t stop being a jerk. He planned to pick on Luojia first; just as he saw the latter returning from the Celestial Messenger, he walked over with great interest, about to speak, "Ah..." Only to be glared at fiercely by the other party. The Little Holy Maiden didn''t know what came over her. She felt unreasonably annoyed seeing An Su like that, but she didn''t understand what her own feelings were, just that she wasn''t happy. The words Miss Enya had said before inexplicably came to her mind, making her feel irritable. Logically speaking, what did this guy have to do with her? How he usually acted was none of her business. And not worth her concern. Luojia told herself that she just couldn''t stand to see An Su going astray, with no strange reasons involved. Yes, that must be it. Luojia reaffirmed the thought in her mind. Her snow-like eyes became clean and determined again. Reflecting the boy''s face like a mirror. Being stared at like that, An Su''s words reached his lips but slowly swallowed them down. "What''s wrong?" Luojia didn''t speak but lightly pursed her lips, as if thinking about something. Miss Enya followed behind An Su, her lips curled in a faint smile, everything within her plan. According to the plan, the Holy Maiden would surely be scared of the young master and then find a way to stay away. Luojia took a deep breath, as if she had made a certain decision, and looked seriously at An Su, "An Su Moningsta." An Su tilted his head. "I will always correct your mistakes." Luojia gazed straight at An Su, under the stars'' illumination, the girl spoke with a solemn and sincere tone, "I will never run away." She was serious. As if she had made a resolution. Ah?... Enya was a bit dumbfounded. After Luojia said those words, she turned and walked straight out. An Su didn''t understand what she was talking about and followed her out. The maid lady tilted her head, quite confused. "Ah, youth." At that moment, the Celestial Messenger spoke wistfully, watching the receding figures of the two, with an expression of seeing through everything, "They are also in that kind of relationship, you know." What?! Enya was shocked! Chapter 133 An Sus Divine Reward "Ah?"Enya stared at the Celestial Messenger, her eyes widening slightly. This uncle looked like someone who''d been through it all. The Celestial Messenger had stayed in the Astro-World for several centuries already, having encountered all sorts of characters. He had seen the vicissitudes of life and said reflectively, "Ah, the youth." "Could you elaborate?" asked Enya, her expression blank. "Their relationship." The Celestial Messenger''s expression was inscrutable. He slightly bowed his head, maintaining a posture of great vicissitude. He gently stroked his beard, which seemed to be glued together by starlight, S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "It''s a connection of the heart, and what''s more, that little girl owes An Su a debt of affection." I want to understand him = connection of the heart. I want to settle accounts with him = owes a debt of affection. In the experienced brain of the Celestial Messenger, he had effortlessly decoded the Little Holy Maiden''s words. He felt his analysis was quite thorough. "You''re too young, you wouldn''t understand." The Celestial Messenger thought the words he''d uttered were exceedingly profound. So full of meaning. As an absolutely neutral envoy, maintaining the dignity and vastness of the starry sky was precisely his mission, But An Su had repeatedly disrupted his grandeur on several occasions, which troubled the Celestial Messenger greatly. "And I have also penetrated this vast expanse of stars, naturally understanding more than you," he said, gazing into the starry sky with his hands clasped behind his back. Stay updated via empire Enya fell silent. "Don''t mind it." The Celestial Messenger, being an experienced elder, quickly perceived what was on Enya''s mind, "Your progress with that novice... An Su, has advanced a step further, hasn''t it? The Little Holy Maiden is merely at the superficial stage." The maid Miss grew even quieter. What she and the Celestial Messenger discussed... was naturally her own artistic interpretation. But not for Luojia. Enya, unusually flustered, had always been known for her cool, undisturbed demeanor. Now, ignoring the Celestial Messenger who was pretending to be profound, she followed An Su out. They had infiltrated from the Astro Church in the suburbs and now were leaving through the suburbs as well. In the undefined border world, the flow of time did not match that of the real world. An Su had stayed in the Chaotic Frontier for three days, yet barely a night had passed on the outside. As the last star vanished into the pale mists before dawn, Farol awoke slowly after thirty thousand years. Golden sunlight streamed through Seven Gods Avenue and into one stained-glass decorated church after another. Farol was gradually being illuminated. The blessings from the gods arrived swiftly this time, Luojia received the blessings of the Radiant Goddess, with a celestial light swirling around her, Truly worthy of being the Goddess''s own daughter, her saintly constitution allowed her to rapidly gain bonus from the blessing. Her Rank progressed from the initial stage of Third Order to the intermediate stage, but the Holy Light hesitated, feeling as if its own daughter was being led astray... Then came the bestowal of blessings based on performance in the Nether World. Luojia received an intermediate-stage Legendary Magic, a level below the Epic Quality. Common, Legendary, Epic, Divine - these are the known qualities. Low Rank, Intermediate Stage, High-Rank, Saintly, Demigod-Level, etc... these indicate the user level of the magic. Common Magic is obtained directly through faith points and isn''t unique. But Legendary and higher levels of magic cannot be obtained directly through faith points. They''re either self-created or personally bestowed by gods and possess uniqueness. An Su''s last "Holy Light Praise" was an intermediate-stage Epic Magic. [Radiant Word-Spirit] [Quality: Intermediate Legend] [Mana Cost 3] [Support Magic] [Effect: Your words will be imbued with the power of Holy Light. If they are words of blessing, they will initiate a healing check on the target, if they are words of curse, they will initiate a damage check on the target, with the magnitude of the effect depending on the intensity of your emotions. The more tender the blessing words, the better the healing effect, the more intense the curse words, the greater the damage effect.] [Note: When the red moon falls, the pure white girl''s words are both a curse and a blessing.] "" What on earth is this? Luojia''s eyes widened. The more embarrassing the words she said while healing her teammates, the better the healing effect? The fouler the mouth against the enemy, the higher the damage? This god-given magic was too damaging to her perfectly cultivated image of the Holy Maiden! Luojia absolutely couldn''t imagine using this magic in practice, merely thinking about it made her blush with shame, she even wanted to protest to the Goddess of Holy Light. She had made up her mind, she would never use this magic, nothing good ever came from An Su. Enya also received a blessing, her overall rating was S+, because she entered the world as a quasi-saint, so she too received a Holy Light blessing. When the Holy Light descended upon her, it hesitated noticeably more. Why is there an assassin? [Bright Stealth] [Quality: High-Rank Legend] [Consumption of Battle Ash Points: 6] [Support Class Battle Skill] [Effect: After stealth is discovered, speed increases by 20%, magic resistance by 20%, and strength by 20%, lasting for five minutes. If you return to stealth within five minutes, the duration is increased by one minute.] [Note: As Enya is a Holy Knight and has extensive research into the path of light, for an assassin to kill enemies in broad daylight is also a kind of Holy Knight.] The effect of this enhancement is not bad, but the duration is short. Enya''s thought process could actually keep up with An Su. If she encountered the enemy head-on, first she could just crouch and cover her head, pretending to stealth like "ostrich-head-in-sand". Instantly, this would trigger the ''stealth discovered'' status, and after killing one or two people, crouching again and pretending to stealth would trigger the ''discovered'' status again. Kill one, crouch one, the duration could keep getting extended by +1 minute until all the enemies were slain. Miss Enya quickly figured out a rather practical approach. Lastly, it was An Su''s turn to receive a blessing. His blessing was the slowest to arrive. An Su had been waiting for a long time, yet he saw no sign of any activity. He felt that as a good mayor serving the people, as a dedicated saint committed to eliminating all kinds of discrimination and prejudice, he didn''t deserve such a discriminating treatment. The Chaotic Frontier was so harmonious now. After a long wait, the dawn finally began to break, and the scattered Holy Light reluctantly gathered over. Enveloping An Su. More and more specks of light scattered above, the Astro Church was far in the suburbs, rarely frequented by people, and at this moment, the sparse local residents shifted their astonished gaze over, the Astro Church became increasingly bright, as dazzling as an incandescent lamp. With this commotion, the divine magic An Su received this time was even more magnificent than the previous Holy Light Praise. [The City of Free Radiance] [Quality: High-Rank Epic] Chapter 134 Overpowered Epic Magic (Thanks to the Alliance Master reward from Sān Gēng Bàn Yè!) [The City of Free Radiance][Quality: High-Rank Epic] [Consumes ten magic power (Epic-level magic is not affected by the negative effects of the Child of the Curse)] [Domain Type Magic] Find more to read at empire [Effect: Constructs a domain with Holy Light, covering an area of one hundred meters in radius, altering the terrain around it, and summoning the dead residents of any street in Farol, with the highest rank of the residents not exceeding that of the caster. They will know the truth of their death, and at the same time, they will regard any cultist within this domain as the true ''An Su Moningsta'' for three minutes] [Note: Will the Mayor be adored or hated by the citizens? Everything is decided by the free will of the Radiance] "..." An Su felt this magic was a bit overpowered. It actually made all the citizens see the kind cultists as himself. Wouldn''t the cultists be ground to dust? An Su dared not imagine how the kind cultists would be adored by the citizens. Even though the effect was rather excessive, this magic was also a matter of luck. If it drew the residents from a slum, they might not take action and could even help the Mayor instead; But if it were places like Fierce Hell Avenue or other intense scenes, then the cultists would be in for a rough time, surrounded and attacked by the Volcanic Demon, Bio-magic beings, Fairy Legislative Group, Imperial Capital Vampire Visiting Group, and the Dark Legion. It was a spell with both high ceilings and deep floors. An Su also felt this magic was quite insulting. The enemies being treated as himself was somewhat offensive to their personalities. Regardless, it was finally over. After exchanging for the blessings at the Radiant Cathedral, An Su could finally rest properly. He stretched languidly, gazing at the bright and warm sun, feeling a cozy warmth all over his body. Go back and have a good restthat''s what he had intended. Until he stepped out of the Astro Church and saw Priest Paxi with eyes red from weeping, panting heavily, along with a host of Order Knights. Priest Paxi hadn''t slept all night. He was the rotating priest for the Order Church last night and had the responsibility of ensuring the safety of the saints. A Third Order saint had entered the Fourth Order world on her own initiative, and the Holy Maiden who had never conquered a world had also followed her in. If anything went wrong... He would certainly lose his position as a priest. In fact, no one had any confidence in An Su and Luojia. Even many sub-deacons were looking forward with a sense of schadenfreude. If An Su died, the opportunity to conquer the Fourth Order border world might come their way, a necessary step to be promoted to full deaconship. But the actual situation turned out to be beyond their expectations. They found it hard to describe what they had just experienced. The Astro Church specially brought out the Holy Relic ''Rite of Life'' capable of detecting death inside the world, But from goblins to dwarves, from vampires to elves, the Rite of Life flickered frantically with the names of other races, turning the entire first Astro Church into some kind of disco, leading to collective complaints from the surrounding residents, even startling the reporters from the "Imperial Capital Morning Post" to come for an interview: "Esteemed priests dancing late into the night, is this a corruption by the Mother Goddess, or the fall of faith; why do a hundred saints gather for a party, is it the destruction of chastity, or chaos within order..." "Let''s interview Priest Paxi, who was on duty last night... This report is exclusively sponsored by Mr. Kavensismeaning if the interviewee does not wish to reveal their real name, we can broadcast the interview under the name of Mr. Kavensis." ...Is that what sponsorship means? Priest Paxi sent all the reporters away with a dark expression. He stared at the continually flickering Rite of Life and sighed helplessly. Rough estimate, there have already been two to three hundred deaths. S~ea??h the ovelFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. This was the death count of Fierce Hell Avenue. The Life Rite instrument finally began to slow down its pulsing, and Priest Paxi thought it was finally over. The surrounding saints also let out a slight sigh of relief. "An Su has finally settled down." But to everyone''s surprise, it was only a momentary lull, suddenly the entire Life Rite instrument shone brightly, lighting up the Astro Church as if it were daylight, casting light upon everyone''s cheeks. The erratically surging magic power began to rampage, the Life Rite instrument trembled wildly, and the characters composed of starlight twisted and blurred, changing so quickly that they were indecipherable, so fast that they left afterimages. Another sudden boom sounded, and the magic power exploded violently, sending out a series of crackling sparks. In the end, the screen completely blacked out. What in the world is happening... all saints wondered. The Alchemical Priest next to him said with an embarrassed face, "It seems like... it has crashed?" Crashed! Paxi gave him a look like you must be joking. The Life Rite instrument was, after all, a holy-tier alchemical artifact; how could it crash? "It must be due to a lack of maintenance over the years," the priest could only think of this possibility. Most of the surrounding priests agreed with this opinion, but Paxi felt more and more uneasy in his heart, he always had the feeling that An Su was up to something big inside! No one knew how long they waited, but the Life Rite instrument did not send any messages, nor was it repaired successfully. The dawn gradually broke, and the saints were also gradually losing their patience, intending to disperse as it was. No matter what An Su had pulled off, after all, he was just a newly initiated saint. The best outcome for him would be to come back alive; it''s not possible for him to have conquered this frontier world, right? After standing watch the whole night, it was time to go back and rest properly. This was what they had thought Until the rising sun completely broke through, and the morning light pierced through the clouds layer by layer, the dusk faded, and the church bells echoed in the empty streets. Just at this moment, the previously quiet Astral Terminal emitted a faint rumble. Priest Paxi''s heart tightened, An Su and the others have finally come out. The specifics were still unknown. Nor did anyone know their exact achievements. All these would have to be personally inquired from the individual. But Paxi had already received the news, An Su and the others had emerged from a church on the outskirts, and he immediately organized the Order Knights, The news of the missing Holy Maiden had alarmed figures of the bishop-level. Even the God of Law from the Radiant Holy See, His Excellency ''Merlin'' had personally inquired about it, specifically asking to see him. An Su coming back alive was certainly a good thing, but Paxi also had a duty as an Order Knight, and he must provide an explanation to the Radiant Holy See. Although going to the frontier world privately did not violate any laws, it was nonetheless a behavior that affected order. If everyone did this, sooner or later all the saints of the Church would perish. Moreover, he had taken away the Holy Maiden. Such actions, at the very least, would subject An Su to impeachment. What Priest Paxi could do was to protect this young boy with all his might; after all, in his eyes, he was just a child. And moreover, An Su must have made a significant contribution to the conquest of the world, which should be enough to offset any punishment. Chapter 135 An Su: Ive Been Kidnapped by the Holy Maiden! Order Church, Third Confession Chamber.The dim light filtered through the iron bars. "I was kidnapped by the Holy Maiden." An Su said with a serious face. Priest Paxi''s mouth twitched slightly. S~ea??h the N??elFir.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. You''re fucking kidding me. "This is how it happened." An Su remained serious, his voice low. "I was walking on Radiant Avenue, minding my own business, when I passed the Monastery, several adult men, seeing that I was quite attractive, tried to forcefully give me money to engage in indecent acts with meyou know, the devout tend to like little boys somewhat." "As a most loyal and upright follower of the Goddess, I naturally refused to comply and ran into the street, where those men gave chase in broad daylight." "Thankfully, an Order Knight came to my aid and I escaped disaster." A hint of fear was visible on his face as he recounted the ordeal. "Little did I expect, those men were actually guards under the Radiant Holy Maiden Luojia. It turned out that all of this was a plot by the Holy Maiden! She had set her sights on me, coveted me for a long time, and seeing that her men couldn''t forcefully abduct me, she took matters into her own hands. She seduced me, with pure intentions at heart, into the astral plane through a series of sweet words and clever speech." Priest Paxi looked towards the Order priests beside him, who nodded, confirming that those men were indeed saints of the Holy Maiden''s guard. "How did she seduce you?" asked one of the Order priests. "At first, she just asked me if I wanted ''to go out and have some fun'', but later, it became ''do you want to go and play in the frontier world''." An Su continued with a serious expression. "She lured me into the dangerous frontier world, wanting to conquer me through the ''suspension bridge effect'', the damned seductress. But I too am a most loyal and upright follower of the Holy Light; from beginning to end, I never considered surrendering." The Order priests beside him solemnly recorded his statement. Priest Paxi was truly curious as to how An Su managed to do it; he was even somewhat impressed. How he kept from laughing, How he managed to tell a string of blatant lies with such a serious face. Fucking hell. Having served as a priest of the Order Church for several years now and having interrogated many people, he noticed that their eyes always darted about somewhat during their confessions. But An Su was different; he didn''t look away at all, instead staring straight at Paxi, his eyes filled with steadfast integrity. Priest Paxi was very curious about how such a creature was produced. Before coming here, he had thought about defending An Su, After all, kidnapping a Holy Maiden can be a big deal or a small one, but the moment this guy entered the confessional, his first words were that the Holy Maiden was kidnapping him! What backward reasoning... Seeing An Su still recounting Luojia''s kidnapping with a serious face, Priest Paxi sighed. He told the recording priests to leave and interrupted An Su. "Actually, we''ve had the Scales of Order on the whole time." From the moment An Su started speaking, the Scales of Order hadn''t stopped flickering; it was all lies. Priest Paxi said, "Scales of Order, you know of them, don''t you?" "I do know," An Su still nodded seriously, "they can detect lies." "You know, and yet you lie?" Priest Paxi looked at him with an incredulous expression, "Your case, at most, would have involved reeducation at the Monastery, but now your testimony is false, knowingly breaking the law, upgrading the issueit now qualifies as a civil case." "You do not possess a deep understanding of the law." An Su revealed a helpless smile; he felt sorrow over the Priest''s shallow legal awareness, "According to general educational discipline, one must labor in the monastery for a month." "However, if it is a judicial punishment, in accordance with the ''Falor Order Ordinance'' Article 3 minimum sentencing rules, one will be reformed in the penal institution for two weeks. And under the ''Falor''s Minor Protection Law,'' those under fifteen years of age may be exempt from penal servitude but must pay a fine of two hundred gold coins." An Su''s response was well-founded. "And what I lack the least is money." "By the way, I remember that for fixing a Fourth Order world, the Church''s basic reward is four thousand gold coins, so you still owe me three thousand eight hundred." Priest Paxi regretted ever thinking of protecting this fellow. But then again, it must take a creature of this sort to survive the Kingdom of Chaos. Paxi sighed helplessly, even able to completely clear it. Paxi still remembered the scene this morning, the Holy Light raining down from the sky, visible to them even at a great distance. The blessings bestowed upon An Su were still vivid in his mind. Even now, Paxi could hardly believe that this young man with a genuinely innocent smile was able to fully clear a Fourth Order border world as a saint. Their greatest hope for An Su was merely to bring the Little Holy Maiden back from the Chaotic Frontier. Priest Paxi could only heave a helpless sigh. Having discussed the punishment, it was time to start talking about the rewardthe very principle of order is to clearly define punishment. Four thousand gold coins is merely the most basic of rewards. Fixing a border world is of great significance, the Church will not be stingy with their rewards. "According to the rules, you now possess the one-year colonization right of the Third Order border world ''City of Free Radiance,'' officially becoming its ''Nether Bishop.'' You have the duty to preach and lead the local residents." "Why has it become a Third Order world?" An Su was puzzled, "Which scoundrel did this?" "You''re asking me...?" An Su even had the audacity to blame someone else. Priest Paxi''s expression grew even worse, "I''m also very curious how you managed to downgrade an entire world!" "It''s barely maintaining at Third Order." Discover exclusive tales on empire "The star rating for the City of Free Radiance has directly plummeted, what on earth did you do to cause such a catastrophe?" This scenario is quite rare; it usually happens when the level of destruction is so vast that the majority of the world fragment''s inhabitants perish, leading to a temporary rating decline. However, the downgraded rating will gradually recover over time. Though it is a Third Order world, its potential is that of a Fourth Order. An Su felt somewhat innocent. He had merely zeroed out the street''s poor ratings, addressed the problem of an aging population, and incidentally eradicated the district''s impoverished, moderately well-off, and wealthy individuals, realizing the dream of shared prosperity, and along the way, dedicated the entire city. What''s wrong with serving the citizens? "However, the Church''s reward for me is still based on ''clearing a Fourth Order world,'' right?" asked An Su. "...Yes," Paxi admitted, feeling even more distressed, "It''s still calculated based on a Fourth Order world." "So this is actually a good thing, isn''t it?" An Su''s eyes betrayed his happy emotions, "With all the natives gone, isn''t it even more convenient for my colonization?" He even felt regretful. Should have been more relentless. Should have turned the Chaotic Frontier into a First Order world. Was too conservative after all. "Colonization? What colonization!" Paxi exclaimed in shock, promptly correcting An Su''s improper terminology, "What we do is called spreading the faith, don''t talk nonsense!" Chapter 136 An Su Likes Going to the Police Station "You can now take the examination for the ''Deacon'' position."Priest Paxi rubbed his brow, feeling that An Su would be the death of him sooner or later. "Establishing a Third Order or higher border world is one of the essential conditions for promotion to a Church Deacon, and also the most difficult one. This is because there are not many slots available each year." In the spirit of his duties, Priest Paxi slowly explained, "Nearly a hundred saints complete their scores each year, and reach the required Rank, but they still lack the experience of establishing a border world, remaining as Deputy Deacons." "The border world you established this time is of the Fourth Order, which means not only are you qualified to become a Deacon, but you also have the qualification to become a Priest in one go." "However, as much as that''s the case, becoming a Priest is still quite a distant matter for you." Priest Paxi stared at An Su, still feeling incredulous at this moment. A Deacon under fifteen years of age was indeed unheard of. What age did he become a Deacon? Twenty? Even his genius junior sister, Priestess Ai Xueli, became a Deacon at seventeen. And that was with the help of her family''s resources. On the contrary, An Su was relatively indifferent. He even felt there was room to improve his speed. After Deacon comes Priest, above Priest is District Bishop, continuing upwards is Archbishop, that is Purple-robed Bishop, even further is Cardinal, donned in red, the Cardinal. Moving up from there is the Pope, robed in white, also known as the White-robed Bishop, the shepherd of a Church. Who will be personally crowned by the deity. This is the division of power within the Radiant Holy See. In total, there are seven bona fide Church hierarchies, If one were to become the Pope managing all the Churches, they would receive the coronation from the seven deities, and be crowned the ''Holy Pontiff''. But the Church has developed for thousands of years, and to this day, no Holy Pontiff has emerged. It is an existence that lives only in legend. Being a Deacon is the first step towards becoming a Pontiff. To perfectly complete the main storyline of the game, the apocalypse ten years later"Falling from The Abyss"An Su needs to increase his influence within the Church. But sometimes, he really wants to skip the dialogues... An Su stared at Priest Paxi who was still explaining in front of him, thinking to himself that he had already seen this more than a dozen times. Priest Paxi didn''t know what An Su was thinking and continued patiently explaining: "Having become a Deacon, you will have more privileges." "For example, higher priority in world conquest rights." "There is no need to submit the coordinates of the border world to the Churchyou see, if you were a Deacon, you could handle it through official channels, rather than sneaking in like you did this time." Continue reading stories on empire "More freedom in justifying your actions." "You can recruit your own private armed Holy Knights trooplimited to under ten people." It just so happened that he has the Pain Military Academy in Seden Town, An Su thought to himself. "At the same time, as a Deacon, you also have the privilege of offering Magic to the deities. A Third Order saint can already modify Magic." "The unique Magic modified by a Deacon, after being graded by the Magic Guild, can be offered up to the deities, and every time a saint exchanges faith points for Magic, you can earn a commission, which for a Deacon is ten percent." "A Priest''s commission can reach twenty percentand so on." An Su''s interest was piqued when he heard this. He became a Deacon precisely because he wanted this Magic offering privilege. Not to mention anything else, just his X-ray Illumination Skill that can detect various lesions is sure to attract many Low Rank healing Magicians for exchange. Continuously modifying Magic in the early stages to hone his control over Magic Circuits is a core strategy for becoming stronger, and it''s also foundational for creating one''s own Magic later on. Otherwise, if one''s realm improved but one couldn''t create personal Magic, their potential would be fixed. "I''ve finished explaining your benefits," Priest Paxi said, "Each Church has a limited number of Deacon positions to allocateof course, there''s no shortage of Deacon positions in the various local order Churches across the country, but those are only in name." "The Deacon examination takes place next month. If you want to be promoted to Deacon, you need to start preparing for it." "Of course, it will certainly be difficult." "Because this time, all the competitors participating in the promotion examination are experienced saints who have established Third Order or higher worlds." "Failing the first time is very normal." Paxi wanted to comfort An Su this way, but then thinking of An Su''s temperament, he held his tongue. Perhaps it''s An Su''s opponents who should be worried. "The examination content also includes ''modifying Magic'', you can start practicing nowif you come up with a good modification of Magic, you can also go to the Magic Guild for a preliminary grade." After Paxi finished explaining all the plans, he focused on An Su, "That''s about it, you can leave now." An Su blinked his eyes, standing still. "You can go now." Priest Paxi repeated, he just wanted to hurry up and send this newbie packing. "You haven''t given me the 3,800 you owe me," An Su said with an innocent smile. Priest Paxi''s mouth started twitching again. Everyone always goes into the police station to pay fines; no one fines the police station! What a thief who does not leave empty-handed. "Isn''t your family well off?" Priest Paxi couldn''t help but say, "Do you even have to shear the Church''s wool?" "It''s precisely because of this that my family doesn''t lack money." An Su answered with a smile. In truth, it wasn''t a matter of money at all, but purely a matter of An Su''s player integrityentering a room and not casually taking something felt like a wasted trip. He had just listened to such a long explanation, wouldn''t it be a waste if he didn''t? Sar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. After receiving the reward, An Su left the confession room of the Order Church in high spirits. He sincerely felt that he should visit this place several times a day. However, he merely wanted to learn some more about legal knowledge and had no other nefarious purposes. The warm sunlight coated the glass dome, the shadows of palm leaves slashing across both sides of the corridor like swords, the breeze carrying their fluttering shadows that flickered with light; An Su''s next plan was to head to the Magic Guild and first have an x-ray evaluation done. The rights to develop the Chaotic Frontier would come through tomorrow; he still had to go and plant... implant some of the Church''s advanced ideas. Luojia and Enya should have come out by now. An Su first saw Luojia outside the Order Church, surrounded by a buzzing crowd of matrons, with the Little Holy Maiden at the center. Clad in nun''s robes, they were indeed the nuns from the Monastery, and the middle-aged woman at the lead seemed to be the Mother Superior, with folds of wrinkles piled on her forehead that unfurled layer by layer when she smiled, seemingly very benevolent. "Your Holiness, how could you do this?" The old matron smiled very kindly but also spoke gently, "We all want what''s best for you. By going out on your own, you completely destroy proper decorum. How could you be our Holy Maiden if you behave like this, and what if you get hurt?" "We all want what''s best for you, we wouldn''t hurt you." Having said that, the old matron reached out to grab Luojia''s hand, "Come back with us, don''t go out for a month, spend it properly studying the Bible." Luojia stood somewhat at a loss at the center of everyone. Clearly, the Little Holy Maiden had chosen the ''reform through labor in the Monastery for a week'' educational punishment. Everyone, under the guise of her best interest, wanted her to stay in the Monastery. It likely stemmed from the instructions of the Radiant Holy See''s Holy Maiden faction; with Luojia''s recent completion of the Fourth Order world, she must have alarmed some people. Perhaps, she would even encounter them during the Deacon assessment. All these behind-the-scenes machinations were known to Luojia as well. However, she did not wish to make enemies of the saints. Luojia lowered her head, seemingly unable to break free despite the small strength applied to her hand, and she instinctively looked back, catching sight of An Su. "Do you still want to become like those Magicians in the recovery hall?" An Su said something that didn''t make much sense, "Confined to that tiny phone forever, always listening to someone else''s voice." "Think about what the previous you would do." Luojia''s eyes stirred, but she did not speak. But this was the real world; she might resist in the Nether World, but could she do the same here? All along, the education she had received taught her to respect and abide by the law, to treat people properly, to listen obediently, and to be the most perfect Holy Maiden. But she had also said that she wanted to keep correcting An Su''s mistakes. If she couldn''t even do this much, how could she accomplish that? The palm leaves rustled in the wind, and the sunlight reflected off the stained glass, scattering light everywhere, dazzling Luojia''s eyes. "No..." Luojia opened her mouth slightly, she broke free from the old matron''s grasp and pushed away her hand, "...I don''t want to go back with you." The old matron looked at her in shock, and all the nuns stared at Luojia, thinking they had misheard. After a long pause in disbelief, anger dawned on the old matron''s face as she made to hit Luojia, "You... what did you just say!" "Broken.. defense." Luojia remembered An Su''s lesson. [Radiant Incantation] The incantation''s attached attack judgment affected the nuns, and since the tone wasn''t very strong, the damage inflicted was limited. Their defensive habits ripped apart instantly, and numerous old women screamed, hastily covering themselves as they scrambled away in a true sense of ''broken defense''. Resisting for the first time in reality, Luojia was somewhat flustered. Her heart pounded. "Alright, come with me to pay the fine; we have magical protection after all." An Su patted her shoulder and smiled calmly, Another visit to the police station it was! He intended to claim Luojia''s part of the reward too, then said he would take care of the fine himself. As she walked with her head down, following An Su, Luojia felt her heartbeat was still a bit fast. "An Su, thank you." She gripped the hem of the young man''s clothes and murmured. "Thank me for what?" An Su turned back, staring at Luojia, the warm wind tousling his ash-white hair as he naturally remarked: "We are accomplices now." Chapter 137 Today is Another Day of An Su Helping Others When Priest Paxi saw An Su leading the Little Holy Maiden back for a second time,he felt the urge to die. "It never ends, does it?" Now when he saw An Su''s face brimming with innocent joy, it made his trigeminal nerve ache. After a few more conversations with this individual, Priest Paxi felt he could apply for early retirement. Especially after hearing about the incident, Priest Paxi''s expression turned sour. He looked at Luojia, thinking to himself that the Little Holy Maiden had finally caught the incurable disease of the frontier. "Leave everything to me," An Su earnestly told Luojia, "You''re inexperienced in these matters, and I''m afraid he might swindle your money." Luojia nodded. Indeed, it was her first time being detained, and she was certainly lacking in experience. In such situations, it was natural to heed advice from someone who had been there before, "Then I will wait for you outside." Listening to their conversation, Priest Paxi''s forehead throbbed with barely contained veins, reminding himself repeatedly that An Su was underage and that he could not lay a hand on him "Give me the money." Once the Little Holy Maiden had stepped outside, An Su got straight to the point with practiced ease, starting with high-level magic, "Luojia is fifteen this year; you deal with it." "..." Priest Paxi took a deep breath. First writing a fine of Two Hundred Gold Coins, which would be deducted from the World Conquest bonus, An Su again profited a net of three thousand eight. "Oh, and I picked up Enya''s too," An Su added, "I lean towards helping others." Priest Paxi thought it would be better for An Su to go home and inherit his family business. He felt it necessary to discuss with An Su''s father how such a promising capitalist seedling ended up being lured into faith. It was simply a waste of potential. His father truly didn''t know what he was squandering. Writing another check, Priest Paxi waved his hand, signalling An Su to get lost quickly; he couldn''t stand to see the kid''s face any longer. "Don''t forget to check out the Magic Association!" Priest Paxi called out lastly. An Su carefully pocketed the check and left the confessional. The warm and gentle sunshine pierced through layers of palm leaves, casting upon him and illuminating his clean, sunny smile. When Luojia saw An Su emerge, she stood up from the bench, sea??h th novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "How much was the fine? I will pay you back." It was Luojia''s first offense and she was not attuned to such amounts; moreover, it was her first time in Nether World, still unaware that a standard world came with a basic bonus. But she was quite wealthy. Although the Monastery imposed many bans on her daily life, she still had the basic entitlements of being a Holy Maiden, with monthly offerings punctually provided. "Just three hundred gold coins," An Su said calmly to the Little Holy Maiden. At the mention of the amount, Luojia felt a little deflated. How many cakes could that buy? After all, she had only served as the Holy Maiden for a month and received just a month''s worth of offerings. Although she could afford it, her life was bound to become a bit more frugal. "You don''t need to repay the money," An Su offered considerately, believing himself to be quite generous for a fledgling, "My family isn''t short on money." "Then... thank you?" Look, Luojia even had to say thank you. An Su felt it was yet another day dedicated to helping others. "What are your plans now?" Luojia asked. "I''m heading to the Magic Guild to have a look. Our pioneering rights should come through tomorrow, and then we''ll need to make another trip to the Chaotic Frontier the day after." Find exclusive stories on empire At the mention of the Chaotic Frontier, a flicker passed through Luojia''s eyes. About the event "When the Crimson Moon Falls," she hadn''t told anyone because before the crimson moon could fall, the world had already been destroyed by An Su. She had not mentioned this to anyone. If the prophecy of the apocalypse were true, with the extinction of one era every ten thousand years, then the Sixth Era was at present, and based on the years of destruction in the Chaotic Frontier, the sixth end of the world was about to come. She could only hope that all of this was just her speculation. "Then I''ll see you tomorrow," Luojia murmured, pursing her lips slightly before lifting her head to address An Su. ... The blazing sunlight shone on the glass dome of the Magic Association, as if coated with a thick layer of platinum, while the rivers in the distance glittered with a shimmering light. The Magic Guild was situated in the northern city district of Farol, at the confluence of the Starfall River and the Marie River, built jointly by the royal family and the Seven Gods Hall. Every Magician was proud to be able to join it. It had a history of over a thousand years. To join the Magic Guild and become a registered Magician, the minimum requirement was starting as a Priest of the Great Church Court and creating magic that could be rated at least ''intermediate stage ordinary'' or higher. The Magicians coming and going all had status; it could be said that it was a gathering of distinguished figures. Today just happened to be the weekly open day, and even saints who were not Priests had the opportunity to enter for a visit and observation. Expensive obsidian paved the grand corridor, which was packed with Magicians in line waiting to enter the Magic Association. An Su spotted Arthur and Lister even amidst the throng. The aura of these two scoundrels was so unique and outstanding in the vast crowd that they could never be drowned out by the brilliance. Today was a painful dry school holiday, and these two goods also came out for a stroll. "Brother Su." As soon as Arthur saw An Su, a sunny, characteristic smile spread across his lips. In the recent days, he and Lister hadn''t been wasting their time. Just a few days ago, they had perfectly cleared a second-order border world, causing quite a discussionthey had also invited An Su, but at that time, he was learning magic with Bone. News of An Su solidifying a Fourth Order border world had not yet spread widely, nor had it been announced in newspapers. The Order Church had ordered the saints at the scene that day to keep silent about it because smuggling was not a glorious matter. It was inconvenient for mass publicityafter all, smuggling couldn''t be advertised, could it? Clearing a Third Order world immediately after becoming a saint was indeed quite impressive. Having connected two worlds, they had reached the Third Order rank and could also craft magic. Having achieved results, of course they had to brag about it to a good brother. Arthur even had the mistaken impression of venting his spleen. If Brother Su knew about the rewards they had received, he would definitely regret not having gone with them. Arthur had already thought of an opener, just imitating An Su''s previous manner; first make the impression of being in heartfelt sorrow, then the other party would console him, and at that moment he could smoothly bring up their achievement, and then continue to express regret that his own performance was too poor... Having grown up with An Su, he had already learned a bit of essence. He coughed a few times, then sighed softly, "Brother Su, our performance in the strategy a few days ago was very poor..." "What happened to you?" An Su asked. He was a kind-hearted young man who asked out of concern, following Arthur''s expectations. "We cleared a border world." Arthur sighed again, seeing that Brother Su had initially fallen into the trap, he began to feel gradually more delighted, "We only got an A+ grade evaluation." "That''s indeed a pity," An Su said. Chapter 138 The Borderland Triumvirs Brave Assault on the Magic Guild Why the hell aren''t you playing by the rules...Arthur felt a suffocating frustration lodged in his heart that lingered for a long time. Lister pushed up his glasses and chuckled softly. As a nobleman of great taste, he had long grown indifferent to the petty strife of fame and wealth. He was a mature man who disdained such child''s play, so much so that he rarely wore diapers anymore, a sign of his maturity. Based on the principle of diapers, the mature Lister had recently started researching feminine sanitary pads. And he had made some progress. "Brother Su," Lister pushed his glasses up again, "since you''ve also come here today, you must have come for that event." "What event?" An Su was puzzled. "The ''Magic into Homes, Magi-guidance to Villages'' eventeven if you''re not a magician from the guild, you can still participate." Lister thought An Su was pretending not to know, "The Magic Guild''s Vice Chairman Merlin believes that magic is not just for combat and witch-hunting, but also for the benefit of the people, making everyone''s life more convenient. That''s the purpose of this special event." "The organizer provides the base magic, and magicians are free to modify and create, aiming to make practical and convenient new-era magic." "With a focus on improving residents'' quality of life." An Su thought the Magic Association was quite innovative. "The event has three requirements: [Friendliness], [Practicality], and [Aesthetics]." "And the judges are all the citizens who come to see. The magic with the highest distribution quantity will win." "The top three selected will receive special awards." An Su became interested. Improving the quality of life for every citizen and fostering love among his followers was his duty as the mayor. He first approached the priest at the entrance to register, The old priest looked up, glanced at An Su, and then at their registration information, and couldn''t be bothered to cater to them anymore. After all, every event there would be novices, fresh from training, signing up, which was both troublesome and mostly useless; the magic they crafted was essentially trash, not even deserving of a ''normal'' rating. They were just immigrants from the border. Merely taking up magic resources. "You can go to the third floor''s archives to collect your materials," Stay tuned to empire the old priest said without looking up, S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "We can offer the construction of two initial stage magic circuits for you to choose and emulate. We''ll provide a professional Alchemical Mana House for your magic creation, supplying the magic power needed." "The registration fee is one hundred gold coins, and the time limit is one hour." "The crafted magic will then be offered to citizens to choose from." An Su''s desire to help the citizens surged even more, while Arthur and Lister were also quite interested. They immediately divided tasks and went up to the third floor to select the magic circuits they wanted to reference. Arthur was a valiant knight who loved nothing more than battle. He decided to focus on the [Practicality] aspect, choosing to reference the two spells [Holy Light Coverage] and [Sight Perception], one to create Holy Light for self-protection and the other to sense the line of sight of enemies, a Scouting Magic. The priest was puzzled by his choice. Having selected the reference magic, they moved on to the Mana House to work on modifying the magic circuits. The priest was still puzzled by his choice. Lister was an elegant nobleman, always maintaining an image of grace and propriety. He decided to focus on the [Aesthetics] aspect, choosing to reference the two magic circuits [Holy Light Record] and [Light Sketching]. Both were the most basic Holy Light spells, one could record images with Holy Light, the other could sketch shapes with light. The priest was also puzzled by his choice. An Su, a smart man by birth, saw the old priest mention the guild could provide magic power for the design, so he quietly summoned Bone using magic power. This being used to be a Demigod level person, quite handy when it comes to magic design. The priest, witnessing the surging magic power consumption, was very puzzled. Bone had absorbed too much magic power, draining away the magic power that other competitors could use, and in a moment, half of them chose to forfeit. Bone had only absorbed magic for less than three minutes before running out of magic power and skulking away dejectedly. In the end. An Su set to work in the "Friendship" category, selecting two reference spells: "Leyline Vibration" and "Structural Protection", one a earth-attribute vibration spell and the other a defensive spell, able to protect buildings from damage. The priest thought these three were here to make trouble. The reference spells they selected had no discernible pattern at all! He was, after all, a Fourth Order Magician and had never seen anyone as refreshingly original as these three. Half an hour passed by quickly. It was time for the citizens to vote and choose. For the citizens of Farol, the Magic Guild''s monthly "Magic in the Homestead, Magic Guidance to the Rural Areas" event was always an interesting festival. The third hall was packed with people. The priests were quite fond of the Alchemical Church''s Priests, having heard that the magic genius Ai Xueli was also participating. Her "Anti-Wolf Holy Light Spell" had already received two hundred votes. After a series of demonstrations, Arthur presented his magic on the stage. He was handsome, with golden hair that wildly fluttered in the sunlight, and his smile, both hearty and bright, which set many a young girl''s heart aflutter. Ai Xueli twitched the corners of her mouth upon seeing Arthur on stage. How did these three also get here! "As a warrior, fighting honorably is a knight''s honor, but sometimes, we are influenced by society, preventing us from fighting as we wish," Arthur said with a hearty laugh. "And it''s easy to get caught by Order Knights." "There''s always that last layer of constraints that hinders us from unleashing our full strength." "So, I crafted this spell, derived from Holy Light coverage and visual detection." With Ai Xueli''s pupils shaking, Arthur stripped completely, flinging off his coat, trousers, and even his underwear, revealing his near-sculptural perfect form. Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, his groin area was covered in a layer of holy radiance. "As long as it perceives people''s gaze, it will automatically generate Holy Light here." Arthur continued with a bright tone, "This way, you can streak while still avoiding capture by the Order Knights." "I call this spell" "''Decently Exposed''!" Decently Exposed Initial Stage Spell Magic Power Cost: 1 Effect: Sense the enemy''s gaze, automatically generating a layer of Holy Light to protect the looked-upon area (due to low magic cost, it does not provide physical protection) Note: Arthur Sunny Knight is a devout believer. After years of research, he found that stripping down is a rare branch of the Holy Light. Ai Xueli''s face turned pale, this guy was insulting Holy Light again! Holy Light is not your underpants! What was even more distressing to Ai Xueli was that Arthur''s votes were surprisingly high, with many young women casting their votes for him. It used low magic power, And now wearing a short skirt wasn''t a flashing hazard. It was more cost-effective than the Anti-Wolf Spell. The majority of the boys, however, showed expressions of disgust towards Arthur, Why would you invent such an annoying spell! Black magic! Chapter 139 Ai Xueli: This is completely a forbidden magic, right? This man, he''s simply a devil.The vast majority of young men present were exclaiming this in their hearts. As spring was about to arrive, the harsh winter finally passed, and the ice on the Marie River gradually cracked. With the weather warming up, pretty girls also switched to beautiful new outfits suitable for spring. Pale thighs and skirt hems complemented each other, fluttering with the breeze, slightly revealing that absolute taboo zone, sketching a beautiful landscape in Falor Park Square... It was precisely to witness this overwhelmingly gorgeous scene that they persevered through the severe winter to this day! And now, all of this was about to be ruined by that muscle man streaking on the stage. As soon as he detected eyes watching him, he immediately generated Holy Light for protection. The young men were filled with anger, This magic should be ranked in the "Tome of Taboo Magic" list, as a forbidden magic that should never be touched, utterly dark magic! There were quite a few graduate students from Falor Magic University present, starting to consider the serious issue of this magic''s effect on Falorens'' birth rates, and decided to go home and write one or two papers to criticize Arthur''s "Open and Aboveboard." Because the graduate students also wanted to study pretty girls. This taboo magic must not be allowed to spread. Many male citizens had no plans to vote for Arthur, but Arthur had already won the hearts of young girls. After all, he was so handsome and well-built. And so willing to show off. Undoubtedly, spring had arrived, but what it awakened was not only the hormones of young menit was equally, if not more intensely, awakening those of young women! They looked at Arthur''s well-defined chest muscles with eyes full of desire. And in this era, winning over young women meant winning over young men as well. "Quick, vote for that blond cutie on the stage!" "I want that magic!" "Why aren''t you voting? Are you trying to gaze at women?" As long as you voted, you could receive this magic for free, which was also a benefit of this event. Many pretty girls wanted this magic. The girls began to force the boys accompanying them to vote together, and in an instant, the number of votes for Arthur''s "Open and Aboveboard" skyrocketed, catching up with the previous frontrunner, Priestess Ai Xueli, reaching 180 votes. The strange scene before them stunned the staff of the Magic Guild. Without a doubt, Arthur''s "Open and Aboveboard," if placed in the standard magic rating, would not even qualify as ''ordinary;'' it belongs to the category of discarded magic. Utterly rubbish. The Magic Circuit was constructed quite crudely, lacking the strong defensive capability of "Holy Light Shroud," and without the far-reaching detection of hostility of "Line of Sight Awareness," it failed to utilize the strengths of either foundational magic, Such a chicken rib-like magic would usually be tossed into the trash pile, but unexpectedly, it turned out to be bizarrely practical. It was simply witchery. To be honest, the staff didn''t want such sorcery to spread, as the event''s sponsors included the tourism board. If this sorcery were to disseminate, it would drastically reduce the number of tourists. Moreover, having a common saint who wasn''t a registered guild member place in the top three would also damage the prestige of the Priests. But there was no helping it, as it was an event organized by His Excellency Merlin, so the staff could only diligently record the scores. The Priest even specially checked Arthur''s information, it turns out he was a countryside saint from the frontier. People like him having some strange ideas was indeed normal. But that was all there was to it. Surely there couldn''t be even more evil magic, right? Priestess Ai Xueli wore a slight smile on her lips. Arthur''s "Open and Aboveboard" magic might have attracted the interest of the girls, but it ultimately did not capture the entire female market. Sarch* The ovelFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The votes he attracted were from the young, pretty, well-shaped, high-value girls who didn''t lack for attention from the opposite sex, but for the overweight, plain, or older women, it had no appeal. The latter would rather attract more glances, so why would they intentionally cover themselves with Holy Light? However, Priestess Ai Xueli''s Anti-Wolf Holy Light Spell was different; it was essentially a civilian attack-type stunning magic, so its greatest advantage was dual-purpose, usable for both defense and offense. It perfectly met the requirements of the two types of women mentioned above. This event was going to be her victory... Priestess Ai Xueli''s lips curled in a smug smile. She was no longer the arrogant noble she once was. After the failure last time, Priestess Ai Xueli reflected deeply and decided to lower her status to experience the common feelings. It turned out that a genius was indeed a genius; no matter the field, she would emerge victorious. "Next, Magician number 045, also from the frontier, Lisiter Muen will present his magic to us." The Mage broadcaster''s voice echoed in the hall. "Lisiter is dedicated to the ''Aesthetic'' domain," the broadcast announced, "The foundational Magic Circuits he referred to are ''Holy Light Recording'' and ''Light Drawing''." Lisiter slowly stood up, dressed today in a light blue tailcoat, with a snow-white cravat, a deep blue top hat, exuding all the elegance and demeanor of a noble, quite different from Arthur. Lisiter, more appealing to the tastes of mature ladies, had a presence that appealed to young girls, but favoring a different type. As soon as the elegant young noble appeared on stage, he won a good deal of applause. He first gracefully bowed to the surrounding crowd, his manners so refined that he even won the goodwill of many men. This guy seems reliable. He won''t create that terrifying kind of dark magic. And since it''s the domain of "beauty," it''s impossible that there will be any forbidden creations that poison society. "As a graceful gentleman," Lister''s lips curled into an elegant smile, "maintaining a perfect image at all times is not only self-cultivation but also a courtesy to others and a virtue." "I have always believed that everyone''s heart is beautiful, but often burdened by worldly prejudice," "What I do is to guide out the beauty in everyone''s heart." So far, everything seemed normal. "I have a profound expertise in space magic and have achieved certain success in the study of Holy Light." "What I am going to show everyone is the ''beauty'' of the Radiant Holy See!" But Priestess Ai Xueli had a bad feeling about this. Space magic? Space-related magic was something even Priestess Ai Xueli could not step into; it demanded a saint''s qualifications to research. How could Lister be studying space magic? Priestess Ai Xueli grew more anxious. She could feel: Something terrible, Frightening magic, taboo matters, Enjoy more content from empire Were about to be born today. "Now, I would like to ask for a beautiful lady from the audience to assist me." Lister elegantly selected a stout, older female student, her cheeks caked with thick foundation, yet unable to hide the yellow-brown patches, with her double chin faintly visible as she walked. Priestess Ai Xueli watched Lister''s every move closely, inwardly questioning why he chose someone of such heft to come on stage. Holy Light recording, Light tracing these two spells... One magic records images with Holy Light, The other distorts light to mark something, Could it be... After her bouts with the borderlands'' three, Priestess Ai Xueli''s mind had also gradually become borderline, and she faintly guessed the forbidden possibility. Could it be that one? It must not be allowed the light of day! It must not let this magic be born! How terrifying a killer move it would be! An eager glint converged deep within Lister''s eyes as he looked at the fleshly woman. He held up a piece of white paper and declared with grace- "Spatial Distortion." In the midst of the shocked and horrified gazes of all present, Holy Light gathered on the white paper, gradually outlining the woman''s features C the contours strikingly similar. One could vaguely recognize it was the same person, but in contrast, the double chin was gone, the yellow-brown patches had disappeared, and the belly fat had shifted upwards, filling out the originally meager chest! The aunt in the photo was still a beauty with poise! What wicked magic, what a taboo. The emergence of Lister''s "Spatial Distortion" had already filled the market vacancy left by Arthur, with the two of them together, they were now unmatched in the world! With such power, no one could stop them! All the men displayed looks of terror, already envisioning the dire consequences of this magic spreading through society! The level of danger far surpassed even Arthur''s openly hailed acts! All online dating, all pen-pal friendships, all newspaper matrimonials, would be destroyed in an instant. If after months of sweet conversation, one''s goddess revealed herself to be an aunt, the horror it would wreak on the psyche and soul could be devastating. This could lead to the death of the soul! They watched aghast at Lister on the stage, the very embodiment of debonair depravity, thinking he was, at that moment, the incarnation of the Evil God! How could such a lethal magic have even been conceived? "Please remember." Lister calmly smiled, his actions still carrying the elegance of nobility as he said, "You are already beautiful." Spatial Distortion Basic Holy Light Magic Magic Power Consumption: 1 Effect: Through the convergence of Holy Light into an image, and concurrently distorting light, an automatic, minor, slight, and traceless adjustment will be performed on the subject of the spell] Note: Mr. Lisiter Muen is a devout believer. He is profoundly skilled in the Holy Light class of instant-death magic, and through his years of research, Photokinesis is a rare branch of Holy Light, with Photokinesis death being an extremely rare branch of Holy Light instant-death magic. For a moment, the entire hall erupted into clamor, and Lister''s votes soared instantly. Just the two spells created by these nobles were already so twisted; Priestess Ai Xueli could not begin to imagine what terrifying performance An Su, the chief among those born of nobility, would bring! Chapter 140 The Last Heavyweight Makes an Entrance! ```We absolutely cannot let this terrifying magic spread. Just ten minutes ago, Arthur''s "Fair and Bright" magic was regarded as sorcery by the youngsters, but after Lister''s "Spatial Distortion" came out, Arthur''s magic suddenly seemed quite noble. This spatial distortion should be at the top of the rank for dark magic in the "Tome of Taboo Magic". Yet despite that, Lister''s voting count soared like a dark horse, leaving everyone in the dust. After all, women who are well-figured and have attractive features are a minority; most have ordinary looks and naturally wish to become more beautiful. Although Lister''s magic was only an illusion, the beauty of the illusion was still a form of beauty, Rather, it could be said that the forbidden allure of this illusion was even more tempting to the heart. No matter what they said, their hearts were always honest they wanted this magic! One after another, ballots were cast, and Lister''s votes climbed higher and higher. This feverish vote count also influenced the emotions of the beautiful women; although they were pretty enough, they wanted to be even prettier. Even men, not just women, found themselves casting votes uncontrollably. Of course, men also desired to be more muscular and attractive! Even though they knew in their hearts that this was wrong, that it was a deception tricking both themselves and others they just couldn''t help it, they couldn''t resist which is one of the significant characteristics of forbidden magic: Even though the practitioners know it''s evil, they cannot resist its demonic temptation! It beguiles the heart, manipulates emotions, Sar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. and has an enormous capacity for contagion, posing the risk of harm to groups. This was truly dark magic, and all the staff members were shaken inside, yet this dark magic''s entire magic circuit was composed of Holy Light-type magic! Because of its nature, although its effects were dark, its essence was bright and legal. It was protected by the Scales of Order. The competing magicians sure learned something today, If judged by the Magic Guild''s standards, "Spatial Distortion" was undoubtedly a subpar piece, crude in structure and lacking functionality, but it was this very lackluster spell that swept the event with overwhelming force. Crushing all their proud creations underfoot. Lister''s votes surged ahead, eventually pulling closely behind Ai Xueli and completely surpassing her, reaching an astonishing three hundred and ten votes. At the same time, it also dramatically increased Arthur''s vote count. Since "Spatial Distortion" carries the instant death curse of death upon exposure to light, ladies and gentlemen not confident in their appearance cast their eyes onto Arthur''s "Fair and Bright", where Holy Light covered not their privates but their cheeks. Or rather, to them, cheeks were their privates. It''s as if masks were hiding their faces in reality and "Spatial Distortion" in pictures thus they would become invincible. Thus, Arthur''s vote count soon surpassed Ai Xueli''s as well, reaching two hundred and fifty-nine votes. Ai Xueli''s eyes had gone somewhat gray; she even began to doubt herself, Was it her understanding of magic that wasn''t profound enough? The event "Magic into Homes, Magicians to the Countryside," initiated by His Excellency Merlin, was meant to promote the domestic use of magic, centered on ''aesthetics,'' ''practicality,'' and ''friendliness,'' to meet the needs of ordinary citizens with low magical power. The intention behind the event was good, but how did it give rise to these two taboo magics! This was only supposed to be an ordinary public event! Ai Xueli felt it necessary to propose to the Magic Association that future events should not accept participants from the borderlands. ``` With just these two spells, there was already an anti-human tendency. The review committee urgently convened a meeting about this matter. After all, two saints not affiliated with the Association had taken the top two spots, which wouldn''t sound good if it got out and they couldn''t explain it to His Excellency Merlin. They quickly reached a conclusion, Arthur and Lister could be ignored, but at any rate, one of the top three had to be a Priest, which was the bare minimum. Discover hidden content at empire The reviewers looked at the next contestant''s information. [An Su Moningsta, Third Order Saint, from the Borderlands] Another person from the Borderlands... Their lips twitched slightly. If the youth''s magic were like the previous ones, it wouldn''t matter, but if it was just as preposterous as the first two, they would take more forceful measures, slightly suppressing the young man''s votes, which of course, would be unfair. After the event, the committee would provide the young man with appropriate compensation. However, looking at his photo, the boy seemed rather innocent. Surely he couldn''t be worse than the first two? That was what they were thinking. As the noise brought by Lister gradually faded, the magic broadcaster began announcing the next contestant. "Please welcome the next Magician, number 047, also from the Borderlands, An Su Moningsta, to present his magic to us." An Su stepped onto the stage, displaying a shy and simple smile. The resplendent sunlight draped over his grey-white hair, his blue-green eyes like a clear pond at dusk, clean and bright. He had a different style compared to Arthur and Listerhe was more universally appealing. Therefore, the applause in the hall was even more enthusiastic, as everyone loves a pure and beautiful young man. And surely, the magic conceived by such a radiant young man would also be filled with light, right? Even though he too came from the Borderlands... But surely the Borderlands couldn''t only produce beginners, could they? Ai Xueli was the only one in the venue whose heart was becoming increasingly uneasy. Now, seeing An Su''s smile made her vigilant. The heaviest player had finally appeared! "As a normal and friendly citizen," An Su looked around, the crowd below him teeming, and said softly, "neighborly harmony is key to our happiness in life." Seeing these citizens made his smile even brighter. Striving to improve the happiness index of citizens is the responsibility of every Radiant Saint. "But in life, we often encounter neighborhood conflicts." An Su''s tone shifted, "And all these conflicts are caused by noise from neighbors, which disturbs us in our daily lives, whether it comes from above us or from next door." "It leads to insomnia, mental distraction, brain pain, and even a series of mental illnesses, ultimately resulting in a mental breakdown." An Su spoke authoritatively, touching on the trivialities of everyday life that resonated with the citizens, making them nod in agreement, as they could certainly relate. Even Ai Xueli began to let down her guard, she even started to ponder An Su''s thoughts. Was he going to create a magic barrier to block out sound? Or perhaps a spell that played music? She had plenty of ideas and concepts. But clearly, this time, Ai Xueli hadn''t kept up with the Borderlands'' imaginative creativity. It was truly heavy-duty! If Lister and Arthur were sprinting on an anti-human track that shamed the spirit, then the magic designed by An Su would be torture on both the mind and body, already having reached the terminus of creation! Chapter 141 An Su: The First Holy is Also a Kind of Holy Light! (Two in One) The warm sunlight cascaded down, and the glimmering waves of Marie River sparkled in the distance, while An Su''s innocent, sunny smile was displayed on the magic screen in the hall.Just by that pure smile, the audience''s impression of An Su had greatly improved, "Someone who can smile like that sunshine wouldn''t create some underworld magic, right?" They thought to themselves. Since the young man said he wanted to solve the noise problem between neighbors, he surely must be starting with noise reduction. With Farol''s rapid development in recent years, streets and houses were crammed together, and the noise problem with neighbors was quite severe; the vast majority of citizens present were deeply affected by it. What kind of magic would this young man present? It must be some kind of friendly magic, right. "The noise from our neighbors'' homes brings many inconveniences to our daily life," An Su said loudly, "Many times, even if we communicate in person, we can''t stop the noise; instead, it makes the situation even worse." "It causes great harm to our bodies and minds." "To solve this situation, for the sake of [friendly] relations between neighbors, I''ve combined [Earth Vein Vibration] and [Structural Protection] to create a dual magic that can soothe both our bodies and minds." Soothe both body and mind? Ai Xueli furrowed her brows; could it be a healing type of white magic? But she had never heard of any white magic that could heal both body and mind simultaneously, White magic that could achieve such an effect would be even more terrifying than Space Magic. Ai Xueli gradually felt that something was wrong. The magic that An Su brought had been modified and guided by the former Demigod Miss Bones, "Because of noise problems, we often erupt into neighborly conflicts," An Su said calmly, "It can even lead to intense quarrels, various uncivilized verbal showdowns, and the creation of numerous filthy words, which severely harm the civilized construction of the city. This is not [friendly]." "I have named it [Friendly Exchange]." "Now, I''m going to ask a gentleman to come up on stage and help me." Unlike Lister, An Su unexpectedly chose a man to come up on stage this time! After An Su''s meticulous selection, an older gentleman with a face full of fat and hair as greasy as withered algae, with glasses thick as beer bottles, and a bulging belly, wobbled onto the stage. "Hello," An Su said, "what''s your name?" "You... hello." The gentleman, having stayed at home for a long time, was quite timid, but his voice rough and thick, not pleasant, like sandpaper scraping on a stone slab, "I''m... I''m John." "[Friendly Exchange]." An Su smiled and used the magic on him, "Please swear at someone, any way you like." John''s throat moved, feeling itchy deep inside; he coughed a few times, "Uh... uh-mew." His eyes widened, All the eyes in the audience widened, What kind of sorcery is this? The sound just now, soft and sweet, like spring breeze fermented milk date candy, gentle like a kitten, fluffy like floating cotton, the confused voice tinged with cuteness and innocence, how could a grown man produce such a voice? This is clearly the voice of a cute seven or eight-year-old little girl! "Please swear at someone, any way you like," An Su continued, "curse at the audience as much as you want." John was a bit shy; he stood there with a greasy, fat face and tentatively addressed the audience, "Stinky, stinky mew." "Make it a little stronger," An Su encouraged. "Damn, damn your mom mew." Mew? You''re cussing with a "mew"? sea??h th N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The citizens stared at the pot-bellied man on the stage, looking at his greasy fat face and chubby cheeks, hearing his thick lips produce the word "mew," and listening to the adorable, animal-like scolding voice, they felt the world had become absurdly terrifying. No matter how aggressive the vocabulary, said in such a tender voice, it would have no attack power, Moreover, that ending tone even had a "mew" automatically added to it. If one were to listen to the voice without seeing the face, it could already be described as enjoyable. Read new chapters at empire Even John was shocked because he had no intention of speaking this way; even that end tone had been added automatically. "The ''Structural Protection'' circuitry protects your vocal cords while ''Earth Vein Vibration'' twists the vibrations of your vocal cords, altering the sounds produced; besides this type of voice, there are also those inclined toward adult female voices," An Su explained with a smile. There''s also a mature lady''s voice! The citizens cried out in their hearts. "When you have a fierce quarrel with your neighbor, you can use [Friendly Exchange] magic on them," An Su''s smile was so sunny, "This way, you can ease the mental pressure caused by the quarreling and heal your soul." What kind of bizarre sorcery is this! Ai Xueli''s face was extremely unsightly; she should have known earlier not to expect An Su to come up with a normal genre of magic. This magic would be useful not just in neighbor disputes; anytime you need to engage in a war of words, cast a [Friendly Exchange] on your opponent first! Directly change the opponent''s voice! Turning a big man into having a loli voice, what kind of mental insult is that? This insult transcends the physical and reaches directly to the level of soul attack. The men in the audience could already imagine such scenes; for instance, during gang fights, the leaders of both gangs would exchange trash talk on the street, according to martial ethics, first hurling insults, Chapter 141 An Su: Initial Saint is Also a Kind of Holy Light! (Two in One)_2 ```"Meow meow, you lowly gangsters meow~" the tattoo-covered, bare-chested thug with a face full of scars cursed angrily. "Ara~ What a cute little boy~" the ruthless thug with a cheek scar and carrying a machete responded disdainfully. The style has completely changed! How could a fight possibly break out? When there''s excessive noise from the neighbors, audible on both sides, throw a [Friendly Exchange] over to them, and turn it into an adorable loli voice. If they still won''t change their ways and keep making noise, everyone can hear their loli voicewhat a shameful soul punishment! Lister and Arthur monopolized the market for beautiful and not-so-beautiful women with their magic, while An Su''s magic totally dominated the male market! After all, what man doesn''t curse, and what man doesn''t like loli or mature lady voices? Without a doubt, this is completely evil magic, on par with Lister''s [Spatial Distortion], a forbidden art that must never be allowed to spread! Experience new tales on empire Otherwise, the whole of Farol would be inundated with loli and mature lady voices. The citizens all thought this way, outwardly resisting, yet unanimously voting for An Su, allowing them to receive this magic. The reason is simple: they don''t have to use it, but they can''t be without it. sea??h th N?velFire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. What if, when engaging in a verbal showdown, the other person uses [Friendly Exchange] and you have no countermeasure? Wouldn''t that be a total disaster? In an instant, An Su''s votes surged. One hundred votes, one hundred fifty votes... And in the hearts of some voters, even darker and more sinister thoughts took root. If they combine the inventions from the three border regions, fuse them into one Arthur''s [Holy Light] censoring, Lister''s [Spatial Distortion] photo editing, and An Su''s [Friendly Exchange] voice changing, they would create an entirely new faction. They''d be invincible. Even these greasy men could attract wealth from their admirers! This is absolutely a match made in heaven! No one can stop it, no one can compete. Such chilling and terrifying thoughts began to spread through the crowd like bamboo shoots after rain, and more and more people, both men and women, turned paler as they realized the potential of this terrifying combination. For regular human males, it''s bad enough if their online romantic interest turns out to be a catfish, but what if it turns out to be a man, and after months of flirting, the person is actually a foot-scraping uncle? Their souls would wither in an instant! For regular human females, in addition to women, they now have men as their competitors too! This magical faction must never be allowed to emerge; seen separately, each of these three is already a forbidden art, each a unique life-forging skill. If combined, they would be a world-ending evil faction, making even the Cultists bow before them! But as much as they said otherwise, their voting hands just couldn''t stop; after all, they might not use it, but they couldn''t be without it! The emergence of An Su''s [Friendly Exchange] radically shifted the balance, surging his votes, and boosting Lister and Arthur''s as well. This was the bond of synergy between the three of them, intuitively tormenting everyone in sync. In just three minutes, An Su''s votes were about to surpass two hundred, soon exceeding Priestess Ai Xueli, who was in third place. The backstage staff watched in horror; the top three of this event couldn''t all be non-union members, couldn''t all just be common saints, else where would the union put its face... so they started to consciously lower An Su''s votes. And gradually shifted some of the votes to Ai Xueli. Vote rigging is a skillful endeavor, they couldn''t do it too obviously. An Su''s vote increase trend gradually slowed, stabilizing at two hundred ten votes, in fourth place. Ai Xueli, three hundred votes, in third place. Lister, three hundred sixty votes, in second place. Arthur, four hundred votes, in first place. "It''s finally coming to an end," the priest wiped the sweat from his forehead. Ai Xueli, who was still in the dark about the machinations, understood that An Su''s performance wasn''t over yet. An Su had mentioned ''healing of both body and spirit''; to her understanding of his nature, this translated to ''torment of both body and spirit.'' The torment of the spirit had already been demonstrated by An Su. But the torment of the body had yet to be displayed by An Su. As expected, An Su coughed lightly, his lips still curved in that radiant sunny smile, "Nevertheless, there are still plenty of stubborn neighbors who can make noise even without talking." He looked around at the sea of citizens before the stage, speaking gently: "For example, the noise of renovations, jumping rope, hammering walls; in these cases, simply altering your neighbor''s speaking voice won''t be effective." Did this youth have another ace up his sleeve? The citizens watched An Su warily; this time, they wouldn''t be deceived by the youth''s innocent smile again. Who would have imagined, that a boy with such a sunny smile could create such hellish magic. But he was right. Many times, the noise isn''t the sound of a neighbor talking, but various objects colliding. This too is a major headache for the citizens. Local governments have also focused on solving this problem, constructing sound barriers, planting trees... all to eliminate noise, but these were too costly and ultimately went unresolved. ``` Chapter 141 An Su: The Initiate is Also a Kind of Holy Light! (Two in One)_3 A problem that the government could not solve, and they think this young man can do it?They were skeptical. "Facing this situation," the brilliant sunshine covered An Su''s cheeks, his smile warmer than the sunlight, "we need to use the second function of ''Friendly Exchange,'' which requires more magic power." Ai Xueli suddenly realized something. She was a magic prodigy, and as An Su cast the spell, even a genius like her noticed the magic circuit of ''Friendly Exchange.'' It was more complex and more exquisite than she had imagined. Just in terms of the sophistication of the magic itself, it had already far surpassed the magic of Lister and Arthur; judging by functionality alone, it would receive an excellent rating at the Magic Guild. This was not a spell that a saint could have created. Little did she know, An Su had been cheating. He had secretly used the Magic Association''s magic power supply to summon Miss Bones, a demigod-level magician, for three minutes, allowing her to suggest various improvements to ''Friendly Exchange,'' leading to this effect. Ai Xueli didn''t know that An Su had played a trick, so at this moment, all she felt was amazement. Why can''t this guy put his brain to proper use! Ai Xueli could already imagine what An Su would do next. In full view of everyone, magic power began to gather around An Su. He guided this magic power, pointed to the sky, and used ''Friendly Exchange'' towards the ceiling. The previous was a refined version of ''Friendly Exchange,'' but this time it was a berserk version of ''Friendly Exchange.'' The structure-protection magic circuit ensured that the ceiling wouldn''t be damaged; meanwhile, the magic circuit that resonated with the earth''s ley lines began to exercise its original function, creating intense vibrational ripples, These severe ripples spread out circle by circle along the solidified ceiling, like ripples in a pond, the sound waves bouncing and colliding. The originally faint sounds were rapidly amplified, and in an instant, the noise surged like a tidal wave. The ceiling was shaking violently, and the rumbling sound swept upwards. The citizens were in the Magic Guild''s first-floor hall; the second floor was the Magician''s alchemic room, where writing magic requires concentration and admits no mistakes. A muscular Magician was intently conducting an experiment when he suddenly heard the overwhelming noise from downstairs. The noise was so despairing that it directly tortured the body, completely attacking physically, unbearable to the ears, leading to the failure of the magic writing. Fury took over, and he immediately rushed to the corridor, poked his head out, ready to hurl insults downstairs. An Su instantly performed a slick combo, casting the refined ''Friendly Exchange'' right on time, and the Magician''s scolding immediately turned soft and cute, "Meow, stop the noise, damn it meow!" The muscular Magician was instantly dumbfounded, and everyone in the hall looked up at him, whispering to each other. "Huh... eh?" Under the gaze of nearly a thousand pairs of eyes, the Magician felt a massive attack on his psyche, shame flooding him with the desire to commit suicide! Sar?h the N?velFire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. No curse words would come out of his mouth anymore; now, all he wanted was to find a hole to crawl into. Seeing this, An Su revealed a look of satisfaction and relief. This Magician was a classic case. Under the physical and mental healing of ''Friendly Exchange,'' he had resolved yet another nasty neighborhood dispute. As the muscular Magician fled in disarray, the hall fell into dead silence. This silence lasted a full half-minute, The next moment, An Su''s votes skyrocketed. The motivation of the citizens to vote frantically can be imagined, This terrifying and evil top-tier magic, this taboo sorcery capable of humiliating an enemy both physically and mentally, could now be considered a deterrence weapon. You may choose not to use it, but you can''t afford to be without it. What a novel magic! An Su''s votes crushed those of Ai Xueli, Lister, and Arthur, seizing the first place. He reached an astonishing nine hundred seventy-one votes. Even the staff who wanted to suppress the votes couldn''t hold them back. After all, they could only make certain adjustments. When nearly all the citizens had chosen An Su, any deliberate suppression would become evident. At that time, it would have a more severe impact on the event''s reputation. Furthermore, An Su''s magic was not only well-designed with skill and cleverness, but it also surpassed many senior magic researchers. By varying the input of magic power, it was designed to create two different effects. The level of ingenuity deserved to be first. Ai Xueli even had a premonition that all neighborhood conflicts in the future would start with ''We promise not to use ''Friendly Exchange'' first!'' From today on, this series of taboo magic would be widely circulated in Jianghu. They didn''t fall into any precise category; common folk called them fringe magic. Among them, the leading fringe magic was one that everyone revered by name ''Friendly Exchange'' [Initial Stage Magic] [Magic Power Consumption: 1 (refined version), 2 (berserk version)] [Effect: Protects the vocal cords and slightly distorts sound waves to subtly adjust the caster''s voice; can also be used on buildings, inputting berserk magic power to spread sound waves violently, creating noisy sounds. Lasts for ten minutes.] [Note: Ansu Moningsta is a devout Holy Light saint; after years of research, he found that ''Initial Holy Light'' is a rare branch of the Holy Light.] Chapter 142 Magic Rating Today is a day worth commemorating.The Magic Hall was bustling with people, as citizens lined up to receive the public benefit magic they voted for. Each citizen only had one chance to vote, and not all could obtain the magic they desired, Only the magic circuits with the top three highest votes were distributed by the Magic Guild. Those who voted incorrectly still received consolation prizes, able to collect ten eggs and a half bottle of vegetable oil at the entrance. Many elders came just for this, forming long lines in a rush to take their eggs home. Thanks to this, the "Magic Into the Home" campaign remained extremely popular, almost always fully packed. As per the original intention of the "Magic Into the Home, Magi to the Countryside" campaign, the magic chosen by the majority of citizens was supposed to be friendly, practical, and aesthetically pleasing. In previous iterations of the campaign, the selected magic indeed improved the lives of the masses substantially. After all, the eyes of the masses were crystal clear. The final results of the campaign were out, with the top three conspicuously displayed on the screen; An Su Moningsta, Third Order saint, "Friendly Exchange," nine hundred and eighty-one votes, first place. Arthur Sunny, Third Order saint, "Open and Aboveboard," four hundred and sixty votes, second place. Lister Muen, Third Order saint, "Spatial Distortion," four hundred and ten votes, third place. "..." The staff responsible for distributing the magic felt that the masses only saw snow this time. He dared not imagine the terrible impact on society once these three spells were released. Who would have thought that a seemingly ordinary public welfare event would give birth to such taboo and malevolent magic? Unlike the staff member tormented inside, at this moment, An Su was in high spirits. Ever since he helped an entire city''s residents and resolved all their troubles, his already decent nature of taking pleasure in boiling people seemed to swell even more. He wanted to help more people. This was a good start. However, Ai Xueli''s gaze towards An Su was not so friendly. "Do you know what you''ve done?" Ai Xueli watched An Su with a disapproving expression. "I helped the citizens solve the noise issue," said An Su, his blue-green eyes brimming with sincerity. "...Can''t you solve some other problems?" Ai Xueli admired An Su''s thick skin. "If the citizens wish, I am more than happy to resolve their various issues, such as the high complaint rate in the streets, serious urban aging, and a host of other problems troubling everyone," An Su said with a smile, his expression so pure and clean that it involuntarily sparked a favorable impression in people''s hearts. Unfortunately, folks were not willing. "I think you are the biggest problem," Ai Xueli''s eyelid twitched. Although An Su''s tone was so gentle and calm, she couldn''t shake the feeling that he was saying something very frightening. "You are taking an examination for a deacon''s position next month?" "That''s the case." S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Then you should face the Radiant Holy See''s prodigious Holy Maiden." Ai Xueli revealed a relieved smile, An Su was indeed exasperating, and yet she had no real way to handle him. But if he were to clash with that individual, this youngster would certainly not gain any advantage; he might even receive a harsh lesson. Even the proud Ai Xueli had to admit that the Holy Maiden''s talent far surpassed her own. It was time to reeducate this youngster on how to behave. "Are you talking about Luojia?" An Su was puzzled. Luojia didn''t worry about facing him, as Luojia still owed him a fine of three hundred gold. Having said no charge before doesn''t mean no charge ever. "You don''t know?" Ai Xueli looked at An Su with a strange gleam in her eyes, "The Radiant Holy Maiden we usually discuss in private isn''t Her Excellency Luojia." An Su showed a contemplative expression, so that was it. That must mean she was once the Holy Maiden of Farol. Each region''s branch church has its own Holy Maiden, known as ''Prospective Holy Maidens''. Luojia, for example, was once the Prospective Holy Maiden of the frontier, and as such, Farol naturally had its own Prospective Holy Maiden for the imperial capital. Only chosen by the divine, a Prospective Holy Maiden will become a true Holy Maiden. Luojia being under house arrest at the Monastery, authority usurped, must have been the doing of the Holy Maiden''s faction from the imperial capital. "The divinely bestowed ''Star of Farol'', Her Excellency Cersei Milton, the Princess, was chosen as the Holy Maiden of the imperial capital at the age of ten, reached the Third Order at thirteen, and started to learn to write magic." "At fourteen, she composed Holy Light magic that could be dedicated to the divine. Nearly a thousand saints sought her blessings in exchange within a year, and at fifteen, she was already a Fourth Order Holy Maiden, creating magic of a legend rank." Ai Xueli explained to An Su the illustrious deeds of this Prospective Holy Maiden, "For Her Excellency, this deacon promotion is just a formality." Logically, only those of deacon rank or higher could dedicate magic to the divine, but the imperial capital''s Holy Maiden always had some special privileges. "Does she have the spirit of not giving up?" "Can she drink six bottles of urine before entering the stage?" Lister elegantly pushed his glasses up, as a noble, the ability to preserve without yielding was the most important, "My Brother Ansu would dare!" He always believed that Ansu would dare to drink urine directly! After all, if he himself could manage to drink six bottles of water before going on stage, then Ansu must be even more formidable. "..." Ai Xueli was at a loss for words. The memory of that shameful experience instantly came to mind, and the composure that had been on her face moments before collapsed, as a crimson blush appeared on her cheeks. "Can this woman dare to take off her panties to craft magic?" Arthur scoffed disdainfully, "My Big Boss Ansu would also dare." He always believed that Big Boss Ansu would dare to run around naked. After all, if he himself could go on stage wearing only underpants, then Big Boss Ansu must be even more impressive. "..." Ai Xueli fell silent. What exactly is Ansu like in your minds... "In any case, Her Excellency Seresi is very formidable in the field of magic crafting," sighed Ai Xueli. "Ours aren''t bad either," Arthur laughed heartily. Ai Xueli thought to herself that these kids just didn''t understand the difference between civilian use magic and magic for magicians. Even though the magic they created won the vast majority of votes from the citizens, to professional magicians, from a practical standpoint in actual combat, it was all rather ineffective magic with crude magic circuits. Only An Su''s "Friendly Exchange" was exquisitely designed, but it still couldn''t compare to Her Excellency Seresi. And it didn''t qualify to be dedicated to the divine. After all, no deity would want to receive such a grotesque piece of magic. Civilian and magician usage, completely two different concepts. One must consider practicality, magic power consumption cost-effectiveness, the intricacy of magic construction, as well as creativity among other aspects. "You can go to have the magic you''ve written rated, it''s on the third floor of the Magic Guild. Oh, and the rewards for placing in the top three also await you on the third floor." Chapter 143 The Borderland Triumvirs Annihilate the Magic Association Experts On the third floor of the Magic Guild, the warm afternoon sun shone on the flowing Mercury Mirror Wall, causing ripples tinged with sunlight to splash about.The second floor was divided into several areas, and walking inward along the corridor full of classical design, one would arrive at the Magic Identification Hall. Ancient alchemic devices stood tall, and exquisite and powerful arrays spread throughout the hall, with one identification room after another arranged in line, and the thick aura of Magic Power lingering in the air. They were responsible for assigning rank to magic and classifying various types of magic. This place gathered the most authoritative and professional evaluators, with clergymen from the seven great Churches also taking office here. The place had an air of prestige. Ai Xueli, together with the Borderland Triumvirs, first completed the registration and paid the procedure fee, then handed over the designed Magic Circuit to the staff. "Identification Room 201, it will take about thirty minutes," said the priest, his attitude rather perfunctory. He had seen too many of such magic registrations. Looking at these three, they were merely informal members of the Guild. Newcomers who had just learned to write magic often made haste to have their magic identified, hoping to prove themselves as one in a million geniuses, but often they couldn''t even achieve a ''common'' rating, producing nothing but trash magic. The incident on the first floor had not yet spread. After all, the charity event "Magic into the Home, Magicians to the Countryside," although initiated by His Excellency Merlin, was snubbed by most of the talented Magicians, as it was only about civilian magic. "Please wait patiently in the rest area." With that, he left. Directly opposite was the waiting area, offering pastries and beverages. Comfortably leaning on the soft sofa, An Su ordered a cup of coffee, drinking it with a relaxed mood and surveying the surroundings. There were already quite a few Magicians waiting here, All formal members of the Magic Guild, all at least of Deacon rank, respected outside, but in the Magic Guild, they could only queue up honestly. Most of them looked tense and anxious, not even daring to breathe heavily; the results of the magic evaluation would determine their current level. In front of the rest area was a huge magical screen displaying the results of the identifications. [Deacon Andre, evaluation result ''Common.Average'', classified as Order-Type Magic, can be dedicated to the Scales of Order] A significant buzz broke out in the rest area. It had been mentioned before that all public magic that can be exchanged for faith points are common-area magic, like legendary and above magic, which can only be created or gifted by deities themselves, possessing uniqueness and non-transmissibility. Being able to dedicate to a deity was already a great honor. The majority of magic written was not even deigned a glance by deities. The Deacons around looked tense, but An Su was quite relaxed. The warm sunlight poured in through the glass windows, casting everything nearby in a shallow golden light, and time seemed peacefully suspended. Lister and Arthur also looked serene and self-possessed. Ai Xueli felt that An Su''s attitude was a facade, wondering how one could be so naturally at ease during their first magic evaluation. She remembered her own first evaluation: the anxiety and trepidation were still etched in her heart. After all, the priests responsible for the evaluation were experts among experts, exuding an image of grandeur and eminence when Ai Xueli was younger. Time passed by bit by bit, and soon thirty minutes were up. Just when Ai Xueli felt puzzled, the results of their evaluation had not yet come out. Identification Room 201. All the learned had gathered. A typical evaluation would be equipped with one officer from each of the seven Churches, but the evaluation for An Su''s group brought as many as seventy. Surrounding their Magic Circuit diagrams, the expressions of all evaluators were subtle, the air nearly stagnant, the atmosphere tense and suffocating. Each priest felt fearful and had palpitations, their faces strained, not even daring to breathe heavily. The results of the Borderland Triumvirs'' magic evaluations would determine their professional careers. Actually, the magic evaluation isn''t complex. First, rank the level, then establish the attributes. Based on the effects of the magic, the properties of the Magic Circuit, etc., categorize the magic of the corresponding divine system. But when it came to An Su''s groups'' magic, there was a problem with the attribute classification. No Church wanted to acknowledge it as their own! Such perverse and evil magic, whoever acknowledged it would lose face! The priests from each Church had already written reports to their superiors, and the superiors'' replies were simple: deny any association at all costs! "They belong to the Radiant Holy See''s saints; naturally, it should be classified as Holy Light magic," said a chief Order evaluator. "Our Church does not recognize these three people." The evaluator from the Radiant Holy See was really something, resorting to divine segmentation swiftly. "The Magic Circuit referenced in [Friendly Exchange] are all under the dominion of the Alchemical Church, it should be classified under the Alchemic system." "Such wicked and forbidden magic is something our Radiant Holy See''s saints would never use," declared an expert from the Radiant Holy See! "Neither would our Alchemical Church study it," stated the Alchemic expert, with righteous indignation. At first, their discussion was quite friendly, but after a while, it gradually became heated, with all the priests passing the buck. For a full thirty minutes, the atmosphere grew tenser and tenser. The language they started with was relatively elegant, but as time passed, it grew more and more fierce. Gradually, their discussion turned into an argument. The more they argued, the more agitated they became. "This is your damn family''s problem!" "It''s not our family''s!" Just as it looked like they were about to come to blows, an expert from the Radiant Holy See on the spot learned the Magic Circuit on the platform. Truly a senior expert, he learned it quickly and well, ready to give the Alchemical expert a ''friendly exchange''. "Meow?" A soft and tender loli voice. The Alchemical expert looked at the former with a gaze reserved for the newly born, him being an esteemed expert at the age of sixty, with white hair commanding respect. Yet at this moment, he was being sabotaged by the old man opposite him, forced to utter such tender words. Having lived so long, this was the first time he had suffered such a great humiliation. You cunning old thief of the Radiant Holy See, no sense of martial ethics. He, on the spot, replicated the circuit for the ''friendly exchange'' and hurled the Magic Circuit right back. The old expert from the Radiant Holy See''s voice came out seductive and full of allure, like that of a charming mature woman. "Mmm-hah~you~!" So many experts are watching; it can''t just be the two of us looking foolish. As long as everyone looks foolish, this incident won''t spread. They exchanged a look, an unspoken understanding between them. Immediately leading their respective teams of appraisers, they began to hurl ''friendly exchanges'' at the old heads of the opposite side. The other Churches, already dissatisfied, seeing these two old rascals'' nuclear operations, directly ignited the dissatisfaction in their hearts. Sarch* The ovelFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. They too immediately began to learn the ''friendly exchange'', and in no time, the whole Magic Identification Hall was in chaos with Magic flying everywhere, eventually escalating to physical confrontations as tempers flared. This was a ''holy war''. Whichever Church lost in hand-to-hand combat, that''s where the magic of the three borderlands would be categorized to. There were moans of pain from mature women, muffled grunts from lolis, filled with the twittering sounds of delicate charm, "It''s been an hour, why isn''t it finished..." Ai Xueli couldn''t help but walk to the door of Room 201 in the Identification Hall, intending to knock. Sultry female moans came from inside. "Umm, don''t do this, stop, Lord Dak of the Radiant Holy See, please spare me, oh~" This was the old head of the Healing Church being pummeled into a bloody pulp on the floor by the old head of the Radiant Holy See. Ai Xueli''s pupils trembled, That expert Dak of the Radiant Holy See, she had seen him before, kind and magnanimous-looking, almost at retirement age, Why bother with such behavior in the sacred Magic Association! Before she could recover from the shock, another petulant loli voice came from inside. "Hmph hmph, weaklings, weaklings, kneel down and lick my feet." This was the expert from the Druid Court threatening the old head of the Celestial Church. Ai Xueli''s eyelids twitched again. Scholar Sven, she knew him too; He was a great scholar who researched the origins of the universe. Who would have thought he was also into little girls? And such a perverted, deviant manner of enjoyment, It was a scandalous stain on his reputation. Ai Xueli''s cheeks flushed, her heart pounding, thinking she needed to report this to the Order Knights immediately. "Oh my, oh my, Lorne, is that all you''ve got? I can''t feel a thing~" After taking a punch from Lorne Priest of the Order Church, Dak of the Radiant Holy See expressed his disdain in a voice befitting a mature woman. Ai Xueli''s worldview shattered. How was it that even a priest of the Order Church engaged in such morally bankrupt shenanigans! The seductive cooing from inside grew more fervent; there were all sorts of female voices, and by a rough estimate, there were at least seventy. How could there be so many! Ai Xueli was completely unaware that inside they were engaging in sound magic battles, mistaking it for something far more salacious! These old perverts! The towering images of her childhood had completely collapsed! Chapter 144 An Sus Terrifying Attack The bright spring light warmly passed through the mercury glass, filling the appraisal hall with its glow.With the onset of early spring, riverbeds cracked, and all living things became enamored. Hearing the confused murmurs from within, along with the soft moans of women one after another, Priestess Ai Xueli''s cheeks flushed with a deep crimson, and her shoulders trembled gently. She had heard about certain scholars having peculiar hobbies; at first, she''d dismissed them as rumors, just slanders from idlers, but she hadn''t expected the rumors to be true. And these old men were so bold. To satisfy their perverted, dark desires, they dared to proclaim their lewdness in broad daylight at the Magic Association! If this were to get out, it would be a huge scandal. Moreover, these old men''s fetishes were so bizarre, including a Copper Alchemy Addiction to licking young girls'' feet, those with a penchant for being whipped C the letter faction, even perverted acts. Two officials with a more knightly spirit did not engage in ''friendly exchanges,'' but openly grappled together. Priestess Ai Xueli leaned against the alchemic giant door of the appraisal hall, her embarrassment growing as she listened. "What''s happening...mmh." An Su noticed Ai Xueli''s unusual state and, leading Lister and Arthur, walked over. Before he could ask, his mouth was covered by the flushed-faced Miss Ai Xueli. What a vulgar woman. An Su slightly squinted his eyes, tilted his head, and observed the young lady in front of him, panting and sweating. "Shh." Ai Xueli placed her snow-white, delicate index finger upon her lips, signaling silence, and pointed at the door, "Listen to the inside, and remember, don''t let it slip." As soon as An Su pressed his ear to the door, his expression became complicated. He somewhat understood what was happening inside. "Let''s pretend we don''t know about this," Ai Xueli said to An Su. An Su studied Ai Xueli, the talented witch whose ear tips were as red as the pink evening sky, her long eyelashes trembling lightly, her forehead sweating finely. She rested half her face against the door, eavesdropping on the activity inside. An Su knew that ever since that examination, the level of peculiarity of Priestess Ai Xueli had been increasing daily. Continue your journey with empire As if some door had been flung open. "Did you hear that? It absolutely must not get out," she warned. Ai Xueli, noticing the strange look in An Su''s eyes, thinking he was conjuring up odd thoughts again, furrowed her brows. The rest area was filled with magicians from the seven major Churches, all too anxious and nervously awaiting their appraisal results to notice the peculiar commotion here. "Alright," An Su obediently nodded, his cyan-colored eyes brimming with sincerity, "I promise not to tell." Seeing An Su''s guaranteed assurance, Ai Xueli was somewhat relieved but still cautioned him with some concern, "You must understand, if this scandal is exposed by you, it would also affect you negatively." An Su concurred, the youth blinked his clear eyes innocently, saying, "By the way, what are the adults inside doing? Are they fighting?" "...." Ai Xueli''s face lined with frustration, "Don''t pretend you don''t understand." "I''m not pretending; aren''t they fighting? Shouldn''t we go and break it up?" The boy tilted his head again, all his words coming from the heart, free of any lies, "I''m only fifteen, there are many things I don''t understand." This na?ve child is still pretending. "They are doing that kind of thing," Ai Xueli confronted him directly, her ears reddening further as she spoke. "What kind of thing?" An Su found it amusing. "It''s... just that sort of thing..." Ai Xueli stuttered, not wanting to engage with An Su any longer. "In any case, you mustn''t let it out. If people find out it was you who spread it, the impact would be very bad." "Right, when exactly can our appraisal come to an end?" An Su asked. "...That depends on how long the experts can hold out," Priestess Ai Xueli continued to spout strange terms under guidance. "Any specific time?" "I don''t know, how should I know... Logically speaking, these old experts are all not young anymore." An Su furrowed his brows, staring at the massive alchemic door that could only be opened from the inside. So, An Su could do nothing but wait passively. Indeed, he was growing a bit impatient. He had already been waiting for a full hour and a half. For a speedrunner, any meaningless waiting represented a profanation of life, especially when it was as boring as this. Meaningless and boring waiting between scenes was simply torture. And these experts were making him wait this long. "As long as no one finds out... that it was us who spread the word," An Su suddenly said. Arthur nodded, his face breaking into a radiant smile, "Got it." Lister calmly pushed up his glasses, "Got it." Priestess Ai Xueli had yet to grasp what An Su meant, "What are you three up to?" But then, she saw the three of them exchange a glance and begin chanting magic, guiding magic power. Pure white Holy Light slowly gathered, eventually covering their cheeks. This was Arthur''s modified Holy Light Magic, "Above Board." Priestess Ai Xueli''s pupils shrank; she realized what was about to happen. These rascals actually used "Above Board" to pixelate their own faces! They were about to launch a terror attack! "Oh, what''s that strange noise coming from appraisal room 301?" Arthur professionally modified his voice to that of an energetic girl''s tone, as fresh as the break of dawn, deliberately raising his pitch and calling out. "Such an unseemly, disgraceful conduct certainly tarnishes elegance." Lister spoke with a tone of distaste, that of a cool, aloof young woman, cold as the moon. S~ea??h the N?velFire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "How much longer do the experts need to hold out?" An Su''s tone was more neutral, cold and clean, with a hint of detachment, like the stars in the night sky. No sooner had they spoken than the magicians waiting in the lounge turned their inquisitive gazes their way. Feeling the stare of hundreds of pairs of eyes, Priestess Ai Xueli''s cheeks turned even redder, more flustered. In fact, the delayed outcome of the appraisal from room 301 had already aroused the curiosity of a group of magicians. ''Strange noise'' coming from inside? How strange could it be? A chaste Church official, skeptical, made his way over. Under Priestess Ai Xueli''s almost desperate gaze, the official pressed his ear against the door... His expression froze. "It''s over," Priestess Ai Xueli held her forehead and mourned inwardly, regretting her trust in these frontier neophytes! She had been certain that An Su would lose to that Holy Maiden from the imperial capital in a month''s time, Now, it seemed uncertain whose game it was to lose... Other Church officials, seeing his expression, grew even more curious, Humans always have a penchant for joining the crowd, and they too made their way over. More and more magicians gathered at the door, straining their ears to listen... Their expressions froze too. Chapter 145 An Su Causes Chaos! On the third floor of the Magic Guild, outside Appraisal Room 301 in the Appraisal Hall Area.Enshrouded in a layer of Holy Light, An Su spoke with a serious face, "As everyone knows," "The appraisal experts inside," "are not priests of our Radiant Holy See." An Su looked around solemnly, his pale blue pupils filled with gravity. As a devoted saint loyal to the Holy Light, An Su always took it upon himself to uphold the honor of the Radiant Holy See. In this moment, faced with such a vile event that had caused such a negative impact, it was his turn to speak up for the Holy See. "They are not from our Church." Inside the appraisal room, Lord Dak, who had been fighting for the honor of the Radiant Holy See, was unaware that An Su, whom he had intended to expel, had preemptively denied their affiliation. Among all the magicians present, there were naturally attendants of the Radiant Holy See, Upon hearing An Su''s words, they understood his intention. If such a scandal were to spread outside, it would damage the reputation of the Radiant Holy See significantly, so the only choice was to steadfastly deny any connection. Sacred Severing Skill was a mandatory course for every follower of the Holy Light. The attendants of the Radiant Holy See instantly understood An Su''s intent and hurriedly said in unison, "Exactly, our Radiant Holy See does not have these scholars." "I have never seen them..." "Dak is not one of us." The magicians from the other Churches, seeing the Radiant Holy See''s tactic of shifting blame, became instantly dissatisfied. What does this mean, is only the Radiant Holy See pure and unsullied? When everyone was implicated! Does it mean all the blame is on our Church? Soon after, an attendant from the Alchemical Church stood up to make a cut, mimicking An Su with a grave tone, "Our Alchemical Church was not involved either." "Isn''t that right, Priestess Ai Xueli?" he sought support from Ai Xueli. Ai Xueli''s cheeks were flushed, her eyes dull as she stared at An Su, then lowered her gaze, her thin lips muttering softly, "That''s right." Given the circumstances, they could only go along with distancing themselves from the situation. Seeing the Alchemical Church follow the Radiant Holy See in deflecting blame, the remaining five Churches grew even more discontent, Having never seen such disassociation from responsibility. "Our Church does not have these professors." "We Druids don''t like women, we prefer plant creatures!" "We of the Celestial Church only like stars!" "We in the Alchemical Cathedral are fond of mechanical maidens, not human females." They began to dissociate themselves one after another, as if telepathically synchronized, their words becoming increasingly vehement and their emotions more agitated. Gradually, they reached a consensus that the scandal had to be shouldered by one Church. It is better for one Church to lose face than for all seven to be shamed. "It''s definitely one of your priests in the Radiant Holy See!" Discover exclusive tales on empire "They''re all Druids inside!" In an attempt to push away the scandal, they began to accuse each other''s Churches. Far from the Chaotic Frontier where magic had not yet spread, the magicians did not know that inside was merely filled with the sounds of a music session, With strange voices of many women and all sorts of fighting noises, it goes without saying how inappropriate the situation inside must be for children. Such a scandal must not spread. Their emotions grew more intense, their words less polite and more aggressive, Especially the Radiant Holy See, led by the strange individuals with a halo over their heads, they were near unstoppable, with more and more magicians joining the argument, which eventually escalated to verbal conflicts. Outside the door. ''Those old people inside are not from our Church!'' they accused each other. Inside the door. ''Those three magicians outside are not from our Church!'' the old experts also countered each other using various voices of girls and young women. Whether inside or outside, both parties thoroughly expressed their viewpoints, passionately explained their positions, and responded to each other''s inquiries amicably. An Su was quite satisfied. As he watched the chaotic scene before him, An Su''s mood improved greatly. Such waiting was more interesting. Simply sitting there, drinking coffee, aimlessly waiting for an hour and a half, was utter mental torture. However, what slightly regretted was that he should have continued to promote the "Friendly Exchange" magic. In that way, everyone could communicate properly, without resorting to quarrels. An Su felt himself to be a very responsible saint. At this very moment, in the distant northern continent, the esoteric nation of The Avad Empire. The Chaotic Saintess, Elf, was gasping for breath. Her expression was serious. S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. She was desperately resisting an urge from deep within her heart, a temptation that kept tugging at her emotions. Clenching her teeth, a morbid flush appeared on her cheeks. She had to endure it, She had to withstand it. She must not succumb to that desire... She was capable of doing so, But she couldn''t resist. Her heart was quivering relentlessly, her spirit on the brink of collapse, and the thread of her sanity was close to snapping. She could no longer bear it! Trembling, she approached the forbidden object. A month ago, An Su had left an evil suggestion in Elf''s mind, and she had been fighting against it ever since. She couldn''t bear it any longer. She took out the forbidden tome, feeling an inexplicable thrill of tasting the forbidden fruit deep inside her. If the believers learned that she was perusing such forbidden arts, her position as a Holy Maiden would no longer be secure. She had never experienced such a forbidden thrill before. The name of that evil tome was "Three Hundred Questions for the Radiant Church''s Saint Test" Elf took out her quill, excitedly scribbling furiously on the test, writing vigorously. Only after filling an entire sheet of paper did the impulse of the taboo recede like a tide, leaving her slumped in her chair, sweating profusely. "Phew..." "Damn saint." "Damn An Su Moningsta!" Hatred filled Elf''s eyes; she was desperate to flay and dismember that young man, resenting the ghastly suggestion he had implanted in her birth. She took a slow breath. After tonight, the suggestion would be almost eradicated. Her true self had already reached the Saintly Rank; she couldn''t believe she had fallen for the trick of such a young upstart. Suddenly, her eyes flickered. As the Chaotic Saintess, she could feel the gaze of chaos. The Mother Goddess''s eyes once again swept across the leaden skies of Avad, but they did not settle on any believer. She seemed to be searching for something, but ultimately, in vain. Only true chaos could draw the Mother Goddess''s attention. The Chaos Followers were all curious about who that person was. It surely couldn''t be the saint, could it? At that moment, a knock came from the door. "Highness Elf, are you ready?" "We are going back to Farol again." Elf slowly stood up. They had to return to Farol. The Nether World of the Chaotic Frontier had now taken shape, falling into the hands of the Radiant Holy See, which was beyond the expectations of the Sanctuary of Chaos. Such a Fourth Order world, who knew which Priest had shaped it. But it didn''t matter. This time, it was unlikely to encounter that little beast An Su. The elements of chaos were still hidden within this fragment of the world, and the key to the Chaotic Imperial City was still buried deep in the frontier. This time, she would uncover the clues thoroughly. To avenge her past humiliations. And incidentally, she wanted to find out how the historical Chaotic Frontier had been destroyed, for this was vital for compiling the history of the Church. Chapter 146 Ai Xueli: Am I really the lower aunt? An Su truly epitomized the player who values efficiency.His intervention caused chaos in the hall, prompting the Church to immediately dispatch a priest for intervention and forcibly opened the tightly shut door of room 301. "Open the door!" "Order Knight inspection!" Finally, there was no need to wait, and An Su expressed his delight. Ai Xueli''s face flushed, her heart raced, and her crossed fingers covered her eyes, but she couldn''t help peeking through the gaps, her eyes excited yet tinged with a hint of embarrassment as she looked inside. A scene in 140p resolution was something she had never heard of. Her heart was thumping wildly. She could already imagine what kind of forbidden scenes awaited. As the metallic massive door slowly opened The first thing that caught her eye was a group of old men, their white robes beautiful yet in disarray, their petite and adorable bodies, beards white as snow, wrinkles that showed age and charm, their faces flushed red with embarrassment as they scrambled about disheveled. The soft and bashful sounds of a young woman were emanating from these old men, inducing wild thoughts in the listeners and making them wish they could unhear it. The senior experts were really playing big, weren''t they? All the magicians fell silent. Ai Xueli''s expression had frozen. "See," An Su had already removed the Holy Light and reverted to his original voice, he spoke with an innocent smile, "I told you they were fighting inside." "Auntie below." "What were you just thinking?" Ai Xueli stiffened as well, recalling what she had said to An Su earlier. The overwhelming embarrassment flooded her chest instantly. Her lips quivered, her pupils shook, her shoulders trembled, and her face felt as if it would emit steam. I... I''m guilty of sexual harassment of a minor again? Why use ''again''? Sear?h the Novl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Shame and regret surged like the tide. No... it was this little brat''s fault on purpose... But those words had indeed been said by her. She had indeed fantasized as such. Ai Xueli covered her cheeks. She was only here for a charity event; they wouldn''t send her to the police, would they? Could she really be the ''auntie below''? Ai Xueli even began to doubt her self-perception, wondering if her true nature was always this perverted, merely well-hidden until An Su awakened it? "Wu." Faced with An Su''s question, Ai Xueli couldn''t utter a word and could only whimper plaintively, "Wu." On the other hand, quite a few male magicians had a different view of the situation before them. The senior experts truly lived up to being seniors; they worked under such difficult conditions with such frugality. Many magicians felt humbled. They had chosen to entertain themselves with voice-changing magictruly, men remain boys until death! The senior experts didn''t know what went through the minds of these men, but they knew their reputation was thoroughly ruined! After a series of episodes, the magic spell grades for An Su and his two companions were finally determined. Contrary to Ai Xueli''s expectations, their grades were not low. In fact, they were impressive. The specific grades were determined from three standards: the number of magic circuits constructed, the magic precision degree, and the practicality of the magic. [Arthur Sunny] [Fair and Square] [Magic Circuit: D (two circuits)] [Magic Precision Degree: D] [Practicality of Magic: A (originally C)] [Overall Evaluation: Above average.] [Magic Classification: Return home and await notification after a month] [Expert Recommendation: Made significant contributions to saving the image of the Magic Guild and maintaining the reputation of the various Churches] When the door to the evaluation room was forcibly opened, all the experts were scrambling together, and the scene was exceedingly embarrassing for a moment. Fortunately, the experts proved their expertise by thinking quickly on their feet, grabbing the [Fair and Square] from the round table and shrouding their faces in a layer of Holy Light. Instantly, the entire evaluation room shimmered with Holy Light, as bright as a light bulb. Everyone was unrecognizable, and the Church''s pride was preserved. Given this contribution, they found that "Aboveboard Illumination" was indeed very practical and thus gave it a high rating. Whenever you''re about to do something embarrassing, just apply an "Aboveboard Illumination" to your face first. As for which Church the magic belongs to, they just told Arthur to go home and wait for notification. Of course, such diabolical magic would certainly not be accepted by the goddesses. [Lister Muen] [Spatial Distortion] [Magic Circuit: D (two circuits)] [Magic Precision Degree: D] [Magic Utility: A (originally D)] [Overall Evaluation: Average. High-quality] [Magic Classification: Wait for notification two months after going home] [Expert Advice: Please do not send photos to my family members] Originally, "Spatial Distortion" was only rated D, as the magic could only beautify the appearance in photos, lacking any offensive power; but when Lister placed that stack of beautified young women''s chaotic battle photos on the table, all the experts'' faces changed instantly. Find exclusive stories on empire They immediately stated that the magic''s rating was still up for discussion. Seeing these photos of themselves feminized, they felt that the magic was indeed quite harmful. [An Su Moningsta] [Amicable Exchange] [Magic Circuit: D (two circuits)] [Magic Precision Degree: B+] [Magic Utility: S- (originally D)] [Overall Evaluation: Average. Excellent] [Magic Classification: We will notify you after you are dead and back home] [Expert Advice: All Churches promise not to use Amicable Exchange first] Practice is the only way to true knowledge. As the prime culprit behind this major chaos, it was only after experiencing it firsthand that the experts realized the destructive power of this magic. The terrifying aspect of this magic lies in its simplicity and ease of use, making it accessible to ordinary people; the mere two Magic Circuits actually became its advantage. If one side broke the rule and used it, it wouldn''t take long before everyone was caught in the vortex of "Amicable Exchange." Ai Xueli felt that the world was becoming more fantastical by the day. Known as a magical prodigy, her first attempt at magic composition only garnered a ''high-quality'' rating and praise as the Alchemical Church''s talent. Why do these three, with their lowest rating being high quality... However, Ai Xueli was comforted by the fact that none of these three magics could be offered to deitiesafter all, it wasn''t the experts who decided this, but the deities themselves. Perhaps it would be more appropriate to offer them to the deities of the Esoteric Religion. This allowed Ai Xueli to regain her confidence; after all, for a cleric, only the magic favored by the deities was real magic, something these country folks could never understand. After rating the magic, the rewards for "Magic Enters the Homestead, Magic Guides Go Down to the Countryside" were next. The rewards for second and third place were faith points from the Church, while the first place prize was very unique. It was the opportunity to receive personal tuition from none other than the "God of Law" Merlin himself. This was exactly what Ai Xueli had come for. His Excellency Merlin is the youngest Cardinal of the Radiant Holy See; to become his direct disciple meant a smooth future ahead. Even if one couldn''t become a disciple, just one lesson from him was immensely beneficial. Such a great opportunity went to An Su. Despite An Su winning first place, many Magicians were quite dissatisfied with him, thinking he had only used trickery to pass and lacked real powerafter all, the magic he composed was not favored by deities. There were inevitably some cold remarks. Even the rating experts looked at An Su with disdain. "Amicable Exchange" was practical, but no Church was willing to claim it as their own. The creator of Amicable Exchange was treated the same. "You can leave now," they said. An Su was not angry; he kept a warm and calm smile on his face, "I have another magicit''s the first one I composed, and I''d like to have it evaluated by the experts." He then presented the magic diagram for the X-ray Illumination Skill. Chapter 147 An Sus Perfect Magic Rating Expert Dak from the Radiant Holy See, somewhat impatiently took the magic schematic from An Su. He glanced over it casually, and upon seeing there was only one magic circuit, he helplessly sighed.He really did not want to admit that this thing came from the Radiant Holy See. It was simply damaging to the Church''s image. Just one magic circuit meant that it was an initial stage spell. There wasn''t a trace of technical content. The surrounding experts burst into a sizable laugh upon seeing it. This magic circuit was familiar to them, a mimic of the initial stage Holy Light spell "Holy Light Illumination Spell." The original spell was very basic to begin with, how impressive could an adaptation be? In the end, it was just an Illumination Skill. When neophytes practice spell crafting, they could easily create a bunch of useless spells, consuming high magic power for low effects. In the magic guild''s grading system, these don''t even reach ''ordinary'' and are all classified as waste. Adhering to a principle of respecting one''s profession, Dak nonetheless gave it a cursory identification using an appraisal spell. He first examined the structural design of the magic circuit, the trajectory of the magic power, and theorized the effects it would cause, But as he continued to look, his frown deepened. He hummed lightly, then took out a pair of magic spectacles from his pocket, put them on his ears, and over again examined it meticulously, Then released a series of puzzled ''hmm'' sounds again. "Hmm..." He had been in this line of work for over thirty years, seen all sorts of complex spells, and even held the title of appraisal expert for several years. He had the fortune to witness demigod spells, but the item An Su handed over, why couldn''t he understand it? The magic circuit was understandable, the flow of magic power was understandable, but when combined, it was utterly incomprehensible. Because it was incomprehensible, it was impossible to replicate just by relying on this one magic circuit. They wanted to learn this spell, their only option was the direct blessing of a deity. They couldn''t learn it on their own. This was just an initial stage spell, right? What is X-ray? No wonder the expert couldn''t understand it, even Miss Bones, who in life was a demigod, when faced with An Su''s X-ray Illumination Skill, was also baffled for a good while. After all, this world had no such concept. Seeing old Dak''s constipated expression, experts from the Alchemical Church thought he was deliberately teasing everyone, and said, "What''s the matter, an initial stage spell stumped you?" "Look for yourself," Dak replied. "What''s there to see in an initial stage spell... hmm." The Alchemy expert took the schematic of the magic circuit, starting with a look of disdain, then his expression gradually turned serious. Ai Xueli, seeing two consecutive appraisers with puzzled expressions, felt ominous. When an old expert appraises a spell, if they start to ponder, either the spell is incredibly tricky, or it is divinely amazing, But based on Ai Xueli''s understanding of An Su''s nature, this spell might very well be some sort of unnatural super spell, like Holy Light hypnosis or something. Images of taboo emerged in her mind. "X-ray Illumination Skill" "Unknown attribute" "Magic power consumption: 1" "Novice Healing White Magic" "Effect: Creates a light source using X-rays, which can be used for all-around lesion exploration, while at the same time, X-rays have a certain radiating effect on the human body" More and more experts joined the appraisal. A typical appraisal room has around seven experts, but due to earlier magical influences from the borderland, a total of seventy experts had arrived. It was as if a panel of experts had convened. With such an array, not to mention an initial stage spell, even a demigod level spell would be appraised clearly. But far beyond Ai Xueli''s expectations, and to her horror, the seventy experts present couldn''t appraise it. They even began to hold meetings for discussion. Just this news reaching the outside world would be enough to make the front page of "Magic Weekly." They discussed for a full ten minutes. "You all can go back for now. We will notify you when the specific grading comes out," they said to An Su. The Magic Association is so slow... An Su was full of reluctance. These old fogies. Ai Xueli quickly pushed An Su and his group out, fearing that An Su might commit some kind of blunder again. After they left, the appraisal room fell into a brief silence. "This magic should belong to the Radiant Holy See." Expert Dak of the Radiant Holy See was the first to make a conclusive statement, "From beginning to end, An Su Moningsta has been a loyal saint of our Radiant Holy See." "Moreover, the magic circuit it references is the Holy Light Illumination Spell of the Radiant Holy See, so without doubt, this so-called X-ray is also a form of Holy Light." ...This shameless fellow has started again. The other experts thought to themselves. "Based on the effects, this X-ray should belong to the Healing Church." The experts of the Healing Church said. It consumes low magic power, capable of performing full-body examinations. Not only can white magicians use it, but even hospital doctors can benefit from it, Its practicality is high for both civilian use and for magicians. Because they still couldn''t replicate this magic, they were unaware that An Su''s X-ray illumination spell could completely ignore the magic resistance of the user''s appearance and directly probe inside the body. Otherwise, their expressions would be even more spectacular. This means this initial stage spell can not only examine the bodies of initial stage sorcerers but also those of intermediate and high-rank sorcerers, and in theory, even saints'' conditions could be checked. The versatility would be greatly enhanced. Similarly, because of their lack of understanding, they were also unaware of what this so-called ''radiation'' meant, but it shouldn''t be anything bad, right? As the scene was about to descend into argument again, an expert from the Order Church spoke, S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "We cannot replicate this magic at the moment, let''s leave it to a higher-level appraiser for assessment." According to the rules of the Magic Guild, the creator cannot be involved in the appraisal process to prevent influencing the results, otherwise, they would have asked An Su to demonstrate it. "Since An Su is going to meet His Excellency Merlin anyway, why not let His Excellency Merlin appraise it." "Additionally, this magic should be eligible for dedication to the deity, but An Su is not currently a deacon and temporarily has no right to do so." "Then what about our appraisal results?" "Let''s just give it a provisional score." Unaware of the heated discussion inside, In the lounge, An Su ordered a few more cups of coffee and two blueberry cakes, remembering that Luojia seemed to like them. After waiting for so long, he at least had to eat back the time it cost; Arthur by his side was also unreserved, embodying the Sun Knight with his hearty consumption, stuffing cake after cake into his stomach. The attendants all stared at An Su with bizarre gazes, these three had already devoured ten cakes, thirteen cups of strong coffee, and six portions of chocolate. Are saints really meant to be like this these days? They even dare to come to the Magic Association for free food. This place was exclusively for the noble figures of deacon level and above who came for magic evaluation, not for freeloaders. A priest already came to shoo An Su away. "May I have your name?" "All three of us are called Kavensis," the Borderland Triumvirs blurted out without hesitation. "His name is An Su Moningsta," Ai Xueli said, covering her face. "Mr. An Su Moningsta, may I know what brings you here, is there something you need to do?" "I''m here for a magic evaluation." "But as far as I am aware, you''ve been here for two hours already, magic evaluations don''t take that long, do they?" the priest said with a sneer. "Right," An Su spoke indignantly, accusing, "Your association''s efficiency is too low, truly shameless!" Find exclusive content at empire "..." The priest''s expression froze. You shameless wretch, dare to lecture us in return? "If you have no business here, please leave," the priest said with an icy tone, "We do not welcome" Just then, a commotion suddenly burst from a distance. "Who is An Su?" "The evaluation is ''perfect''?" "That''s the highest rating in the ordinary category!" In the center of the hall, the magic display screen flickered, revealing a new name, [An Su Moningsta] [X-ray Illumination Spell] [Comprehensive Rating: Ordinary. Perfect (Provisional)] Chapter 148 An Su Would Never Be Rude In the realm of magic creation,a perfect-grade evaluation is the limit ordinary magic can touch. To achieve a perfect-grade evaluation, merely having an excellent magic circuit design and clear, precise magic structure is not enough. Even if a magician''s skill is great, at most he might scrape together a ''fine'' rating. To reach a perfect evaluation, one must innovate. This is like writing a paper, no matter how many or how superb the cited documents are (references to other magic circuits), or how rigorous and detailed the writing and terminology of the paper is (the composition of the magic structure), if the plagiarism rate is very low, it can at most be rated as an excellent college paper. To be published in an academic journal, one must achieve certain results in areas rarely explored by others. An Su''s X-ray Illumination Skill was quite novel, not because its design was intricately crafted, but because it was sufficiently new. So even if it had only one circuit, and the design of the circuit was rough, as long as its plagiarism rate was below five, it would be enough to receive a perfect rating. When An Su''s ordinary. perfect grade was announced, all the magicians in the lounge stood up. As if that line of text had a magical power that made them temporarily forget the appraisal results they were anxiously awaiting. On the third floor of the Magic Guild, the Mercury Magic Guide Screen glowed with a bright blue light, blending with the scattered sunlight filtering through the windows, making it unclear and shrouded in a layer of dreamlike color. [X-ray Illumination Skill] [Healing White Magic] Stay tuned for updates on empire [Magic Power Circuit: D- (One)] [Magic Precision Degree: C] [Magic Practicality: SS] [Magic Classification: We''ll notify you after we''re done fighting] [Overall Evaluation: Ordinary. Perfect (Provisional), Can be dedicated to the Goddess of Healing] The magicians in the hall first fell into a brief silence, before, belatedly, exclaiming in astonishment. Such a terrible magic power circuit and degree of precision could receive a perfect grademagicians naturally understood what these two points meant. The former indicated he was a novice crafting magic for the first time, the latter suggested he was a promising genius, capable of producing such drastically polarized specific ratings. There were not a few magics that could reach a perfect evaluation, but it was very rare to see such ratings. Compared to others, Ai Xueli was more astonished. Even shocked. The magic was actually a proper one. She knew An Su had high talent for magic, but always used it in bizarre, ghastly ways. But this time, it was employed for a legitimate purpose. The magic created by An Su could actually be accepted by the goddess? Was this still the world she knew? Ai Xueli, realizing this fact, felt her worldview crumbling. It was a legitimate healing white magic that could be offered to the goddess, one that could be shown to family members. She instinctively glanced at An Su, the youth was earnestly enjoying his fourth piece of blueberry cake, seemingly undisturbed by the outside world. The warm sunlight poured generously onto the boy''s ash-white long hair, and the light color of his white shirt also soaked up the intoxicating scent of sunshine. He appeared, surprisingly, like a normal, beautiful young man. If Ai Xueli knew that An Su had once combined [Friendly Pain Exchanges] and [X-ray Illumination Skill] to live-stream the nudity of his enemies, her shattered worldview would be reconstructed. An Su ate another piece of cake; he was also somewhat surprised to receive a perfect grade. In the game, the first time he created magic, it was only at a normal, excellent level. He fell into contemplation. ``` It seems there is still a need for further development of X-rays. While the crowd nearby continued to cheer and make noise, An Su''s clever mind had already begun to conceive further applications, such as combining "Friendly Pain Signal", "X-ray Illumination Skill", and "Spatial Distortion", to be able to broadcast the enemy''s feminized nude body live. At that thought, a clean, pure smile curled upon An Su''s lips. He looked even more like a normal, healthy-minded youth with proper values. Ai Xueli had no idea what An Su was thinking and she said to herself, "It''s a pity you''re only a saint right now. If you were a deacon or higher, you would have the privilege of offering magic to the divines. Then you would know how much your Illumination Skill is worth in blessings and whether it is recognized by the magicians." "However, even with a perfect rating, you won''t earn many faith points in the short term." "After all, you''re not well-known yet and your rank is not high. Saints usually prefer to exchange blessings with established magicians." An Su felt that Ai Xueli''s words made sense. In a way, this was like buying stocks; the saints'' faith points were hard-earned, naturally inclined towards famous, great magicians. An Su revealed a contemplative expression. The surrounding attendants were dumbfounded, as they had not expected the big boy before them to be actually evaluating magicand to have obtained a perfect rating. The deacon in charge of managing the rest area hurried over after hearing the news. No one wanted to offend a genius who would at least become a ''district bishop'' in the future, and he immediately put on a warm, friendly smile. Geniuses certainly enjoy privileges that are not bound by rules, even if it''s eating too much cake. "I apologize for our temp''s neglect. Please make yourself at home in the rest area, do as you please." "Then, can I get a takeaway?" An Su wanted more. "Feel free to take away," the deacon said generously. "Can I take off my pants to eat? Clothes limit my performance," Arthur wanted to show off his ruler. "...Feel free to undress," said the deacon, still smiling. sea??h th Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. This guy really took it as his own home. "Mr. An Su Moningsta, as the first place winner of the charity event, you will receive personal mentoring from the vice-president of the Magic Association, Cardinal of the Radiant Holy See, ''God of Law'' Merlin Andre." "His Excellency Merlin is on the tenth floor of the Magic Association." The deacon kept his warm smile, "Please follow me." Ai Xueli''s expression instantly became serious, and even Arthur and Lister became pensive upon hearing the name Merlin. Obviously, the title of the youngest Cardinal of the Radiant Holy See is that resonant. Even these two rogues were familiar with it. The Faceless One, the rotating chief of Heaven''s Gate, the pure gaze, the organizer of ''Magic into Campus, Magic Guide Down to the Countryside'' from Mary Avenue''s third street, His Excellency Merlin Andre, who bears the divine title ''Rod of Radiance''. Even in the game, His Excellency Merlin remained an enigma. The only certainty was that Merlin''s rank was above that of Bone while he was alive and that he was one of the seven strongest demigods in the Church. Quite a heavyweight. Since Merlin is such a heavyweight... An Su suddenly thought of a new, unscrupulous method. He felt he was about to make a killing. "Do not neglect the proper manners." Ai Xueli admonished An Su with solemnity, carefully straightening his clothes for him, "When meeting such a being, always be mindful. Do not do anything strange!" "Sure, I''ll absolutely not do anything strange," An Su declared with an innocently sincere smile. ``` Chapter 149 This One is Even More Significant! The Magic Association did not have a tenth layer.The magic work staircase reached its top at the ninth layer. An Su followed behind the deacon, first passing through corridor after corridor, and at the end of the corridor, he saw a new staircase, winding its way out, its end unknown. As if unaffected by the laws of physics. "You must proceed on your own from here, I can no longer accompany you," the deacon said to An Su. S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Walking up the spiral staircase, surrounded by pale blue magic power, stepping over staircases splattered with mercury ripples, An Su felt himself getting further from the mortal world with each level crossed, as starlight laid out on the stairs, slowly circulating. The starlight seemed familiar. When An Su finally reached the top of the staircase, he saw the brilliant and sacred giant doorframe, supporting the entire starry sky, with marble columns rich in Holy Light aesthetics lined up along the grand door, and healing, alchemic, radiance, druid, chastity, stardust, orderthe seven sacred runes arrayed on the columns. An Su realized this was the Nether World. The tenth layer of the Magic Association was an entire world. The rank of this world was at least of the Seventh Order, a demigod-level world. An Su had read in the setup, this was the Magic Association''s, and even the Septenary Church''s, top-tier foundation, the Seventh-Layer Cathedral World ''Heaven''s Gate''. The so-called Nether was the fragments of a world once destroyed; this place was the proof of Heaven''s fall. This world was unimaginably vast. Gazing outward into the sea-blue sky, beyond the door, one could see the Seven Gods Hall built upon the sea of stars. The Seven Gods Hall of Farol was just the one established in the mundane world; the truly sacred Seven Gods Hall, however, was established in the world of Heaven. Ahead was a vast expanse of pure white Cecilia flowers, the sea of flowers stretching to the end of the grand door, with dazzling starlight falling and favoring, and the pale blue glow gently moistening each petal. "The space ahead is not where your existence may tread." The ethereal voice seemed to come from above the stars, yet also echoed deep within the soul, quite imposing. A voice that bespoke authority the moment it was heard. An Su narrowed his eyes slightly and did not proceed further, so as not to offend this mysterious demigod. An Su stopped. What followed was a long silence. Even in Heaven, time flowed irregularly, and as dusk slowly fell, the flower petals, whitened by starlight, were re-tinted with a blush of yellow. Time passed slowly, and An Su did not budge. He decided to adopt a stance of "If you don''t move, I don''t move." After another extended period of silence, "Why don''t you come over?" asked the ethereal voice. "Didn''t you say that the space ahead is not for me to tread?" An Su honestly replied. "What I meant was, the field of flowers ahead is my plantation, forbidden to be trampled upon," said the ethereal voice leisurely, "but you can take a detour to come here." This God of Law was rather caring. An Su took a detour and arrived in front of the giant doorframe. He could see a sacred church, cradled among the Cecilia flowers, at the most flourishing part of the flower sea A man without a discernible face, clad in a red robe, with that magnificent and sacred Church robe trailing all the way to his ankles, the hem of the robe embroidered with the design of the Cathedral of the Holy Light, facing away from all beings, with the orange sunset falling in front of him and the grand starry sky rising again, starlight and sunlight rotating in exchange. The faceless one, the rotating guardian of Heaven''s Gate, the Pure White Eye, and the ''Staff of Radiance''. "An Su Moningsta." The only thing that could be clearly seen were his eyes, pure white as if containing endless light, "Do you know what this door in front of you signifies?" An Su shook his head, though he actually did know what lay beyond it, he had to pretend not to. "Beyond this door lies the true Seven Gods Hall, and it is also one of the keys to the path to divinity. However, the Church has always failed the trials of Heaven, thus this place can still be infiltrated by the Evil God. To guard Heaven''s Gate is the duty of every Cardinal; do you understand what this entails?" "Our meeting here, in this space, at this point in time, do you truly understand what it means?" What does it mean... An Su fell into thought. Could it be a veiled admonition? Hitting on myself, the Child of the Curse? Or is it an expectation I hold for myself, a hint that I should take on the heavy responsibilities of Heaven, or teach me some divine secret... Countless possibilities flashed through An Su''s mind, but he dismissed them one by one. Time and space, this point in time... What profound meaning does this have? "Your Excellency Merlin, please just tell me directly," An Su said. "It means..." Merlin sighed slowly, his ethereal and vast voice carrying the loneliest and coldest desolation, as if it were a sigh from the edge of the universe, "It means that even though it''s time for me to clock off, I have to work overtime because of you!" What the hell are you talking about? An Su was expressionless. "245 is my turn to keep watch, 136 is for that old geezer from the Order Church, but I''ve been on guard duty for a whole year now." Merlin sighed, "That damn old bastard." The rotation for overseeing Heaven''s Gate sounds so profound and mysterious, but is it just old men taking turns guarding the door! Merlin sighed helplessly. An Su felt that his impression of the God of Law had shifted slightly. "I''ve looked over the magic you submitted." Merlin spoke with an attitude of just getting by in work, "It''s designed quite interestingly." Experience tales at empire "That Illumination Skill is still at the initial stage, and there is a lot of room for improvement." Praised by the God of Law, An Su decided to be modest first. "What Illumination Skill?" Merlin looked surprised, "I said the ''friendly interaction'' is interesting, very enjoyable." "..." An Su felt there was something seriously wrong with this God of Law''s train of thought. This birth magic has already been listed as a forbidden spell on the outside. "If X-ray Illumination Skill and friendly torture sharing, and Spatial Distortion were combined, it would be possible to live stream the enemy''s feminized nude body in real-time. Wouldn''t that also be interesting?" An Su decided to give it a try. "Hmm... indeed, that''s quite interesting," Merlin nodded thoughtfully, "I didn''t see it coming; you''re rather knowledgeable about magic." Being evaluated by the God of Law as ''rather knowledgeable about magic'' could cause quite a stir if it got out. "So the X-ray Illumination Skill is also quite interesting, right?" "Indeed, let me have a look at the Magic Circuit for your X-ray Illumination Skill." Merlin''s pure white eyes fixed on An Su. He''d been bored watching the gate for so long; this kid An Su was pretty interesting, so why not reward him a bit. An Su took out the Magic Circuit. "Bring it closer, the Holy Light in my eyes is too brilliant to see clearly." So pure white pupils mean cataracts... How come this gatekeeping old man has so many problems. Merlin took a look, made a few slow and deliberate modifications, "Hmm, this kind of Holy Light is indeed quite unique, really interesting. There''s something else inside, other light... I''ve enhanced it for you, making it even more interesting now." An Su took a look, [Radiant Illumination Skill] [Legendary Intermediate-Stage Magic] [Magic Power Consumption: 5] [Effect: High-radiation Holy Light irradiation has a certain chance of causing irregular mutations, with younger subjects being more susceptible to changes] [Note: Mr. Merlin Andre is a devout Bishop of the Holy Light, his research has shown that radiant light is also a rare branch of the Holy Light] "..." Chapter 150 An Su is Tortured for the First Time "it seems you have done quite some research on the holy light,"an su looked at the god of law in the red robes and sincerely said. this radiant light can be used together with the "divine gift," enabling the creation of many more novel breeds of virtual creatures. it also contributes significantly to the diversity of farol''s creatures. "naturally," his excellency merlin nodded calmly. although his specific features weren''t clear, the holy light in his pure white eyes became more intense. he became interested as the conversation turned to holy light and casually started discussing his magic design, "i removed most of the light, retaining just enough radiation so you''d know you''re using holy lightin accordance with the teachings of the radiant holy see." "in the third chapter, fourth section of the bible, it is written: ''let the holy light shine upon the earth, let the holy light shine upon every creature, for it is our mission as saints.''" "since it must shine upon every creature, that should include the esoteric religion. thus, i designed a friendly holy light more suitable for the constitution of cultists." the words of this old gatekeeper made a lot of sense. it felt very reasonable. an su nodded in agreement, "indeed, spreading the holy light is my duty. i thank his excellency merlin for the teachings, and i will ensure that the glimmer of holy light shines across the entirety of nether. when that time comes, there will no longer be any strife." "an admirable ideal." his excellency merlin found the young one teachable, "but your current level isn''t sufficient, and your talent is mediocre." he rarely encountered juniors who truly recognized his theories. the holy maiden of the imperial city he last met had far surpassed an su in talent but always lacked somethingthat''s why merlin declined the princess. an su''s gaze was much more sincere. however, merlin''s initial impression of an su was not good; in fact, one might say he disdained him, especially since the young man chose his closing time to visit. merlin watched as the twilight gradually fell, the pale pink sky slowly losing its color, thinking that a new day was about to dawn. he wanted to finish work. guarding the gate was no fun at all. "do you have any other questions?" merlin asked. "your excellency merlin, could you teach me magic creation?" an su had seen merlin effortlessly modify a simple low-level spell into a legendary intermediate spellhis prowess was certainly much greater than bone''s in life. meeting a good teacher meant it was important to learn well. such a hassle... the holy light in merlin''s eyes dimmed slightly. he disliked troublesome and time-consuming tasks; had he known, he wouldn''t have impulsively initiated the charity event of ''bringing magic into homes, spread wizard knowledge to the countryside.'' but a promise made had to be kept. he''d find a way to dismiss him carelessly. he gazed at the increasingly dark night sky, observing the encroaching twilight and the sky drowning in shadows. that indescribable oppression came from above the canopy, from the profound starry sky. this should be quite interesting. [heaven''s gate detects an apostle of sorrow] "the principle of magic creation is very simple, just two steps. first is learning; that relies on your brain. second is imitation; that relies on your shamelessness." the radiant bishop truly lived up to his name, advocating plagiarism so boldly and openly. no wonder his excellency merlin was known as ''the faceless one.'' now an su understood how merlin got his third honorary title. merlin came up with a good idea, "you should have learned about magic creation by now, so let''s move to practical application." [the war priest is invading the world] [the ''moonlit cavalry charging through the fields'' has been loaded] according to celestial rules, every church world that hasn''t been fully finalized will periodically enter a cycle and open periodically, with the various faiths qualifying to compete anew. the timing of these openings isn''t certain, but the demigod world ''heaven'' opens its gates every twilight evening. that''s why the church sends cardinals to guard heaven''s gate. an su felt his breath halt as the stars nearly toppled. across the layers of thick clouds, silver streaks crossed the galaxy, night dispersed, and an overwhelming flood of moonlight poured down. the temperature of the surrounding air plummeted. approaching amidst the moonlight and silver frost was a massive ironclad cavalry as dark as the night itself. ``` iron hooves trampled through the night, echoing like thunder through heaven, every rise and fall was a bolt of lightning; thousands of iron hooves striking at once, thousands of lightning bolts crashing down, even the skies seemed to quake on the verge of collapse. this was an invasion by the apostles of pain against heaven! an su looked at merlin, but the latter''s expression remained unchanged as if all this was just a part of his routine, even displaying a hint of weariness. "looks like overtime again..." sear?h the ovlfire .net website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "if i had left a bit earlier... it wouldn''t be my turn." the crimson bishop''s robe fluttered without any wind. the brilliance within merlin''s pure white pupils grew ever more intense, as he softly chanted incantations, ignoring the surrounding tempest, the iron cavalry had set foot in the gardens of heaven, with lightning scorching everything, countless pure white petals turned to ash beneath the hooves of the cavalry. in the eyes of an su, myriad splendid laws dissipated and then reconverged, myriad intricate and beautiful magic circuits appeared around merlin and then receded in an instant. this was the magic of a demigod. calling it ''magic'' hardly seemed fitting; it was more apt to call it a ''miracle''. the choir''s sacred hymns echoed in the ears, a great angel manifested behind merlin, a face so breathtaking and holy it overpowered all else in the world with its beauty. the great angel''s eyes were pure and flawless white, much like merlin''s pupils, spreading six divine wings that filled half of the sky. he held a holy spear composed of brilliant light, slowly descending upon the iron cavalry, like a judgment. [judgment of light] [holy rank. demigod magic] [blessing magic] [magic power consumption: unknown] as merlin chanted the final prayer, light showered down. the divine light tenderly stroked across everything, with blood spurting alongside the light. countless heads soared into the sky, as all the iron cavalry were beheaded in an instant, the soaring blood mingled with the warm holy light, creating a uniquely sublime beauty. the light of judgment, one judgment, and all were slain. [effect: the guardian angel makes a judgment call on all targets, beings of a lower rank than the caster will be beheaded] enjoy new stories from empire [note: merlin andre is a devout radiant bishop. according to his many years of research, death can also be a rare branch of the holy light] "..." an su felt that all before looked rather heartwarming: the singing, the beautiful angel sisters, and the blessing of the all-encompassing holy light was rather healing, only for it to abruptly end in heads dropping dead. seeing an su''s confusion, merlin explained, "the first part of this magic i copied from my teacher, but the latter part is my own creation." he was somewhat surprised by an su''s reaction. witnessing such a battle at the demigod level normally would have left a third order saint trembling in fear, yet this young an su, after his initial shock, gradually calmed down and even appeared to be lost in thought. "i copied and then slightly adapted it," "to focus more of the holy light deep within the brain." so, it turned into blowing up heads... an su stared at merlin. "may i ask where is your teacher now?" an su inquired. "oh, he has retired, the radiant shepherd of the previous generation." when mentioning his teacher, a shadow seemed to pass over the holy light in merlin''s eyes, perhaps reminiscing about the times spent with his mentor, "i never really understood why he retired so early." an su felt he knew the reason. "so you plan to?" an su asked tentatively. "as you''ve seen, you''ve already learned the two greatest secrets of magic creation. now it''s your turn to copy this epic magic and make it your ownthat should be quite simple." merlin showed a calm and serene smile to an su, the smile so kind and peaceful, his eyes radiating pure white sincere holy light. a god of law? a god of law is gold. ``` Chapter 151 Merlins First Torture the vast stellar light cascaded down, enveloping everything in a faint starlight glow. the battlefield once strewn with corpses had been swept spotless by the starry sky.an su thought to himself. what exactly is this old guardian emitting? you still have to grind it out from birth! at his current level, just glancing at it made it impossible for him to copy this demigod-level magic. "if you copy this magic of mine and succeed, i''ll teach you magic," discover more stories at empire sea??h th n?vel(f)ire.nt website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. merlin''s reasoning for this was simple,, one was because he found it rather interesting, and the second was the thought of sending an su away sooner. it''s not that i won''t teach you, but that you lack the perceptiveness. most saints, faced with such a situation, would wisely know their limits and retreat, not wasting anyone''s time. this tactic of merlin''s worked every time. all the saints who came to learn, upon witnessing this sacred demigod magic, promptly left, including that genius holy maiden. unexpectedly, the young man before him said, "let me try." "...do you really want to try?" merlin''s eyes flashed with intense holy light as an su once again surprised him, "are you serious?" "i''ve come all this way." an su believed in a principle, since he''d come, he would always try. moreover, it''s free. "this is the entire magic circuit of the ''judgment of light.''" the holy light map appeared in merlin''s hands. at first glance, an su saw three major routes forming the structure of this magic, like bronze tree trunks, with each branch giving rise to nearly a thousand magic sub-branches they combined perfectly and intricately, forming the entirety of the magic, each sub-branch made of even smaller magic circuits, continuously subdividing and extending, seemingly endless. each magic circuit carried a mysterious beauty, captivating the mind, stirring the soul, as if to immerse one in an ocean of vast stellar information. just by looking at it like this, an su felt a brain-splitting pain. this was sacred-level magic. but what surprised an su even more was that merlin presented the sacred-level magic circuit so openly before him. the unique circuits of sacred-level magic were incredibly precious. they were typically concealed with great care. unable to contain his curiosity, an su voiced his question, while merlin replied nonchalantly, "if it can be learned by others, then it''s just thatnot precious. if it''s not precious, then there''s no need for me to keep it. besides, isn''t it good if someone else can learn it?" "i''ll just create new ones that others can''t learn," merlin spoke evenly as if discussing a trivial matter, "so, having seen this, do you still have the courage to learn?" "we have a deal," an su shifted his gaze back to the map of the sacred magic, feeling a sting in his consciousness, as if his soul was being torn apart by the immersion in the sea of information. merely a few seconds of observation made him feel dizzy and disoriented. an su looked away, gasping for air, sweat streaming down his cheeks. learning this thing could cost half a life, even if it doesn''t kill you. "let me take a few more looks," said an su. what''s gotten into him? merlin was surprised at an su''s audacity. the boy dared to look again. shouldn''t he be leaving dejectedly, allowing me to clock out satisfied? an su cast his eyes once more on the magic circuit, this time managing to observe it for an extended period. it was just as expected. he had undergone countless life trials and possessed a spiritual fortitude far surpassing that of his peers. merlin suddenly realized something bad, surely he couldn''t end up unable to finish for the day? "aren''t you afraid of dying?" merlin asked, "if the soul perishes, even a body''s revival can''t bring it back to life." "if i die here, wouldn''t you have to pay compensation?" an su lifted his head and said earnestly, "according to ''nether peacekeeping law'' chapter 3, section 1, and ''labor law case'' section 3, if an employee dies at the workplace, then the person in charge of the place and the district security are liable for full compensation." "besides, i am still a minor." i''m the one on duty at the gates of heaven, not district security! but from a certain point of view, is it somehow like that? the god of order would probably acknowledge it too. merlin felt he was about to be outmaneuvered by this youngster. this was astro-world, after allthe eyes of the gods from above were all focusing here. he truly couldn''t let an su''s soul die in heaven. he had said those words just to scare an su off. this guy obviously saw through that. now it was up to him to keep an su alive, which was why this guy could be so brazen. merlin squinted his eyes slightly; he wanted to get off work... why did this youngster have to be so stubborn? all he wanted was to find an excuse to send the person away, and it was the first time he had encountered someone as stubborn as an su. what was this youngster after? he knew full well it was impossible to succeed. an su fixed his gaze on the holy light map, the complex and vast information threatening to rip his soul apart. every time he tried to make out the configurations of the circuits, his brain would emit excruciating paina protective mechanism of the human body, which prevented his soul from getting lost in that sea of information. he had failed dozens of times but could never grasp the configurations of the circuits. if not for merlin''s protection, an su would have been gravely injured by now. merlin brought over a small stool and sat beside him with a face full of despair, staring at this accursed youngster who seemed to bring pestilence with him. this guy was what? a top-tier masochist, torturing both himself and others. it was merlin''s first time encountering such a type of fresh soul. if he didn''t get off work soon, it would be time to start working again! so be it. this youngster probably wouldn''t last much longer. the pain in the soul was no less than actual death. a few more deaths, and he would naturally lose patience and choose to give upthat''s what merlin thought. this time, an su stared at the magic circuit for a full minute before finally moving his gaze away in pain. deep within his consciousness, he didn''t know how many times he had died already. but it didn''t matter; it wasn''t real death, after all. to an su, dying and coming back to life, living and dying again, it was all like a game, and he was best at playing games. in games, you die countless times, and each death brings some harvest. all magic shortcuts were discovered slowly through an eternal cycle of repetitive death. an su realized that it was impossible to see clearly the upper three thousand magic branches with his current rank; he couldn''t replicate the "judgment of light" either. if that was the case, then just copy one magic branch, just one three-thousandth of a holy light spell. copy it, and make it his own. as dusk fell once again, twilight and starlight took their turns, in merlin''s weary gaze, a new day had arrived. it was time for him to work again! he wanted a vacation! Chapter 152 Merlin: An Sus Deeper Understanding of Holy Light (Two in One) the last rays of twilight slowly faded away at the end of the horizon, a leaden night sky blanketed with thick mists, and cold-toned stars cascaded down in layers, the night of heaven grand and austere, yet stunning.gazing downward from the highest step, the bustling capital of the seven gods came into view. the bustling magic levitating trains shuttled past the closely arranged ancient buildings, soaring along the contours of the starry river, straight into the clouds. the streets were flourishing and lively, and with the coming of nightfall, one after another lamp of the seven gods was lit. but all the earthly bustle had nothing to do with merlin. he found it only noisy. the god of law, the faceless one, the one with pure white pupils, the youngest demigod, his excellency merlin andre, had always enjoyed smooth sailing in his life. sarch* the n?vel(f)ire.nt website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. merlin andre''s life had never encountered a mountain to climb, an opponent worth battling, nor a problem that perplexed him, until a few years ago when his teacher retired. thus, the seat responsible for guarding heaven''s gate within the radiant holy see was handed to him. whenever his teacher was mentioned, the holy light in merlin''s eyes was quite dim; he could never quite get over his teacher''s retirement. stay connected via empire the rotational stewardship of heaven''s gate was seen as a high honor to the outside world. on his first day at work, merlin took his job seriously, diligently resolving the invading angel envoys with the fastest speedhe did, of course, want to finish work early. but he soon regretted it. just because he was too efficient and quick, single-handedly resolving the angel envoy legions, the other old-timers from the church didn''t bother to show up anymore! all the work was left to him. it was said merlin was in charge of days one, three, and five, yet he had not had a day off in a whole year. this time, he had managed to schedule three days off, but in the very last moment of his vacation... an su moningsta, this rookie, made his appearance. merlin glared at the boy next to him, once again regretting why he had hosted that foolish event and why he had proposed such an idiotic test. an su was still intently scrutinizing those three thousand magic circuits, advanced knowledge forcefully entered his clear yet naive eyes, aggressively cramming into the kid''s little head, the high concentration of knowledge clashing with his low-concentration brain fluid, causing the kid to bleed from every orifice as the blood spurted out recklessly. merlin couldn''t really let the kid die here. and so he had to go to the trouble of preserving his soul. if it had ended there, it would have been fine, but merlin saw that the rookie even had a smile at the corner of his mouth. a very innocent smile. merlin could feel that an su was truly joyful from his heart; that smile was pure and sunny. was this rookie a masochist... merlin didn''t yet know that this seasoned soul player had trained to derive pleasure from pain. whether it was being tortured or torturing another, he could be quite happy, and when the two could happen at the same time, an su''s smile became even more radiant. "..." merlin felt he had really seen it all. he didn''t believe an su could keep it up; the tearing of a soul is a pain more dreadful than the death of the body, and with time, that pain only intensifies. moreover, this perseverance was pointless. an su himself surely understood. a third order saint could not replicate a divine demigod level magic. it was absolutely impossible. merlin had successfully copied his master''s "judgment of light" and created demigod magic, but by that time, his rank was already that of a saint. continuing this would only be a meaningless waste of both parties'' time. merlin could only wait; after all, he had a total of three days off. he very much regretted proposing that stupid test, but since he had proposed it himself, he had no choice but to abide by it. merlin felt that the reason an su was persevering was only because of the rashness of young blood, recklessly driven by a moment''s fervor. after suffering the pain a dozen or so more times, that fervor would slowly dissipate. thinking this, he felt a lot more relaxed. with things as they were, it was time to eat. after he finished eating, the young man should have given up. behind the flower garden was a vegetable patch, idly planted by merlin during his guard duty out of boredom. merlin set up a temporary array to protect the soul and then slipped out to the backyard to pick some vegetables, leaving an su alone in his place. an su''s eyes were bloodshot; he clenched his teeth tightly, staring fixedly at the thirty thousand magic circuits in front of him. indeed, he couldn''t replicate a divine level magic right now. but to plagiarize, he didn''t need to copy it all. the plan had been set; just copying one magic circuit would suffice. but which one to copy specifically became a new problem. he needed to read as many magic circuits as possible to find a direction. an su could now endure reading for one minute; if he exceeded this time, he had to divert his gaze to rest, otherwise, he would faint on the spot. however, an su''s tolerance for divine level magic circuits was gradually improving; he could only last ten seconds at the start, but now he had improved to one minute. as his consciousness was battered and torn by knowledge and then forcibly repaired by merlin, an su felt his soul''s resilience steadily increase. maybe that was the greatest gain. of course, the corresponding price wasit really hurt. time and again he fainted, and time and again he awoke, with time silently slipping by. when his excellency merlin had finished his lunch, an su was still reading the magic circuits. he had already gone through nearly a thousand, but the vast knowledge was beyond his soul''s capacity to remember, leaving only a rough outline in his memory. Chapter 152 Merlin: An Sus Deeper Understanding of Holy Light (Two in One)_2 "why is this kid still here..." stay updated with empirehis excellency merlin''s gaze underwent a subtle change. if he wants to stay here, let him stay. let''s see who can outlast whom. bishop merlin went to plant flowers. an su could now persist in reading for three minutes at a time. since he couldn''t memorize, he had to take in all the magic circuits in one go. when the afternoon sunlight pierced through the mist and the day''s color slowly turned a yellowish hue, merlin watered his beloved garden and turned back to see that an su was still there. even the smile at the corner of the upstart''s mouth had become increasingly radiant. his excellency merlin''s gaze became even more nuanced. dusk was approaching, and the second day of his vacation was about to end! "that, child, it''s time for you to go home," merlin spoke to an su in a friendly manner. "actually, by being able to persist to this extent, you truly are very out...outstanding," the tone was so gentle that it surprised merlin himself. since birth, the time of the great mage had always been frozen at the moment of his birth, and thus he had always been a newborn. as a child, teachers called him little newborn, as an adult, the esoteric religion referred to him as the old newborn, and his manner of conduct had always been imperious. when had his tone ever been so kind? a year of gatekeeping had smoothed out the newborn edges of his excellency merlin. everything was for the vacation. "your excellency merlin, please rest assured," an su turned his head slowly, with blood still streaming from the corners of his eyes, but his gaze was as firm as someone about to join the church, "to spread the glory of my lord, i will not give up." "there''s no need for you to test me with words." i''m not testing you, i just want you to scram the holy light in his excellency merlin''s eyes flickered uncertainly, indicating his inner turmoil. "i really do want you to leave." an su''s azure eyes met merlin''s pure white pupils squarely, brimming with sincerity, "i know, you''re testing my resolve." the holy light in his excellency merlin''s eyes flickered even faster; he gritted his teeth, feeling that the title of the faceless one should be conferred upon an su. "scram," he lost his composure, "with your current level, there''s absolutely no way you can replicate ''judgement light''; don''t waste your time." "you''re right, but i won''t give up." an su''s shoulders trembled violently with pain. he was like a hot-blooded protagonist, his tone filled with fervor and defiance, "i really have understood it all along, from the beginning. with my talent, with my abilities, it''s impossible for me." dusk fell, and the starry sky began to rise. the brilliant starlight shone on the boy''s face, making his spirit shine so brightly. "i''ve always known that i''m no genius!" "but! the only thing i can do is persist; all i have left is persistence persistence is my one and only talent!" persistence in enduring pain is your only damn talent, kid! the holy light in his excellency merlin''s eyes was as bright as an incandescent light. the second day of vacation ended! his own holiday, ah his excellency merlin felt lifeless inside, as if he were about to retire from frustration. he even began to suspect that it was all a vast conspiracy, wondering if an su had been sent by the elders of the alchemical church with the purpose of holding him back and preventing him from leaving work. sar?h the ovlfire .net website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. truly a terrifying factional struggle. what merlin did not yet know was that the outside world was also experiencing quite a stir. many magicians knew that the first prize of the ''magic into campus, magic to the countryside'' event was the opportunity to be personally instructed by his excellency merlin, but every top scorer who met with his excellency merlin soon came down on their own, and when faced with questions from reporters, they just smiled and remained silentmanifestly wishing the misfortune on the next poor soul to face the ordeal of his excellency merlin. so ''a conversation with the god of law'' became an unsolved mystery, quite enigmatic. even the holy maiden from the imperial city only stayed for about an hour before leaving with a strange expression on her face. but a magician like an su, who had stayed for two days and nights, that was unprecedented. reporters had already crowded the hall of the magic guild. at the same time, the cardinal of the alchemical church, his excellency randal, was even more astounded and baffled. ''why hasn''t that old newborn come out to change shifts yet?'' his excellency randal knew merlin''s temperament well. it had not been easy for him to get a vacation, and yet he had voluntarily given it up. could it be that the saint named an su moningsta was highly regarded by merlin? engrossed in pleasant conversation, meeting too late in life, they probably talked through the night and forgot about the time, to the point that merlin willingly gave up his vacation was merlin thinking of taking a disciple? all sorts of rumors were suddenly flying around. on the third day, the golden sunlight spread over each step, the morning sky was clear and transparent, and the mood of the god of law was troubled and constipated. an su had watched through another night. he could now concentrate for five minutes at a stretch, which meant he could take in two hundred magic circuits at onceof course, just viewing them, without being able to remember or understand them. however, his understanding of ''judgement light'' had become clearer than before. the merlin version of judgement light, as well as the previous patriarch''s version, had one thing in common, which was the judgement. [the guardian angel makes a judgement upon all targets. beings ranked lower than the caster will be beheaded.] merlin''s judgement was on the soul''s rank of the afflicted... it was a powerful appraisal skill. the soul''s rank, that is, the quality of the soul, was too profound, too complicated, too abstract, so an su had to weaken this aspect and judge something more obvious and visible. Chapter 152 Merlin: An Sus Deeper Understanding of Holy Light (Two in One)_3 the light of judgment acts on the part of the brain, the center where the soul resides.the brain has the highest resistance to magic in the entire body, and an su couldn''t create such a spell himself, so he had to choose a part with lower resistance. an su began to display his ingenious ideas. at seven in the morning, an su could read for six minutes, enough to go through two hundred and forty magic circuits. at eight a.m., an su could go through three hundred magic circuits in one go. at eight-thirty a.m., an su selected the only suitable circuit from the three hundred he had reviewed to understand. by five in the afternoon, an su had completed his understanding. at six in the evening, looking at the slowly rising twilight, his excellency merlin finally revealed a relieved smile. his vacation was coming to an end. he had come to terms with it. no longer struggling. merlin looked at an su, whose soul had shattered countless times. the more he persisted, the more intense the agony became. ordinary magicians would collapse after half an hour, but an su had persisted for three whole days. an su could now brag about controlling the god of law for three days. truth be told, an su''s approach was quite clever. discover exclusive content at empire he couldn''t possibly review all three thousand magic circuits, but by only looking at a part and selecting one to copy, his thought process was innovative. merlin thought of the term ''grafting.'' grafting technique for magic creation. this term originated with the druid school, taking a small branch from a towering tree and nurturing it independently, eventually growing a tree that was uniquely their own. derived from the same source as the original magic, yet capable of evolving a unique path. merlin, with narrowed eyes, was watching an su as well as the magic circuit in his hands. the circuit became clearer and more lively as an su traced it with his thoughts. the original configuration was continuously adapted, whether by addition or modification. that trunk was sprouting fine vessels, absorbing nutrients from around, growing steadily, and birthing new green shoots. a [judgment light] with an su''s characteristics was slowly taking shape! merlin could never have imagined an su would succeed, copying the [judgment light] of his master at the saintly rank while an su copied his at the time of sainthood. even though an su''s branch was just oneonly one magic circuit. but that branch was derived from a towering tree, from divine rank magic, from the highest rank, and it too would grow into the highest rank of towering trees. time slowly passed, twilight fell, and dusk began to spread everywhere. when an su''s magic was nearing its end, the stars and sunset mingled once more. night descended, the sky a fitful yellow. twilight is also the time of demonic invasion, the time when heaven''s gates swing wide open. the doors of heaven trembled, and that unsettling breath slowly approached. [the priest of war is invading the world] sar?h the ovelfire.et website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. [the ''bloodstained cavalry roaming the fields'' has entered] silver steeds streaked across the sky, with thunder flashing past, revealing the cavalry that shattered the veil of night. three days later, the legion of pain invaded the world once again. after their previous failure, they came more prepared this time, with nearly a thousand angels envoys. each angel envoy had a sallow, fierce look, with crimson hair flaring like flames, and their moonlight steeds neighing like thunder; each one a fourth order magical beast. with just their breaths, they caused lightning and moonlight to stir, the entire world trembling in sync. at the same time. the magic copied from merlin, now with an su''s distinct touch, was finally complete. of course, this was just its initial state. [judgment light] [conceptual magic] [rank: ordinary~sacred (the rank can be raised as the magic circuit is perfected)] [effect: the guardian angel issues a judgment upon all targets. beings whose soul values are lower than the caster''s will have their hair shorn off (the effect and corresponding concept will escalate with rank)] [note: an su moningsta is a devout radiant saint who, after years of research, firmly believes that being bald is also a rare branch of holy light.] "...shall we test the effects of the magic?" what a terrifying magic. after a moment of silence, merlin pointed at the legion of pain behind him, with a respectful expression, having lived so many years, he had finally witnessed a true genius of the holy light. damn, his understanding of holy light went even deeper than his own! let''s call the initial state of this sacred magic, ''initial holy magic!'' Chapter 153 An Su: I fight a Demigod? at dusk, the time of sealing demons arrived, and the gates of heaven opened wide, with the stars trembling, ready to fall.the iron cavalry, originating from the root of pain, stretched between the mountains and the stars, arrayed in a line, with crimson hair burning like blood. the painful esoteric sect had the most vast and top-tier armies. mounted on iron steeds bearing frost and thunder, they traversed between fragments of worlds, from the first order to the sixth, their conquest knew no bounds. they spread the smoke of war and mournful screams of pain to every corner of the nether world to win the pleasure of the mother goddess, and established esoteric schools in conquered worlds to cultivate a multitude of soldiers of pain, constantly feeding the war, thus forming the largest army within the sect. the pinnacle of the worlds conquered by the legion of pain was the tenth layer of the magic association, the demigod-level world standing above all othersheaven''s gate. three days ago, the campaign was just a test of the waters. this time, the painful angel envoy dispatched the newly trained ninety-fourth legion, also known as the ''crimson blood legion.'' this legion, since its inception, had already conquered several worlds of the saintly rank. its commander, general rada harlingtonalso known as the ''red-haired blood demon''had even reached the demigod realm, he was cloaked in pitch-black armor, his blood-red cloak billowing high, and his deep crimson hair fluttered in the wind like smoke, rendering him more demonic than a god! general rada was determined to cover this unblemished world with pain and blood. this campaign would surely spread the majesty and glory of the crimson legion throughout the entirety of the nether. he was a maniac of war. to him, there was only one opponent in this war, the dazzling god of law, the rotating ruler of heaven, the one with pure white pupils, the faceless onemerlin andre! his crimson eyes surveyed the land below. merlin was also watching him, his cardinal robe symbolic of the cardinal flowing in the wind. the holy light surged in his pure white eyes, and a terrifying, invisible pressure burst forth between the two top-tier demigods, so oppressive that an su could hardly catch his breath. this would unquestionably be a battle filled with glory. general rada thought to himself, overwhelmed with the desire to fight. this would unquestionably be a joyless, unpaid overtime session. the god of law merlin thought to himself, his spirit flagging. he nudged an su''s back and suggested with his eyes, "you go." "i fight a demigod?" an su was somewhat dumbfounded, his eyes blinking innocently like a small white rabbit, and he cocked his head, doubting that he had heard correctly. "didn''t you just come up with a new magic?" sea??h th novel(f~)ire.net website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. his excellency merlin said nonchalantly, "go give it a try." that early saint magic should be quite interesting. i don''t have enough magic power... an su looked at the endless ranks of the legion of pain, their black armor blotting out the sky, arrayed on the horizon like layers of dark ominous clouds. this old man has started to trick people again. [authority temporarily granted] [access to the magic power reserve opened] [the rotating ruler of heaven, merlin andre, grants you partial rights] [an su moningsta, the heaven''s gate opens for you] "...." this guy just wants to be lazy whenever he can! azure magic power ran wild around him, but under the protection of heaven, it did no harm to an su''s body. an su felt something different, as if his spirit and inspiration were limitless in this moment. as merlin granted an su temporary power, an su was to marshal the vast, galaxy-like surge of magic, holding the ephemeral authority and strength in his hands. though they could be retracted by merlin at any time. he lifted his head, and protected by the grace of heaven, he would no longer be eroded by the overwhelming force of the demigods, locking eyes directly with the red-haired demon god above the firmament. general rada squinted his elongated eyes; he had never seen this youngster before. in terms of soul quality, he was merely a saint of the third order, such ants had never truly caught general rada''s attention. general rada''s eyes were solely on merlin. he and merlin were old rivals. in the past year, they had clashed nearly ten times, each battle dragging on until dusk quenched the light of heaven and forced its gates to close. they were evenly matched foes that always left him returning without success, and his ''crimson legion'' had dropped from the eighty-fourth to the ninety-fourth legion. they were fated adversaries, destined to fight together until the world crumbled! his heart throbbed wildly with excitement, the fighting spirit burning as intensely as his fiery red hair, imagining that his excellency merlin too must be harboring such fervent emotions. merlin andre! let us fight for each other''s honor! you must be delighted as well. let me kill you, or, please, kill me. let us eternally become a part of each other''s lives! this time, it would be the end of their war! his excellency merlin''s "judgement of light" could annihilate the legion of pain in an instant, but this time, the knights were prepared; each wore a saintly protective talisman on their foreheads to shield their souls from destruction. general rada spurred his massive warhorse forward, the crimson steed emitting a thunderous neigh. with nearly a thousand of the legion of pain behind him, they dove down, causing the dark clouds to retreat tumultuously. their momentum surged like a raging flood, their imposing military might threatening to overturn and conquer the entire world. at this moment, their morale had reached its pinnacle. here comes this knucklehead again... merlin''s mouth twitched; this halfwit demigod had been a relentless nuisance to him throughout the year, and though battling him only led to a near-death experience each time, he always managed to rise again, charging toward merlin with cries of glory and suffering. this past year''s workload, a sixth of it had been caused by this pest. merlin patted an su''s shoulder again, eyes conveying spiritual encouragement; this time it was up to you, junior saint, to drive him away! drive him away so he never wants to come back! read exclusive content at empire "...fine, i''ll do it." an su was no longer aware of merlin''s actions. at this moment, his eyes were filled with that azure starlight. his perception expanded infinitely, his soul breathing slowly with heaven; he faced the onrushing legion of pain, he faced the overwhelming demigod general, proclaiming loudly, "judgement" heaven responded to his call. the whole world responded to an su''s call. just like merlin''s "judgement of light," the dazzling holy light traced along the horizon, with an su standing atop an endless staircase, his gray hair dancing against the wind, his fingers pressed together, issuing commands to the world. "judgement of light." judgement is rendered by the guardian angel, and every being has its own guardian angel residing in the deepest part of their soul, unreachable for communication or descent. the appearance of a guardian angel also symbolizes the state of a person''s soul, the embodied form of a being''s consciousness. and an su''s guardian angel, blessed by heaven, invoked by magic, descended at this place! Chapter 168 They All Think Theyve Won (Two in One) His son''s joyous occasion was settled.The mood of Grand Duke Annand of Dari was excellent, for a person naturally feels lively when happy. If things were successful, he would soon be a grandfather. The more he thought about it, the happier he became. As the earliest among the three nobles of the border to become a grandfather, Archduke Annand naturally wanted to flaunt it. Archduke Annand immediately stood up, donned his cloak, and was about to head out. Especially that Chenxing fellow, who always relied on his wealth and because his son was educated, acted so arrogantly. It was truly detestable, so Annand decided to go to the Morningstar Family to demonstrate the majestic presence of the Sun Family. His joyous occasion was also settled. Marquis Norman was even more delighted. The morning sun''s rays pierced through the thin mist, scattering early light dotted with dew upon Marquis Norman''s window. [Dear son-in-law of the Marquis of the Moon,] [I send you the most sincere greetings.] [Your letter has been received.] [Though unworthy, I am indeed Yue''er''s father.] Marquis Norman nodded to himself, it seemed that this was a letter from his future father-in-law. Hmph, the girls these days are just shy. Marquis Norman''s lips curled into a faint smile. She didn''t even write the letter herself, but Marquis Norman knew it was just Yue''er being shy. With his skills as the Sacred Hand of the Border, there hadn''t been a woman he couldn''t win over. The prosperity of the Moon Family was closely related to Marquis Norman''s skills. He continued to read on down the letter. [Your moonlight, my daughter, has received, and truth be told, Yue''er has long been aware of the Marquis of the Moon''s great name and has been thinking of you day and night.] An Su had not lied. Lister had known the name of Marquis Norman since birth. Lister was quite obedient, and that amounted to day and night thinking. The smile on Marquis Norman''s lips became more graceful. Indeed, the women of this world could not help but adore the Moon Nobility. This future father-in-law also had good taste. [However, Yue''er, after all, is raised by my own hands, and as a father, I truly have difficulty in parting with her. Moreover, the road to the border is long and fraught with bandits and demons, and without a handy magic wand for protection, I really cannot be at ease.] Marquis Norman''s brow furrowed slightly with some displeasure. He was a very cultured noble and realized at once that this future father-in-law was asking for a dowry. But the Moon Family had always been the one who eagerly offered money to him. An Su had anticipated this situation long ago and continued in the letter: [To be honest, since my daughter is quite beautiful, the Grand Duke of the Sun had long ago given the ''Heart of the Abyssal Flame Dragon'', wanting to forcefully take my daughter. However, Yue''er''s heart is set on the Moon Family and has never agreed, unable to fulfill the Grand Duke''s wishes, how pitiful it is.] Attached to the letter was a magical photograph of the ''Heart of the Abyssal Flame Dragon''. Marquis Norman immediately understood; the heart of a fire dragon was something only the Sun Family had. He hadn''t expected that old Annand would be so shameless, to have his sights set on another''s young girl at his age. "This scoundrel and thief!" Marquis Norman expressed severe moral condemnation of Grand Duke Dari''s actions, while simultaneously realizing a fact: he was about to be cuckholded. S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Worthy of being called Grand Duke Dari! Living up to his name, he was tactlessly old-fashioned. For the Moon Nobility, this was an immense disgrace. The norm was always to steal someone else''s wife, not to have one''s own stolen. If previously it was just playful scuffles, now it was a matter that related to the honor of the family. Marquis Norman had already resolved in his heart. Wasn''t it just a gift? The depth of the Moon Family''s heritage was surely not inferior to that of the Sun Family. He immediately wrote two reply letters and dispatched them to be delivered to the capital with the utmost haste, lest there be more complications with delay. After writing the letters, Marquis Norman felt the matter was almost completely secure, and naturally felt lively, being in such good spirits. As the handsomest among the three nobles of the border, Marquis Norman naturally wanted to flaunt it as well. He immediately stood up, donned his elegant tailcoat, and was about to leave. Especially that Chenxing fellow, who always flaunted his wealth. He wasn''t as handsome in his youth as Norman was, yet he still had so many young girls pining for himtruly detestable. Marquis Norman headed straight toward the Morningstar Family. The Morningstar''s territory was located in the East of the border. Nearly all the gold and silver mines of the border were situated in Morningstar''s territory. The bright spring sunshine gently illuminated the Morningstar estate, spreading a resplendent golden glow all around. Count Karlo was a man of many talents. Starting as a soldier, he was ennobled as the lord of Morningstar after three years due to his military achievements. By earnestly discovering gold mines, he had painstakingly, industriously climbed to his current status. As the head of the Morningstar Family, he always deemed the family''s prosperity as his duty. When he lacked land, he bought neighboring territories; when he lacked titles, he bought them from the royalty; when he lacked grades, he bought the Border College, fired the principal, and ordered the teachers to give him full marks. The principal of Border College was first beaten by Annand, then bedded by Norman, and finally fired by Karlo as principal. After enduring the sequential torments of the three nobles of the border, this accomplished woman was eventually trained into the very shape of their design. It could be said that, up till now, Count Karlo had not encountered any high mountains in life, nor faced any hardships. That is until he had An Su. Count Karlo, thinking of those two old fools who had flaunted in his territory, cursed An Su in his heart. It was all because An Su''s academic performance was too good, which had left him behind in this area and subjected him to ridicule by those two old fools. Chapter 155 The Bishops: His Excellency Merlin Has Worked Overtime to Baldness! (Two in One) heaven''s gate.dusk had already faded, and the night was merely an outline of pale gray, slowly turning orange with the rise of the sun. in merlin''s shocked and unprepared gaze, an su''s guardian angel''s thin lips parted lightly, "the first strike, to sever all evil." the choir''s enchanting hymn sounded once again, the holy light descended in abundance, the brilliant stardust fell, and the sacred and archaic murmur ''shariputra, all dharmas are empty'' echoed once more. even merlin couldn''t understand at firstwho could have expected that the very first blow upon emerging would strike one''s own people! it was an utter reversal of the heavens! this strike was too sudden, so much so that not just merlin, even an su didn''t have time to react. your next chapter is on empire the invisible, intangible, lawless, formless blade of nothingness fell in silence. merlin only felt a chill on his scalp, his smooth and flowing hair hanging by a thread, and a great shock filled his heart. it was well-known that it was with this elegant and handsome hair that he had been hailed as ''the youngest demigod'' and had topped farol''s list of bishops most beloved by middle-aged and older women for ten years straight. the bishops he worked with were either white-haired or shiny-scalped without a single hair, none could match up to his excellency merlin''s lustrous black beauty. merlin instantly cut off the flow of magic power to an su, sealing all his privileges at heaven''s gate, and cast a silencing spell in an instant, blocking an su''s mouth. better safe than sorry with this little imp causing troubles. an su felt his temporary power and privileges rapidly draining away; he lost all connection with heaven and could no longer sustain divine-level magic. the light of judgment went from ''sacred'' back to ''ordinary''. [the rotational custodian of heaven''s gate has revoked your temporary administrative rights] [the rotational custodian of heaven''s gate has muted you for thirty minutes] "..." an su was silenced. as the god of law, merlin''s response was swift. the light of judgment had not yet fully descended upon merlin''s head, merely grazing lightly, before slowly dissipating. the angel''s ethereal azure eyes took one final glance at merlin, the corners of her mouth curling up into a cunning and satisfied smile, clearly in good spirits. she also noticed she was slowly fading away. warm sunlight shone down, rendering her skin translucent; her form became increasingly transparent and lighter, like the last snow under the early spring sun, slowly melting away. in the final moments of her disappearing, she leaned down and tenderly kissed an su''s forehead. the touch, like that of late snow, was icy and gentle, as if it had never existed. "may we meet in heaven. my lord." the angel whispered softly. they were so close, an su could see the angel''s pure white eyelashes and azure pupils, and the breath she exhaled was soft and cool. ''what''s your name again?'' an su wanted to ask this, but he couldn''t speak. he blinked, staring at the angel, somewhat confused. the morning sun shone down, the warm light passing through the black and white feathers and falling gently on the boy''s cheeks, making it feel as though the sun had lightly kissed his forehead. as the morning breeze blew, the feathers drifted apart, rustling in the air, white and black feathers slowly falling to the ground, covering the steps, leaving nothing in sight. ''this big moth shed pretty seriously'' the angel had already departed, yet an su still stood in the sunlight for a long time, thoughtfully touching his forehead. why did she call me her lord? and where exactly is heaven... or rather, does heaven still exist? the concept of [heaven] was only briefly mentioned in the game''s main storyline. what the church possessed wasn''t the true [heaven] but merely a nether shard, just a projection of the past heaven''s destruction. and even within the projection of heaven, he had never truly stepped inside. this place was still the seventh order world [heaven''s gate]; the nether world of heaven lay behind the gate. the church had possessed it for so long without being able to fully clear this world and open the gate to nether heaven. as for the real heaven, that was even more enigmatic. an su contemplated many profound issues. after a while, he came to a solemn conclusion. that angel was a bit tricky. if he could speak right now, he might be accusing his own guardian angel of indecency towards a minor. "guardian angels are the messengers that materialize from one''s inner consciousness," merlin said, as if he saw through an su''s thoughts, he commented helplessly, "your angel reflects your own character." his excellency the archmage''s mood was still quite good, having just escaped death, he felt relieved but also delighted at having gotten rid of that painful burden, and he explained a few things to an su. am i too self-absorbed... an su pondered, feeling that he wasn''t self-absorbed, just rather honest. s~ea??h the n??efire.et website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. so far, he hadn''t seen anyone more attractive than himself. after emerging from the vast ocean of magic power, the delayed sense of weariness surged back into his heart. an su''s vision darkened; he hadn''t slept for three days and nights already, and his soul had undergone such intense training, the pain and fatigue overwhelmed him like tides. he staggered, nearly collapsing to the ground. seeing an su''s frail state brought a smile to merlin''s face. even though his mood was not bad, he had no kindness for an su. a third order saint struggling to control an angel was to be expected. his excellency the archmage wasn''t that furious. Chapter 155 The Bishops: His Excellency Merlin Has Worked Himself Bald! (Two in One)_2 what angered merlin was that the angel actually judged an su''s soul to be more handsome than his own!damn it. the god of law merlin had never suffered such a preposterous humiliation. it wasn''t that he was narcissistic; merlin considered himself not narcissistic, but rather more honest. so far, he had not encountered anyone better looking than himself. if someone insulted his magic level, the god of law would just laugh it off, but insulting his soul was something he couldn''t tolerate. there was something fishy about this. he even had the impulse to reopen heaven''s gate for an su, letting him summon the angel back again. everyone would have a fair and just rematch. but then, thinking of the hard-won beautiful hair he had managed to keep, his excellency merlin forcefully suppressed that thought. an su slowly exhaled, recovering from that overwhelming weakness; his gaze fixated on merlin, pupils suddenly constricting, heart tightening, wanting to say something. but how powerful was the god of law''s silencing magic, an su opened his mouth, but no sound could come out, only somewhat frantic ''woo woo'' noises could be heard as he extended a finger, pointing at his excellency merlin. "i know you have a lot of questions, don''t rush," seeing an su in such an awkward state, merlin was quite pleased. it was a sense of vengeance fulfilled. "like the guardian angel, whether heaven really exists, what lies behind heaven''s gate, why the esoteric religion and the orthodox church are vying for this world..." merlin said cheerfully, enjoying the expressions on an su''s face, "but i am not planning to tell you." "woo... woo," an su still uttered woozily. merlin had no intention of lifting an su''s silence. lest this naive newborn say something to infuriate him all over again. one-sided verbal output was a pleasure reserved for those in authority. ...an su fell silent, choosing compliance. "when you return, start preparing for your advancement to deacon in a month," merlin said expressionlessly, "princess milton''s understanding of magic is not inferior to yoursand her magical rank is higher than yours." there was something else he hadn''t told an su. under arrangements made by the church and the royal family, cersei milton had already been designated as the sole disciple of the archmage, and they had met a few days prior. however, an su had popped out, and not only that, but he had also solved the problem merlin had set, making the situation quite delicate. the intention of his excellency the archmage was just to send him away, not expecting it to backfire. the intentions were bad, but an su managed to execute them well. he stared at an su with a look of disdain. explore stories at empire to be fair, he didn''t want to take on either of them as his disciple. just guarding the door was tiring enough; freedom was so much more comfortable. taking on a disciple had already been the result of much negotiation between the church and merlin himself; it was unthinkable to take on another. since there was only one spot available, let them compete for it. fighting could be quite entertaining. his excellency merlin watched an su, with a mischievous smile on his lips; life as a gatekeeper was boring, but watching a fight was interesting and served as his post-dinner amusement. "woo." an su was still unable to speak. "your ''judgment of light'' now has only one branch, and that branch also contains only one magic circuit," "to truly perfect this holy-level magic, you need to continue to build branches on your own, what to do next you can no longer copy mine." merlin regarded an su''s sniveling appearance and found that silence from the young man was truly golden. "to integrate a new branch, you must first understand a new concept, the new branches are derived from reflecting on this new concept," "ordinary magic requires only consideration of the magic circuit, but holy magic involves considering magic branches; the former is like ''twigs,'' while the latter is like ''trunks,'' thousands of twigs converge into three trunks, and trunks form the tree." "for you, a saint, these are still too advanced. the seventh floor of the [library] in the association has the knowledge you need, but only members of the association can enter," "become a member of the magic association first, that is, a deacon." s~ea??h the novelfire.net* website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. an su realized that the library his excellency merlin spoke of was also a church world, and not of low rank either. the magic association''s heritage was indeed formidable. his excellency merlin, uncharacteristically speaking so much in one breath, paused, then impatiently waved his hand at an su, "understand this and leave quickly." he was already tired in his heart and did not want to see an su''s face anymore. it was already the fourth day, and merlin''s three days of rest had been completely wasted. "woo." who would have thought, an su still didn''t leave, pointing his finger at merlin again. what, are you dissatisfied? this is your punishment. it was kind of him to explain so much all at once, having done more than enough already. his excellency merlin didn''t like being pointed at. he knew what an su wanted to say, it was nothing more than seeking more knowledge, probing for more secrets he had seen too many of such insatiable children and had always ignored them. "i don''t want to hear you talk," merlin huffed, "the silence will be lifted automatically once you are out of heaven''s gate, now scram, and by the way, there''s something waiting for you at the entrance." merlin''s mouth bore a stern smile, his cardinal bishop''s robe fluttering without wind, stars and holy light weaving between, his pure white eyes as sacred as a deity, radiating an ancient and majestic aura. "i have other things to busy myself with." merlin indeed had matters to attend to; he had to settle accounts with those old, undying bishops of the church, particularly bishop randal of the order church who had agreed to take turns on watch but hadn''t shown up for a year. Chapter 155 Bishops: His Excellency Merlin has been working so hard hes going bald! (Two in One)_3 this time, it should''ve been randal''s turn to rotate in.my vacation gone, there''s no way it''s just going to pass that easily. without throwing a fit, those old geezers might think i''m easy to manipulate. think i''m still young? think i''m easy to fool? merlin and his teacher are unlike any other; they''ve never known compromise. i must let that stubborn old man with white hair witness my dignity and sharpness. i will never be a puppet that can be controlled at will. sar?h the n??elfir.net website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "..." an su looked at merlin one last time with a complex expression, his mouth quivered slightly, but in the end, he said nothing more. he decided to respect the fate of others. having tried to this extent, an su felt he had done all his duty. this is you telling me to shut up, you not letting me speak! in the future, don''t come to me to settle accounts! merlin was completely unaware that, although his "judgment light" had its magic power supply cut off by merlin, falling from divine level back to ordinary, and losing the conceptual ability of cutting off "troublesome threads," the ordinary level of judgment light still had the ability to cut hair. although an su intentionally controlled it, trying to stop it, the judgment light still fell off... a perfectly round piece. it landed right in the center of his excellency merlin''s lush and lustrous long hair. so the great and invincible his excellency merlin''s hairstyle is ''mediterranean'' an su stared at the shiny bald spot right in the middle of his excellency merlin''s head. the smooth scalp contrasted sharply with the surrounding thick black hair, the sunshine reflecting off the central island with bright and brilliant light; the black and white design gave off the air of a strong character. it made one feel that this person was very dignified and far from simple. definitely not someone to offend lightly. from that standpoint, it seemed not too bad. hmm. staring at merlin''s gleaming scalp, an su suddenly felt that it looked quite powerful, clearly a mysterious and mature archbishop. the other bishops of the church thought so too, and therefore wouldn''t dare to ask him to work overtime anymore. after all, merlin worked so much he went bald! bald at such a young age, how could those old fogeys let him keep working! thinking this, an su''s smile became more and more content, and he began looking forward to the bishops seeing his excellency merlin. he even felt he''d done a great deed, helping his excellency merlin fulfill a dream, and today was another meaningful day spent helping others. an su waved goodbye to merlin, descended the steps, and warm sunlight shone on his retreating figure, his spine proudly erect. he came down the last step. finally, an su had left the seventh order world "heaven''s gate," and just then, he suddenly heard the voice of the celestial messenger. the streaming starlight converged deep within an su''s eyes, and he halted his step, his pupils contracting slightly. "seventh order world: heaven''s gate, completed (not fully defined)" "contributors: merlin andre, an su moningsta" an su suddenly realized something. at every twilight in heaven''s gate, the doors would open, initiating a nether cycle, a ''world conquest.'' cultists attack, believers defend, just like in the church world ''seden town'' had experienced. find your next read on empire an ordinary church world usually opens once a year, whereas heaven opens every day. each day spent guarding heaven''s gate is equivalent to a world conquest. an su had stayed inside for three days. for the first two days, an su had no contribution, but on the third, he did contribute. although the magic power was all authorized by merlin, and the magic rank all raised by merlin, an su too had made his contribution, even if just one ten-thousandth, it was still a contribution. thus his name, too, appeared on heaven''s gate! "an su moningsta" "commencing settlement" Chapter 156 Final Settlement of the Seventh Order World the azure starlight flowed gently.[begin settlement] [members of this world conquest - merlin andre, ansu moningsta. the team has achieved the following achievements.] [peaceful holy light exorcism s - a million tormented souls have been completely purified; under the vast and warm holy light, there are no longer any sufferings or toils, only eternal tranquility.] [perfect attendance indicator sss - merlin andre did not take a single day off for an entire year. the demigod dedicated himself entirely to the radiance with utter devotion and without a word of complaint.] ... all the achievements listed above were obtained by merlin, while ansu''s contribution value was zero. there were too many to list. having guarded the gates of heaven for a full year of three hundred and sixty-five days, that is to say, having undertaken three hundred and sixty-five world conquests, merlin''s long list of achievements was endless, and since his overtime was still ongoing, the list was still growing. from this perspective, mage god merlin truly was one of the most powerful demigods of the radiant holy see. in the past, protecting heaven required several demigods to guard it together, yet merlin alone took on the jobs of several bishops. to a seventh order demigod-level world, ansu was simply not qualified to take part in its conquest. that he could have his name listed this time was all thanks to clinging to his excellency merlin''s coattails. however, ansu did leave his excellency merlin with a very cool hairstyle, which could be considered a repayment for his kindness. with such a top-notch hairstyle, surely his excellency merlin''s status within the radiant holy see, and even within the septenary church, would be further elevated. ansu''s personal evaluation was also generated. it was generated quite rapidly this time, ansu was prepared in his heart; he knew the score wouldn''t be high, in fact, it would be very, very low. but this did not mean that the value of the score would be low, because this was a seventh order world, a fragment of the demigod-level nether world. the standard of evaluation was also of the seventh order world. by comparison, a second order world fragment like ''seden town'' was merely the size of a common small town, while a fourth order world like ''city of radiance'' had the size of a city, but a seventh order world was close to a real world in size. sar?h the n?velfire.net website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. the same achievements that might earn an s in seden town could struggle to scrape together a c at the gates of heaven. demigod-level battles were worthy of being called ''holy wars.'' and ansu was currently just a third order saint, not even an official deacon. a common saint partaking in a demigod-level holy war and even making some contributions would have been considered scandalous outside this context. pure gilding. ansu''s mouth curved into a sunny smile. the rewards didn''t matter; what was important was having been able to participate in such a glorious battle and contribute to the spread of the holy light, which made him feel gratified. indeed, he was the most loyal saint of the goddess of holy light. after the series of achievements of merlin were finally settled, it was ansu''s turn; the celestial settlement was very quick this time. [attendance supervisor c: you successfully managed the holder of heaven for three days and nights, helping him fulfill a year of perfect attendance.] [holy light of buddhism d+: under the authorization and guidance of heaven''s rotation holder, a rare branch of holy light, ''buddha light,'' was temporarily born, and with heaven''s blessings, you spread the holy light of buddhism to the heretical believers.] [mr. ansu moningsta is a devout believer. through his many years of study, he determined that buddha light is also a rare branch of holy light.] this must be the ultimate conceptual development of the first magic branch of [judgment light]. it evolved from the physical ''shaving light'' into the ''buddha light'' that cuts away attachments. ansu thought to himself. ``` however, this was only a temporary promotion to the ''divine grade'' by heaven, akin to a trial card. to earn it permanently, an su would need to raise his own rank and continuously perfect his magic circuit. essentially, magic creation is based on the knowledge and concepts of the creator, for example, x-rays also originated this way. an su was quite satisfied with this evaluation; holy light is of course a kind of buddhist light, when converted, there is no problem at all, the radiant goddess is the great compassionate and bright bodhisattva, the god of order is sakya arhat, and the mother goddess of life can be referred to as peacock bright king, mother of buddhaafter all, she has a fondness for eating children. in buddhism, there are mages, and within the church, there are mages, so isn''t the church equivalent to buddhism? one must think more broadly. holy light should not be confined to a single line of thought. [emotion master d: under the enlightenment and inspiration of master an su, general rada finally understood his feelings for the rotational holder of heaven. although good and evil are distinct, general rada is willing to wait] "..." we''re not buddies. the corners of an su''s mouth twitched as he looked left and right, utterly failing to comprehend the sentence; this was not just a distinction between good and evilthis was a distinction between species. [top hairstylist d: you provided free charitable haircuts to one thousand one hundred suffering angel envoys, charging no fees, and designed innovative hairstyles for the rotational holder of heaven] [reward settlement: key of heaven (1)] amidst the flux of celestial bodies, the brilliant starlight slowly converged, a misty cyan light orb drifted toward an su, who casually caught it. [key of heaven] [quality: epic] [effect: grants one-time entry into the seventh order world: heaven''s gate, after which the key will automatically disappear] [note: due to your outstanding performance, you have been recognized by heaven''s gate and can reenter heaven once] find your next adventure on empire [individual achievement calculation complete, overall rating: d+] an su was very pleased with the result, as it was an unexpected joy. the high or low rating doesn''t matter, what''s most important is leaving one''s name in the seventh order world. for a saint, this kind of record is something that no amount of blessings could buy. moreover, in an su''s original expectations, he thought he would just get a d, given that he hadn''t actually contributed much; the magic power and the right to use magic were authorized by merlin, but to his surprise, there was a d+. the highest grade was for being a diligent overseer. looking at the key emitting cyan starlight in his hand, which slowly merged into his palm and bound with his soul, an su fell into thought. this gave an su an idea. if he monitored merlin in the future, copying his magic, could he always earn the ''diligent overseer'' achievement each time and possibly gain another key of heaven? would this allow him to achieve an infinite torment loop? an su even had the illusion that perhaps the celestial bodies or heaven''s gate had deliberately given him this reward. the magic god would certainly welcome it... an su thought to himself, after all, he had given merlin such a stylish hairstyle. unbeknownst to him, high above in the distant stars, the self-proclaimed absolutely neutral celestial messenger watched this scene, a satisfied smile curving at the corners of his mouth. since becoming a celestial messenger, he hadn''t encountered a breed like an su in decades. the last breed he encountered was that damned merlin andre! the born must give the born a grind! ``` Chapter 157 The New Title of the Great Mage— seven gods hall.the setting sun spilled over the myriad of mountains. the crimson sunlight spread out like an endless golden carpet. his excellency merlin andre walked indifferently on the brilliant golden path, his cardinal-red robe, symbolic of his episcopal status, trailing behind him on the ground. his presence even seemed to overturn the concept of time, with the brilliant golden sunlight and the pale green starlight taking turns shifting amidst his robe. his pure white eyes were as still as ancient wells. indeed, as his excellency merlin had said, he was undoubtedly the saint with the most perfect visage. even though his face was indistinct, his soul''s aura already overflowed in abundance. his soul, pure white and almost snowy, could be described as perfect. and at this moment, that soul''s aura carried an unangered yet commanding presence. wrapped in a profound authority. his gaze was calm, yet it was like the ocean before a storm, capable of stirring whirlpools that could overturn the entire world deep beneath its tranquil surface. powerful and supremely beautiful, serene and yet impassioned, this was the man known as merlin andre. as the sunset slowly descended, the whole world seemed to sway with the footsteps of his excellency the archmage. the saints he passed, whether deacons or priests, upon seeing his excellency the archmage, invariably showed expressions of astonishment and shock, quickly stepping aside, their eyes filled with nothing but admiration. many female clerics, be they young girls in the bloom of youth, or mature, ample nuns, even the aged priests with lingering charm, widened their eyes at the sight of his excellency merlin and could walk no further, shyly whispering amongst themselves, straining to keep their voices low, for fear of being noticed by the object of their affection. a succession of hushed ''wow''s of amazement, the girls'' voices chirping like cuckoos, were as tender and beautiful as the light of early spring. this moment was the season of spring''s return when everything revived. feeling the surroundings filled with looks of admiration and adoration, his excellency merlin remained indifferent. he seemed very aloof. after all, he had been famous as a beautiful youth since his younger days, accustomed to such covetous and admiring gazes, he found them normal and not worth concerning himself with, displaying a very aloof demeanor. the corner of his mouth drew a composed smile. hmph. to say it again, it was not self-admiration; rather, he indeed had not encountered anyone more beautiful than himself. slightly beyond merlin''s expectations was that the onlookers grew in number, which disturbed the reporters, prompting them to start taking pictures. even some regional bishops had arrived. the regional bishops gathered closely, watching merlin intently, occasionally exclaiming in soft tones, "...look at the one in the red robe, quickly!" "it''s the great mage, has the great mage returned?" "it''s been a year since we saw his excellency the archmage." "who could have imagined that after a year... his excellency merlin would appear so incredibly intelligent." sar?h the n?velfire(.)net website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "i can feel it, his excellency merlin has become more mature and powerful..." listening to these bishops'' praises, the arc of merlin''s smile continued to rise, yet he still maintained his unperturbed expression. after all, his return this time was to settle accounts with the church. heaven cannot be left unwatched, so he must resolve matters quickly, unable to spare any attention for anything else, heading straight for the uppermost level of the seven gods hall. an entire year, he had diligently worked for an entire year. and for an entire year, he had not returned to reality. the rare vacation he managed to get was ruined by an su! he would not lower himself to settle scores with the likes of an su, a petty junior; it would diminish his stature. merlin sought to reckon only with the old men who were also cardinals. it was because of their dereliction of duty and laziness that the church had become so corrupt. a crooked beam leads to a crooked house, and surely it was these old men''s fault that juveniles like an su had emerged! merlin''s dissatisfaction with the high ranks of the church had been brewing for a long time. their old and doggedly conservative thoughts were rotten to the core and long overdue for a thorough cleansing. the head of the radiant holy see should be merlin. merlin had made up his mind; he wouldn''t rest until he achieved his goal. with this thought, his excellency merlin''s aura became even more terrifying and ancient, the holy light in his eyes and above his head grew brighter as if a great sun were falling, the surrounding saints were dazzled by merlin''s holy light, rushing to retreat and avoid its sharpness, shouting "retreat!" while also feeling secretly shocked within their hearts, never expecting that in just one year his excellency merlin had reached such a terrifying level in his cultivation of the holy light. not only did he have the holy light in his eyes, but now it was also above his head! the pure white pupils were no longer enough to satisfy his excellency merlin! truly, his excellency merlin, truly the god of law! even his bald head shone brighter than others. seeing the saints around him in such a state, merlin secretly thought they hadn''t seen much of the world. he strode with a majestic air toward the highest place of the seven gods hall, the vast holy light invading everything in its path. this aura had long since alarmed the high echelons of the church, with both the order church and the radiant holy see on high alert, and a row of purple-clad bishops standing apart, the venerable white-haired cardinal of the order churchhis excellency randal also waiting in the holy hall. this old man was held in high esteem, his hair and beard pure white, his forehead and temples slowly creasing with wrinkles, at the age of two hundred, he was about to retire. experience new tales on empire upon seeing merlin''s appearance, randal''s pupils trembled slightly, thinking that no good would come of this. "randal," magic god merlin called out randal''s name with a stern tone, "i hope you''ve been well." merlin knew that the old man in front of him was famously rigid in his thinking, relying on seniority to act imperiously, stubbornly adhering to his own outdated set of ideas. to persuade this fellow would not be an easy task. if verbal persuasion failed, then merlin would have to resort to force. "i''ve missed this year''s leave," merlin said coldly, "compensate me, or else" "okay," bishop randal hastily replied. merlin''s brow lifted slightly, not expecting it to be so easy. he suspected there was some trickery and said, "i want one week." "of course, that''s no problem," bishop randal nodded, his eyes filled with pity, "i''ll arrange it for you now. poor child, these days have truly been hard on you." huh? merlin was bewildered. had his commanding presence frightened the old man? how could it be so simple! he closely observed the old man''s expression, seeing no fear, panic, or terror, but instead noticed a faint pity in those eyes... damn it, why was there pity! and randal was not looking directly into his eyes; his gaze was fixed higher, on merlin''s own head, merlin felt even more that something was off; only then did he remember the odd looks from the others. he sensed something amiss. his pupils trembled slightly. trembling hands slowly reached up to his head, only to find a void. all the bishops around were staring wide-eyed at him in disbelief at last, merlin realized that horrific truth, he seemed, to have, gone bald? merlin gasped in a breath of cold air. so the look in the eyes of all the saints of the church along the way!! magic association. the warm sunlight spread out over the endless river, like a vast golden-yellow blanket, with the slightly intoxicating spring breeze gently causing ripples on the water, making the golden blanket crafted by sun valley wrinkle accordingly. in the face of an interview by a group of reporters, the well-informed an su moningsta said, "since ancient times, his excellency merlin andre has been an extremely intelligent bishop, and we must acknowledge that he is indeed the leader of our radiant holy see." today is a day worth commemorating, from this day forward, a title commensurate with "pure white pupils" will be known throughout the empire. "the radiant primus"merlin andre. surely his teacher in heaven would be proud and honored on his behalf. Chapter 158 The Mediterranean Hairstyle May Become the New Trend Among the Capitals Powerhouses an su stepped out of the magic association and immediately saw the dense crowd of reporters, circled in multiple layers around the perimeter of the association.if it weren''t for the restrictions that non-church members were forbidden to enter, the swarming reporters would have overrun the gates. this time, there were an exceptionally large number of reporters here for the interview. after all, there had never been a saint who managed to stay on the tenth floor of the magic association for a full three days, and they were eager to find out what had happened. the perspectives and knowledge of magic god merlin represented the trend of future developments. and his excellency merlin hadn''t appeared in public for a whole year. all sorts of reporters had come, eager to snatch the headlines for tomorrow. the journalists from the imperial capital morning post were here, interested in current affairs, wanting to know about the military situation between the radiant holy see and the legion of pain; the reporters from magic weekly were also present, deeply interested in magic, wishing to interview his excellency merlin on the future trends of holy light magic; the journalists from trends of the times x magical youth had arrived early on the scene, dedicated to the field of fashion trends, looking to find out whether his excellency merlin''s new hairstyle would spark a new fashion revolution. to all of these questions, an su gave detailed, sincere, and fitting answers. an su spoke confidently, "marriage alliances can ease our tense military situation with the painful esoteric sect, and the bishop of pain has already shown willingness in this regard." the morning post journalist quickly noted: relations between the radiant holy see and the legion of pain are exceptionally good, and both his excellency merlin and the bishop of pain have shown a willingness in this regard. an su patiently and meticulously replied, "his excellency merlin believes that holy light will undergo more changes in the future, occupying more ecological niches." the magic reporter hurriedly jotted down in their notebook: his excellency merlin believes that holy light will become more perverted in the future. an su stated frankly, "regarding the matter of his excellency merlin''s hairstyle, gentlemen, you are not aware, this is the reputed ''radiant crown'' that his excellency merlin has recently researched, designed for the strong mind." the warm sunshine shone on the young man''s cheeks, his cyan eyes filled with earnestness, "as is well known, the casting of high-level magic involves a massive amount of computation, and this substantial computational power needs to be handled by the brain. however, this can lead to the brain overheating, slowing down calculations, and hindering the casting speed of high-level spells." "therefore, his excellency merlin has researched the powerful minds'' haircut, by shaving off the hair in the middle of the scalp, to accelerate the cooling of the magical brain, slightly increasing the casting speed of spells." "you must understand that in the magical duels of top-notch fighters," an su''s expression was very serious and earnest, "even just being faster by zero point zero one second can determine life and death." the reporters from trends of the times and magic weekly both showed a sudden look of realization, worthy of magic god merlin, worthy of a top-notch magic fighter, even such minute details were taken into account. they did not doubt the veracity of an su''s words, after all, those who study journalism are not knowledgeable in magic. and what an su said sounded quite reasonable. the reporters swiftly scribbled in their notebooks: to become stronger, first go bald. this matter is definitely true! not just the reporters, the numerous believers around them believed it without question. after all, a photo of his excellency merlin with a halo of holy light on his head, parading through the streets, had already spread to every corner. if magic god merlin did something, it must have profound significance; surely it wasn''t possibly because someone had sneaked off with his hair? after all, it was magic god merlin, whose every action was magnified and analyzed by magicians. now, after hearing an su''s explanation, they finally showed a dawning realization. to be for accelerating cooling during spellcasting, what an attention-to-detail man! today, they have learned another practical magic tip. merlin, being the youngest and most powerful god of law, and also the most good-looking saint, has enthusiastic fans all over the streets, not lacking even those of priest rank. they had already started pondering over styling their hair in the likeness of their idol. imitating the strong is never wrong. and without a doubt, his excellency merlin is the strongest of our time. "honestly speaking," an su, noticing the crowd around him starting to get excited, said, "the ''glorious top'' of his excellency merlin was personally styled by me." as he spoke, an su puffed out his chest, a proud and self-satisfied expression on his face. seeing an su''s demeanor, the surrounding magicians became even more agitated, this youth before them was actually the personal hairstylist of his excellency merlin. if this youth were to design a hairstyle for them... wouldn''t they be able to have the same hairstyle as the great mage himself? the ''glorious top'' is something the magicians could manage on their own, but having the teacher who personally trimmed his excellency merlin''s hair do it would surely feel different. immediately, a magician of the rank of deacon shouted, "teacher an su, could you also cut one for me?" seeing someone jumping the gun, the magicians became a bit anxious. if others got the trendy hairstyle of the strong, and they didn''t, wouldn''t they lose face when going out to battle? right there, they raised their hands and said, "teacher an su, make mine exactly the same." "teacher an su, please shape my chest hair into the glorious pattern too." the burly men of the alchemical church were getting riled up, planning to make an impression when next they fought the druids next door. by removing his helmet and armour to reveal two marks of strength, he might just terrify those with only one mark into a humiliating retreat. their magic was designed with dual cooling, at heart and brain, destined for unfailing success. "teacher an su, my leg hair relies on you!" "teacher an su...." before long, teacher an su''s appointments were endless. not only the saints wished to book, but even the onlooking citizens wanted to follow the trend. an su was satisfied with the new aesthetic trend that attracted the citizens, feeling pleased with helping others today. "teacher an su, no matter the cost in gold coins, i will pay!" some wealthy businessmen declared straightforwardly. facing the temptation of gold coins, an su sighed leisurely, his blue-green eyes filled with disappointment. "as a saint of the radiant, as a missionary of the holy light, the bible once said, spreading light throughout the entire hell is also a missionary''s mission." "i am spreading the radiance, and naturally, missionary work is given freely." spreading baldness throughout the entire hell is also a way of spreading the holy light. an su said earnestly, "this is a glorious undertaking, how could we sully it with such a vulgar matter as money?" he wanted to upgrade the "judgment''s light", and for that, he needed to gather experimental data. the magicians before him were shining examples of that data. seeing the youth on the platform so righteous, many felt ashamed, realizing their own recklessness. "missionary work is our radiant mission," an su said, with a calm smile on his lips, "the ''free city of radiance'' in the nether world is in need of pioneers for missionary work. if you join our missionary team now, you will receive a complimentary gift this is also the wish of his excellency merlin." experience new tales on empire the citizens began to be tempted. this was an su''s real goal, to ensnare the citizens of the chaotic frontier. the time was ripe to build a new church, and what was needed were pioneers willing to work like oxen and horses! now, with reporters gathering and the whole city''s attention focused here, it was the perfect time for advertising. "sign up now, and also receive the frontier''s three magic set for free: ''clearly bright,'' ''spatial distortion,'' and ''friendly exchange.'' the citizens eagerly registered. sea??h th novl?ire.n(e)t website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 159 Miss Maids House Got Burgled Again the following day.the weather was clear and sunny. the azure sky stretched along radiant avenue. having stayed within heaven''s gate for three days and three nights without closing his eyes, an su was utterly exhausted. he fell asleep as soon as he got home and did not wake up until the golden sunlight filled the entire bedroom and the day was well advanced. he really did not want to get out of bed. but he could not afford to be late. groggy with sleep. uh. according to the agreement, he was supposed to return to the chaotic frontier with luojia this morning. this was a tradition of nether, as the world shaper has a one-year right to proselytize after conquering a world. on the second day following victory, it was his duty to return to the world as ''nether bishop'' for inspection. the fragments of the nether world from the same era are often connected. within one fragment, there are usually coordinates for other fragments which is also the significance of pioneering the nether world. three days ago, after paying his fine at the order church, an su had made arrangements with luojia to go to the chaotic frontier together the next morning... uh. an su yawned, rubbed his eyes still foggy with sleep, his thoughts slightly scrambled. uh, the agreement to go together tomorrow... he had been in heaven for three days. the agreement to go together had been made three days ago. an su''s eyes suddenly widened, wait, three days ago for tomorrow? hadn''t that time already passed? he was already late. as soon as this realization came to him, the tension in an su''s heart instantly relaxed. that was great. he lay back down on his soft velvet bed, since he was already late. given the situation, it was best to sleep first. it wasn''t until the morning sunlight faded, the noon sun took over, and the evening sun set that an su woke up groggily. strictly speaking, it wasn''t a natural awakening, but rather, he was woken by the crisp tapping on the window. the youth lifted his head from the pillow and squinted outside. who had such a lack of manners, tapping on someone''s window like this? an su would never do such a thing. he didn''t want to deal with it and simply turned over to continue sleeping, but the tapping didn''t stop. at first, it was as gentle as a light drizzle on the roof, but seeing that an su ignored it, the rhythm started to pick up, sounding like persistent raindrops on banana leaves, eventually turning into a rapid, light rain. seriously lacking manners. an su thought to himself. perhaps the person outside had tired themselves out, the light rain finally abating and peace returning as usual. an su''s mood relaxed. suddenly, he noticed the walls shaking violently, the bed trembling fiercely, and the window lattices rattling as if they were about to fall off. the noise was like a rapid drum beat coming from all directions, startling an su and snapping him awake. "friendly exchange"! who was this uncouth, using "friendly exchange"! an su would certainly never. fuming, he walked to the window and pulled back the light blue curtains to come face-to-face with a pair of eyes, cold as if frosted, chilling to the bone. so cold they could almost freeze someone. the little holy maiden stood on the balcony, her delicate white hands resting on the window ledge. she had obviously climbed in from the outer wall, her pale pleated skirt still touched with traces of dirt, sweat beading at her temples, but her eyes contained only pure chill, like pristine mirrors of ice, coldly reflecting an su''s image. "an," "su," she bit her lip and spoke deliberately, "mo," "ning," "si," "ta." an su felt somewhat in the wrong. after all, he was the one who had arrived late, and although it was a mere three-day wait for the young lady, it still counted as tardiness. however, luojia had actually picked up some bad habits. she even started prying open other people''s windows! even if i was late, but setting aside my tardiness, isn''t there something wrong with prying into windows? wondering who she learned it from. your next journey awaits at empire "why didn''t you come in through the main door?" an su asked. "your maid wouldn''t allow it," luojia''s expression turned even colder, "saying something about lord ansu being busy with strange things in his room and telling me to leave quickly." enya... an su''s expression darkened. "she wouldn''t let me in?" luojia tilted her head, speaking coldly. "please come in." an su stepped aside and welcomed luojia in. luojia''s white shoes tapped on the hardwood floor with a lightness akin to a cat''s. "i can explain why i was late." an su felt it was better to explain his tardiness first, "the thing started like this." "it''s all because of arthur and lister, they insisted on me participating in some ''magic into campus, mage outreach to the countryside'' charity event." "then, because our work was too outstanding, the appraisers started fighting over the ownership of our work. it''s all the appraisers'' fault." "and because i was exceptionally outstanding, merlin absolutely wanted to invite me to heaven for guidance and begged me to stay for three days before i could return." "blame that old man with cataracts and a bald head." an su spoke with great conviction, showing no reverence for his excellency merlin, the noble leader of the white eyes and the radiant. luojia stared at an su''s cyan-blue eyes and his grayish-white hair, thinking to herself that this young man with cataracts and a grayish hue only knew how to spout nonsense. she was very angry at the moment. a whole three days! with such flimsy excuses, an su thought he could pacify her anger. he was severely underestimating her. luojia knew she was never one to be easily dismissed. seeing luojia''s eyes turn colder, an su breathed a sigh of relief and sincerely added, "by the way, i actually bought a gift for you specially." he took out a saucer from the magic refrigerated cabinet. pale blue strawberries adorned the edges of a fresh cream cake, and a fine mist formed by the cold air shrouded over the silver dish, which was exactly the blueberry cake an su couldn''t finish and had taken from the magic guild''s lounge. "..." luojia fixed her gaze on an su, then glanced at the cake, quickly averting her eyes. it was a ''champs elysees'' pastry shop''s sky-blue cream cake after all, a delicacy only enjoyed by top-tier nobles. the cakes of the magic guild were top-notch, made with the best ingredients and craftsmanship. one slice was worth half a gold coin, and that''s why the staff in the lounge didn''t let an su and the others indulge to their hearts'' content. even luojia could only afford to enjoy it occasionally, once a month. but just one sky-blue cream cake to gloss over an su''s negligence was also grossly underestimating the dignity of the radiant holy maiden! "right, there''s also chocolate and cookies." an su then took out a dozen chocolates, and the radiant holy maiden''s expression shifted slightly. ''champs elysees'' liqueur-filled chocolates. miss enya was in a good mood today. although her face was still expressionless, her heart was pleased. because she had chased away that annoying fly. s~ea??h the novlf~ire.net website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. the young master was still sleeping, of course, he couldn''t be disturbed by anyone; she efficiently prepared breakfast and lightly pushed open the bedroom door with the tray in hand. "..." enya looked at luojia, who was eating with relish, her face expressionless. Chapter 160 Another Winning Day for An Su (Two in One) because an su was three days late, the radiant holy see''s exploration of the chaotic frontier was also delayed.the era of chaos is a period of lost history. the once flourishing kingdom of chaos was utterly destroyed overnight, with nearly all records coming to an abrupt end. all that people could know was that the destruction of the kingdom of chaos originated from the frontier. discovering the cause of the frontier''s destruction would allow one to infer the true circumstances behind the destruction of the era of chaos. exactly how was the chaotic frontier destroyed, by a natural disaster, or by an evil demigod? lifting the fog of history and identifying which villain from history was the perpetrator is the mission of both the order church and the radiant holy see. thereby deducing the factors behind the entire destruction of the era of chaos. this great and arduous mission would be entrusted entirely to the nether bishop of the chaotic frontier, the justice-hearted an su moningsta. he stated solemnly that he would surely complete this daunting task and expose the true face of that evildoer! seeing this young man, born of the church, assuring everyone with full confidence, priest paxi felt very worried. but according to the regulations, the right to explore in the first year belonged solely to the nether bishop. so priest paxi could only leave it to this church-born youth. "..." luojia held back for a while before refraining from saying something like the criminal is right before your eyes, mainly because one''s judgement is clouded when they''ve accepted gifts. she had just eaten three pieces of cake and two pieces of chocolate from an su that morning. the pastries from champs elysees were not cheap, and an su must have spent a considerable amount of money. her mood wouldn''t be so pleasant if she knew those were leftovers an su couldn''t finish and had packed to take away. "the chaotic frontier is much larger than seden town. can you really recruit enough hands?" priest paxi looked at an su with skeptical eyes, "ordinary citizens are not enough; to manage a fourth order world, you need at least saints with the rank of subdeacon." and there lies the problem. although an su is now the nether bishop, his position within the church is only that of a saint, and no subdeacon would be willing to be subordinate to an su. moreover, the chaotic frontier is such a destitute place, no saint is willing to go there! the offer of a free haircut styled after the gods didn''t have much appeal. there were many saints who came to an su''s seden town, but that was because they happened to be in the examination period. now, three months have passed, and there were no more desperate, homeless students who had failed their exams. "don''t worry, i have made preparations." an su said in a deep voice, "in these three days, i have not been without arrangements." "there must be many saints who will voluntarily come." he even planned to establish a second branch of the hengshui school. sear?h the novlf~ire.net website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. brilliant sunlight shone on an su''s blue-green eyes. the young man''s gaze was bright and clear, utterly serious, to the point that luojia beside him began to feel somewhat unconfident. during the three days an su was late, luojia also tried to recruit saints but with minimal success. she obviously did not believe in an su''s rhetoric. just bragging. priest paxi found him unreliable; every time an su showed such a gaze, he was about to do something wicked. "by the way, where have your friends lister and arthur been these past few days?" paxi asked casually. enjoy new adventures from empire since returning from the magic association, the two had disappeared without a trace. "they''re busy with other things," an su replied, his smile serene. time passed slowly, and the sun gradually turned dim, softening the shadows of the palm trees on either side of the recruitment hall''s entrance. the enthusiasm of the general public for exploring the frontier was high, especially since an su was offering a good price and the opportunity to obtain a limited skin from the god of law, they naturally leapt at the chance. "i want to sign up." at that moment, a knight from the order church approached from the crowd. he had an extraordinary demeanor, and the surrounding believers stepped aside, murmuring in disbelief, "how could it be him..." he had a handsome face and a tall stature, and his aura was significant. he once ranked among the top ten in the "farol most popular saints ranking." when priest paxi recognized the person, he showed a surprised expression. "rosen?" order saint rosen was once the order church''s most watched rising star, ranking first in the order church''s saint examination. even before officially joining the church, his rank had already reached the third order, and as someone born into a family of priests, all the order priests had high hopes for this young knight, believing that his future would at least see him rise to order bishop. the mere entrance exam was supposed to be an easy success for him. unfortunately, his examination coincided with an su. after that, he was left with a huge shadow in his heart. following his failure, rosen reflected deeply and resolved to redeem himself and overcome his mental demon, an su moningsta. true to his talent, he hunted witches everywhere in the past three months, and his strength skyrocketed. although now only a prelate, rosen''s true strength was already close to that of an average deacon. but what priest paxi never expected, and the saints around him never expected, was for rosen to actively choose to become a subordinate to an su? "um, rosen..." being from the same order church, priest paxi had high hopes for this junior, and he did not want this promising newcomer to stray down the wrong path, "maybe you should think it over. you know, an su is in charge here..." rosen was also paxi''s cousin, and for both professional and personal reasons, he felt compelled to offer some advice. but to his surprise, rosen lowered his eyes slowly and said, "uncle, have you ever risked your life for a woman?" his voice was deep. what nonsense are you spouting. paxi''s lips twitched slightly, "i... i don''t understand." Chapter 160 Another Win-Win Day for An Su (Two in One)_2 "you''ll understand when you''re my age,"rosen''s expression was quite serious. "for my ''her,'' i wouldn''t say that before me is an su moningsta, even if it were a dragon''s lair or a tiger''s den, i would still charge through!" which ''her''? darn it, priest paxi felt utterly confounded; his nephew had only been out of sight for a few days, so how had he become like this... but then he saw in the depths of rosen''s eyes a will full of determination, an unstoppable persistence, a vigor brimming with ambition. those amber eyes were so vivid and emotionally rich that priest paxi even saw in them a faint sadness and infatuation. priest paxi seemed to understand something. he assumed an expression of someone who was about to hear some juicy gossip. his nephew was in the prime of his youth, and all these years, he had adhered strictly to the order''s discipline, having never been in love. he had fallen in love. once he had fallen, he became completely obsessed. and evidently, rosen''s first love had a deep connection with an su; he joined the chaotic frontier specifically to win back his first love. and the girl related to an su... thinking this, priest paxi glanced thoughtfully at luojia beside him, "this ''her'' you speak of, must be her holiness the holy maiden, right?" little holy maiden luojia blinked her eyes; she completely couldn''t grasp what this man was ranting about; she had never met rosen at all. "her holiness the holy maiden is of course stunningly beautiful, but her demeanor is too aloof. my ''her,''" rosen spoke passionately, "has a bit more allure of a woman." "..." luojia made a disgusted face; this guy had quite a nerve. but the one closely related to an su should only be luojia. priest paxi showed a puzzled look. "who is she?" priest paxi asked. as rosen began to talk about the ''her'' in his heart, recalling the first time he met her, the promising knight had endless stories and was lost in those sweet and joyful memories. rosen started to recount his own story. "i still remember the first time i met her, it was three days ago, under that beautifully shimmering moonlight, she was veiled in a mist like the glow of light, her voice as if an angel had descended to earth... i couldn''t see her face clearly, she appeared before me so miraculously and gracefully..." "what''s her name?" priest paxi asked. rosen said affectionately. "her name is yue''er... such a beautiful name." the memories flooded his mind like the tide. under that tide-like moonlight, after being defeated and humiliated by an su, during the darkest and most confusing days of rosen''s life, that angel as pure and bright as the full moon redeemed rosen. that girl must be a noblewoman, an elegant and tranquil noble lady, veiled with the light of yuesha, her ladylike demeanor was the most graceful and perfect rosen had ever seen, lifting her skirt gently, bending her knees in a curtsy, every action impeccable. "as a saint, one must always maintain elegance." her voice was clear as moonlight. she truly redeemed rosen''s troubled and perplexed heart. since that meeting, they would chat every night through magic communication, and that noble angel led rosen out of his confusion bit by bit. she had the perfect and serene spirit of a noble, and that spirit completely influenced rosen. the angel said she liked the third order, so rosen did everything to be in the third place; the angel said she liked the god of law''s hairstyle, so rosen went to have his hair cut. to win his beloved''s favor, rosen tried many new things, tried wearing anler brand products, and when the soft and comfortable touch wrapped around him, rosen felt the warmth of home, warm as if he was being embraced by his lover. rosen was also anxious; he had doubted whether such a wonderful person truly existed in this world, until on the third day, the angel sent him her photo. this was the first time, rosen felt his heartbeat stop. that beautiful face, as if it shouldn''t belong to this world. so perfect, it matched all of rosen''s imaginings. rosen asked frantically when they could meet again. s~ea??h the n?vel(f)ire.nt website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. but on the fourth day, today, yue''er told him that she could no longer accompany him. because of her family, yue''er was going to the chaotic frontier managed by an su. "if you want to see me, come find me in the chaotic frontier~" that was the last message left by yue''er. rosen was struck with infatuation on the spot. as a man, as an order knight, how could he let such a wonderful lady continue to wait? he charged over immediately. "where is yue''er?" his gaze intensely set upon an su, he was willing to submit to the novice before him, if only it meant he could meet yue''er once again! luojia watched from the side, his face covered in dark lines. "i''m sorry, i cannot reveal any information about the saints to outsiders," an su''s mouth curved into a calm smile as he took out a magic contract, "but if you sign this magic contract, i''ll let you meet them." "do you have the resolve to face the chaotic frontier?" upon close inspection, rosen found that the magic contract was full of exploitations, but at the end, the compensation also stated, ''good performance, one weekly call with yue''er.'' "i..." rosen hesitated. "is this your resolve?" an su said coldly as he took out a communication magical tool and as soon as he turned it on, that elegant yet chilling voice came through. "your excellency rosen, you need not worry about yue''er. it''s normal to feel scared, please leave." "just leave yue''er alone at the frontier." how preposterous. at the sound of his beloved''s cold voice tinged with a slight plaintiveness, rosen''s hormones surged instantly. order knights are not cowards! find your next adventure on empire "i''ll sign!" the lovestruck man wrote his name directly on the contract. "very well." an su''s smile became more solemn, "let me judge your resolve then!" "this is the initiation baptism ceremony." the youth stood up slowly, dressed in a pure white priest''s robe, his ash-white hair flowing with the wind, and his pale hands gathered above rosen''s head, so holy, so solemn, much like a missionary baptising a saint. he chanted the magic ''judgment of light'', and the light of heaven poured down, the melodious and gentle hymn resounded, and a circle of holy light fell on the spot, landing directly on rosen''s head. a smooth imprint of holy light was branded on him. utterly holy. rosen, with his shining bald spot, looked determined. if yue''er liked this hairstyle, then what did it matter if he shaved it off! he would show an su what ''elegance'' meant to the order church! the once tenth most popular saint asserted resolutely. "good, this is the resolve of glory," an su said approvingly, "now go inside, your yue''er is waiting just for you." after rosen walked away, emotionally moved, luojia pinched an su''s ear and asked, "who is yue''er, and what is your relationship with her?" "we''ve lived together for some time," an su pondered and said. he indeed hadn''t lied. "..." luojia felt somewhat angry, but she didn''t know why she was angry. she suddenly found an su''s smug face to be annoying. even the blueberry cake she had just eaten started to taste unpleasant. before luojia could say anything, another saint arrived at the door. priest paxi thought it was absurd. he recognized this saint too. his name was yake, a prospective deacon, two classes senior to an su, very promising, having just established a third order world and qualified to take the official deacon''s examination. what was yake doing here, not preparing for the deacons'' exam half a month away? who would have thought that this talented prospective deacon''s first words to an su would be, "give yue''er back to me!" luojia and paxi fell silent together. the same steps repeated: the newcomer explained his emotional journey, an su brought out the contract, the newcomer hesitated, an su took out the phone, the newcomer signed the unfair contract, and an su drew a circle on the back of the latter''s head with the judgment of light. the first prospective deacon. an su''s mouth held a calm smile. the deacon''s exam was half a month away. the annual quota was limited, and the difficulty of passing was considerable, like a single-log bridge crossed by thousands of troops. to become a deacon, one would have to defeat all other competitors. break them psychologically! disrupt their minds! so, what could be more damaging than discovering on the eve of the exam that their romantic partner of a month was actually a man? in a corner of the hall, unknown to anyone, lister muen adjusted his glasses calmly as he connected the next magic communication, his voice cool as he said, "yue''er in the chaotic frontier is looking forward to meeting you." it was another win-win day: the prospective deacons gained love, an su gained labor, and they all had a promising future. Chapter 161 The First Law of Love - Persistence (Two in One) third order novitiate yake from the radiant holy see was the famous rising star of the previous session.the radiant holy see held him in high regard, and the deacon''s position available in half a month seemed all but guaranteed for yake. and at this moment, the future star of the radiant holy see resolutely had an su shave his head, even though he was once known far and wide for his handsome looks, his flowing long hair was as if from a painting of an elegant young master, but now, under the illumination of the judgment light, a round halo of holy light fell upon his head, further accentuating his dignified aura. proficiency +1. an su stared at yake''s haircut with satisfaction, feeling that his barbering skills were getting better. [first branch of judgment light, understanding of one magic circuit] to perfect magic, one must practice extensively, deepening the understanding of "shaving" through practice. the more you shave, the more experience you have, and the more concepts you understand. "yue''er, wait for me." yake''s eyes were filled with determination, for the woman he loved, what challenge could the chaotic frontier possibly pose? "it''s not..." priest paxi couldn''t bear to see the young man stray down the wrong path and attempted to dissuade him, "child, you need to think it over, the chaotic frontier is hard to endure..." "priest paxi." yake said gently, yet with a resolved gaze, "i once read in a book that love is war, and war has three rules, the first of which is persistencepersistently loving someone." "which book?" priest paxi asked. "the famous ''love bible'' ''forbidden love of the child of the curse and the maid''." "..." priest paxi fell silent. "i thought i understood this principle, but in fact, i did not understand at all." "it was miss yue''er who truly taught me," yake said affectionately, "she taught me how to love others." yue''er was not only his first love but also a solace in his life, a guiding light in his journey. in the past three days, the new noble concept conveyed to yake by yue''er had been deeply imprinted in his heart, and the spirit of persistence had become his pillar. he had learned to persevere. yake''s family and friends said he was foolish; the chaotic frontier was a real den of dragons and pit of tigers, and perhaps that woman was merely deceiving him into going there. but even if it was a deception, what of it? if yue''er did not wish to see him, why bother deceiving him! all of this was but a trial for him. he had learned the spirit of persistence from yue''er, to love someone is to pursue them relentlessly! after an su finished shaving him and they had signed the agreement, yake walked straight in. "thank you for giving me this opportunity!" before leaving, yake even remembered to thank an su. "no need to thank me." an su responded calmly, "it''s what i should do. go ahead, your yue''er is waiting for you." priest paxi, standing nearby, had a complicated look in his eyes. my nephew has been cuckolded. that was the only thought in his head. luojia watched in utter bewilderment. she blinked, looking first at an su and then at the satisfied departing dak, turning her gaze back and forth; still, she failed to understand the current situation. that woman called yue''er, was she dating two men at the same time over these three days? this question was completely beyond her understanding. according to the teachings of the order church, one should be faithful to one''s partner. flirting with two men at once, luojia was utterly mystified by such a scenario. unimaginable. "yue''er! my yue''er!" just then, a saint arrived at the door. he was dressed in druid attire, with gold-rimmed glasses, and his long, dark green hair cascaded down his shoulders, looking handsome and learned, clutching a thick tome, his eyes burning with a thirst for knowledge. explore stories at empire priest paxi recognized this man; he was also a novitiate. he was about to attend the deacon''s promotion examination in half a month. the druid sect were all bookworms, engrossed in their sacred texts, and to them, women were merely animate elements. priest paxi was confident that the druid scholar would not fall into the traps of women, no flowery words could entice them. but in the next instant, his pupils contracted. the druid approached an su and declared, "i wish to join the chaotic frontier!" "that pure, elegant moonlight is the knowledge i should be studying!" my nephew has been cuckolded again? priest paxi was stunned. was this yue''er some kind of succubus? she seemed to understand the hearts of men so well! first, it was the order church, then the radiant holy see, and now even the druid sect had been lured in. weren''t these scholarly fanatics supposed to only like plants? priest paxi couldn''t help but voice his doubt to the druid. sea??h th n?velfire.net website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. with his eyes full of passion for knowledge, the druid spoke solemnly and sacredly, "you are right, as a druid devoted to nature for life, i would never be beguiled by the honeyed words of women. i''m not so shallow, nor so foolish to be easily deceived by mere words." priest paxi''s face showed satisfaction; this was their druid scholar indeed. the druid scholar continued slowly, "but yue''er showed me her foot." "..." priest paxi fell silent. "that pure white and bright moonlight is the nature i must continue to explore!" the druid scholar''s eyes were brimming with a thirst for knowledge, "thank you, yue''er, for she has taught me the meaning of unyielding pursuit!" priest paxi covered his face. he was pessimistic about his nephew''s path to first love. Chapter 161 The First Law of Love - Persistence (Two in One)_2 the poor nephew, just stepping out into the world, had encountered a player of such a high level.he still remembered rosen''s affectionate yet inviolable expression when talking about his first love, treating that "yue''er" as if she was the sacrosanct white moonlight, but the white moonlight had already been seen by others! miss luojia was also greatly shocked, it was one thing to be involved with two men, but three? s~ea??h the n??elfir.net website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. so that miss yue''er was in such a messy relationship with three different men! that can''t be right, that''s against morals, isn''t it? an su calmly shaved the druid gentleman''s head. good, now the druid court''s acolyte has also arrived. the corners of his mouth curled up in an increasingly serene and radiant smile, which bothered the little holy maiden who was watching, and thinking about how an su said he had cohabited with that guy called yue''er, luojia felt even more uncomfortable and lightly pinched an su''s lower back. such chaotic behavior must be banned by chastity. perhaps the goddess heard luojia''s prayers; suddenly, there was a disturbance. heavy and majestic footsteps trod upon the corridor, an alchemic long spear dragging on the ground, striking sparks one layer after another. a holy knight clad in pure white armor marched towards an su with authority, his armor adorned with the pure white petals of lilies and the evergreen vines of tulips, the very symbols of chastity. this one was even more of a heavy hitter! the surrounding citizens all stepped back, whispering among themselves that it was a knight from the chastity church. the full name of the chastity church is ''church of chastity and honor,'' one of its divine duties being to uphold the moral ethics of the world. the chastity knight stood before an su, took off his mask, and revealed a handsome face tinged with a hint of asceticism. priest paxi also recognized the man, suo si quier, also an acolyte, who had joined the chastity church from a young age, known for his strict self-discipline, honesty, and integrity, always shunning the company of women. to think he had alerted a knight of the chastity church. the little holy maiden showed an ill-intentioned expression; it''s about time the chastity knight sealed this place off. "please allow me to join in the chaos at the chaotic frontier." suo si looked down at an su from above, a true gentleman, honestly admitting, "yue''er showed me her legs." invincible. priest paxi was almost turning gray, his nephew had attracted what kind of monstrous being. "it was miss yue''er who taught me what it means to ''stand firm without thanks.'' enjoy exclusive chapters from empire order knight suo si declared earnestly, "i used to thank early, but after seeing miss yue''er''s legs, for the first time, i managed to stand firm for so long!" down there, man! the little holy maiden wore an expression of deep disgust; her good impression of the chastity knight completely shattered. so, it was premature thanking that made you shun the company of women! was it really premature thanking that led you to join the chastity church? only an su''s smile became even more serene as he skillfully shaved the hair off the ascetic handsome man. lister''s leg photo also started with shaving off the dark leg hair, casting holy light over the hairy leg, then retouched it with a bit of spatial distortion, looking very beautiful. an su felt that his understanding of holy light had deepened further, from "shaving off" to "buddha''s light," enhancing his understanding. in a way, he was also enlightening the masses, guiding them towards virtue, dispelling their illusions, and helping believers to rebuild themselves, becoming new saints who no longer fell prey to temptation. for example, when suo si realized his girlfriend was actually a big burly man, he would undoubtedly develop a huge shadow over love, evolve from early thanking to a slight yang, cutting off worldly desires to devote himself to the holy light wholeheartedly, a perhaps amusing turn of events. now that he had collected an acolyte from the chastity church, an su was in a good mood. is there no one to deal with her and an su? the order church, the radiant holy see, the druid court, the chastity church, there were already a total of four churches, was this miss yue''er aiming to collect churches? there were already four men entangled unclearly with miss yue''er. luojia heaved a sigh and said with a tinge of emotion, probably no girl was more open than miss yue''er. just then, a commotion suddenly rose at the door, and the nearby saints all stepped aside, murmuring among themselves, ''even a member of the alchemical church has come,'' ''acolyte.'' ''his excellency aier of the xien family'' ''is definitely here to cause trouble,'' ''the recruitment of saints is also underway next door.'' upon hearing this, paxi frowned slightly. this man was indeed a heavy hitter. the xien family has always been one of the largest hereditary families within the alchemical church. with connections to the royal bloodline, paxi''s junior sister ai xueli, and the newly born alice, were also from the xien family; this acolyte aier was alice''s cousin. his alchemic genius was outstanding, having been the top graduate in alchemy of the previous session, and he was a hot favorite among the saints in this acolyte promotion assessment. alice and an su were at odds, and aier was here to stand up for his cousin. the xien family was among the oldest imperial families, possessing the most traditional noble thoughts, and they have always looked down upon the people from the borderlands. a few days ago, aier finalized a rank two world and was also recruiting saints. unexpectedly, it was such a coincidence that he came head-to-head with an su. aier, with fierce momentum, led a large group of brothers, casting a dark mass, and at a rough count, there were at least nearly ten, each of high rank, likely all elites. they burst through the door rudely, and the first thing they said was ''who is an su?'' the atmosphere immediately tensed up. it was utterly solemn. priest paxi, as an official of the order church, had already roughly deduced the motives and causes. surely, an su had used unfair means on this side to attract strong saints away from aier, causing the latter''s displeasure. adding new resentment to old grudges led to the current situation. he brought so many brothers in one breath to smash the place up. with himself present, they would not start a fight, but threats and intimidation were inevitable. aier, a traditional nobleman, was arrogant and has always despised people from the borderlands, walking straight up to an su, making the surrounding onlookers hold their breath. the solitary twilight enveloped them; the dusk slowly rose, and the bloody sunset splashed all around with a crimson glow as an su looked up to meet the gaze of the imposing alchemists. "i am an su," he said calmly. luojia was a bit worried, gripping her magic wand tightly; although she was angry with an su, she couldn''t let him be bullied by so many people. the situation became critical. it was aier who broke the silence first, "please tell miss yangzi that i and my brothers have come to pursue her." the voice was not loud, but to everyone''s ears, it was startling. luojia was stunned. who the hell was yangzi! luojia had never heard of her before. she blinked her eyes, scanning the group of sturdy men; there were eleven of them in total, and she had never heard of courting women as a team with brothers! she thought that miss yue er''s simultaneous involvement with four men was already outrageous, but who knew this newly emerged miss yangzi was even more ridiculous. she felt she could no longer understand the young folks'' philosophies of love, but aier acted like it was the most natural thing in the world, with the sun shining through the window bars onto his cheeks, so holy, so radiant. "how narrow-minded." that''s the thing with these country folks; their thoughts don''t progress a bit. they''re backward, closed-minded, and stubborn, full of selfishness and prejudice. it''s precisely because of dark, feudal, and dull thinking and the lack of courage in love that they shrink back into safe corners, constrained by secular norms, betraying others, or being betrayed by othersall signs of selfishness and darkness. you don''t understand what love is at all. aier''s sunny eyes swept over everyone, his smile so dazzling, like a newborn sun, blindingly reflecting in everyone''s eyes, ''love bible,'' ''child of the curse and the maid''s forbidden love'' mentions the second principle of love'' ''[courage]learn to love others bravely!'' who on earth wrote this banned book! Chapter 162 The Second Law of Love - Courage! (Two in One, Seeking Monthly Tickets at Month-End!) an su''s smile grew brighter and brighter, as he had now collected five prospective deacons of the church, and all of them were seed-level contenders.as long as all his opponents were done for, an su would be the first-place winner. that was the relativity theory of examinations. moreover, he could guide the lost saints, help them see through the illusions of the mundane world, and henceforth devote themselves to enlightenment, which would also improve his own hairdressing skills. in the end, the chaotic frontier would gain an influx of labor. it was a win-win-win situation indeed. so, the smile at the corner of an su''s mouth grew even sunnier. he gazed at the handsome young nobleman clad in exquisite garments before him. mr. aier was born into a branch of the historical xien family. the xien family, being one of the most traditional hereditary nobilities with conservative, feudal thoughts, was the veritable banner of righteousness in nether, and aier grew up just as the family patriarch had hoped, following the strict conservative family rules, meticulously living by the book. from his birth, the family patriarch told him, "you are a marquis'' son, and the lowly commoners are from a different world than you." aier''s future, probably, was to marry a noble lady. step by step, he would become an alchemic saint, step by step, build his own faction. step by step, prepare for the advanced examination a month later, everyone had confidence and expectations in him, and he unceasingly upheld his family''s honor, preserving the traditions that had lasted over a thousand years, for only glory could place their family at the summit of farol. that had been aier''s belief all along. until three days ago, aier and his brothers encountered ''her''. after that, aier completely understood what true glory meant. "you don''t understand what love is at all." aier''s eyes were profound and passionate as he began to share his story, "true love should have the passion of flames, just like the sparks flying from the alchemy platform, beautiful and bright, making one throw caution to the wind, and even if it is a moth to flame, one has to dive wholeheartedly into it. this is the courage of love. to bravely do what you know is wrong." "and i knew it was a forbidden love affair." his brothers behind him also clapped and echoed his sentiment. read latest stories on empire priest paxi, seeing aier''s deep demeanor and considering his words, thought they made quite a bit of sense. what else could be said but ''youth,'' with the courage to love fiercely, daring to break the conventional prejudices of society. anyway, since his own nephew wasn''t involved this time, he might as well let them be. an su also showed a look of agreement, feeling that aier too was a man with a story, and said, "please tell us the story of your encounter." "the first time i saw miss yangzi was three days ago, on a misty evening, within the secluded and indifferent manor. i was alone in my room, feeling lonely and isolated, and she appeared in my room like a ray of light. since then, my heart has been captivated." "meeting her, undoubtedly, was a blessing from the gods, the divine guiding us together." aier snorted lightly, oozing dominion. "hmph, an interesting woman." priest paxi showed a look of approval, a very romantic beginning. "following the clues she left, after many twists and turns, and with painstaking effort, i was finally able to find her again." priest paxi nodded again, a classic tale of an aristocratic young master meeting an energetic commoner girl, very classic and romantic, and extremely popular with the young people of late, just like the hit ''child of the curse and the maid miss''s forbidden love.'' one just wonders what kind of clue miss yangzi left behind, was it a glass slipper that only her foot could fit? deities of chastity and love indeed bestow blessings. a noble and a girl breaking conventions, bravely falling in love, that''s the ''courage'' of love. even luojia next to him found it quite interesting, it seemed like a pure love story. he moved his stool closer, curiously asking, "what clue did miss yangzi leave behind?" mr. aier chuckled, pride brimming in his profound eyes; his demeanor was lofty and confident, his smile as bright as the sun, as if he were the chosen favorite of the heavens. he slowly pulled out a sapphire-made alchemy encrypted box from his pocket. as he displayed the box, he looked as proud as an emperor. with the alchemy gears slowly turning, the treasured contents within were finally revealed, and luojia peered inside to see a card. ''home alone. bored. miss yangzi''s magic communication: 921012734'' the hall fell into dead silence. "...." the little holy maiden was flabbergasted. her eyes were wide circles, struggling to understand the complex information that had flooded her mind. blinking rapidly as if questioning her own vision, she stared at the card again, realizing she wasn''t mistaken, causing her to grow even more flustered, subconsciously clutching the hem of an su''s clothes. like a disheveled and helpless kitten. she once thought miss yue''er to be an invincible existence, yet had not anticipated miss yangzi to be even more formidable, each more prominent than the last! priest paxi''s mouth twitched, as someone nearly in his thirties, he had never seen such a wicked and degenerate object. sea??h th n?vel(f)ire.nt website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. beside the card, there was undoubtedly the exquisite figure of a beautiful woman, lit up with full-screen holy light. priest paxi stared at aier''s proud smile, it turns out ''light'' had literally appeared before you! Chapter 162 The Second Law of Love - Courage! (Two in One, Seeking Monthly Pass at Months End!)_2 "what ''after much trouble and effort, finally finding her''," the number for magic communication is printed right on the card!aier, seeing the astonished expressions of the two men, thought to himself that these country bumpkins only knew how to fuss over nothing, simply envious of him. the mortals of the nether world, where had they seen such advanced and sophisticated business concepts and operations as ''sliding a little card through the door''? pure as paper, aier fell for it on the spot, considering the card a blessing from the gods, a miracle of the gods, a divine guide leading them to meet. after a long silence, finally, priest paxi weakly broke the silence. "you know... doing this kind of thing is illegal, right?" priest paxi forced a smile, "i am a priest of order, you know?" hmph, the shackles of the law. hmph, the gaze of the mundane. these stubborn, old-fashioned feudal families are still bound by such backward thinking, still stuck in mundane conventions. the old era is destined to be eliminated. so disappointing. aier looked directly at priest paxi with a commanding gaze, his eyes ablaze with fiery passion, fervor rising within him, "i knew about this boring stuff a long time ago!" "i''ve already said it, this is love, even if i know it''s wrong, even if there''s a sea of fire ahead, i will bravely go forththis is exactly the path of [courage] in love that miss yangzi taught me!" "good!" everyone fell silent, only an su applauded aier''s impassioned speech, clapping his hands and praising the defiance of aier''s unworldly courage. luojia pinched an su''s waist, "you''re not allowed to learn from him." stop insulting love! priest paxi roared inwardly, no matter how trendy or advanced society might be, this isn''t love, it''s illegal! the courage in love he had envisioned was supposed to be about a noble young master and a common girl breaking societal taboos and bravely falling in lovevery romantic. encouraging you to break taboos bravely, not to break the law bravely. this is not courage, no one around him understood him, and this instead ignited aier''s rebellious spirit, making him feel what he was doing was right. from birth until now, for eighteen years, he had been bound by the ancient family rules; once a person has been repressed for too long, they become abnormal in the silence. "and what''s the deal with those brothers behind you?" priest paxi pointed to the ten priests who followed aier and out of habit reached into his pocket for paper and pen to begin taking notes. first, ''silver chaos crime,'' seven days. "hmph." aier scoffed, disappointed with the backward, feudal thoughts of the world, which were outdated and selfish, utterly lacking in noble glory. "the sun does not belong to any one person alone, the sunlight shines equally on every one of us, whether noble or commoner, whether king or slave. that sacred light warms us all, so great and sublime, and who am i, to shamelessly monopolize the sun?" gathering a group for silver chaos, fourteen days. priest paxi meticulously recorded on paper. "good." an su wanted to continue clapping; he liked being brothers with someone as forthright as aier. but before he could clap, he felt pain again, as luojia fiercely pinched his waist. "since then, i''ve been talking to miss yangzi every day." aier continued to tell his story, fearing not the so-called law. in his eyes, there was a third of unruliness, a third of desolation, and the remaining part nonchalance; it was hard to believe one''s eyes could mix such vivid emotions. "it was miss yangzi who taught me what is the courage of a noble, what is the glory of a noble." aier declared aloud, "so-called shame, so-called nobility, so-called taboos, are like clothes added to oneself, hindrances keeping us from glory! the ''bible'' chapter one records, it was because humans tasted the forbidden fruit that they felt shame, clothed themselves, and were exiled from heaven!" "and what i''m about to show you, is what is the [bravery] of love!" ael swiftly stripped off his luxurious tailcoat with a few flicks and then yanked off his gold-plated trousers, leaving himself in nothing but a bare pair of huge boxer shorts, which elicited waves of gasps from the surrounding market onlookers. miss yangzi once said that she liked ael just the way he was, open and honest. this greatly encouraged ael, making him feel he had done the right thing, and he even sent many nude photos to yangzi. luojia had sensed something wrong the moment he started to pull at his coat, and she quickly closed her eyes and covered them, for fear that gazing at such an uncouth man would give her styes; nearby, priest paxi''s face was covered in dark lines as he noted down in his little book. gathering a crowd, stirring chaos, plus indecent exposure, one month. ready to go. just so happens to not need to attend the promotion exam in a month''s time. just turned eighteen and without magic protection, priest paxi enjoyed sentencing this type of case. wanting to be promoted to district bishop was all about performance. "so why did you come here?" priest paxi asked with curiosity. discover more stories at empire "because miss yangzi arranged to meet us in the city at the chaotic frontier." ael said earnestly. "...so you haven''t even met yangzi yet?" priest paxi fell silent. "no, not yet." he said honestly. paxi suddenly respected him immensely, wondering if this fellow had been stood up by a saint? then that makes sentencing difficult. "i think compared to the chaotic frontier, our observation ward might be a bit safer." priest paxi still had a conscience and tried to persuade ael to realize the error of his ways, "that''s an su up ahead." paxi now suspected some collusion between an su and yangzi, but he did not wish to confront an su, since an su was a minor after all! "hmph." ael laughed brightly, "for miss yangzi, i have enough courage to face it all!" "good." an su clapped his hands joyfully, admiring such straightforward and courageous men; the chaotic frontier was in dire need of such talents, so he intended to cultivate them well in the hengshui second branch school. instantly, a [judgment of the holy light] enveloped ael''s head, and the clergymen behind him followed suit, flooding the room with a dazzling holy radiance, like a sea of buddhas. as each strand of hair fell away, one bright bald head after another shone reflectively, creating a glorious spectacle. enlightening so many saints at once. an su''s understanding of [judgment of the holy light] deepened. sar?h the n?vel_fire.et website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "thanks for your acceptance, brother an su." ael was happily scratching his bald head, feeling like he looked incredibly cool now. he got praises from miss yangzi even with his clothes off; now with his hair gone too, wouldn''t his handsomeness be explosive? watching the two bond over what seemed like a missed mutual admiration, priest paxi felt his scalp tingle. he suddenly came to a terrifying realization. a new trend from the chaotic frontier was about to spread in the capital. it was known that an su had already recruited several of the church''s deacons into the chaotic frontier, whether it was his nephew, the druid scholar, yake from the radiant holy see, suo si from the church of chastity, or this member of the alchemic aristocracy, ael, each a genius from the capital, representing to some extent the future of the church. but all had been roped into the chaotic frontiera frontier nonetheless! under the influence of the frontier''s concepts of ''perseverance'' and ''courage'', they each grew into formidable talents. his nephew had become a loyal cuckold, the druid scholar shifted from a plant enthusiast to a foot fetishist, yake and suo si embraced the spirit of ''persistence without thanks'', and ael broke taboos to become the most hardcore pervert. this was cultural erosion. three fledgling frontiers were already a handful, and now with so many new contenders arriving. the thought that in the future, all churches could be swayed by an su''s frontier influences was terrifying! priest paxi couldn''t even begin to imagine such a future. Chapter 174 An Su: I report! The border girl group is an evil esoteric organization! (Two in one)_2 "And this witch''s chaos is just the beginning, the Esoteric Religion is plotting an even greater conspiracy.""Your Excellency Merlin, what I have said is absolutely true, and now is a moment of crisis for the survival of our Church!" An Su looked up at the leader of the Radiant Holy See, who was above Heaven, and spoke with a solemn and serious tone. His expression was very grave, filled with concern for the country and its people. Merlin Andre''s mouth twitched as he packed his luggage, thinking about how he could finally have a break and enjoy himself, only for this sudden arrival to occur. Who allowed him to come in! Moreover, as soon as he entered, he wanted to report something, starting off with such heavy information, claiming that the border was on the verge of collapse and the capital was about to face destruction. This made even Merlin start to lose confidence. Merlin had also heard about the Border Maiden Group. After all, it was a group that had recently become very popular in the capital, with newspapers vying to cover it. The young people seemed to be possessed, showing considerable fanaticism towards the Border Maiden Group. The old gatekeeper, with nothing better to do, would read the newspapers to pass the time. But that this group could be related to the Esoteric Religion... Merlin''s brows furrowed slightly; indeed, many characteristics of the Border Maiden Group could be linked to a cult. For example, the fervent collective worship, the formation of their own sects Full Moon Treasure, Ri Zi, Guardian Knight Order. There were often bizarre prayers and incomprehensible frenzied behavior suddenly stripping naked in the street, then shouting, ''Woo woo woo, Miss Yangzi, I want to be your dog.'' There was also the hunting of heretics and the intolerance of other beliefs one could often see the three fan clubs slinging insults and waging verbal wars against each other. It seemed like An Su had a point. The Church indeed was in danger. But, Is the God of Law so easily fooled? He snorted coldly. Merlin''s pure white eyes were calm and undisturbed, with the cosmos slowly revolving within them, quite imposing; the majestic aura of the strongest Demigod was overwhelming, coldly gazing at An Su as if all the lies in the world couldn''t escape his sight. "An Su," he said in a cold voice. "Don''t try to fool me." "Do you know what you did wrong?" "Your story is quite elaborate and perfect, but you overlooked a small detail, and it is a fatal one." An Su watched Merlin with a hint of nervousness, his unease intensifying, cold sweat rolling down his cheeks. An Su could feel Merlin''s anger brewing, as grand Holy Light gathered in his eyes, dazzling like thunderbolts. "You should have reported this to the Order Church," Merlin burst out angrily, "this is not my damn business." I knew you would pass the buck! An Su''s fears were confirmed. This guy never took care of things. He couldn''t possibly go to the Order Church because they were too high-handed. But Merlin was much more approachable. "Your Excellency Merlin, as the leader of the Radiant Holy See, as our head, how can you allow such an opportunity to earn merit be taken by other Churches?" An Su put on the appearance of a loyal servant of the Radiant Holy See. He was utterly worried for the Radiant Holy See. Don''t remind me of that title... Merlin scratched his snow-white bald spot, and for a moment, the imposing aura of a Demigod he had mustered dissipated. "Since that''s the case, what evidence do you have that those three girls are up to something?" asked Merlin. "You are truly clairvoyant," An Su showed a look of amazement, continuing to flatter, "I have indeed discovered a ghost among them! That Kavensis is an evil ghost summoned here!" Merlin''s mouth continued to twitch. "Is there any other evidence?" Merlin asked impatiently, not wanting to continue this pointless conversation with the young man; he was getting ready for his vacation, after all. "We intercepted three letters they were exchanging," said An Su, serious, taking out three letters from his pocket, "every word in these letters is shocking, without a doubt, those three witches are engaging in a major conspiracy." "They plan to act during the promotion exams half a month from now! They intend to assassinate the examinees during the exams!" Merlin took the letters to read. The letter to Miss Yangzi was in communication with the Painful Court, Miss Yue Er''s was with the Life Ecclesia, and Kavensis''s was with the Sanctuary of Chaos. Divine authority glimmered in the depths of Merlin''s eyes, the gates of Heaven opened, and a torrent of information surged from his pupils, tracing back to the origin. Enjoy exclusive content from empire He could sense that the remnants of aura from these three letters truly originated from the believers of the three great Esoteric Religions. This matter has become quite serious. As An Su''s direct superior, according to the teachings of the Radiant, Merlin had an obligation to deal with this matter. In the end, Merlin tried to salvage his leave, "It''s just a letter, still no tangible evidence. In this case, you return home and wait for seven working days, and I will inform you after discussing it carefully with the bishops." One could see that His Excellency Merlin really didn''t want to go to work. Alleviating worries for a superior is a subordinate''s duty. "Please rest assured, Your Excellency Merlin, let Arthur, Lister, and I take care of this," with a smile on the corner of his mouth, An Su continued, "I have already ascertained the location of their secret meeting, which is tonight. We three will make our move and capture them!" "At that time, we will come to you with tangible evidence." Indeed, An Su had ascertained the location of their secret plot, after all, it was he who had set it. After hearing An Su''s words from the heart, Merlin only wanted to beat this upstart to death. He would have to work overtime tonight. Turning a blind eye is a traditional virtue of the Church, people were undercover and doing just fine, so why go and arrest them? "I think it''s better not to disturb the snake by hitting the grass," Merlin Andre said seriously, "lest we alarm the big character behind this. In this case, you go home and wait for seven working days for me to carefully..." "Indeed, we can''t disturb the snake by hitting the grass." An Su nodded in agreement, showing a look of admiration befitting of His Excellency Merlin. "Therefore, I have prepared a follow-up plan, where Arthur, Lister, and I take over the identities of these three and infiltrate the Esoteric Religion! This way, we won''t be discovered and can also gather intelligence." "Do you possess sufficient skill not to be exposed with your means?" Merlin said disdainfully, "True concealment magic not only changes appearance but can also influence others'' perception." Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "That''s why I have come to you," An Su added seriously, "We''ll knock people out and bring them here, your magic is powerful, so you can help us with the disguise." No matter what, they wanted to drag me into it... Merlin''s expression chilled. He was all too aware of An Su''s ulterior motives, he definitely wasn''t up to any good. However, if the plans written in the letter were true, it would indeed be a very serious matter. After pondering for a while, Merlin waved to An Su, "I''ll give you this chance, bring the people here." Midnight. The moon shone brightly. The imperial capital was orderly, split into the Upper City District and Lower City District. The Upper City housed nobles and royalty, while the Lower City was a chaotic mix, and the meeting place An Su had set was in the Lower City District. As a professional Painful Soldier, Assyria Xius dressed mysteriously. Lately, the Order Church had been strict, even issuing bounty notices. Anyone who reported an undercover would be rewarded with fifty faith points. The Order Church had even introduced a leaderboard, rewarding those who reported the most spies with a banner of honor. He wore a dark hooded cloak, moving silently through the crowded streets with Blood Step, entirely secretive and cool, except for the shining bald head that caught the light and the attention. The people around gave Assyria strange looks. As the sole survivor of the ''Painful Boot Camp'' of the past world, Assyria Xius had a complicated history. After reflecting on his pain, he resolved to turn over a new leaf and rid himself of past shame. Assyria, with renewed determination, dyed his hair red and joined the most fearsome and terrifying ''Crimson Legion'' of the Painful Esoteric Sect, led directly by General Rada. Then he got his head shaved by An Su. Ever since his tonsure, Assyria experienced a subtle shift in his attitude. He became quite perplexed. At this time, he received a new bounty task. In half a month, it would be the promotion exams, and all candidate Executors from across the nation would come to the capital for the tests. Under the leadership of the Bishop of Pain, numerous sect members in disguise had infiltrated the capital, aiming to take out these rising stars of the Church, with each kill rewarding fifty points of pain. However, Assyria couldn''t muster much enthusiasm for it. The conflict between his true identity and his false one had left him on the verge of existential emptiness. Living day to day in darkness, it was during this time that the ''sun'' known as Yang Zi appeared, illuminating his long dimmed inner world, stirring a frenzy of passion within Assyria. And now, he was about to meet this angel known as Yang Zi. For Assyria, this was a moment of redemption. Chapter 175 The Three Great Cults Competing for the Title of Saint Heir (Two-in-One) Imperial Capital, Lower City District.Within a dimly lit sub-district base, the bald heads of a dozen men reflected a harsh, cold light. Plastered in the center of the room was a large character slogan, "To kill is to save." The various experts of the Painful Esoteric Sect were dressed in dark robes, each with an angry, stern countenance, appearing quite formidable. Those seated were the middle and high-ranking members of the Esoteric Sect, all graduates of the former ''Crimson Cult,'' in charge of the assassination operation aimed at the saints of the Imperial Capital. The power of each person started at the Fifth Tier, and they each managed undercover agents within their respective districts. The bishop seated at the end of the long table spoke, truly worthy of the title of bishop, even the Holy Light above his head shone brighter than the others. Enjoy new chapters from empire The topics he spoke about were of utmost importance, discussing top priorities of the cult, leaving the surrounding Painful Priests deep in thought. "What shall our cult be called now?" the bishop asked seriously. "It must be linked to our original name." Ever since their last attack on Heaven and the shaving incident that left Bishop Rada with a deep psychological scar, it took him over a month to gradually recover, yet some residual effects from the "Judgment Light" persisted. Specifically, during the miserable sermons, his chanting led to the preached believers thinking that his bishopship had gone abroad for studies and had just returned. The consequences of their last failure were far-reaching. Having been shorn of their prideful red hair, to continue calling themselves the Crimson Cult seemed inappropriate. It had been a whole month, yet their hair had not grown back. Attempts with various hair-growing magics had been futile. Seeing the leader speak, a priest in charge of the Fourth Street District promptly suggested with utmost respect, "Your Eminence, why not call it the ''Gorilla Legion''? For one thing, gorillas are fierce and powerful, symbolizing our Painful Court''s wildness. Also, gorillas have a robust growth of hair, resonating with our hope to regrow our hair soon, and conveying the spirit of our wish to have a full head of hair." "Hmm, quite poetic." Bishop Rada nodded his approval and decided that the cult would henceforth be called the Gorilla Legion. With the most crucial matter resolved, the various priests all sighed in relief. Bishop Rada continued, "With the important matter settled, let''s move on to the less important issues. The Gorilla Cult has received a recommendation slot for the Quasi-Holy Child. Are there any young people who wish to compete for it?" Similar to the Church, the Esoteric Religion also had recommendation slots for Quasi-Holy Children. Just as the Radiant Holy See''s administrative districts would select their own Holy Maidens to be known as Quasi-Holy Maidens, the Painful Esoteric Sect had thirteen cults, each with a recommendation slot for a Holy Child. Of course, this still required approval from headquarters. A Quasi-Holy Child was not yet a true Holy Child and had to compete against other Quasi-Holy Children recommended by different churches. If they were to be outdone by another Holy Child, it would be a disgrace to their own cult. "Your Eminence, this ''Triple Sect Assassination'' plan, jointly plotted by our cult with the other two major Esoteric Religions, is an excellent opportunity to assess the younger generation. It is also an opportunity for distinction that other cults do not have." Suggested a vicar bishop respectfully, his bald head gleaming, "The one who assassinates the most saints could be selected as our cult''s Quasi-Holy Child. What do you think?" Bishop Rada frowned; he felt this approach was somewhat hasty and improper. "As far as I know, Chaos and Life have already begun executing this plan," said a bald priest quickly. Bishop Rada''s frown relaxed; now he thought it was a good idea. Copying others was never wrong. This was the truth Bishop Rada learned after a whole year of entanglement with that deeply sinful and detestable man. Just thinking about that man caused Bishop Rada to fall into depression again. He said he would let go, but, how could the matters of the Painful Esoteric Sect be so easily put aside? S~ea??h the N??elFir.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. For this assassination strategy, Bishop Rada would personally execute it in the reality of Farol to make that man pay a price. Killing saints was just a side matter, if a demigod fought in the real world, the entire Imperial Capital would fall into a sea of fire, the administrative system would utterly collapse, and with the Church Nation attacking borders from outside, under this dual pressure, the Orthodox Church would suffer a heavy blow. "You handle this matter." Bishop Rada, with his depressive thoughts rising, had no time for details and waved his hand, saying indifferently, "Do you have a favored candidate?" "Our Gorilla Cult is brimming with talent, a gathering of the elite," responded the vicar bishop respectfully, "For instance, the recently joined ''Serpent of Pain'' Assyria.Xius, who is ruthless, morally corrupt, and doesn''t even bring paper when using the restroom C clearly no good at a glance and truly remarkable. Besides Assyria, we have even more impressive ones like..." "What about the other Esoteric Sects?" interrupted Bishop Rada. "The ''Living Sacrifice''s Child'' Rosca from the Life and Sacrifice Esoteric Sect, and ''Chaotic Escalator'' Lorne from the Chaos and Escalator Church are both exceptional young people," he reported. These divine titles were indeed peculiar, bestowed according to the names of their churches. Bishop Rada appeared contemplative. "How did this ''Living Sacrifice''s Child'' come about?" Birth and sacrifice? "Oh, because that person excels in forbidden water-based Summoning Magic, capable of summoning the taboo Sea Evil God, so he is known as the ''Son of Fresh Produce,''" he replied. "The other one was because the divine title ''Chaotic Escalator'' had already been bestowed upon the current Chaotic Saintess. Since the registration was taken, the Mother Goddess granted ''Chaotic Elevator'' as well as other prodigies in the Esoteric Sect, such as ''Chaotic Elevator,'' and ''Chaotic Escalator.''" Chapter 175 The Three Great Cults Competing for the Saint Heir (Part 2-in-1)_2 ```"Shanzhai, it seems our Esoteric Religion is brimming with talent," Bishop Rada said with a satisfied smile, "With these outstanding new members, the great revival of our Cult is just around the corner!" "All of this is thanks to your leadership, Your Eminence!" the vice-bishop hastened to say. "Shanzhai!" "Shanzhai!" The congregation stood up, the future where the Painful Esoteric Sect would thrive was not far away! ... At this very moment. S~ea??h the N??elFir.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The Serpent of Pain, the leader of the Ri Zi Cult, Assyria.Xius, had come to the alley as agreed, but he did not see Miss Yangzi. He had waited for a full hour. Anxious, he searched around but still could not find his beloved Miss Yangzi. Deciding that he was on the verge of death, he began to go insane on the spot, kneeling in agony on the street corner, continuously hitting his own face while murmuring in despair, "Wuu, Miss Yangzi, my Miss Yangzi... do not leave me..." Having his anxieties sliced away by An Su, his mental state was already terrible; now, with additional erosion from his idol, he could not take any more stress. Passersby, seeing his mad state, quickly went around him, thinking to themselves about reporting him to the Order Church, as he looked exactly like someone from a Mixed Cult. An Su, along with Lister and Arthur, hid in the distance, frowning as they watched Assyria lose his sanity. "Brother Su, he seems a bit out of hand," Arthur swallowed nervously - the man was too eerie, and he did not dare to approach and knock him out, fearing he might get bitten and infected. A crazed fan can be terrifying when they lose their mind. They can erupt with combat power far beyond what''s usual. An Su nodded in agreement; cases of stabbing an idol in anime were too vivid in his mind, and engaging directly was not an option. Nor could they startle the quarry. Not taking action personally was best. Fortunately, An Su had already thought of a solution. Repeat the same trick. "Come closer." An Su whispered in the ears of the two, who immediately showed an understanding expression. Arthur immediately used friendly communication, with the voice of "Miss Yangzi" via the magic network to pass information to Assyria. Assyria looked relieved and hurriedly answered the call, but the first thing he heard was Miss Yangzi''s panting voice, "Huh, huff, are you there yet?" "Yang, Miss Yangzi?" Assyria''s shoulders trembled, "You, what are you doing?" "Ah, I''m running on Henry Street, hmm... I''m on my way over." Lister leaned close to Arthur, making a low and magnetic breathing sound, "Huff.. huff, hmm, hmm." "Who''s that man next to you!" Assyria was desperate, his world seemed to be collapsing, even a fool knew what had happened! "I am ''the son of life sacrifice,'' Rosca, hahaha, Miss Yangzi is mine now." Lister recited the name he had received, "I even intend to summon an octopus to play with." Octopus! Assyria had not expected the sunny and pure Miss Yangzi to be into such wild things. She must have been corrupted and tainted by those evil Life Esoteric Cultists, to have become like this. His goddess, his sun, was stolen by others just like that. Henry Street was just nearby. It was an abandoned street, seldom visited, with overgrown weeds and a wild charm. Could it be, that they had called him here as part of someone else''s task? Assyria remembered that this son of life sacrifice was from the Full Moon Treasure Cult, it was a religious war, a holy war not to be blasphemed. It must be the suppression of the Full Moon Treasure! That dark and terrible mood spread swiftly within his soul, and the Serpent of Pain had never known such agony before. In the utmost torment, his sanity collapsed, he was too angry to speak, and at once he drew the long knife from his waist and headed towards Henry Street. His goddess must have been seduced by the heretics; he would reclaim his goddess. The glorious days of the Ri Zi Cult were not far off. At the same time. Lister began to communicate using the voice of "Miss Yue''er" to the son of life sacrifice, hinting that Yue''er had been stolen by chaotic stairs. An Su used a recorded voice of Miss Kavensis to communicate with chaotic stairs, suggesting that Kavensis had been stolen by the Serpent of Pain. ``` A good green triangle cycle was formed. Ansu, the mayor, had always been committed to the environmental protection plans for the entire imperial capital, which was something a saint should do. Less than half an hour had passed. The night grew deeper; the dark night stirred the clouds, as if a dreadful storm was looming, and the rain drizzled down, wetting the streets of the abandoned slum on Henry Street. A believer''s battle was on the brink of breaking out. Once extreme fanatics lost their reason, the resulting consequences were terrifying. The entire battlefield was exceedingly brutal. The Serpent of Pain, Assyria.Xius, made the first move, using Forbidden Magic to transform into a male magic serpent, with scales as black as steel, and gusty winds howling. Only the serpent''s head was without scales, not even skin, remaining bald, indicating that the concept-level magic was still in effect; hence it was called the Shameless Serpent. This was a Forbidden Technique, after using which Assyria would completely turn into a beast, losing his humanity and retaining only his animal instincts, devouring everything in sight. His rank shot straight to Fourth Order. The Saint Heir immediately sensed trouble and quickly used his adept Summoning Magic to call forth a female water snake, entirely white with elegant curves, seductively writhing. "Give me back my Yue''er!" Upon seeing this seductive little white water snake, Assyria, now reduced to mere instinct, immediately coiled around her, entangled with affection. Meanwhile, on another side, Rosca had also begun chanting Forbidden Magic. He tore down the stairs of the abandoned building and threw them at the pair of magical creatures. "For the great Kavensis, Carmen!" Read new chapters at empire For a moment, the rain poured down, and the entire scene was in utter chaos. This was a holy war over faith. As cultists, they were usually committing all manner of evil, murder, arson, and looting. But at this moment, for the first time, they were fighting for the justice and faith in their hearts. They eagerly threw themselves into the battle, fighting for the prosperity of their respective cults and to take back their goddess from the enemy. They could do anything, shouting ''Ri Zi will prevail,'' ''Not as good as Full Moon Treasure,'' ''Kavensis is the best in the world.'' The sight of the war made Ansu and his two companions'' blood boil, and they even cheered them on. They even turned on their magic recording devices, capturing all the sounds. Once the three of them had fought until they were splattered with blood and the transformation time for the Serpent of Pain had elapsed, he looked up in horror to find himself lying atop a white snake; The Saint Heir was also frowning heavily. He had not anticipated that Assyria would be so ferocious, leaving his summoned creature on the brink of death; Rosca had thrown all the stairs around him, panting heavily, unable to straighten his back anymore. Ansu led Lister and Arthur, first using stealth magic learned from the Painful Esoteric Sect to reduce the sound of their footsteps, then sneaking up behind the three with bricks in hand and striking each on the back of their heads. The cultists collapsed at the sound, and the job was done. ---- That night, in Heaven. "We have been through a terrible fight with evil cultists," Ansu said seriously to Merlin, wiping the sweat from his forehead, "All three cultists had their own abilities and methods, each an elite within the esoteric religions, but we did not give up. As the most devout saints, the three of us certainly could not tarnish the sacred glory, nor could we afford to fear or retreat." "Ultimately, through our hard struggle, we defeated those evil cultists from the front in an upright and straightforward manner." "That is all for my report," Ansu said. Merlin wore an expression that said, ''Who are you trying to fool?'' But not everything Ansu said was false, because cultists truly had infiltrated the imperial capital. That meant what Ansu said might be true! Merlin found life to be somewhat dull; he wanted to take a holiday! "Besides that, we''ve made a recording." Ansu played the recording for Merlin. ''Ri Zi will prevail,'' ''Not as good as Full Moon Treasure,'' ''Kavensis is the best in the world'' Hearing these fervent voices, Merlin was convinced. It seemed the cultists were indeed planning something big. Chapter 177 An Su and the Esoteric Religion Geniuses Get Into a Scuffle (Combined Chapter) "Who wants this poo-shaped."Stay connected via empire His Excellency Merlin, holding the newly shaped soul of the Offering''s Son, boasted to Lister and An Su with pride. His soul transformation skills had become even more profound, now able to shape such a complex form. Now, who within or beyond the Church would dare say that he, Merlin, can''t perform transformation spells? Who dares say he only knows how to copy? The God of Law is indeed an all-round genius. When His Excellency Merlin attended Holy Radiance Kindergarten, he always got full marks in his crafts class, was best at modeling clay, and even received certificates from his teacher. The whole class recognized him as ''Little Master Craftsman''; such glorious days! The great His Excellency Merlin never boasted about them to the young folks of today, showcasing his modesty and humility. But that doesn''t mean that, after decades, His Excellency Merlin''s skills would decline. Looking at the lump of soul, An Su showed a troubled expression. Even for Lister, an elegant noble, such a bizarre object was somewhat hair-raising. To replace an identity, one must carry this soul at all times, or risk exposure; but carrying such a lump around, that was truly suspicious. Is this thing really a God of Law? "Would it be possible to change it to a different shape for me?" Lister, full of admiration, said, "His Excellency Merlin is indeed a master craftsman. Ansu told me before his arrival that the Archmage''s talents are brilliant, the greatest person he''s ever seen in his life. Seeing is believing today, Ansu was absolutely right!" Before coming, An Su had told Lister that Mage God Merlin was the most saintly person he had ever met. Indeed, he wasn''t wrong. Upon receiving the compliment, His Excellency Merlin snorted coldly, then grudgingly kneaded the shape once more, turning it into a sphere and handed it to Lister. Lister, having received the soul of the Offering''s Son, was then successfully disguised. Lister went to the Life Ecclesia, Arthur to the Painful Court, only the Sanctuary of Chaos was left. "I want one shaped like a little star," the childish An Su began to make requests. Merlin frowned. He had dominated the Holy Radiance Kindergarten for many years, unbeaten in all respects, able to easily shape anything; but the one thing he couldn''t shape out of clay was a star, now presenting a difficulty. Yet, admitting his inability would dishonor the Radiant Bishop and invite mockery. He had lived for so long; it was impossible that he couldn''t perform a simple transformation spell. He concentrated and barely managed to pinch out an ugly star, which he handed to An Su. After An Su took it, he then took over the ''Sanctuary of Chaos.'' "Be sure to carry it well when you communicate with the Esoteric Religion," Merlin instructed with a few words, "Of course, when you''re infiltrated within the cult, remember to gather intelligence and find out about the other undercover agents hidden in the imperial city." Sear?h the Novl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. However, Merlin didn''t hold out much hope for the trio. After all, the organizations of Life, Pain, and Chaos were tightly knit, and with the Esoteric Demigods watching over them, it would be difficult for An Su and the others to outmatch them even with their backgrounds. "If you encounter danger, just crush these souls," Merlin instructed further, "I will be able to sense it." Regardless of who would come, as the strongest Demigod, Merlin would be able to slay them chaotically. This was the confidence of His Excellency the Archmage. "However, with your abilities, you probably won''t be able to cause much of a stir. You might not even get to see the face of the cult''s bishop." Being an elder, Merlin was still somewhat responsible and kindly stated, "Besides, I do not recommend that you directly meet a Demigod; there is still a risk of being recognized." Just then, Arthur, who had been silent all along, suddenly raised his hand. "His Excellency the Archmage, a message has been sent to the soul of ''Serpent of Pain,''" he said. Such long-distance messages are transmitted through the soul, so they also have a function similar to answering a call. Holding up the Serpent of Pain, Arthur said, "Bishop Rada of the Gorilla Cult wants to see me." "I too have received a message from the Life Esoteric Church," Lister promptly said, "It seems they wish to secretly convene the young saints of the three Great Cults for a confidential talk." "The Chaotic Saintess has also messaged the Sanctuary of Chaos," An Su said with a complex expression, "stating that after the tripartite talks end, they want to hold a small internal meeting to discuss how to make An Su Moningsta fall." "This secret talk seems to be presided over by Bishop Rada of the Gorilla Cult, Demigod Rada." Wasn''t it called the Crimson Cult? Why was it now named the Gorilla Cult? Rada? The strongest Demigod Merlin looked astonished. That fear, which had entangled him for a full year, emerged in his eyes. It wasn''t that Merlin couldn''t defeat Bishop Rada, but this fellow was so stubbornly vital that, each time he was defeated, he could escape and return. As if having some peculiar hobby, he would report in to Merlin punctually every day, contributing to half of Merlin''s workload. Just a month ago, An Su had shaved his head, and he finally quieted down a bit, but now he was back so soon. And this time, it was even in the real world. Was this demon here to make him work overtime again? "Good, if they dare bring an army to Farol," Merlin''s mouth turned angry after the shock, "let them all die!" The real world is not like the Nether World where escaping is so easy. As long as he kills this thing, he could even slack off at work! Merlin might have lacked enthusiasm before, but now he was filled with zeal. "You three get up there for me now!" Merlin immediately cast aside his responsibility as an elder and ordered An Su and the others to take action immediately. "Your Excellency Bishop," An Su said to Merlin, "You just mentioned that you do not recommend us meeting with a Demigod due to the risk of exposure; this matter is of great importance, I think it''d be better for you to infiltrate personally." Chapter 177 An Su and the Esoteric Religion Geniuses Fought Together (Two in One)_2 ```"I need a vacation," Merlin dropped the act and directly stated his need for a holiday, "And a Third Order soul concealment won''t hide my aura; I''d still be exposed." He stayed true to his original intention, insisting on taking a vacation. Read new chapters at empire "You know, we''ve always been devout saints, and we three would give our lives for the Church," An Su said with an earnest solemnity and resolute eyes, "I just hope that before I die, I can satisfy my curiosity and witness your Transformation Spell''s magnificence once more." An Su too stayed true to his original intention, insisting on copying. Of course, Merlin understood what An Su meant and waved his hand, "When you come back, I''ll show you the Magic Circuit of the Transformation Spell, alright?" He then glanced at Lister and Arthur, "You two as well, after you come back, I''ll give each of you a newly ...''originally'' created magic spell." Lister and Arthur smiled; following Brother Su indeed seemed to promise a brighter future. The meeting was hosted by the Gorilla Cult, and the location was set at one of the Gorilla Cult''s strongholds. The strongholds of the Gorilla Cult were scattered throughout the Lower City District, with a total of twenty or thirty places, like stars in the sky, and this time it was held in a secluded alley called ''Crow Street.'' The gloomy alley, with the scent of moss and decay seeping through the cold brick cracks and dripping eaves, gave one the impression that it was a haven for bad guys'' undercover lairs, perfectly fitting the Esoteric Religion''s temperament, very prestige-worthy. Being able to pick such a suspicious alley out of hundreds of normal ones in the Imperial Capital as a base, the Gorilla Cultists really put some thought into it. And as righteous believers of the Orthodox Church, An Su and his two friends stuck out like sore thumbs amidst the other Cultists, mainly because they were the only ones with hair on their heads while the other Painful Court believers were all sporting shiny Holy Light bald heads, looking very dignified. Thanks to the cultists'' hairstyle, which happened to be the same as His Excellency Merlin, this suspicious alley had not been sealed off by the Order Knights; they must be brethren steadfast in their glowing faith. Even living in such a suspicious alley, at the very least, they were underground workers. Those who could shave their heads so clean surely must have very sunny hearts. An Su and his group didn''t arouse any suspicion from the Believers as they walked. Merlin''s Transformation Spell was indeed powerful; they didn''t expose their identities. Throughout the journey, An Su was on his guard. He carefully memorized the appearances of all the Cultists they encountered, thinking about reporting them to the Order Church afterward. Reporting a Cultist would earn fifty contribution points. But right now, they couldn''t startle the snake. As instructed from above, besides the Painful Court believers, this meeting would also include geniuses from two other Esoteric Religions. It was said that this undercover activity would be used to announce the ''Quasi-Holy Child'' competition. Just as Bishop Rada had predicted, it was foreseeable that the Great Cult''s rise would bring an unimaginable number of new gnies, and so the entire alley was crowded with talented individuals from the Cults, making it a gathering place of outstanding talents for a while. The situation was so lively that the aunties and uncles from the neighboring alleys thought the nearby market was doing a promotion, giving away eggs or something, and they too hurried over to join the excitement. The quantity of elites at this secret meeting left the Believers responsible for maintaining order astounded. "Look, it''s ''Chaotic Elevator'' from the Hierarchical Cult; I heard that at his young age, his electric magic can cause people''s endocrine systems to become utterly disordered. Terrifying," one Cultist remarked. As undercover agents, in order to prevent exposure, the Cultists referred to each other by code names. The young man known as Chaotic Elevator, with a sinister gaze and wrapped in a hood, snorted coldly, his face showing a steely expression. If it weren''t for the Holy Maiden having taken the title of ''Chaotic Stairs,'' he wouldn''t have ended up with this moniker. This operation was jointly prepared by representatives from three of the major Esoteric Religions. The Gorilla Cult was part of the Painful Court, and the Hierarchical Cult belonged to the Sanctuary of Chaos. Sar?h the Novl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The Hierarchical Cult''s ''Quasi-Holy Child'' title was rightfully his. "My goodness, look, what a day it is''Chaotic Stairs'' from the Hierarchical Cult has come too, along with the ''Son of Devotion'' from the Marine Life Cult, and ''Serpent of Pain'' from the Gorilla Cult is here too!" "Everybody, make way!" When An Su, Lister, and Arthur appeared, the surrounding Believers opened a path for them with faces full of fear. Seeing himself commanding such respect, Arthur puffed out his chest and held his head high, more arrogant than ever. This was the Sun Knight''s nobility; wherever he went, people feared to provoke his majesty. Lister just gave a bitter smile; he knew how excellent his persona was, but being humble and low-profile by nature, he didn''t like to show off. Who would have thought that his noble aura could penetrate through Merlin''s divine magic, imposing such a powerful deterrent on these evil Cultists. After they left, the Believers could finally breathe a sigh of relief, looking after their silhouettes and commenting, "Don''t talk to them. They are mixed in the fan circles." What they saw today was indeed frightening. But An Su presented a sunny and cheerful good-boy demeanor, greeting people as they met, which eased the tense and solemn atmosphere. "May I ask your honorable surname?" "Oh my, nice to meet you, sir, what''s your name?" "Hello, hello, where do you live? Can we exchange Magic Communication details?" There were warm pleasantries everywhere. An Su''s friendly and kind manner made the solitary Cultists feel embarrassed, so they too gave brief introductions. ``` Chapter 165 Miss Yangzis Top Ranked Big Brother (Combined Chapter, Requesting Early Month Votes!)_3 it''s really interesting.an su looked at the large stack of fan letters on the table, which in addition to letters, included gifts from saints. gold coins were only the most basic; intermediate stage magic stones, alchemic meteorite iron rings, and expensive secret magic books were the higher-end gifts. not just ordinary saints, but even some nobility sent gifts. admirers were competing not only against other fans but also against their own, as the top patron had the privilege of communicating with their idol. s~ea??h the n??el fire.nt website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. only the most capable and elite fans could become the top brother on the list. "ansu." the head of the recovery department, arthur greeted him with a sunny, radiant smile upon seeing an su. indeed, following brother ansu seemed to promise a brighter future. arthur didn''t care about the gifts; as the direct heir of the sun family, he valued honor more. in the past half-month, arthur had gained a lot of honor, which made him feel very dignified and that he hadn''t let down the spirits of his ancestors in heaven. "don''t you look at the gifts sent as rewards?" an su asked. "knights of the sun family do not care for such extraneous possessions." arthur scoffed with disdain; after all, he was the son of the grand duke of the sun, and even precious gifts were just that to him. it doesn''t compare to a marquis. "but... are you sure you don''t want this?" an su paused, his eyes sharp; he picked out the most valuable gift from the mountain of presents on the table, he opened the heavy alchemic box, and a fierce and powerful fire attribute magic power burst forth. inside was a dazzling, alchemic heart, lightly pulsating. [abyssal flame dragon''s heart] [low rank epic] [effect: can greatly enhance the training of fire attribute fighting energy] an epic gift! the classification of magic items was similar to magic: common, legendary, epic, divine. an epic magic item was notoriously valuable, rarely seen among common folk, and not something money could buy. any patron capable of gifting an epic item had to be extraordinarily powerful, with at least a duke for a family. arthur''s pupils shrank, and he quickly took it back from an su''s hands, unable to put it down. the abyssal flame dragon was known to roam the borderlands, unpredictable and scarce in numbers; its heart was greatly beneficial for the training of a fire attribute knight, and even arthur had rarely seen one. especially for the training of a sun knight, if he could get an abyssal flame dragon''s heart, with his exceptional talent, arthur was confident he could become a third order knight within months. unfortunately, the old man at home was too conservative, believing their sun family should produce scholarly priests, thus he did not allow arthur to cultivate fighting energy, nor did he provide such epic items for him. seeing arthur fixated on the crafted heart, an su asked, "so this gentleman is now your top brother, and according to the agreement, you need to connect... do you dare?" "let''s connect then, what''s there to be afraid of?" arthur, enamored with the heart, replied nonchalantly, "whoever it is, just brush it off and it''ll be fine." for the dragon heart he deeply yearned for, he feared no one. arthur was very confident; after being influenced by su, his courage had reached the peak of a sun knight, and no one could scare him, nor did he fear anyone. enjoy more content from empire "okay, that''s what you said." an su revealed a calm smile, unassumingly pocketing the number one patron''s letter from annand the demigod, grand duke of the sun. Chapter 178 An Su: Wishing to Die on the Same Year, Same Month, Same Day (Two in One) Arthur''s wine wasn''t something common; it was called "Fire God''s Wine," the private brew of the Sun Lord.He had stolen it from his father''s cellar; considering it was a drink for demigods, it could even intoxicate a demigod. There were twenty-four elites present; each had half a glass, thinking it wouldn''t hurt to drink a little for courage, but as soon as the wine touched their lips, their heads started to swim. It tasted surprisingly sweet; they hadn''t figured out the flavor before another gulp was swallowed, and then thoughts began to blur. Explore hidden tales at My Virtual Library Empire This little thing really packed a punch. The Cultists worried that too much of this wine wasn''t good; they looked at An Su and his two comrades but saw that all three also drained their cups in one go, so they too were reassured, An Su held his wine glass, his expression unchanged; he didn''t have a high tolerance for alcohol; in his previous life, he had nearly gotten dead drunk at the graduation ceremony. But he was more cunning than others; he seemed to tilt his head back and drain his cup, but in fact, the wine flowed down along his neck and into his collar due to the extremely high concentration of Fire God''s Wine, evaporating in seconds. Lister, too, was an expert; his father, known as "the Saint Hand of the Frontier," naturally had many sophisticated skills in manipulating Water Magic. Marquis Norman had a technique to expel the water element entering the body through his fingertips with a magic power circuit, which Lister had learned since he was young. He activated his magic power right then, pushing the water element out through his fingertips. Then there was Arthur, who was the most heavy-duty. He was not as flashy as the previous two, muttering to himself, "Isn''t this just beer?" Chugging it down with big gulps, he let out a satisfied belch, his complexion flushed as usual; he had been sneaking sips of this alcohol since he was young. Even when his mother was mixing his formula, she would add a bit of alcohol. Seeing these three drink straightforwardly in one go, the Cultist geniuses thought they couldn''t lose their male pride. If they showed fear at a drinking party, how could they be chosen as a Quasi-Holy Child of the Orders? How could they convince the crowd? "Cheers!" With that, they steeled their hearts and tilted their heads back to drink. The burning liquor poured down their throats into their vitals, a surge of heat rushed to their heads, and the potency of Fire God''s Wine became apparent in an instant. They felt a surge of heroism rise spontaneously from their chests, looking around at their colleagues, they thought with such brave men in the Three Major Orders, why should they worry about accomplishing great deeds? Even if they rebelled right now, stormed the Seven Gods Hall, and chopped off the bald head of the leader of the Glorious, why couldn''t they? If Merlin could do it, why couldn''t they? "To our success!" Sar?h the Novl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Drink!" "Here goes!" The drizzle had cleared, dusk was about to fall, and the blood-red glow of twilight bathed everyone, making the usually unlikable rival sects seem somewhat warm and familiar now. Even the most unwelcome members of the Life Ecclesia seemed approachable. "The atmosphere is high right now, perfect for someone to say a few words." Lister, representing the Life Ecclesia, was the first to speak, drawing nods of agreement from around him. "I agree," Arthur chimed in, "but we need to choose the most widely accepted representative! Let''s all pick someone together!" The Cultist geniuses looked at each other; they were all undercover agents in the imperial capital, and while believers of the same Church knew each other, they didn''t recognize those from the other two Orders. Even if they knew of a title, they couldn''t match it to a face. How could they choose someone that everyone recognized? At that moment, An Su stepped back a few paces, used the magic "Friendly Exchange" to change his voice to a deep tone, "I think Brother of the Stairs from the Sanctuary of Chaos is a good choice." The Chaotic Stairs... The inebriated believers all showed thoughtful expressions. Indeed, they recognized Chaotic Stairs. An Su had introduced himself all around before entering the gathering, leaving an impression on all the Cultist geniuses. And the title "Brother of the Stairs" was both memorable and striking. An Su moved to another spot and changed his voice again to that of a passerby, "I choose Brother Stairs; he''s the one we all look up to!" "Yes, let''s choose Chaotic Stairs!" "Please, Brother Stairs, come on stage and say a few words." People tend to follow the crowd, and the Cultists were no exception. Besides, they were already drunk and immediately joined in the fervor to urge An Su to take the stage. An Su initially declined, his face showing reluctance, but then Arthur bellowed that refusing to speak would be a disrespect to him, so, not wanting to dampen everyone''s spirits, An Su reluctantly walked to the center of the crowd. By then, dusk had also dispersed, and Crow Alley dimmed, as An Su looked around, but instead of speaking, he simply went silent. The night draped itself over his broad shoulders, elongating his shadow, casting it upon the mottled walls of the alley like black wings, and his silent stature made the surrounding believers fall silent in anticipation. "My esteemed colleagues," An Su lifted the wine glass capable of housing fish, and loudly declared, "I am honored to meet all of you and to be part of this magnificent enterprise." "The Empire has pushed the Church Nations to the brink; Avad Church Nation is right behind us, we have nowhere to retreat!" "The evil scion Ansu Moningsta has taken over the Chaotic Frontier, along with his two lapdogs Arthur and Lister committing atrocities. These three have already deeply tainted the glory of our faith. After tonight, we, the loyal dogs of the Mother Goddess, must make these three pay the price in blood!" An Su smashed the wine glass on the ground, its crashing sound adding to the atmosphere, and conveniently, he no longer had to drink the remaining half cup. Chapter 178 An Su: Wishing to Die on the Same Year, Same Month, Same Day (Two in One)_2 "Great!" Lister and Arthur clapped their hands one after another.An Su''s words had the genius Cultists boiling with passion. Everybody was drunk. Once the Wine of the Fire God was swallowed, it evaporated reason and ignited a fiery restlessness within their hearts. An Su, Lister, and Arthur had long been on the Cultists'' assassination list, these three were already famous among the younger generation of the esoteric religion, especially that An Su Moningsta, despicable and shameless, who defiled the Chaotic Saintess and was the main culprit in turning the Crimson Cult into the Gorilla Cult, just waiting to assassinate them during the grand examination period! "My comrades, after tonight, in the countless long nights to come, some of us may be imprisoned, some of us may die, but no matter what the most dangerous situation we face, we''ll rigorously practice, we will never surrender!" An Su waved his arm with vigor, as if calling his fellows to action. Rigorous practice = can exchange for more devotion points. Never surrender = can kill on sight. Looking at the increasingly excited brothers below, An Su''s eyes were filled with tears, "After tonight, we may all die, but glory will live on with you and me. I''m honored to meet my comrades on this chaotic staircase, as the saying goes, ''Fate brings people together no matter how far apart they may be.'' Why don''t we take this opportunity to become sworn brothers?" Arthur and Lister quickly stepped back a few paces, also switching to friendly banter, changing their tones as they joined in the rallying cries, "I agree!" "Brother of the Stairs, we want to acknowledge you as our big brother!" "I also agree!" The genius Cultists'' brains were already fried by the Wine of the Fire God, and their heads were filled with nothing but high spirits. Seeing An Su speak so passionately and inspiringly, and with so many brothers echoing his call, they too felt they must join in, so they smashed their cups in agreement, "Well said!" There was a clatter as the cups shattered on the ground. Especially the Chaotic Elevator, who had been the first to confront An Su upon entering, was now so moved to tears, a true moment of brotherly affection. "Since we brothers have sworn an oath, we should reveal our true names!" said the Chaotic Elevator first. The esoteric religion also had its own ritual for swearing brotherhood, presided over by the High Priest, under the watchful gaze of the Mother Goddess, forming a soul contract through blood and flesh, followed by chanting prayers. But given the circumstances, they kept it simple. An Su made three statues out of mud mixed with rainwater, symbolizing the Mother Goddess, and led everyone to bow before the mud statues. "Chaos above." "I, Lorne of the Chaotic Stairs, hereby enter into a covenant with my comrades, offering my soul as a sacrifice; in life and death, we shall aid each other in our sorrows, and in fortune and misfortune, we shall depend on each other. From now on, our comradeship will be pure and profound, joined by the hands in times good and bad. Should I break the covenant, show ingratitude, and betray this kindness, I shall be offered on the altar, to have my flesh gnawed and blood sipped!" Chaotic Stairs'' true name was indeed Lorne, and An Su was not lying. The little star souls crafted by Merlin were also kept in his pocket. "Blood Moon above," Lister followed, "I, Rosca, the Son of Life, enter into a covenant with my comrades..." Arthur also felt his blood boiling, almost forgetting he was with the Mixed Orthodoxy. "I, the Serpent of Pain, Assyria... with my comrades..." Seeing three people in a row standing out, the Chaotic Elevator could not be left behind, "Chaos above, I, Galvin of the Chaotic Elevator, enter into a covenant with my comrades..." More and more genius Cultists caught up in their youthful vigor also bowed down before the mud statues, "I, John of the Hierarchical Cult..." "I, Jax of the Orthodox Church..." By the time twenty-four genius Cultists had completed their oath, An Su showed a gratified smile. He wrote down the true names of all twenty-four. With their true names, the rate of return for the sacrifices could be increased. He reported them first, exchanging for devotion points that could be redeemed for magic at the Magic Guild, then, before the Church held its investigation seven working days later, he preemptively sacrificed them to get life points from the Mother Goddess, and finally, he collected faith points that could enhance his magic power value from the radiance. These sworn brothers were truly walking treasures. Experience more on My Virtual Library Empire A triple win! The smile on An Su''s lips became even more pure and warm. But he couldn''t act now, he couldn''t spook the snake. S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. It was time to play the long game. These genius Cultists were all talented, but they were just small fry. The real heavyweights were their superiors. "My brothers, I, Lorne, do not wish to be born on the same day in the same month as all of you, but I do wish to die on the same day in the same month as all of you!" His passionate words led to applause from the surrounding brothers. They all shouted their willingness to die on the same day, exhibiting a great sense of brotherhood, making Lister and Arthur feel that the Cult of Mixed Cult was more righteous than the Mixed Orthodoxy. After the oath was sworn, it was time to decide the order of seniority. An Su pulled out a notebook and wrote down a list of the sworn brothers, passing it for everyone to check. The head of the table was Galvin of the Chaotic Elevator, who was on the verge of being promoted to the Fourth Order. The second was the genius from the Painful Court, also about to become Fourth Order. Third, fourth, and so on down the list, An Su, Lister Arthur, did not appear until the very end, which touched everyone deeply. It was an outright rank of power, without any bias, and even the placement of An Su and his friends was rather modest. To think the Brother of the Stairs would rank himself at the bottom, Such humility, such awareness of the greater good, such selflessness, brought Chaotic Elevator to the brink of tears. He took An Su''s hand, his voice trembling, "My dear brother, I have misunderstood you. This first position should be yours!" "Don''t worry about it, I have already forgiven you, Brother Elevator," An Su said, with a smile on his face, "This position should be yours, you truly deserve it." Chapter 178 An Su: Wishing to Die on the Same Year, Same Month, Same Day (Two in One)_3 Because this is my sacrifice list!His smile grew ever more serene, the one in first place earned the most. An Su''s fair and humble handling, along with the surprising cooperation between Lister and Arthur, had truly won everyone over; his invisible prestige was subtly rising among the many believers, embodying the true style of a leading figure. "Gentlemen," Arthur again produced a gourd of Fire God Wine from his pocket and said generously, "There are still five minutes until the meeting begins, let''s continue to drink!" "Good!" The genius Cultists also responded with vigor. - "General Rada, rest assured, only through blood and slaughter can a true general be born, and a true Saint Heir is one who crawls out from a mountain of bones." The assistant to the bishop followed behind Bishop Rada, speaking in a profound and unfathomable manner, "The arrangements I made for this meeting are just that." Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "The first round of selection ceremony for the Quasi-Holy Child of our Order has already begun in secrecy!" Rada nodded calmly. Everything was as he had expected. This was also the Pain Military Academy''s method of training soldiers, placing hundreds of them in a small school and having them kill each othercultivating them like raising gu in a pot. Those who graduated were the true generals. They held this meeting and had intentionally delayed it by half an hour. Just to gather these twenty-four genius Cultists in the small confines of Crow Alley and let the atmosphere ferment for half an hour. Given the geniuses'' proudly incompatible temperaments, verbal conflicts were bound to erupt, inevitably leading to slaughter. Within the Esoteric Religion, only through competition can one grow stronger, and only the truly strong can become a Saint. And the mediocre ones who are eliminated are not worth utilizing. By the time Bishop Rada arrived at the scene, Crow Alley was likely already a scene of bloodshed and mountains of corpses. Through long-distance projection, Rada''s shadow finally arrived in Crow Alley, only to first hear singing. The proud genius Cultists began holding hands and dancing to the music, "Unforgettable tonight, unforgettable tonight..." "..." The assistant to the bishop fell silent. Bishop Rada felt he might not have fully awakened yet. The scene before him could only be described as bizarre. Life, Chaos, and Pain, although all part of the Esoteric Religion, were not of the same branch; in fact, they even harbored deep-seated hatred for each other. Especially the Life Ecclesia, those madmen without organization or discipline, without a shepherd to lead them, had many Orders acting independently and were even willing to sacrifice their own Cultists, earning enmity from all sides. Continue your journey with My Virtual Library Empire This joint action was also a first. Each faction harbored ulterior motives and had their own goals. The Bishop of Pain sought to find Merlin to settle debts, Chaos aimed to infiltrate the Chaotic Frontier, while Life Ecclesia had the simplest intentthey found the capital''s populous nature ideal for sacrifices. Watching the joyful scene before him, Rada wondered if the Demigod projections of the Hierarchical Cult and the Life Order would think he had gone straight when they arrived. He snorted coldly, and his authority erupted forth instantly. Though he was not physically present, the terrifying and dreadful authority in his gaze spread instantaneously. All the geniuses sobered up significantly, and wherever Rada''s gaze landed, the genius Cultists lowered their heads, not daring to lock eyes with the Demigod. An Su wasn''t particularly afraid, after all he had just shaved this person''s head not long ago and didn''t have much fear in him, but he also lowered his head following the crowd. He wondered if he might be exposed. Rada was only present in projection and definitely couldn''t see through it. A Demigod''s projection surely couldn''t penetrate Merlin''s magic. If exposed, he would just crush his soul and call out to Merlin for help. When Bishop Rada''s gaze fell on An Su, it paused for a moment, "Today, I have gathered you here because a traitor has emerged among us." "Perhaps a saint has already infiltrated our Order." "The Three Major Orders will reassess your qualifications as a Saint Child and request the Great Mother Goddess''s scrutiny through the ceremony, to evaluate whether you all are worthy of becoming the Saint Child of an Order!" "If there is a saint lurking among you, they will have nowhere to hide under the gaze of the Mother Goddess!" Chapter 179 Hierarchical Holy Maiden: It Seems They Will Become My Hawks and Hounds (Two in One) ```"If there be saints lurking among us, they shall be unveiled under the gaze of the Mother Goddess!" Bishop Rada had barely finished speaking when the whole place fell into silence. The alcohol instantly sobered up by a large margin. Arthur''s face turned sour immediately, and he thought to himself that it must indeed be the evil cultists who could conceive such dark methods. As a devout saint, with the spirit of the Sun Spirit as a knight, wouldn''t I be exposed in this test? Lister felt that Arthur was worrying over nothing and believed that Arthur lacked a clear self-awareness of his own virtues. However, Lister started to worry about himself, thinking in his heart that with his noble noble spirit, he would instantly give himself away under the scrutiny of the Mother Goddess. An Su felt that the two above lacked self-awareness. Clearly, he was the one more likely to be exposed. Meanwhile, Bishop Rada was also sizing up the believers, his demigod gaze sweeping over everyone, seeing through the nature of each person. He was very satisfied with the quality of this batch of esoteric geniuses. Each of them was the scourge of society, complete scum, with a future enveloped in darkness, surely to make their mark within the esoteric ranks. Among the crowd, he was particularly optimistic about the Chaos Ladder, the Child of Sacrifice, and the Serpent of Pain; from the aura they emitted, they all seemed to be despicable and shameless. However, these were just first impressions; he would still need to discern carefully. Bishop Rada snorted, "Come in." The alchemic magic circle set up in Crow Alley began to activate. The mottled walls cracked and dispersed into a path that extended into a peculiar space. This area was dark and quiet, surrounded by obsidian pillars, the flickering flames casting everyone''s uneasy shadows. It was space magic. An Su thought to himself, Crow Alley still contained a space within; it seems the Painful Esoteric Sect had been cultivating in the imperial capital for a long time. He wondered if this peculiar space still fell within the jurisdiction of the God of Law''s service region. He quietly sent a message to Merlin customer service and received an affirmative reply from the latter. An Su then relaxed and followed the others inside. Merlin, watching from afar, also relaxed, finally rid of the little brat''s incessant chatter in his ear. It was time to clock out! As for whether An Su and his companions lived or died, His Excellency Merlin wasn''t worried. The demigod was merely a projection and had no substantial lethal power. If their identities were revealed, even without a signal, one could crush the soul, and Merlin would receive the notification. Merlin already knew the location of Crow Alley; he would go there in person to break the space magic when the time came. Merlin didn''t have much expectation for An Su and his companions. Just don''t die. An Su observed his surroundings, the space magic was a peculiar kind that, following the principles of the Nether World, used an alchemical matrix to fold the original space, creating a second hidden layer within the same space. He narrowed his eyes slightly, watching the projection of Bishop Rada in front of everyone. Although the bishop''s true body wasn''t present, the mere projection of his soul caused all the esoteric geniuses to fall silent in awe. The demigod''s aura was indeed extraordinary. Even the most talented and highest-ranked initiates of the esoteric sect couldn''t lift their heads under the vast pressure of the demigod, with only one thought left in their mindsthat they were going to die under this divine vigil. But after all, it was only a projection. The esoteric high ranks were very cautious and only remotely projected themselves to avoid exposing their real locations. They had to figure out a way to gain the trust of the bishops and lure out the big fish. Just then, the space fluctuated once again, and the flickering flames wavered. Another presence projected into the space, causing the esoteric geniuses to inwardly gasp in surpriseyet another demigod had arrived. S~ea??h the Novl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Bishop Rada''s eyes were dark and his tone was nonchalant, "Bishop Bram of the Oceanic Sect of the Life Ecclesia, long time no see." No sooner had Bishop Rada spoken than a huge ripple went through the esoteric geniuses. It was that legendary figure, His Excellency Bram. Bram was an old man in a sea-blue robe, with sinister deep blue eyes, dark green hair, a face full of scars, seaweed stuck to his cheeks, sinking into the skin, forming peculiar wrinkles. He was a fearsome demigod. No sooner had he arrived than his enigmatic and unfathomable authority weighed heavily on the hearts of the esoteric geniuses, who felt as if they were in the deep dark depths of the sea, the pressure nearly unbearable. The Life Ecclesia had no Archbishop; various sects operated independently, among them the Oceanic Sect being one among dozens within the Life Esoteric Church. The character Lister played, the Child of Sacrifice, came from the Oceanic Sect. He could control the marine life from the depths of the sea. The Oceanic Sect''s sacrifice ritual was also quite unique, pushing living offerings into the sea through a ceremony, offering them to the great Mother of Life. Discover hidden content at My Virtual Library Empire It was said that the Oceanic Sect had flourished at the eastern frontier, and at that time it was not called the Oceanic Sect; for some reason, it suddenly moved into the sea. "Land and forest can no longer satisfy me; only the vast and profound sea is my true path!" At the time, Bram had left these stirring words and resolutely left the land to begin his conquest of the sea. "I''ve heard of Bram''s name." The well-read Arthur began to school An Su on this powerful demigod, "Legends say that Bram is nearly a hundred years old, his sect was originally called the Forest Life Sect, rooted in the southern great forest of the frontier, commanding the local dragonkin with summoning magic, and extremely powerful." ``` Chapter 179 Hierarchical Holy Maiden: It Seems They Will Become My Hunting Dogs (Two in One)_2 ```"What happened next?" An Su asked. "After that, my dad accidentally caused the dragon race in the border forest to go extinct, so he had to move the sect into the ocean and renamed it, starting to drive sea monsters with summoning magic." So that was it. An Su showed a look of realization. "Later, because Count Karlo bought the harbor and overfished large monsters to make fish soup for his son, the Oceanic Sect could only drive seafood." Lister continued to supplement. So that was it. An Su showed another look of realization and even felt proud. Upon thinking about it, he had resisted the evil cultists since he was a child. He truly was the most devout Radiant Believer. "Bishop Rada of the Painful Court Gorilla Sect, the new name of your sect is really interesting." Bram Demigod said to Bishop Rada with a grin that wasn''t a smile. Explore more at My Virtual Library Empire "Hmph." Sar?h the Novl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Bishop Rada showed a proud expression, completely oblivious to the irony in Bram''s tone, and turned to the esoteric geniuses, saying, "The ritual is ready, this operation is of great importance, to prevent saints from lurking among you, everyone must undergo the Mother Goddess''s scrutiny, now follow your own sect''s bishop." The Freshness Son, Lister, followed Bram, while the Serpent of Pain, Arthur, followed Bishop Rada, leaving only the Sanctuary of Chaos without affiliation. "Where is Bishop Franz of Chaos?" Rada asked with displeasure. "This time the Hierarchical Holy Daughter is representing the bishop from the Sanctuary of Chaos." Bram said in a sinister tone. It was the Holy Maiden herself who had come. The surrounding cultist geniuses showed expressions of shock. Elf, the Hierarchical Holy Daughter of the current era, was the Sanctuary of Chaos''s rare genius in a thousand years, a genius who fooled the world with joy and chaos, and had reached the Saintly Rank at a young age. Recently, it was heard that this Holy Maiden had entered a new realm of chaos; she began to keep a regular schedule, studying seriously every day, which brought tremendous mental pressure to the Chaos Followers. A truly unparalleled genius under the Mother Goddess of Chaos''s watchful eye. When all the flames on the stone columns were extinguished, The projection of the Hierarchical Holy Daughter descended, hair trailing on the ground, barefoot on the cold floor, in her bright red eyes, flowers seemed to bloom and wither continuously, seductively beautiful and breathtaking. This was the contemporary Hierarchical Holy Daughter, a genius among geniuses, her indifferent and heartless eyes swept over all the esoteric geniuses with not a hint of disdain or contempt, only the purest indifference. The Hierarchical Holy Daughter did not care for anyone, ants were unworthy of attracting her attention. Better to go home and solve a few more puzzles. "The followers of the Hierarchical Cult, come over here." She said casually. Elf felt these matters were utterly boring. She didn''t want to waste time with these ants. "Brother of the Stairs, let''s go." The Chaotic Elevator looked at Elf with a gaze mixed with reverence and resentment. The full name of their Sanctuary was the Sanctuary of Chaos and Hierarchical Church, and it was this woman who had stolen the title of ''Chaotic Ladder'' that should have been his. Yet, he didn''t dare to contend with her. An Su followed behind the Chaotic Elevator, twenty-four cultists in total, each sect with eight people. Before An Su were ''Chaos Escalator,'' ''Chaotic Ladder''... and there was even a guy named ''Chaotic Slide.'' All these names were trademarked by Elf, forcing them to change their titles. It seemed the Mother Goddess of Chaos was a goddess of failed naming... An Su thought to himself. The Mother Goddess of Life is goddess of welfare, the Mother Goddess of Chaos is goddess of failed naming, makes sense. The ritual was about to begin. It was a rather brief ceremony. Two bishops and a Holy Maiden chanted in unison, calling for the Mother Goddess''s gaze. The eerie and indescribable atmosphere peaked in an instant. Priests lit incense, drew symbols with blood, then ignited three human fat candles. ``` Each candle represented the gaze of a Mother Goddess, one painted with eyes representing chaos, one with the infant representing life, and one with the skull representing pain. The esoteric geniuses ascended the blood-soaked array along the lengthy stairs, the three tallow candles flickering uncertainly, either flaring up or wavering, some even extinguished. The Priests made judgments by observing the shapes of the flames. The extinguishing of one or two candles was of no consequence; it merely indicated that the person did not belong to that esoteric sect. Only if all three candles went out did it pose a significant problem. This meant that all three Mother Goddesses disliked the individual, and they were certainly a spy sent by others! If all three candles burnt brightly, it signified that the person was evil to the core, a natural-born cultist. It was said that the Hierarchical Holy Daughter had all three candles bright, and the flames shone as luminously as daylight. An Su''s expression remained unchanged, while Lister and Arthur next to him began to feel anxiousthe two devout Radiant Saints, in the face of such an evil ritual, were certain to expose themselves, and cold sweat poured down immediately. One after another, the esoteric geniuses passed between the candles, and the Priests took note. The esoteric prodigies indeed lived up to their name, with at least two candles alight each. One could preliminarily discern their nature from the shapes, "Your chaos candle takes on the shape of lightning, signifying that you are destined to shatter all saints like thunder and ascend to the rank of a district''s Bishop of Chaos, while your pain candle reveals the form of a whip, indicating you might enjoy being lashed and even favor the sensation of electrocution." The innermost priest, holding a crystal ball, earnestly prophesied to the brother of the Chaotic Elevator. Seeing the ritual conducted to such a degree, even predicting the preferences of the cultists, Lister and Arthur grew even more nervous. All the Painful Court followers finished their turn, and it was now Arthur''s. He swallowed and mustered his courage to walk past the candles. Alas, his undercover career was about to come to an end. The three candles flickered gently, yet they did not extinguish. The pain candle took the shape of an eagle, the life candle the shape of the sun, and the chaos candle the shape of a beautiful maiden, Shocking the old Priest, who in his many years of conducting the ritual had never seen such bizarre omens. "The eagle shape indicates your limitless future achievements, capable of becoming the right-hand man to the future pope, the Sect''s henchman, and the maiden shape indicates that you have once defeated all women with your beauty, thereby causing tremendous chaos!" "The three Mother Goddesses seem to hold you in high regard." Arthur felt that these candles were just inferior products, definitely cheap goods scavenged from some street stall. All three candles lit up simultaneously, causing quite a stir. Bishop of Pain Rada looked pleased with Arthur, thinking that he was indeed the scum he had taken a fancy to, not letting him down. Meanwhile, the Hierarchical Holy Daughter maintained a listless expression. Such feeble flames did not pose a threat. However, now that he could become the right-hand man to the future pope, the Hierarchical Holy Daughter also considered recruiting, since the pope''s position was, after all, rightfully hers. When it was Lister''s turn, he also swallowed and thought his undercover career was over as he walked past the three candles. Unexpectedly, his candles shone even brighter than Arthur''s. The pain candle took the form of a savage dog, the life candle the form of the moon, and the chaos candle also took the form of a beautiful maiden. The old Priest had lived many years, but today he truly saw something new. Having just witnessed one heavyweight, there came yet another heavyweight omen. This one, too, would become the right-hand man to the future pope and likewise caused tremendous chaos in the guise of a woman, But both of them were men? With two consecutive occurrences of all candles bright, the noise from the esoteric believers grew louder, but the real geniuses seemed indifferent C after all, they had also achieved all three alight, which was no big deal. Thus, it was An Su''s turn to step forward. Chapter 180 All Three Female Guests Left Their Lights on for An Su (Two in One) Three flickering candle flames elongated the shadows of everyone present, making them stretch grotesquely. The tallow of the candles, yellowish-brown with decay, dropped along the trembling light and congealed on the floor, forming a thick, sticky layer. Stay updated through My Virtual Library EmpireThe atmosphere in the entire space was oppressive and unsettling, with indescribable gazes swaying slowly with the flames. All the prodigies scrutinized by the gaze of the Mother Goddess stood erect on both sides of the steps. The ceremony served both to test their loyalty to the Mother Goddess and to assess their aptitude for the Esoteric Religion. So far, including Lister and Arthur, ten believers, with three candles lit at the same time, had undergone the scrutiny of three Angel Envoys, proving their characters to be in harmony with the three great mystical sects of Chaos, Life, and Pain. The brighter the flame of the human fat candles, the higher the corresponding level of compatibility. However, the main purpose of the ceremony was to root out any saints or spies from the other four great mystical sects. The next task was of great significance, requiring meticulous discernment to detect any heretical beliefs that might have infiltrated their ranks. The Hierarchical Holy Daughter Elf yawned languidly, her crimson eyes filled with boredom; she had no interest in such a flawed and tedious ceremony. As a child, she had participated in similar ceremonies, where her three candles shone as bright as daylight, but this meant little to her. Elf never prided herself on such achievements; to her, it was simply a matter of course. In plain terms, the tri-deity ceremony was incomplete, aimed primarily at identifying spies from other sects. It wasn''t possible to select so-called saints of a sect through such a flawed ritual. In the Avad Church Nation, there existed a complete ceremony, known as the Seven Deities Ceremony. This required the lighting of seven human fat candles, each symbolizing one of the Seven Great Mystical Sects, presided over by bishop-level figures from each cult, with the blood sacrifice of over a thousand peopleonly then would the seven deities truly descend upon the world. At eleven, Elf had partaken in the Seven Deities Ceremony. According to the outside world, her three candles constantly burned as bright as day, but in fact, six of her candles blazed. This feat broke the history of the Church Nation and was recorded in the archives. A believer cherished by the gaze of six Mother Goddesses had shattered the beliefs of the faithful. ''The flame of the Mother Goddess burned solely for her.'' Given the Mother Goddesses'' diverse personalities, beliefs, and preferences, with some holding conflicting doctrines or even being mutually hostile, the last to receive such grand favor was the Azure Sorceress three thousand years ago. The attention of six Mother Goddesses meant that Elf was born for the Esoteric Religion, free to choose among six sects. In the end, she chose the Chaos Sect, which was closely aligned with her personality. Not long after joining, she was crowned as the Hierarchical Holy Maiden, bestowed the title ''Chaotic Ladder.'' Thus, for Elf, this incomplete ceremony of lighting three candles hardly warranted her concern, nor did it deserve her attention. Perhaps those who could light three candles at once showed some promise, but that was all. Sarch* The novlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The only shadow in the perfect life of the Hierarchical Holy Maiden was the time she had infiltrated Seden Town in a playful mood with her soul projection and was forced by that bastard to take a month of lessons. In contrast to her indifference, Bishop Rada wore a face full of pride. With his shiny bald head, he watched the devotees of the Gorilla Cult with satisfaction. The Gorilla Cult had four believers with all three candles brightly lit; indeed, the rise of the Painful Esoteric Sect was imminent, especially the Serpent of Pain, whose candle creativity flattered Rada immensely. He had not misjudged the man. In comparison, the followers of the Ladder Sect lacked such creativity. Rada''s glance swept past the devotees of the Ladder Sect, pausing particularly on An Su, his eyes narrowing slightly. For some reason, this young man felt especially cold to him; from the first moment he saw him, Bishop Rada inexplicably felt a chill on the top of his head. It was a pity he was not physically present, or he would have taken a closer look. An Su hadn''t noticed Rada''s assessment; his concern was more on the candle test of the believers. The Chaotic Elevator, who was ahead of him in line and seated firmly at the top of An Su''s sacrificial menu, did live up to An Su''s expectations. With the brightest candles in the entire ceremony, he was certain to be a dish of exquisite delicacies. Still somewhat tipsy from alcohol, the Chaotic Elevator staggered down the steps amidst the audience''s gasps, patting An Su''s shoulder with a gesture of closeness. This Esoteric Religion prodigy, who had previously made things difficult for An Su, was now exceedingly friendly towards him, radiating a protective big brother vibe as he bragged, "Younger brother, there''s no need to be tense. Relax. Even if your results are poor, I''ll have your back." After drinking strongly, a boundless heroism and fantasy filled his chest. The Chaotic Elevator felt that all the prodigies of the Esoteric Religion were nothing special, and even the formidable Hierarchical Holy Maiden was but a woman. If not for the limited number of candles preventing him from showing his full potential, Had there been seven, the Chaotic Elevator believed he would have lit up all seven. Touched, An Su sincerely wished the brother well, "Brother Elevator, the position of Quasi-Holy Child of our sect is truly yours to claim." Capturing the Ladder Sect''s Holy Child had brought him more rewards. "Where, where, Staircase younger brother flatters me too much." The Chaotic Elevator, with his hand on An Su''s shoulder, although verbally modest, couldn''t hide the pride on his face; clearly, he enjoyed the compliment, Chapter 168 They All Think Theyve Won (Two in One) His son''s joyous occasion was settled.The mood of Grand Duke Annand of Dari was excellent, for a person naturally feels lively when happy. If things were successful, he would soon be a grandfather. The more he thought about it, the happier he became. As the earliest among the three nobles of the border to become a grandfather, Archduke Annand naturally wanted to flaunt it. Archduke Annand immediately stood up, donned his cloak, and was about to head out. Especially that Chenxing fellow, who always relied on his wealth and because his son was educated, acted so arrogantly. It was truly detestable, so Annand decided to go to the Morningstar Family to demonstrate the majestic presence of the Sun Family. His joyous occasion was also settled. Marquis Norman was even more delighted. The morning sun''s rays pierced through the thin mist, scattering early light dotted with dew upon Marquis Norman''s window. [Dear son-in-law of the Marquis of the Moon,] [I send you the most sincere greetings.] [Your letter has been received.] [Though unworthy, I am indeed Yue''er''s father.] Marquis Norman nodded to himself, it seemed that this was a letter from his future father-in-law. Hmph, the girls these days are just shy. Marquis Norman''s lips curled into a faint smile. She didn''t even write the letter herself, but Marquis Norman knew it was just Yue''er being shy. With his skills as the Sacred Hand of the Border, there hadn''t been a woman he couldn''t win over. The prosperity of the Moon Family was closely related to Marquis Norman''s skills. He continued to read on down the letter. [Your moonlight, my daughter, has received, and truth be told, Yue''er has long been aware of the Marquis of the Moon''s great name and has been thinking of you day and night.] An Su had not lied. Lister had known the name of Marquis Norman since birth. Lister was quite obedient, and that amounted to day and night thinking. The smile on Marquis Norman''s lips became more graceful. Indeed, the women of this world could not help but adore the Moon Nobility. This future father-in-law also had good taste. [However, Yue''er, after all, is raised by my own hands, and as a father, I truly have difficulty in parting with her. Moreover, the road to the border is long and fraught with bandits and demons, and without a handy magic wand for protection, I really cannot be at ease.] Marquis Norman''s brow furrowed slightly with some displeasure. He was a very cultured noble and realized at once that this future father-in-law was asking for a dowry. But the Moon Family had always been the one who eagerly offered money to him. An Su had anticipated this situation long ago and continued in the letter: [To be honest, since my daughter is quite beautiful, the Grand Duke of the Sun had long ago given the ''Heart of the Abyssal Flame Dragon'', wanting to forcefully take my daughter. However, Yue''er''s heart is set on the Moon Family and has never agreed, unable to fulfill the Grand Duke''s wishes, how pitiful it is.] Attached to the letter was a magical photograph of the ''Heart of the Abyssal Flame Dragon''. Marquis Norman immediately understood; the heart of a fire dragon was something only the Sun Family had. He hadn''t expected that old Annand would be so shameless, to have his sights set on another''s young girl at his age. "This scoundrel and thief!" Marquis Norman expressed severe moral condemnation of Grand Duke Dari''s actions, while simultaneously realizing a fact: he was about to be cuckholded. S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Worthy of being called Grand Duke Dari! Living up to his name, he was tactlessly old-fashioned. For the Moon Nobility, this was an immense disgrace. The norm was always to steal someone else''s wife, not to have one''s own stolen. If previously it was just playful scuffles, now it was a matter that related to the honor of the family. Marquis Norman had already resolved in his heart. Wasn''t it just a gift? The depth of the Moon Family''s heritage was surely not inferior to that of the Sun Family. He immediately wrote two reply letters and dispatched them to be delivered to the capital with the utmost haste, lest there be more complications with delay. After writing the letters, Marquis Norman felt the matter was almost completely secure, and naturally felt lively, being in such good spirits. As the handsomest among the three nobles of the border, Marquis Norman naturally wanted to flaunt it as well. He immediately stood up, donned his elegant tailcoat, and was about to leave. Especially that Chenxing fellow, who always flaunted his wealth. He wasn''t as handsome in his youth as Norman was, yet he still had so many young girls pining for himtruly detestable. Marquis Norman headed straight toward the Morningstar Family. The Morningstar''s territory was located in the East of the border. Nearly all the gold and silver mines of the border were situated in Morningstar''s territory. The bright spring sunshine gently illuminated the Morningstar estate, spreading a resplendent golden glow all around. Count Karlo was a man of many talents. Starting as a soldier, he was ennobled as the lord of Morningstar after three years due to his military achievements. By earnestly discovering gold mines, he had painstakingly, industriously climbed to his current status. As the head of the Morningstar Family, he always deemed the family''s prosperity as his duty. When he lacked land, he bought neighboring territories; when he lacked titles, he bought them from the royalty; when he lacked grades, he bought the Border College, fired the principal, and ordered the teachers to give him full marks. The principal of Border College was first beaten by Annand, then bedded by Norman, and finally fired by Karlo as principal. After enduring the sequential torments of the three nobles of the border, this accomplished woman was eventually trained into the very shape of their design. It could be said that, up till now, Count Karlo had not encountered any high mountains in life, nor faced any hardships. That is until he had An Su. Count Karlo, thinking of those two old fools who had flaunted in his territory, cursed An Su in his heart. It was all because An Su''s academic performance was too good, which had left him behind in this area and subjected him to ridicule by those two old fools. Chapter 168 They All Think Theyve Won Big (Two in One)_2 The imperial capital''s recently famed girl group was of course also known to Count Karlo.Archduke Annand, who arrived earlier, boasted that his son had successfully wooed Miss Yoko, while Marquis Norman, who came after, bragged that he had won over Miss Yue Er. Count Karlo was angry that An Su was not competitive. Having been in the imperial capital for so long and yet, all the good girls were snatched up by others. He only knew to study every day, not learning a bit from those excellent scionstruly a disgrace and dishonor to the Morningstar Family. With An Su''s serious approach to studying, others would think the Morningstar Family had fallen into decline, unable to afford school fees or to change grades anymore! The Morningstar Family was bound to perish with An Su''s generation! This couldn''t go on. He couldn''t let those two old fools continue to be so brazen. He would have to force his son''s hand himself. Stay tuned to empire Who else was left in that girl group... Kavensis? Sar?h the N?vel(F)ire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. No, that''s not right. A stern light flickered in Count Karlo''s eyes. As the Morningstar Family, they must strive for the best. He didn''t like Kavensis, nor did he have any resonance with the high-and-mighty Sun Spirit or Moon Spirit. They lacked those lofty ideals. The Morningstar Family''s spirit was simple: what belonged to others was good, and more was better! He wanted them all! That was the backbone of the Morningstar Family! When An Su received the reply from Marquis Norman, the sun was already high above, the bright spring light casting dancing shadows in the study. As expected. An Su thought to himself. He had discovered another universal truth of the world. In this world, a profession that can deceive people out of money is fraud; more lucrative than fraud is being an idol, and even more profitable than being an idol is a bride price. And if it''s the bride price for an idol, then An Su was on invincible ground. He weighed the Magic Wand sent from the border, deepening his understanding of this truth. The wand was azure all over, with light runes coiling around the handle like scales. From the gem on the top of the wand, a water-blue Magic Power diffused, and the Alchemic Magic Circle flickered gently, holding a mysterious power. It was a gift from his thoughtful son-in-law from the border. [Wand of Prosperous Moon] [Legendary Intermediate Stage Wand] [Effect: It can reduce the Magic Power consumption by one point for all intermediate stage and below magic spells, and it automatically generates a night sky effect behind the user when in use, coupled with playing a beautiful piano melody] Incredibly elegant. It was even more elegant than Lister''s Heart of Water Moon, not only having effects for appearances but even coming with entrance music. The Moon Family, true to their reputation, had taken elegance to the extreme, even thinking of installing an Alchemic Magic Circle that could play music on the wand. An Su was very satisfied. Just when he had become a Third Order Magician and the wand Luojia had given him was starting to lag, he needed a new one. The Wand of Prosperous Moon not only had a cool look, but it also featured the benefit of reducing Magic Power consumption. It would reduce the cost of Magic Power by one point for all intermediate stage and below magic of all attributes. A single point might not sound much, but in a battle, one wouldn''t use a spell just once, and the accumulated savings on Magic Power could be tremendous. Moreover, the most crucial point was that if the Magic Power cost of a spell was just one point at the initial stage, then An Su could use this legendary wand to cast it without limitsthis was the true terror of such a wand. Much appreciated. He felt comforted that his son-in-law had such a filial thought. Now, with the ''Canglin Dragon Heart'' for cultivation and the combat wand ''Wand of Prosperous Moon'' for fighting, An Su had everything he needed. Cheered by the good mood, An Su opened the door of his room and stepped outside, only to come face-to-face with Lister. As soon as Lister saw An Su, he had a notion, and his talisman Heart of Water Moon sparkled instantly. Steam spread out automatically around Lister, forming a continuously swirling water-blue flower, remarkably elegant and dashing. This was the elegance of nobility. An Su''s effect was not for show either. He grabbed the Wand of Prosperous Moon at once, and the beautiful, cold piano sound flowed from the wand, echoing in the corridor like water, with stars and the full moon instantly appearing behind An Su. The cold moonlight beamed down, making the young man''s face seem tender as clouds. The wand''s music could also be recorded by the user, and An Su recorded a piano piece perfect for the wand''s temperament, describing the elegant moonlight: I am like a fish in your lotus pond, Just to wait with you under the bright white moonlight. "It is I who have lost," Lister realized that An Su''s elegance far surpassed his own, and his rival''s entrance even came with its own music. And the tune was of quite a high taste. As a nobleman, Lister had long embraced the spirit of not being arrogant in victory nor disheartened in defeat. He privately noted down the tune of the piano piece, intending to learn it, and then to engrave it onto his own wand. Wherever he went, if it could play automatically, it would certainly be the epitome of a noble''s taste. "Father said," Lister showed a smile, "that there will be a surprise waiting for me at eight o''clock tomorrow evening." Lister couldn''t help but start looking forward to what kind of surprise it would be. "Congratulations." An Su felt happy for Lister, naturally, he would be joyous for the familial joy. Lister''s expression turned to mild distress, "Unfortunately, I have a live stream with fans at eight o''clock in the evening and won''t be able to wait for father." "No problem, you can handle both things at the same time," An Su said considerately. After parting ways with Lister, he went straight to the mayor''s office and pushed the door open. Chapter 168 They All Think Theyve Won Big (Two In One)_3 Miss Yue''er and Miss Yangzi''s gifts have been received, and now it''s time for a letter from the leader of the Border Girl Group''s Kavensis fans.Unlike Full Moon Treasure and Ri Zi''s peaceful gifts, the Guardian Knight Order of Kavensis is quite aggressive. They campaign aggressively both externally and within, and their level of belief has reached the point of madness. Kavensis''s charm is so great that it has a lot to do with the persona An Su set up for her. First, the ''married woman'' attribute. Then, the ''widow'' attribute. Even a hidden ''non-human'' attribute. And she''s also a slender beauty. Miss Kavensis was once the young mother of two children; although this attribute turned off some fans, those who remained became even more fanatical and excited. At the same time, both of Kavensis''s children died young, and she was heartlessly abandoned by a faithless lover. These two attributes combined are extremely rare and valuable. And because Kavensis is a virtual life form, she can stream every day on the magic web, far outstripping Miss Yue''er and Miss Sun in terms of her ability to reach out, which is what makes being the number one Female Saint in popularity in just one day meaningful. The Guardian Knight Order fights every day in the name of holy war, branding those who do not share their beliefs as heretics. The letters from the fans are each more radical and fervent than the last. The contents of the letters are also quite abstract and strange, discussing everything from the origins of radiance to the constitution of celestial bodies to what Miss Kavensis had for dinner tonight, which is very interesting. After all, Kavensis has fans in all seven Church sects. An Su continued to read through the letters one after another. "Radiance is you, goddess is also you, wuwuwu Miss Kavensis I believed in Radiance, but now I have converted to worship the great Carmen, wuwuwu." "I practice alchemy, but what I truly refine is You." They were all pretty insubstantial. And the gifts they sent weren''t very thoughtful. That was until An Su saw the new letter that had arrived, [Dear Miss Kavensis] [Greetings] [I am Count Chenxing Karlo Moningsta, my son An Su Moningsta admires you greatly] Experience tales with empire "...." An Su fell silent. Huh. He chuckled lightly. What a humorous old login. Immediately taking out pen and paper, An Su feverishly wrote a response on the letter: [I am the father of Kavensis] [Respected Count Chenxing Karlo] [Crawl] That settled it. He didn''t need Count Karlo''s dowry; An Su was already extremely familiar with the Morningstar Family''s treasury, and it would all be his sooner or later. After briskly rejecting his father''s letter, An Su''s thoughts became clear. It''s impossible to connect with his father tomorrow; Arthur and Lister alone are enough for the performance, the goal is to deceive them into giving gifts, An Su is confident in those two, they can do it. Sorry, gentlemen. Regrettably, only I will win both ways. The bright spring sunlight streamed through the window panes, casting a refreshing light on An Su''s cheeks. Meanwhile. In the next room over, Arthur gazed at this newly arrived letter with a heart full of excitement and hands trembling. This time, no interference from An Su, the letter smoothly reached Arthur''s hands. Arthur''s heart was torn. In the end, he made up his mind, after all, Count Karlo offered too much! All he had to do was to handle Count Karlo and another mysterious top ranker separately, deceive them to get the gifts, and Arthur had the confidence he could pull it off! Sorry, Brother Su. Regrettably, only I will win both ways. That is the Sun Family''s courage, daring to win twice over! Arthur''s smile became increasingly sunny and bright, With his clever mind, he had already thought of a foolproof plan. He immediately wrote back to Count Karlo, [I am Miss Yangzi''s father] [Respected Count Chenxing Karlo] [I have no objections] The bright spring sunlight streamed through the window panes, casting a refreshing light on Arthur''s cheeks. Meanwhile, in the next room over from Arthur''s. Lister calmly pushed his glasses up. S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. All he had to do was deal with Count Karlo and another mysterious top ranker at the same time... That is the Moon Family''s perseverance, intent on winning twice over! Sorry, Brother Su. Only I will have the taste of winning both ways! [I am the father of Yue''er...] Chapter 181 Bishop Rada: Your Mission Is to Possess An Su and the Others! (Parts Combined)_2 But soon, Bishop Rada had an idea, taking advantage of the fire to pad the numbers a bit in the report to headquarters, chuckling inwardly as he immediately opened up a space. The esoteric geniuses, seeing a large opening, hurriedly scrambled out.An Su followed them out, and the moment he stepped outside, he was able to connect to the signal from Heaven. Merlin''s lazy voice came through his ear, "Oh dear, sorry about that, I just lost the signal, wasn''t slacking off, ha." The God of Law feigned concern for An Su, "I know, I know, the cult bases are dangerous, and the spatial magic structures they create are complex. I''ve been working hard at deciphering this spatial magic''s structure, absolutely no slacking." Merlin, looking at a newly constructed magic circuit, spoke seriously to An Su. "No need to construct a new magic circuit anymore." An Su, observing the fire surging in the space where the ritual fire had gone out of control since he left the array, watched as the chaotic serpent of flame rolled ceaselessly in the other-dimensional space. The structure of the space shook and was close to collapse, continually sinking down, and as the spatial magic structure was burned through, the entire base collapsed completely. The flags symbolizing the esoteric religion were burned to ashes in the flames. It was deep into the night outside, the post-rain night wind clean and clear. The dark night sky hung with stars, and the pale blue starlight dripped slowly along the horizon, falling onto the abandoned Crow Alley, covering the ashes with stardust. [One esoteric space base has been destroyed. Contributors: An Su Moningsta (90%), Arthur Sunny (5%), Lister Muen (5%).] Merlin''s eyebrows shot up. What is this thing? He''d only slacked off for a bit, how did the story progress to this stage. These little brats completely collapsed someone''s base? Ignoring the God of Law''s astonishment, An Su first ended the call. His head was still reeling from the effects of the mercury vapor; moreover, it was because of the visions he saw before the life candle. Crimson stars plummeted from the sky, the city continuously sinking, and at the table of the gods, each time the knives and forks dropped, a star fell from the sky. An Su sat at the end of this apocalyptic table, watching the world gradually devoured by the gods. "What is my fire sign?" An Su curiously asked the old Priest. The other esoteric geniuses craned their necks over, intrigued by this situation, which was new to them as well. An Su''s first two candles had burned vigorously, and the last life candle had even caused a fire. Brother of the Stairs was indeed impressive. The old Priest rolled his eyes, his complexion still a sickly purplish hue not yet faded, and he took several deep breaths before replying gruffly to An Su, "The ''book'' presented by the Painful Candle suggests that you will travel increasingly on the path of the Pain Magician, the ''scepter'' shown by the Chaos Candle indicates that you will keep climbing amidst chaos, and the last life candle..." "The last life candle?" An Su tilted his head. "Had no fire sign," the Priest shook his head, "I saw nothing. I think you might have angered the Mother Goddess, which triggered this disaster!" An Su felt that the Priest was very correct, after all, he was genuinely a saint, and angering the Mother Goddess was normal. Arthur was discontent with the Priest''s words, "What do you mean angered the Mother Goddess? My brother of the stairs is clearly an esoteric genius. I think it''s obviously the Mother Goddess''s overwhelming fondness for Brother of the Stairs, fervent as fire, that triggered the blaze." The Priest gave Arthur a sidelong glance and didn''t respond to his nonsense. After interpreting the will of the Mother Goddess for decades as a renowned divination archmage, how could this brutish disciple from the Painful Court understand the Mother Goddess''s intentions as he could? However, the old Priest actually had another interpretation he did not voice, thinking it too absurd, that saying it would only make him the butt of the joke, so he chose not to mention it. Perhaps the engulfment of the entire space by the fire of life was the fire sign revealed by the ritual. In mystical terms, space also symbolizes the world; if all of this were true, all the old worlds would collapse in the flames of this young man, with the Serpent of Pain and the Saint Heir serving as the helping hands to stoke the world''s fire. But this was too ludicrous, almost less plausible than having angered the Mother Goddess. In any event, the ritual was thoroughly concluded. The esoteric geniuses who had escaped from the sea of fire all felt a sense of survival after a calamity. Bishop Rada looked at everyone with satisfaction, confirming that there was not a single infiltrator among the Cultistsall were trustworthy, all were eligible to compete for the rank of Saint Heir within their Sect. Especially that kid known as Brother of the Stairs, the candle was so bright it could cause a fire hazard, definitely a big villain. And the brightness of this youth''s Painful Candle was also quite notable, which shows that he''s particularly attuned to the Painful Esoteric Sect. And the fire element that appeared was ''books''. This indicates that the kid is also quite cultured. Bishop Rada even thought about poaching An Su into his own Gorilla Cult. With this smart brain aiding them, their Cult''s cultural level would definitely improve greatly, and it wouldn''t be the butt of jokes any longer. They would also have a better chance against Merlin. He cleared his throat, and the authority of the Demigod spread out, instantly silencing the noisy scene. Bishop Rada surveyed everyone with dignity and slowly said, "It seems everyone present is indeed trustworthy." "After observing by the three of us, we have selected the most loyal candidates." The attendants beside distributed a list, and An Su looked carefully; all were Cult geniuses with three candles fully lit, including him, Lister, Arthurnine people in total. "Those not on the list can leave now," said Bishop of the Sea coldly, immediately causing quite an uproar among the Cult geniuses. But in front of a Demigod, no one dared to act rashly, so they had to swallow their dissatisfaction and leave the Crow Alley dejectedly. Once the majority had gone, the formerly crowded Crow Alley cleared out. An Su observed the Believers around him, those remaining were the elite of the elite, nearly of Fourth Order, and despite the ordeal by ceremonial fire earlier, their complexions remained unchanged. The Painful Attendants cast a simple Space Magic at the entrance of the Alley, isolating all the noise from outside. "The few of you present are the most loyal Believers to the three great Esoteric Religions," Bishop Rada said with satisfaction. "I am very pleased with all of your performances, and now it''s time to entrust you with the most confidential plan of the Church Nation." Lister nodded, as he had always been a member of the Life Esoteric Church, very loyal indeed. Arthur, who was also present, clapped his hands; he, too, always graduated from the School of Pain, a true-blue member.. An Su, also present, wore a face full of agreement, being fiercely loyal himself, as the Mayor of Chaos, to the Church Nation. In the magic communication, Merlin, the Radiant Bishop also present, agreed; the Radiant Bishop was most loyal to the Esoteric Religion, with half of the God of Law''s magic being plagiarized from these three Esoteric Religions, and hence, his loyalty needs no further proof. The four of them all listened intently, eager to know the Church Nation''s top-secret grand plan. Bishop Rada looked around sternly: Your next journey awaits at My Virtual Library Empire "We have been hiding in Farol for several months now, assassinating saints during the Holy Saint exam was just a fa?ade within our grand plan, a diversion for the Church''s Nation strategy." "Our true objective is to seize the opportunity of the imperial capital''s internal chaos and emptiness. While the Demigod of the Church is too busy dealing with internal assassinations to be distracted, our Painful Cavalry will then launch a border strike and take over the empire''s border lands." "Finally, in cooperation from within and without, the empire will fall." sea??h th N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "But before this, there is an obstacle, which is the three major powers within the border areas. If they resist, it will prevent the Esoteric Religion from gaining the upper hand immediately. Once the Demigod of the Church recovers and comes to aid, the plan will fail," said Bishop Rada with a cold expression, yet feeling smug inside. Their plan was incredibly sinister and perfect. Such a terrifying and concealed plan, that man Merlin would never be able to guess. "However, the three heirs of the top border families, An Su Moningsta, Arthur Sunny, and Lister Muen, are currently inside the Radiant Holy See." "They are similar in age and rank to you, and you have proven your loyalty to the Esoteric Religion, making you the most suitable candidates. With the Transformation Spell from the Sanctuary of Chaos, you can take possession of their bodies!" Bishop Rada, inscrutable, addressed the nine Cultists including An Su: "Your ultimate mission is to infiltrate the Radiant Holy See, impersonate An Su, Arthur, and Lister!" "Whoever succeeds will be the Quasi-Holy Child of our three great Sects!" Chapter 182 Lister: Can Approach Them Using Beauty Trap (Combined) ```"You who usurp the bodies of An Su, Arthur, and Lister, whoever succeeds will become the Quasi-Holy Child of our three great sects!" ``` Bishop Rada''s voice resonated with power, stirring great waves among the esoteric geniuses. Discover hidden stories at My Virtual Library Empire The geniuses all began to discuss amongst themselves, all saying that this shocking plan was far from simple. And extremely perilous at that. sea??h th N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. On the surface, it seemed only a matter of usurping the bodies of three saints, but the actual execution was as difficult as climbing to heaven, the prerequisite being to infiltrate the inner workings of the Church; and with a Demigod always guarding the Radiant Holy See, any slip would mean they would have to pay with their lives on the spot. Moreover, it was rumored that this An Su Moningsta had a close friendship with Merlin, the head of the Radiance, serving as Merlin''s personal barber. If the plan were exposed to the God of Law, the esoteric geniuses dared not think of the terrifying consequences. Magic God Merlin''s infamy in the Church Nation was enough to silence the cries of children at night. Having one''s head severed by the Judgment Light was the least of the punishments, and it was said that this Archmage was also obsessed with toying with souls; one might even have one''s own soul squished into a dough-like shape. But fortunately, His Excellency the Archmage was guarding Heaven and would absolutely not know of their scheming. The esoteric geniuses heaved a collective sigh of relief within their hearts. Thankfully, the God of Law could not see their plan. Meanwhile, on the other end, His Excellency Merlin in Heaven also breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully, I can pretend not to see their plan. Merlin had no desire to work overtime. The Church and the esoteric religion had reached a rare agreement. "My friends, there''s no need to be tense." Seeing the serious and somber expressions on the faces of the Chaos Followers, An Su, as the Quasi-Holy Child of Chaos, naturally needed to understand his loyal subordinates'' troubles, to boost everyone''s morale. He earnestly said, "It''s just the mere Lister and Arthur, a couple of chickens and dogs, what''s there to fear?" "It''s only that An Su Moningsta who might be a bit more formidable, blessed with handsome looks, bright talents, a simple character, and a pure heart. Even I, the Brother of the Stairs, have to admire such a unique genius. What a man! Aside from him, there is nothing particularly difficult about this mission." The Chaos Followers showed reflective expressions. They thought Brother of the Stairs had a point. With Brother of the Stairs'' tremendous talents, even lighting a candle could start a fire. Since even he was so wary of An Su Moningsta, it appeared that this person was definitely a rising star of the Church, a genius among geniuses, while the other two were useless. Arthur also saw the heavy expressions on the faces of the Serpent of Pain''s followers. As the Quasi-Holy Child of pain, it was also his turn to say a few words. He then spoke aloud, "My friends, there''s no need to worry." "In my view, both Lister and An Su are just so-so, and only that Arthur Sunny is worthy of a bit of precaution," "It''s said that he is a natural-born Sun Warrior, inheriting the bloodline of a Demigod, his actions are noble and just, and even I, the Serpent of Pain, marvel at his courage and perception! Apart from this Arthur, the other two don''t matter." The followers of pain also showed reflective expressions. They thought the Serpent of Pain had a point. The Serpent of Pain dared to go to the bathroom without any tissue, and even he had such high regard for Arthur''s bravery; thus, this Arthur Sunny should not be underestimated, and the other two were useless. On the side of the Life Followers, Lister felt it necessary to say something as well. "Please hear my words, both Arthur and An Su are morally deficient; only that Lisiter Muen is truly a noble talent, the most worrisome..." The Life Followers also showed reflective expressions. They thought the words of the Son of Devotion were nonsense. That An Su was the one-of-a-kind Child of the Curse in the whole world, probably delicious, and if Arthur was indeed of low moral standard, then he would certainly suit the taste of the Mother Goddess; Lister was the most useless and not worth the concern. After this morale-boosting rally led by the three An Sus, the followers of the three great sects reached a consensus, taking the intersection of their conclusions, they deemed Lister the most useless and the other two as geniuses. Bishop Rada saw the ongoing discussion below and snorted coldly, instantly quieting the whole room. "This secret matter must be carefully planned and prepared. Remember that no one else can know, and within your respective groups, keep the specific implementation details confidential. Now, I will give time and space for each sect to discuss separately. Followers of the Gorilla Cult, come to me." The classic group discussion ensued. A total of nine esoteric geniuses remained, with three from each sect. Aside from An Su and the Chaotic Elevator, the Ladder Sect also had a girl wrapped in a hood with pale green hair, known as ''Chaos Escalator''. They, the three Chaotic Stairs, came before the projection of the Hierarchical Holy Daughter. This was An Su''s first time seeing Elf''s real face; the last time, the Holy Maiden had taken on the guise of Alice. Elf was perched on a corner wall of Crow Alley, her long legs crossed and lightly shaking in boredom, toying with the wall''s moss-covered dewdrops. She hung her head low, eyes crimson and indifferent, betraying her boredom, her face screaming, "How has this goddamn meeting not ended yet?" She hadn''t paid attention at all to Demigod Rada''s speech since the meeting started. Even the words of a Demigod did not concern the Hierarchical Holy Daughter. Elf was young but had already reached the Saintly Rank. If Magic God Merlin was the youngest Demigod, then Hierarchical Holy Daughter Ael was the youngest saint. Upon seeing An Su and his companions approaching, Ael propped up her chin, her gaze turning intrigued as if watching a play unfold. Chapter 170 No Time to Mourn for Miss Yangzi (Two in One) "Look at this child, so sensible, calling me dad so quickly!"Grand Duke Annand was quite satisfied with Miss Yangzi''s performance. The twilight was gradually fading at the edge of the skyline, the remnants of the golden sunset shining on Grand Duke Annand''s golden hair, making the God of War seem as majestic as a lion. He rose slowly to his feet, his military spine rigid, first looking nobly around at family and friends, sweeping his gaze across the Chenxing and Moon Families, waving to them like a victorious general returning home. Such a credit to his father! Enjoying the respectful and congratulatory looks from his relatives and friends, he looked proudly at Count Karlo, whose mood was fluctuating, and felt completely at ease. Miss Yangzi''s call of ''Dad'' hit Grand Duke Annand right in the heart. Especially being able to gloat in front of Count Chenxing, Archduke Annand was very proud. Your son doesn''t have this skill, can''t find such an excellent wife. As a Demigod, he had the ability to discern people''s speech, and Grand Duke Annand could feel that Miss Yangzi''s ''Dad'' was completely heartfelt, full of natural conviction without a trace of falsehood. Just look at this child, so sensible, already starting to call dad even before she married in. "Miss Yoko, once you officially marry Arthur, it won''t be too late to call me dad," Grand Duke Annand said with a smile, his face brimming with pride on one end of the border, while Arthur''s face on the other end of the screen was a picture of horror. Yesterday, his father wrote saying there was a big surprise waiting for him, but this surprise was way too big. It was he dating himself, What kind of incredible surprise is this! For these past decades, Arthur relied on the Sun Family''s inherited spirit of courage and feared no one, with the sole exception of his own father. At this very moment, facing his father as Yangzi, and in front of so many relatives and friends! Arthur''s legs shook, fearful that if he slipped up, his father would fly over from the border and kill him on the spot! Thinking about such a terrifying outcome, Arthur''s legs trembled, his lips quavered, and he could no longer maintain the confident demeanor he had before the call. Ever since he was a child, whenever he got into trouble, he had never been able to deceive his father, always ending up being severely punished. Grand Duke Annand had become Arthur''s mental demon on his path to knighthood; without conquering this demon, he could never become a true knight. He lifted his gaze without showing any emotion, looking at Lister behind the screen. ''Help me.'' sea??h th N??eFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Arthur blinked, sending a signal with his eyes. Lister scoffed in disdain, thinking Arthur was far too cowardly, lacking the realization and spirit of the nobility. What was there to be afraid of in marrying oneself? If it had been him in that position, he surely would have subdued everyone with the most elegant and impeccable noble etiquette. It was just a pity that he had no chance to demonstrate this. ''Help me, please!'' Arthur turned his pleading gaze to An Su. An Su smiled calmly, returning a trusting look, lifting up a sign he had written earlier, ''Now is the moment to exhibit the courage of the three great rules of love, time for practice.'' He was a master of love, and through his many years of research, he found that self-love was a rare branch of love. Seeing An Su, the brightness in Arthur''s eyes clearly dimmed; this guy had known all along that it was his father on the other end. Knowing that both of these men were unreliable, Arthur took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. His father and relatives on the other side of the screen were waiting for him; he couldn''t panic. He had to be brave. He must muster the courage to conquer his mental demon, even if it meant going head-to-head with his own father, he would not admit defeat! Arthur was about to display the most radiant courage of the Sun Spirit! What''s so scary about self-love? Having lived for so many years, self-love was the one domain Arthur had never been afraid of. In the showdown of the new and old trios of the border, only a fresh new generation would triumph. Facing his father''s kind and majestic eyes, Arthur smiled with sunny confidence, and the golden-haired beauty twisted by magic in the magic web smiled confidently too, "Dad, I have a poor magic net signal here, can we talk another day?" "This child, why are you being shy now." Grand Duke Annand found it endearing. Having heard the word ''dad'' again, he felt very comfortable. The photo didn''t impress him much, but after meeting in person, the more he looked at Yangzi, the more he liked her. This level of brazen lying, almost on par with his son Arthur, was simply a match made in heaven. "Is it that Arthur has been bullying you," Grand Duke Annand wanted to put Yangzi at ease, and assured, "If that boy has bullied you, just tell dad; I will beat him mercilessly." ...Plainly seen, Miss Yangzi became even more nervous. "Err... I think, since we''re all family, we should be a bit more harmonious, no need to be so harsh on Arthur..." Miss Yangzi said weakly, "There''s no need to be ''merciless.''" "Mhm. Well said." Grand Duke Annand thought Miss Yangzi was knowledgeable and reasonable, even knew to defend that scoundrel of a son, truly a good child, a family indeed should be more harmonious, so he agreed, "Then dad will beat him with a cheerful face." The relatives of the Sun Family nodded in agreement, commending Grand Duke Annand for his understanding; especially Arthur''s old uncle ''Butcher'', who cracked a huge grin, assuring Yangzi with a slap on the chest that he would give Arthur a good education. Miss Yangzi looked even more frightened. "Miss Yangzi, when can you marry my son?" Grand Duke Annand looked at Arthur kindly. In front of Count Karlo, Chapter 170 No Time to Mourn for Miss Yangzi (Two in One) _2 Archduke Annand''s vanity was greatly satisfied."What''s the use of your son being so successful when you''re about to be a grandfather yourself?" "Um, well, ah...." Arthur stammered, unable to get his words out. He knew he couldn''t go on like this. If the topic remained passive, the only ending waiting for him would be one of disappointment. As long as he could get through this ordeal, all would be well. So he steeled his heart and lifted his eyes to gaze straight at his old man. After all, he couldn''t actually marry himself. The path of narcissism was no longer viable. Now there was only one way to get through this difficulty, and that was to make his old man feel disappointed, to make him feel that Miss Yangzi, this woman, wasn''t worthy of Arthur. Then the marriage talk would be called off. All he had to do was act terribly. Arthur''s lips curved into a bright and confident smile. He would win; he had found the only way to victory. A hint of melancholy crept into his eyes. "I''m not yet worthy to marry Arthur; I''m not good enough for the great Lord Arthur... Lord Arthur is so towering and radiant, his smile so handsome and sunny, and his Sun Spirit has deeply moved me." The more Miss Yangzi praised him, the more radiant Archduke Annand''s smile became, as he looked at the Marquis of the Moon and Count Chenxing boastfully - "Your son is not as outstanding as mine." Hum. Marquis Norman gave a disdainful smile, thinking how old-fashioned and timid Annand was. Who competes with children in this day and age? As a noble of the Moon, Marquis Norman himself would take up arms and fight. "And as for me, a young lady, I have many, many faults." The more he praised himself, the more radiant Arthur''s smile became as he looked towards Lister and An Su boastfully. Arthur deluded himself with praise. "Like what?" Annand asked. Arthur''s clever brain whirred into action, deciding to transfer his little-known shortcomings onto Yangzi. "For instance, I snore when I sleep," said Miss Yangzi. "Arthur does that too," Count Karlo interjected. An Su had complained to him about that in a telegram. "For instance, I have terrible exam grades." "I know that, Arthur does that too," Count Karlo repeated what An Su had told him. "For instance... I actually like plump women with big butts!" "I know that, Arthur does that too," Count Karlo repeated what An Su had mentioned. Arthur''s pupils trembled. How did everyone know all his embarrassing stories! So similar to my son, Annand didn''t notice anything wrong. The more he listened, the more he felt that Miss Yangzi and Arthur were a match made by heaven. Arthur steeled his heart, intending to reveal some scandalous news nobody knew about. "For instance... I left my underwear behind in the exam hall!" As soon as these words came out, the room erupted into an uproar. Miss Yangzi looked towards Count Karlo with a boastful gleam in her eyes. After contemplating for a moment, he shook his head, "An Su never mentioned this to me." Hum. Miss Yangzi wore the smug expression of victory. "I know that, Arthur did that too." Marquis Norman said that Lister had told him about this incident over a telegram. It was his own son who had been wise enough to use the gentlemanly approach of a broadcast to help Arthur retrieve his underwear, "Maybe you two even left them in the same exam hall." "That''s what we call fate," said Archduke Annand with a satisfied expression. "Even the underwear coming together, it''s like a romantic destiny meant to be." Upon his words, everyone relaxed. Yangzi could only feel a tightness in his chest. He had long known that the old generation from the borderlands had their own peculiar style, but he never expected to be tormented to such an extent. Shame. Having lived for so long, Arthur had always acted with open and fearless disregard for the opinions of others, daring to expose himself without shyness. This was the first time he truly grasped the feeling of shame. The old generation of Sun Knights was truly fearsome. With his current cultivation level, Arthur was not equipped to handle them. Physical nudity was nothing compared to the nakedness of the soul. Arthur felt as though the clucking tongues of all those aunts and uncles present were shredding him to pieces, their probing gazes prickling his scalp like needles. But he couldn''t give up; Brother Su had spoken truly: this moment was a time for cultivation! Since this strategy wouldn''t work, there was only one ultimate plan left. Yangzi lifted his head and met Brother Su''s eyes. In each other''s gazes were resoluteness and courage, as well as an unbreakable comradery. This was the bond between brothers. This was the courage of the Radiant Holy See! Let us die together! "Although Arthur is outstanding, Yangzi''s heart has long been occupied by another, and even though Yangzi knows it''s wrong, I''ve walked too far down the wrong path to turn back." Sarch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Arthur''s lips split into a grin. In that moment, he was like a crazed demon, "He is so strong and excellent, deeply engraved in my heart, making Yangzi unable to shake him off, and I''m unable to forget him. Yangzi can''t step out of the shadow, so I can''t marry Arthur yet." Who could be more exceptional than the son of the Sun Family. The room was instantly shocked, and Archduke Annand was utterly astonished. "That person is none other than His Excellency Kavensis Black!" Arthur divulged that taboo and great name. "From the day I saw him, Yangzi had already fallen helplessly in love, so Yangzi is not worthy of Young Master Arthur, and I have no right to marry him." He had done it; he had succeeded in lying to his old man. Chapter 170 No Time to Mourn for Miss Yangzi (Two in One)_3 At this moment, he felt as if his soul had surpassed that extreme limit, achieving true sublimation. He had stepped out of his father''s shadow, conquered his inner demons, and truly became a radiant knight.From that point on, the path of courage was no longer obstructed by inner demons. Kavensis Black. Marquis Norman was familiar with the name. There was also a ''Kavensis'' in the border ladies'' group in the imperial capital, but the gender was different; they weren''t the same person, and besides, the latter did not bear the surname Black. The Black family was not an insignificant one in the frontier but, unlike the secular nobility, the Black family was of religious nobility; they monopolized faith across generations, controlling most of the power in the Radiant Cathedral of the frontier. According to the tenets of the Radiant faith, secular nobles are not to have excessive contact with religious nobles, nor may they interfere with religious affairs. So their interactions with the Black family were not deep. In the Chaotic Frontier, the reason the Black family had been able to maintain their status for so long also had to do with their special methods; their knack for slaying the virtuous and claiming their deeds as their own was a family skill. "My daughter-in-law has been taken away by the Black family!" Outrageous. At this very moment, Annand''s fury knew no bounds as his demigod presence soared upward unabated. No one could withstand the wrath of the old lion, and the ground tremored continuously with his breath. sea??h th ovlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. A daughter-in-law so well-suited for my son, gone just like that! And I''ve already paid the dowry! The surrounding Sun Knights were also unable to contain their anger, with Arthur''s old uncle ''Bloodhand Butcher'' keenly sharpening his knife. The honor of the Sun family tolerates no affront, and Annand wanted to confront the Black family for an explanation on the spot, but he was stopped by the nearby Marquis Norman. "Patience is a virtue." Marquis Norman said elegantly. "As nobles, we must learn to be magnanimous. To hysterically fuss over such trifles would indeed be laughable." "Arthur and Miss Yangzi haven''t married, so whatever happened, no laws were broken." This is why these brutes lack civilization. Love cannot be compelled. The love of young people is such that the loser must dignify themselves by accepting defeat. Throwing tantrums instead is ungracious; it is a loss of the nobility''s poise. If Marquis Norman were faced with such a situation, he would choose to respect and offer blessings, for this is the duty and final grace of the defeated. However, Marquis Norman has never lost. He has never failed in love. Listening to Norman''s words, Annand slowly calmed down. He took a deep breath and adjusted his mindset. Norman was right; it was not the time to lose face. So many families were watching; he couldn''t do something that would damage his family''s honor. The matter of the dowry would be slowly settled with the Black family later. There was no time to mourn for Annand Now taking the stage was the saintly expert of the frontier! Find adventures at empire "Allow me to teach you what it means to be a master of love." With an elegant smile, Marquis Norman indicated that it was his turn to perform, "What true high-grade love is." Under the admiring gazes of all, Marquis Norman smiled confidently. Miss Yangzi has logged off, and Miss Yue Er made her elegant entrance. Lister also wanted to show Arthur what it means to be a master of love, what the spirit of the Moon Family is. After a successful connection, Lister looked around. Hmm, why does this scene look so familiar? Ah, it seems to have been seen somewhere before... Miss Yue Er looked around, and sure enough, there was her second uncle... Ah, and the flag of the Moon Family. Surely not. Miss Yue Er''s gaze gradually became vacant; she couldn''t believe it as her eyes moved to the man leading the Moon Family. Elegant, handsome, mature. The saintly expert of the frontier, Norman Muen. "Dad?" Lister said in disbelief. Such a high-grade play on arrival... Marquis Norman was greatly shocked inwardly, are the people from the imperial capital playing so diversely? This is high-grade love... Annand possessed genuine admiration for Marquis Norman, acknowledging that he had broadened his horizons. Chapter 171 One More Important than the Last (Two in One) The girls of the imperial city are indeed not to be underestimated.Marquis Norman''s face instantly turned solemn. He had heard that the young ladies of the imperial city were quite open-minded, but he hadn''t expected them to be so free as to call someone ''Daddy'' on the first day of meeting. Marquis Norman had heard of such a play before, that in the imperial city, there was a so-called ''Daddy activity'' that involved taking money to call a client Daddy. To be able to say such a shameless word in public, let alone in private! Feeling the strange gazes cast by the various elders of the Moon Family, Even Marquis Norman felt a bit embarrassed. The innocent appearance was just Yue''er''s disguise, there was no doubt about it, the level of the person opposite was absolutely not low. She might even be a queen who reigned over the imperial city''s love scene. After a long absence, a battle spirit that Marquis Norman hadn''t felt in a long time ignited in his heart; his handsome cheeks revealed a coldly elegant smile, his lips curved up, hmm, an interesting woman. This feeling of a worthy opponent was something he hadn''t experienced in a long while; Norman had been lonely at the pinnacle of the dating scene for many years, and now was the moment for the Borderland sage to return to the Jianghu; he would use the Moon Family''s ancestral noble elegance to conquer this wild girl. If you want to battle, then let''s battle! On the other side of the magic screen, Lister felt a long-absent urge to pee. He was almost scared to pee himself. As a graceful member of the Moon Nobility, Lister always regarded elegance and perseverance as life''s pursuit, scoffing at miserable situations like Arthur''s self-matchmaking; yet, who knew it would actually be a matchmaking session with his own father. Yesterday his father had said there was a big surprise waiting for him, but he hadn''t expected the surprise to be this huge. Scamming reached the head of his old man! Lister covertly lifted his gaze, looking towards Arthur behind the screen. ''Save me'' Arthur gave a cold laugh, having exorcised his inner demons after the battle with his father; he had awakened the domineering spirit and courage in his heart and was no longer the same Arthur as before. He then followed Brother Su''s example and swiftly wrote on a sign, ''Now is the time to show the three great principles of love C persistence; this is the time to cultivate!'' An Su also nodded in agreement, this was the backbone of the Borderland Triumvirs, already adopting the mindset that the more chaotic, the better; studying magic every day was so dull that life needed some spice. Seeing the state of these two fools, Lister knew he couldn''t rely on them! He then intended to show these two what true grace was. He would be the victor. And victory could only be his! Lister took a deep breath, his aura beginning to change; he said elegantly, "Respected Marquis of the Moon, it''s getting late today, and I''d like to go to bed. Let''s meet some other time for a chat." He ran away decisively and gracefully. Arthur clicked his tongue in wonder, knowing he could have used this trick earlier. It indeed was getting late, with Arthur and Archduke Annand''s connection consuming quite a bit of time; the twilight faded away in the sky, the night blanketed all, with the heaviness and deep black of the night wrapping around the sky above Chenxing. Logically speaking, a girl proposing to rest is a quite reasonable and sensible thing. Read the latest on empire Annand exhibited an understanding expression, saying to Norman, "Indeed, let''s leave our discussion for another time." But at the other end of the magic screen, Marquis Norman didn''t see it that way. Did Yue''er truly want to sleep? Humph. She did not. His lips curled into a confident and elegant smile, and thus he thought, Annand could never fathom a girl''s heart; his spiritual level would forever be stuck at this stage. This move, Marquis Norman was all too familiar with. The woman was playing a game of feigned retreat. S~ea??h the novlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. She intended to manipulate him on a spiritual level. ''I''m going to sleep,'' ''I was just taking a bath,'' ''I was just chatting with a friend,'' Girls take the rhythm of love through these silky moves, maintaining the upper hand. Love is war, and once the opponent can decide when the war starts and ends, you''re not far from defeat. If the war is lost, prepare to burst Gold Coins and compensate for the war expenses! Watch me play a teaching game. "Yue''er sister." In that moment, Marquis Norman revealed a perfect and tender smile, radiating the unique charm of a mature man; he was about to use his ultimate move, his already magnetic voice became even deeper, as if he were releasing one bubble after another, "Tonight, the moon is so beautiful~~, why~ must~ you sleep~ so early? This was Marquis Norman''s ultimate move, the unbeatable bubble voice. ~ How about, tonight~ we~ appreciate the night sky together~" As the most handsome adult male among the Borderland nobility, his smile was lethal to girls of all ages. But Lister was a man. He only felt goosebumps crawling from his toes up to his scalp. Father, please spare me from your delirium! This was such a tormenting public execution. Lister considered himself quite transcendent in the realm of persistence, but he was apparently too young; after just one exchange with his father, he was about to concede defeat, for the old indeed are often spicier. Arthur and An Su were on the sidelines, barely able to hold back their laughter, each holding a little stool side by side, enjoying Lister''s splendid performance. This couldn''t go on; Lister had to do something to end this forbidden connection. Chapter 171 One More Important than the Last (Two in One) _2 Continue to refuse!"But Lord Norman, Miss Yue Er is really sleepy." Lister firmly said. "~Then fall asleep to my deep voice~" Marquis Norman said in a low voice. Miss Yue Er appeared to refuse, but she was actually just flirting. So impressive. Archduke Annand, standing aside, showed an admiring expression. So that''s how it''s done, he hurriedly pulled out a notebook to note it down, then remembered he couldn''t write, so he had his steward John make the note. Once this secret teaching is written down, call it "Record of the Moon", and when Arthur returns, he''ll pass it on to him and let his son woo girls following this model. Copy it down thirty times daily, and from now on, practice according to this manner. If not well practiced, whip him to death. What a grim fate. Arthur, on the side, revealed a choking expression. As a grown man, he felt a strong discomfort. Thankfully, his own father wasn''t like this. Arthur felt some happiness. Arthur and An Su, who were merely listening in, were almost unable to withstand it; one can only imagine the despair Lister faced, dealing with Marquis of the Moon so directly at this moment. He couldn''t hold on any longer! The pupils of Lister''s eyes were nearly turning grey. His life flashed before his eyes like a rapidly moving lantern. From birth, he had always lived in the shadow of the Marquis of the Moon. The young Lister was already handsome and sunny, but whenever a girl came to confess to him, his merciless father would separate them. Under the long-term influence of enforced chastity education, he developed the modest and understated character of always aiming for third place in everything. He couldn''t keep on like this, If one doesn''t explode in silence, he becomes perverted in silence. In full view of everyone, he slowly took off his glasses, revealing a pair of deep blue, profound eyes. All the spectators could feel that Lister''s temperament had changed, becoming fiercer. An Su even looked on with a cautious expression, recalling the past. This was entering the second stage. "Miss Yue Er~" Marquis Norman said elegantly, yet he hadn''t noticed the danger looming, "Shall I sing you a~ pretty~ lullaby~?" Miss Yue Er coldly said, Your adventure continues at empire "Enough is enough, isn''t it?" In an instant, the world was shocked. Her words, seemingly a thunderbolt from the blue, shattered the peace and fantasies of love. It was just an ordinary sentence, but the realm and meaning it contained were invincible, like the high mountains and running rivers, instantly tearing through beautiful lies, as if blowing away soft cotton on steel, revealing the cold steel truss underneath. What a terrifying woman. Everyone had overlooked a fact, that although Miss Yue Er had a pure fa?ade, her essence was still that of a bad woman playing daddy roles! And now, she had cast off her disguise, no longer performing. Marquis Norman''s eyes became sharp, the fighting spirit in his pupils surging even more fervently. He had encountered the greatest adversary of his life. The holy hand hidden in his sleeve trembled slightly. Since the opposite side had decided not to be insincere, then Marquis Norman no longer had to be courteous. Witness it, please. Archduke Annand watched Norman with a serious expression. He could sense the other''s temperament was changing too. Deeper, more elegant, more unpredictable. Annand pondered what clever move Norman would make. Would he continue with sweet words, use an overwhelming love bubble bombardment, a money bombardment, or move her with sincere emotions... His face became even graver, and he hurriedly told the steward to keep taking notes, not wanting to miss out on the Moon Family''s secret. Marquis Norman chuckled softly, his voice growing even deeper. The unbeatable move of the Moon Family that ensures success, the most elegant tome in the wars of love, he was going to show Annand and everyone what a true master of love was. "Miss Yue Er, you must be a saint of the Radiant Holy See, right?" "Just listen to me," Marquis Norman whispered, as the holy hand in his sleeve emitted a faint glow. Sarch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Moonlight draped down, and the clear beams shone on Norman''s face, even further highlighting his noble, refined and congenial temperament. He declared with a holy demeanor: "You wouldn''t want the Priests of the Church to know you''re secretly playing daddy outside, would you?" This was a threat! Such blatant, unashamed threat. Annand was taken aback; he had already given ample consideration to the moral bottom line of Marquis Norman, but it turned out to be much lower than he had expected. This fellow was digging even further underground. He promptly had the steward speed up the note-taking, instructing Arthur to learn this technique later. From now on, this is the move to use when wooing girls. Meanwhile, Lister, standing beside them, was already wearing a look of complete despair. He stared in disbelief at his father, whose face was an enigma, finding the world absurdly terrifying. What does it mean to be secretly active as a father out there? You are already my dad! An Su looked at Lister''s father with admiration. Indeed, he was worthy of being Lister''s father, far superior to Arthur''s old man. He truly lived up to being the mastermind villain behind the border in the setting of the original story, meeting the expectations of his imposing aura. Another unresolved mystery from the original work had been solved. An Su revealed a satisfied smile. Lister''s shoulders trembled slightly, a gesture that Norman interpreted as inner turmoil and he decided to press his advantage, "Miss Yue Er, you have already accepted my gift. This could constitute fraud, you know, and you certainly wouldn''t want the Order Church to find out, right?" He aimed to encroach upon Miss Yue Er''s heart step by step, to make her succumb to depravity completely. "You would have to refund the money, yes. You probably can''t afford this price, can you? Then you''ll have to repay it slowly." It seemed the victor was declared... The descendants of the Moon Family all had an expected look on their faces, confident that when their head took to the field, there wouldn''t be a woman he couldn''t conquer. Everyone thought Miss Yue Er had lost, that she was going to submit to the shadow of the Moon Family. Chilly moonlight spilled down, the silvery swathes of frost covering the plain like a blanket under the deep darkness of night; no one could escape the radiance of the moon. It was at this moment, in this hushed stillness, that Lister slowly lifted his gaze, meeting An Su''s eyes head-on. In their gazes, a silent exchange took place. And that was the only solution. The only hope. Like a beacon of light, Lister had seen the glimmer of new light! "I actually," Lister said solemnly, the brilliance in his eyes growing grander, more elegant, as if an emperor declaring his edict, expecting the whole world to comply "I am actually underage." "So no need to refund the money." Marquis Norman''s pupils dilated in surprise, what! The intelligence was false! The members of the Moon Family all stood up at once, exchanging glances and reading uncertainty in each other''s eyes. In the official promotion of the Border Maiden Group, Yue''er and Yang Zi were both over eighteen, which is why they brazenly sent the engagement offers. But unexpectedly, they were not yet of age, and being underage females, within the Order Church, that made them invincible, unstoppable by anyone. Marquis Norman took several steps back, and, indeed, the border''s most powerful manipulators always abided by one principle, one bottom line: never to lay hands on underage girls. That was Marquis Norman''s only weakness as a powerful and flawless villain behind the scenes, and now it was firmly in Lister''s grasp. "Moreover, Yue''er''s heart is already occupied by another man." "To speak plainly, Yue''er is currently cohabiting with him." Miss Yue Er continued to speak out, the smile on her lips growing colder. "He is so outstanding and powerful, so captivating that I am thoroughly overwhelmed by him." Could it be that young Kavensis Black again? Marquis Norman decided to settle accounts with the Blake Family alongside Archduke Annand; it seemed their time was up. An Su smiled subtly, Lord Cavendish truly has an eternal presence in the world. "That person is" Lister''s smile grew more elegant as he turned the magic screen around, directing it towards An Su, who was sitting casually on a small stool to the side. "The great An Su Moningsta, Your Excellency." His face, clear yet tinged with a touch of confusion, abruptly appeared before the representatives of the border''s three powerful families. For the sake of indulging in the show and marrying off his daughters in a better way, An Su had prepared a set of mature and perfect tails for today. At this moment, he was fully suited up in formal attire in the presence of the Moon, Chenxing, and Sun families, truly dressed to impress. As if he were here for the ultimate showdown. Everyone fell silent. Only the triumphant laughter of Count Karlo echoed through the dead air "It''s finally my son''s turn to take the stage!" Count Karlo was extremely proud. "Just like my son! Absolutely brilliant!" Chapter 172 An Su Wins the Ultimate Initial Battle! (Two in One) The cold moonlight bathed the plains of Morningstar territory.In the midst of the gigantic magical screens, An Su donned an elegant deep black tailcoat, a white high-collared shirt, and sported a mature and playful little mustache. His silvery hair fell naturally, and he stood there before the three border families, ramrod straight. Very handsome and mature. "Worthy of my son, really awesome!" Today was Count Karlo''s most exhilarating day. Having been provoked by those two old bastards time and time again, the Count had been silently fuming inside. Like a protagonist in a novel script who endures the villain''s slaps in silence, The reason Count Karlo had managed to bear it all this time was precisely to enjoy the expressions on those two old bastards'' faces now! Glancing sideways, he saw Marquis Norman standing there stiff as a board, his eyes bulging, pupils constricted, and his facial features twisted in a grotesque and rigid expression; on the other side, Annand was dropping his newly written "Moon Family Quotes" to start a new book, instructing the old butler to record whatever An Su would say later. Afterward, to have Arthur copy it twenty times. Ah, so refreshing. Count Karlo felt a surge of exhilaration rush from his feet straight to the crown of his head. The feeling of showing off and slapping faces was utterly addictive. His own son was so impressive, and he decided to reward him with three gold mines later. "To tell you the truth," Count Karlo''s lips curled with a cold smile, and he delightedly watched his two brothers as he tossed the engagement letter written to Miss Yue Er in front of them, his expression morphing into a wickedly charming and unbridled grin, "Miss Yue Er has long been one of the Morningstar Family!" What! Marquis Norman and Annand were both shocked at the same time. What! An Su was equally shocked on the other end, when did this happen, and how was he unaware? Count Karlo''s sudden outburst had scared the daylights out of them. Could everything that had happened tonight have been within Count Karlo''s plans? Who would have guessed, this third brother who never lies, was the one with the deepest secrets. Annand examined the letter, reading it carefully, revealing a complex, thoughtful expression. He unfolded the letter and read it from beginning to end once more, clicking his tongue lightly, eyes cold and desolate, helplessly shaking his head. This look, observed by Norman, stirred in his heart an ominous premonition. Annand was the most powerful demigod of the border regions, who had weathered many a storm in his life. The contents of this letter were so insidiously terrifying that even a demigod sighed and shook his head. "What does the letter say?" Marquis Norman asked, "that could cause you such a tormented and complicated look?" "Ah, it''s not..." Annand awkwardly scratched his head, "After reading it, I just remembered, it seems I can''t read." "..." Marquis Norman thought Annand was the most embarrassing demigod of the borderlands. Snatching the letter from Annand''s hands, he looked at it closely and there it was, in black and white on the third line: [I am Yue Er''s father] [Esteemed Count Chenxing, Sir Karlo] [I agree to this marriage] Another Yue Er''s father suddenly pops up. Just how messed up was the birth of Yue Er''s father, allotting a daughter to two families to bargain with? Marquis Norman watched Count Karlo''s triumphant expression in shock, never expecting the Morningstar Family still had such a trump card up their sleeve. As a legendary figure of the borders who had triumphed in affairs of the heart for years, he had never known defeat. It had always been him impressing others, but to his surprise, today he was one-upped by a minor! The honor of the Moon Family was now thoroughly lost. I can''t believe I lost to a kid... Marquis Norman couldn''t accept it at all. This young man was so formidable that if he wasn''t dealt with now, he might become a dire threat to the Moon Family in the future. Marquis Norman was quite worried that once An Su came of age, he would sweep away all the beautiful girls, which could lead to the Moon Family facing the disaster of having no descendants. What made Marquis Norman feel even more humiliated was that on the side, Annand was consoling him, "Look on the bright side, Norman, you and Yue Er aren''t married, so whatever happens, it''s not against the law." Annand sighed lightly, patting Norman''s shoulder as if imparting the wisdom of the ages, reciting a sentence from the "Moon Family Quotes," "We should have a high-minded view of love." "You can''t always be concerned with what children do." You dimwit, why did you have to write down everything I said before? Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Struck by his own boomerang, Marquis Norman couldn''t decide whether to feel angry or let go. The pride of being from the Moon Nobility meant he had to learn to force a smile, and with great effort, he squeezed out a grin, addressing An Su on the screen, "Isn''t it a bit early for puppy love?" An Su sported an expression of utter constipation. This was the Morningstar family manor, where obviously, all the Morningstar elders were gathered. Aunts and uncles pointed at An Su, engrossed in gossip, the very driving force behind human curiosity. And as for his cousins of the same generation, they all looked at An Su with admiration. At this moment, An Su''s status in their hearts soared immeasurably. They had heard about the terrifying dominion of the Moon Family, like a dark cloud hanging over the borderlands. An Su, however, had managed to defeat the fearsome Marquis of the Moon, achieving what the previous generation couldn''t, becoming an idol in the hearts of all young hotbloods. Unexpectedly gaining such prestige, but An Su didn''t feel happy about it. He was just pulling up a stool to enjoy the show; how did he become the show himself? Chapter 172 An Su Wins the Ultimate Battle of Birth! (Two in One)_2 Just on the grandstand eating watermelon, and the next moment, I found myself being hauled onto the stage.An Su raised his eyes, his gaze icily converging on Lister, while Lister returned it with a look of trust. ''Brother Su, I understand you.'' Brother Su, this is exactly the brotherly bond between us. Lister''s lips curled with an elegant smile, the cold moonlight illuminating his face, casting shadows over his uncertain smirkthe very smile of a devil. As brothers, we share weal and woe! This birth. You all just put on a mask, only I am the real deal on stage. Sar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Now, glances from various family relatives scorched An Su, who genuinely couldn''t handle such shameful and embarrassing scenes. After a long silence, he thought to quickly disassociate himself and simply stated, "We were just fooling around. I made a joke with everyone, don''t take it seriously." An Su was telling the naked truth. Just fooling around! It stirred up a thousand ripples in a moment. The expressions of the three border families instantly became quite a spectacle. Count Karlo''s smile grew more flamboyant, "That''s my boy" with such domineering flair, look at what he''s saying, such a scumbag''s motto ''Just fooling around.'' He never truly engaged emotionally, a leaf that doesn''t stick in a field of flowers, that''s the man who will inherit the Morningstar Family. Annand urged someone to quickly jot down An Su''s words, to later be copied by Arthur. Marquis Norman''s expression was even more shocked, not having expected An Su, at such a young agethis chap is only fifteen, right?to have already reached such an irresponsible realm, whereas he himself had only grasped this level of irresponsibility at seventeen or eighteen. Indeed, Count Karlo''s child is a genius. Rich, and will grow up handsome, nonchalant about love, and it''s said he is also the top scholar of the saint''s examination; this kind of person is most popular with girls. Once he grows up, should our children even try to compete with this guy? What will the future hold for Arthur and Lister? By then, every eligible noble young lady will yearn for An Su, and the other families will find themselves without a successor. The prophecy was indeed correct... he pondered to himself. This Child of the Curse, born to bring endless disaster and upheaval to the border territories. "It''s not too good to play around at such a young age," Marquis Norman decided to nip this future in the bud, "Before they come of age, it''s best if boys and girls don''t cohabit." ...An Su didn''t know what all had been conjectured on the other side, but seeing those strange expressions on the faces of the old people, he knew for sure their intentions were no good. An Su''s lips moved as he was about to put an end to this farce, when all of a sudden, the usually quiet Arthur spoke out. Under the guise of Miss Yangzi''s sexy and sultry elder sister''s skin, he leaned into the camera and said honestly, "In fact, a long time ago, Yangzi also had a period of cohabitation with Brother Su." Arthur also flashed An Su a sunny smile, which in the latter''s shocked eyes, resembled the most terrifying and evil of demons, "With Miss Yue''er, it''s definitely a double act!" An Su, Brother Su, brothers should share the highs and lows! This is what brotherhood is about. Yue''er, Yangzi, An Su, the three together. Suddenly, the whole place was boiling with excitement. An Su has opened a harem! The crowd hadn''t yet recovered from the shock of Miss Yangzi''s sensational return when they were deeply shaken by the barrage of information in her words, unable to believe what they had just heard. The most astonished was Annand, who just moments before was comforting Marquis Norman. He had just been bragging to Count Karlo about becoming a grandfather and now felt backstabbed. Annand simply couldn''t grasp the thoughts of the younger generation anymore; wasn''t Miss Yangzi supposed to be smitten with Kavensis? Could it be that Kavensis too had been cucked by An Su? Though her heart pined for her lover, her body had fallen to the demonic clutches of the Child of the Curse, what a terrifying and forbidden man... Marquis Norman had to admire it, despite being so young, the child of the Morningstar Family had already far surpassed him in level. An Su Moningsta is indeed the master of love. The title of Border Sage should be given to An Su. "Hahaha, that''s my son, utterly impressive!" Count Karlo''s smile became even more wicked and unrestrained. It delighted him to see these two old friends looking defeated. This is truly brotherhood, this is the bond of the border families. He boldly placed another engagement letter intended for Miss Yangzi in front of the two. Marquis Norman took it directly, read through it, and then knew it was all over. [I''m Yangzi''s father] [To the esteemed Count Chenxing Karlo] [I have no objections] Everything was within the plans of the Morningstar father and son. Today''s banquet was the Morningstar Family''s trap for their guests. The rise of the Morningstar Family was unstoppable. All perseverance, all courage, so trivial before wisdom. Miss Yue''er used sweet words to make him sink, Miss Yangzi used a mountain of money to make him fall, and An Su had reached the peak of the path of love. They mastered the ultimate wisdom among the three great laws of love, unbeatable and unstoppable. "You young people have vigor, you have vitality." At last, Marquis Norman let out a resigned sigh. "It seems we old folks are indeed old, the future of the borderlands should be left to you young people." Chapter 172 An Su Wins the Ultimate Battle of Origin! (Two in One)_3 He sighed bitterly again, this defeat to An Su filled him with numerous feelings, and he began to contemplate whether he should retreat from the Jianghu and live in seclusion in the forest.Damn you. An Su stared at Arthur, who had forcefully squeezed his way in, with a murderous look, He had still underestimated the extent of the border people''s birth. Arthur smiled sunny, and Lister elegant, such was the so-called border camaraderie, since they had already fallen into the water, they were certainly going to drag Brother Su down with them, otherwise how could they show the spirit of sharing weal and woe among brothers. ''Brother Su, now is the time to show your wisdom!'' At this moment, An Su, sandwiched between these two clowns, was confronted with an overwhelming pressure. The avatars these two used were mere skins, immersed in virtuality, completely disconnected from their true selves, able to leave with just a pat on the butt, Leaving no further consequences. But An Su was in the flesh, and the pressure he had to face was real. All the people of the border families were watching him intently; facing their eager and fervent gaze, An Su pursed his lips and began to fall deep into thought. No matter how he defended himself, or said it was all just a joke, they always misinterpreted his intentions. If that was the case, he had to abandon these verbal attempts. Because actions speak louder than words. If words couldn''t clarify, then he had to conquer them with the truth. So, it was time to display his wisdom. The smile on An Su''s lips grew more serene; his blue-green eyes revolving with a cold brilliance, he looked up, his gaze meeting with Lister''s and Arthur''s one after the other. Anyone who locked eyes with him couldn''t help but feel a chill crawl over them. Lister and Arthur seemed to realize something terrible was about to happen, but they didn''t know what exactly, only feeling goosebumps uncontrollably sprouting over their bodies. Daring to challenge the primacy of birth, they would soon pay the price for their arrogance. Yet the smile on An Su''s lips grew ever calmer, Brothers, after all, are meant to suffer and enjoy together! Since he had shown up in person, how could he, as a brother, cover himself with a skin! Azure magic fluctuations appeared in An Su''s eyes; ever since returning from training with Merlin, his soul''s strength had greatly increased, and An Su had been honing his magic skills ever since. As a magic prodigy, Ai Xueli had once reversed Lister''s "Water Element Accumulation" on the examination field, and An Su too had mastered this challenging techniqueone of Ansu Zhun''s trump cards. As long as one could fully understand the magic circuit and possess enough spiritual power, it was possible to cancel any magic. Moreover, the images of Miss Yue''er and Miss Yangzi were all generated through the border city''s terminal magic network. The rights still belonged to An Su. An Su didn''t even need to neutralize, He just needed to cut off the magic power supply to these two fools, In front of everyone''s eyes, under the watchful eyes of the Chenxing, the Sun, and the Moon families, amid Lister''s and Arthur''s incredulous looks. An Su smoothly severed the magic network supply. His calm smile, that was the true face of a devil. "You can''t, damn it, you can''t do this!" S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. But it was already too late for them to stop him. No one could forget the scene they witnessed tonight. In this clash between the old and new of the border tripartite, the new generation would triumph completely. All families were going to have the brightest future. Chapter 173 An Sus Extreme Test Approach (Two in One) The deep night shrouded over Chenxing territory, with lead-colored smog entwining around the horizon''s end, devouring the last gleam of moonlight. It grew late, the darkness was complete, and the three noble families of the borderlands couldn''t sleep through the night.This was a very, very significant day. Miss Yue''er, Miss Yangzi, graduated tonight. At the same time, the lives of Lister and Arthur had come to an end. The three young prodigies of the borderlands always believed themselves to be unmatched across the borderlands, born and bred from birth, Dari Annand of the Sun Family, the hand of God, Norman, and the domineering president Karlo, these three had rampaged for decades, and no one had ever challenged their tyranny. But unexpectedly, as the old saying goes, "New generations replace the old." The older generation was utterly defeated by the new today. Count Annand stared blankly at the screen''s central figure, Miss Yoko, who had originally been enchanting and alluring, with golden hair and blue eyes, a tall figure with curves in all the right places, clad in a revealing, low-cut dress with a bare midriff, showing off her long and shapely thighs. At this moment, with the magic power cut off, the tall figure transformed into a robust physique, curves turned into chest muscles hard as marble, and the only thing that remained unchanged was the revealing, low-cut dress, still hanging on this burly man''s body, casting a very dark sight. A daughter-in-law had turned into a son. Annand was so shocked that he was speechless. As a God of War, he had traveled far and wide for many years, slain a Demigod, hunted the followers of the Esoteric Church, and even pursued the Evil God. There was no strange and terrifying taboo or dark magic he hadn''t seen. But he had never seen this magic before. Had his own son really gone to the Radiant Holy See for further studies? Could it be that someone abducted him into some alchemic Life Esoteric Church for body modification? Marquis Norman''s expression was even more dramatic, bordering on tragic. The original Miss Yue''er was pure and graceful, wearing golden-rimmed glasses, every move epitomized the demeanor of a lady of high birth, giving Marquis Norman the feeling of a first love. But when the magic power was cut off, he realized what he had found was not a first love but a newborn child. A wife turned into a son? Was there any torture in the world more excruciating than this! Since Lister was a child, Marquis Norman had always instructed him to stay away from the women of the borderlands to avoid committing any blood-related taboos. Marquis Norman was traumatized in this aspect, never seeking a daughter-in-law from the borderlands, fearing lovers could turn out to be siblings. But unexpectedly, no matter how much the Moon Family struggled, they couldn''t escape this familial fate. Count Karlo turned pale with shock. How did his own son end up living with two men! He was so enraged he almost banged his head and stamped his feet. He had warned An Su time and again that the clerics in the Church were up to no good. Now, a perfectly good child had gone to the Church, and after a few months, ended up living with two men. How could Count Karlo face the ancestors of the Chenxing family? "We can explain," after a moment''s silence, An Su and the others said in unison. "Why were you living with two men previously!" Count Karlo pointed angrily at An Su, demanding an explanation first. "Because the Church wouldn''t let me sleep in the women''s dormitory," An Su replied. Oh, so that''s it... Count Karlo felt somewhat relieved. Indeed, the clerics of the Church were still no good. They actually didn''t let his own son sleep in the women''s dormitory, which was simply outrageous. Sarch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Count Karlo sneered coldly, his anger not yet subsided, toying with a gold mine deed in his pocket, thinking it necessary to buy a few women''s dormitories. "Why did you dress up as a woman!" Annand thundered at Arthur, furious. "In order to achieve the first place in the #Most Popular Female Saint Rankings#, as a man of the Sun Family, I should be on every leaderboard. But my name was absent from this one, which was simply outrageous!" Arthur asserted confidently. Oh, so that''s it... Annand somewhat relaxed. The men of the Sun Family should strive to be first in every field. However, according to yesterday''s newspaper, Miss Yoko was clearly in second place, not first at all! She couldn''t even surpass a woman! It was a complete disgrace to the family. Annand''s face grew cold, his fury still intense, his hand resting on his alchemic long sword, ready to turn Arthur into a true woman. "Who invented your magic?" Marquis Norman pointed at his own son, his face a mix of anger and menace. "The three of us created this school of magic together," Lister pushed up his glasses. Hmm... Marquis Norman sighed helplessly. "Send me a copy of the magic circuit," he ordered. Your next chapter awaits on empire Marquis Norman had new shadows in his heart. With his hopes crushed, henceforth his heart would be sealed in cement, and he could no longer find interest in women. Perhaps he would never seek a woman again in his life, fearing lovers could end up father and son. But as the saying goes, it''s only after things are broken that they can be remade. Having seen through love, Marquis Norman''s ambition was still unscathed, the divine hand in his sleeve trembling slightly, ready to try his hand at a new race. No matter how the three explained, the fathers were still incensed. After all, the relatives and friends of the three borderland families were present, and although no one would spread it around, it still humiliated their family. For sons to conspire together to deceive their fathers out of betrothal gifts, nothing in the younger days of Karlo and his peers had ever been so audacious. They needed a proper punishment! "I vow that if I don''t make it into the top five of the servitor advancement exam in half a month, I will leave the Sun Family and no longer be my son!" Annand said angrily to Arthur. "I swear in the name of the gods, if I don''t reach the third place in the servitor advancement exam in half a month, I will leave the Moon Family and afterwards become my daughter!" Chapter 173 An Sus Extreme Exam Approach (Two-In-One)_2 Marquis Norman spoke to Lister with an air of raging fury,"Swear to God, if you don''t place in the top five positions from the bottom in the upcoming Deacon Advancement Test in half a month, then get out of the Radiant Holy See and come back to inherit the gold mine!" Count Karlo, with a killing aura, said to An Su, All of them had sworn in the name of the gods, and the content of the oaths sworn before the gods carried power; this time, their fathers were all serious. The punishment was quite severe, and the difficulty of achieving it also considerably high. It was nearly an impossible task. Firstly, this Deacon Advancement Test was a main plotline in the early part of the original story. It had the most geniuses participating in any such promotion throughout history, not only were the prospective saints from the imperial capital qualified to be promoted, but also from every province of the empire, every city district, and all the saints from the regional churches who met the qualifications could come to the capital to take the test. Moreover, a large number of cultists lay hidden among them, bringing the number of candidates to an all-time high. Secondly, both of them were newly initiated saints who had to compete with older saints who had been in the church for several years; it was difficult to catch up in both rank and strength. Securing a top five position was as difficult as climbing to heaven for Arthur. Lister had it even worse and more difficult, for his father had an obsessive-compulsive disorder, insisting on exactly the third place, no more, no less. And the most difficult was still An Su. To aim for the bottom five was an impossible task. An Su directly announced forfeiture, letting the players aim for the bottom ranks, something he would not do. Although taking over the gold mine was painful, he would have to bear the hardship himself. For a moment, all three were the image of misfortune. After cutting off the magic web connection with the borderlands, An Su, Lister, and Arthur sat around a round table. They looked at each other, all deeply immersed in thought, as the dim night light streamed in through the window, casting their complexions in an unsettled gloom. And the consequences of failure were not something they could bear. If Arthur and Lister were expelled from their families, they would probably have to make a living by tricking honest people into donating during live streams, a life quite arduous indeed; if An Su was forced to inherit the gold mine, he would have to miserably make Gold Coins every day, a life extremely dull. For a moment, the Borderland Triumvirs faced a crisis of survival. The situation had already occurred, leaving them no choice but to try to deal with it. They could blame no one else, after all, they were responsible for their own situations. An Su became lost in thought. He was not yet of age, and as his guardian, Count Karlo had the right to apply to the church to revoke his church membership. Their fathers had sworn to God, and this time it was certainly serious. Must he achieve one of the last five positions? Thinking of the content of the oath, his clever little mind spun a plan. If he eliminated all but five of the candidates beforehand, wouldn''t the top five also be the bottom five? Once An Su shared this line of thought with Arthur and Lister, both seemed to be struck by a realization. Trust Brother Su to act unconventionally, truly brilliant, to come up with such a diabolical strategy. Eliminating all the candidates beforehand was a notion more extreme than even the cultists might conceive. Arthur looked at An Su with a hint of admiration in his eyes, for it seemed there was still much he could learn. "But Brother Su..." Lister pushed up his glasses, throwing cold water on the plan, "If we''re to eliminate all the other candidates beforehand with our current capabilities, isn''t that impossible?" "How exactly do we implement such a plan?" Arthur''s enthusiasm waned, "Right, that''s not possible to accomplish." "It feels like spending half a month studying hard and praying devoutly to the goddess, and then passing the top five under her grace, is more credible and hopeful than this plan." Indeed, it was an innovative idea, but the actuality of carrying it out was nothing but a pipe dream. Better to rely on their efforts and chance to make the top five. How could they be so deranged as to kill all the candidates? They were not cultists. Sarch* The N?velFire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Brother Su, since you''ve put forward this idea, do you have a concrete plan?" The two asked An Su together. Your next read awaits at empire An Su frowned slightly; he had no clear outline yet for how to implement the specific plan, for it was simply a strategy prompted by a loophole in the oath, and he thought about it for a moment more. An Su''s advantage now was his partial knowledge of the plot; the advancement test served as a turning point and an inalterable ''plot kill.'' Chaos, suffering, the cultists of life had been lurking in the empire for months and were about to run rampant, fatally hunting the believers of the Orthodox Church. It was exceedingly dangerous. The main character group was also to suffer their first tribulation here, but the original story gave no detailed account. Moreover, the prior butterfly effect might result in a completely different outcome. The moonlight slowly descended behind the tree tops, and the horizon began to show traces of dawn. The day was about to break, and the deserted streets of the chaotic city were terrifyingly quiet. The three of them remained in the office of the Recovery Department, lost in thought. The church bell tolled softly. An Su had already envisioned a rough outline, one that could rely on the power of the cultists. But they were hidden so secretly and scattered that it was difficult to pinpoint their exact location. And it was not possible to infiltrate the cultists'' ranks. The office door opened slowly, and Miss Enya came in holding a thick stack of letters. "Fan mail," Enya said with a look of disdain. These letters were all from the Kavensis Knight Order, the Ri Zi Fan Club, and the Yue''er Fan Club. Although Arthur and Lister had graduated from their fathers'' homes, family disgrace should not be publicized, and the news had not spread outside the capital. They had not yet met their downfall, and their popularity was even on the rise. Chapter 173 An Sus Extreme Exam Strategy (Two in One)_3 Actually, Enya had been in a bad mood these past few days. Sar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.Both Lister and Arthur, those two ugly guys, had feminized, and even Kavensis that dead ghost had undergone reincarnation from the purgatory. Why wouldn''t her own young master join the fray? He would definitely outshine everyone. Kavensis, Yue''er, and all those long days, they would all have to stand back. By then, she would establish a little star fan club. But no matter how Enya tried to coax him over the past half-month, An Su remained unmoved. After all, it was his master''s decision, and as a maid, she couldn''t interfere, so it would forever remain just a wishful thinking. With a heart full of dissatisfaction, Enya placed the fan letters from all over on the table. Enjoy exclusive adventures from empire This invasion of idol culture, akin to an Evil God, made the most devout and obsessed believers the most susceptible to falling into it. Fanatical fans wrote to their idols every day. These guys had taken their idols as objects of spiritual reliance, pouring out life''s troubles, work pressure, or making hysterical declarations of love in their letters. They treated the mailbox of the Border Girl Group as if it were the confession booth of a church, stuffing it with all sorts of shameful private secrets. One of Arthur and Lister''s daily amusements was to share and read aloud these lower-class fans'' embarrassing letters. Whenever they were in a bad mood, just reading these guys'' letters would lighten their spirits. Faced with unprecedented difficulties this time, Arthur and Lister also started to look at fan letters to ease their anxious minds. "Look at what this guy wrote in his letter, he''s thirty years old, claiming to be from the Alchemical Church, went mad with alchemy, planning to start transmuting copper." Arthur began to loudly share the day''s amusement. "This priest from the Radiant Holy See is no better, claiming to have suffered workplace violence, his immediate superior was promoted to the head of the Radiant, and now they are forcing them all to shave their heads." "This one from the Druid Court is heavy-duty, too, at forty years old, wanting to buy the socks I wore, hoping to extract microbes from them, cultivate a forest reminiscent of Miss Yangzi''s scent, to console his lonely heart. He thinks he can trick me into meeting him, how low-class." "Your stories are nothing compared to mine." Lister, too, calmly pushed up his glasses, picking up a letter, "This fan even boasts that he''s an undercover from the Life Ecclesia, claiming that lying low in the imperial capital is putting too much pressure on him, who is he kidding?" "Who doesn''t have those? I received one before." Arthur raised an eyebrow disdainfully, pulling out a letter from a drawer, "This guy also says he''s from the Painful Court, calls himself Assyria.Xius." "Being ridiculed by his companions as ''Snake of the Devouring Shit Realm'' has left him frustrated and unhappy, and he wants to meet the real me offline. Just full of hot air, obviously a made-up story to draw attention." These kinds of private fans, Lister and Arthur had seen plenty of them, and there was nothing new. An Su stared at the two of them, blinking his eyes and falling into silence. He, on behalf of Kavensis, also received a fan letter from the Knights, claiming that they came in chaos, mentioning that their Holy Maiden was obsessed with doing ''100 Questions of the Radiant Holy See,'' saying this was to know your enemies and win every battle.... An Su closed the letter, plunging into thought once more. The three of them were fraudsters, but somehow, they had managed to achieve an unexpected merit. Could there actually be an accidental gain from this? "Set up a meeting with these three." An Su said, seeing an opportunity knocking at the door. The dim morning light penetrated through the window lattice and cast upon his cheek, rendering the smile at the corner of An Su''s mouth dark and uncertain, quite mysterious. "Arrange it for an uninhabited alley at night." Upon hearing An Su''s words, Lister and Arthur remained expressionless, firmly expressing their refusal: "Brother Su, we haven''t failed our exams yet, so we''re not considering selling ourselves." Chapter 187 Life Holy Maiden: Delicious Child! (Two in One)_2 ```Also, don''t touch my head with Holy Light. It will hurt just the same. Miss Bones shrank her neck, afraid that her supreme intelligence would be knocked into stupidity by the Holy Light. But she had always been the type to climb up the pole when given the chance, and at times like these, it was best to just play the expert. She proudly cleared her throat with a cough, straightened her pelvic bone, put her hands on her hips, and assumed an air of profound mystery, "If you have come to understand, it is not in vain that I have guided you!" The Holy Maiden of Life always valued her infamously terrible reputation, she certainly couldn''t lose face. In her awe-inspiring presence that echoed through time, it wasn''t just thirty thousand years ago, but even to this day, the infamous name of the ''Azure Sorceress'' had spread far and wide, commanding great respect. "The principle of this magic transformation is the fusion of the soul with light, but as long as I do not merge with the traditional Holy Light, it''s fine." Find your next adventure on My Virtual Library Empire An Su nodded seriously and revealed a calm smile, "There''s still room for combination with this magic." Miss Bones did not understand what An Su meant by that, but the smile on his face alerted her that something was amiss. Whenever her boss smiled like that, he was contemplating some wicked, outrageous idea. "I have other Holy Light," An Su said with a smile, his eyes gleaming with increased conviction, "I can combine it with other lights to form a new branch." "Such as?" Relying on her supremely smart intuition, Miss Bones had a bad feeling. She had a premonition that An Su was about to voice something terrifying. "I also have Radiant Light." An Su spoke with bright eyes, "This was given to me by Merlin, authenticated by the Radiant Bishop himself, a genuine Holy Light." During his first visit to Heaven, Merlin had given An Su a gift for being the champion of the ''Magic Outreach'' activity. He had modified An Su''s originally invented X-ray Illumination Skill, removing most of the light and preserving some of the radiation, which is why it was known as Radiant Light. [Radiant Illumination Skill] [Legendary Magic] [Magic Power Consumption: 5] [Effect: A high-radiation Holy Light that upon irradiation, has a certain chance of causing irregular mutations, with the younger the subject is, the more susceptible they are to the effects] [Note: Mr. Merlin Andre is a devout Radiant Bishop. After his research, he found that Radiant Light is a rare branch of Holy Light.] The younger the subject, the better the effect; it''s tailor-made. An Su still vaguely remembered that day, with the setting sun casting its glow over the peaks, His Excellency Merlin discussed the meaning of saints with him in a sacred manner and entrusted him to fairly irradiate the Earth with Radiant Lightthat was the mission of their missionaries. Now was exactly the time to irradiate the Earth. "By combining [Holy Light Transformation Spell] with [Radiant Illumination Skill] and using [Radiant Illumination Skill] to focus Radiant Light irradiation during fusion, it would be possible to achieve a fusion of the soul with Radiant Light." This would be An Su''s dark form! Seeing An Su eager to try, Miss Bones looked terrified. Who would use an attack type magic on themselves? She was stunned by An Su''s bizarre thought process, but what shocked her even more was the boy''s crazed vigor, he was not normal at all. Although she did not know what Radiant Light was, whatever that Radiant Bishop concocted, it definitely couldn''t be good. Even though An Su''s Holy Light Transformation Skill was not yet infernal, by adding Radiant Light it would be purely infernal magic. "I think you should consider carefully." Miss Bones spoke sternly to An Su, "For all you know, Radiant Light could be harmful, it might affect your soul..." "It''s fine, the principle of Radiant Light only affects the body, not the soul." Besides, An Su was confident in his soul, quite resilient, indeed. His soul was much worse than Radiant Light. Since he had sacrificed himself to the Mother Goddess of Life and was, in some sense, already consumed by her, and that hadn''t been a problem, surely Radiant Light was no worse than the Evil God. "But I''ll still proceed with caution." An Su spoke seriously, "Let''s start with a small test." In the Mayor''s office, Mayor Su could cast spells using pain points without draining his own magic power, so he had many chances to experiment. With over twenty minutes left before the scheduled time, there was just enough time. "Sigh." Miss Bones let out a light sigh, since she was the technician and An Su the boss, she couldn''t argue with him and just had to give it a try. "I''ll release Radiant Light Illumination on you, starting with slow, gradual irradiation that slowly fuses, and if you feel anything wrong immediately stop it." If stopped in time, there would be almost no impact. After all, it''s just a legendary magic. A spell of this rank really doesn''t qualify to harm the soul. sea??h th n?vel_Fire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. An Su nodded and once again raised his magic wand, first casting [Holy Light Transformation Spell]. Holy Light began to surround him and his soul also started to separate from his body. Being a Soul Body herself, Miss Bones could see An Su''s soul clearly. The surrounding Holy Light sought to enter An Su''s soul, but he consciously repelled it. This was the moment. In life, Miss Bones had been a demigod, and now she was of a saint''s rank, capable of delicately controlling the intensity of the magic release. She first targeted An Su''s forehead with a tiny amount of Radiant Light. After receiving his confirmation that it was alright, she gradually increased the area of irradiation. "Do you feel anything strange, like dizziness or blurred vision?" The Holy Maiden of Life perfectly controlled the magic output. ``` Chapter 174 An Su: I report! The border girl group is an evil esoteric organization! (Two in one)_2 "And this witch''s chaos is just the beginning, the Esoteric Religion is plotting an even greater conspiracy.""Your Excellency Merlin, what I have said is absolutely true, and now is a moment of crisis for the survival of our Church!" An Su looked up at the leader of the Radiant Holy See, who was above Heaven, and spoke with a solemn and serious tone. His expression was very grave, filled with concern for the country and its people. Merlin Andre''s mouth twitched as he packed his luggage, thinking about how he could finally have a break and enjoy himself, only for this sudden arrival to occur. Who allowed him to come in! Moreover, as soon as he entered, he wanted to report something, starting off with such heavy information, claiming that the border was on the verge of collapse and the capital was about to face destruction. This made even Merlin start to lose confidence. Merlin had also heard about the Border Maiden Group. After all, it was a group that had recently become very popular in the capital, with newspapers vying to cover it. The young people seemed to be possessed, showing considerable fanaticism towards the Border Maiden Group. The old gatekeeper, with nothing better to do, would read the newspapers to pass the time. But that this group could be related to the Esoteric Religion... Merlin''s brows furrowed slightly; indeed, many characteristics of the Border Maiden Group could be linked to a cult. For example, the fervent collective worship, the formation of their own sects Full Moon Treasure, Ri Zi, Guardian Knight Order. There were often bizarre prayers and incomprehensible frenzied behavior suddenly stripping naked in the street, then shouting, ''Woo woo woo, Miss Yangzi, I want to be your dog.'' There was also the hunting of heretics and the intolerance of other beliefs one could often see the three fan clubs slinging insults and waging verbal wars against each other. It seemed like An Su had a point. The Church indeed was in danger. But, Is the God of Law so easily fooled? He snorted coldly. Merlin''s pure white eyes were calm and undisturbed, with the cosmos slowly revolving within them, quite imposing; the majestic aura of the strongest Demigod was overwhelming, coldly gazing at An Su as if all the lies in the world couldn''t escape his sight. "An Su," he said in a cold voice. "Don''t try to fool me." "Do you know what you did wrong?" "Your story is quite elaborate and perfect, but you overlooked a small detail, and it is a fatal one." An Su watched Merlin with a hint of nervousness, his unease intensifying, cold sweat rolling down his cheeks. An Su could feel Merlin''s anger brewing, as grand Holy Light gathered in his eyes, dazzling like thunderbolts. "You should have reported this to the Order Church," Merlin burst out angrily, "this is not my damn business." I knew you would pass the buck! An Su''s fears were confirmed. This guy never took care of things. He couldn''t possibly go to the Order Church because they were too high-handed. But Merlin was much more approachable. "Your Excellency Merlin, as the leader of the Radiant Holy See, as our head, how can you allow such an opportunity to earn merit be taken by other Churches?" An Su put on the appearance of a loyal servant of the Radiant Holy See. He was utterly worried for the Radiant Holy See. Don''t remind me of that title... Merlin scratched his snow-white bald spot, and for a moment, the imposing aura of a Demigod he had mustered dissipated. "Since that''s the case, what evidence do you have that those three girls are up to something?" asked Merlin. "You are truly clairvoyant," An Su showed a look of amazement, continuing to flatter, "I have indeed discovered a ghost among them! That Kavensis is an evil ghost summoned here!" Merlin''s mouth continued to twitch. "Is there any other evidence?" Merlin asked impatiently, not wanting to continue this pointless conversation with the young man; he was getting ready for his vacation, after all. "We intercepted three letters they were exchanging," said An Su, serious, taking out three letters from his pocket, "every word in these letters is shocking, without a doubt, those three witches are engaging in a major conspiracy." "They plan to act during the promotion exams half a month from now! They intend to assassinate the examinees during the exams!" Merlin took the letters to read. The letter to Miss Yangzi was in communication with the Painful Court, Miss Yue Er''s was with the Life Ecclesia, and Kavensis''s was with the Sanctuary of Chaos. Divine authority glimmered in the depths of Merlin''s eyes, the gates of Heaven opened, and a torrent of information surged from his pupils, tracing back to the origin. Enjoy exclusive content from empire He could sense that the remnants of aura from these three letters truly originated from the believers of the three great Esoteric Religions. This matter has become quite serious. As An Su''s direct superior, according to the teachings of the Radiant, Merlin had an obligation to deal with this matter. In the end, Merlin tried to salvage his leave, "It''s just a letter, still no tangible evidence. In this case, you return home and wait for seven working days, and I will inform you after discussing it carefully with the bishops." One could see that His Excellency Merlin really didn''t want to go to work. Alleviating worries for a superior is a subordinate''s duty. "Please rest assured, Your Excellency Merlin, let Arthur, Lister, and I take care of this," with a smile on the corner of his mouth, An Su continued, "I have already ascertained the location of their secret meeting, which is tonight. We three will make our move and capture them!" "At that time, we will come to you with tangible evidence." Indeed, An Su had ascertained the location of their secret plot, after all, it was he who had set it. After hearing An Su''s words from the heart, Merlin only wanted to beat this upstart to death. He would have to work overtime tonight. Turning a blind eye is a traditional virtue of the Church, people were undercover and doing just fine, so why go and arrest them? "I think it''s better not to disturb the snake by hitting the grass," Merlin Andre said seriously, "lest we alarm the big character behind this. In this case, you go home and wait for seven working days for me to carefully..." "Indeed, we can''t disturb the snake by hitting the grass." An Su nodded in agreement, showing a look of admiration befitting of His Excellency Merlin. "Therefore, I have prepared a follow-up plan, where Arthur, Lister, and I take over the identities of these three and infiltrate the Esoteric Religion! This way, we won''t be discovered and can also gather intelligence." "Do you possess sufficient skill not to be exposed with your means?" Merlin said disdainfully, "True concealment magic not only changes appearance but can also influence others'' perception." Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "That''s why I have come to you," An Su added seriously, "We''ll knock people out and bring them here, your magic is powerful, so you can help us with the disguise." No matter what, they wanted to drag me into it... Merlin''s expression chilled. He was all too aware of An Su''s ulterior motives, he definitely wasn''t up to any good. However, if the plans written in the letter were true, it would indeed be a very serious matter. After pondering for a while, Merlin waved to An Su, "I''ll give you this chance, bring the people here." Midnight. The moon shone brightly. The imperial capital was orderly, split into the Upper City District and Lower City District. The Upper City housed nobles and royalty, while the Lower City was a chaotic mix, and the meeting place An Su had set was in the Lower City District. As a professional Painful Soldier, Assyria Xius dressed mysteriously. Lately, the Order Church had been strict, even issuing bounty notices. Anyone who reported an undercover would be rewarded with fifty faith points. The Order Church had even introduced a leaderboard, rewarding those who reported the most spies with a banner of honor. He wore a dark hooded cloak, moving silently through the crowded streets with Blood Step, entirely secretive and cool, except for the shining bald head that caught the light and the attention. The people around gave Assyria strange looks. As the sole survivor of the ''Painful Boot Camp'' of the past world, Assyria Xius had a complicated history. After reflecting on his pain, he resolved to turn over a new leaf and rid himself of past shame. Assyria, with renewed determination, dyed his hair red and joined the most fearsome and terrifying ''Crimson Legion'' of the Painful Esoteric Sect, led directly by General Rada. Then he got his head shaved by An Su. Ever since his tonsure, Assyria experienced a subtle shift in his attitude. He became quite perplexed. At this time, he received a new bounty task. In half a month, it would be the promotion exams, and all candidate Executors from across the nation would come to the capital for the tests. Under the leadership of the Bishop of Pain, numerous sect members in disguise had infiltrated the capital, aiming to take out these rising stars of the Church, with each kill rewarding fifty points of pain. However, Assyria couldn''t muster much enthusiasm for it. The conflict between his true identity and his false one had left him on the verge of existential emptiness. Living day to day in darkness, it was during this time that the ''sun'' known as Yang Zi appeared, illuminating his long dimmed inner world, stirring a frenzy of passion within Assyria. And now, he was about to meet this angel known as Yang Zi. For Assyria, this was a moment of redemption. Chapter 175 The Three Great Cults Competing for the Title of Saint Heir (Two-in-One) Imperial Capital, Lower City District.Within a dimly lit sub-district base, the bald heads of a dozen men reflected a harsh, cold light. Plastered in the center of the room was a large character slogan, "To kill is to save." The various experts of the Painful Esoteric Sect were dressed in dark robes, each with an angry, stern countenance, appearing quite formidable. Those seated were the middle and high-ranking members of the Esoteric Sect, all graduates of the former ''Crimson Cult,'' in charge of the assassination operation aimed at the saints of the Imperial Capital. The power of each person started at the Fifth Tier, and they each managed undercover agents within their respective districts. The bishop seated at the end of the long table spoke, truly worthy of the title of bishop, even the Holy Light above his head shone brighter than the others. Enjoy new chapters from empire The topics he spoke about were of utmost importance, discussing top priorities of the cult, leaving the surrounding Painful Priests deep in thought. "What shall our cult be called now?" the bishop asked seriously. "It must be linked to our original name." Ever since their last attack on Heaven and the shaving incident that left Bishop Rada with a deep psychological scar, it took him over a month to gradually recover, yet some residual effects from the "Judgment Light" persisted. Specifically, during the miserable sermons, his chanting led to the preached believers thinking that his bishopship had gone abroad for studies and had just returned. The consequences of their last failure were far-reaching. Having been shorn of their prideful red hair, to continue calling themselves the Crimson Cult seemed inappropriate. It had been a whole month, yet their hair had not grown back. Attempts with various hair-growing magics had been futile. Seeing the leader speak, a priest in charge of the Fourth Street District promptly suggested with utmost respect, "Your Eminence, why not call it the ''Gorilla Legion''? For one thing, gorillas are fierce and powerful, symbolizing our Painful Court''s wildness. Also, gorillas have a robust growth of hair, resonating with our hope to regrow our hair soon, and conveying the spirit of our wish to have a full head of hair." "Hmm, quite poetic." Bishop Rada nodded his approval and decided that the cult would henceforth be called the Gorilla Legion. With the most crucial matter resolved, the various priests all sighed in relief. Bishop Rada continued, "With the important matter settled, let''s move on to the less important issues. The Gorilla Cult has received a recommendation slot for the Quasi-Holy Child. Are there any young people who wish to compete for it?" Similar to the Church, the Esoteric Religion also had recommendation slots for Quasi-Holy Children. Just as the Radiant Holy See''s administrative districts would select their own Holy Maidens to be known as Quasi-Holy Maidens, the Painful Esoteric Sect had thirteen cults, each with a recommendation slot for a Holy Child. Of course, this still required approval from headquarters. A Quasi-Holy Child was not yet a true Holy Child and had to compete against other Quasi-Holy Children recommended by different churches. If they were to be outdone by another Holy Child, it would be a disgrace to their own cult. "Your Eminence, this ''Triple Sect Assassination'' plan, jointly plotted by our cult with the other two major Esoteric Religions, is an excellent opportunity to assess the younger generation. It is also an opportunity for distinction that other cults do not have." Suggested a vicar bishop respectfully, his bald head gleaming, "The one who assassinates the most saints could be selected as our cult''s Quasi-Holy Child. What do you think?" Bishop Rada frowned; he felt this approach was somewhat hasty and improper. "As far as I know, Chaos and Life have already begun executing this plan," said a bald priest quickly. Bishop Rada''s frown relaxed; now he thought it was a good idea. Copying others was never wrong. This was the truth Bishop Rada learned after a whole year of entanglement with that deeply sinful and detestable man. Just thinking about that man caused Bishop Rada to fall into depression again. He said he would let go, but, how could the matters of the Painful Esoteric Sect be so easily put aside? S~ea??h the N??elFir.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. For this assassination strategy, Bishop Rada would personally execute it in the reality of Farol to make that man pay a price. Killing saints was just a side matter, if a demigod fought in the real world, the entire Imperial Capital would fall into a sea of fire, the administrative system would utterly collapse, and with the Church Nation attacking borders from outside, under this dual pressure, the Orthodox Church would suffer a heavy blow. "You handle this matter." Bishop Rada, with his depressive thoughts rising, had no time for details and waved his hand, saying indifferently, "Do you have a favored candidate?" "Our Gorilla Cult is brimming with talent, a gathering of the elite," responded the vicar bishop respectfully, "For instance, the recently joined ''Serpent of Pain'' Assyria.Xius, who is ruthless, morally corrupt, and doesn''t even bring paper when using the restroom C clearly no good at a glance and truly remarkable. Besides Assyria, we have even more impressive ones like..." "What about the other Esoteric Sects?" interrupted Bishop Rada. "The ''Living Sacrifice''s Child'' Rosca from the Life and Sacrifice Esoteric Sect, and ''Chaotic Escalator'' Lorne from the Chaos and Escalator Church are both exceptional young people," he reported. These divine titles were indeed peculiar, bestowed according to the names of their churches. Bishop Rada appeared contemplative. "How did this ''Living Sacrifice''s Child'' come about?" Birth and sacrifice? "Oh, because that person excels in forbidden water-based Summoning Magic, capable of summoning the taboo Sea Evil God, so he is known as the ''Son of Fresh Produce,''" he replied. "The other one was because the divine title ''Chaotic Escalator'' had already been bestowed upon the current Chaotic Saintess. Since the registration was taken, the Mother Goddess granted ''Chaotic Elevator'' as well as other prodigies in the Esoteric Sect, such as ''Chaotic Elevator,'' and ''Chaotic Escalator.''" Chapter 175 The Three Great Cults Competing for the Saint Heir (Part 2-in-1)_2 ```"Shanzhai, it seems our Esoteric Religion is brimming with talent," Bishop Rada said with a satisfied smile, "With these outstanding new members, the great revival of our Cult is just around the corner!" "All of this is thanks to your leadership, Your Eminence!" the vice-bishop hastened to say. "Shanzhai!" "Shanzhai!" The congregation stood up, the future where the Painful Esoteric Sect would thrive was not far away! ... At this very moment. S~ea??h the N??elFir.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The Serpent of Pain, the leader of the Ri Zi Cult, Assyria.Xius, had come to the alley as agreed, but he did not see Miss Yangzi. He had waited for a full hour. Anxious, he searched around but still could not find his beloved Miss Yangzi. Deciding that he was on the verge of death, he began to go insane on the spot, kneeling in agony on the street corner, continuously hitting his own face while murmuring in despair, "Wuu, Miss Yangzi, my Miss Yangzi... do not leave me..." Having his anxieties sliced away by An Su, his mental state was already terrible; now, with additional erosion from his idol, he could not take any more stress. Passersby, seeing his mad state, quickly went around him, thinking to themselves about reporting him to the Order Church, as he looked exactly like someone from a Mixed Cult. An Su, along with Lister and Arthur, hid in the distance, frowning as they watched Assyria lose his sanity. "Brother Su, he seems a bit out of hand," Arthur swallowed nervously - the man was too eerie, and he did not dare to approach and knock him out, fearing he might get bitten and infected. A crazed fan can be terrifying when they lose their mind. They can erupt with combat power far beyond what''s usual. An Su nodded in agreement; cases of stabbing an idol in anime were too vivid in his mind, and engaging directly was not an option. Nor could they startle the quarry. Not taking action personally was best. Fortunately, An Su had already thought of a solution. Repeat the same trick. "Come closer." An Su whispered in the ears of the two, who immediately showed an understanding expression. Arthur immediately used friendly communication, with the voice of "Miss Yangzi" via the magic network to pass information to Assyria. Assyria looked relieved and hurriedly answered the call, but the first thing he heard was Miss Yangzi''s panting voice, "Huh, huff, are you there yet?" "Yang, Miss Yangzi?" Assyria''s shoulders trembled, "You, what are you doing?" "Ah, I''m running on Henry Street, hmm... I''m on my way over." Lister leaned close to Arthur, making a low and magnetic breathing sound, "Huff.. huff, hmm, hmm." "Who''s that man next to you!" Assyria was desperate, his world seemed to be collapsing, even a fool knew what had happened! "I am ''the son of life sacrifice,'' Rosca, hahaha, Miss Yangzi is mine now." Lister recited the name he had received, "I even intend to summon an octopus to play with." Octopus! Assyria had not expected the sunny and pure Miss Yangzi to be into such wild things. She must have been corrupted and tainted by those evil Life Esoteric Cultists, to have become like this. His goddess, his sun, was stolen by others just like that. Henry Street was just nearby. It was an abandoned street, seldom visited, with overgrown weeds and a wild charm. Could it be, that they had called him here as part of someone else''s task? Assyria remembered that this son of life sacrifice was from the Full Moon Treasure Cult, it was a religious war, a holy war not to be blasphemed. It must be the suppression of the Full Moon Treasure! That dark and terrible mood spread swiftly within his soul, and the Serpent of Pain had never known such agony before. In the utmost torment, his sanity collapsed, he was too angry to speak, and at once he drew the long knife from his waist and headed towards Henry Street. His goddess must have been seduced by the heretics; he would reclaim his goddess. The glorious days of the Ri Zi Cult were not far off. At the same time. Lister began to communicate using the voice of "Miss Yue''er" to the son of life sacrifice, hinting that Yue''er had been stolen by chaotic stairs. An Su used a recorded voice of Miss Kavensis to communicate with chaotic stairs, suggesting that Kavensis had been stolen by the Serpent of Pain. ``` A good green triangle cycle was formed. Ansu, the mayor, had always been committed to the environmental protection plans for the entire imperial capital, which was something a saint should do. Less than half an hour had passed. The night grew deeper; the dark night stirred the clouds, as if a dreadful storm was looming, and the rain drizzled down, wetting the streets of the abandoned slum on Henry Street. A believer''s battle was on the brink of breaking out. Once extreme fanatics lost their reason, the resulting consequences were terrifying. The entire battlefield was exceedingly brutal. The Serpent of Pain, Assyria.Xius, made the first move, using Forbidden Magic to transform into a male magic serpent, with scales as black as steel, and gusty winds howling. Only the serpent''s head was without scales, not even skin, remaining bald, indicating that the concept-level magic was still in effect; hence it was called the Shameless Serpent. This was a Forbidden Technique, after using which Assyria would completely turn into a beast, losing his humanity and retaining only his animal instincts, devouring everything in sight. His rank shot straight to Fourth Order. The Saint Heir immediately sensed trouble and quickly used his adept Summoning Magic to call forth a female water snake, entirely white with elegant curves, seductively writhing. "Give me back my Yue''er!" Upon seeing this seductive little white water snake, Assyria, now reduced to mere instinct, immediately coiled around her, entangled with affection. Meanwhile, on another side, Rosca had also begun chanting Forbidden Magic. He tore down the stairs of the abandoned building and threw them at the pair of magical creatures. "For the great Kavensis, Carmen!" Read new chapters at empire For a moment, the rain poured down, and the entire scene was in utter chaos. This was a holy war over faith. As cultists, they were usually committing all manner of evil, murder, arson, and looting. But at this moment, for the first time, they were fighting for the justice and faith in their hearts. They eagerly threw themselves into the battle, fighting for the prosperity of their respective cults and to take back their goddess from the enemy. They could do anything, shouting ''Ri Zi will prevail,'' ''Not as good as Full Moon Treasure,'' ''Kavensis is the best in the world.'' The sight of the war made Ansu and his two companions'' blood boil, and they even cheered them on. They even turned on their magic recording devices, capturing all the sounds. Once the three of them had fought until they were splattered with blood and the transformation time for the Serpent of Pain had elapsed, he looked up in horror to find himself lying atop a white snake; The Saint Heir was also frowning heavily. He had not anticipated that Assyria would be so ferocious, leaving his summoned creature on the brink of death; Rosca had thrown all the stairs around him, panting heavily, unable to straighten his back anymore. Ansu led Lister and Arthur, first using stealth magic learned from the Painful Esoteric Sect to reduce the sound of their footsteps, then sneaking up behind the three with bricks in hand and striking each on the back of their heads. The cultists collapsed at the sound, and the job was done. ---- That night, in Heaven. "We have been through a terrible fight with evil cultists," Ansu said seriously to Merlin, wiping the sweat from his forehead, "All three cultists had their own abilities and methods, each an elite within the esoteric religions, but we did not give up. As the most devout saints, the three of us certainly could not tarnish the sacred glory, nor could we afford to fear or retreat." "Ultimately, through our hard struggle, we defeated those evil cultists from the front in an upright and straightforward manner." "That is all for my report," Ansu said. Merlin wore an expression that said, ''Who are you trying to fool?'' But not everything Ansu said was false, because cultists truly had infiltrated the imperial capital. That meant what Ansu said might be true! Merlin found life to be somewhat dull; he wanted to take a holiday! "Besides that, we''ve made a recording." Ansu played the recording for Merlin. ''Ri Zi will prevail,'' ''Not as good as Full Moon Treasure,'' ''Kavensis is the best in the world'' Hearing these fervent voices, Merlin was convinced. It seemed the cultists were indeed planning something big. Chapter 188 An Su: They are all subordinate women! (Two in one)_3 Looking at An Su''s shocked gaze, the Chaotic Elevator announced proudly,"So I sent him a forbidden book!" "Boys of this age will absolutely go wild with joy, then they open the door to a new era, become corrupted by the book, and spend all day immersed in lust, wasting their youthful years and dissipating their will and spirit, until both their bodies and souls are hollow--the perfect state for possession!" Just like when the Chaos Escalator was fifteen years old, always thinking about becoming dark and putting on airs, at fifteen, Brother Elevator was constantly thinking about titillating things. What he understands for himself, An Su will surely like titillating things. "I can guarantee that he''s definitely looking forward to the next volume!" So that little imperial uncle book that socially killed me was sent by you, kid. An Su stared at the Chaotic Elevator''s proud demeanor, pondering whether to sacrifice this thing right now. The Chaotic Elevator could feel the warm admiration from Brother Escalator, whose shadow even stretched out a hand, giving a thumbs-up. How did the Shadow of Brother Escalator come about? Sear?h the n??el Fire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. An Su realized deeply that not a single one in the Mysticism of Chaos was reliable; they were all eccentrics with bizarre imaginations. He sighed softly, glanced at his watch, and noting there were three minutes left, he urged the coachman to go faster. "We''re almost there, just hitching a ride with a favorable wind carriage." The coachman''s uncle''s face was full of a simple smile. Hitch a ride? An Su, utterly astonished, saw the Alchemical Carriage make a detour and slowly come to a stop. A youth wrapped in a hooded cloak entered, with long light green hair and a face delicate as a girl''s. As soon as he got on the carriage, he hurriedly said to the coachman, "Master, to Crow Alley, please hurryI''m going to catch cheating lovers, my girlfriend and her wild man have a date in Crow Alley!" All these Mixed Cult members are defying the heavens, An Su recognized at a glance that this guy was Chaos Escalator. They all like to arrive just in time, huh? The excuses they fabricate are each more outrageous than the last. The coachman uncle looked at Chaos Escalator and the Chaotic Elevator, his expression becoming ever so colorful, his eyes revealing the gossip-hungry look unique to middle-aged and older people, "Is your girlfriend the same one...?" This ethical drama can''t go on, An Su urged the uncle to stop caring about the gossip and drive quickly; the consequences of being late would be very severe. With the delay in picking up and dropping off people, only one minute was left, The uncle started accelerating the magic-powered train, and out of curiosity asked, "How severe can the consequences be?" "If I can''t catch the train, my boss will scold me to death." An Su thought for a moment, "She''s a very fierce and frightening woman." The Elf is the Holy Maiden of the Esoteric Religion, definitely very fierce. "And me, if I''m late, my girlfriend will also scold me to death." The Chaotic Elevator shamelessly fantasized, having had a crush on the Chaotic Saintess Ael for a long time. A man remains a boy until death, and even though he''s now twenty, his head is still filled with titillating thoughts. "If I''m late, my wife will be defiled by other men! Then I would become darkened." Chaos Escalator was even more fanciful than the Chaotic Elevator. "I see." Perhaps grasping the urgency of the situation, the coachman uncle harnessed magic power, and the speed of the alchemic giant horse surged, reaching Crow Alley at a stunning pace, just on time. But Crow Alley was drizzling, and the alley was empty. It seems they were the first to arrive. "Got anxious for nothing, the Chaotic Saintess hasn''t arrived yet." An Su felt increasingly uncomfortable, lacking the satisfaction of arriving just in time, "Truly a bad woman with no sense of punctuality." Here I am, but the teacher hasn''t arrived; had I known, I''d have slept in a bit longer. "Who says I didn''t arrive." A pleasant voice came from the front seat of the carriage, the Chaos Escalator was shocked; he had clearly interfered with the information reaching the coachman, who should only hear content filtered of esoteric religion information. "Hello there." The coachman uncle turned around, his head twisting and transforming continually, finally falling to the ground, rolling in front of the three men. A creepy presence extracted itself from the coachman''s body, its eyes slowly opening. As if fiery red flowers bloomed within her pupils, her hair also gradually turned deep red, presenting the staggeringly beautiful yet eerie woman in front of the three men, her bare feet standing in a pool of blood. Staggeringly beautiful yet eerie. The Chaotic Saintess extracted herself from the possessed coachman''s body. She stretched languorously, a seductive smile curving her lips, her gaze fixed on An Su and the others, "What, you''re not talking anymore?" Her crimson eyes swept past the three and finally settled on An Su, "Go on, tell me, what kind of woman am I?" Down right there, An Su thought to himself; she also likes to swindle the underage. Chapter 189 Miss Enya: Where Did This Savage Woman Come From? (Two-in-One) Crow Alley."Go on, tell me what kind of woman I am." Standing barefoot in a pool of blood, the Chaotic Saintess''s smile bloomed like flowers, starkly discordant with the chilling scene around her, to the point of being eerie. "Whose girlfriend am I? And whose wife?" An Su cocked her head to the side, her mouth curled in a smile, but there was not a hint of mirth in those crimson eyesonly an icy coldness deep within the red pupils. The pitter-patter of rain trickled down the broken eaves, the decrepit wutong trees cast dim, flickering shadows, creating an atmosphere that was gloomy and stern. Next to the Alchemical Carriage, the pallid and lifeless body of the coachman slumped on the ground; rainwater mixed with blood, indistinguishable from each other, death''s shadow murky within the turbid pool of blood. The operators of the Chaotic Elevator and Chaos Escalator felt a numbing chill down their spines, breaking into cold sweats. Recalling what they had said on the carriage, their faces immediately filled with despair. One claimed An Su was his girlfriend; the other said she was his wife, Considering how many years they had spent in the Mysticism of Chaos, today''s task was unquestionably the most chaotic, spreading rumors about the Chaotic Saintess right to her face. They had stirred up such a firestorm, enough to last a year''s worth of chaotic accomplishments! Both of them had already thought out their last words. An Su, sitting next to them, felt a chill down his spine, as if being pricked by needles one after another. His involvement wasn''t as severe as the other two, nor as foolishly bold. Logically, his situation shouldn''t be this dire. Being caught bad-mouthing behind someone''s back was nothing to An Su''s thick skin, not enough to leave him feeling coldheartedly. An Su''s chill was of a physical nature. His own shadow... Ever since An Su arrived, the temperature dropped to the lowest point. A shadow could convey body warmth; such advanced concealing magic... An Su wasn''t sure what had become of Enya, but he could feel the battle will and energy rise sharply behind him! Perhaps it was the sudden appearance of an enemy of Esoteric Religion at Saintly Rank; as a fellow saint and professional killer, her instinct to fight was triggered, so she radiated an intense killing intent like the cold of deep winter. Undoubtedly, all powerful beings were like that! Eager to match wits with An Su, thereby proving she was the true powerhouse! After a series of rational analyses, An Su felt confident his deductions were correct, immediately feeling a sense of security. Miss Enya, cloaked within An Su''s shadow, watched the unfamiliar woman with cold eyes. So An Su dashed out in the middle of the night for a clandestine rendezvous with this wild woman! No wonder the usually innocent young master suddenly started browsing those sleazy books. No wonder An Su had been staying out every night; he''d been ensnared by a temptress from outside. That line, "Whose girlfriend am I? And whose wife?", was without a doubt aimed at her! This was a declaration of war! After a series of rational analyses, Enya felt confident her deductions were spot on, immediately feeling a sense of crisis. Undoubtedly, all such wild women were like this! Anxious to compare herself with Enya, to prove she was the legitimate one! After a series of rational analyses, Enya felt confident her deductions were correct, immediately overwhelmed by a sense of crisis. Meanwhile, An Su, having pondered Miss Enya''s warrior mindset, began to speculate on another matter of concern. Why had An Su appeared on Seven Gods Street, and why precisely near the residence of a saint from the Radiant Holy See... What was her purpose? The first thought that came to An Su was that she had been watching him all along. In the worst-case scenario, he might have been targeted long ago... An Su''s expression turned grim, perhaps his true identity had already been exposed. If that was indeed the case, her act of disguising herself as a coachman and carrying him all this way, could that be her way of toying with him? Like a cat that toys with its prey for pleasure. Or maybe, she just had suspicions about him, and that was why she had been testing him all along. Only these two possibilities could explain why she happened to be near the saints'' dormitory! After a series of rational analyses, An Su again started to feel certain about his line of reasoning. He stared at the enchanting and stunningly beautiful woman before him, fixating on her joyful smile, unable to fathom the thoughts of the Chaotic Saintess, only knowing that underneath that beautiful exterior lay the worst of what''s inside. He had to tread carefully from now on. She probably hadn''t detected the presence of Miss Enya; although they were both saints, they specialized in different areas. Enya was skilled in stealth; as long as she didn''t make a deliberate physical disturbance, An Su presumed she wouldn''t be noticed. Bringing Enya was the right choice, a trump card of his own. An Su thought to himself. Find your adventure at My Virtual Library Empire The evening rain outside the carriage continued to tap incessantly, An Su stepped off the carriage with light footsteps, pleasantly sweeping her gaze over the faces of the elevator and escalator operators; she loved the sight of their fearful and tense expressions, which brought her unusual delight. Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Ultimately, her gaze settled on An Su. The young man was quite a surprise to An Su; not only wasn''t he afraid when caught being naughty, but he also seemed to emanate a fighting spirit, as if there was an ice-cold and furious Evil God standing behind him. Such thick skin was well-suited to the secret cults. The joy in An Su''s eyes deepened. To completely destroy and mock such arrogant youth, plunging him into endless darkness and despair, that to her was the pinnacle of worldly chaos, something that could rank second only to the most thrilling pleasures within chaos. Chapter 177 An Su and the Esoteric Religion Geniuses Get Into a Scuffle (Combined Chapter) "Who wants this poo-shaped."Stay connected via empire His Excellency Merlin, holding the newly shaped soul of the Offering''s Son, boasted to Lister and An Su with pride. His soul transformation skills had become even more profound, now able to shape such a complex form. Now, who within or beyond the Church would dare say that he, Merlin, can''t perform transformation spells? Who dares say he only knows how to copy? The God of Law is indeed an all-round genius. When His Excellency Merlin attended Holy Radiance Kindergarten, he always got full marks in his crafts class, was best at modeling clay, and even received certificates from his teacher. The whole class recognized him as ''Little Master Craftsman''; such glorious days! The great His Excellency Merlin never boasted about them to the young folks of today, showcasing his modesty and humility. But that doesn''t mean that, after decades, His Excellency Merlin''s skills would decline. Looking at the lump of soul, An Su showed a troubled expression. Even for Lister, an elegant noble, such a bizarre object was somewhat hair-raising. To replace an identity, one must carry this soul at all times, or risk exposure; but carrying such a lump around, that was truly suspicious. Is this thing really a God of Law? "Would it be possible to change it to a different shape for me?" Lister, full of admiration, said, "His Excellency Merlin is indeed a master craftsman. Ansu told me before his arrival that the Archmage''s talents are brilliant, the greatest person he''s ever seen in his life. Seeing is believing today, Ansu was absolutely right!" Before coming, An Su had told Lister that Mage God Merlin was the most saintly person he had ever met. Indeed, he wasn''t wrong. Upon receiving the compliment, His Excellency Merlin snorted coldly, then grudgingly kneaded the shape once more, turning it into a sphere and handed it to Lister. Lister, having received the soul of the Offering''s Son, was then successfully disguised. Lister went to the Life Ecclesia, Arthur to the Painful Court, only the Sanctuary of Chaos was left. "I want one shaped like a little star," the childish An Su began to make requests. Merlin frowned. He had dominated the Holy Radiance Kindergarten for many years, unbeaten in all respects, able to easily shape anything; but the one thing he couldn''t shape out of clay was a star, now presenting a difficulty. Yet, admitting his inability would dishonor the Radiant Bishop and invite mockery. He had lived for so long; it was impossible that he couldn''t perform a simple transformation spell. He concentrated and barely managed to pinch out an ugly star, which he handed to An Su. After An Su took it, he then took over the ''Sanctuary of Chaos.'' "Be sure to carry it well when you communicate with the Esoteric Religion," Merlin instructed with a few words, "Of course, when you''re infiltrated within the cult, remember to gather intelligence and find out about the other undercover agents hidden in the imperial city." Sear?h the Novl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. However, Merlin didn''t hold out much hope for the trio. After all, the organizations of Life, Pain, and Chaos were tightly knit, and with the Esoteric Demigods watching over them, it would be difficult for An Su and the others to outmatch them even with their backgrounds. "If you encounter danger, just crush these souls," Merlin instructed further, "I will be able to sense it." Regardless of who would come, as the strongest Demigod, Merlin would be able to slay them chaotically. This was the confidence of His Excellency the Archmage. "However, with your abilities, you probably won''t be able to cause much of a stir. You might not even get to see the face of the cult''s bishop." Being an elder, Merlin was still somewhat responsible and kindly stated, "Besides, I do not recommend that you directly meet a Demigod; there is still a risk of being recognized." Just then, Arthur, who had been silent all along, suddenly raised his hand. "His Excellency the Archmage, a message has been sent to the soul of ''Serpent of Pain,''" he said. Such long-distance messages are transmitted through the soul, so they also have a function similar to answering a call. Holding up the Serpent of Pain, Arthur said, "Bishop Rada of the Gorilla Cult wants to see me." "I too have received a message from the Life Esoteric Church," Lister promptly said, "It seems they wish to secretly convene the young saints of the three Great Cults for a confidential talk." "The Chaotic Saintess has also messaged the Sanctuary of Chaos," An Su said with a complex expression, "stating that after the tripartite talks end, they want to hold a small internal meeting to discuss how to make An Su Moningsta fall." "This secret talk seems to be presided over by Bishop Rada of the Gorilla Cult, Demigod Rada." Wasn''t it called the Crimson Cult? Why was it now named the Gorilla Cult? Rada? The strongest Demigod Merlin looked astonished. That fear, which had entangled him for a full year, emerged in his eyes. It wasn''t that Merlin couldn''t defeat Bishop Rada, but this fellow was so stubbornly vital that, each time he was defeated, he could escape and return. As if having some peculiar hobby, he would report in to Merlin punctually every day, contributing to half of Merlin''s workload. Just a month ago, An Su had shaved his head, and he finally quieted down a bit, but now he was back so soon. And this time, it was even in the real world. Was this demon here to make him work overtime again? "Good, if they dare bring an army to Farol," Merlin''s mouth turned angry after the shock, "let them all die!" The real world is not like the Nether World where escaping is so easy. As long as he kills this thing, he could even slack off at work! Merlin might have lacked enthusiasm before, but now he was filled with zeal. "You three get up there for me now!" Merlin immediately cast aside his responsibility as an elder and ordered An Su and the others to take action immediately. "Your Excellency Bishop," An Su said to Merlin, "You just mentioned that you do not recommend us meeting with a Demigod due to the risk of exposure; this matter is of great importance, I think it''d be better for you to infiltrate personally." Chapter 177 An Su and the Esoteric Religion Geniuses Fought Together (Two in One)_2 ```"I need a vacation," Merlin dropped the act and directly stated his need for a holiday, "And a Third Order soul concealment won''t hide my aura; I''d still be exposed." He stayed true to his original intention, insisting on taking a vacation. Read new chapters at empire "You know, we''ve always been devout saints, and we three would give our lives for the Church," An Su said with an earnest solemnity and resolute eyes, "I just hope that before I die, I can satisfy my curiosity and witness your Transformation Spell''s magnificence once more." An Su too stayed true to his original intention, insisting on copying. Of course, Merlin understood what An Su meant and waved his hand, "When you come back, I''ll show you the Magic Circuit of the Transformation Spell, alright?" He then glanced at Lister and Arthur, "You two as well, after you come back, I''ll give each of you a newly ...''originally'' created magic spell." Lister and Arthur smiled; following Brother Su indeed seemed to promise a brighter future. The meeting was hosted by the Gorilla Cult, and the location was set at one of the Gorilla Cult''s strongholds. The strongholds of the Gorilla Cult were scattered throughout the Lower City District, with a total of twenty or thirty places, like stars in the sky, and this time it was held in a secluded alley called ''Crow Street.'' The gloomy alley, with the scent of moss and decay seeping through the cold brick cracks and dripping eaves, gave one the impression that it was a haven for bad guys'' undercover lairs, perfectly fitting the Esoteric Religion''s temperament, very prestige-worthy. Being able to pick such a suspicious alley out of hundreds of normal ones in the Imperial Capital as a base, the Gorilla Cultists really put some thought into it. And as righteous believers of the Orthodox Church, An Su and his two friends stuck out like sore thumbs amidst the other Cultists, mainly because they were the only ones with hair on their heads while the other Painful Court believers were all sporting shiny Holy Light bald heads, looking very dignified. Thanks to the cultists'' hairstyle, which happened to be the same as His Excellency Merlin, this suspicious alley had not been sealed off by the Order Knights; they must be brethren steadfast in their glowing faith. Even living in such a suspicious alley, at the very least, they were underground workers. Those who could shave their heads so clean surely must have very sunny hearts. An Su and his group didn''t arouse any suspicion from the Believers as they walked. Merlin''s Transformation Spell was indeed powerful; they didn''t expose their identities. Throughout the journey, An Su was on his guard. He carefully memorized the appearances of all the Cultists they encountered, thinking about reporting them to the Order Church afterward. Reporting a Cultist would earn fifty contribution points. But right now, they couldn''t startle the snake. As instructed from above, besides the Painful Court believers, this meeting would also include geniuses from two other Esoteric Religions. It was said that this undercover activity would be used to announce the ''Quasi-Holy Child'' competition. Just as Bishop Rada had predicted, it was foreseeable that the Great Cult''s rise would bring an unimaginable number of new gnies, and so the entire alley was crowded with talented individuals from the Cults, making it a gathering place of outstanding talents for a while. The situation was so lively that the aunties and uncles from the neighboring alleys thought the nearby market was doing a promotion, giving away eggs or something, and they too hurried over to join the excitement. The quantity of elites at this secret meeting left the Believers responsible for maintaining order astounded. "Look, it''s ''Chaotic Elevator'' from the Hierarchical Cult; I heard that at his young age, his electric magic can cause people''s endocrine systems to become utterly disordered. Terrifying," one Cultist remarked. As undercover agents, in order to prevent exposure, the Cultists referred to each other by code names. The young man known as Chaotic Elevator, with a sinister gaze and wrapped in a hood, snorted coldly, his face showing a steely expression. If it weren''t for the Holy Maiden having taken the title of ''Chaotic Stairs,'' he wouldn''t have ended up with this moniker. This operation was jointly prepared by representatives from three of the major Esoteric Religions. The Gorilla Cult was part of the Painful Court, and the Hierarchical Cult belonged to the Sanctuary of Chaos. Sar?h the Novl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The Hierarchical Cult''s ''Quasi-Holy Child'' title was rightfully his. "My goodness, look, what a day it is''Chaotic Stairs'' from the Hierarchical Cult has come too, along with the ''Son of Devotion'' from the Marine Life Cult, and ''Serpent of Pain'' from the Gorilla Cult is here too!" "Everybody, make way!" When An Su, Lister, and Arthur appeared, the surrounding Believers opened a path for them with faces full of fear. Seeing himself commanding such respect, Arthur puffed out his chest and held his head high, more arrogant than ever. This was the Sun Knight''s nobility; wherever he went, people feared to provoke his majesty. Lister just gave a bitter smile; he knew how excellent his persona was, but being humble and low-profile by nature, he didn''t like to show off. Who would have thought that his noble aura could penetrate through Merlin''s divine magic, imposing such a powerful deterrent on these evil Cultists. After they left, the Believers could finally breathe a sigh of relief, looking after their silhouettes and commenting, "Don''t talk to them. They are mixed in the fan circles." What they saw today was indeed frightening. But An Su presented a sunny and cheerful good-boy demeanor, greeting people as they met, which eased the tense and solemn atmosphere. "May I ask your honorable surname?" "Oh my, nice to meet you, sir, what''s your name?" "Hello, hello, where do you live? Can we exchange Magic Communication details?" There were warm pleasantries everywhere. An Su''s friendly and kind manner made the solitary Cultists feel embarrassed, so they too gave brief introductions. ``` Chapter 177 An Su and the Esoteric Religion Prodigies Fight Together (Two-in-One)_3 In an instant, they were brawling with the surrounding cultists.The Chaotic Elevator saw this, snorted coldly, and without paying heed to An Su''s friendly approach, brushed away the hand An Su extended, his sinister eyes slantingly glaring at An Su, he called out the latter''s code name, "Ladder, what makes you think you can cozy up to me?" "We''re nothing but the lowest rank in our cult." "Everyone knows what level you''re at." He looked at An Su with disdain, his demeanor arrogant, "The title of Quasi-Holy Child is rightfully mine this time; quit dreaming. Do you know what strength I possess now? Do you know the contributions I''ve made for the Church?" With the conflict arising, the whole alley fell silent. The cultists were now interested; there was entertainment to be had. Arthur and Lister were also very interested; this was a classic face-slapping show-off plot. Following the usual trope, Brother Su would fiercely reveal his true strength and soundly slap the face of this brainless small-time villain. "Your strength?" An Su feigned great surprise. "Hmph, I''m already in the late Third Order Magician stage, about to break through to the Fourth," he said, "Just one step away!" An Su showed a look of fear, beginning to calculate in his mind: fifty devotion points for a Second Order Magician, one hundred for a Third Order, and a full two hundred for the Fourth Order. "Then I hope you reach the Fourth Order Magician soon," An Su said hurriedly and sincerely. "Hmph, spare me your sarcasm!" Chaotic Elevator chuckled, "At most, I''ll break through the Third Order in two days!" Then they''ll close the net in two days. An Su said with worry, "Please make sure to break through as soon as possible." Continue your adventure with empire "Hmph, no need for flattery." The elevator eyed An Su; somehow, he felt this kid was quite acceptable. The look in his eyes was incredibly sincere, even eager. It seemed he had misunderstood. "Actually, you''re quite good as well. With several years of effort, you could catch up to me," Elevator said in a cheerful mood. "Brother Elevator''s strengths are profound indeed." An Su continued sincerely, "May I know what name you''re using now and where you currently reside? Once this affair concludes, I''d like to bring a gift and pay a visit." "Look, no need for any gifts." Chaotic Elevator''s smile grew even more pleased, "I''m undercover at number thirty-one on Peacock Street, just call me Jack. And don''t call me brother; you''re older than I am. It''s only right that I should call you big brother." Sear?h the ovlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Alright, I''ll surprise you when the time comes." An Su instantly hit it off with Brother Jack, leaving Lister and Arthur looking on in amazement. So there was this kind of tactic. They smacked their foreheads, chiding themselves for being too rash. There was still half an hour until the secret meeting began. Soon, they too began their crazed networking mode. Arthur was naturally free-spirited and generous, while Lister was well-versed in social etiquette. It didn''t take long for them to blend in with these cult geniuses. Arthur took out the fine wine he carried with him, An Su bought some cups from the neighboring market, poured a cup for each person, and Lister began toasting. The wine made by the solar priesthood was rich and potent, a single dab enough to intoxicate. Upon receiving the wine, the genius cultists found no poison and thought a cup would do no harm. Bolster some courage before undertaking a great task. Half an hour later, when the bishops of the three great cults arrived at the venue through projection, they were greeted by groups of drunken revelers dancing chaotically. "Dear friends, dear kin, we have gathered here today for a common grand mission. As the saying goes, fate brings people together from afar. Why not become sworn brothers on this occasion!" Chapter 178 An Su: Wishing to Die on the Same Year, Same Month, Same Day (Two in One) Arthur''s wine wasn''t something common; it was called "Fire God''s Wine," the private brew of the Sun Lord.He had stolen it from his father''s cellar; considering it was a drink for demigods, it could even intoxicate a demigod. There were twenty-four elites present; each had half a glass, thinking it wouldn''t hurt to drink a little for courage, but as soon as the wine touched their lips, their heads started to swim. It tasted surprisingly sweet; they hadn''t figured out the flavor before another gulp was swallowed, and then thoughts began to blur. Explore hidden tales at My Virtual Library Empire This little thing really packed a punch. The Cultists worried that too much of this wine wasn''t good; they looked at An Su and his two comrades but saw that all three also drained their cups in one go, so they too were reassured, An Su held his wine glass, his expression unchanged; he didn''t have a high tolerance for alcohol; in his previous life, he had nearly gotten dead drunk at the graduation ceremony. But he was more cunning than others; he seemed to tilt his head back and drain his cup, but in fact, the wine flowed down along his neck and into his collar due to the extremely high concentration of Fire God''s Wine, evaporating in seconds. Lister, too, was an expert; his father, known as "the Saint Hand of the Frontier," naturally had many sophisticated skills in manipulating Water Magic. Marquis Norman had a technique to expel the water element entering the body through his fingertips with a magic power circuit, which Lister had learned since he was young. He activated his magic power right then, pushing the water element out through his fingertips. Then there was Arthur, who was the most heavy-duty. He was not as flashy as the previous two, muttering to himself, "Isn''t this just beer?" Chugging it down with big gulps, he let out a satisfied belch, his complexion flushed as usual; he had been sneaking sips of this alcohol since he was young. Even when his mother was mixing his formula, she would add a bit of alcohol. Seeing these three drink straightforwardly in one go, the Cultist geniuses thought they couldn''t lose their male pride. If they showed fear at a drinking party, how could they be chosen as a Quasi-Holy Child of the Orders? How could they convince the crowd? "Cheers!" With that, they steeled their hearts and tilted their heads back to drink. The burning liquor poured down their throats into their vitals, a surge of heat rushed to their heads, and the potency of Fire God''s Wine became apparent in an instant. They felt a surge of heroism rise spontaneously from their chests, looking around at their colleagues, they thought with such brave men in the Three Major Orders, why should they worry about accomplishing great deeds? Even if they rebelled right now, stormed the Seven Gods Hall, and chopped off the bald head of the leader of the Glorious, why couldn''t they? If Merlin could do it, why couldn''t they? "To our success!" Sar?h the Novl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Drink!" "Here goes!" The drizzle had cleared, dusk was about to fall, and the blood-red glow of twilight bathed everyone, making the usually unlikable rival sects seem somewhat warm and familiar now. Even the most unwelcome members of the Life Ecclesia seemed approachable. "The atmosphere is high right now, perfect for someone to say a few words." Lister, representing the Life Ecclesia, was the first to speak, drawing nods of agreement from around him. "I agree," Arthur chimed in, "but we need to choose the most widely accepted representative! Let''s all pick someone together!" The Cultist geniuses looked at each other; they were all undercover agents in the imperial capital, and while believers of the same Church knew each other, they didn''t recognize those from the other two Orders. Even if they knew of a title, they couldn''t match it to a face. How could they choose someone that everyone recognized? At that moment, An Su stepped back a few paces, used the magic "Friendly Exchange" to change his voice to a deep tone, "I think Brother of the Stairs from the Sanctuary of Chaos is a good choice." The Chaotic Stairs... The inebriated believers all showed thoughtful expressions. Indeed, they recognized Chaotic Stairs. An Su had introduced himself all around before entering the gathering, leaving an impression on all the Cultist geniuses. And the title "Brother of the Stairs" was both memorable and striking. An Su moved to another spot and changed his voice again to that of a passerby, "I choose Brother Stairs; he''s the one we all look up to!" "Yes, let''s choose Chaotic Stairs!" "Please, Brother Stairs, come on stage and say a few words." People tend to follow the crowd, and the Cultists were no exception. Besides, they were already drunk and immediately joined in the fervor to urge An Su to take the stage. An Su initially declined, his face showing reluctance, but then Arthur bellowed that refusing to speak would be a disrespect to him, so, not wanting to dampen everyone''s spirits, An Su reluctantly walked to the center of the crowd. By then, dusk had also dispersed, and Crow Alley dimmed, as An Su looked around, but instead of speaking, he simply went silent. The night draped itself over his broad shoulders, elongating his shadow, casting it upon the mottled walls of the alley like black wings, and his silent stature made the surrounding believers fall silent in anticipation. "My esteemed colleagues," An Su lifted the wine glass capable of housing fish, and loudly declared, "I am honored to meet all of you and to be part of this magnificent enterprise." "The Empire has pushed the Church Nations to the brink; Avad Church Nation is right behind us, we have nowhere to retreat!" "The evil scion Ansu Moningsta has taken over the Chaotic Frontier, along with his two lapdogs Arthur and Lister committing atrocities. These three have already deeply tainted the glory of our faith. After tonight, we, the loyal dogs of the Mother Goddess, must make these three pay the price in blood!" An Su smashed the wine glass on the ground, its crashing sound adding to the atmosphere, and conveniently, he no longer had to drink the remaining half cup. Chapter 178 An Su: Wishing to Die on the Same Year, Same Month, Same Day (Two in One)_2 "Great!" Lister and Arthur clapped their hands one after another.An Su''s words had the genius Cultists boiling with passion. Everybody was drunk. Once the Wine of the Fire God was swallowed, it evaporated reason and ignited a fiery restlessness within their hearts. An Su, Lister, and Arthur had long been on the Cultists'' assassination list, these three were already famous among the younger generation of the esoteric religion, especially that An Su Moningsta, despicable and shameless, who defiled the Chaotic Saintess and was the main culprit in turning the Crimson Cult into the Gorilla Cult, just waiting to assassinate them during the grand examination period! "My comrades, after tonight, in the countless long nights to come, some of us may be imprisoned, some of us may die, but no matter what the most dangerous situation we face, we''ll rigorously practice, we will never surrender!" An Su waved his arm with vigor, as if calling his fellows to action. Rigorous practice = can exchange for more devotion points. Never surrender = can kill on sight. Looking at the increasingly excited brothers below, An Su''s eyes were filled with tears, "After tonight, we may all die, but glory will live on with you and me. I''m honored to meet my comrades on this chaotic staircase, as the saying goes, ''Fate brings people together no matter how far apart they may be.'' Why don''t we take this opportunity to become sworn brothers?" Arthur and Lister quickly stepped back a few paces, also switching to friendly banter, changing their tones as they joined in the rallying cries, "I agree!" "Brother of the Stairs, we want to acknowledge you as our big brother!" "I also agree!" The genius Cultists'' brains were already fried by the Wine of the Fire God, and their heads were filled with nothing but high spirits. Seeing An Su speak so passionately and inspiringly, and with so many brothers echoing his call, they too felt they must join in, so they smashed their cups in agreement, "Well said!" There was a clatter as the cups shattered on the ground. Especially the Chaotic Elevator, who had been the first to confront An Su upon entering, was now so moved to tears, a true moment of brotherly affection. "Since we brothers have sworn an oath, we should reveal our true names!" said the Chaotic Elevator first. The esoteric religion also had its own ritual for swearing brotherhood, presided over by the High Priest, under the watchful gaze of the Mother Goddess, forming a soul contract through blood and flesh, followed by chanting prayers. But given the circumstances, they kept it simple. An Su made three statues out of mud mixed with rainwater, symbolizing the Mother Goddess, and led everyone to bow before the mud statues. "Chaos above." "I, Lorne of the Chaotic Stairs, hereby enter into a covenant with my comrades, offering my soul as a sacrifice; in life and death, we shall aid each other in our sorrows, and in fortune and misfortune, we shall depend on each other. From now on, our comradeship will be pure and profound, joined by the hands in times good and bad. Should I break the covenant, show ingratitude, and betray this kindness, I shall be offered on the altar, to have my flesh gnawed and blood sipped!" Chaotic Stairs'' true name was indeed Lorne, and An Su was not lying. The little star souls crafted by Merlin were also kept in his pocket. "Blood Moon above," Lister followed, "I, Rosca, the Son of Life, enter into a covenant with my comrades..." Arthur also felt his blood boiling, almost forgetting he was with the Mixed Orthodoxy. "I, the Serpent of Pain, Assyria... with my comrades..." Seeing three people in a row standing out, the Chaotic Elevator could not be left behind, "Chaos above, I, Galvin of the Chaotic Elevator, enter into a covenant with my comrades..." More and more genius Cultists caught up in their youthful vigor also bowed down before the mud statues, "I, John of the Hierarchical Cult..." "I, Jax of the Orthodox Church..." By the time twenty-four genius Cultists had completed their oath, An Su showed a gratified smile. He wrote down the true names of all twenty-four. With their true names, the rate of return for the sacrifices could be increased. He reported them first, exchanging for devotion points that could be redeemed for magic at the Magic Guild, then, before the Church held its investigation seven working days later, he preemptively sacrificed them to get life points from the Mother Goddess, and finally, he collected faith points that could enhance his magic power value from the radiance. These sworn brothers were truly walking treasures. Experience more on My Virtual Library Empire A triple win! The smile on An Su''s lips became even more pure and warm. But he couldn''t act now, he couldn''t spook the snake. S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. It was time to play the long game. These genius Cultists were all talented, but they were just small fry. The real heavyweights were their superiors. "My brothers, I, Lorne, do not wish to be born on the same day in the same month as all of you, but I do wish to die on the same day in the same month as all of you!" His passionate words led to applause from the surrounding brothers. They all shouted their willingness to die on the same day, exhibiting a great sense of brotherhood, making Lister and Arthur feel that the Cult of Mixed Cult was more righteous than the Mixed Orthodoxy. After the oath was sworn, it was time to decide the order of seniority. An Su pulled out a notebook and wrote down a list of the sworn brothers, passing it for everyone to check. The head of the table was Galvin of the Chaotic Elevator, who was on the verge of being promoted to the Fourth Order. The second was the genius from the Painful Court, also about to become Fourth Order. Third, fourth, and so on down the list, An Su, Lister Arthur, did not appear until the very end, which touched everyone deeply. It was an outright rank of power, without any bias, and even the placement of An Su and his friends was rather modest. To think the Brother of the Stairs would rank himself at the bottom, Such humility, such awareness of the greater good, such selflessness, brought Chaotic Elevator to the brink of tears. He took An Su''s hand, his voice trembling, "My dear brother, I have misunderstood you. This first position should be yours!" "Don''t worry about it, I have already forgiven you, Brother Elevator," An Su said, with a smile on his face, "This position should be yours, you truly deserve it." Chapter 178 An Su: Wishing to Die on the Same Year, Same Month, Same Day (Two in One)_3 Because this is my sacrifice list!His smile grew ever more serene, the one in first place earned the most. An Su''s fair and humble handling, along with the surprising cooperation between Lister and Arthur, had truly won everyone over; his invisible prestige was subtly rising among the many believers, embodying the true style of a leading figure. "Gentlemen," Arthur again produced a gourd of Fire God Wine from his pocket and said generously, "There are still five minutes until the meeting begins, let''s continue to drink!" "Good!" The genius Cultists also responded with vigor. - "General Rada, rest assured, only through blood and slaughter can a true general be born, and a true Saint Heir is one who crawls out from a mountain of bones." The assistant to the bishop followed behind Bishop Rada, speaking in a profound and unfathomable manner, "The arrangements I made for this meeting are just that." Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "The first round of selection ceremony for the Quasi-Holy Child of our Order has already begun in secrecy!" Rada nodded calmly. Everything was as he had expected. This was also the Pain Military Academy''s method of training soldiers, placing hundreds of them in a small school and having them kill each othercultivating them like raising gu in a pot. Those who graduated were the true generals. They held this meeting and had intentionally delayed it by half an hour. Just to gather these twenty-four genius Cultists in the small confines of Crow Alley and let the atmosphere ferment for half an hour. Given the geniuses'' proudly incompatible temperaments, verbal conflicts were bound to erupt, inevitably leading to slaughter. Within the Esoteric Religion, only through competition can one grow stronger, and only the truly strong can become a Saint. And the mediocre ones who are eliminated are not worth utilizing. By the time Bishop Rada arrived at the scene, Crow Alley was likely already a scene of bloodshed and mountains of corpses. Through long-distance projection, Rada''s shadow finally arrived in Crow Alley, only to first hear singing. The proud genius Cultists began holding hands and dancing to the music, "Unforgettable tonight, unforgettable tonight..." "..." The assistant to the bishop fell silent. Bishop Rada felt he might not have fully awakened yet. The scene before him could only be described as bizarre. Life, Chaos, and Pain, although all part of the Esoteric Religion, were not of the same branch; in fact, they even harbored deep-seated hatred for each other. Especially the Life Ecclesia, those madmen without organization or discipline, without a shepherd to lead them, had many Orders acting independently and were even willing to sacrifice their own Cultists, earning enmity from all sides. Continue your journey with My Virtual Library Empire This joint action was also a first. Each faction harbored ulterior motives and had their own goals. The Bishop of Pain sought to find Merlin to settle debts, Chaos aimed to infiltrate the Chaotic Frontier, while Life Ecclesia had the simplest intentthey found the capital''s populous nature ideal for sacrifices. Watching the joyful scene before him, Rada wondered if the Demigod projections of the Hierarchical Cult and the Life Order would think he had gone straight when they arrived. He snorted coldly, and his authority erupted forth instantly. Though he was not physically present, the terrifying and dreadful authority in his gaze spread instantaneously. All the geniuses sobered up significantly, and wherever Rada''s gaze landed, the genius Cultists lowered their heads, not daring to lock eyes with the Demigod. An Su wasn''t particularly afraid, after all he had just shaved this person''s head not long ago and didn''t have much fear in him, but he also lowered his head following the crowd. He wondered if he might be exposed. Rada was only present in projection and definitely couldn''t see through it. A Demigod''s projection surely couldn''t penetrate Merlin''s magic. If exposed, he would just crush his soul and call out to Merlin for help. When Bishop Rada''s gaze fell on An Su, it paused for a moment, "Today, I have gathered you here because a traitor has emerged among us." "Perhaps a saint has already infiltrated our Order." "The Three Major Orders will reassess your qualifications as a Saint Child and request the Great Mother Goddess''s scrutiny through the ceremony, to evaluate whether you all are worthy of becoming the Saint Child of an Order!" "If there is a saint lurking among you, they will have nowhere to hide under the gaze of the Mother Goddess!" Chapter 179 Hierarchical Holy Maiden: It Seems They Will Become My Hawks and Hounds (Two in One) ```"If there be saints lurking among us, they shall be unveiled under the gaze of the Mother Goddess!" Bishop Rada had barely finished speaking when the whole place fell into silence. The alcohol instantly sobered up by a large margin. Arthur''s face turned sour immediately, and he thought to himself that it must indeed be the evil cultists who could conceive such dark methods. As a devout saint, with the spirit of the Sun Spirit as a knight, wouldn''t I be exposed in this test? Lister felt that Arthur was worrying over nothing and believed that Arthur lacked a clear self-awareness of his own virtues. However, Lister started to worry about himself, thinking in his heart that with his noble noble spirit, he would instantly give himself away under the scrutiny of the Mother Goddess. An Su felt that the two above lacked self-awareness. Clearly, he was the one more likely to be exposed. Meanwhile, Bishop Rada was also sizing up the believers, his demigod gaze sweeping over everyone, seeing through the nature of each person. He was very satisfied with the quality of this batch of esoteric geniuses. Each of them was the scourge of society, complete scum, with a future enveloped in darkness, surely to make their mark within the esoteric ranks. Among the crowd, he was particularly optimistic about the Chaos Ladder, the Child of Sacrifice, and the Serpent of Pain; from the aura they emitted, they all seemed to be despicable and shameless. However, these were just first impressions; he would still need to discern carefully. Bishop Rada snorted, "Come in." The alchemic magic circle set up in Crow Alley began to activate. The mottled walls cracked and dispersed into a path that extended into a peculiar space. This area was dark and quiet, surrounded by obsidian pillars, the flickering flames casting everyone''s uneasy shadows. It was space magic. An Su thought to himself, Crow Alley still contained a space within; it seems the Painful Esoteric Sect had been cultivating in the imperial capital for a long time. He wondered if this peculiar space still fell within the jurisdiction of the God of Law''s service region. He quietly sent a message to Merlin customer service and received an affirmative reply from the latter. An Su then relaxed and followed the others inside. Merlin, watching from afar, also relaxed, finally rid of the little brat''s incessant chatter in his ear. It was time to clock out! As for whether An Su and his companions lived or died, His Excellency Merlin wasn''t worried. The demigod was merely a projection and had no substantial lethal power. If their identities were revealed, even without a signal, one could crush the soul, and Merlin would receive the notification. Merlin already knew the location of Crow Alley; he would go there in person to break the space magic when the time came. Merlin didn''t have much expectation for An Su and his companions. Just don''t die. An Su observed his surroundings, the space magic was a peculiar kind that, following the principles of the Nether World, used an alchemical matrix to fold the original space, creating a second hidden layer within the same space. He narrowed his eyes slightly, watching the projection of Bishop Rada in front of everyone. Although the bishop''s true body wasn''t present, the mere projection of his soul caused all the esoteric geniuses to fall silent in awe. The demigod''s aura was indeed extraordinary. Even the most talented and highest-ranked initiates of the esoteric sect couldn''t lift their heads under the vast pressure of the demigod, with only one thought left in their mindsthat they were going to die under this divine vigil. But after all, it was only a projection. The esoteric high ranks were very cautious and only remotely projected themselves to avoid exposing their real locations. They had to figure out a way to gain the trust of the bishops and lure out the big fish. Just then, the space fluctuated once again, and the flickering flames wavered. Another presence projected into the space, causing the esoteric geniuses to inwardly gasp in surpriseyet another demigod had arrived. S~ea??h the Novl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Bishop Rada''s eyes were dark and his tone was nonchalant, "Bishop Bram of the Oceanic Sect of the Life Ecclesia, long time no see." No sooner had Bishop Rada spoken than a huge ripple went through the esoteric geniuses. It was that legendary figure, His Excellency Bram. Bram was an old man in a sea-blue robe, with sinister deep blue eyes, dark green hair, a face full of scars, seaweed stuck to his cheeks, sinking into the skin, forming peculiar wrinkles. He was a fearsome demigod. No sooner had he arrived than his enigmatic and unfathomable authority weighed heavily on the hearts of the esoteric geniuses, who felt as if they were in the deep dark depths of the sea, the pressure nearly unbearable. The Life Ecclesia had no Archbishop; various sects operated independently, among them the Oceanic Sect being one among dozens within the Life Esoteric Church. The character Lister played, the Child of Sacrifice, came from the Oceanic Sect. He could control the marine life from the depths of the sea. The Oceanic Sect''s sacrifice ritual was also quite unique, pushing living offerings into the sea through a ceremony, offering them to the great Mother of Life. Discover hidden content at My Virtual Library Empire It was said that the Oceanic Sect had flourished at the eastern frontier, and at that time it was not called the Oceanic Sect; for some reason, it suddenly moved into the sea. "Land and forest can no longer satisfy me; only the vast and profound sea is my true path!" At the time, Bram had left these stirring words and resolutely left the land to begin his conquest of the sea. "I''ve heard of Bram''s name." The well-read Arthur began to school An Su on this powerful demigod, "Legends say that Bram is nearly a hundred years old, his sect was originally called the Forest Life Sect, rooted in the southern great forest of the frontier, commanding the local dragonkin with summoning magic, and extremely powerful." ``` Chapter 179 Hierarchical Holy Maiden: It Seems They Will Become My Hunting Dogs (Two in One)_2 ```"What happened next?" An Su asked. "After that, my dad accidentally caused the dragon race in the border forest to go extinct, so he had to move the sect into the ocean and renamed it, starting to drive sea monsters with summoning magic." So that was it. An Su showed a look of realization. "Later, because Count Karlo bought the harbor and overfished large monsters to make fish soup for his son, the Oceanic Sect could only drive seafood." Lister continued to supplement. So that was it. An Su showed another look of realization and even felt proud. Upon thinking about it, he had resisted the evil cultists since he was a child. He truly was the most devout Radiant Believer. "Bishop Rada of the Painful Court Gorilla Sect, the new name of your sect is really interesting." Bram Demigod said to Bishop Rada with a grin that wasn''t a smile. Explore more at My Virtual Library Empire "Hmph." Sar?h the Novl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Bishop Rada showed a proud expression, completely oblivious to the irony in Bram''s tone, and turned to the esoteric geniuses, saying, "The ritual is ready, this operation is of great importance, to prevent saints from lurking among you, everyone must undergo the Mother Goddess''s scrutiny, now follow your own sect''s bishop." The Freshness Son, Lister, followed Bram, while the Serpent of Pain, Arthur, followed Bishop Rada, leaving only the Sanctuary of Chaos without affiliation. "Where is Bishop Franz of Chaos?" Rada asked with displeasure. "This time the Hierarchical Holy Daughter is representing the bishop from the Sanctuary of Chaos." Bram said in a sinister tone. It was the Holy Maiden herself who had come. The surrounding cultist geniuses showed expressions of shock. Elf, the Hierarchical Holy Daughter of the current era, was the Sanctuary of Chaos''s rare genius in a thousand years, a genius who fooled the world with joy and chaos, and had reached the Saintly Rank at a young age. Recently, it was heard that this Holy Maiden had entered a new realm of chaos; she began to keep a regular schedule, studying seriously every day, which brought tremendous mental pressure to the Chaos Followers. A truly unparalleled genius under the Mother Goddess of Chaos''s watchful eye. When all the flames on the stone columns were extinguished, The projection of the Hierarchical Holy Daughter descended, hair trailing on the ground, barefoot on the cold floor, in her bright red eyes, flowers seemed to bloom and wither continuously, seductively beautiful and breathtaking. This was the contemporary Hierarchical Holy Daughter, a genius among geniuses, her indifferent and heartless eyes swept over all the esoteric geniuses with not a hint of disdain or contempt, only the purest indifference. The Hierarchical Holy Daughter did not care for anyone, ants were unworthy of attracting her attention. Better to go home and solve a few more puzzles. "The followers of the Hierarchical Cult, come over here." She said casually. Elf felt these matters were utterly boring. She didn''t want to waste time with these ants. "Brother of the Stairs, let''s go." The Chaotic Elevator looked at Elf with a gaze mixed with reverence and resentment. The full name of their Sanctuary was the Sanctuary of Chaos and Hierarchical Church, and it was this woman who had stolen the title of ''Chaotic Ladder'' that should have been his. Yet, he didn''t dare to contend with her. An Su followed behind the Chaotic Elevator, twenty-four cultists in total, each sect with eight people. Before An Su were ''Chaos Escalator,'' ''Chaotic Ladder''... and there was even a guy named ''Chaotic Slide.'' All these names were trademarked by Elf, forcing them to change their titles. It seemed the Mother Goddess of Chaos was a goddess of failed naming... An Su thought to himself. The Mother Goddess of Life is goddess of welfare, the Mother Goddess of Chaos is goddess of failed naming, makes sense. The ritual was about to begin. It was a rather brief ceremony. Two bishops and a Holy Maiden chanted in unison, calling for the Mother Goddess''s gaze. The eerie and indescribable atmosphere peaked in an instant. Priests lit incense, drew symbols with blood, then ignited three human fat candles. ``` Each candle represented the gaze of a Mother Goddess, one painted with eyes representing chaos, one with the infant representing life, and one with the skull representing pain. The esoteric geniuses ascended the blood-soaked array along the lengthy stairs, the three tallow candles flickering uncertainly, either flaring up or wavering, some even extinguished. The Priests made judgments by observing the shapes of the flames. The extinguishing of one or two candles was of no consequence; it merely indicated that the person did not belong to that esoteric sect. Only if all three candles went out did it pose a significant problem. This meant that all three Mother Goddesses disliked the individual, and they were certainly a spy sent by others! If all three candles burnt brightly, it signified that the person was evil to the core, a natural-born cultist. It was said that the Hierarchical Holy Daughter had all three candles bright, and the flames shone as luminously as daylight. An Su''s expression remained unchanged, while Lister and Arthur next to him began to feel anxiousthe two devout Radiant Saints, in the face of such an evil ritual, were certain to expose themselves, and cold sweat poured down immediately. One after another, the esoteric geniuses passed between the candles, and the Priests took note. The esoteric prodigies indeed lived up to their name, with at least two candles alight each. One could preliminarily discern their nature from the shapes, "Your chaos candle takes on the shape of lightning, signifying that you are destined to shatter all saints like thunder and ascend to the rank of a district''s Bishop of Chaos, while your pain candle reveals the form of a whip, indicating you might enjoy being lashed and even favor the sensation of electrocution." The innermost priest, holding a crystal ball, earnestly prophesied to the brother of the Chaotic Elevator. Seeing the ritual conducted to such a degree, even predicting the preferences of the cultists, Lister and Arthur grew even more nervous. All the Painful Court followers finished their turn, and it was now Arthur''s. He swallowed and mustered his courage to walk past the candles. Alas, his undercover career was about to come to an end. The three candles flickered gently, yet they did not extinguish. The pain candle took the shape of an eagle, the life candle the shape of the sun, and the chaos candle the shape of a beautiful maiden, Shocking the old Priest, who in his many years of conducting the ritual had never seen such bizarre omens. "The eagle shape indicates your limitless future achievements, capable of becoming the right-hand man to the future pope, the Sect''s henchman, and the maiden shape indicates that you have once defeated all women with your beauty, thereby causing tremendous chaos!" "The three Mother Goddesses seem to hold you in high regard." Arthur felt that these candles were just inferior products, definitely cheap goods scavenged from some street stall. All three candles lit up simultaneously, causing quite a stir. Bishop of Pain Rada looked pleased with Arthur, thinking that he was indeed the scum he had taken a fancy to, not letting him down. Meanwhile, the Hierarchical Holy Daughter maintained a listless expression. Such feeble flames did not pose a threat. However, now that he could become the right-hand man to the future pope, the Hierarchical Holy Daughter also considered recruiting, since the pope''s position was, after all, rightfully hers. When it was Lister''s turn, he also swallowed and thought his undercover career was over as he walked past the three candles. Unexpectedly, his candles shone even brighter than Arthur''s. The pain candle took the form of a savage dog, the life candle the form of the moon, and the chaos candle also took the form of a beautiful maiden. The old Priest had lived many years, but today he truly saw something new. Having just witnessed one heavyweight, there came yet another heavyweight omen. This one, too, would become the right-hand man to the future pope and likewise caused tremendous chaos in the guise of a woman, But both of them were men? With two consecutive occurrences of all candles bright, the noise from the esoteric believers grew louder, but the real geniuses seemed indifferent C after all, they had also achieved all three alight, which was no big deal. Thus, it was An Su''s turn to step forward. Chapter 180 All Three Female Guests Left Their Lights on for An Su (Two in One) Three flickering candle flames elongated the shadows of everyone present, making them stretch grotesquely. The tallow of the candles, yellowish-brown with decay, dropped along the trembling light and congealed on the floor, forming a thick, sticky layer. Stay updated through My Virtual Library EmpireThe atmosphere in the entire space was oppressive and unsettling, with indescribable gazes swaying slowly with the flames. All the prodigies scrutinized by the gaze of the Mother Goddess stood erect on both sides of the steps. The ceremony served both to test their loyalty to the Mother Goddess and to assess their aptitude for the Esoteric Religion. So far, including Lister and Arthur, ten believers, with three candles lit at the same time, had undergone the scrutiny of three Angel Envoys, proving their characters to be in harmony with the three great mystical sects of Chaos, Life, and Pain. The brighter the flame of the human fat candles, the higher the corresponding level of compatibility. However, the main purpose of the ceremony was to root out any saints or spies from the other four great mystical sects. The next task was of great significance, requiring meticulous discernment to detect any heretical beliefs that might have infiltrated their ranks. The Hierarchical Holy Daughter Elf yawned languidly, her crimson eyes filled with boredom; she had no interest in such a flawed and tedious ceremony. As a child, she had participated in similar ceremonies, where her three candles shone as bright as daylight, but this meant little to her. Elf never prided herself on such achievements; to her, it was simply a matter of course. In plain terms, the tri-deity ceremony was incomplete, aimed primarily at identifying spies from other sects. It wasn''t possible to select so-called saints of a sect through such a flawed ritual. In the Avad Church Nation, there existed a complete ceremony, known as the Seven Deities Ceremony. This required the lighting of seven human fat candles, each symbolizing one of the Seven Great Mystical Sects, presided over by bishop-level figures from each cult, with the blood sacrifice of over a thousand peopleonly then would the seven deities truly descend upon the world. At eleven, Elf had partaken in the Seven Deities Ceremony. According to the outside world, her three candles constantly burned as bright as day, but in fact, six of her candles blazed. This feat broke the history of the Church Nation and was recorded in the archives. A believer cherished by the gaze of six Mother Goddesses had shattered the beliefs of the faithful. ''The flame of the Mother Goddess burned solely for her.'' Given the Mother Goddesses'' diverse personalities, beliefs, and preferences, with some holding conflicting doctrines or even being mutually hostile, the last to receive such grand favor was the Azure Sorceress three thousand years ago. The attention of six Mother Goddesses meant that Elf was born for the Esoteric Religion, free to choose among six sects. In the end, she chose the Chaos Sect, which was closely aligned with her personality. Not long after joining, she was crowned as the Hierarchical Holy Maiden, bestowed the title ''Chaotic Ladder.'' Thus, for Elf, this incomplete ceremony of lighting three candles hardly warranted her concern, nor did it deserve her attention. Perhaps those who could light three candles at once showed some promise, but that was all. Sarch* The novlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The only shadow in the perfect life of the Hierarchical Holy Maiden was the time she had infiltrated Seden Town in a playful mood with her soul projection and was forced by that bastard to take a month of lessons. In contrast to her indifference, Bishop Rada wore a face full of pride. With his shiny bald head, he watched the devotees of the Gorilla Cult with satisfaction. The Gorilla Cult had four believers with all three candles brightly lit; indeed, the rise of the Painful Esoteric Sect was imminent, especially the Serpent of Pain, whose candle creativity flattered Rada immensely. He had not misjudged the man. In comparison, the followers of the Ladder Sect lacked such creativity. Rada''s glance swept past the devotees of the Ladder Sect, pausing particularly on An Su, his eyes narrowing slightly. For some reason, this young man felt especially cold to him; from the first moment he saw him, Bishop Rada inexplicably felt a chill on the top of his head. It was a pity he was not physically present, or he would have taken a closer look. An Su hadn''t noticed Rada''s assessment; his concern was more on the candle test of the believers. The Chaotic Elevator, who was ahead of him in line and seated firmly at the top of An Su''s sacrificial menu, did live up to An Su''s expectations. With the brightest candles in the entire ceremony, he was certain to be a dish of exquisite delicacies. Still somewhat tipsy from alcohol, the Chaotic Elevator staggered down the steps amidst the audience''s gasps, patting An Su''s shoulder with a gesture of closeness. This Esoteric Religion prodigy, who had previously made things difficult for An Su, was now exceedingly friendly towards him, radiating a protective big brother vibe as he bragged, "Younger brother, there''s no need to be tense. Relax. Even if your results are poor, I''ll have your back." After drinking strongly, a boundless heroism and fantasy filled his chest. The Chaotic Elevator felt that all the prodigies of the Esoteric Religion were nothing special, and even the formidable Hierarchical Holy Maiden was but a woman. If not for the limited number of candles preventing him from showing his full potential, Had there been seven, the Chaotic Elevator believed he would have lit up all seven. Touched, An Su sincerely wished the brother well, "Brother Elevator, the position of Quasi-Holy Child of our sect is truly yours to claim." Capturing the Ladder Sect''s Holy Child had brought him more rewards. "Where, where, Staircase younger brother flatters me too much." The Chaotic Elevator, with his hand on An Su''s shoulder, although verbally modest, couldn''t hide the pride on his face; clearly, he enjoyed the compliment, Chapter 180 All Three Female Guests Leave Their Lights on for An Su (Two in One)_2 "If I make it in the end, I''ll definitely promote my wise brother. Where there''s a plate of meat for me, there will be a bowl of soup for you,"An Su felt that the Brother of the Stairs had a knack for dealing with life, even planning how to arrange meals. "Waste of time." The Hierarchical Holy Daughter was aware of every action and word of the believers, and upon hearing the conversation between the two men under the stage, she found it absurdly amusing. Her crimson eyes flitted across the two, seeing right through thema man called the Brother of the Stairs was brashly boasting without even sobering up from his drunkenness. And the other youth seemed quite unremarkable as well. His Rank was even lower, merely at the Third Order. Yet, the comical performance of these two also counted as one of the few amusements in what was otherwise a boring ceremony. The Hierarchical Holy Daughter leaned on her pale cheek, observing the performance with interest. Priest called the next person, and it was An Su''s turn. An Su breathed a sigh of relief, climbed the steps, and the faint rancid smell of human fat in the candles mingled with the thick smoke in the air. First, he registered, adjusted his breathing, and followed the directions of the preceding Priest, step by step approaching the three candles in front of him. To say he wasn''t nervous at all would be impossible. Though An Su knew very well that he was no good, he could still be considered a saint, barely. He had been to Heaven, fought a demigod, and had a half-white, half-black Guardian Angel. Although Arthur and Lister had managed to slip through, it might all fall apart when it was his turn. sea??h th n??el Fire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Ever since entering this space, Merlin had not replied to him at all. An Su now knew he had been tricked, Out of God of Law''s service area. He clutched the little star Merlin had handed him in his pocket, planning to crush it as soon as he was exposed. Although regular calls were not possible outside the service area, emergency calls were still feasible. "Look straight ahead, relax your mind," the Priest conducting the ceremony told him, while others applied mercury and blood to An Su''s forehead, nose tip, and lips respectively. "This will help you come to your senses." The burning sage incense wafted through the air, slowly relaxing the mind; the bright flames flickering, playing tricks on the eyes, and the Alchemic Magic Circle began to activate silently. Priest patted An Su''s back, urging him to step into the center of the altar. "Face the Mother Goddess''s gaze with your most relaxed and perfect posture, walk this path," Priest said solemnly, "Do something to relax." He quite liked the young man in front of him, thinking it unlikely he would fetch any peculiar forebodings such as a beautiful young girl. "Can I really do anything?" An Su asked politely. "As you please, as long as it sets your mind at ease." Priest replied, for people of the Esoteric Religion value acting on one''s nature and don''t have so many complicated and outdated rules, "When you step into the candlelight, you will see various illusions that arise from your memories; don''t lose your composure, or you''ll displease the deities and bring disaster." Finding the Priest''s words reasonable, An Su promptly took out the wedding gift ''Heart of Water Moon'' given by the Marquis of the Moon. The necklace flickered lightly, and its cold breath calmed the restless soul, Meanwhile, the necklace''s special effects kicked in, spreading across the long steps in a complex rotation of stars, accompanied by lively and cheerful music, instantly turning the solemn and eerie ceremony for the Evil God into a nightclub scene. Read new adventures at My Virtual Library Empire "I gaze up at the moon above..." An Su''s anxiety was greatly alleviated. "As expected of Brother Su, even your entrance has special effects," marveled Lister in his heart. As a noble and elegant aristocrat, he regretted forgetting such a detail, it was a failure indeed. If only he had known, he would have made an entrance with special effects too! Suddenly, An Su became the center of attention. On the side of the Sorrowful Cult, Bishop Rada was astonished; he thought his own sect was the most creative, but apparently, it was the young lad from the Sanctuary of Chaos who was outstanding. The Hierarchical Cult also showed admiring looks towards the Brother of the Stairs; these lovers of pleasure and chaos aspired for nothing else in life, truly Brother Stairs was cultured. Especially the Hierarchical Holy Daughter, who found this entrance so amusing she even considered asking An Su to craft one for her. The Oceanic Sect was indifferent to these proceedings, their interest lying solely in the sacrifice. Under the cover of Merlin Trait Transformation Magic, An Su appeared unappealing to the Mother Goddess, not considered a delectable feast. The only person with a grim expression was the Priest in charge of interpreting the ceremony, who truly regretted telling An Su to act on his whim. He had been in the business for more than thirty years and never encountered such an outlandish individual. It had completely tarnished the prestige of the ceremony. If this became known, his peers would laugh! Such a flashy fellow was certain to extinguish all three candles! "Get on with it," the Priest urged An Su with a hint of malevolence. By unsettling the Priest''s composure, An Su had fully adjusted his own, giving the Priest a gentle smile as he moved into the range of the candle flames. In front of the first candle made of human fat, marked with a skull, symbolizing the Mother of Sorrow. Visions appeared before An Su. He felt as if he had returned to Seden Town, to the Sorrowful Cult''s school, as flashes of memoriesa series of ordinary daily activitieszoomed past in his mind: answering questions, reciting, and the restroom signs forbidding urination anywhere... The intensity was quite average. An Su''s lips curled into a smile, but soon enough, his grin slowly froze. Chapter 180 All Three Female Guests Left the Light on for An Su (Two in One)_3 It''s a trick.This isn''t the painful reeducation, this is Hengshui Holy Academy from a past life! Lister and Arthur observed An Su''s expression, discussing, "In the painful candlelight, one will see the most painful experiences in their memory. Who knows what Ansu saw?" "My memory is of being beaten half to death by my old man when I was three," Arthur asked Lister curiously, "How about you?" Lister was silent for a while, his expression revealing a painful reluctance to look back on the past, and he slowly said, "When I was ten, I confessed to my seventeenth crush." "And then?" "Then my old man said that was my seventeenth sister," Lister said with pain in his face. Arthur''s expression also became pained, following Lister''s. "Who knows what Ansu saw to look even more pained than I am," Lister said curiously as he watched An Su. The candle of pain grew brighter and brighter at a shocking rate, astonishing everyone around. They had not expected this lad from the Sanctuary of Chaos to have such an astounding comprehension of pain. Bishop Rada even began to ponder whether to poach him from the Hierarchical Holy Daughter. The flame flared to a climax, and just when the believers thought it was over, the fire suddenly surged again, and An Su''s expression grew even more pained. After a six-year career at Hengshui Holy Academy, An Su would face a five-year medical study! Finally, when the candle of pain shone as bright as an incandescent lamp, and the flame took the shape of a book, An Su woke up. The book symbolized his path... The Priest thought to himself, a flame in the shape of a book indicated a cultist, often with a paranoid and calm demeanor, skilled at finding loopholes in rules, a trait extremely suitable for the path of a Magician. An Su''s shoulders trembled slightly as he took a deep breath, coming back from the painful memories, He stepped out of the illusion, out of the area covered by the candle of pain, and into the area of the candle of chaos. A new illusion began to form, this time somewhat normal, just a minor incident where he had caused chaos in a border city, killing tens of thousands, nothing too serious. However, the believers present did not think so, and the hierarchical believers even stood up. The lantern of chaos was even brighter and more intense than the candle of pain, the fiery light rising directly, burning upward continuously, the flames twisting into a vortex, the vortex rising endlessly, and at the end of the vortex, a giant scepter forged by flame. The scepter! What this meant, the old Priest who had interpreted fiery images for so many years, knew better than anyone. It signified that the young man''s future path would at minimum start as a regional bishop! The Hierarchical Holy Daughter, looking at the scepter of flame, her crimson eyes slightly narrowed, her expression showing immense interest. The grandeur of the flames was no less than the ones she had lit in her own time. Interesting. An Su continued forward, this time stepping into the realm covered by the candle of life. But the moment he stepped in, he felt something was off. A whole new illusion began to rise. Experience tales with My Virtual Library Empire Red wine, a dinner table, delicious dishes. The space trembled slightly, that indescribable gaze shot up instantly, and all the believers around were nearly pulled into the illusion. The other two candles almost went out at the same time, only the candle of life burned violently, never before had it burned so fiercely, the firelight was beautiful and ancient. Mad and complex knowledge poured into his mind, the eerie and beautiful red moon reflected in his thoughts. For some reason, the believers felt that the boy on the platform looked very delicious. Only the old Priest was a bit incredulous at what he saw, he was the only one who noticed in that moment, it was definitely the most outrageous thing he had ever seen. The flame on the candle of life punched the other two candles, almost snuffing them out... Sar?h the n?vel_Fire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 181 Bishop Rada: Your task is to take over An Su and the other two! (Two in One) The old Priest wiped the cold sweat off his forehead and muttered an apology. Then, he took out a magic extinguisher from the side and sprayed it frantically at the three candles. To his surprise, the candles fought back as sparks flew everywhere.The ceremonial candles were made from the rendered fat of high-rank powerful beings, and ordinary water magic couldn''t extinguish them. When the sparks landed on the nearby desk, the fire blazed up in an instant. An Su, caught between pity and confusion, stayed in the center of the array, thinking to himself, "Why is this so different from what I expected?" The young man now found himself surrounded by a ring of fire, like a little piglet being roasted. The fire blazed higher and higher, and since the alchemic magic circle was drawn with a generous amount of mercury, the liquid evaporated into toxic mercury vapor at high temperatures, quickly poisoning the air and nearly causing the old Priest to suffer from metal poisoning. The old Priest had been in this line of work for thirty years and had seen all types of esoteric religion geniuses. Yet, he had never encountered a heavyweight curiosity like An Su, who almost landed himself in the hospital! His face turned as purple as a pig''s liver. The other youngsters who pretended to be weak but were actually strong just slapped people in the face, but you, you''re actually playing with people''s lives! Space magic completely isolated the space from the outside world, creating a completely enclosed area with no ventilation. An Su''s actions caused the smoke from the flames and the toxic mercury vapor to instantly fill the entire space, subtly changing the expressions of the twenty-four geniuses of the esoteric religion present. Only An Su stood in the center of the array, as if nothing had happened to him. He was of a better constitution and had received multiple blessings and baptisms from the Mother Goddess. This kind of poison was just a sprinkle of water to him. "Legend says that when a magic Tao genius is born, there will always be omens and disasters." Lister pulled out a specially made mask and put it over his mouth and nose, analyzing seriously, "It seems Brother of the Stairs is indeed a true magic Tao genius." "We should help Brother Ansu!" Arthur was an athlete with the inherited physique of a Sun Knight, and the poisonous gas had no effect on him. He thought Lister made good sense, but then he saw how fierce the flames were. Thinking it was time for his own moment of glory to assist An Su''s prestige, he immediately took out the last bottle of ''Fire Dragon Brew'' from his pocket and hurled it towards the burning circle. Experience new stories on My Virtual Library Empire "Big Brother An Su, I''m here to help you!" The eyes of everyone there suddenly went awry. Sar?h the N?vel(F)ire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The Fire Dragon Brew made by Archduke Annand, also known as Fire Dragon Brew, was made from the heart of a high-rank Fire Dragon. Now, it smashed right onto the saintly rank human fat fire, fueling the flames and instantly increasing the power of the sun. The blazing fire engulfed the spirits and corpse oil, causing walls of fire to build upon each other and wildly spread out, with dense smoke and poisonous gas filling the air. In an instant, the entire space was engulfed in smoke. The faces of the esoteric religion geniuses turned ghostly pale. You arsonist! Although they had just sworn brotherhood with the intent of dying on the same day, they hadn''t expected to die so soonjust having sworn in before finding themselves on the verge of death. While a bit of poison had no effect on their lives, breathing too much of it would still cause dizziness. Beyond the poison, what was even more discomforting was that the flames grew fiercer. The ceremonial fire couldn''t be extinguished by ordinary magic, and since the space wasn''t ventilated and was narrow and cramped, they felt like crabs in a steamer. It wouldn''t kill them, but it was torturous nonetheless. Other geniuses'' candles might not go out, but how did yours manage to start a fire? The two bishops, who had projected themselves into this space, couldn''t extinguish the fire of the ceremony either. Now, unless the gaze of the Mother Goddess withdrew on her own, the flames would not go out. But what puzzled the bishops was why the great Mother''s gaze wouldn''t leave! Dripping with sweat, An Su stood between the arrays and cursed inwardly, "Dear Mother Goddess, stop peeping at me, will you!" "Hehe, how interesting." As for the Hierarchical Holy Daughter, Elf, she was laughing so hard tears were about to come out. Her crimson eyes were filled with delight; she wished the fire would burn even more vigorously. She hadn''t expected such a tedious ceremony to witness such a joyful scene of chaos. These folks had potential! Especially that ''Chaotic Elevator''she never expected such a remarkable talent to emerge from the Ladder Sect! It was completely beyond Elf''s expectations. The flames burned more and more intensely, and the geniuses'' faces grew increasingly desperate. They stared blankly at An Su in the center of the flames, never expecting to meet such a heavyweight figure in their lives. Especially the one who had acted like a big brother earlier. He had just claimed he would look after the younger An Su, but now, the youngster was costing him his life. Bishop Rada, the organizer of this ceremony, was brimming with pride. This was when the greatness of the Gorilla Cult was truly reflected; the believers of the pain sect didn''t have body hair and were not easily burned. Bishop Bram of the Oceanic Sect hurriedly said, "We have to open the space now and give up the stronghold of Crow Alley." He feared that if they waited any longer, the esoteric religion geniuses might suffer even more. They wouldn''t fetch a good price if sacrificed in that state. When it came to giving up the stronghold, Bishop Rada felt the sting. After all, it took several months for the believers of the pain sect to set up this spatial stronghold, and to abandon it after just a few days was a waste of manpower and resources. Moreover, it wasn''t being abandoned because of a search by the Order Church. It was because of an internal fire! If these facts were to spread, it would be a great loss of face for the Gorilla Cult. Chapter 181 Bishop Rada: Your Mission Is to Possess An Su and the Others! (Parts Combined)_2 But soon, Bishop Rada had an idea, taking advantage of the fire to pad the numbers a bit in the report to headquarters, chuckling inwardly as he immediately opened up a space. The esoteric geniuses, seeing a large opening, hurriedly scrambled out.An Su followed them out, and the moment he stepped outside, he was able to connect to the signal from Heaven. Merlin''s lazy voice came through his ear, "Oh dear, sorry about that, I just lost the signal, wasn''t slacking off, ha." The God of Law feigned concern for An Su, "I know, I know, the cult bases are dangerous, and the spatial magic structures they create are complex. I''ve been working hard at deciphering this spatial magic''s structure, absolutely no slacking." Merlin, looking at a newly constructed magic circuit, spoke seriously to An Su. "No need to construct a new magic circuit anymore." An Su, observing the fire surging in the space where the ritual fire had gone out of control since he left the array, watched as the chaotic serpent of flame rolled ceaselessly in the other-dimensional space. The structure of the space shook and was close to collapse, continually sinking down, and as the spatial magic structure was burned through, the entire base collapsed completely. The flags symbolizing the esoteric religion were burned to ashes in the flames. It was deep into the night outside, the post-rain night wind clean and clear. The dark night sky hung with stars, and the pale blue starlight dripped slowly along the horizon, falling onto the abandoned Crow Alley, covering the ashes with stardust. [One esoteric space base has been destroyed. Contributors: An Su Moningsta (90%), Arthur Sunny (5%), Lister Muen (5%).] Merlin''s eyebrows shot up. What is this thing? He''d only slacked off for a bit, how did the story progress to this stage. These little brats completely collapsed someone''s base? Ignoring the God of Law''s astonishment, An Su first ended the call. His head was still reeling from the effects of the mercury vapor; moreover, it was because of the visions he saw before the life candle. Crimson stars plummeted from the sky, the city continuously sinking, and at the table of the gods, each time the knives and forks dropped, a star fell from the sky. An Su sat at the end of this apocalyptic table, watching the world gradually devoured by the gods. "What is my fire sign?" An Su curiously asked the old Priest. The other esoteric geniuses craned their necks over, intrigued by this situation, which was new to them as well. An Su''s first two candles had burned vigorously, and the last life candle had even caused a fire. Brother of the Stairs was indeed impressive. The old Priest rolled his eyes, his complexion still a sickly purplish hue not yet faded, and he took several deep breaths before replying gruffly to An Su, "The ''book'' presented by the Painful Candle suggests that you will travel increasingly on the path of the Pain Magician, the ''scepter'' shown by the Chaos Candle indicates that you will keep climbing amidst chaos, and the last life candle..." "The last life candle?" An Su tilted his head. "Had no fire sign," the Priest shook his head, "I saw nothing. I think you might have angered the Mother Goddess, which triggered this disaster!" An Su felt that the Priest was very correct, after all, he was genuinely a saint, and angering the Mother Goddess was normal. Arthur was discontent with the Priest''s words, "What do you mean angered the Mother Goddess? My brother of the stairs is clearly an esoteric genius. I think it''s obviously the Mother Goddess''s overwhelming fondness for Brother of the Stairs, fervent as fire, that triggered the blaze." The Priest gave Arthur a sidelong glance and didn''t respond to his nonsense. After interpreting the will of the Mother Goddess for decades as a renowned divination archmage, how could this brutish disciple from the Painful Court understand the Mother Goddess''s intentions as he could? However, the old Priest actually had another interpretation he did not voice, thinking it too absurd, that saying it would only make him the butt of the joke, so he chose not to mention it. Perhaps the engulfment of the entire space by the fire of life was the fire sign revealed by the ritual. In mystical terms, space also symbolizes the world; if all of this were true, all the old worlds would collapse in the flames of this young man, with the Serpent of Pain and the Saint Heir serving as the helping hands to stoke the world''s fire. But this was too ludicrous, almost less plausible than having angered the Mother Goddess. In any event, the ritual was thoroughly concluded. The esoteric geniuses who had escaped from the sea of fire all felt a sense of survival after a calamity. Bishop Rada looked at everyone with satisfaction, confirming that there was not a single infiltrator among the Cultistsall were trustworthy, all were eligible to compete for the rank of Saint Heir within their Sect. Especially that kid known as Brother of the Stairs, the candle was so bright it could cause a fire hazard, definitely a big villain. And the brightness of this youth''s Painful Candle was also quite notable, which shows that he''s particularly attuned to the Painful Esoteric Sect. And the fire element that appeared was ''books''. This indicates that the kid is also quite cultured. Bishop Rada even thought about poaching An Su into his own Gorilla Cult. With this smart brain aiding them, their Cult''s cultural level would definitely improve greatly, and it wouldn''t be the butt of jokes any longer. They would also have a better chance against Merlin. He cleared his throat, and the authority of the Demigod spread out, instantly silencing the noisy scene. Bishop Rada surveyed everyone with dignity and slowly said, "It seems everyone present is indeed trustworthy." "After observing by the three of us, we have selected the most loyal candidates." The attendants beside distributed a list, and An Su looked carefully; all were Cult geniuses with three candles fully lit, including him, Lister, Arthurnine people in total. "Those not on the list can leave now," said Bishop of the Sea coldly, immediately causing quite an uproar among the Cult geniuses. But in front of a Demigod, no one dared to act rashly, so they had to swallow their dissatisfaction and leave the Crow Alley dejectedly. Once the majority had gone, the formerly crowded Crow Alley cleared out. An Su observed the Believers around him, those remaining were the elite of the elite, nearly of Fourth Order, and despite the ordeal by ceremonial fire earlier, their complexions remained unchanged. The Painful Attendants cast a simple Space Magic at the entrance of the Alley, isolating all the noise from outside. "The few of you present are the most loyal Believers to the three great Esoteric Religions," Bishop Rada said with satisfaction. "I am very pleased with all of your performances, and now it''s time to entrust you with the most confidential plan of the Church Nation." Lister nodded, as he had always been a member of the Life Esoteric Church, very loyal indeed. Arthur, who was also present, clapped his hands; he, too, always graduated from the School of Pain, a true-blue member.. An Su, also present, wore a face full of agreement, being fiercely loyal himself, as the Mayor of Chaos, to the Church Nation. In the magic communication, Merlin, the Radiant Bishop also present, agreed; the Radiant Bishop was most loyal to the Esoteric Religion, with half of the God of Law''s magic being plagiarized from these three Esoteric Religions, and hence, his loyalty needs no further proof. The four of them all listened intently, eager to know the Church Nation''s top-secret grand plan. Bishop Rada looked around sternly: Your next journey awaits at My Virtual Library Empire "We have been hiding in Farol for several months now, assassinating saints during the Holy Saint exam was just a fa?ade within our grand plan, a diversion for the Church''s Nation strategy." "Our true objective is to seize the opportunity of the imperial capital''s internal chaos and emptiness. While the Demigod of the Church is too busy dealing with internal assassinations to be distracted, our Painful Cavalry will then launch a border strike and take over the empire''s border lands." "Finally, in cooperation from within and without, the empire will fall." sea??h th N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "But before this, there is an obstacle, which is the three major powers within the border areas. If they resist, it will prevent the Esoteric Religion from gaining the upper hand immediately. Once the Demigod of the Church recovers and comes to aid, the plan will fail," said Bishop Rada with a cold expression, yet feeling smug inside. Their plan was incredibly sinister and perfect. Such a terrifying and concealed plan, that man Merlin would never be able to guess. "However, the three heirs of the top border families, An Su Moningsta, Arthur Sunny, and Lister Muen, are currently inside the Radiant Holy See." "They are similar in age and rank to you, and you have proven your loyalty to the Esoteric Religion, making you the most suitable candidates. With the Transformation Spell from the Sanctuary of Chaos, you can take possession of their bodies!" Bishop Rada, inscrutable, addressed the nine Cultists including An Su: "Your ultimate mission is to infiltrate the Radiant Holy See, impersonate An Su, Arthur, and Lister!" "Whoever succeeds will be the Quasi-Holy Child of our three great Sects!" Chapter 182 Lister: Can Approach Them Using Beauty Trap (Combined) ```"You who usurp the bodies of An Su, Arthur, and Lister, whoever succeeds will become the Quasi-Holy Child of our three great sects!" ``` Bishop Rada''s voice resonated with power, stirring great waves among the esoteric geniuses. Discover hidden stories at My Virtual Library Empire The geniuses all began to discuss amongst themselves, all saying that this shocking plan was far from simple. And extremely perilous at that. sea??h th N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. On the surface, it seemed only a matter of usurping the bodies of three saints, but the actual execution was as difficult as climbing to heaven, the prerequisite being to infiltrate the inner workings of the Church; and with a Demigod always guarding the Radiant Holy See, any slip would mean they would have to pay with their lives on the spot. Moreover, it was rumored that this An Su Moningsta had a close friendship with Merlin, the head of the Radiance, serving as Merlin''s personal barber. If the plan were exposed to the God of Law, the esoteric geniuses dared not think of the terrifying consequences. Magic God Merlin''s infamy in the Church Nation was enough to silence the cries of children at night. Having one''s head severed by the Judgment Light was the least of the punishments, and it was said that this Archmage was also obsessed with toying with souls; one might even have one''s own soul squished into a dough-like shape. But fortunately, His Excellency the Archmage was guarding Heaven and would absolutely not know of their scheming. The esoteric geniuses heaved a collective sigh of relief within their hearts. Thankfully, the God of Law could not see their plan. Meanwhile, on the other end, His Excellency Merlin in Heaven also breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully, I can pretend not to see their plan. Merlin had no desire to work overtime. The Church and the esoteric religion had reached a rare agreement. "My friends, there''s no need to be tense." Seeing the serious and somber expressions on the faces of the Chaos Followers, An Su, as the Quasi-Holy Child of Chaos, naturally needed to understand his loyal subordinates'' troubles, to boost everyone''s morale. He earnestly said, "It''s just the mere Lister and Arthur, a couple of chickens and dogs, what''s there to fear?" "It''s only that An Su Moningsta who might be a bit more formidable, blessed with handsome looks, bright talents, a simple character, and a pure heart. Even I, the Brother of the Stairs, have to admire such a unique genius. What a man! Aside from him, there is nothing particularly difficult about this mission." The Chaos Followers showed reflective expressions. They thought Brother of the Stairs had a point. With Brother of the Stairs'' tremendous talents, even lighting a candle could start a fire. Since even he was so wary of An Su Moningsta, it appeared that this person was definitely a rising star of the Church, a genius among geniuses, while the other two were useless. Arthur also saw the heavy expressions on the faces of the Serpent of Pain''s followers. As the Quasi-Holy Child of pain, it was also his turn to say a few words. He then spoke aloud, "My friends, there''s no need to worry." "In my view, both Lister and An Su are just so-so, and only that Arthur Sunny is worthy of a bit of precaution," "It''s said that he is a natural-born Sun Warrior, inheriting the bloodline of a Demigod, his actions are noble and just, and even I, the Serpent of Pain, marvel at his courage and perception! Apart from this Arthur, the other two don''t matter." The followers of pain also showed reflective expressions. They thought the Serpent of Pain had a point. The Serpent of Pain dared to go to the bathroom without any tissue, and even he had such high regard for Arthur''s bravery; thus, this Arthur Sunny should not be underestimated, and the other two were useless. On the side of the Life Followers, Lister felt it necessary to say something as well. "Please hear my words, both Arthur and An Su are morally deficient; only that Lisiter Muen is truly a noble talent, the most worrisome..." The Life Followers also showed reflective expressions. They thought the words of the Son of Devotion were nonsense. That An Su was the one-of-a-kind Child of the Curse in the whole world, probably delicious, and if Arthur was indeed of low moral standard, then he would certainly suit the taste of the Mother Goddess; Lister was the most useless and not worth the concern. After this morale-boosting rally led by the three An Sus, the followers of the three great sects reached a consensus, taking the intersection of their conclusions, they deemed Lister the most useless and the other two as geniuses. Bishop Rada saw the ongoing discussion below and snorted coldly, instantly quieting the whole room. "This secret matter must be carefully planned and prepared. Remember that no one else can know, and within your respective groups, keep the specific implementation details confidential. Now, I will give time and space for each sect to discuss separately. Followers of the Gorilla Cult, come to me." The classic group discussion ensued. A total of nine esoteric geniuses remained, with three from each sect. Aside from An Su and the Chaotic Elevator, the Ladder Sect also had a girl wrapped in a hood with pale green hair, known as ''Chaos Escalator''. They, the three Chaotic Stairs, came before the projection of the Hierarchical Holy Daughter. This was An Su''s first time seeing Elf''s real face; the last time, the Holy Maiden had taken on the guise of Alice. Elf was perched on a corner wall of Crow Alley, her long legs crossed and lightly shaking in boredom, toying with the wall''s moss-covered dewdrops. She hung her head low, eyes crimson and indifferent, betraying her boredom, her face screaming, "How has this goddamn meeting not ended yet?" She hadn''t paid attention at all to Demigod Rada''s speech since the meeting started. Even the words of a Demigod did not concern the Hierarchical Holy Daughter. Elf was young but had already reached the Saintly Rank. If Magic God Merlin was the youngest Demigod, then Hierarchical Holy Daughter Ael was the youngest saint. Upon seeing An Su and his companions approaching, Ael propped up her chin, her gaze turning intrigued as if watching a play unfold. Chapter 182 Lister: Can Approach Them Using a Beauty Trap (Combined Chapter)_2 "I''m about to speak with the Hierarchical Holy Daughter..."An Su noticed that Brother of the Stairs had become nervous; this robust man, who had boasted when drunk that he would surpass the Hierarchical Holy Daughter, now seemed unnatural even when talking to her in person after sobering up. And another genius known as the Chaos Escalator also appeared tense at this moment. It seemed that in the eyes of the Chaos Followers, Elfu was indeed a saint of unassailable sanctity. To disrupt the world, subvert order, fool people''s hearts, she had never failed in her chaotic career, flawless. Only the Demigod of the Sanctuary of Chaos knew of any misstep Elfu might have taken. "Did you just say An Su Moningsta was a genius?" As An Su approached, Elfu spoke coldly. "Want to die?" The tone was icy. Laden with a dense intent to kill. This was a show of force to An Su and his group, the Hierarchical Holy Daughter was well-versed in domination; the Chaos Followers would not take instruction, and she needed to establish her authority from the very beginning. Especially with that Chaos Staircase, Elfu immediately saw that he was a thorn in the side, one that must be battered upon meeting. Moreover, the mere mention of the name An Su, Set Elfu in a state of irritation, and that annoyance extended to the Staircase of Pain as well. The Chaotic Elevator instantly broke into a cold sweat, thinking that Brother of the Stairs had erred, daring to offend the Hierarchical Holy Daughter. The consequences of offending the Hierarchical Holy Daughter were similar to those of offending Merlin; one''s soul could be pinched into a doughy mess. He felt it was necessary to clearly distance himself from this sworn brother of his. An Su looked up to see the Hierarchical Holy Daughter perched, legs dangling, upon the alley wall, gazing straight into those crimson eyes, and said honestly, "An Su Moningsta scored first place in the Radiant Holy See''s written examination, with a perfect hundred percent, and he has never boasted about his achievements; he''s genuinely more gifted." "Humph," Elfu snorted coldly, "A mere written examination from the Radiant Holy See, I could also come in first." "I don''t believe it," An Su retorted, "In the Exorcism Ritual, what is the incense made from?" "Tree oil from hundred-year-old firewoods," the sinister Hierarchical Holy Daughter snorted, replying with ease. "What are the four great virtues of a Knight of Holy Light?" An Su continued. "Honesty, mercy, justice, bravery," the Hierarchical Holy Daughter responded immediately. "How can one slay a Chaotic Witch!" "First, seal the witch''s soul with holy forest wood to prevent it from escaping the body, then hammer into her chest with a nail imbued with Holy Water, and finally..." The Hierarchical Holy Daughter spoke with ease, displaying talent that could place her first in next year''s saint examination. Even Merlin on the other end listened with nods of approval, scoring her one hundred percent. An Su was even more impressed and sincerely said, "Your Holiness, you''ve won, you truly are the genius of Holy Light, An Su pales in comparison." Pleased by the praise, Elfu hummed lightly, her petal-like eyes blinking, thinking to take this fellow down a peg, she couldn''t lose her composure, so she immediately turned cold again, "That''s all, the mere saint examination, what''s so hard about it?" Watching the conversation between the two, the Chaotic Elevator felt somewhat dizzy, finding the situation rather bizarre. Indeed a Chaotic Saintess, having greatly mastered the ways of chaos, she had brought confusion upon himself instantly. Unaware that Elfu had been secretly studying Holy Light questions, he only assumed that Her Holiness was a naturally gifted prodigy, attaining knowledge innately. "Boring." Elfu snorted, feeling much cheerier upon hearing the Staircase expressing that An Su was far beneath her, and the lad suddenly became more pleasing to her eyes, "Let me test you, if you had to get close to An Su, how would you do it?" Elfu didn''t believe the Chaos Staircase could succeed. Your next chapter is on My Virtual Library Empire An Su was meticulous and cautious; Elfu had observed for many days and had yet to pinpoint any weakness in his character. Staying in the Nether World all year round, merely with the young man''s rank, infiltrating the Church amounted to seeking death. Although Elfu looked down on An Su, she had to admit that he was the only case where she had misstepped. Although there was also the fact that Elfu had underestimated him, as last time she was only a projection in the imperial city, with her true body far away in the Church Nation. sea??h th N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. This time, her real body came to clear this unknown shame. "Knowledge!" An Su provided her answer. "If it were me approaching An Su, I would cater to his interests," An Su immediately replied, "Use knowledge as a gift to close the gap, and lead him to corruption." "An Su, I have observed him for a long time now, he appears flawless, but in reality, he has a fatal defect." With a calm smile on her lips, An Su said, "Deep inside, he is extremely corrupt, and he craves progress." "He has a frenzied interest in all kinds of forbidden magic, a secret only I know. If we tempt him with forbidden knowledge and spells, he will surely sink deeper into the abyss of the forbidden." "We''ll let An Su fall deeper into temptation, and when he can no longer turn back, when his heart is at its most evil and vulnerable, then we''ll take possession of him!" Chaos Escalator spoke very seriously and in detail, acting as if he knew An Su very well. The previous generation''s chaos magic was all copied by Merlin, and now it''s An Su''s turn to copy the new generation''s chaos magic! An Su''s gaze towards the cultists became warmer; what kind of esoteric religion is this? It''s completely a universal wish machine. So that''s how it is. Upon hearing these words from An Su, the Hierarchical Holy Daughter felt as if she had an epiphany, realizing that she should have thought of this approach as well. The An Su she knew had previously used forbidden hypnotic magical tools, indicating that he was not averse to forbidden knowledge but even quite yearned for it. This matched exactly what Chaos Escalator had said. Looking at it this way, the method proposed by Chaos Escalator seemed feasible. The young man was not bad, he could bring joy and propose plans. The Hierarchical Holy Daughter jumped down from the wall, her bare feet stepping onto the damp earth, her dark red skirt trailing in the dust along with her. Though she was but a projection, she did not get dirty, remaining spotlessly clean. She walked in front of An Su''s group, "Let''s decide on this." "Let''s proceed with this plan for now." Surveying the three esoteric geniuses, she said, "First, let''s send some gifts to that An Su, seducing him into corruption. Remember, before the advancement examination, you must take possession of An Su Moningstaotherwise, it''ll be considered a failure." The elf felt a bit tired, she yawned lazily and waved at the three men, "Dismissed." "In three days, I''ll return to hear your progress reports." Her projection began to fade, her skirt moving as if by a wind, transforming into blood-red roses that bloomed in the air, whirling around, petal by petal, until all the flowers had scattered. In Crow Alley, no trace of the Hierarchical Holy Daughter remained, only her chilling words echoed through the alley. "Should you fail, I will take matters into my own hands." _ "How can we get close to Arthur Sunny?" On the other side, when Bishop Rada of Painful Court asked how they could take possession of the Sun Knight Arthur, Serpent of Pain Arthur immediately provided his answer: "Money!" Arthur replied with pride, "Arthur Sunny is a radiant Holy Knight, after years of research, pennilessness is also a rare branch of Holy Light." "For some unknown reason, his father has cut off his living expenses for the year. If we tempt him with money, it will inevitably lead him to corruption, and eventually, we can take possession of him." Because of the last incident with deceiving his father for a dowry, the angry Grandfather Annand cut off Arthur''s allowance. Now he''s at his most cash-strapped. Arthur''s gaze towards these Painful Court followers also became affectionate; what kind of esoteric believers are these? They''re essentially the most universal wish machines. On the other side. On the side of Life Ecclesia, Lister also gave his answer. "Beauty Trap!" He calmly pushed his glasses up, his elegant gaze sweeping over all the believers of Life Ecclesia, lingering on a sexy and beautiful young female believer, then moving on, his eyes sweeping past several voluptuous, sexy, and tall sister priests, in his eyes, only affection. This was simply a universal wish machine. "I think we can use a beauty trap to cause Lister to fall!" Chapter 183 An Su: I have taken over the entire Sect! (Two in One) After preliminary discussions, the geniuses of the Esoteric Religion established the guidelines for their operation.They planned to approach the Borderland Triumvirs simultaneously from three aspects: knowledge, wealth, and beauty. After gaining their trust, they would strike at their most relaxed moment and possess their souls! A perfect plan. "I think we could also try to possess Merlin." His Excellency the Archmage conveyed a mental message to An Su, "Merlin likes knowledge and is in need of money; currently, he also lacks a beautiful girlfriend." "He has so many character flaws, the ideal target for possession. If we could possess the Holder of Heaven, our grand mission of the Great Cult will soon be within reach. Dominating the Entire Nether World will be as easy as taking something by hand. An Su, go and put in a good word for me." "I will coordinate well with the possession." Seeing that the Borderland Triumvirs had all made their New Year''s wishes, Merlin, far away in Heaven, also began making wishes to An Su. An Su''s eyes twitched slightly. He knew Merlin was unreliable. Everyone else''s grandfathers were giving the protagonist skills, gold, and girlfriends, but his own grandfather was doing the opposite, asking the protagonist for skills, gold, and girlfriends. In truth, it didn''t matter whether he received a New Year''s gift or not; Merlin mainly wanted someone to possess him for a change. To have his body possessed while at work, and then reclaim it during his time off. Truly perfect. Explore hidden tales at My Virtual Library Empire "Go and speak to me, go and speak to me, go and speak to me..." An Su really couldn''t cope with this old man''s nagging in his ear and reluctantly said, "Okay, I''ll go and sweet-talk them. Watch me." He then cut off his soul communication with Merlin and found Bishop Rada, first making a respectful gesture, "Your Excellency the Bishop, I also have a plan." The meeting was almost over by then, and each of the three Sects had discussed how to deal with those three individuals. Bishop Rada also found himself with some free time. Bishop Rada had a good impression of this young man before him; he seemed quick-witted. If it weren''t for his pesky hair, he might even be brighter than Rada himself. If circumstances allowed, he would shave off his hair and then recruit him into the Gorilla Sect, starting as a staff member to enhance their Sect''s cultural literacy. "Speak," urged Bishop Rada, touching his own bright head with a solemn expression. "I suggest we pull off a big one!" An Su displayed a look of utter loyalty to the Esoteric Religion, "We strike directly at the heart of the matter. The three geniuses of the Great Cult take action one after the other, capturing An Su, Arthur, and Lister, then infiltrating Heaven under the guise of a royal barber. At that time, with our combined efforts from within and without, utilizing all the treasures and women of our three Sects to close in on Mage God Merlin, you will finally take action personally, and possess Merlin. Then, the Entire Heaven will be in our hands!" Bishop Rada was shocked, barely able to maintain his solemn composure. This fellow from the Chaotic Staircase was truly an exceptional person, daring to think about possessing an Archmage, something even Rada himself wouldn''t dare to imagine. This kid was a bit too extreme. Bishop Rada shook his head and said to An Su, "You''re thinking too idealistically. I understand Merlin, this man, and even if we had him physically, we wouldn''t have his heart." An Su wondered what they needed his heart for. Sar?h the ovelFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "What I mean is, we won''t get him so easily. I understand Merlin; he will certainly resist to the death to protect Heaven. Whether it''s money, beauty, or even forbidden magic, none can sway him." Bishop Rada acted as if he had a deep understanding of Merlin. However, An Su''s bold idea impressed Rada, and he reassessed the young man, rating him higher and considering how to possess the Radiant Bishop. Truly the most loyal Believer to the Mother Goddess. A wise general. The outside world was unaware, but Rada knew very well, that the Sect he led seemed flourishing yet was fraught with serious internal strife. At this critical tipping point, the Sect desperately needed a wise general to provide strategic insight and save the Sect from peril. If possible, Rada planned to shave his head and recruit him into the Gorilla Cult. "Let''s put this plan aside for now," Bishop Rada declined An Su''s proposal, disappointing His Excellency the Archmage, who secretly thought these members of the Esoteric Religion lacked vision. Such a stingy wish-granting turtle. "But your line of thinking isn''t bad," stated Bishop Rada, affirming An Su''s thought process, then suggested, "How about shaving off your head and joining the Gorilla Sect I lead, serving as my aide? With your assistance, the rise of the Esoteric Religion is just a matter of time." As the patriarch of the Gorilla Sect, Bishop Rada was even considering offering this young man a position. The personal invitation from the Demigod left the surrounding Priests astounded. The Gorilla Sect, originally named the Crimson Sect, had the most horrifying Crimson Legion, invading and colonizing the Nether World, one of the mightiest armies of the Painful Esoteric Sect. Countless Believers considered it an honor to join the Crimson Sect. However, that glory was in the past. For some reason, since changing its name to the Gorilla Sect, the number of young people joining the army had decreased, and many Believers resigned. The deputy bishop who had suggested the name change was already fired by Rada. Rada was now widely recruiting wise generals, to grant a new name to his Sect. Upon hearing about the situation from others, An Su instantly understood and quickly said, "Your Excellency the Bishop, you jest. I have been the most loyal Believer to the Mother Goddess of Chaos since ancient times, how could I possibly abandon my faith?" Just a staff position wasn''t enough to make An Su switch faiths; the offer was too low. Chapter 183 An Su: I Have Possessed the Entire Sect! (Two in One)_2 An Su''s smile was calm; he had to fight for himself.Status was something one had to fight for. "However, regarding the naming of a sect, I can offer my counsel." Initially displeased at being directly rejected, Rada''s expression eased upon hearing An Su offer to help with advice, deciding to listen to what he had to say. "In my opinion, although the Gorilla Sect is bold, it''s still too uncultured. Why not choose a homophone and call it the Star Sect?" An Su had the look of someone considering what was best for another. His expression was earnest, his pale blue eyes brimming with loyalty. Miss Yangzi has the Ri Zi Sect, Miss Yue Er has the Full Moon Precious Sect, and even the deceased Kavensis has his knights, So it wouldn''t be unreasonable for him, An Su, to have a little Star Sect of his own. "The Star Sect?" Bishop Rada pondered the sect''s name, finding it more pleasant the more he thought about it, and inquired, "What does this name signify?" "Knights of Sorrow traverse the starry skies, conquering world after world, just as the Oceanic Sect''s journey is across the oceans, hence the name Oceanic. Our journey is the vast sea of stars, so we name it Star. We believe in pain, we believe in the multitude of stars!" An Su swayed Bishop Rada with a flurry of flattery, making the bishop think there was great wisdom in his words. Discover stories with My Virtual Library Empire He consulted the nearby Knights of Sorrow priests, who all agreed it was an excellent name, praising, ''The name is beautiful,'' ''Bishop, you are a genius!'' ''From now on, we are followers of the Star Sect.'' After all, no matter how you look at it, it was at least a bit more credible than the Gorilla Sect! Seeing the strong public support, Bishop Rada was very satisfied. He slapped An Su on the shoulder, making a decision, "From now on, it will be called the Star Sect." "Then you will be the bishop of the Star Sect, Commander of the Star Legion!" As the patriarch of the Star Sect, An Su assigned little Rada a role, "In time, the rise of the Esoteric Religion is imminent." Bishop Rada thought this was An Su''s way of flattering him and laughed heartily, satisfied, "Good, from now on, I will lead the Star Legion, crushing all powerful enemies!" He grew fonder of An Su, summoning someone to bring a dagger dripping with fresh blood and handing it to An Su. Upon receiving it, An Su was hit by the strong smell of blood. [Blade of Sorrowful Blood] [Legendary Low Rank] [Effect: Anyone wounded by it can be made to bleed incessantly from the targeted spot, lasting for ten minutes] [Note: The blood is a tribute] "This is your reward," Bishop Rada declared. An Su accepted the gift from the believer without any qualms. He truly was the patriarch. The Blade of Sorrowful Blood was adorned with alchemic inscriptions all over it, and the spine of the sword, crafted from mithril, was a red as vibrant as spilled blood, almost as if it were flowing. This dagger had another name in his previous life, called ''The Aunt''s Blade,'' believed to be in the possession of the Crimson Cult. An Su hadn''t expected to get his hands on it so soon. The oath turtle indeed proved reliable. He concealed the dagger within his sleeve, securing it close to his body. The Esoteric Religion felt as familiar as home; he would have to visit more often. Elsewhere, Arthur and Lister also reaped considerable rewards. Arthur demanded at least ten thousand Gold Coins, declaring emphatically that Arthur Sunny was a devout and noble knight, who couldn''t be easily swayed by money, only considerably swayed by money, hence the need to pay more. But the geniuses from the Sorrowful Cult were sufficiently well-off, and after gritting their teeth, they managed to scrape together two to three thousand Gold Coins. Bishop Rada of the Star Sect was in high spirits; seeing these fellows dither, he decided to flaunt the sect''s prestige, "The Star Sect will reimburse fifty percent!" They were petty and lacking vision. Upon hearing the church would reimburse sixty percent, the Sorrowful geniuses felt reassured, and with someone backing them, they grew bolder. With that in mind, for the sake of the mission and to become the Saint Heir, they decided to go all out, even if it meant financial ruin. They were determined not to fall behind others. "I''ll contribute four thousand!" "My family will contribute six thousand!" The geniuses from the Esoteric Religion began to show their magnitude. Yet the most conspicuous was Arthur, who, upon learning that the church would reimburse half, lit up with clear and bright eyes. With a quick-thinking mind, he raised his hand. His declaration was astonishing and confident, magnificent and glorious like the sun, and he proudly said, "I will contribute ten thousand alone!" Leaving everyone speechless. The surrounding cultists all inhaled sharply, not expecting the Serpent of Pain to have such capabilities; even with the Church reimbursing half, the Serpent of Pain himself had to fork out five thousand Gold Coins. Such generosity, such a grand vision. What was even more astonishing was the look in the Serpent of Pain''s eyes, neither pained nor sorrowful, but replaced with a fiery zeal, as if sacrificing one''s fortune for the grand cause of the Esoteric Religion was a matter of course. This selfless spirit was truly admirable. Sar?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. On the side of the Life Believers, Lister also began the beauty contest. "According to my professional observation," Lister pushed up his glasses with aloofness, "Lister is the most elegant and noble-born of aristocrats, ordinary women cannot captivate him, we must go for the heavy hitters." "Firstly, those born at the borders are not to be considered." He stressed. The Life Believers, due to being regularly blessed with life, were all beauties; Lister, according to his gentlemanly taste, selected several enchanting and elegant Priestess "big sisters" and two young, attractive female devotees, Under the long-term influence of his father, Lister''s eye was so discerning and his opinions convincing. Over at the side of the Chaos Followers, they also sorted out quite a bit of exclusive forbidden knowledge. After today''s performance, the Chaos Stairway, the Serpent of Pain, and the Offering Child stood out, hailed as the ''Esoteric Triumvirate'' of the new generation. All three sects had a bright future. As time gradually moved forward, the night''s darkness faded away, and the morning light began to reveal a glimmer along the horizon. Crow Alley was slowly ignited by the breaking dawn, and the meeting progressed to its final segment. "Now, I shall announce the last matter," "This is also your second mission, or rather, in addition to yourselves, the common mission of the three hundred Second Order Believers, a hundred Third Order Believers, and thirty Fourth Order Priests lurking in the imperial capital." "Six days from now, the Seven Gods Hall will officially open to the outside world, and the acolytes from across the country will gradually arrive in the imperial capital." "That will be when the assassination plan for the acolytes formally begins." Bishop Rada huffed lightly, the demigod''s oppressive aura spreading around, instantly silencing Crow Alley. "Before the ascension exam arrives, for every pre-saint you assassinate, the three great Esoteric Churches will reward fifty devotion points, which can be exchanged within the Esoteric Churches for any Magic, combat skills, and Magical Tools." "Of course, this assassination task is only secondary; what you must complete first is to overtake An Su, Arthur, and Lister, this must be done within six days! After you take over these three, it will also help the sect with the assassination plan!" "Those who succeed will be responsible for connecting and leading the assassination squads six days later." An Su and his companions'' eyes flickered with intense fighting spirit. They must lead the assassination team well. They will not disappoint the organization''s expectations and ensure that, by the time of the big examination, at most only five believers will be able to participate! Undoubtedly, this is another win-win. Eliminate a saint, the Esoteric Church rewards fifty devotion points. Report a cultist, and the Order Church will also reward fifty devotion points. The Esoteric Church acquired a saint; the Church captured an undercover, all have a bright future. For everyone to reap the brightest future, the fighting spirit in the eyes of An Su and his group grew even more intense. That strong intent to kill made the surrounding believers shudder inside, thinking how terrifying the eyes of these three were. "One final matter." Bishop Rada distributed nine scrolls, each person receiving one, "This is the Sanctuary of Chaos''s Transformation Spell, everyone take it home tonight to observe ahead of time, and tomorrow the Hierarchical Holy Daughter will inspect everyone''s learning results." "No one can help you, this is also a test of your talents!" "Dismissed!" An Su finally got his hands on the Chaotic Shape-shifting Magic he had long coveted, very pleased with himself. However, the other two were still rather clueless; in such situations, they had to go back to Heaven to ask for a famous teacher''s guidance, and they also had many matters to report to the Church. Spiritual communication was not in real-time, Merlin had not heard many things. Exiting Crow Alley, entering the Magic Guild, rising to the tenth floor, stepping into Heaven. "How did it go, did you succeed?" Merlin asked expectantly. The Sorrowful Cult, please come and take over me already. He couldn''t stand that lousy class any longer. "It''s done," An Su nodded, proudly declared, "I''ve taken over the Sorrowful Cult; they''re now renamed the Star Cult." "...?" Chapter 184 An Su Discovers a New Way to Pledge Allegiance (Two in One) Heaven.Dusk and dawn exchanged places once more, with pale clouds spreading over the long stairs and thick sunlight gushing along the edges of Heaven''s gates. Merlin stood at the end of the steps, his pure white pupils looking down upon the beings of Heaven with a serious expression; uncertainty flickered in the depths of his eyes, as if pondering the most vast and complex ultimate question of the universe. His every gesture exuded the ancient majesty of the God of Law, especially as the chief radiant being, shimmering with blinding sunlight. Merlin touched his head worryingly, wondering why his hair hadn''t started growing back yet. The magic of An Su was very strange, Once cut, it wouldn''t grow back. He sighed lightly. Beneath the steps, An Su presented himself proudly to Merlin, seeking credit for his achievements. Merlin''s eyelid twitched slightly. Looking at An Su, it didn''t seem like he was lying. The Holy Light in the pupils of the God of Law shimmered slowly, illuminating An Su''s heart, which revealed sheer sincerity; it seemed this lad wasn''t boasting after allthe Pain Sect had indeed been renamed as the Star Cult. These three lads took a tour through the Esoteric Religion, burned down their stronghold, seized their beautiful women and money, and now even the Sect had taken An Su''s name. Merlin began to doubt who the real cultists were. "So what about my request?" Merlin was more concerned about whether some idiotic Demigod would come to possess him, sparing him from work. "Once I''m completely in control of the Star Cult, I''ll send Bishop Rada, one of my generals, to possess you," An Su had already started to act like the master of the Star Esoteric Sect, generously making promises to Merlin. "How far have you taken control now?" Merlin''s face darkened; he felt the lad was all talk. "I can now assign work to bishops," An Su said seriously, "I just appointed him as the legion commander of the Star Cult." Does Rada know it was you who appointed him? Merlin didn''t want to talk to this lad anymore; he cast a silencing spell on An Su in an instant, sealing his mouth. [An Su Moningsta has been muted for thirty minutes by the rotating curator of Heaven] An Su fell silent. Damned privilege dog. Silencing magic is very powerful and valuable legendary magic, capable of forbidding a Magician''s chanting and preventing the casting of spells. In a battle, it plays a key role in determining victory or defeat. For all magicians, silencing magic is not to be used casually, yet Merlin treated it like a silencing technique. Explore stories at My Virtual Library Empire This guy is petty and intolerant of slight, silencing others when he can''t win an argument. In the future, when I become the leader of the Star Cult, I''ll mute you too. An Su criticized Merlin in his heart. "You haven''t even completed the most important task, how can you have the face to see me!" Unable to speak, Merlin started to directly criticize An Su. Upon seeing this, Arthur brought up the list of Cultists who had sworn brotherhoodtwenty-seven Esoteric Religion geniuses arranged by Rank, detailing not just their names and contact information, but also the areas where they were hiding, even including the names of their immediate family members; it was very thorough. The list also bore a line in large characters: "Wishing to die on the same year, same month, same day." Price tags were marked according to the Rank: fifty devotion points for Third Order, a hundred for Fourth Order, excluding themselves, there were a total of twenty Third Order and four Fourth Order, amounting to 1400 devotion points. "Your Excellency Merlin, we''ve already sorted everything out," Arthur said with a bright smile, "These are all the brothers who participated in this meeting, our sworn brothers, adding up to fourteen hundred devotion points. Arthur and I take three parts each, Brother Su gets four parts." They calculated the share for their sworn brothers. When Merlin received the list, the corner of his mouth twitched, and he said with a displeased look, "Have you really sworn brotherhood with the cultists?" "Talking about these matters in front of me with no reverence, are you scorning my dignity?" Obviously, the pressure around them dipped in an instant. Arthur felt Merlin''s genuine rage, the fury of the God of Law chilling to the bone. Arthur recalled the rumors that Bishop Merlin was a Demigod of the Holy Light, who abhorred evil and will tolerate no wickedness or blasphemy. It seemed that their brotherhood with the cultists had crossed a line with the radiant Demigod. Merlin looked like he was about to execute them on the spot. In the tense atmosphere, Merlin slowly spoke, each word weighing heavy on Arthur''s heart, "Where''s my share of the benefits?" That gaze from the pure white eyes stared intently at Arthur, who had deeply offended Merlin''s bottom line by not giving a share to the radiant Demigod, showing no respect. Cold sweat broke out on Arthur. Sarch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. It was time to show brotherly loyalty, a gleam of light flashed in Arthur''s eyes. He quickly pointed to the innocent-looking An Su, expressing his brotherly spirit, "An Su took one part more than us, your share was taken by him as a kickback!" You son of a... The silenced An Su, unable to voice his grievances, could only glower fiercely. [An Su Moningsta has been muted for one hour by the rotating curator of Heaven] [Arthur Sunny has been muted for thirty minutes by the rotating curator of Heaven] Efficiently casting two more silencing spells, Merlin felt invigorated by the sensation of authority. Lister, seeing Merlin strike down two people, broke into a cold sweat. Merlin''s malicious pure white eyes then turned towards Lister. The lad managed to rile Merlin the most, even starting a beauty contest within the Esoteric Religion. Chapter 184 An Su Discovers a New Pledge of Allegiance (Two in One)_2 It''s simply the disgrace of the Radiant Holy See.Lister was a man of high emotional intelligence, a noble who had spent years mingling in the upper echelons of society; naturally, he knew what to say and what not to say. His clever brain swiftly processed the information, and Arthur had already figured out why Merlin was displeased. Quite simply, His Excellency Merlin, having long guarded Heaven, must feel lonely by himself, and thus he had some demands. Since that was the case, it would be wise to cater to his preferences. "His Excellency Merlin!" Calmly pushing up his glasses, Lister proclaimed, "This humble one has infiltrated the Esoteric Religion and, after observing in secret and seeing countless beautiful women, has finally found the most ravishing beauty to present to His Excellency Merlin." The Holy Light in Merlin''s eyes flickered. This kid seemed quite emotionally intelligent. Merlin didn''t make a statement but said indifferently, "Who? Really, I''m bored. What''s her name? I don''t care about these things. She''s not a woman from the Pain Sect, right? They don''t have hair, not pretty... I''m not interested, just casually asking." Seeing the Archmage''s demeanor, Lister thought he wouldn''t be silenced anymore. But when it came down to who exactly it was, Lister faced a dilemma. Each of the lovely girls was too beautiful for Lister to part with. After much thought, his gaze shifted to the silent Arthur, and an idea formed in his mind. It was time to demonstrate the bond of brotherhood, and a sharp light flashed in Lister''s eyes. "This exquisite beauty is named ''Yang Zi'' miss!" Motherfucker. The silent Arthur had grievances he couldn''t voice and could only join An Su in glaring furiously. [The rotating chairman of Heaven silenced Lister Muen for two hours.] Lister fell silent too. This damn old beast! He thought his argument was flawless, yet he was silenced anyway! After tranquilly silencing Lister, Merlin felt the whole world quiet down. He simply wanted an excuse to silence people. What about contribution points, what about girls? None brought him as much pleasure as the moment of silencing someone. Living life was about seeking fun, otherwise, after decades in Heaven, Merlin would go insane. Enjoying the glare from the three "little beasts," Merlin rarely showed a pleased smile. "Alright, I''ll stop teasing you three." Merlin clapped his hands, and the Holy Light converged in the air. The light intertwined and formed a scroll, its text gradually emitted a golden glow, branded upon it. The Magic Circuit was divided into three parts, each landing in front of An Su and company. "This is the reward I promised you." Before sneaking into Crow Alley, Merlin had promised that if they completed the task, he would reward each of them. In An Su''s hands, the scroll was none other than the Transformation Spell from the Merlin School he had long coveted, plagiarized from the Hierarchical Cult''s Transformation Spell. [Absolutely Not Plagiarized Transformation Spell] [Merlin School] [Epic Level Low-Rank Magic] [Effect: Extract a soul to create a fixed form (the stronger the soul''s Rank, the harder it is to extract and create); magicians holding the soul will change others'' perception, making them see the original owner of the soul.] [Note: His Excellency Merlin is a devout bishop of the Holy Light, and he solemnly declares that this magic does not involve any plagiarism] The scroll in Arthur''s hand was plagiarized from the Crimson Legion. [Absolutely Not Plagiarized Assassination Skill] Stay tuned with My Virtual Library Empire [Merlin School] [Epic Level Low-Rank Combat Technique] [Effect: Instantly release a dazzling Holy Light as grand as the sun, forcibly blinding all enemies for one minute and taking the opportunity to kill them. By definition, killing the enemy while they cannot see you is considered assassination.] [Note: His Excellency Merlin is a....absolutely no plagiarism.] This Assassination Skill Magic Circuit originated from the Painful Court''s Blood Shadow Assassination Skill, where one hides their entire body within a drop of blood, taking the opportunity to assassinate the enemy. Merlin, a devout follower of the Holy Light, added elements of the Holy Light to it. And the scroll in Lister''s hands was plagiarized from the Sea Church. [Absolutely Not Plagiarized Summoning Magic] [Merlin School] [Epic Level Low-Rank Magic] [Effect: Can only summon ordinary marine creatures, such as octopuses, etc., but can specify any location for the summoned creatures to appear (subjected to magic resistance judgment)] [Note: Anyway, it''s just not plagiarized.] The Sea Church''s original spell was called "The Call from the Abyssal Depths Summoning Magic," also an epic-level magic, summoning strange and evil beasts from the ocean''s abyss such as abyssal squids, human-faced whales, and the like, but due to overfishing at the borders, the number of these magical beasts greatly decreased. Merlin improved it by replacing the strange and evil beasts with ordinary seafood and, as compensation, added a teleportation circuit that could specify the appearance location. He generally designated it to appear right on his dining table, so that even in Heaven there was an endless supply of seafood to eat. Of course, designating an appearance on other parts of the body was also feasible. If one''s skill level was sufficient, one could even summon squids to burst out directly from an enemy''s head. All three of them received the magic they desired, and their gazes towards Merlin instantly brightened. Truly fitting for His Excellency Merlin, they were deeply moved, especially Lister and Arthur, feeling an unforgettable sense of gratitude. They definitely couldn''t let down His Excellency Merlin in the future. The two had already secretly vowed in their hearts to study hard, and when they returned after completing their studies and inherited the position of family head, they would repay His Excellency Merlin''s kindness. Even if it meant expending their family''s full efforts, they would ensure His Excellency Merlin''s reelection during the big election for the Heaven''s rotation twenty years later! Watching the sincere gratitude in their eyes, Merlin was unaware that these two had their plans for twenty years later clearly organized, and he felt quite pleased in his heart, quietly noting that these two had some conscience. In contrast, that boy An Su didn''t have a trace of gratitude. No manners at all. Didn''t even know to say thank you after receiving the reward! Silently observed An Su, who blinked. If Merlin knew Arthur and Lister''s true thoughts, he would have taken a sharp intake of breath, secretly thinking that if these two were not eliminated, they would become a great problem for the Church, and he would have chuckled at the thought of slaughtering them while their wings were not yet fully grown. "Continue with your tasks, off you go," Merlin dismissively waved his hand at them, "Next time we meet, make sure to find out the location of the Demigod." The list of sworn brothers they submitted might seem a large sum to An Su and the others, but to the God of Law, it was trivial; only slaying a Demigod would truly matter. Kill one and take a year off. "Also, prepare well for the promotion examination in ten days. Especially you, An Su," Finally, Merlin said without lifting his head, in a tone that seemed to enjoy the spectacle, "The Princess is about to reach the Fifth Tier." What''s that got to do with me. An Su didn''t understand what Merlin meant and responded perfunctorily. Then, leading Arthur and Lister, they left Heaven and, after descending the steps, exited the Magic Guild. Outside, the day had already brightened, with dazzling sunlight plastered over the guild''s large building, dazzling people''s eyes. An Su''s brows furrowed; there were quite a lot of people in the Magic Association today. Most likely because the day of the promotion examination was approaching. Saints from all over the country hadn''t arrived yet, but just the magicians native to the imperial capital had filled the Magic Association to the brim. All who had come to the Magic Guild were geniuses among geniuses, each saint bearing an air of arrogance, dressed in luxurious magician''s robes, their every move accentuating the elegant demeanor of the capital''s saints. At that moment, a commotion suddenly erupted at the entrance, and someone shouted, causing the capital''s geniuses to retreat and clear a path. An Su also moved back and was the first to see a knight in heavy armor, embroidered at the edges with the Holy Light pattern, passing through the crowd. An Su heard the surrounding saints saying, "Look, it''s the Holy Maiden." "I heard she''s going to visit His Excellency Merlin again today." "She''s going to take on pupils!" "Indeed, the rumors are true." Sear?h the N?velFire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "To be a disciple of His Excellency Merlin!" "I heard Lady Cersei is about to reach Saintly Rank!" "She is the true Holy Maiden." The Holy Maiden they mentioned was not the current real Holy Maiden Luojia but the former imperial capital''s Holy Maiden, the empire''s Princess, Cersei Milton. As a Holy Maiden, Cersei had her faction within the Radiant Holy See, and her followers, saints as well, were also geniuses, wearing proud expressions. Luojia was once confined in a Monastery An Su gazed from afar at Cersei Milton, surrounded by the crowd, unable to see her specific appearance, only her dressed in a pure white luxurious gown, eyes cold as if she didn''t regard anything around her. Attendants in her entourage gently moved An Su aside. Hmm... As An Su contemplated, he thought that if he could do away with the imperial capital''s Holy Maiden''s faction completely, maybe he could gain further trust from the Esoteric Religion''s Demigod. His eyes began to shine even brighter. Chapter 185 An Sus Notoriety Spreads in the Capital (Combined Chapter) The sun had risen high, and the sunlight had shifted from the pale yellow of the early morning to the orange-yellow of noon. The clouds above the Magic Association were rolled up by the sunlight, layer upon layer, resembling a fuzzy, warm orange-yellow blanket.The Princess had already gone up to the tenth floor alone, leaving only the guards in the lobby. Bathed in the sunlight, the Holy Knights from the Saint Faction strode solemnly and arrogantly through the crowd, their gilded boots clinking crisply on the marble floor. Sure enough, each member of the Saint Faction was an elite of the Church, prompting An Su to keep admiring them. He wondered how many devotion points they would be worth if sold to the Esoteric Religion. There was room for contemplation in this matter. An Su was still calculating business in his mind. But to act on it, the first thing to do was to keep a low profile. When undertaking big ventures, one must be discreet and avoid drawing attention. Deciding to act unobtrusively," An Su stepped back half a step and hid behind the onlookers, watching from a distance as the Princess''s Royal Guard walked past him. At the same time, the discussions among the surrounding magicians got even louder, "This must be the second time Her Highness the Princess has visited His Excellency Merlin, right?" "Have you heard about that affair?" "What affair?" "I heard there''s a holy man who''s often seen on the tenth floor, called An Su Moningsta." "Oh, I know. They say he even chatted merrily with His Excellency the Archmage. Because of him, His Excellency Merlin even gave up his annual holiday." "His Excellency Merlin is only taking on one successor this time, could it be...?" "Him? Impossible. He''s from the borderlands, and he''s close to the Little Holy Maiden Luojia. He''s a thorn in the eye of the Saint Faction in the capital." There was a secret rumor within the Magic Association that Magic God Merlin''s heir might not necessarily choose the Imperial Princess; a young man from the borderlands, with his barber skills, had caught the Magic God''s favor. The exact source of the news was untraceable, but when the royal family heard of it, they were furious and determined to find this lad called An Su. However, the Princess herself didn''t give a damn. No one was optimistic about that borderlander. An Su, listening to the people around him, frowned darkly. Combining this with what the old sage Merlin had said before leaving, An Su immediately realized Merlin was behind the spreading of these rumors. Knowing Merlin as he did, An Su was aware that the guy wasn''t acting out of any true appreciation for talent, such as admiring him; he was merely stoking fires, wanting to see the Princess confront An Su head-on for his own entertainment during the drudgery of his workdays. "I remember that person clearly, he seemed to have cyan eyes." Looking around, An Su realized he was the only one with blue-green eyes. Shocked, he quickly filled his eyes with Holy Light to create the appearance of cataracts. "Oh, I remember now, he had a head of gray-white long hair." Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. An Su had not expected to be so well-known. Scanning his surroundings, he found that he was the only young person with a grayish hue to his hair, and panicking, quickly tied his long hair up and put on a hood, confident that this would be foolproof. Because of the Holy Light shining from An Su''s eyes and his odd choice of wearing a hood in broad daylight, he stood out in the crowd and quickly drew the attention of the Princess''s faction. A guard from the Holy Knights at the Saint Maiden''s side narrowed his eyes and strode directly toward him. This man was handsome, with light green hair cascading behind him, eliciting continuous gasps of admiration from the girls around him. "It''s His Excellency Ael!" "That''s a Fourth Order knight." The nobleman named Ael clad in pure white armor, with a griffin and shield emblem on his chest, symbols of the royal guard, denoting his status. Most royal knights came from noble families of the capital, and carried themselves with an air of aristocracy. "That guy over there." He straightforwardly pulled An Su''s hood back, revealing the latter''s gray-white hair as it fell out. Looking domineering, he asked, "Are you An Su Moningsta?" The whole scene suddenly fell silent. None of the magicians had expected that the legendary An Su was right by their side and quickly made way, wanting nothing to do with him. At the same time, they all felt the anticipation of an exciting scene brewing, considering the current situation, a confrontation was inevitable. "So this is An Su." "A borderlander..." "And he dares to compete with Her Highness the Princess." In a moment, An Su became the focal point of everyone''s discussions. An Su wanted to deny it. He didn''t like where this was heading. According to the usual narrative clichs, this was the classic setup for a villainous lackey''s downfall and showmanship. Next would be a series of jeering from this man, followed by An Su playing the role of the underestimated underdog, continuously dishing out surprises, until he was forced to reveal his true strength, leaving the audience amazed and heralding the borderlander as a genius. After beating the lackey, the main antagonist would step in the Princess would make a forceful move, to be subsequently suppressed by An Su, and in the end, the elder would step forward Magic God Merlin would act, eliciting cries of horror at his might... An Su mapped out the upcoming plot in his mind, and just as he had anticipated, the handsome noble in front of him began to mock An Su, Continue reading at My Virtual Library Empire "With your current low level, you think you can compete with Her Royal Highness the Princess?" He snorted disdainfully, "It''s pure delusion." As expected. A typical extra''s speech, awkward to the core. An Su blinked, "What do you want to do?" "You''re just a common saint now, right?" the man said arrogantly. "Hmm, that''s right," An Su agreed, nodding along. "With such meager strength, you dare to challenge the great Her Highness the Princess in ten days, truly ignorant of the world." Chapter 185 An Su Gains Notoriety in the Imperial Capital (Two in One)_2 "What exactly are you trying to convey?" An Su''s eyelids twitched slightly, for all he wanted was to fast-forward to showing off and slapping faces."What I mean is that your knowledge is too weak now. There is no way you can defeat Her Majesty the Princess," the noble young man with pale green hair leaned close to An Su''s ear, speaking with an air of authority and sanctity, "I have some books here that can quickly elevate your level of knowledge. They come from an absolutely authentic source, and they will help you overcome that princess. In the end, you can train her harshly, do whatever unspeakable things you want!" "..." What kind of path is this? A speech from someone who couldn''t hold their head high left An Su at a loss for words. An Su fell silent. His eyes widened as he scrutinized the person before him, recognizing something familiar in his features, especially the pale green hair, which seemed to have been seen somewhere before. He remembered now. It was just last night in Crow Alley, a girl called "Chaos Escalator" who had exactly the same hair. It dawned on An Su in an instant, the creature before him was an undercover agent sent by the Sanctuary of Chaos. Came to deliver something to himself! But in his memory, Chaos Escalator was clearly a girl. An Su scrutinized the noble young man in front of him closely. Indeed, he could see the features of a man, but there was also a feminine softness between those brows. If it weren''t for the holy knight''s attire and instead a more androgynous outfit, it would be hard to tell the gender. True to the Mysticism of Chaos, even gender is chaos. So it turned out that the "escalator" in Chaos Escalator was actually supporting her. An Su''s opinion of the Mysticism of Chaos grew even higher. With so many chaotic talents, the rise of the esoteric religion was just around the corner. Seeing An Su lost in thought, Chaos Escalator Ael thought the temptation was not enticing enough and showed a thoughtful expression. According to the usual plot, this frontier boy faced exclusion by everyone and was suppressed by the Holy Maiden of the capital. His psychology should be close to a darkened state. Ael even studied beforehand. An Su was fifteen years old, an age most suitable for indulging in middle-school syndrome, prone to fantasizing about dark storylines involving revenge and grandstanding, such as "once I become evil, the whole world will tremble for me!" and the like. Because Ael himself had gone through such a timehe was coaxed into the Esoteric Religion at the age of fifteen, thinking that turning to the dark side would make him look cool. After observing all day, he felt the timing was perfect. In An Su''s moment of utmost isolation and a dire need for power, to corrupt him with forbidden knowledge, and then, once he has gained complete trust, to strike fiercely, take possession of his body. Chaos Followers need to be bold, seizing opportunities and daring to take risks. After this maneuver, he, Ael, would be the first to complete the mission and would inevitably become the Saint Heir. Seeing An Su still hesitant, Ael decided to lead him on gently, "This place isn''t very convenient. If you''re willing, I can send you a couple of books first. Just take a casual look, it''s free anyway, consider it a gift between friends." "If you want to see more knowledge, come to Crow Alley in the Lower City District three days later." To achieve his goal, Ael had played his trump card, bringing out all of his most powerful tactics. Ael was confident that once An Su started engaging with that forbidden knowledge, he would crave it like an addiction, eventually leaving the shelter of the Seven Gods Hall and willingly coming to Crow Alley. When that moment came, he would be at his mercy! An Su looked at Chaos Escalator standing before him with an eager face, reluctantly nodding his head. As the most devout ecclesiast, he didn''t really want them, blame it on the other''s excessive enthusiasm, he decided to accept for now and read it with a critical eye. Ael let out a satisfied smile, these kind of second-year teenagers were the easiest to manipulate. The surrounding murmurs grew more intense. Their dealings unheard by anyone, in the eyes of onlookers, these two were engaged in a terrifying magic standoff, with passersby lowering their heartbeats, just waiting for the severe conflict to erupt. One was the knight of the capital''s Holy Maiden, a noble young man of great renown, the other was a youth favored by His Excellency Merlin from the frontier, bound to provoke a conflict. An Su surveyed his surroundings, thinking to himself that things were not good. Now this matter needed a smooth resolution. An Su didn''t want to attract attention, so he signaled Ael with a look. Ael responded with an understanding gaze, suggesting he got the message. He understood quite well himself. After all, everyone has been through this. He knew An Su''s thoughts. Like boys of this age, An Su definitely wanted to stand out, to show off his superiority, and to save face. To bridge their relationship, Ael was determined to give An Su enough respect. Sear?h the ovelFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. He bit the tip of his tongue immediately, fresh blood flowing from his mouth as he stepped backwards half a step. He looked at An Su with an incredulous gaze and then spat out another mouthful of blood, clutching his chest, and muttered, "Such terrifying spiritual power, to think that just a glance from his eyes could wound my soul." An Su''s eyes turned near gray. Do all the geniuses from the Sanctuary of Chaos have such a peculiar understanding? Ael was a great actor. His pupils trembled, his shoulders shook, and blood spurted wildly. No longer able to support himself, he knelt on the ground. "Ansu, I''ve given you enough face now, haven''t I?" On the other side, the boy with gray-white hair still stood tall, his pale blue eyes filled with a lonely and aloof hue, his breath even, magic power flowing smoothly, as if he had done nothing at all, as if without any action, just a simple shake of his muscular body, a Fourth Order Knight was knocked down, unable to get up. For a moment, all the magicians around were shocked. This boy appeared ordinary in every aspect except his face, but to their surprise, he had reached such a profound level. They totally failed to see how An Su had made his move; just a glare was enough to bring the Fourth Order Knight to his knees. That''s what a real master of magic is like. The enemy falls before he even moves, a mark of high magical skill. It indicated that An Su''s soul strength had already reached the extent where he could injure someone from afar, which is no wonder His Excellency Merlin favored him so much. They asked themselves, they had never seen such a terrifying freak of nature, a Third Order surpassing a Fourth Order, and even a death with just one look, something not even the Great Mage in his youth could achieve. Sensing that he had become the center of attention, An Su''s mouth twitched slightly. Find your next read on My Virtual Library Empire This was getting too big... An Su hated trouble the most. He stared at the Chaos Escalator lying on the ground playing dead, feeling exhausted in his heart. Are they all comedians in the Mysticism of Chaos? Ael, as a guard knight from the Imperial faction, being knocked down by someone directly, was no small matter. It caused a huge sensation immediately. This was related to the glory of the Holy Maiden of the Imperial City; they would not let this kid off easily. Right away, several personal guards from the guard squad came out, all Fourth Order magicians, advancing on An Su with great momentum. An Su wanted to explain to them that he had no hostile intentions, that it was all because of Ael''s shenanigans, his eyes full of sincere apologies. But as An Su''s sincere gaze met the first magician''s, the latter fell to the ground. "Such fearsome pressure!" he exclaimed. An Su blinked several times, recognizing the boy. He''s from the Painful Court. Damn it, I don''t want to show off! As he looked to another magician behind, the man quickly covered his eyes, kneeling on the ground and cried out, "Spare my life!" This one is an undercover agent from the Life Ecclesia. You esoteric geniuses, all undercover around the princess, huh... How am I supposed to earn any prestige like this! In a moment, wherever An Su''s gaze went, people were sprawling. In everyone''s sight, the geniuses knelt before the young man with the pale blue eyes. The boy''s face was calm, his gray-white hair fluttering in the wind, and deep within his humble and serene eyes stood a godlike figure, under whose gaze all seemed to submit. Legend has it that only His Excellency the Archmage''s pure white eyes possess such powerapparently, Merlin placed a hypnotism spell in his own eyes, putting his enemies to sleep, making it look as though with just a stern look from Merlin, an enemy''s soul would shatter and lose consciousness. The eyes of the young man before them possessed such terrifying spiritual power as well. That day, An Su flipped three high-rank magicians with just three glances, tarnishing his fame. The title [Pale Blue Eyes] began to circulate in the Imperial City. Like a rising new star, no one looked down on this young man from the borders any longer. At the same time, the dispute over the succession to His Excellency the Archmage also gradually gained belief among more and more people. For a while, it seemed like a storm was approaching. "An Su Moningsta, huh..." Looking down upon the young man beneath Heaven, Princess Cersei revealed a cold expression, and lightly clicked her tongue. "Tsk." Chapter 186 An Sus Unique Transformation Spell (Two in One) An Su defeated three Fourth Order saints in a row, and his fame soared for a moment.The flustered An Su hurriedly left the Magic Association, but as soon as he stepped out the door, he saw the entrance crowded with long guns and short cannons, journalists with notebooks and pencils, carrying briefcases, dressed in the colorful clothes of their respective news organizations, all with excited expressions on their faces. The journalists were originally here to interview Her Highness the Princess, but according to information from inside the association, they found an unexpected scoop. In these times, journalism students sought hot topics, and conflicts and contradictions were the best creators of such hotspots. Handsome men and beautiful women, differences in status, and the disputes between the imperial capital and the frontier made for explosive headlines! #Duel between the Frontier Youth and the Imperial Capital''s Holy Maiden#, the journalists had even thought of the headline for their next issue. An Su''s headache worsened when he saw the journalists; he wanted to keep a low profile, but his unique appearance with grey hair and blue eyes, and his streak as the #most popular male saint on the rankings#, were too distinctive. The journalists were all too familiar with his face. "Mr. An Su Moningsta, is it true that you defeated three Fourth Order saints in one breath?" "Is your action a challenge to the Holy Maiden Sect of the imperial capital?" "Are you standing up for Holy Maiden Luojia?" When reporters from the Capital Morning Paper saw An Su come out, they quickly crowded around to ask questions, "What is your relationship with Princess Cersei? Just as the rumors say, will you be vying for first place with Her Highness the Princess in the promotion exam ten days from now, in order to compete for the position of the Archmage''s successor?" An Su found these journalists a pain in the head and brushed them off casually, "None of that is true, don''t fabricate facts. I have no such ambitions, and I hold Her Highness the Princess in high regard." The journalists quickly jotted down in their notebook, "These are the facts, An Su does not hold Her Highness the Princess in high regard." An Su pushed past these journalism students and went straight back to the Chaotic Frontier, avoiding eye contact with passersby along the way to avoid encountering undercover agents from the Esoteric Sects. In the past ten or so days of construction, the Chaotic Frontier had begun to flourish, especially in the municipal area. The azure sky was clear and transparent, and the refreshing breeze flowed through the clean streets. Magicians from the Druid Sect had planted a row of pine and cypress magic plants at the entrance of the municipal building, which were now lush and formed a small forest, with leaves gently brushing against each other, casting golden flickers of light through the gaps in the canopy. It was a good thing Miss Yangzi didn''t hand over her socks. Following the Druids'' suggestion, they wanted to cultivate magic plants from the microbes on Miss Yangzi''s socks and plant them around the city hall to create a small forest imbued with the scent of the sun, calling it ''Forest of the Sun.'' An Su sternly rejected this proposal. The Painful Esoteric Sect should hire these biology students as believers. Sar?h the ovlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. To win the favor of a beauty, these imperial capital geniuses were fully committed to the construction of the Chaotic Frontier, so much so that they almost forgot about the upcoming deacon promotion exam in ten days. This was a good thing for An Su as it reduced his competition. Experience more content on My Virtual Library Empire Now all he needed to do was find a way to lead the Cultists and assassinate the examinees from outside the imperial capital. Thanks to the hard work of these imperial capital geniuses, in just over ten days, An Su had accumulated a sizable amount of pain points, ten times more efficient than at the Eden Town Painful Reform School. It seemed necessary to continue developing the fandom. With such an amount of magic power, An Su could continue to level up his technician skills. This time, when he summoned Bone, An Su had two objectives. One of them was the Transformation Spell. By now, he had acquired two sets of Transformation Spells, one was the Sanctuary of Chaos version, and the other was the one Merlin claimed he had absolutely not copied. After coming out of the Magic Guild and returning to the Chaotic Frontier, he began to mull over and conceptualize his own version of a Transformation Spell. He just needed to copy it. But An Su''s current realm of strength was not sufficient, and that stingy Merlin wouldn''t help him copy it. It was time to call in outside help. Before her death, Bone had been a Demigod, and she was once the Holy Maiden of the Life Ecclesia, her understanding of Esoteric magic surpassing even Merlin''s. He laid out the Alchemic Magic Circle with mercury and blood and began chanting the prayer, "O Azure Sorceress, who overturns life, ancient and dark Priest, I call upon your name, that you might awaken from your deep slumber...." That indescribable entity traveled from the long river of time, and the atmosphere around instantly became oppressive and silent. The pale blue sky gradually turned dusky. Above the void, azure pupils slowly emerged, full of emptiness and indifference. Miss Bones stood barefoot on the blood-soaked altar, her long black robe trailing on the ground. "Who calls upon my name?" "Hmm, it''s you again, An Su Moningsta, daring to disturb my long rest." The Azure Witch snorted coldly, her gaze exuding dignity, the air of a Demigod. An Su cast an Illumination Spell above Miss Bones''s head, causing her to cry out in pain. "Who taught you to speak like that?" An Su asked. "I... I just remembered it suddenly." Despite having her skull hit by the Holy Light''s chastisement, Miss Bones still maintained the dignity of the Life Holy Maiden, "I used to speak like this in life because it gives a sense of grandeur." It seems that summoning the undead more frequently, they gradually remembered habits from their life. "Take a look at these two Transformation Spells for me." An Su, foregoing pleasantries, sent the spell diagrams to Bone via their friendly communication link, "One is from the Radiant Bishop, and the other is from the Sanctuary of Chaos." Chapter 186 An Sus Unique Transformation Spell (Combined)_2 "Hmph, you have found the right person, let me show you the insight of the Azure Sorceress."Miss Bones took a look and her face took on a contemplative expression. Her pupils fluctuated with uncertainty, and after musing for a good while, she slowly said, "I guess this Transformation Spell is from the Sanctuary of Chaos." She picked up ''The Absolutely Not Plagiarized Transformation Spell,'' and said cryptically, "Such evil Magic, I have never seen in my life. It actually extracts the soul of the enemy and plays with it at will. Such cunning methods are truly the grand talents of the most wicked and despicable esoteric cult." "Which one from the Mysticism of Chaos wrote this Magic? Is it the Sanctuary''s Pastor or the High Priest of Chaos?" Miss Bones couldn''t help but feel that the young people of the esoteric religion today were really inventive. The other Transformation Spell, however, merely involved the possession and fusion of souls; by comparison, it was considerably anthropomorphic and even very sunny, obviously written by the Radiant Bishop. Sar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. That was all there was to it. "You''ve got it reversed," An Su said expressionlessly, knocking on the Holy Maiden''s head again with the Illumination Spell, "The ''Absolutely Not Plagiarized Transformation Spell'' was written by the Radiant Bishop." He began to doubt the discernment of this demigod. Why was it that all the old men and women he met were so unreliable? Miss Bones looked incredulous, "How could the orthodox practice of the Sanctuary of Chaos be with the Radiant Holy See?" "Truth be told." Miss Bones had just shown off in front of An Su, and An Su was not pleased, planning to show off in return, "I have become the Saint Heir of the Ladder Sect of the Sanctuary of Chaos. At the same time, I also serve as the Pastor of the Star Sect of the Painful Court." Enjoy exclusive content from My Virtual Library Empire Because their minds were now connected, Miss Bones could feel that An Su''s words came from deep within his heart. Miss Bones couldn''t help but feel that the young people of the holy religion today really had ideas. She, an old bag of bones, couldn''t keep up anymore. It had only been a dozen days since she last saw him, and An Su had already mixed up into a Saint Heir of the esoteric religion... He had just turned fifteen, right? Although Miss Bones couldn''t remember at what age she had become the Holy Maiden of Life, it was definitely later than fifteen. Miss Bones looked over the two magically crafted documents again, bringing them before her eyes. After her death, she only had a thirst for knowledge left, and An Su always brought her new knowledge, the higher An Su''s rank, the better it was for Miss Bones. One of the two magical documents was of legendary quality, and the other of epic quality. The epic Magic had two main streams of Magic Power, and the circuitry had similarities; one couldn''t say they were totally identical, but rather exactly the same. Miss Bones extracted the identical circuit structures and carefully disentangled the twisted and entangled Magic Power streams of the two spells, laying them out flat to facilitate reading and learning. Legendary and higher-level Magic, aside from being directly bestowed by the gods, all required the Magician to learn and understand on their own, and clarifying the entangled Magic Power circuits greatly reduced the difficulty of learning. This sorting may sound straightforward, but the actual operation is quite spiritually exhausting and can only be accomplished by beings of extremely high soul intensity. However, Miss Bones completed the task in less than ten minutes. In contrast, An Su spent three full days and nights fully clarifying the three main streams of the sacred Magic ''Judgment of Light,'' all while his soul continuously shattered and was repaired by Heaven. An Su needed to continue refining his craft to reach such levels of magical prowess. "Alright, I have finished," Miss Bones said, wiping the nonexistent sweat from her forehead. She proudly said to An Su, "You can study hard now." "I can copy it thoroughly now!" An Su also said proudly. He had always wanted to create a Transformation Spell that was uniquely his own. To advance in magical realms, one needed to plagiarize, the more one plagiarized, the faster one''s progressthis was what Magic God Merlin had said! "Plagiarizing?" Miss Bones was once again surprised by the saints of the new era, "I have never heard of such a possibility of plagiarizing..." All the more so for plagiarizing epic-level Magic... Miss Bones couldn''t help but show a helpless smile. With An Su''s current rank, it was utterly ludicrous. But if she knew that An Su had once plagiarized divine-level Magic, she wouldn''t be able to laugh. "I''m going to sleep for a while," Miss Bones told An Su, "Call me when you''ve finished copying." Miss Bones was quite considerate of her boss. Staying like this consumed too much energy; she lost a significant amount of pain points every minute, so she simply entered sleep mode, waiting for An Su to finish before summoning her again. Although Miss Bones didn''t think An Su could succeed, who was she to argue; he was the boss, after all... After Miss Bones left, the mayor''s office fell into silence, and An Su carefully examined the three streams of Magic Power that Miss Bones had sorted out, considering their common characteristics. An Su was actually not skilled at plagiarizing, such acts of petty theft were favored by scoundrels like Merlin; An Su disdained to be associated with them. An Su was skilled at stitching together. After being tempered in Heaven, An Su''s willpower had reached an astonishing level and, having undergone the Mother Goddess of Life''s baptism several times, his body and soul continuously ascended. Although An Su''s rank was only Third Order, his soul intensity had already reached Fourth Order and was close to the level of a Fifth Tier saint. And the creation of Magic relied precisely on the strength of the soul. Time ticked by, and like before, An Su only plagiarized from one of the documents The epic Magic had three thousand Magic Power circuits within its three main streams, while the divine and legendary grades did not contain such an astonishing amount; the divine had two main streams with two hundred Magic Power circuits, and the legendary had one main stream with ten. Chapter 186 An Sus Unique Transformation Spell (Two in One)_3 Beyond this point are ordinary spells.For instance, the "Friendly Exchange" I created before, an initial stage spell, has only two magic circuits. Stay connected with My Virtual Library Empire Focusing intently on these hundreds of magic circuits, An Su''s brain felt nearly torn apart, a pain that could drive an ordinary Third Order Magician mad surged deep within his soul, but An Su had already adapted to this soul-deep agony. This time, no God of Law watched over his soul. The pendant of the Canglin Dragon Heart on his necklace glowed faintly, its cool touch permeating his skin and seeping into his soul, dispelling stray thoughts and the sensation of pain. With the help of this alchemic pendant, An Su quickly entered a state of tranquil composure. Soul leaving the body, soul changing shape, soul merging... And the Holy Light must be there too... The sun gradually descended, the azure sky turning towards dusk, twilight rising aloft, with the evening clouds dyeing the horizon pink. In accordance with yesterday''s command, tonight the Chaotic Saintess would assess their progress in learning the Chaotic Shape-shifting Magic, and now dusk was near, the appointed time almost upon them. When the last trace of daylight retracted to the end of the horizon, An Su slowly exhaled and opened his eyes; he had succeeded. There was stitching, there was plagiarism, but most of it came from the Magician''s own memories and experiences, from his personal understanding of Holy Light. An Su looked at the spell he had created, and wondered why it looked so peculiar. Was this thing still a Transformation Spell? The more he looked, the more he felt like he had perhaps split the difference, useless to ponder by himself, he needed to consult an expert. An Su once again chanted the Summoning Magic spell, and that indescribably great being awoke anew, the atmosphere tensed to its limit, sapphire pupils slowly widening, still with the commanding presence of a Holy Maiden, "Who calls upon my name?" "Hmm, it''s you again, An Su Moningsta, to dare disturb my midday rest." She stated imperiously. Seeing as she had only slept a brief while just now, Miss Bones no longer spoke of eternal rest, but instead substituted it with a midday nap, which further reflected the Holy Maiden''s exactitude. An Su also used the Illumination Spell to rap heavily on the Holy Maiden''s skull. "A failure?" Miss Bones clutched her head, thinking that An Su must have failed, hence his rudeness. "I reckon it''s a success," An Su handed the Magic Circuit he had devised to Miss Bones. Success? Miss Bones thought An Su was just boasting again, but upon inspecting it, her pupils dilated into perfect circles, and she uttered a puzzled "Hmm?" Blinking, she exclaimed, "Huh?" The spell before her, the magic circuits, there were twenty in total. It surpassed the ordinary level, reaching the legendary spell rank. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. A fifteen-year-old saint creating a legendary spell, even in the magic-rich era thirty-thousand years prior, was a rare sight. What shocked Miss Bones more was the rapid pace of An Su''s improvement; not long ago, he could only use two magic circuits, barely managing to create "Friendly Exchange" with her help. Could this lad truly be a genius... However, as Miss Bones scrutinized the effects of An Su''s spell, she reconsidered her thoughtwhat was this... [Holy Light Transformation Skill] [Legendary Intermediate-Stage Spell] [Holy Light Series] [Magic Power Consumption: 10 (unaffected by Child of the Curse''s negative effect)] [Effect: Commanding the Magic Wand, allows the soul to leave the body and merge with the vast Holy Light, transforming the soul''s shape and size, becoming a mighty Holy Light giant. This state lasts for five minutes, during which all Holy Light attack effects increase by fifty percent] [Note: An Su Moningsta is a devout believer in the brilliance, and after years of research, the Rod of God is also a rare branch of the Holy Light Magic Wand] Miss Bones'' eyes wideneddid the Transformation Spell become a Transformation Skill? Chapter 187 Life Holy Maiden: Delicious Little Child! (Two in One) The Holy Maiden of Life had lived for so many years, and been dead for just as many. In her time in the land of the living, she had single-handedly decided the fate of ages, gallantly adorned and always defiant, while in the afterlife, she even held a respectable position as a top-tier technician. There was no grand occasion that the Holy Maiden of Life had not witnessed.Whether it was the magic of the realm of light or the shadow realm, the Holy Maiden of Life had seen it all. However, An Su''s magic was quite peculiar. If you were to say it belonged to the shadow realm, he was nevertheless affiliated with the words ''Holy Light.'' Yet if you were to say it belonged to the realm of light, how then did a simple transformation spell become a transformation skill in his hands? This in-between state was truly unsettling. Miss Bones had looked over the Holy Light Transformation Skill several times, pondering deeply, yet still couldn''t arrive at a concrete evaluation. Legend has it that at the end of the Era of Chaos, thirty thousand years ago, a genius had once appeared in the Kingdom of Chaos. Sorcerers said he was ''born of calamity''born for the era of disaster. He could intuitively grasp any kind of magic he learned, comprehending and integrating knowledge and extrapolating from one thing to understand many others. In the end, he became the emperor of an empire and after he had his grand ambitions, the empire soon perished. He was also known as the ''Last Emperor.'' Miss Bones''s memories from her life were hazy. Back then, she had only been fifteen or sixteen, with just a vague recollection of this peculiar individual. When she compared An Su with this last emperor, she still felt the latter was more formidable. After others intuitively grasped magic, they could integrate what they learned, while the spells An Su had created took brilliant fragments of others'' magic circuits and forcefully stitched them together, adding his own interpretations to modify them, resulting in this outrageous contraption. Your next journey awaits at My Virtual Library Empire And yet, it still worked. That was the most unfathomable part. Upon close inspection of the magic power circuit of this ''Holy Light Transformation Skill,'' Miss Bones could see fragments of the ''soul transformation'' circuit from the ''absolutely not plagiarized transformation spell'' and also spotted elements from the Sanctuary of Chaos'' transformation spells like ''soul disconnection'' and ''soul fusion.'' In the spells of the Sanctuary of Chaos, the ''soul disconnection'' was followed by a temporary fusion with the soul of the one being possessed. An Su''s spell, however, directly merged with an immense amount of Holy Light to achieve soul transformation. What could this be... perhaps a new type of creative thought process? Miss Bones fell into deep thought. Meanwhile, An Su was also deep in thought. He had one hour left to report his learning progress to Elf, and turning into a giant of Holy Light and attacking in that brilliant form seemed absurd. Ah, it''s all because he was the most devout believer of Holy Light. He shared his troubles with Miss Bones, who then wore a schadenfreude smile. "You should just try it," she said, "See the effect. Maybe you can pull the wool over their eyes." An Su nodded. He began to chant the spell softly, and a faint Holy Light gathered around the young man like a vortex, circling An Su. When the magic power vibrations peaked, An Su raised his glowing magic wand high, "Holy Light Transformation Skill." He felt his body suddenly become light as a feather. His soul left his body, floating unsteadily upwards. At the same time, the circling Holy Light converged towards An Su''s soul, accompanied by a vast ocean of Holy Light that made everything else in the world lose its color. When the brilliance finally dissipated, a pair of huge, azure eyes slowly opened. An Su found that his perspective had suddenly elevated. Sarch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. He looked at his hand and saw it was made of interwoven light; not just his hand, but his limbs, torso, and even his hair strands were all flowing luminance with an immense and ancient beauty that transcended the concept of a biological being and took on a divine glow. This divinity bore a resemblance to the Guardian Angel that appeared when An Su used the Judgment of Light. The face of An Su post-transformation bore some resemblance to his original self, but it was so bright now that it was hard to keep one''s eyes open. "So bright," Miss Bones squinted and offered her reaction, "I think the title of ''Foremost of Brilliance'' should be passed on to you." The Holy Light-formed An Su smacked Miss Bones on the skull with an Illumination Spell. With the enhancement of the Holy Light form, all Holy Light-based attacks had their effects increased by fifty percent, and this burst of Holy Light caused Miss Bones to howl in pain, clutching her head. The transformation only lasted five minutes. After five minutes, An Su''s soul returned to its original body. "This is bad," An Su said. "Yes, this is bad." Miss Bones, clutching her head, agreed. In fact, a deviation in learning the transformation spell wouldn''t have been too impactful. After all, many geniuses of esoteric religions experienced this, which in the Church of Chaos wasn''t considered going awry, but rather innovation. But An Su''s innovation had reached the level of ''Foremost of Brilliance''... That was really problematic. "Whose idea was it to merge with Holy Light?" Having been smacked several times by Holy Light, Miss Bones was happy to see An Su in a pinch, "Now you''ve really done it. If I may suggest, before your time is up, you should quickly learn the original transformation spell. You might still be able to bluff your way through..." "You make sense," An Su had an epiphany. "So go and learn quickly, I need to sleep..." Before Miss Bones could finish, An Su interrupted her: "I see, you''re right, yes, I understand now." An Su slapped his forehead, enlightened by Miss Bones''s advice. He felt his creativity surge, and he tenderly touched the Holy Maiden of Life''s skull with an Illumination Spell, looking pleased, "Indeed, you are the Azure Sorceress. I''ve got it." What have you got... Miss Bones blinked, her eyes revealing a clear dullness. What had she even said? Chapter 187 Life Holy Maiden: Delicious Child! (Two in One)_2 ```Also, don''t touch my head with Holy Light. It will hurt just the same. Miss Bones shrank her neck, afraid that her supreme intelligence would be knocked into stupidity by the Holy Light. But she had always been the type to climb up the pole when given the chance, and at times like these, it was best to just play the expert. She proudly cleared her throat with a cough, straightened her pelvic bone, put her hands on her hips, and assumed an air of profound mystery, "If you have come to understand, it is not in vain that I have guided you!" The Holy Maiden of Life always valued her infamously terrible reputation, she certainly couldn''t lose face. In her awe-inspiring presence that echoed through time, it wasn''t just thirty thousand years ago, but even to this day, the infamous name of the ''Azure Sorceress'' had spread far and wide, commanding great respect. "The principle of this magic transformation is the fusion of the soul with light, but as long as I do not merge with the traditional Holy Light, it''s fine." Find your next adventure on My Virtual Library Empire An Su nodded seriously and revealed a calm smile, "There''s still room for combination with this magic." Miss Bones did not understand what An Su meant by that, but the smile on his face alerted her that something was amiss. Whenever her boss smiled like that, he was contemplating some wicked, outrageous idea. "I have other Holy Light," An Su said with a smile, his eyes gleaming with increased conviction, "I can combine it with other lights to form a new branch." "Such as?" Relying on her supremely smart intuition, Miss Bones had a bad feeling. She had a premonition that An Su was about to voice something terrifying. "I also have Radiant Light." An Su spoke with bright eyes, "This was given to me by Merlin, authenticated by the Radiant Bishop himself, a genuine Holy Light." During his first visit to Heaven, Merlin had given An Su a gift for being the champion of the ''Magic Outreach'' activity. He had modified An Su''s originally invented X-ray Illumination Skill, removing most of the light and preserving some of the radiation, which is why it was known as Radiant Light. [Radiant Illumination Skill] [Legendary Magic] [Magic Power Consumption: 5] [Effect: A high-radiation Holy Light that upon irradiation, has a certain chance of causing irregular mutations, with the younger the subject is, the more susceptible they are to the effects] [Note: Mr. Merlin Andre is a devout Radiant Bishop. After his research, he found that Radiant Light is a rare branch of Holy Light.] The younger the subject, the better the effect; it''s tailor-made. An Su still vaguely remembered that day, with the setting sun casting its glow over the peaks, His Excellency Merlin discussed the meaning of saints with him in a sacred manner and entrusted him to fairly irradiate the Earth with Radiant Lightthat was the mission of their missionaries. Now was exactly the time to irradiate the Earth. "By combining [Holy Light Transformation Spell] with [Radiant Illumination Skill] and using [Radiant Illumination Skill] to focus Radiant Light irradiation during fusion, it would be possible to achieve a fusion of the soul with Radiant Light." This would be An Su''s dark form! Seeing An Su eager to try, Miss Bones looked terrified. Who would use an attack type magic on themselves? She was stunned by An Su''s bizarre thought process, but what shocked her even more was the boy''s crazed vigor, he was not normal at all. Although she did not know what Radiant Light was, whatever that Radiant Bishop concocted, it definitely couldn''t be good. Even though An Su''s Holy Light Transformation Skill was not yet infernal, by adding Radiant Light it would be purely infernal magic. "I think you should consider carefully." Miss Bones spoke sternly to An Su, "For all you know, Radiant Light could be harmful, it might affect your soul..." "It''s fine, the principle of Radiant Light only affects the body, not the soul." Besides, An Su was confident in his soul, quite resilient, indeed. His soul was much worse than Radiant Light. Since he had sacrificed himself to the Mother Goddess of Life and was, in some sense, already consumed by her, and that hadn''t been a problem, surely Radiant Light was no worse than the Evil God. "But I''ll still proceed with caution." An Su spoke seriously, "Let''s start with a small test." In the Mayor''s office, Mayor Su could cast spells using pain points without draining his own magic power, so he had many chances to experiment. With over twenty minutes left before the scheduled time, there was just enough time. "Sigh." Miss Bones let out a light sigh, since she was the technician and An Su the boss, she couldn''t argue with him and just had to give it a try. "I''ll release Radiant Light Illumination on you, starting with slow, gradual irradiation that slowly fuses, and if you feel anything wrong immediately stop it." If stopped in time, there would be almost no impact. After all, it''s just a legendary magic. A spell of this rank really doesn''t qualify to harm the soul. sea??h th n?vel_Fire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. An Su nodded and once again raised his magic wand, first casting [Holy Light Transformation Spell]. Holy Light began to surround him and his soul also started to separate from his body. Being a Soul Body herself, Miss Bones could see An Su''s soul clearly. The surrounding Holy Light sought to enter An Su''s soul, but he consciously repelled it. This was the moment. In life, Miss Bones had been a demigod, and now she was of a saint''s rank, capable of delicately controlling the intensity of the magic release. She first targeted An Su''s forehead with a tiny amount of Radiant Light. After receiving his confirmation that it was alright, she gradually increased the area of irradiation. "Do you feel anything strange, like dizziness or blurred vision?" The Holy Maiden of Life perfectly controlled the magic output. ``` Chapter 187 The Life Holy Maiden: Delicious Child! (Two in One)_3 "I don''t feel anything," An Su didn''t notice anything unusual."Then I will increase the output a little," the Holy Maiden of Life increased the irradiation, engulfing An Su''s entire visage in the Holy Light, "Do you feel anything strange now?" "Still nothing," An Su felt his senses piqued, refreshed. He even felt like he could swim in the radiant light. The comfort that the radiant light provided to An Su was even better than the Holy Light. The Holy Maiden of Life had never seen a soul as unique as An Su''s. She swallowed nervously and continued to increase the intensity of the radiant light, enveloping half of An Su''s body, "How do you feel now?" "Increase the strength!" An Su said. The Holy Maiden of Life increased the radiation again, this time nearly enveloping most of An Su''s body, "How does it feel..." "Continue," An Su said comfortably. "We can''t continue," the Holy Maiden of Life said with a serious expression. Her pupils trembled slightly as she swallowed nervously again, "I feel very uneasy, we must end the experiment right away!" Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Don''t you know what your soul looks like now!" She sternly told An Su, her face twisting as if she were struggling against some instinct, "We must end this immediately, otherwise, I dare not imagine what will happen next... I feel very uneasy." How could that be... An Su completely failed to notice anything amiss, he felt very good. Stay tuned to My Virtual Library Empire But looking at Miss Bones, it seemed she wasn''t joking. After all, this person was the Holy Maiden of Life in her previous life. If she was driven to swallow her saliva out of fear, it meant that his soul must be becoming something terrible under the radiation. "What exactly has my soul become?" An Su inquired. "Your soul..." the Holy Maiden of Life took a slow breath, her face grave as she said, "has become very fragrant." "...?" An Su blinked his eyes. "I feel very uneasy," the Holy Maiden of Life swallowed lightly; she simply couldn''t understand how the youth''s soul could become more delicious the more she irradiated it, she was struggling to restrain herself! So it''s you who feels uneasy! The corners of An Su''s mouth twitched. Even Holy Maidens of the Mother Goddess below indeed remain Holy Maidens below! "I... I really can''t hold back any longer," she said. The Holy Maiden of Life''s azure eyes trembled gently. Her instincts were battling against the contract as she stared fixedly at An Su''s spiritual body. She had never seen such a delectable feast before; the radiation had caused a mutation in the youth''s soul, making it increasingly fragrant. If his original soul was a fresh natural flavor, then the radiant light was like the finest seasoning, sprinkled upon An Su''s soul, enhancing its delicious juiciness. The radiant light had a more pronounced effect on younger beings; the younger the ingredient, the more aromatic it was, and An Su was merely fifteen years old... Such a tasty child! The Holy Maiden of Life forcibly shifted her gaze away and stopped the magic with tremendous willpower, An Su''s dark transformation was halted, "Huff... Huff," she took several deep breaths to wrest herself from the primal urge. An Su''s soul returned to its shell. He moved his hands and feet, finding nothing amiss, shook his head, and played with his gray-white hair; nothing seemed out of the ordinary, "Don''t just stop suddenly. The experiment was going very smoothly," he said. There were only ten minutes left until the appointed time, and there was no time for a second trial, considering the need to travel. He still wanted to transform into his dark form to see what special effects it might entail. Combining two legendary magics was sure to produce a remarkable effect. "If you.. if you continued, I would have been the one to die!" said the Holy Maiden of Life. Having spent so many years in the Life Ecclesia, the Holy Maiden had never seen a child as delectable as An Su, and she lost control, succumbed to her instincts. If it had been any later, she surely would have attempted to taste An Su. But as a Summoned Spirit, once she broke the contract and laid a hand on her host, her spiritual body would shatter. Unable to eat, unable to even look, she had to break the magic off. "Anyway... the result is already clear," she said. The surprises that An Su brought her today were too many to handle; even her exceptionally intelligent mind was struggling to keep up. Miss Bones gestured to An Su, "After the experiment... there are no negative effects on your soul... you can safely use this combination of magics..." "Just try it on the spot," she said, panting. Miss Bones couldn''t imagine what kind of surprise An Su would bring to the Cultists of the Esoteric Religion. The mere transformation phase was already decadently appetizing, and once the transformation was complete, it was bound to be astonishingly bizarre! Chapter 188 An Su: Theyre All Underlings! (Two in One) The dusk of midsummer was nearly gone as a light rain began to fall. From the vantage point of Farol Upper City District, one could see all the way to the horizon, where a misty drizzle veiled the clouds, preventing the sunset from piercing through, and thus spilling its entirety onto the clouds above, leaving half the sky aglow with red and the other half shrouded in shadow.As time gradually passed, the red clouds darkened, leaving behind a grey, leaden overcast at the edge of the sky. After tidying up his dormitory with simplicity, An Su glanced at his watch. With fifteen minutes to spare, he prepared to head down to the Lower City District for his appointment. "Master, you have a package," said Miss Enya, gazing at the neatly dressed An Su with a cool expression, "It was just received." "The person who delivered it said it''s a forbidden book that you''d be interested in." Enya was clad in dark-colored lady''s attire, revealing smooth calves and wearing glossy women''s shoes on her feet, with a red cord of bells tied around her ankle and yarn gloves on her hands. She held the suspicious package: a dark black cloth-wrapped book cover. Once unwrapped, there were two books inside. With limited time, he decided to look at one book for now. An Su immediately took interest in the first book, a scroll made of human skin that looked quite eerie and terrifying. The whole book was permeated with an ominous aura. ''Human Skin Ancient Scroll,'' An Su quickly came up with an impressive name for the forbidden book, as anything bound with human skin tended to be powerful. Following the usual trope, this was the moment for the protagonist to stumble upon an opportunity. Back when he was a player, An Su enjoyed collecting ancient relics of the Esoteric Religion. Some would yield secret evil magic, while others would detail extinct sacrificial rites. Even the least of the taboo scrolls contained ancient secrets, guiding players to unlock mysterious dungeons. "It seems this book is quite ancient," Miss Enya said seriously as she examined the human skin scroll, "Based on my estimation, it should be from the mid-3rd century." An Su was amazed by Enya''s discerning eye and asked in surprise, "How did you know?" "Because it''s written right here. You''re becoming duller," she said. Enya spread out the human skin scroll and pointed to the cover, which clearly stated in ancient language, ''Published in the year 201 of the Era of Chaos.'' An Su looked at the words on the cover and fell into a brief silence. He suddenly felt that the human skin scroll had lost some of its value. No matter what, this ancient scroll still came from thirty thousand years ago An Su consoled himself inwardly. Moreover, the Cultists said this was a forbidden book of interest to him, so it must contain evil and taboo knowledge, maybe even techniques that have been lost. Enya, wearing her yarn gloves, turned the first page. Her expression remained unchanged, but she lifted her eyes with a peculiar gaze at An Su, then lowered her head again to read intently. Her amber eyes didn''t blink as she softly hummed through her nose, pursed her thin lips slightly, and continued to read, reflecting a thoughtful look. "I see," she said. "What kind of forbidden knowledge is in there?" An Su asked with curiosity, seeing Enya exploring the book so tentatively. He was in a hurry to avoid being late. "It contains forbidden knowledge, documenting lost techniques. Without a doubt, this is a forbidden book," said Miss Enya with an unchanged expression. Sar?h the N?vel(F)ire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. This was indeed a treasure... An Su felt a rush of nervousness. His own assassin maid was the real monster, for her recognition meant the book must be filled with evil magic to kill. If the Order Church found him reading such a book, An Su feared at the very least he''d lose his title as a saint. Taking a deep breath to prepare himself, An Su carefully took the book. It felt cool and dry in his hand, carrying an icy and deadly aura as if countless aggrieved souls had perished because of this taboo tome, their wails resounding in An Su''s ears all at once. This was the right feeling! An Su was overjoyed, fixing his gaze till his pupils dilated. On the human skin scroll was prominently written [Chaotic Empire Prohibited Publication. Volume One], with a line of small print beneath stating: Not for viewing by persons under sixteen. An Su was taken aback. Defying superstition, he flipped to the first page. Vivid illustrations accompanied by lively text descriptions were eloquently written with splendid artwork, along with all kinds of lost techniques, that turned his face as black as coal. Was it this type of forbidden book? Which damned bastard sent this over? He should have known, not one of the Mysticism of Chaos was reliable. "Master, I know that you''ve also reached that age," Enya said as she moved close to him, rising on her tiptoes. Their faces almost touched instantly, his ear brushed by her moist, warm breath, "It''s normal for you to be curious about these things." "Buying this kind of book is something I can understand." She showed an expression of satisfaction, as if proud that the young master had finally grown up. An Su felt a tingling in his scalp, never before experiencing such shame in his life and wishing he could burrow into a hole and hide. He thought that his most embarrassing experience was flushing red while watching three actors in one go at the Magic Association, ranking it as number one in shame. Little did he know, it would now take second place He discovered the Youth Cultivation Manual that had been mailed to him, and there was nothing more humiliating! "If you''re curious, I can teach you," Enya, with a calm demeanor, mentioned without skipping a beat. She cocked her head, her black hair falling to the other side of her shoulder. Drawing near like a cat, she sniffed An Su, Chapter 188 An Su: All are Underlings! (Two in One)_2 "Young Master, you wouldn''t want the Order Church to find out about you peeking at forbidden books, would you?"An Su closed the book; this was the second underling female he had encountered today. "I have other matters to attend to, I''m leaving now," An Su said. "Why?" Enya asked, puzzled. "There''s less than ten minutes left until the appointed time," An Su explained. "What if you can''t hold out for ten minutes?" Miss Enya said in her incomprehensible underling tongue, showcasing her high level of sarcastic skill, "Maybe you might just make it in time." An Su completely ignored Miss Enya''s deliberate provocation. Underage protection magic was on his side. He tossed the book made of human skin aside, "I''m leaving now, I''ll read the second book when I return." He had no expectations for the contents of the second book. "I''ll accompany you," Enya declared naturally, seeming determined to follow through with her aim for the day. "You can''t disguise yourself, you''ll be discovered..." Before An Su could finish his words, he realized Enya had vanished from his perception. "Where are you?" An Su asked. "I''m in your shadow," ripples appeared in An Su''s shadow. His own soul had already become quite powerful, and his perception was nearing the level of a saint. Enya''s ability to slip past An Su''s perception meant that her rank had improved once again. Back when she was at the border, Enya was already at the fourth-order peak. Now that she had been in the imperial capital for half a year, it was only natural for Enya to step into the fifth tier, a saint. She was now only seventeen years old. Seventeen and at the fifth tier, in terms of talent, she could stand shoulder to shoulder with that Chaotic Saintess, even surpassing her. An Su knew that Miss Enya''s background and lineage were not simple, but unfortunately, the original story did not elaborate, and she left the stage early, ending up as an abandoned case. "If you won''t be discovered, then come with me," An Su chose to take Enya with him. After all, Merlin was unreliable. In an emergency, it was better to rely on his own maid. The delay caused by the Youth Cultivation Manual might make him late his time. An Su found the challenge thrilling; he reveled in the adrenaline of racing against time, the sense of crisis in a life-or-death dash. If he could arrive just at the right moment, not a second more or less, it would be the ultimate climax of excitement, and his every pore would relax as though ascending to heaven. This was a good habit developed in his previous life. Reporting at the last second, that''s the soul of a college student! Taking with him the spirit of the Chaos Escalator, he walked out the door, headed down Seven Gods Street, and caught an express Alchemical Carriage, telling the coachman, ''Crow Alley, less than ten minutes left, I''ll miss the Magic Conductor Train.'' The coachman, a weathered middle-aged man, also felt his passion ignited upon hearing An Su''s words. "Leave it to me," the coachman reassured An Su with a reliable face, giving him a sense of security. Having driven carriages in Farol for so many years, the coachman loved coming across these highly challenging fares, which gave him a great sense of achievement. Even though there was no Magic Conductor Train in Crow Alley. At that moment, he whipped the reins, setting the magic output to maximum. The high-rank alchemic steeds snorted hot steam from their nostrils and mouths as their hooves thundered, whipping up a fierce wind as they galloped straight toward the Lower City District. Just out of the city gate, the coachman stopped. "Let''s hitch a ride on the draft horse carriage," the coachman said to An Su in a thrifty tone, making him feel insecure again. There were less than five minutes left until the arranged time. The newcomer wrapped in a black robe, with pale green long hair and features so delicately beautiful it was hard to tell if they were male or female, climbed aboard and immediately said, "Driver, faster, please. Crow Alley, I''ve got only five minutes left, I''m going to meet my girlfriend!" An Su looked closely at this person; it was Chaos Escalator, and the excuse he made up was even more preposterous than An Su''s. There were no dates in Crow Alley, only one-night stands; the alley was full of red-light districts. Seeing An Su, the Chaos Elevator did not forget the brotherhood forged between them and warmly patted An Su on the shoulder, "Ah, it''s my brother Stairs!" Seeing the Elevator, An Su felt a sense of security again; after all, he wasn''t the only one who was about to be late. The carriage continued to speed on. Those late to the party greeted each other with an extraordinary warmth. Chaos Elevator sat next to An Su, joyfully holding his hand but suddenly felt a sharp pain as if punched by a shadow on the shoulder. S~ea??h the N?velFire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. He found it odd but decided to put his hand on An Su''s shoulder again and was slapped away by something. This shadow was strange; it seemed to block anyone from getting close to An Su, regardless of gender. Chaos Elevator treated this as a drunken hallucination and ignored it, muting the coachman''s hearing before proudly boasting to An Su about his great achievements, "Sorry, brother Stairs, but I beat you to it this time! An Su, this person, will be taken down by yours truly!" The shadow punched Chaos Elevator again. Elevator was annoyed this time; he didn''t provoke it, so why the punch... Seeing Chaos Elevator so sure of himself, An Su became curious about his plan to deal with himself and asked, "May I know what plan Elevator has come up with?" "Humph, to be frank, I have carefully analyzed this little guy An Su." Enjoying the look of admiration from An Su, Chaos Elevator felt the thrill of showing off, "He was born into a noble family, a young noble master, and has just turned fifteen. At this naive age, he''s at the perfect time to become interested in new knowledge." Chaos Elevator was sure his analysis was correct; after all, when he was fifteen, all he thought about was saucy stuff. Chapter 188 An Su: They are all subordinate women! (Two in one)_3 Looking at An Su''s shocked gaze, the Chaotic Elevator announced proudly,"So I sent him a forbidden book!" "Boys of this age will absolutely go wild with joy, then they open the door to a new era, become corrupted by the book, and spend all day immersed in lust, wasting their youthful years and dissipating their will and spirit, until both their bodies and souls are hollow--the perfect state for possession!" Just like when the Chaos Escalator was fifteen years old, always thinking about becoming dark and putting on airs, at fifteen, Brother Elevator was constantly thinking about titillating things. What he understands for himself, An Su will surely like titillating things. "I can guarantee that he''s definitely looking forward to the next volume!" So that little imperial uncle book that socially killed me was sent by you, kid. An Su stared at the Chaotic Elevator''s proud demeanor, pondering whether to sacrifice this thing right now. The Chaotic Elevator could feel the warm admiration from Brother Escalator, whose shadow even stretched out a hand, giving a thumbs-up. How did the Shadow of Brother Escalator come about? Sear?h the n??el Fire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. An Su realized deeply that not a single one in the Mysticism of Chaos was reliable; they were all eccentrics with bizarre imaginations. He sighed softly, glanced at his watch, and noting there were three minutes left, he urged the coachman to go faster. "We''re almost there, just hitching a ride with a favorable wind carriage." The coachman''s uncle''s face was full of a simple smile. Hitch a ride? An Su, utterly astonished, saw the Alchemical Carriage make a detour and slowly come to a stop. A youth wrapped in a hooded cloak entered, with long light green hair and a face delicate as a girl''s. As soon as he got on the carriage, he hurriedly said to the coachman, "Master, to Crow Alley, please hurryI''m going to catch cheating lovers, my girlfriend and her wild man have a date in Crow Alley!" All these Mixed Cult members are defying the heavens, An Su recognized at a glance that this guy was Chaos Escalator. They all like to arrive just in time, huh? The excuses they fabricate are each more outrageous than the last. The coachman uncle looked at Chaos Escalator and the Chaotic Elevator, his expression becoming ever so colorful, his eyes revealing the gossip-hungry look unique to middle-aged and older people, "Is your girlfriend the same one...?" This ethical drama can''t go on, An Su urged the uncle to stop caring about the gossip and drive quickly; the consequences of being late would be very severe. With the delay in picking up and dropping off people, only one minute was left, The uncle started accelerating the magic-powered train, and out of curiosity asked, "How severe can the consequences be?" "If I can''t catch the train, my boss will scold me to death." An Su thought for a moment, "She''s a very fierce and frightening woman." The Elf is the Holy Maiden of the Esoteric Religion, definitely very fierce. "And me, if I''m late, my girlfriend will also scold me to death." The Chaotic Elevator shamelessly fantasized, having had a crush on the Chaotic Saintess Ael for a long time. A man remains a boy until death, and even though he''s now twenty, his head is still filled with titillating thoughts. "If I''m late, my wife will be defiled by other men! Then I would become darkened." Chaos Escalator was even more fanciful than the Chaotic Elevator. "I see." Perhaps grasping the urgency of the situation, the coachman uncle harnessed magic power, and the speed of the alchemic giant horse surged, reaching Crow Alley at a stunning pace, just on time. But Crow Alley was drizzling, and the alley was empty. It seems they were the first to arrive. "Got anxious for nothing, the Chaotic Saintess hasn''t arrived yet." An Su felt increasingly uncomfortable, lacking the satisfaction of arriving just in time, "Truly a bad woman with no sense of punctuality." Here I am, but the teacher hasn''t arrived; had I known, I''d have slept in a bit longer. "Who says I didn''t arrive." A pleasant voice came from the front seat of the carriage, the Chaos Escalator was shocked; he had clearly interfered with the information reaching the coachman, who should only hear content filtered of esoteric religion information. "Hello there." The coachman uncle turned around, his head twisting and transforming continually, finally falling to the ground, rolling in front of the three men. A creepy presence extracted itself from the coachman''s body, its eyes slowly opening. As if fiery red flowers bloomed within her pupils, her hair also gradually turned deep red, presenting the staggeringly beautiful yet eerie woman in front of the three men, her bare feet standing in a pool of blood. Staggeringly beautiful yet eerie. The Chaotic Saintess extracted herself from the possessed coachman''s body. She stretched languorously, a seductive smile curving her lips, her gaze fixed on An Su and the others, "What, you''re not talking anymore?" Her crimson eyes swept past the three and finally settled on An Su, "Go on, tell me, what kind of woman am I?" Down right there, An Su thought to himself; she also likes to swindle the underage. Chapter 189 Miss Enya: Where Did This Savage Woman Come From? (Two-in-One) Crow Alley."Go on, tell me what kind of woman I am." Standing barefoot in a pool of blood, the Chaotic Saintess''s smile bloomed like flowers, starkly discordant with the chilling scene around her, to the point of being eerie. "Whose girlfriend am I? And whose wife?" An Su cocked her head to the side, her mouth curled in a smile, but there was not a hint of mirth in those crimson eyesonly an icy coldness deep within the red pupils. The pitter-patter of rain trickled down the broken eaves, the decrepit wutong trees cast dim, flickering shadows, creating an atmosphere that was gloomy and stern. Next to the Alchemical Carriage, the pallid and lifeless body of the coachman slumped on the ground; rainwater mixed with blood, indistinguishable from each other, death''s shadow murky within the turbid pool of blood. The operators of the Chaotic Elevator and Chaos Escalator felt a numbing chill down their spines, breaking into cold sweats. Recalling what they had said on the carriage, their faces immediately filled with despair. One claimed An Su was his girlfriend; the other said she was his wife, Considering how many years they had spent in the Mysticism of Chaos, today''s task was unquestionably the most chaotic, spreading rumors about the Chaotic Saintess right to her face. They had stirred up such a firestorm, enough to last a year''s worth of chaotic accomplishments! Both of them had already thought out their last words. An Su, sitting next to them, felt a chill down his spine, as if being pricked by needles one after another. His involvement wasn''t as severe as the other two, nor as foolishly bold. Logically, his situation shouldn''t be this dire. Being caught bad-mouthing behind someone''s back was nothing to An Su''s thick skin, not enough to leave him feeling coldheartedly. An Su''s chill was of a physical nature. His own shadow... Ever since An Su arrived, the temperature dropped to the lowest point. A shadow could convey body warmth; such advanced concealing magic... An Su wasn''t sure what had become of Enya, but he could feel the battle will and energy rise sharply behind him! Perhaps it was the sudden appearance of an enemy of Esoteric Religion at Saintly Rank; as a fellow saint and professional killer, her instinct to fight was triggered, so she radiated an intense killing intent like the cold of deep winter. Undoubtedly, all powerful beings were like that! Eager to match wits with An Su, thereby proving she was the true powerhouse! After a series of rational analyses, An Su felt confident his deductions were correct, immediately feeling a sense of security. Miss Enya, cloaked within An Su''s shadow, watched the unfamiliar woman with cold eyes. So An Su dashed out in the middle of the night for a clandestine rendezvous with this wild woman! No wonder the usually innocent young master suddenly started browsing those sleazy books. No wonder An Su had been staying out every night; he''d been ensnared by a temptress from outside. That line, "Whose girlfriend am I? And whose wife?", was without a doubt aimed at her! This was a declaration of war! After a series of rational analyses, Enya felt confident her deductions were spot on, immediately feeling a sense of crisis. Undoubtedly, all such wild women were like this! Anxious to compare herself with Enya, to prove she was the legitimate one! After a series of rational analyses, Enya felt confident her deductions were correct, immediately overwhelmed by a sense of crisis. Meanwhile, An Su, having pondered Miss Enya''s warrior mindset, began to speculate on another matter of concern. Why had An Su appeared on Seven Gods Street, and why precisely near the residence of a saint from the Radiant Holy See... What was her purpose? The first thought that came to An Su was that she had been watching him all along. In the worst-case scenario, he might have been targeted long ago... An Su''s expression turned grim, perhaps his true identity had already been exposed. If that was indeed the case, her act of disguising herself as a coachman and carrying him all this way, could that be her way of toying with him? Like a cat that toys with its prey for pleasure. Or maybe, she just had suspicions about him, and that was why she had been testing him all along. Only these two possibilities could explain why she happened to be near the saints'' dormitory! After a series of rational analyses, An Su again started to feel certain about his line of reasoning. He stared at the enchanting and stunningly beautiful woman before him, fixating on her joyful smile, unable to fathom the thoughts of the Chaotic Saintess, only knowing that underneath that beautiful exterior lay the worst of what''s inside. He had to tread carefully from now on. She probably hadn''t detected the presence of Miss Enya; although they were both saints, they specialized in different areas. Enya was skilled in stealth; as long as she didn''t make a deliberate physical disturbance, An Su presumed she wouldn''t be noticed. Bringing Enya was the right choice, a trump card of his own. An Su thought to himself. Find your adventure at My Virtual Library Empire The evening rain outside the carriage continued to tap incessantly, An Su stepped off the carriage with light footsteps, pleasantly sweeping her gaze over the faces of the elevator and escalator operators; she loved the sight of their fearful and tense expressions, which brought her unusual delight. Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Ultimately, her gaze settled on An Su. The young man was quite a surprise to An Su; not only wasn''t he afraid when caught being naughty, but he also seemed to emanate a fighting spirit, as if there was an ice-cold and furious Evil God standing behind him. Such thick skin was well-suited to the secret cults. The joy in An Su''s eyes deepened. To completely destroy and mock such arrogant youth, plunging him into endless darkness and despair, that to her was the pinnacle of worldly chaos, something that could rank second only to the most thrilling pleasures within chaos. Chapter 189 Miss Enya: Where Did This Savage Woman Come From? (Two in One)_2 "Chaos Stairs," the Chaotic Saintess teased, "It seems you have an opinion of me?""Or should I say, you harbor unorthodox thoughts toward Chaos?" An Su''s face remained calm, displaying a serene smile. This was the time to stay firm; under no circumstances could he admit it. "Not at all," An Su said earnestly, his expression nothing but loyal and solemn, so saintly it seemed as if he''d lay down his life for the Chaotic Saintess in devotion, "As you know, I''ve always been very loyal..." Before he could finish, his expression started to change. His shadow moved on its own, lightly trailing its fingertips over An Su''s thigh, eliciting a tingling sensation. An Su thought to himself, this was not good; Miss Enya, why wouldn''t you follow commands, especially doing such apparent actions in front of the Chaotic Saintess, When his movements were out of sync with his shadow, he could be exposed by the Elf... Fortunately, An Su was quick and managed to mimic the shadow''s actions, drawing his left hand across his thigh. "As you know, I am very loyal to you," An Su repeated, "And even more so to the Mysticism of Chaos." Before An Su could react, his shadow moved again on its own, its nails gently raking over his lower belly; An Su hurriedly followed suit, narrowly avoiding detection by those opposite. At this moment, An Su realized what Enya was up to. The Elf looked at the young man''s seamlessly executed series of movements with a strange expression, as if the youngster seemed even more flustered than herself. The looks An Su received from both the Chaotic Elevator and the Chaos Escalator were filled with admiration; this Brother of the Stairs was truly impressive. As for An Su himself, he was sweating buckets. This was done right in front of the Chaotic Saintess; his hidden rebellion was about to be exposed! But the more they were in front of her, the more Enya seemed to delight and get excited as if she wanted to declare sovereignty through these means. Her shadow''s movements became more excessive, its caress moving upwards to An Su''s chest An Su immediately followed with his own moves, in a stroke of quick thinking, he clenched his fist and thumped it against his chest, producing a muffled rumble from his chest cavity, as he loudly pledged allegiance, "For Chaos! I would offer my heart!" The Elevator and the Escalator broke into applause; An Su''s words were pumping them up, truly embodying the brazen and authentic nature of Chaos, "Excellent!" An Su had even managed to confuse the Elf. She saw the sincerity in An Su''s eyes, the passion in his voice, his lips tightly pursed, every muscle in his body tense. As he shouted, his voice rang out powerfully and was filled with emotion, embodying the vigor and righteous anger of youth, seeming profoundly loyal to the Esoteric Religion. He''d managed to bluff his way through it. An Su breathed a sigh of relief only to see that Miss Enya had become engrossed in it, possessed by obsession, she no longer cared about the others around her. Her shadow''s exquisite fingers touched An Su''s lips. An Su felt the softness and a trace of coolness, and he helplessly placed his finger upon his own lips. What was this all about... "Eh? Eh? Eh?" The mind of the Chaotic Saintess was a whirlwind of panic; she couldn''t fathom An Su''s approach, feeling that the youngster in front of her was a perfect fit for the Mysticism of Chaos! What he did was truly chaotic. Meanwhile, the Elevator and the Escalator at this moment respected the Brother of the Stairs so much that they were completely convinced. It wasn''t just that he stood confidently in front of the Chaotic Saintess without subservience; he even dared to flirt with her to her face. This was a true hero of Chaos. Reflecting on their own actions, they would only dare spread rumors behind her back, no match for the forthright Brother of the Stairs. Could Brother of the Stairs do something even more chaotic? The Elevator and Escalator waited with baited breath, full of confidence in the Brother of the Stairs; he could definitely do it, he certainly could. As if responding to their expectations, the wicked shadow moved away from An Su''s lips and started to descend, about to head straight for his groin. An Su''s face showed horror, for if he made such a move in front of everyone, what a pure pervert that would make him! "Don''t do this," An Su whispered. The shadow stopped, appearing a bit dejected hearing An Su''s plea, retracting its extended hand, and eventually, with reluctance, drooped down. It shook its head, seeming a bit despondent; An Su likewise let his hand droop and shook his head. It seemed Enya was still listening to him, and An Su breathed a long sigh of relief. The Elevator and Escalator also sighed in relief. After all, this guy was still just a human. The Chaotic Saintess stared at An Su with a peculiar expression, unable to deduce the meaning behind the surreal motions he had just performed, aware only that the intriguing atmosphere she had meticulously prepared was thoroughly ruined by the youth. She gazed at the youth before her, this enchanting and bizarre man, gazing at his calm smile, unable to guess the thoughts of this Brother of the Stairs, aware only that beneath this facade of innocence, the worst interior must be hidden. Interesting. "Let''s go, it''s half past nine now," The Elf broke the silence, glancing at her pocket watch and then lifting her head, her gaze sweeping over the three, with a particular pause on An Su, "Others are still waiting for us, we are already two hours late." "Wasn''t the appointed time nine o''clock?" An Su asked in surprise, "We should only be half an hour late." How did it suddenly become two hours... "Ah, actually, I and the other two Archbishops had agreed on seven-thirty, but I didn''t want to arrive that early, it would be so boring~" The Elf earnestly explained, "It''s rather embarrassing to be the only one late, so I tricked you into thinking the appointed time was nine o''clock." An Su should have anticipated this, none of the folks from the Sanctuary of Chaos were reliable; the original Brother of the Stairs had a fondness for idols, the Chaotic Elevator was ever shivering, the Chaos Escalator was a she-male, so naturally, as the Chaotic Saintess, the Elf was bound to be unreliable as well. They had been late from the start, making their hectic journey en route a complete joke, An Su looked grim with despair. Had he known, he would have simply skipped the whole affair. He "All right then." "Would we be true Chaos Followers if we arrived on time?" The Elf finally savored An Su''s pained expression, her heart filled with pleasure, a refreshingly delightful sensation that the Chaotic Elevator and Chaos Escalator could never provide, like savoring an arduously obtained dessert. She licked her lips contentedly, "Let''s go." With a gentle clap from the Elf, myriad stairs formed before them, continuously spreading upward along the stairs, they arrived at a hidden room, An Su realized that the place he was in was no longer an alley but a beautifully ornate noble castle, chaotic flames painted a variety of patterns on the walls. As soon as the Elf and An Su''s group made their appearance, all the Cultists turned their heads at once, their glances coldly fixed on them, these were the scoundrels who made them wait two hours. An Su, unconcerned about the murderous glares around him, curiously surveyed his surroundings. This must be one of the spatial strongholds of the Mysticism of Chaos... An Su thought to himself, at the same time he looked at his shadow, where Miss Enya gently swayed, signaling her constant presence. Find more chapters on My Virtual Library Empire Looking at the cheerful Chaotic Saintess before him, Bishop Rada of the Star Curia forcefully suppressed his rage, telling himself not to lower himself to the level of this youth. After all, she was the Chaotic Saintess and her future Rank might surpass his own. Bishop Rada then vented his anger on An Su and the others, speaking in a cold tone. "Now is the time to assess what you have learned, and those who fail to transform will not qualify for the mission." "This only proves they are trash, and trash does not deserve to live!" The punishment was harsh, and all the Cult prodigies fell into a deathly silence. Bishop Rada snorted and turned to the Chaos Deacon beside him, "Can we start now?" "Lord Rada... two people have not arrived yet," a Chaos Deacon hurriedly informed. "Those two!" Bishop Rada''s anger flared up, and his demigod presence oppressively bore down on everyone, "Is it again the Cultists of the Mysticism of Chaos, this is preposterous!" "Ah no, not them," the Deacon of Pain broke out in a cold sweat, "It''s the Serpent of Pain from the Star Sect, and the Son of Seafood from the Oceanic Sect." An Su also broke out in a cold sweat. Ever since the last signal jamming incident, Merlin had upgraded the communication feature available in magic; now it was possible to make calls within spaces too. An Su quickly sent messages to these two guys. It took a long time to connect. S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "What? Isn''t the exam tomorrow?" the voices of the two resounded in shock. Chapter 190 An Su: I Will Strike in Radiant Form! (Two in One) "What? Isn''t the test tomorrow?"There is always someone stronger. An Su thought that Elf''s two-hour tardiness was already shockingly enough, but he hadn''t anticipated that his rural compatriots from the borderlands would surpass even that. Lister and Arthur''s earth-shattering act infuriated Demigod Rada beyond measure. His face turned beet red, his bald head, shining with Holy Light, also flushed with blood, looking like a tea egg from the pressure, and he even found it difficult to breathe. Ever since he became the General of Suffering, wherever he went, he was greeted with courtesy; he had never been so humiliated. To think he had been waiting here for two whole hours! And last time, last time those guys actually had the audacity to get drunk before a meeting; that wasn''t even the worst of it C the worst thing was that, though he was present, no one bothered to toast to him! "Oh dear." What made him even angrier was the Chaotic Saintess, Elf, looking all forlorn and desperate beside him, hanging her head like a frostbitten eggplant, gently biting her silver teeth, her face full of regret as she said, "I didn''t expect I''d still be early! What a loss!" Being outdone in the serious business of tardiness by believers from other sects was a considerable blow to the Chaotic Saintess''s spiritual path. She resolved to learn from this failure, and to do even better next time, she would arrive three hours late at the next gathering. "Thanks for the timely reminder, Brother Su." On the other end of the Magic Communication, Lister still remained composed; he prided himself on being an elegant nobleman, not one to panic over a little tardiness like Arthur, "It''s just a small delay; I''ll be riding on Arthur and arriving shortly." The sound of galloping, as fast as lightning, came through the Magic Communication. At this moment, both men had reached the ultimate speed in their lives. Even through the magic, An Su could hear the whooshing wind from the other side, like a hurricane blowing past his ear or lightning streaking across the sky, such was the urgency. Archduke Annand had told Arthur once that at a life-or-death moment, a Sun Warrior would activate the hidden Solar Bloodline within and break the boundaries of his limits, becoming a true warrior. And now, that critical moment had arrived. Arthur was indeed awakened. Lister rode on the back of the blazing Arthur, rushing over with the speed of the wind and lightning. "When we get there, we can sneak in through the back door; maybe Bishop Rada won''t even notice us!" Thanks to his years of experience with tardiness, Lister quickly thought of a plan. Luckily, he thought to himself, An Su had arrived on time and warned them. As long as they made a mad dash for it, they would be, at most, only twenty minutes late. "I was also two hours late," An Su said after a moment of silence, bursting Lister''s bubble. Lister was silent. "And this is a magic space, there is no back door," An Su transmitted. Lister''s expression grew more pained, and cold sweat began trickling down his forehead. "Bishop Rada has already called the roll." An Su spoke in a gentle tone, as kindly as a doctor announcing a terminal cancer diagnosis. He''s called you two already. Lister smiled, resigned to his fate. Arthur, too, smiled in acceptance, abruptly throwing Lister off his back, reverting from his state as a Sun Knight and sitting down leisurely on the ground with a bright, sunny disposition. No one had thought that on just the second day of their undercover lives, they would be prematurely concluding it due to being late. "Let''s come up with excuses for being late," Lister said, pushing up his glasses; he still intended to struggle, "For example, I could say that my father died, Bishop Rada will surely understand us." "Yes, I could say my father died," Arthur chimed in quickly, "For the greater good of the Radiant Holy See, and for the life of a child, my father would surely be willing to die for a while." "...I''m not yet dead." While transmitting to these two, An Su observed Bishop Rada''s expression and saw that in just a while, Rada''s egg-like head had transformed from a tea egg to a marbled egg, "Besides, judging by Rada''s current fury, I bet he''d be more than willing to send you two off to keep your deceased relatives company." Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Find adventures on My Virtual Library Empire Upon hearing this, the other two revealed relieved smiles again. "By the way, what''s the real reason you two forgot about the test?" An Su asked curiously. "Money and women," the two men answered in unison, without a second''s delay. An Su''s eyelids twitched. Ever since the Cultists had figured out Arthur and Lister''s human weaknesses, they had started to tempt them with what they liked, using beauty and money to distract them, ultimately making them forget about the test. "I have a plan; if you want to live, listen to me." After all, as their father, An Su still planned to save his two good sons, "I''ll provide cover for you, but you''ll have to give me ten percent of the gifts you''ve received." In this way, blackmailing for benefits, An Su''s level of scumminess was no less than that of these two. After hearing An Su''s concocted plan, Lister and Arthur showed a look of admiration. True to Brother Su''s genius across many fields, they had never expected his ability to lie with a straight face to be so strong. After instructing the two, An Su ended the Magic Communication and turned his attention back to the bishops. "Huff, huff. Shariputra is the emptiness of all dharmas, neither arising nor ceasing... Shariputra is..." Bishop Rada was silently reciting the holy epithet he had heard in Heaven, gradually calming down. Whenever he was consumed by rage, he would chant this obscure prayer, and oddly enough, it always worked. He decided that he would get rid of these two pests after the fall, exhaling slowly. As his mood calmed down, the redness of his bald head faded as well. Bishop Rada looked around at the Cultist prodigies and announced, "Let''s not bother with them. Let''s just start!" Chapter 190 An Su: I Will Strike in Radiant Form! (Two in One)_2 This test was to examine the Esoteric Religion geniuses'' control over the Transformation Spell.If even the basic act of soul transference could not be achieved, they wouldn''t have the qualifications to participate in the next stage of the tests. Chaotic Shape-shifting Magic is a legendary magic, and its mastery is extremely difficult within the short span of a day; this test also assessed the Esoteric Religion''s talents, where only true geniuses could understand it in such a short time, and perhaps even advance further. Upon Bishop Rada''s command, the acolytes moved towards the side room and soon after, the sound of dragging chains could be heard. The acolytes kept cursing and whipping as they dragged the chains outside. At the end of the chains were more than a dozen people, their faces pale and their eyes lifeless, draped in tattered cowls as if they were nothing more than walking corpses, driven to the stage by the acolytes. An Su was surprised to discover that these people were Cultists who had just been eliminated a few days prior. "These failures are not qualified; they are unsuitable for this mission," calmly stated Bishop Rada, as if speaking of something entirely logical, "Staying in the imperial capital could expose them, and their Rank is indeed close to that of An Su and the other two. Might as well let them be of some last use and act as your practice targets." "There are two scoring standards for this test, first is the soul leaving the shell, and second is achieving soul fusion. Additionally, if you incorporate an innovative Magic Circuit, you will receive extra points," he said. "If you cannot achieve any of it," Rada sneered, "I will also deem your talents unqualified." The consequences of failure were far too severe. All the Cultists were breaking out in cold sweat, but only the real geniuses of the Esoteric Religion showed confident smiles, having not only succeeded but also gone further, making their own modifications to the Chaotic Shape-shifting Magic. "Chaotic Shape-shifting Magic, I have already demonstrated it to you on the way here," said Elf lazily to An Su and the others, "Your standards are different from theirs, it must be interesting, at least interesting enough to satisfy me." Her crimson eyes fixated on An Su; the Chaotic Saintess was looking for amusement again. The expressions of Chaotic Elevator and Chaos Escalator were subtle; the level of Transformation Spell under the auspices of chaos had far exceeded their understanding. The two were immersed in the Mysticism of Chaos, and had actually practiced Chaotic Shape-shifting Magic, having an advantage over Believers of other Sects. However, when Elf infiltrated among the coachmen, she completely fooled these chaotic geniuses. Clearly, Elf''s understanding of Chaotic Shape-shifting Magic had reached a new level, integrating her own concepts and forming a new school. An Su also appreciated Elf''s Transformation Spell, as it had deceived Enya who was hidden in her own shadow. But conversely, Enya''s stealth magic had also deceived Elf. Even though Elf''s Transformation Spell was powerful, An Su was also very confident in her own Holy Light Transformation Spell. The light from the fire on the walls of the stronghold flickered, spreading the vague shadows across the crimson carpeted ground. The senior acolyte began calling out names; the Believers stepped forward for the test according to their numbers, first chanting spells to commence spiritual disembodiment. The quicker the spirit separated from the body, the deeper the understanding of this part of the Magic Circuit. The acolyte would score this part accordingly. After complete disembodiment, it was time for soul fusion. The disembodied soul would enter the body of the expendable person, temporarily fusing with the latter''s soul while simultaneously devouring their memories and emotions. The higher the synchrony and deeper the fusion, the higher the score. "Sixty points." "Seventy points..." Of course, that was just the ordinary Believers'' approach, The geniuses planned to add a bit of their own innovation, showcasing their proportions of genius. As long as it fell within the rules, they would not follow the beaten path! For instance, a genius from the Oceanic Sect didn''t attempt to merge with these ordinary humans but instead pulled out a box of clams from the seafood market from his pocket, directly merging his soul with these clams, eliciting amazement from the crowda true daredevil! After all, this was about soul fusion, where memories and emotions would interact for a short period. Lower animals, having no rationality but only instinct, could corrupt the soul if one was not careful, even causing it to get lost in the animal''s shell, unable to return. To ensure the soul would not be corrupted and to come out unscathed was far more difficult than merging with a Third Order Believer''s soul, and it also indicated that his control over the Transformation Spell was stronger than average. The Oceanic Sect genius eventually succeeded, his soul returned safely, prompting cheers from the crowd. ``` He was left with some side effects, but the Oceanic genius simply pulled his zipper up and down repeatedly, treating his clothing as if it were the shell of a clam. The Oceanic genius scored a high mark of eighty points. The high score was due to the great risk involved in the spellcasting. "Chaos Escalator." the old deacon read out the name of Chaos Escalator, who took a deep breath and walked up to a middle-aged man. He too had quite the skill, having innovated magic by adapting Chaotic Shape-shifting Magic into Chaos Gender Transformation Spell. Once his soul entered the body of the middle-aged man, the latter''s beard faded away, breasts gradually filled out, and the features softened, turning into those of a mature older sister. "I like, I like, to seize An Su''s body and turn him into a woman!" The Chaotic Saintess was amused, awarding a high score of eighty-five, citing the performance as very interesting, surpassing even the top score of the Oceanic talent. Everyone was amazed, acknowledging that these Chaos Followers indeed knew how to have fun. "Chaotic Elevator." the old deacon called out the name of Chaotic Elevator. Elevator was a prodigy, his mouth bearing a stern smile; this was his moment to shine. Nobody knew that Chaotic Shape-shifting Magic was his most secret skill. Chaotic Elevator had anticipated this very occasion and had practiced arduously for a year to create that ultimate spell! The Oceanic Sect buffoon merely merged with a non-human creature, eliciting admiration from everyone, while Chaotic Elevator aimed to go even further. This time, the subject of his soul fusion wasn''t even a living creature! It was an element! To everyone''s astonishment, they saw lightning chaotically snaking around in Chaotic Elevator''s handsthis was none other than the initial stage spell "Lightning Strike." Lightning is one of the most ferocious powers in nature, and as Chaotic Elevator''s soul left his body, it astonishingly entered the chaos of the lightning. "He''s gone mad!" "He''s completely disregarding his own life!" The surrounding Esoteric Religion geniuses exclaimed in shock, concern apparent in their expressions, while An Su inwardly remarked on their being easily alarmed. "The more you merge with lower and unordered entities, the more likely your soul is to be influenced, and Elevator brother''s soul is merging with the purest of elements, at great risk of being devoured by the lightning!" Chaos Escalator explained to An Su. The lightning continued to merge with his soul until his soul itself turned into lightning, roaming freely in the air. After merging with the lightning, it could travel freely in electrical circuits, incredibly stealthy. "Ninety points." Chaotic Elevator scored a high of ninety points. He slowly withdrew from the electric current and returned to his own body. Paralyzed from the touch, he walked with a limp, and everyone showed their amazement, even Bishop Rada did not skimp on his praise, seeing great promise in the lad. "Brother Elevator, you really are impressive!" An Su sincerely exclaimed, his words filled with admiration, and Chaotic Elevator was quite proud. If they could capture this fellow and turn him into alternating current, confine him in a Magic Conductor Train, wouldn''t it drive a new industrial revolution? By then, they could embed the souls of all the Cultists into the electric flow, letting them endlessly serve as generators. Discover exclusive tales on My Virtual Library Empire "Next, Chaos Stairway!" Under everyone''s gaze, An Su stepped up to the platform. Everyone was wary and skeptical of him, especially the old Priest. Hadn''t this fellow destroyed a base of Suffering Believers just yesterday during a test? Was he going to obliterate a Chaos base this time? Sarch* The N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. But after all, it was just a Third Order Cultist''s Transformation Spell, how impressive could it possibly be? It couldn''t be that extreme and dangerous. Yesterday''s mishap was the result of a fire caused by a deity, after all. An Su took a deep breath; in fact, he did not know the final form his Holy Light Transformation Spell would take since Miss Bones''s experiment had been halted halfway. Anyhow, it was worth a try. A light flickered in his hands as he softly chanted the spell. For a moment, radiant light filled the entire base. ``` Chapter 191 An Su: I am the New Century Radiance Warrior (Two in One) The old Priest watched the young man before him with a vigilant expression, not taking his eyes off him for a moment, lest he cause some trouble.Ever since the last Sanctuary of Chaos stronghold had been burnt down by An Su, the Church Nation was enraged, ordering a strict inspection of fire safety measures at all strongholds. Several heads of strongholds were netted for embezzling materials for the Alchemic Magic Circle and for misappropriating the supply of Water Magic Power. This time, the old Priest was fully prepared, having equipped the Sanctuary of Chaos stronghold with three fire suppression magic devices and had reset the Water Magic Alchemic Magic Circle; even if An Su suddenly melded with the Fire Element, it could be extinguished in an instant. An Su felt quite uneasy being stared at by the old man. He considered himself to be nothing but a simple and kind-hearted Radiant Saint, desiring only to add more warmth and liveliness to everyone''s lives. He flashed a friendly smile at Mr. Priest, and An Su''s smile was just as simple and sincere. His lips curved upward slightly, and his pale blue eyes were filled with amiable laughter, sending chills down the spines of those around him. Especially the Cultists on the ritual platform, whose bodies were about to be seized. They looked at An Su with even more horror in their eyes. After a series of consecutive tests, only five believers remained alive on the platform, the rest either had their bodies possessed, or their souls were unable to be restored after soul melding. That was the nature of the Esoteric Religion; if a believer was eliminated, the organization would crush and drain every organ and even the soul of the individual to make perfect use of it. These Cultists, who usually engaged in all sorts of evil including murder and plunder, never changed expression no matter how many people they killed. But when faced with life and death, they were no longer so composed, especially since this ritual concerned their own souls. The only thing they could pray for now was that An Su, like the several geniuses before him, would choose not to meld with a human soul. An Su was the last tester, and if they could survive this ordeal, they would live. The Cultists were pale, their pupils trembling as they nervously watched the youth with the delicate smile. An Su also looked at them, his gaze tinged with a hint of pity and regret, and a faint compassion. Within the depths of his clear, lake-like eyes seemed to lie a deep sorrow, stirring hopes in the hearts of the Cultists. An Su felt sorrow and regret because he thought the Sanctuary of Chaos was not utilizing its discarded believers efficiently. It would have been nice if they had all been sacrificed. "Have you chosen your material?" the old Priest asked An Su, "Which body do you plan to invade?" An Su turned to look at the old Priest and shook his head with a smile, "I choose none." The five tense Cultists instantly felt relieved, revealing smiles of one who had narrowly escaped death. According to the rules of the Esoteric Religion, those fortunate individuals who survived the experiment would be readmitted into the organization. This young man was indeed very kind! The Cultists looked at An Su with eyes full of gratitude. The Cultists who had escaped death were already fantasizing in their hearts about which small town they should raid to relieve the shock of the day once they returned from the imperial capital. The Chaotic Elevator had also given up on choosing humans. The genius Cultists below discussed; this was only to be expected, after all, a genius of Chaos never took the conventional path. However, no matter how chaotic this youngster might be, it would be difficult for his achievements to surpass those of the Chaotic Elevator, as soul melding with elements was indeed too shocking and unconventionalthey had already reached a conclusion in their hearts. Elf propped her chin in her hand, a smile playing at her lips as she watched the boy on the platform with interest, wondering what kind of performance he would put on this time. This test had two scoring stages; the first part was the Magic Power Circuit ''Soul Separation'', and An Su chanted softly, the pale blue Magic Power rippling outwards, guiding his soul to quickly leave his body. Sar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The separation was swift, and when An Su''s soul appeared in everyone''s view, it caused quite a stir. The sky-blue Spiritual Body fluttered against the night sky as if a corner of the azure heavens had fallen into this dimly lit aristocratic hall. His pure white hair swayed in the wind, rippling waves upon waves. Despite Merlin''s magic serving as a concealment, hiding most of the true form of An Su''s soul, it still left the crowd in awe. The more defined and concrete the shape of a soul, the higher its quality. Before the Chaotic Elevator, the strongest soul was that of the ocean genius who had melded with an oyster; his soul was so clear that one could discern fingers. Stay tuned with My Virtual Library Empire The reason why that genius''s soul was so strong was that he was born into the Life Ecclesia; he had offered sacrifices and been baptized by the Mother Goddess multiple times, with a soul quality far exceeding others. The soul of the Chaotic Elevator was clear enough to distinguish individual strands of hair, and one could even faintly make out facial features, indicating that the strength of the Chaotic Elevator''s soul had reached the Fourth Order, even approaching that of a saint. A Third Order believer with a Fourth Order soul strength meant that his soul surpassed his body; this denoted that he was naturally born for magic, able to learn and devise spells beyond his peers of the same rank. What the genius Cultists didn''t know was that the reason they couldn''t see the full features of An Su''s soul was merely due to Magic God Merlin''s Transformation Spell. The true nature of An Su''s soul had already perfectly manifested its features, having reached the status of a saintly soul. "Just a slightly better-looking soul quality, but the real test is the actual magic," Chapter 191 An Su: I am the New Century Radiance Warrior (Two in One)_2 The Chaotic Elevator snorted coldly, determined to claim the top place for itself this time. Having trained a whole year in advance, it was absolutely unacceptable to let the Ladder snatch the victory again. No matter what, elemental fusion was the most powerful force, and the advantage was his.An Su''s soul disembodiment was successfully completed, and next came the soul fusion. He took a deep breath and began chanting the second legendary spell, "Radiant Illumination Skill." Magic power circulated continuously as light gathered towards An Su, and a grand illumination suddenly enveloped the entire stronghold, In a moment, everyone was taken aback. Judging by this situation, it seemed the Chaotic Elevator was also trying to fuse with an element C and it was none other than the "Light" element that the Cultists loathed the most, the symbol of the Radiant Holy See! The whole room erupted into murmurs. Demigod Rada suddenly stood up from the bench. Ever since he became bald, he had been particularly sensitive to light. Now, seeing countless beams converging on An Su, his anger reached its peak. It was a pity he was only projecting his presence there; otherwise, he would have captured An Su''s soul and interrogated him harshly. The guards at the base also drew their swords in unison, casting unfriendly looks towards An Su, ready to seize him at Bishop Rada''s command. "Wait a second," the Chaotic Saintess Elf furrowed her brow, sensing something amiss and interrupting Demigod Rada, "This seems off... its fluctuations and patterns are different... this light is twisted after being distorted." Demigod Rada frowned, heeding Elf''s words. Releasing his soul''s perception, he also carefully felt the surrounding light and immediately noticed the difference. The grand light that enveloped them was merely a facade. The true illumination released by An Su was hidden beyond this grand light C an invisible light unseen by the human eye. It flitted through the gaps in space, causing ripples of eeriness to splash up, one after another. These ripples, as if resonating, trembled in succession, stirring the calm sea of light into turbid chaos. "He is desecrating the Holy Light." Having reached this conclusion, Elf spoke with excitement. Her eyes, as red as flower petals, she stood up and stepped forward barefoot. The hem of her crimson skirt dragged across the carpet, and those muddy rays of light passed through her body, bringing a cold temperature. Bathed in the eerie light, Elf''s lips curled into a smile, "How chaotic. How blasphemous!" Elf laughed heartily. She gazed at the young man in the center of the ritual platform. She had never encountered someone so interesting and audacious who would dare to target the Holy Light itself! "So interesting, so much fun!" Someone like this should be locked in the Ladder Sect for life, to provide endless entertainment for her. Desecrating the Holy Light. The meaning of this phrase was clear to all Believers. Since its establishment, the Holy Light had been the source of faith for the Radiant Holy See and the element most detested by the Cultists. Countless Believers and even Bishops despised the Holy Light and fought to desecrate it, but they all failed in the end. Because the Holy Light had the powerful authority to drive out evil, any Cultist who tried to transform it ended up being consumed by the light. No one expected that this act of desecration would be accomplished by the Third Order Believer before them. The Radiant Light was originally invented by the Radiant Bishop, but that didn''t stop An Su from appropriating his copyright. Bathed in that blasphemous light, some ordinary Believers of the Third Order and below developed red and swollen skin, dizziness, and even bled from their mouths and noses. After all, "Radiant Illumination Skill" was a legendary spell, so much so that even Fourth Order genius Cultists felt a sharp discomfort. The most suffering, however, were the old Priest closest to An Su and those five Cultists who thought they had narrowly escaped death. Being closest to the radiation source, they felt dizzy and dark as if something was regrowing deep within their bodies. Everybody knew, this light was something dangerous. "This light is exactly what our Sect has been dreaming of!" Demigod Bram of the Oceanic Sect, who had been silent all along, now also revealed an excited and joyous expression. Recognizing the essence of this light instantly C it could induce mutations within the organisms C he saw great potential. The once glorious Oceanic Sect has lost its past splendor. Nowadays, with less and less of the mysterious beasts deep within the ocean due to overhunting by humans, the disciples of the Oceanic Sect had fallen to manipulating seafood. But if he could recruit this young person into his Sect, and project this Radiant Light massively into the ocean or shine it upon ordinary seafood, he could cause their cellular structures to mutate, creating thousands of deformed sea monsters. Then, they could return to land and take revenge on the Grand Duke of the Sun, no longer just a castle in the air. As long as the seafood mutated to grow legs, they could march back onto land! Bishop Rada also had his considerations. If he let this light shine on his scalp daily, could it possibly induce hair growth? Yes, his appreciation for An Su''s talent blossomed again. He must find a way to recruit this talent into the Star Sect. S~ea??h the ovlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. An Su was still oblivious to the immense attention he had caused. All his focus was on controlling these rays of light, integrating them into his soul. Find adventures at My Virtual Library Empire His magic control ability couldn''t achieve the same level of intricacy and artistry as Bone, Chapter 191 An Su: I am the New Century Radiance Warrior (Two in One)_3 He could only expend all his mental strength, concentrating fully on controlling these lights, allowing them to converge into his own soul.The majority of cultists felt the change, the discomfort in their bodies lessened, the radiance around them gradually weakened, and the brilliance scattered in the hall began to gather toward the center. "What is happening..." "The light is changing, converging toward a center?" "It''s the Chaotic Staircase, the soul of the Chaotic Staircase is absorbing these profane lights..." "Could it be that the light he''s merging with through his Transformation Spell is this light?" "Madness, sheer madness, this has gone beyond the concept of ''Transformation Skill''!" Everyone realized what An Su was doing, he was actually gathering these bizarre lights into his own soul, which was simply insane. Even the most deranged life cultists couldn''t comprehend An Su''s suicidal act. The strangeness of the light was something they all had personally experienced. The danger it posed was much greater than the ''electricity'' that the Chaotic Elevator had merged with; this radiance had the corrupting power to twist living beings. Yet An Su was about to introduce it into the most fragile part of himself, his soulthis was no longer risking his life, this was suicide! The profane light quickly converged toward An Su, the flowing light like a vortex in the ocean, or a storm in a sea of light. All who passed by felt awe and reverence for this twisting storm, and An Su''s soul stood at the center of the storm, his pure white hair dancing against the light; he was the eye of the storm. Demigod Rada and Bram Demigod both tensed, they had just developed a sense of appreciation for this young man, thinking about coaxing him into their sect to nurture him greatly, but before they could even start, was this young man self-destructing? Only the Chaotic Saintess seemed even more excited and joyful, integrating the fallen light into one''s own soulwhat a chaotic and interesting idea. She raised her arms high, her eyes somewhat sickly as she gazed at An Su within the sea of light. The doctrine of chaos is to defile everything, to disrupt everything, to live disorderly in a universe of chaos since the nature of the universe is entropy, increasing indefinitely; in the end times, all things will return to the primordial chaos and disorder. All of An Su''s actions perfectly echoed the definition of chaos. sea??h th N?vel(F)ire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. She was curious to see what An Su would eventually transform into. Your next chapter is on My Virtual Library Empire The five cultists closest to An Su were now twisted in the face, bleeding from their mouths and noses, collapsed on the ground. They were directly facing the output of a God of Law''s legendary magic, and as their Rank was only Third Order, they couldn''t hold on. Now they were all inwardly cursing; it would have been better to be possessed themselves! On the other hand, although An Su was of the same Rank, his soul was not affected at all. He felt warm and comfortable. Many were worried for Brother of the Stairs'' soul, but as time passed, everyone began to feel something strange... Why does Brother of the Stairs'' soul smell so good... In the midst of everyone''s yearning eyes, An Su had completely absorbed the Holy Light. He slowly closed his eyes and silently uttered ''transform'' in his heart. The defiled Holy Light kept growing and constructing, outrageously building his new body. His view kept rising. The combination of two legendary spells, ''Radiant Illumination Skill'' and ''Holy Light Transformation Skill'', had shaped this new form for An Su. The genius cultists'' eyes widened as they lifted their heads, looking up at An Su''s increasingly towering figure. For some reason, possibly a hallucination brought on by the radiation, they all simultaneously heard a ringing in their earssharp, shrieking tinnitus that connected together, forming a rhythm, a melody, eventually becoming an anthem. The distorted choir sang this twisted hymn to praise the sacrilege! Cultists of a lower Rank, just by looking at that indescribable face, would find their souls boiling and distorting; this anomaly was no longer of the flesh but directly affected the soul! They promptly humbled themselves by bowing their heads, an absurd thought arising in their minds: ''One must not gaze directly upon God.'' Those five cultists near An Su had already collapsed onto the ground, their souls completely disfigured, and if one could look directly into their souls beyond their physical shells, they would see a bizarre form with three heads and six arms. The entire space stronghold was on the brink of collapse, a huge blasphemous figure stepping on the floor with every step leaving behind a sacrilegious footprint. An Su slowly straightened his body; when he lifted his hand, every line in the palm was made of twisted light. He would strike in the form of radiant light. He would name this form ''New Century Radiance Warrior''... thought An Su in his heart. Chapter 192 An Su Destroys Another Esoteric Religion Stronghold (Combined) Starlight smeared the edges of the night sky, its verdant glow so dense it seemed ready to drip down along the contours of the celestial dome, flowing through the gorgeously chaotic ancient castle.Atop the castle stood the twisting titan, its complex lines of luminescent brilliance forming its shell, strange to the point of sublime beauty. It was a beauty incomprehensible to humankind. Mortals could not make out its face, or rather, were unable to look directly at it. In the night, verdigris pupils hid above the mist, turning out to be the starlight itself. The indescribable pupils projected massive amounts of twisted and profane information all around, and anyone who made eye contact had their soul churned into the vast ocean of information, cognition gradually distorted, rationality devoured until madness took hold. "What kind of posture of an Ancient God is this!" The cultist geniuses cursed inwardly. With resistance and soul strength far exceeding that of ordinary believers, they still felt their scalps tingle, profane information infiltrated their minds through radiation, incomprehensible and beyond cognition, wreaking significant damage on thought processes. This forbidden knowledge, assailing the mind through radiant light, included: "The world is round" "X-ray imaging devices mainly include large X-ray units, digital subtraction angiography (DSA) devices, computer tomography (CT) scanners..." "Eigenvalues and eigenvectors are core concepts in matrix analysis, revealing the properties of a matrix under specific transformations..." "The price of the shirt is nine pounds fifteen pence..." Sarch* The N?vel(F)ire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "The Sword Maiden''s initial breakthrough at 9 o''clock direction, subsequent maintenance of clockwise positioning and standard attacking..." In this world, knowledge bore power. If the knowledge was merely told to cultists, it was inconsequential; their small minds couldn''t comprehend, in one ear and out the other, untouched by it. But An Su forcefully crammed the knowledge into their narrow minds. When vast amounts of forbidden knowledge were directly cast into the fragile soul, at best, it caused paralysis in children, at worst, total brain paralysis. Because it was incomprehensible, it could not be controlled; because the amount was too vast, it could not be digested. The mass of incomprehensible, undigestible knowledge caused indelible memetic contamination of the soul. In simple terms, the cultist geniuses were temporarily stupefied. "What in the world is this thing!" Their souls, being stronger, suffered so, let alone the ordinary believers nearby, particularly a few experimental believers closest to An Su. They were curled up on the ground, their eyeballs bulging, violently plunging their fingers into their ear holes as if to block the violent influx of knowledge, but even as they pierced their own brains, the evil knowledge still surfaced in their minds. Better to be possessed outright! That was the only thought in their minds as their souls were distorted and destroyed. As they approached death, they recalled the young man''s gentle and innocent gaze, never imagining that such pure exterior hid such a sinister interior! Spiritual mutations brought physical transformations; their bones creaked and grew, spinal cords burst through their backs, limbs irreversibly deformed outward, and finally, they knelt, reduced to believers of the Evil God. They blindly and foolishly recited fallen prayers that no one could understand, "The odd changes, the even remains the same, watch the signs if the symbols constrain." "The odd changes, the even remains the same, watch the signs if the symbols constrain." Priest was tormented beyond words. He felt as if he had returned to his adolescence, back to the painful cram school, where countless agonizing pieces of knowledge were forcibly infused into his mind. He thought that preparing three Magic Extinguishers ensured foolproof safety, only to realize that the boy had shifted from physical to psychological attacks! To avoid the Mother Goddess'' gaze leading to a conflagration, Priest had specially modified this stronghold to evade Her attention. Torture. This was the only thought in all the cultist geniuses'' minds. How could there be such a torturous combination of magic in the world! "This kid is a perfect fit for our Painful Court," Demigod Rada commented. Although he completely failed to understand the high-ranking knowledge appearing in his head, his soul was much stronger than an ordinary demigod, naturally unaffected by the radiation, knowledge entering the left ear and smoothly exiting the right, gliding over the polished cerebral cortex. "Such a tormenting form of magic, if we expose all cram school students to it daily, it will surely yield immense amounts of suffering value." Demigod Rada intended to recruit An Su into the Star Sect, confident that with the boy''s innate talent for comprehending suffering, his future would be bleak and promising. Any anger due to An Su''s lateness had already evaporated. "Elf, this kid is clearly a troublemaker; keeping him in your sect is just asking for trouble. It''s better for His Holiness to shave his head and have him join our Star Sect, sparing the world from his mischief," Demigod Rada suggested benevolently, "I can give him a haircut for free." Continue your journey on My Virtual Library Empire "Heh, this kid is clearly more suited for our Oceanic Sect," murmured Demigod Bram, his aura chillingly cold as he peered from beneath his dark hood. He too offered the benefits of joining his own sect, "Join our sect, and we provide exotic seafood every day for free!" Due to overfishing of the oceans, even the Oceanic Sect could no longer muster seafood, so Bram made a grand offer. Moreover, it was mutated seafood, which was extremely precious. Chapter 192 An Su Destroys Another Esoteric Religion Stronghold (Combined)_2 Demigod Rada furrowed his brow. Seeing this undying old man daring to compete with him for followers, his anger was uncontrollable. Immediately, he raised the offer, "Join the Star Cult, and get a monthly haircut card!""Heh," Bram Demigod, shrouded in mystery, continued to improve the benefits, "Unlimited seafood buffet every day!" Watching these two bishops compete for followers, stacking up all sorts of strange benefits, Elf felt the same as if neighborhood aunties and uncles were coaxing people into the residents'' committee, thinking it quite disgraceful for the esoteric religion. Continue your adventure with My Virtual Library Empire Not the slightest dignity of a demigod. No wonder the Chaotic Hierarchical Cult didn''t bother with these two sects. With a cold sneer, Elf looked at An Su with interest. The hierarchy she led in her cult wouldn''t stoop so low The Chaotic Saintess planned to give away a "Radiance Set of 28" exam papers, with a set of "Hengshui Radiance Holy Academy Scrolls" included as a bonus. Very dignified indeed...Elf thought to herself. An Su was still unaware of these important figures'' thoughts, as he was now immersing himself in his new body. He had indeed not expected to achieve the realm of ''stare and daze.'' Just by shifting his gaze around, any believer caught by his sight felt dizzy, their eyelids drooping in pain. This New Century Radiance Warrior form was quite interesting. [New Century Radiance Warrior] [Effect: Legendary Magic Radiance Transformation Skill in Radiant form, lasting for five minutes. In this form, whoever meets the Magician''s gaze, the knowledge in the Magician''s mind will be projected into the enemy''s soul in a radiant form, making a damage judgment] [If the concepts of knowledge are incomprehensible and the soul''s rank is lower than the caster''s, the spirit will be temporarily damaged, with a probability judgment occurring every minute. If the judgment succeeds, it will reduce the enemy''s casting speed by ten percent, and their casting success rate by five percent.] [If the gap is too wide, the enemy''s soul will directly undergo irreversible deformation.] [Note: Not audible, not visible, not perceivable] What a brutal appraisal skill...An Su mused to himself. Anyone less intelligent than him would be turned into an idiot! In a way, this combined magic allowed An Su''s two advantages to be fully utilized. His rank wasn''t high, only Third Order, but the strength of his soul, due to innumerable sacrifices, had reached the level of a Fifth Tier saint. Next, he was a former medical student from another world, with lots of high-rank knowledge not from this world in his mind. With all these buffs stacked together, in this form, anyone below Fifth Tier would be affected. With a judgment every minute, a total of five judgmentsif all five succeed, the enemy''s casting speed would decrease by fifty percent, and purely from a probability standpoint, one out of every four casts would fail outright, a truly terrifying effect. And this was a group judgment. Most importantly, if the gap in soul rank is too wide, the observer''s soul would mutate into a monster. An Su looked at the five cultists below who had already mutated. They could no longer be called human, just a mass of consciousness that attacked indiscriminatelya happy lot after experiencing the Radiance. An Su found he could control their behavior through his senses. Even though they could no longer use complex magic, just with the strength of their bodies, they matched up to an average warrior. With this magic combination, An Su could easily handle any enemy below a saint. One could say that apart from the huge amount of magic power consumed, fifteen magic power points, this combination had almost no drawbacks. As for the teammates who also had to suffer a cruel torture... An Su was an egalitarian and caring saint. No matter friend or foe, he wouldn''t distinguish. Moreover, it had great potential for improvement. An Su continued to sacrifice a massive number of cultists, his soul kept advancing, reaching above Fifth Tier, then even saints couldn''t escape his intelligence check. So, in pursuit of a great ideal to spread the Radiance equally in this world, to let everyone be free of worries, of disunity and strife, and to welcome a new century in harmony and love, An Su needed to intensify the sacrifices! After reaffirming the grand ideals at the bottom of his heart, An Su''s eyes grew more determined, and the radiation in his gaze intensified as well. He now had ten magic power points left. One Radiant Illumination Skill consumes five magic power points. Why not absorb two more and see if the effect would be even better? As a rogue player, An Su had a spirit of experimentation. With two minutes left in his transformation, he decided to try more, embodying the spirit of ''since I''m here, might as well.'' In the past three minutes, after enduring three intelligence checks, the chaotic geniuses felt dizzy and confused. But geniuses are geniuses after all, and they gradually adapted to the painful rhythm. Just as they were about to see the light at the end of the tunnel, they saw An Su ponder for a moment, raise his hand, "Praise the Radiance!" Yet another casting of the legendary magic "Radiant Illumination Skill". "You have drawn the intense gaze of the Mother Goddess of Life." Isn''t that you, kid? The genius cultists looked as uncomfortable as if they had eaten something disagreeable, the Chaotic Staircase is simply madness! Nobody has ever seen such an insane lunatic! "Quick, stop him!" But again, the blasphemous radiance converged, forming a stream of light that shot toward An Su''s spiritual body, the Radiance Warrior''s form becoming even more twisted and indescribable, greedily absorbing the light, growing taller with each burst, threatening to collapse the entire stronghold''s dome. The radiance became even more distorted. The genius cultists'' heads throbbed more painfully, as if previously their souls were exposed to radiation of knowledge, and now it felt like a surge of knowledge blasting into their souls! "Aminos" "Aminos..." However, An Su felt his soul more in tune with the Light, and aside from his giant stature growing another two to three meters, and the speed of knowledge transfer accelerating, there were no substantial improvements; the returns did not match the investment. Let''s try if a change in quantity could trigger a transformation in quality. His lips curved in a serene smile, yet reflected on the face of this ancient god, it was a sacrilegious and twisted laugh of delight, like a demon god standing at the end of the Chaotic Stairway, evoking admiration from the Chaotic Saintess nearby, who thought him quite handsome indeed. Only the last minute of transformation time is left. With only five magic power points remaining, let''s launch one last time! The crowd had yet to recover from the suddenly accelerated teaching pace as they watched the Chaotic Staircase once more become bright with divine light, shouting, "Praise the Radiance!" The genius cultists once again felt the gap between human souls, they felt dizzy just looking at this radiance from a distance, wondering why the Chaotic Staircase bastard could directly absorb it into his soul, and manage to do so three times in a row! What they didn''t know was that the so-called Radiance was in fact the Holy Light distorted by Magic God Merlin. In this world, it possesses both blasphemous and sacred attributes, belonging to both darkness and light, a perfect match for An Su''s Light and Dark Priest Sect. He is a saint, yet his constitution is the rare Child of the Curse, with a soul that also possesses the attributes of both blasphemy and holiness. Thus, only An Su could use this combination of magic. Similarly, the dual-natured Radiance would temporarily make An Su''s soul even more distorted. It deepened the flavor of light while adding a hint of dark essence, which made An Su''s soul seem even more enticing under the Radiance to the spiritual body''s eye of the Holy Maiden whose life was bound to the soul. It was like a microwave heating up the dish that was An Su, the hotter it became, the further the aroma wafted. S~ea??h the novlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. So, when all three applications of "Radiant Illumination Skill" had entered An Su''s spiritual body, the change in quantity indeed led to a mutation. The enhancement of the Radiance Warrior had reached its peak and would not go any further. It was this very space that began to show signs of mutation. It was collapsing continuously. Everyone was unaware of what was happening as the whole stronghold shook. The warm fireplace cracked open, with embers scattering like fluttering butterflies in the night sky, the floor began to fissure, the cracks growing wider, marble columns were ripped out from their bases, and the walls slowly disappeared into thin air, the source of all cracks stemming from the very space itself. It was not the fireplace that had cracked, not the walls that had cracked, but the space itself had cracked. Everyone realized that the Chaotic Stronghold was fracturing, like an egg being smashed open. "Look at the sky..." a cultist exclaimed in shock. "What is that?" "My God..." All eyes turned skyward to see the night''s fabric torn asunder, revealing a crimson red moon within the fissures of heaven and earth, like an eye watching them. [You have intensely attracted the watchful eye of the Mother Goddess of Life!] Chapter 193 High-End Ingredients That Cook Themselves (Two in One) The results of An Su''s experiment were out, and after he fused three "Radiant Illumination Skills" in a row, he achieved extraordinary resultsHe made himself smell even more delicious. The fake sky was torn apart, and the huge gash spread all the way to the horizon. Crimson moonlight dripped from deep within the crack, staining the entire canopy of the sky, while rubble, bricks, and columns all hung upside down in the air. This space trembled continuously, with countless fine cracks spreading like a spider web each time it shook. The scene at this moment appeared as though it was the end of the world. And the red moon shining at the end of the world was unspeakably beautiful and noble, hanging high at the end of the world, with the crimson sky serving as its red carpet. All the cultists were so stunned by this sight that they were lost for words. Especially the believers of the Life Ecclesia, they stared directly at the crimson moon, heedless of the pain in their souls, all prostrating on the ground. In mysticism, the blood moon holds special significance: the moon''s totem symbolizes the cycle of souls, and the blood represents the blood shed by a mother during childbirth, so the blood moon symbolizes the Mother Goddess, symbolizes rebirth, representing life. The moonlight shed by the blood moon was indeed the gaze of the Mother Goddess. In the Star Realm, the gods cannot freely enter the lower world, but they can cast their gaze down upon it. Not to mention the cultists, even the two demigods present were quite astonished. For gods to actively gaze upon the lower world was something even they as demigods didn''t see several times a year. The moonlight is the gaze, and the god''s scrutiny carries symbolic meaning. Deciphering the divine signs is one of the basic skills that all believers must learn. Bram Demigod, as a demigod of the Life Ecclesia, began to decipher the meaning of this appearance of the red moon, closely observing and analyzing the color and shape of the moonlight, revealing an utterly baffled expression. The blood-red moonlight shone upon the distorted giant that An Su had become. The moonlight poured over his body, following the lines of the twisted rays as they flowed down, and the blood-colored traces slowly penetrated An Su''s entire body, illuminating him thoroughly both inside and out. An Su was scared out of his wits by the illumination. Bishop Bram''s expression grew more peculiar upon seeing this, as his yellow, ominous eyes gradually widened, lips twitching slightly, revealing an uncertain and confused look. Experience tales at My Virtual Library Empire This expression piqued the curiosity of Elf, who stood beside him, and she asked, "Bishop Bram, have you discerned anything?" What exactly does this symbolize? Why has the red moon of the Mother Goddess appeared, what kind of revelation is being given, what''s the reason behind it, is there a problem with the celestial bodies'' cycle of rotation? Or does the appearance of the red moon have something to do with the tides of the era? In short, what exactly is the Mother Goddess saying? "Hm, after careful analysis..." Bram Demigod hesitated for a moment and then said slowly, "In the Life Ecclesia, the moonlight of the red moon is the gaze of the Mother Goddess." "I know," Bishop Rada interjected impatiently. He hated cryptic speakers the most, and said with a skeptical look, "Stop beating around the bush, just say it." Bram Demigod then sank into a prolonged silence, his lips moving nervously for a while before he seemed to make a certain decision, tentatively saying, "The moonlight has thoroughly illuminated the entire body of the Chaotic Staircase, inside and out, three times over." Demigod Rada and Saintess Elf fell silent at the same time. Why does this feel a bit ominous...? "Are you sure you''re not mistaken?" Bishop Rada raised an eyebrow and scratched his bald head, thinking that Bram was spouting nonsense, gazing at the demigod with suspicion. "I wish I were mistaken," Bishop Bram sighed, "but no matter what, it''s certain that this blood moon has come for this youth." "This is getting more and more interesting," remarked the Saintess Elf, propping her snow-white chin, her eyes as red as the setting sun, staring intently at the giant beneath the blood moon, This was the first time the Chaotic Saintess had shown such deep interest; she was curious about what interesting performances the youth would bring in the future. Elf found it interesting, but An Su, bathed under the red moon, was breaking out in a cold sweat. Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Sister, can you stop looking? The oppressive feeling brought by the Mother Goddess was something that not even the Holy Maiden of Life would dare compare with. If Miss Bones wanted to eat him, An Su could pick up the Illumination Skill and knock on her skull. But the skull of the Mother Goddess, An Su didn''t dare to knock. Compared to the blood moon''s eye-like presence in the night sky, An Su''s originally ferocious and indescribable form as an Ancient God seemed minute and almost cute. An Su stared innocently at the blood moon above his head, blinking, thinking that premium ingredients often require no excess cooking; he could serve himself up just as he was. Fortunately, the duration of the "Holy Light Transformation Skill" wasn''t long, and the final minute finally passed. The radiant light that had fused into An Su''s body slowly dissipated, the distorted giant''s figure gradually shrank, and An Su''s soul broke free from the radiance. The moment the soul emerged, the blood moon in the rift of the sky suddenly widened its gaze, the entire world was completely invaded by the blood-red hue, and An Su hurriedly returned to his original body. The instant his soul settled back into place, An Su''s body jerked as his eyes popped open, gasping for air. In the prolonged silence that followed, the color of the red moon finally began to fade, the night sky lost its bloody color, and the cultists were still recovering from their tense and fearful emotions, not having caught their breath yet, when a cracking sound reached their ears. Chapter 193 High-End Ingredients That Cook Themselves (Two in One)_2 They exchanged glances, both reading terror in each other''s eyes."The earthquake hasn''t stopped!" "This stronghold is about to collapse!" The Esoteric Religion geniuses hurriedly stood up and raced towards the spatial entrance; if they were not careful, they would be buried in the collapsing space, their spirits and flesh ground to dust, never to be revived. Amidst the heaven-shattering and earth-breaking chaos, large chunks of the firmament fell. As everyone frantically fled for their lives, only the old priest in charge of this base remained motionless. He revealed a smile of utter hopelessness. He had put tremendous effort into establishing this chaotic base, using materials and labor that far exceeded that of the previous painful stronghold, even custom-fitting it with three Fire Extinguishing Formations, convinced that everything would be fail-safe, yet it still collapsed! Last time a fire broke out at a stronghold, it provoked the raging fury of the Church Nation assembly, which ordered a strict inspection of fire safety features at all strongholds across the nation. Many high-ranking officials were removed from their positions as a result, This time, his stronghold collapsed, and those above would surely order another strict inspection of the shoddy construction work at strongholds nationwide, leading to many high-ranking officials being ousted again! The officials dared not take their grievances out on the assembly, but wouldn''t they vent all their frustration on him, a mere straw in the wind? At this thought, the old priest felt as if his heart had turned to ash. Thinking it better to die here than be tormented by those Esoteric Religion psychopaths, he would at least die swiftly. He closed his eyes, revealing a smile of resignation. A fragment of the firmament crashed straight down, piercing through the old priest''s body, severing him at the waist. Darkness engulfed the bottom of his eyes as he lost consciousness and fainted. In the hazy darkness, the old priest saw a light, heard calling voices. "Don''t give up " someone was shaking the old priest''s shoulder, screaming with all their might. As the old priest opened his eyes, he saw the anxious look of An Su, his pale green eyes filled with the most sincere concern. The boy was shaking him vigorously, as if to awaken his will to live; his shoulders trembled, "I don''t want you to die!" "Hold on!" He carried the barely breathing old priest, stumbling towards the great spatial door, "I will definitely save you, we''ll leave together." An Su truly did not want the old priest to die. He was a kind and good young man; he did not wish for any Believer to die accidentally. This old priest, as the one in charge of the section, possessed strength above the Fourth Order, and was even close to the Fifth Tier, it would be such a waste if he just died like that. He must hold on, at least die later. A live sacrifice would bring one reward, and handing him over to the Order Church would grant another reward. All of this was An Su''s property. As the most orthodox scion of the Chenxing nobility, An Su understood deeply the sacred and inviolable principle of property earned in death. Property that came with death was such, and An Su intended to righteously defend his legitimate rights. Only if Lord Ansu allowed them to die, could these Cultists die. "I don''t want to live! Let me go!" the old priest struggled; to live and leave would be truly hellish, "I''ve lost everything already!" "Don''t lose hope, you still have me. I will always support you. This world is still beautiful and worth our attachment," An Su comforted him, his eyes shining with righteous light, "Whatever the problem, we will face it together." ...It was this damned birth of yours that caused me to lose everything. Twice! The old priest glared at An Su with gritted teeth. An Su''s comforting words had a good effect; they perfectly became the last straw that broke the camel''s back. When the old priest thought of the existence of someone like An Su in the world, he felt that nothing about this world was beautiful or worthy of attachment. With a sideways thought, he bit down on his tongue and committed suicide. "..." An Su fell silent. After he emerged from the door carrying the old priest''s corpse, the entire space collapsed behind him, and he returned to Crow Alley. Continue reading stories on My Virtual Library Empire The desolate, bitter rain continued uninterrupted; the cold raindrops joined to form lines, densely covering the entire sky. The geniuses of the Esoteric Religion had escaped from the chaotic stronghold earlier. They huddled against the walls on both sides, breathing heavily. When An Su emerged, all the Esoteric Religion geniuses stood up. All eyes were fixed fervently on An Su, The looks they gave him were a mix of confusion, incomprehension, deep wariness, and above all, the purest shock, even fear. Without a doubt, the Radiant Transformation Art was the clear winner of this examination, an undisputed perfect score. Even the most proud and powerful geniuses were convinced by this outcome. After all, the body of the proctoring teacher was lying in the hands of An Su! Taking a simple in-class quiz and having both the proctor and the examination hall vanish, all Cultists held An Su''s terrifying examination abilities in high regard. The Cultists weren''t fools, although they didn''t know the specific principles, they all vaguely sensed... that scarlet moon was there for the youth before them. To be able to draw the attention of divine beings was in itself a symbol of talent. What this implied went without saying. In the midst of silent stares, it was the Chaotic Elevator who broke the silence. He looked at the corpse of the priest that An Su was holding and hesitantly said, "Brother of the Stairs, what''s this...?" "Alas, I intended to save him." An Su put on a look of profound sorrow, showing genuine and heartfelt sadness in his eyes that anyone would believe was sincere, "Unfortunately, I couldn''t save his life." There were Cultists in the Esoteric Religion proficient in mind-reading, and they were amazed to find that An Su''s emotions were genuine, which moved them. It seemed Brother of the Stairs was still the same Brother of the Stairs, no matter how inscrutable and noble his identity was, he was still the sworn brother of the Chaotic Stairs to them. "I want to give the priest''s body a proper burial, to repay his kindness," An Su said with emotion, "May his soul rest in peace." When everyone heard An Su''s words, they were moved again. Living in the shadows of the Esoteric Religion, surrounded by deceit and betrayal, it was rare to see a man of genuine nature like the Brother of the Stairs. But what kindness could the old priest have shown the Chaotic Stairs... They were somewhat puzzled. An Su''s lips harbored a calm smile. He intended to take the old priest''s head to the church to claim a reward. Although he couldn''t receive the rewards for sacrifices, he intended to take those for the witch hunt. After claiming the reward, wouldn''t the old priest owe him a favor? "Turning into nourishing soil to protect the flowers," if the old priest had a spirit in heaven, seeing how well he handled his remains, surely his soul could rest in peace. An Su thought to himself. The rain in Crow Alley had finally stopped tonight, and as the sky slowly revealed a fish-belly white, the pitter-patter of the rain ceased, marking the end of this night''s events after dawn. Despite the destruction of the examination hall and the proctor, the results of the examination still had to be announced. Unlike the previous time, this time the scores came with corresponding point rewards. These points could be exchanged at various strongholds for Esoteric Magic and alchemic materials, magic-guided items, and so on. These devotion points weren''t a blessing from the Mother Goddess, but rather a man-made scoring system, similar to the Magic Guild''s rules. An Su unsurprisingly took first place, earning a thousand devotion points, which, if compared to heads, was equivalent to assassinating five Fourth Order saints. The second place earned five hundred, the third place one hundred... These hard-earned devotion points made everyone happy; after all, one could only get devotion points by assassinating saints, but since everyone was in the heart of the Order Church''s fortress, any careless action could expose them, making devotion points hard to come by. Sarch* The n??el Fire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. When some received rewards, others received punishments. The projections of the bishops appeared before them, the oppressive aura of the Half-God projections was palpable, and the previously noisy Cultists instantly fell silent After scanning the crowd, Bishop Rada''s gaze landed on An Su once more. "Chaotic Stairs, stay behind for a moment after this," he said. The true meaning of the scarlet moon still required investigation, but one thing was for sure, in the bishops'' eyes, An Su was no ordinary believer. Undoubtedly, An Su could now be declared a Quasi-Holy Child. This matter was put aside for the moment as Bishop Rada had another issue to address, one that displeased him. "I''m pleased that everyone achieved good results, but before that, I need to deal with two latecomers," he announced. At that moment, An Su heard Lister''s voice transmission in his ear. "Is it break time yet, can we sneak into the exam hall now?" he asked. What break time during an examination... "No need, stick to the original plan," An Su told them. "Why?" "Because I blew up the exam hall. The proctor died by my hand." "...Awesome." Chapter 194 An Su the Boss Insults the Three Major Orders! (Two in One) The first light of dawn gradually broke, and the originally dim outskirts of the city began to reveal a hint of orange sunlight. As time passed, that orange hue spread across the entire sky, and Farol began to awaken.The residents of the Lower City District were the first to wake up, with merchants opening their stores, newspaper boys delivering news on bicycles, and fishmongers from the slums directly pouring boiling water used for cooking fish from the third floor, mixing the damp earthy aroma with the pungent odor of sardines, wafting into the bustling morning market. In the entire Lower City District, only Crow Alley remained quiet and cold, indifferent to the liveliness of the world. Bishop Rada''s demigod might swept in, oppressing everyone present. The cultists wore solemn expressions. They were well aware of the consequences of offending Bishop Rada, after all, he was the Demigod of Pain. To die was the best fate for the Sons of Sacrifice and the Serpents of Pain; to live was the true torture. They couldn''t help but feel a poignant sense of shared misery in their hearts. sea??h th N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Where are the Son of Sacrifice and the Serpent of Pain?" Bishop Rada surveyed the crowd, his blood-red eyes concealed endless brutality and intent to kill, as if a volcanic hell flowed with sulfur and hellfire, with countless souls wailing under the gaze of the demigod. His soul rank was far above An Su''s. With just this look, all the esoteric geniuses felt they had been seen right through and dared not lie. "Your Excellency, Bishop Rada." An Su faced Bishop Rada''s gaze squarely, his expression as usual, after all, he had just been thoroughly examined inside and out by the Mother Goddess from below, so Rada''s gaze was nothing but a light drizzle, and besides, An Su had rather thick skin, spewing lies without hesitation, "To be honest, the absence of the Son of Sacrifice and the Serpent of Pain this time is actually due to a secret mission!" This was an opportunity. An Su''s smile became even more serene, causing the Chaotic Saintess beside him who was yawning to brighten up. Every time this kid showed such a smile, he definitely harbored some interestingly chaotic thoughts. "Hmph," Bishop Rada snorted, the murderous intent in his eyes boiling over, "What secret mission is more important than my Star Cult?" If it weren''t for his high regard for the young man An Su, the murderous Bishop Rada wouldn''t have the patience to listen to An Su explain. Bishop Rada looked down at the young man before him, only to see the latter undaunted by his own might, with his ash-white hair twirling in the air along with the golden light of dawn. His pale blue eyes were pure and fearless, in stark contrast to the cultists around him who dared not even raise their heads. He couldn''t help but add another point of appreciation for the Chaotic Staircase in his heart. After pulling this kid into the sect, he decided he would give him an annual haircut membership. "To be honest." An Su raised his head and met Bishop Rada''s gaze, "The Son of Sacrifice and the Serpent of Pain have already made significant progress. They are not only about to complete the soul-transmigration task but are also about to deal a heavy blow to the entire believers of the Church." What? All the esoteric geniuses were shocked. "Impossible!" "How can this be...?" "I don''t believe it." An Su''s words caused a tremendous stir. All the esoteric geniuses were unconvinced. Why should the Serpent of Pain and the Son of Sacrifice be on the verge of completing the mission? "What is our current mission?" An Su looked around at the esoteric geniuses with a smile and asked. "To get closer to Arthur Lister, to lead them into corruption, and ultimately to usurp them." Discover exclusive content at My Virtual Library Empire As soon as this was mentioned, many cultists began boasting their contributions, each having made great sacrifices. "I have already become friends with Arthur." A scion from the Star Cult proudly said, his contribution was substantial, "Just yesterday I gave Arthur ten thousand Gold Coins, he counted money all night long." Upon hearing this, other esoteric geniuses showed admiring looks towards this brother. Ten thousand Gold Coins were no small sum, a hefty display of financial strength; this brother was impressive. Many were keen to befriend this wealthy scion and become good friends with him. I guess now I know why Arthur overslept and forgot about the exam... An Su''s eyelids twitched. "Humph, I have already become good brothers with Lister." A scion from the Oceanic Sect proudly claimed, his contribution even greater, "Just yesterday I gave Lister my girlfriend and sister, he counted them all night long." Upon this declaration, the esoteric geniuses solemnly regarded him with even greater respect, such generosity was truly impressive! Everyone''s heart swelled with the desire to become sworn brothers with this open-hearted scion. I guess now I know why Lister was so spent he needed Arthur to carry him... An Su''s eyelids fiercely twitched. "Chaotic Staircase, what exactly are you trying to say?" Bishop Rada said impatiently, already running out of patience. "Everyone has made a good start, but the Son of Sacrifice and the Serpent of Pain have already taken a step ahead." An Su snorted lightly, his pale green eyes full of unfathomable depth, and he slowly took out two letters from his pocket and handed them to Bishop Rada. "Friends or brothers, they are all just so." Bishop Rada looked up, his pupils constricting, and said in disbelief, "This is...?" "Exactly." An Su righteously pronounced the death sentence for everyone, "The Serpent of Pain and the Son of Sacrifice have now become the wives of Arthur and Lister, the kind with half of the property shared, is there any relationship more terrifying and powerful than this!" All the esoteric geniuses were horrified. How could this be possible, both the Chaotic Staircase and the Son of Sacrifice were clearly men! Chapter 194 An Su The Boss Insults the Three Major Orders! (Two in One)_2 ```"Has everyone heard?" An Su sneered, "About the Miss Yangzi and Miss Yue''er who have become famous overnight in the imperial capital." The genius disciples of the Esoteric Religion nodded their heads, having spent nearly half a year in the imperial capital, they were naturally aware of these two beauties who outshined all others and were immensely popular. Even some of the deeply hidden Believers of the Full Moon Treasure and Ri Zi were loyal fans of these two beauties. A premonition of doom suddenly rose in their hearts as they nervously watched the young man before them. This youth appeared so bright and pure, yet they felt that some kind of two-dimensional purity and beauty was about to be torn apart by this alabaster youth. The Chaotic Saintess''s smile grew even more delighted, for she had guessed what was about to happen. Her crimson eyes were so vibrant and captivating, they seemed as though they might drip with color. The thought of witnessing wonderful expressions filled her with excitement. "The true identities of Miss Yangzi and Miss Yue''er are" An Su slowly said, "the Serpent of Pain and the Child of Sacrifice." "And they are using the identities of Yangzi and Yue''er to get married to Lister and Arthur!" As the words fell, the room fell into deathly silence. A long and heavy silence ensued. It was the calm before the storm, which, when it reached its climax, caused the entire Crow Alley to erupt in cries of despair and clamor. Human joy is similar, but misfortune differs for each and every one, Among them, the Believers who were part of the fan community were the most distressed. With vacant eyes and a bewildered gaze, they treated the news as a mere hallucination, believing they were trapped in an illusion. Some extreme fans even labeled An Su a rival fan, convinced that everything was nothing but jealousy and slander. The more rational Believers, meanwhile, regretted their sunken costs. The genius who gave ten thousand Gold Coins, realizing that half of his coins would end up in the Serpent of Pain''s pockets, felt a stab of pain in his heart. The genius who offered his entire family''s lives, realizing his sister and girlfriend were actually the mistresses and he had become the utter fool, was in utter despair. "It''s fake! This can''t be true!" The disciples of the Esoteric Religion couldn''t believe An Su''s words and all raised their doubts, "Where is the evidence?" "The evidence is in the hands of His Excellency Rada. They didn''t come for the examination because they were dealing with Annand and the Marquis." An Su calmly broke the last fantastical hope of the disciples, "Your Excellency, you understand now, right?" Bishop Rada had a complex look on his face as he stared at the letter handed to him by An Suit was actually the engagement letter previously sent by the Grand Duke of the Sun, and he fell into deep thought. He felt as if he could not read a word. Was that man called Dari? "Is this thing for real?" Rada turned to ask the Demigod Bram of the sea to verify the letter. As soon as Bram took the letter, every hair on his body stood on end. He and Annand had long been arch-enemies, and he was extremely familiar with his handwriting. The skilled penmanship was unmistakably Annand''s. With a complex expression, he said, "It''s sent by the Demigod from the borderlands. Seems like the two boys are indeed outstanding." Bram''s proclamation was akin to sentencing all the Believers of the Esoteric Religion to death. The parents had already met, how could they compete with that? With such achievement, being late for the examination didn''t matter at all. It could totally be considered a case of merits outweighing faults. At the same time, the Believers of the Esoteric Religion admired the sacrificial spirit of these two, who actually offered themselves up. That''s what truly meant being open and generous. "Hmph." Demigod Rada snorted coldly, terrifying authority once again enveloped Crow Alley, silencing the disciples immediately, "I do not care, I can''t understand the writing, I do not recognize it." He had already stated that he would execute these two. If things were simply left at that, wouldn''t he lose face? "I don''t believe they could fool Demigod Annand with their skills." "Unless the pair show up looking exactly like Yangzi and Yue''er." Bishop Rada coldly said, "That would also count towards their grade for the Transformation Spell." Elf was watching with great interest; she loved this kind of tit-for-tat confrontationit was amusing. The genius disciples of the Esoteric Religion saw a glimmer of hope. Yangzi and Yue''er had never revealed their true faces; it was impossible. They also didn''t believe that these two could use Transfiguration Magic to transform two grown men into youthful ladies and fool the senses of a Demigod; no one would devise such an absurd and tedious Transfiguration Spell magic... except Merlin. Turning back time, When An Su and his companions first arrived at the Magic Association''s exchange area, they found an uncoveted, ludicrous magic in the corner. It was a rip-off of someone else''s "Concealment Transfiguration Spell," named by Merlin as the "Absolutely Not Copied Transfiguration Spell" version 1.0. Due to its arrogant pricing, An Su had chosen not to exchange for it. Its name was "Concealment Gender Swap Spell." "Concealment Gender Swap Spell" "High-Rank Ordinary Magic" "Magic Power Consumption: 8" "Temporarily reverses one''s gender, conceals obvious sexual characteristics, ensuring the original gender cannot be discerned, lasts for one hour." An Su''s smile became even more composed. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. In a previous magic communication, he had not instructed Lister and Arthur to come to Crow Alley, but instead to head for the Magic Guild, to acquire this magic. He then delayed time in the examination using three Radiance casts. This was to buy time for the duo to learn the spell. The Concealment Gender Swap Spell was just an ordinary-level magic; it was not as difficult to learn as the High-Rank Chaotic Shape-shifting Magic, so the two managed to learn it by the end of the test. ``` Chapter 194 An Su, the Boss, Insults the Three Major Orders! (Parts 1 & 2 Combined)_3 An Su used a magical tool to transmit a message to Lister and Arthur, "You two can enter now."The water-blue mist materialized, and the dilapidated and desolate Crow Alley was suddenly aglow with splendor, the full moon rising, spreading the cool moonlight along Green Stone Alley, and a beautiful, grand piano melody began to play the noble waltz "Above the Moon." This was the grand entrance effect of Lister''s epic-level magical tool, "Heart of Water Moon." The mist kept surging, continuously sublimating, and at the far end of the mist, two graceful silhouettes stood. The Cultists were all stunned. Even Bishop Rada and Bishop Bram had never seen such a scene before. Entering amidst the special effects, one girl was dressed in a dark noble lady''s attire, her every move perfectly fitting the image of "Miss Wenjing," her long, straight black hair resting on her delicate collarbone, her complexion cool as the bright moonlight, with a pair of black-framed glasses. The other girl, cheerful and sunny, bared her long white legs, stepped in pure white canvas shoes, simply paired with a white shirt, the thin fabric unable to conceal the ravine between her chest, and the morning sun shining through the pure white material, revealing the exquisitely translucent skin beneath. Miss Yue''er and Miss Yangzi made their entrance. Rada and Bram looked on for a long time, but truly could not find a flaw in these two, the products of the God of Law lived up to their reputation; if An Su hadn''t pointed it out beforehand, no one could imagine that the two stunning girls before their eyes were in fact burly men with a habit of picking their feet! The Cultists were completely dumbfounded, their faith in this world profoundly shaken. "Sorry everyone, we are late," Miss Yue''er said lightly with a chuckle, brushing the stray hair from her forehead to behind her ear, her voice cool and gentle, shattering Full Moon Treasure''s hopes. This voice matched exactly what they heard day and night, the person before them was indeed the genuine Miss Yue''er! Birth. This was true birth. "Hello, everyone," Miss Yangzi greeted brightly, making Ri Zi''s faces grimace. The thought that the voice they had been enchanting to each day was actually that of a foot-picking brute made them wish they could just kill themselves. Witnessing the pain of the Cultist prodigies, Bishop Rada''s heart swelled with joy. These two kids were talents indeed, able to bring such immense suffering; he''d have to recruit them into the Painful Esoteric Sect in the future. As for their lateness, it was now excused. After all, they had already accomplished real deeds. They not only lured Lister and Arthur, but they also caused harm to countless Believers, leading to numerous saints distracted from their meals and cultivation. Arthur and Lister''s ranking shot up directly behind An Su, overtaking the original second and third places; if not for An Su''s Radiant Transformation Art attracting the Red Moon being too shockingly extraordinary, they could have even competed for the best. This exam was finally over. The Cultists who lost money paid up, those who lost girlfriends grieved for their significant others, and those whose faith was shattered grieved for their beliefs, everyone looking forward to a bright future. Just when they thought nothing worse could happen in the world, An Su spoke up. Everything before was just a prelude; the actions to follow were the key to his plan. The smile on An Su''s lips became more serene as he advised the Chaotic Saintess and Bishop Rada, "To be honest, the Transformation Spell used by the Serpent of Pain and the Child of Sacrifice was created by myself." "Thanks to your experiments, my magic has achieved noteworthy results." An Su shamelessly claimed Merlin''s intellectual property for himself. Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "As a devout follower of Chaos, my love for the Esoteric Religion is profound; I do not wish to monopolize this precious magic, thus I have made a significant sacrifice," he said, his eyelids trembling lightly, revealing a conflicted hesitation, but ultimately, his love for the Esoteric Religion overcame his personal sentiments. Taking a deep breath, he squared his shoulders righteously, his eyes full of sincerity, "I am willing to share the Magic Circuit for the Gender Transformation Spell, to let all our Cultist prodigies practice and master it, allowing everyone to transform into beautiful girls!" "All the beautiful girls of the Three Major Orders will act together and seduce the saints of the Seven Churches!" "All the saints will fall, and at that time, the entire Church will have no future!" Upon hearing An Su''s words, the world was shocked. Brothers bonded in brotherhood, and yet you''re eyeing your brothers''...? Chapter 195 Goal: Seduce Merlin! (Two in One) ```"The beauty girls of the Three Major Orders all act together, tempting the saints en masse. When the time comes, all saints will fall, and the entire Church will have no future," Find your next adventure on My Virtual Library Empire An Su said with a smiling face, after all, he was not a devil; he truly considered everyone''s well-being, aiming for the maximization of human happiness. Out of a genuine desire to do good for all and to spread the teachings of the Radiant Goddess''s universal love, An Su had proposed this plan. On careful analysis, from the starting point, the saints got girlfriends, and the Cultists completed their infiltration mission; this was a fair and loving win-win. And looking at the results, the saints had fallen, and the Cultists had turned female; this too was a fair and loving win-win. Two consecutive win-wins mean winning four times over. Thinking about winning so many times in a row, An Su''s smile grew even more kind and gentle. "You this... Born..." Having heard An Su''s shocking plan, every Esoteric Religion genius fell silent. Their scalps tingled. Sweat soaked their backs. They had thought there was nothing more terrifying in this world than ''members of a girl group being old men,'' but it seemed they had celebrated too soon. With human imagination, one could not measure the depth of Chaotic Ladder''s moral baseline. No sooner had they become sworn brothers with this guy than they were about to become his sisters! Absolute refusal of the Chaotic Ladder''s proposal... Cultists turned their hopeful eyes to Bishop Rada, only to agonize at seeing him ponder contemplatively. You couldn''t possibly agree to such a preposterous plan, could you? After listening to An Su''s suggestion, Bishop Rada felt the young fellow had made a very good point. As a Bishop of Pain, he judged the quality of a plan by its capacity for suffering; the more painful, the better. Observing the expressions of the Cultists, he knew An Su had proposed an excellent strategy. And it had already achieved some results too. "His Excellency Rada," a Priest of Pain noticed the expression on Rada''s face and felt increasingly uneasy. In the interest of maintaining the dignity of the Crimson Legion, he attempted to advise, "Becoming a woman is not our style in the Esoteric Religion! It goes against our ancestral laws!" Bishop Rada fell into contemplation once again. Bishop Rada heard that Yue''er and Miss Yangzi already had many saint fans in the Imperial City, who knelt before their idols day and night and devoted all their wealth, their fervor even causing the Esoteric Religion to feel embarrassed. His exceptionally sharp mind was deep in thought. If a fan organization has the same clear hierarchy as the Esoteric Religion, the same devoted followers, and the same ability to amass wealth and brainwash as the Esoteric Religion, then it is the Esoteric Religion; it''s all in the style of the Esoteric Religion! "Hmm, Saintess Elf, what do you think?" Bishop Rada began to seek the Chaotic Saintess''s opinion. Sear?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "I think that''s exactly the style we should have in the Esoteric Religion!" Saintess Elf raised both hands in agreement, as her life goal as the Chaotic Saintess had always been to seek fun, and An Su''s plan was full of it; how could she refuse? Even Saintess Elf was looking forward to seeing what more interesting things An Su could come up with. "Hehehe," the Demigod Bram chuckled darkly, "This old one has no objections either." As a Bishop of Life and secretly a biology professor, Bram was interested in all kinds of biological experiments, such as the one he was pondering at the moment If a Cultist accidentally got pregnant while transforming, could they successfully give birth to the child? Would he be considered the child''s father or mother? If two gender-swapped Cultists were forced into a relationship, would their affair be considered homosexual? A series of interesting biological and even ethical experiments continuously flashed through Bram''s mind. The Cultists below the stage shivered, sensing an indescribable horror in Bram''s gaze. With both bishops and one holy maiden in agreement, An Su''s proposal was unanimously passed. Bishop Rada admiringly looked at An Su; the kid had potential. Smart brain, low moral standards, and loyalty to the Esoteric Religion, he was fit for great responsibilities. After all, in the world of Magicians, the protection of magic property rights was highly valued. No one wanted to share their Magic Circuits, and even less so if they were Cultists. An Su''s "Gender Transformation Spell" was so flawlessly executed that even Rada himself could not find a loophole. An Su must have put a lot of thought into writing it, yet he shared it generously and didn''t charge a penny... His broad vision far surpassed that of the so-called Esoteric Religion geniuses. Look at the faces of everyone else, Bishop Rada scanned the crowd, observing each person''s expression one after another, they were cringing in fear. Just turning into a girl, don''t you even have that bit of courage! Bishop Rada had long harbored a rage in his heart with nowhere to vent it. The source of that anger was complex, most of it related to An Su and his friends, but since the three had made achievements and gained merit, he had to find somewhere else to vent. This time, he had caught a perfect opportunity. "This matter is settled, everyone must learn the ''Gender Transformation Spell'' within tomorrow!" He snorted coldly, his demigod might oppressing the whole assembly, forcibly suppressing all their grievances. His crimson pupils swirled with the flames of vengeful souls that could engulf the entire world. "If you''re too afraid to be a woman for even an hour, too afraid to lose your manhood for even an hour, remember, a true woman goes for decades without it!" Bishop Rada rebuked them all. Before officially starting his career, the bishop had served as a Pain School''s disciplinary director for a term, and his speech carried the air of that role, especially terrifying with his bald head, full of intimidation and relatability. ``` Chapter 195 Goal: Seduce Merlin! (Two in One)_2 ```"This shows that your courage is even less than that of a woman! Those who are less courageous than a woman cannot be called real men. Therefore, you are not true men!" This lecture was delivered with the manner of a headmaster, all the esoteric cult geniuses buried their heads and trembled uncontrollably, not daring to breathe, just like chicks. "A person who cannot give up anything, can never gain anything. And you lot don''t even dare to sacrifice your balls, what kind of men are you!" Bishop Rada scolded them sternly. The speech was like pearls sewn into jewels, profound unto its end, the language clear and orderly, the viewpoints unique and moving, even touching upon philosophical perspectives, prompting An Su to burst into applause. "Well done!" An Su led Arthur and Lister in a round of applause. After listening to this stirring educational speech, all the cultists seemed to open the gate to a new century, with tears of emotion streaming down their faces. Bishop Rada held his head high, basking in the applause, his educational level had not declined even after decades. Especially his method of stern admonishment, bringing errant students into line with a knock on the head, would instantly make them behave. Just as Bishop Bram of the Life Ecclesia dreamed of being a biologist, Bishop Rada of Painful Court, too, dreamed of becoming an educator. "Your Excellency Rada, you truly deserve to be called an educator," An Su said with a smile, "Current education still advocates leading by example..." The Chaotic Saintess showed an interested expression, she had figured out this creature An Su''s habits; whenever he smiled like this, he was about to say something highly chaotic. Bishop Rada''s eyelids twitched, sensing an ominous premonition. An Su first used Magic Communication to send a message to Merlin, checking if he was there. As expected, there was no response. This meant Merlin, that old man, wasn''t eavesdropping; he neglected his duty, having slipped away irresponsibly. For their safety, while undercover in the esoteric cult, Merlin was supposed to be online the entire time. Otherwise, a slight misstep could expose them, and the three of them would be finished. Since yesterday, their first day undercover, after Merlin listened for a while, he had not shown up for work at all. If that''s the case, with Merlin away, An Su thought he could do as he pleased... The smile on the corner of An Su''s mouth was very gentle. Merlin wanted to know the whereabouts of these bishops in person, which was the ultimate mission for their undercover operation. In that case. The usual route for ordinary players would be to infiltrate the church and cautiously find out the location of their headquarters, a method that is both safe and secret, but not very efficient. As a rogue player, An Su wouldn''t follow this orthodox path. He planned to make the bishops come looking for Merlin on their own. The warm morning sunlight cascaded down, the youth''s smile was gentle as jade, his greenish-blue eyes as pure as the azure sky, "As far as I know, Magic God Merlin is currently single..." The innocent youth revealed that wicked and terrible plan, "Us average believers are too weak to carry out this task, but only you, with your high rank and great power, are capable of matching Mage God Merlin, so..." An Su didn''t finish his sentence, but its implied meaning was clear to everyone. Their eyes widened in shock, even the usually audacious Chaotic Saintess couldn''t help but exclaim out loud. "Hey, hey? What?" The Elf blinked her petal-like eyes, tilting her head to one side then to another, turning her head back and forth several times, yet still unable to grasp the audacity of An Su''s plan. This rascal actually planned to use the Gender Transformation Spell on a Demigod! Everyone was shocked by An Su''s audacity; should he survive this, he would surely become a major figure in the Magic Tao. What shocked the believers even more was that, after hearing An Su''s suggestion, Demigod Rada didn''t smack him dead but instead showed a complex and profound expression. Upon hearing the name Merlin, Bishop Rada''s brow lifted, his expression slowly changed. The anger in his eyes gradually extinguished, replaced by weariness and the ravages of time. Merlin Andre was the only man who had earned Rada''s respect. In the past year, they had fought countless times, adversaries as if fated, both enemies and confidants. ``` But Bishop Rada had already seen through the mortal world and had achieved true enlightenment, letting go of this entangled past. He shook his head, weathered by time, and rejected An Su''s suggestion, "I understand Merlin, the man. He is bound by duty and deeply in love with Heaven, without the base worldly desires of emotion and lust. Your approach is misguided." In Rada''s view, Merlin must love his work. He had reached the realm of saints, his passion for his radiant duties surpassing all worldly matters. Otherwise, why would Merlin watch over Heaven for an entire year without a single day off? It could only be his love for work that explained it. Having realized this, Rada had become enlightened and chose to leave. After all, no one understood Merlin better than himself. "''Merlin likes knowledge, also lacks money, and currently has no beautiful girlfriend.''" An Su played a recording. This recording was made when Merlin entangled An Su with a wish. An Su had the habit of saving recordings. He thought it was interesting, so he recorded it. "Merlin likes knowledge, also lacks money, and currently has no beautiful girlfriend." "Merlin likes..." The recording echoed over Crow Alley, plunging all the cultists into silence. The Radiant Bishop, with pure white pupils, the rotator of Heaven''s reigns, the youngest demigod, the foremost of radiance, Mage God Merlinis this his style? "...." Bishop Rada''s expression was especially splendid. Your journey continues with My Virtual Library Empire Just as Bishop Bram could recognize the handwriting of Archduke Annand, his arch-enemy, Rada could also distinctly distinguish Merlin''s voice. To prevent fraud, Bishop Rada specifically used the soul of a demigod, enhancing his senses, to listen on the level of soul aura... And it matched Merlin''s voice exactly. No magic could achieve this. His combat instincts also told Bishop Bramthis was Merlin. "...." Bishop Rada fell into deep silence. His worldview seemed to collapse, his mind flooded with a whirlwind of astonishment. After the tide of shock receded, anger and hatred swelled, a towering rage. Rada felt betrayed by Merlin, realizing that Merlin had been deceiving him all year long. All that seemed beautiful was but this man''s disguise and lies. Turns out, Merlin was already weary. He actually wanted a beautiful girlfriend! This was Rada''s first taste of betrayal. Sar?h the N?velFire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. In that moment, boundless resentment invoked the terrifying might of a demigod. Bishop Rada was thoroughly enraged, bursting into a furious laugh. If so, then Merlin too would taste the flavor of betrayal. In his deepest corruption, he would betray him, tumble from Heaven into The Abyss, plunged from bliss into despair. Indeed, this was the most painful vengeance of the Painful Court! "Your Excellency Lada, if you are not adept in such matters, perhaps it''s best to set this issue aside for now," An Su began to provoke him. "Just the Gender Transformation Spell? Such an insignificant trick, what difficulty would it pose to a demigod like me?" Bishop Rada, erstwhile general of the Crimson Cult and now bishop of the Star Cult, a man among men, how could he be inferior even to women. "It''s merely beneath me to act." He turned his commanding gaze towards Yue''er and Yang Zi, saying with disdain, "I hear you two are thriving in the imperial city, with many fans. Haha." Bishop Rada laughed coldly, his entire being exuding the aura of a wicked strongman. Looking at Yue''er and Yang Zi, he scoffed, "Heh, if I were to take action, would you still have a place on the #Most Popular Female Saints Ranking#?" Chapter 196 A Massive Wave of Witches is Coming (Two in One) ```"If I myself were to act, would there even be a place for you in the #Most Popular Female Saints Ranking#?" Bishop Rada, truly a man among men, a demigod among demigods, immediately laid down his domineering declaration, causing Yue''er and Yangzi''s expressions to turn solemn. The matter was thus settled, Following Bishop Rada''s request, the ''Gender Transformation Spell'' trial would be held tomorrow at the Life Esoteric Church''s stronghold, with all cultists required to participate. At the same time, the plan to transfer souls into An Su and his two companions would also proceed. This was also the last chance for the Esoteric Religion geniuses. Everyone broke into a cold sweat, aware that this was their final opportunity. If they could take over the body of any one of the Borderland Triumvirs before tomorrow, they would be able to preserve their own gender. They calmly analyzed the situation. Arthur and Lister had already been seduced by the Serpent of Pain and the son offered in pain, turning raw rice into a cooked meal. Now, the task of conquering these two had become an impossible mission. Excluding these two, the Borderland Triumvirs had only one untouched little lamb left An Su Moningsta. The eyes of the Esoteric Religion geniuses erupted with frightening intent to fight. This was a grave matter, concerning their gender, and they could hold back no longer. They had to use all their strength! This was no longer as simple as competing for the title of Saint Heir. If they failed, they would become Female Saints! There was only one last slot left. They could not lose to anyone else. The Esoteric Religion geniuses exchanged looks, seeing in each other''s eyes fear and caution. In an instant, the temperature seemed to plummet. Brotherhood that was once warm and friendly turned to enmity; in this fight for manhood, there could only be one victor. The saying that with one''s success, countless others fall was exactly the plight they faced. The resources for dealing with Arthur and Lister were to be redirected against An Su. Be it taboo knowledge or a monetary offensive, even if it meant offering up their own families'' women, they were determined to take An Su down! We will win They vowed silently in their hearts. Observing the determined expressions of the surrounding cultists, Lord Ansu''s mouth curved into an encouraging smile, his eyes also holding a hint of satisfaction. That''s right, They must intensify the effort to deal with that detestable boy An Su and let him witness the depths of our Great Cult''s resources! sea??h th N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The sun had dispelled the morning mist, and the warm sunlight gently filled the azure sky. As the church bell rang for the third time, the early morning fishing boats also slowly returned to harbor. It was time to adjourn the meeting. "The meeting is adjourned. You may leave now. In addition, the Esoteric Market is now open, and you three may go check out the Chaotic Stairwell..." As Bishop Rada announced the adjournment, most of the Esoteric Genius dispersed, each contemplating their earth-shattering plans against An Su as they went. An Su was not in a hurry to leave. He had come in first place in the last night''s test, acquiring a full thousand devotion pointsa considerable sum. Arthur and Lister had also ranked within the top three, and they ought to spend it. Accessing rewards from both the Church and the Esoteric Religion, this was the true meaning of being a covert operative. Otherwise, once the Esoteric Religion is sealed by the Order Church, all ill-gotten gains would be confiscated. The so-called Esoteric Market was not a real market. Like other strongholds, it was a hidden space developed by the Esoteric Religion and the central hub of all strongholds. Being granted access to the Esoteric Market meant that An Su''s loyalty had been acknowledged by the upper echelons of the organization. The priest leading the charge took An Su and his two companions out of Crow Alley, making left and right turns until they arrived at another dark alley. On a dilapidated arch, ''Black Chicken Alley'' was scribbled, draped in cobwebs everywhere. The entire lane was silent and gloomy, seemingly the perfect place for murder, arson, hiding bodies, and concealing traces. An Su admired the insight of the Esoteric believers, able to pick the most suspicious alley out of dozens of sunny ones to serve as their stronghold. Did they think this was cool? "Don''t worry, our place is very secluded. We absolutely won''t be found by the saints," said the priest, sensing An Su''s unease, and assured him with a proud expression. The priest led them to a ramshackle wooden door at the end of the alley. He knocked, and an impatient voice came from inside, "I told you, no business cards!" The priest''s face tinged with embarrassment as he sheepishly explained to An Su, "Lately, people keep stuffing business cards into the stronghold, saying something like ''Miss Yangzi yearns for company, loneliness hard to bear, Magic Communication: 921012734,'' and there''s a photo of a censored woman on the card, so everyone''s a little on edge." ... You''ve already been discovered. An Su looked at Arthur with a complicated expression. Are you not selective about your clients at all? The man had reverted back to his burly male appearance, having ended his transformation. Seeing An Su glance at him, he gave back a bright sunny smile, Arthur claimed that the sun loved all equally, shining on every patch of Nether World alike, and everyone was his client. An Su didn''t want to deal with this guy. He thought that in the future, witch-hunting teams might well be equipped with an Arthur Hound. Wherever Arthur Hound posted business cards, there could well be trouble. The priest murmured a spell and then led An Su and his companions inside. The moment they stepped through the doorway, An Su felt a nearly imperceptible fluctuation in the space. His field of vision suddenly widened. An entire street unfolded before them, its area even larger than any headquarters they''d been in before. It was called a spatial stronghold, but it was comparable to a low-rank Nether World. Enjoy new tales from My Virtual Library Empire The Esoteric Religion had actually constructed such a vast space beneath the imperial capital, ``` Chapter 196 A Massive Wave of Witches is Coming (Two in One)_2 An Su could understand why in this part of the original story, the protagonist group attracted their first plot-induced assassination.There were more cultists coming and going than An Su had imagined. The lowest rank among them was the Fourth Order. It''s just that they were older in age, and their souls were also older, not matching those of the younger people, which was why the heavy task of soul transference fell upon the heads of those talented cultists. Otherwise, they would also have lost their cattle. Find exclusive stories on My Virtual Library Empire With such forces lurking beneath the capital, as long as the demigod of the imperial city was restrained and unable to free their hands, they could inflict heavy damage on the saints of the Church. "There''s more than one entrance to the market; just Black Chicken Alley is not the only one. You guys can move around freely. Just call me when you want to leave," the Priest instructed An Su. The items for exchange in the Sanctuary of Chaos Market were dazzling, with materials for sacrificial cultivation, a variety of alchemy arrays, precious organs of high-rank magical beasts, and unique combat skills and magic of the esoteric religion. The three of them dispersed, excitedly exchanging for the items they wanted. They gathered an hour later, sharing the treasures they had found. Arthur had a smug look on his face as he pulled out an unassuming stick-shaped object. Its quality, upon being inspected with magic, was only ''ordinary'' grade; Arthur reverently placed it on the table, "I spent five hundred devotion points to get a ''Sun Sword''." An Su and Lister looked at Arthur with a gaze reserved for an idiot. Feeling the disdainful glances of his companions, Arthur chuckled softly, revealing a cryptic smile. Arthur had been reading storybooks since he was little and knew that as the protagonist in a market like this, one should specifically buy items that seemed unimposing and useless. He took a fancy to this sword at first sight. His father, Annand, once said that it was rumored their ancestors possessed a Sun Sword, imbued with the holy power to eliminate all impurity with its flame, capable of slaying demons and eradicating all witches and evil rogues. His father also told the young Arthur that because the sword was too powerful, it was envied and hated by people. The so-called ''tall trees catch much wind'' was exactly what happened. During a terrible witch hunt, under the slander of treacherous miscreants, Annand''s precious sword was sadly sealed. The sword passed through many hands and finally fell into the cult''s possession. But only the purest Sun lineage could activate the sword''s real power; for others, it was just a piece of junk. Who would have thought that in this small market, he would find the long-lost family heirloom. Contained within it was the legacy of honor, the great spirit of the family! To restore his family''s glory was today! He boasted to An Su and Lister about this glorious past, earning their surprised looks. Arthur, with his sunny and dashing smile, bit his finger and dripped his blood to activate the Sun Sword. The groove on the sword''s body filled with blood, the alchemy runes slowly began to turn, and the fiery Sun Flames enveloped the sword, with a terrifying aura of the Sun. An Su quickly used the identification magic to check the properties of the flame. Indeed, once Arthur activated the sword with his lineage, the sword''s attributes changed as well. [Sun Sword] [Legendary low-rank quality] [Non-substantial holy flame, attacks cause no damage but can forcibly burn clothing] [Note: Annand''s favorite sword, often used to attack various female cultists, later deemed a ''lewd item'' by the Order Church and confiscated] "..." An Su''s mouth twitched slightly, this was the lowest pedigree legendary item he''d ever seen. How did your family''s hereditary sword end up being categorized as a ''lewd item''...? Is the so-called sealing just confiscation? However, after seeing the effects of the Sun Sword, Arthur became even more fond of it as he felt it matched his combat style perfectlyduring battle, he''d strike the enemy with it, burning all of their clothes off. An Su sighed lightly; though the effects of the great sword were a bit perverse, it was still reasonably powerful. Being able to burn clothing also meant that it could burn armor, making it easier for teammates to deliver their attacks after burning through the enemy''s magical armor. Meanwhile, it could also create a psychological advantage in the game of wits. "Lister, what did you exchange for?" An Su asked Lister. Listers revealed an elegant smile and calmly pushed up his glasses, "I spent a hundred devotion points to exchange for a Golden Finger." The Golden Finger, in storybook novels, is an existence equivalent to picking treasures in the market square, the protagonist''s Golden Finger is always super cool, with all sorts of systems that can turn a weakling into a successful talent overnight, That Arthur could find his family''s hidden treasure in this Esoteric Market was incredible enough, but An Su had not expected Lister to actually get his hands on the legendary Golden Finger. Lister gave a disdainful smile, removed his black gloves, and raised his middle finger, on which there was a layer of blasphemous gold skin, inscribed with runes that twisted the heart, glittering and very eye-catching. An Su felt an unexplained surge of anger the moment he saw that middle finger. [Chaos Golden Finger] [Common-Level High-Rank Quality] [Effect: Can increase the speed of finger casting by ten percent, and, when displaying the Golden Finger in battle, there is a twenty percent chance of amplifying the enemy''s emotions and attracting their hatred] "..." An Su should never have had faith in anything produced by the Sanctuary of Chaos. That stuff was never reliable. What a combination to mess with people''s minds, Arthur first releases solar flames to burn off all the enemy''s clothes and armor, then Lister gives these naked men and women the Golden Finger, guaranteed to cause an instant cerebral hemorrhage. This pair might not necessarily be strong, but they were sure enough to be sensational. "Brother An Su, what did you exchange for?" Arthur and Lister asked in unison. An Su had a thousand devotion points, more than the two of them combined. An Su smiled but remained silent, he was a serious person. The items he exchanged for were plain and simple, all rather practical, as a glorious saint, naturally, he ought to choose the most righteous and bright alchemical items, and he wanted to make a clear distinction from these two. He browsed the exchange areas of various Esoteric Religions. For instance, in the Life Esoteric Church''s exchange area, he exchanged for a vast amount of High-Rank sacrificial materials, like bloody human bones, twisted candles, death incense, etc., each material could enhance the sacrificial effect by ten percent. This was in preparation for the great battle a few days later, as a glorious saint, An Su felt obliged to sacrifice all the Esoteric Witches of the dark religions to the light for the sake of the goddess. In the Painful Court''s exchange area, he also exchanged for a number of bleeding magics, An Su already had two bleeding-type magics, and this time he replenished a massive store of magic supplies. This too was in preparation for the upcoming battle against the Esoteric Witches, he decided to use a new style ''Menstrual Bleeding Flow''. In the exchange area of the Sanctuary of Chaos, An Su spent all his devotion points in one go, exchanging for various rare and novel Chaos magics, cheap in price and modest in effect, covering a wide range of fields. However, he did not plan to use these low-quality but numerous magics himself. He planned to resell them. The believers led by Mage God Merlin were quite interested in the Magic Circuits of Mysticism of Chaos, but since he was imprisoned in Heaven and because Esoteric Magic was taboo and not circulated among the righteous, it was very rare and almost impossible to obtain. But if An Su acted as a middleman, importing cheap magic from the Esoteric Market and reselling it to Merlin, he could earn a large number of devotion points from the Magic Association, and then go exchange them for items from the Magic Guild. With such buying and selling, not only would the number of his devotion points increase, but they would be completely laundered as well. sea??h th n??el Fire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Merlin would gain the Chaos Magic Circuits he had been longing for, the Cultists would sell their magic, and everyone would have a bright futureanother win-win-win. After a bout of shopping, they left the stronghold market completely satisfied. From a distance, Bishop Rada had already begun practicing the Gender Transformation Spell, and he was currently troubled by how to deal with his barren scalp; An Su believed that with Bishop Rada''s talent, he would certainly be able to solve that problem. Moreover, since His Excellency the Archmage was also bald, a monk paired with a nun was acceptable enough. An Su could hardly wait to report today''s achievements to Merlin, he had prepared many surprises. Chapter 197 The Secret of the Chaotic Saintess (Two in One) An Su emerged from the alley, waved goodbye to Lister and Arthur, and then headed to the main street where the breeze was gentle and pleasant.He hailed a carriage at the entrance. A black cat followed, jumping inside. After informing his master they were returning to the Saints District in the Upper City District, An Su casually leaned back, enjoying the scenery of Farol through the window. The black cat sprawled lazily on the seat, basking in the warm sunlight that caressed its sleek fur. It stretched languidly, appearing to be a pet kitten of the coachman. The Lower City District bordered the harbor, where one could see the azure sky and the light blue sea. Rolling white clouds stretched along the historic streets, reaching out to the horizon where sky met sea. As the carriage climbed towards the Upper City District, An Su''s view rose accordingly, eventually leaving behind the pale blue sea for a vast expanse of tranquil blue sky. The weather was clear, and An Su''s mood was quite good. That is, until he heard the maid hidden in his shadow whisper softly, "That woman is still following you." Her tone carried a hint of grinding teeth. An Su was initially confused but then realized the woman Enya mentioned was none other than Elf, the Chaotic Saintess of the Mysticism of Chaos the only one capable of eliciting such hostility from the maid. This sister was still following him? Was she really that bored? Playing the same prank twice wasn''t fun anymore, just tiresome old mischief. Given her penchant for seeking pleasure, she shouldn''t be doing something like this. An Su frowned slightly, his face full of caution as he examined the coachman in front, who appeared entirely ordinary with not a trace of Magic Power. He looked like a regular person, focused on driving the carriage earnestly. An Su couldn''t see any issues. He used his soul to communicate with Enya, "How did you determine that?" Previously, when Elf had disguised herself as a coachman, Enya hadn''t noticed. "A woman''s intuition," Miss Enya swayed her shadow, "I''ve memorized that woman''s scent. I can smell that stink." A woman''s intuition seemed like a terrifying concept to An Su, incomprehensible in its workings, yet capable of detecting a being of Saintly Rank. Nevertheless, An Su tended to trust Miss Enya''s instincts, after all, putting aside her gender, she was a Fifth Tier top-level assassin. An Su just wanted to know why Elf was tracking him. One occurrence might be coincidental, but twice definitely hinted at ulterior motives. The previous encounter had already been suspicious. Elf had appeared near the Radiant Saint''s residence, not far from An Su''s room. What was her purpose in the Saints District? Was it to monitor him? The thought of being constantly watched by Elf darkened An Su''s mood. Had his identity been exposed in that chaotic staircase? If it had been exposed, what was Elf''s objective? Was it merely to toy with him, to enjoy the process? Or, was he still undetected, and Elf was merely probing? Among the high echelons of the Esoteric Religion, the one An Su found most inscrutable and guarded against was the Chaotic Saintess. Her erratic thinking and unusual mindset, similar to his own, were surely not signs of anything good. Indeed, it could only be an ominous thing. His gaze grew sharper. The coachman, feeling An Su''s intense stare, became nervous and broke out in a cold sweat, fearing he might have neglected something and offended this finely dressed, handsome young man. The coachman''s expression was grave. In his many years of driving a carriage, he had always been cautious, dreading transporting two types of passengers the most: incessant women and children under eighteen. These two types of beings were ranked above him. A slight inattentiveness could mean the end of his business, or even worse, the revocation of his license, potentially leading to a stint in jail. Therefore, the coachman steadied his mind, took a deep breath, and focused on driving. An Su too took a deep breath. Now that he had been targeted by the Chaotic Saintess, the priority was to shake her off quickly, to prevent her from truly tracking him home. With another deep breath, he pulled open the carriage door, intending to leap out. "Damn it! What''s going on?" The coachman, seeing An Su''s actions from the front, was terrified. Could it be that after so many years, he was going to be thwarted by this young man? Jumping from the carriage without a single word of dispute But if the young man really jumped, wouldn''t the Order Church charge him with abetting a suicide and demand compensation, perhaps tens of thousands? A few of his colleagues had recently fallen victim to such scenarios. Experience tales at My Virtual Library Empire "Young man, don''t be rash, don''t be rash, let''s talk about it, talk it over..." The coachman, drenched in cold sweat from An Su''s scare, pleaded, "Please don''t give up hope... don''t jump here..." An Su observed the coachman''s panicked expression, musing that this chaotic act didn''t seem feigned. Especially his eyes frantic and helpless, revealing a man''s unique frustration and world-weariness. Such a panicked sense of fear is something only an adult male could experience. If the Chaotic Saintess could achieve such a performance, then her skills had reached a transcendent level. sea??h th N?velFire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. However, An Su trusted Miss Enya''s judgment. Since she said Ael followed along, the latter must be on the carriage. With a soft, probing voice, he said, "Please stop teasing me. This area is governed by the Order laws. Please refrain from doing anything strange." Chapter 197 The Secrets of the Chaotic Saintess (Two in One)_2 An Su''s attitude was very mild, reminding the Chaotic Saintess that they were being monitored by the Order Church here, so no weird behavior was allowed."I''m teasing you...?" The uncle''s mouth twitched, his face darkening, "How dare I tease you." "What slander!" He had realized, the young man was making a threat, even legal matters were being brought up, meaning the law was protecting him, and if he wasn''t sensible enough, the young man would immediately jump out of the carriage and get him into the police station. "Guest... I really didn''t tease you..." The uncle grabbed the reins and slowly brought the carriage to a stop, fearing that An Su might jump out if he was not careful and then he wouldn''t be able to defend himself. He swallowed nervously, proceeding with caution, "Maybe you should try another carriage?" An Su thought that the uncle was truly just an uncle. As a fellow male, he could sense it. This careful fear came from the depth of a man''s soul, something that couldn''t be feigned, a feeling common to all adult males, which An Su called a man''s intuition. Since the uncle wasn''t the Chaotic Saintess in disguise, there could only be one creature left in the carriage. An Su cast a suspicious glance at the black cat lying on the front seat. The black cat lay lazily on the seat, basking in the warm sunlight that shone through the window and turned its fur golden. It licked its paws leisurely, its tail draped over its fluffy body. The little black cat had always been on the carriage, and An Su had assumed it belonged to the coachman, but apparently not. Embedding one''s soul into an animal was easy to get lost in, but for the Chaotic Saintess, entering a cat''s body would be no problem. "How did you detect me?" After being stared at by An Su for a while, the black cat stopped pretending, yawned, stretched its legs and lazily said. Being recognized despite its disguise in the chaotic staircase made Elf feel quite lethargic. She had wanted to scare the lad again. Instead, the carriage uncle got the fright of his life. He clearly heard a young girl''s voice coming from the back seat, which scared him out of his wits, thinking "Today, my life is over." He didn''t dare to look back and just felt his scalp tingle. A young boy jumping off the carriage was already tough to deal with, let alone when did a girl get on the carriage? Sarch* The N?vel(F)ire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The uncle didn''t care where the voice came from, whether it was a ghost or not, his only concern was whether this female ghost wanted to jump out of the carriage with the boy... If that was the case, his life wouldn''t be enough to compensate. The law enforcement standards of the Order Church didn''t care whether alive or dead; even if a ghost jumped out, it would be his fault! "Please continue driving meow." The black cat said lazily, a flash of crimson in its cat''s eyes, and the coachman in the front seat suddenly had a vacant look, losing his senses and mechanically driving the Alchemical Carriage. Enjoy exclusive content from My Virtual Library Empire "Holy Maiden, why are you following me?" An Su asked cautiously. "Just catching a free ride and looking for some fun, but it''s really not interesting. No fun at all," the black cat yawned again, its soul having taken on some of the instincts of its new body. It flicked its tail and reached out a paw to catch the tip, but just as the tail seemed to escape the grasp of the paw as though they belonged to separate entities, it swiftly moved away, "Don''t talk to me anymore, I want to sleep." A free ride? An Su focused only on the first half of what the Chaotic Saintess said. The place he was heading to was the Saints Dormitory District, and since Elf also wanted a free ride, her destination must be the Saints Dormitory District as well. Recalling yesterday, Elf appeared in the Saints District, confirming she had been lurking in the Saints Dormitory for a long time. This location was very close to the center of the Radiant Holy See. With such great risks, hiding here meant Elf was harboring a colossal scheme. "May I inquire what matter brings you to hide within the Saints District?" An Su asked tentatively, receiving a roll of eyes from the cat in response. "I already said I want to sleep!" She seemed irritated. "You are also hiding in the Saints District," Elf retorted irritably, "Can I ask what you''re up to?" "Naturally, it''s to infiltrate the enemy camp, build good relations with An Su and others, and ultimately possess them." An Su answered earnestly, Elf might not have seen through his real identity. As far as An Su knew, he wasn''t the only one from the Esoteric Religion hidden in the Saints District. If one were to be suspicious, other Esoteric Religion geniuses might also be problematic. An Su didn''t believe that Elf could see through Magic God Merlin''s disguise magic. "Hmph, this little guy An Su isn''t so easily possessed," the black cat yawned again, "Boy, don''t ask what you shouldn''t, don''t pry into what you shouldn''t. Her crimson eyes reflected a chaotic and intricate sunlight, unmistakably exuding the majesty of a saint, and she stated dictatorially, "I reside in the Saints District for my own reasons, a matter of utmost taboo and chaotic secrecy." That crimson gaze was full of chaos, "I don''t want a third person to know about my affair here." In fact, a third person already knew. An Su looked down at his shadow, where the maid Miss was now no longer swaying in the shadow, any hint of movement would instantly alert the current Chaotic Saintess. In a head-on confrontation, Miss Enya, being an assassin, would surely be no match for the Chaotic Saintess. Regardless of rank, Enya had just entered the Saintly Rank, while the Chaotic Saintess had been at the Fifth Tier for many years. Thinking things over in his mind, the carriage had already reached its destination. The streets of the Upper City District were starkly different from those of the Lower City District, wide and clean, with a strong religious atmosphere. The gleaming church bells rang from afar, resonating through the Saints Neighborhood. Chapter 197 The Secret of the Chaotic Saintess (Two in One)_3 """"Guest, we''ve arrived," the coachman said in a monotonous tone, stopping the carriage to the side and turning back, "That will be ten copper coins." Although he was hypnotized, his instinct to collect money was still intact. "Bye-bye, meow~" The black cat played with the tip of her tail one last time, waved her paw at An Su, and sprang out of the carriage with a light step, hopping onto the wall beside and gracefully walked forward. This thing couldn''t be more suspicious... What is the goal of the Chaotic Saintess, and what is this top-secret, supremely forbidden, and chaotic matter she mentioned... An Su showed a thoughtful expression; it was necessary to investigate. Wait, he seemed to realize somethingan oversight he had subconsciously neglected... slowly surfaced. "Another thing, Your Excellency Elf, this matter is very important." Seeing the Elf was starting to walk away, An Su quickly called out to the Elf, recalling an important matter, "Please wait a moment!" "What is it?" The black cat turned her head, and seeing An Su''s serious expression, she paused to listen to him. "You forgot to pay the carriage fee," An Su said sternly. He was a man of egalitarianism, never spoiling anyone, "That''s fifty copper coins, and if we go Dutch, you just need to give me twenty-five." "Cats don''t need to pay!" The Elf bristled again. She huffed at An Su, her claws out and her posture insisting, "Otherwise, what''s the point of being a cat?" Read the latest on My Virtual Library Empire With that illogical remark, the black cat swished her tail and walked away, vanishing into the alley. A real disgrace to the Mysticism of Chaos. Sar?h the ovlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. An Su criticized in his heart; even for a ride, the Chaotic Saintess was trying to dodge the fare. Carriage services in the imperial city were expensive, especially from the Lower City District to the Upper City District. The guards at the gate charged exorbitant tolls, accumulating to fifty copper coins. That could equal three days'' income for a resident of the Lower City District. And it was this exorbitant toll that completely separated the Lower City from the Upper City, forming two distinct worlds. Fifty copper coins were small change for An Su; his weekly pocket money was measured in Gold Coins, but that was An Su Moningsta''s money, not what he had in his role as an undercover agent at the Chaos Ladder, which wasn''t as well-funded. In this identity, he dared not spend extravagantly to avoid drawing the attention of Farol''s tax office and blowing his cover. Moreover, he always felt uncomfortable whenever someone took undue advantage of him. An Su was a fighter for equality; his minor origins could not allow others to have more minor origins than himself. He looked down at his shadow and began to haggle with it, "Enya, let''s split it... you can give me twenty-five copper coins." Miss Enya''s shadow swayed, signifying that she did not count as a person just now, and shadows didn''t need to pay. An Su sighed and neatly paid the fare before getting off the carriage. He wandered aimlessly through the streets, strolling leisurely for an hour, zigzagging through several alleys, and after confirming with the maids that no one was trailing him three times, he removed the soul of the Chaos Ladder and returned to his identity as Ansu Moningsta. He definitely couldn''t return to his own place now; if there were any Cultists tailing him there, it would be problematic. If any Church secrets were leaked as a result, he would become a sinner of the Church. After much consideration, the safest place to stay seemed to be Heaven. Absolutely no one would follow him there. He quickly concocted a valid reason to torment Merlin and entered the Magic Guild, ascended to the tenth floor, and entered Heaven. As for the fact that one could freely mess around with magic in Heaven and Merlin had to fix any consequent brain-related issues or else the responsibility would fall on him, these were just secondary reasons why Ansu chose Heaven. Everything he did was for the greater cause of the Church. Of course, even though he was in Heaven, he still had to make time to accept the gifts sent by the Cultists; the two were not in conflict. Merlin spotted the lad from afar and his expression immediately soured; his rare chance at a break was hijacked by this kid, yet he couldn''t find a fault to refuse him because indeed Cultists planned to take over Ansu''s body. "Your Excellency Merlin, no need to be so downcast," Ansu said calmly, acting as if Heaven was his own home, "I''ve brought you a surprise." "What surprise?" Merlin raised an eyebrow. "You''re about to have a Demigod girlfriend," Ansu proudly announced the surprise, "Introduced by Lister and Arthur!" Chapter 198 Merlin: An Su, you take over my shift for a day (two in one) "You''re about to have a demigoddess girlfriendintroduced by Lister and Arthur."An Su said proudly. He was a humble, unassuming man, and Lister and Arthur were his good brothers. He would naturally not keep such a grand credit to himself; instead, he actively displayed the traditional virtue of modesty, willingly crediting his friends with this earth-shattering accomplishment. From then on, he decided to retreat into obscurity, his achievements and fame well concealed. Upon hearing that Lister and Arthur were behind the introduction, Merlin''s interest was piqued. He knew An Su was no good thing, but he had met both Lister and Arthur. They weren''t exactly what you''d call human, but they certainly weren''t as audacious as An Su, and he doubted they would dare to make a fool of him. The families behind these two had quite a reputation, one with a profound network and the other with a long history; it seemed reasonable that they could make the acquaintance of a demigoddess. Although Merlin felt delighted, he was the God of Law after all and couldn''t let his pleasure show on his face, lest he lose his cool. "Hmph," Merlin''s expression hardened as he gave a cold snort. His red robe fluttered, and his pure white eyes were filled with pride and disdain, "I''m not interested, just asking out of curiosity. What''s her background? Is she reliable?" "I must make it clear again that I don''t care at all." Merlin was cautious, in case An Su tried to deceive him, and he probed further. "Hmm," after some thought, An Su decided to answer truthfully, "Your Excellency Merlin, as far as I know, you do actually know this demigoddess." Merlin''s white eyes glimmered with Holy Light as he scrutinized An Su''s soul, seeing that there was no lie in his words, and then he began to ponder, Which of the female demigods he knew could it be... Miss Anna from the Healing Church or Lady Ska from the Church of Chastity? The stunning visages of several female demigods flitted through his mind. "Moreover, she''s been paying attention to you for quite a while," An Su sincerely said, "She has been protecting you all this year. Without her help, you wouldn''t have even been able to fulfill your duties." Merlin was moved to hear that a lady had been silently making such sacrifices for him. He was unaware that someone had been behind the scenes, supporting him. Thinking about it, it must be Bishop Anna from the Healing Church, her gentle and healing nature had long made Merlin suspect she had a hidden affection for him. An Su also showed a relieved smile, had Bishop Rada not come to attack Heaven, Merlin would have left his post long ago, naturally unable to fulfill the duties of repelling enemies in Heaven. "What does she look like?" Merlin asked, having completely forgotten about maintaining his high status appearance. "Curvy," An Su appraised. Bishop Rada had robust pectoral muscles, truly a man among men. Merlin coughed lightly. He did not detect any deceit in An Su''s words, it seemed the young man was telling the truth. "And now is the best time for you to make your move," An Su said with a calm smile, "This lady has just had her heart broken by a man, she''s lonely and vulnerable, making it the perfect opportunity for you to step in." Who knew there would be such a fantastic additional attribute? The Holy Light in Merlin''s eyes twinkled. "What''s her name?" Merlin asked. "She will tell you herself when the time is right," An Su said with a smile. sea??h th N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Then when can I meet her?" Merlin asked. "You can meet her tomorrow," An Su replied. Merlin could barely contain his smile. He had been trapped in this damned Heaven for a whole year, dealing most often with invaders from the Legion of Pain, and had not been in touch with a female of his rank. Now, at last, he had the chance to break free from the misery, well away from that damned Bishop of Pain. Merlin was quite pleased. Seeing His Excellency Merlin so satisfied, An Su shared in his joy. "Your Excellency, I have another matter to report," he said. While the God of Law was in a good mood, An Su seized the opportunity to move forward, taking out some shabby magic scrolls he had scavenged from the marketplace of the Esoteric Religion. At a glance, there were at least a dozen Chaos Magic spells. An Su reported with a grave and serious demeanor, "These spells were obtained from my undercover mission within the Esoteric Religion, after risking my life countless times. Please take a look." The youth''s eyes were full of sincerity, the turquoise pupils as pure as the clear sky after the rain, untainted by any contamination or falsehood. Saying it took great effort wasn''t wrong, the scrolls were sold by weight in the market, and An Su haggled with the Priests over the price for a long time, employing knowledge from two lifetimes. From the principles behind magic to market economics, from the fundamental theories of the Mysticism of Chaos to the psychological tactic of ''then I''ll just check somewhere else,'' An Su had to use all his wits. After much effort, An Su finally managed to get the original price of ''three hundred devotion points per pound'' reduced to ''two hundred fifty devotion points per pound,'' which was no easy feat. He bought a pound of magic, totaling ten low-rank Chaos spells. "Risking life and limb" was indeed an apt description; after purchasing, An Su realized there was a problem with the weights on the balance scale. After arguing with the Priest of Chaos who managed the marketplace, An Su narrowly escaped with his life. Merlin glanced over those magic scrolls and frowned slightly, but after pondering for a while, his brow slowly relaxed. With his keen eyes as the God of Law, he could see that the quality of these spells wasn''t good and their effects were quite average, barely more than mediocre, but even so, they were indeed forbidden spells that circulated only within the Sanctuary of Chaos. Enjoy new stories from My Virtual Library Empire Chapter 198 Merlin: An Su, You Take Over My Shift for a Day (Two-in-One)_2 Some Magic Circuits were even beyond Merlin''s ken.Forbidden magic was rarely circulated on the market, especially the Mysticism of Chaos magic, which was virtually nonexistent. Add to this the strict crackdown by the Order Church, and Chaos Magic was basically in a situation where it had a price but no market. Common saints had no access to it, and Merlin, being confined to Heaven, was even less able to obtain it. For the copycat oddity that was Merlin, the quality of the magic itself wasn''t important; what mattered were those Chaos Magic''s Magic Circuits. Once he copied the Magic Circuits, he could create even stronger magic. Women might deceive the God of Law, but magic never does. The Holy Light in Merlin''s eyes grew ever brighter. To the God of Law, these forbidden knowledges were more attractive than a girlfriend. His inspiration for plagiarism burst forth like a spring as he waved to An Su, "Bring it closer and let me have a look." "Your Excellency the Archmage," An Su actually put away the scroll. Although his mouth maintained his usual placid and courteous smile, "This is knowledge most precious, obtained with great cunning and by risking. death. too. many. times." He emphasized his struggle and the close encounters with death so pointedly, even a fool could understand what he meant. Merlin wanted to roll his eyes at An Su, but realizing his eyes were already quite white and it wasn''t necessary, he decided against rolling and glared with dissatisfaction, "Wanting some sort of benefit?" The fact these magics weren''t meant as a tribute to himself displeased the honorably luminous Bishop Merlin; he thought to himself that An Su would no doubt be a dead-end no-hoper, whose peak achievement could, at best, be a regional bishop position. Your adventure continues at My Virtual Library Empire "I wouldn''t dare ask for any benefits." An Su displayed a knowing smile, presenting the scroll with both hands, "I merely wish to exchange knowledge with you. I''ve brought these items merely to ask for Bishop Merlin''s guidance and teaching, so we can together criticize this vile and dirty knowledge." Upon hearing An Su''s words, the honorably luminous Bishop Merlin was quite pleased. He thought An Su definitely had a bright future; unfathomable in this lifetime, and at the very least he could end up in red garments. "Then I must thoroughly criticize this vile knowledge," said Merlin. Merlin accepted the magic scroll passed by An Su without a hint of emotion, solemnly promising An Su. The night breeze of Heaven lightly caressed the air, his crimson robe fluttering in the wind, golden light particles dancing in the air, casting His Excellency the Archmage''s aura as sacred and arcane. Their conversation was quite euphemistic; to translate it, if the God of Law accidentally stumbled upon something peculiar while criticizing this evil knowledge, he was to share it with An Su, under the noble guise of knowledge exchange. "Ahem." Merlin coughed lightly, "If you have more of such... ahem, knowledge that you wish to be criticized, feel free to bring it to me for critique... mainly because I fear you might not be able to cope with it well, do you understand what I mean?" "Loud and clear." An Su''s smile was knowledgeable; plagiarism with a critical twist worked precisely like this. "Hmm, can''t let you go without compensation. There are plenty of magics you can redeem on the fourth floor of the Magic Association." After some thought, Merlin, taking into account An Su''s understanding nature and the difficulty An Su must have had in acquiring this knowledge, and not wanting to freeload openly as the Radiant Bishop, decided to give something out of courtesy. "For each of these scrolls requiring criticism, fifty devotion points." The price set by Merlin was quite generous indeed. He smiled with satisfaction, still freeloading after all, as it was the Association that would bear the cost. Merlin, being the Deputy Head of the Magic Association, could simply use the official accounts, requesting devotion points from the Association and then approving his own expenses in his capacity as Deputy Head. Devotion points, unlike faith points given by deities, were an invented currency of exchange coined by the Magic Association itself, fabricated at will. Merlin often did this, having embezzled who knows how many devotion points through such schemes. However regarded, this shady deal seemed especially profitable for himself. Had Merlin not slacked off today and ensured An Su''s safety throughout, eavesdropping on the undercover trail, he would''ve realized An Su had acquired these shoddy wares cheaply from a street vendor and would not have worn such a contented smile. In contrast, An Su''s smile was even more radiant than Merlin''s. A pound was ten scrolls, totaling five hundred devotion points. Wares bought from a street vendor at two hundred and fifty points per pound were flipped handsomely for five hundred devotion points in Merlin''s hands; credits laundered quite thoroughly by Merlin, with profits doubled. It seemed, indeed, that such agreeable business exists in the world. Sarch* The N?vel(F)ire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. An Su''s gaze towards Merlin was now even more gratified, not regretting having introduced such a beautiful girlfriend to His Excellency the Archmage. Merlin was in a good mood too, also finding An Su more agreeable to the eye. "Anything else?" Merlin waved An Su away, eager to get to the study of the forbidden magic, "If there''s nothing else, get lost." "Your Excellency Merlin, my current residence isn''t safe, may I stay here tonight?" An Su asked earnestly, "Sinister Cultists lurk around my home; I fear they might possess me at any moment." Are there any Cultists more sinister than you? Merlin''s face darkened. "Get lost," Merlin''s brow raised, "Don''t even think about staying in Heaven." Chapter 198 Merlin: An Su, You Take Over My Shift for a Day (Two-in-One)_3 An Su spoke righteously,"But what if the enemy captures you by accident, and you''re tricked by a Beauty Trap, and inadvertently reveal the Church''s secrets, especially your intention to criticize this forbidden knowledge? That wouldn''t reflect well if it got out..." This guy really dared to think big. Merlin''s expression turned even darker, Beauty Traps and allnot even he dared to dream so fancifully. He had figured it out: An Su was counting on the dense Heavenly Magic here, which wouldn''t destroy his soul, to have an excuse to stay put. Read exclusive chapters at My Virtual Library Empire What was so great about this wretched place? Merlin sighed. He had been here for a year and couldn''t wait to leave, yet this kid An Su actually fancied living in Heaven. Truly not recognizing one''s fortune while in the midst of it. Perhaps it would be better to let the two exchange places. Wait a second... A faint spark flickered in Merlin''s eyes, perhaps he could really let this kid swap with him, take over his shift tomorrow, and then he could go on a date... The more Merlin thought about it, the more viable the idea seemed; he had previously devised a plan for possessionletting someone else take over his body, with that person in control during work hours and himself regaining control afterward. For the soul of Magic God Merlin, a mere body was just a constraint, as long as his soul was intact, he could always create or reclaim a body anytime. Including Merlin''s current body, which was actually molded from Holy Light, but he wasn''t skilled in sculpting features, so it had no face. That''s where the title ''Faceless One'' came from. And now, he could create something similar. "An Su." Merlin''s gaze towards An Su became increasingly kind, causing the latter to shudder, "Living in Heaven is possible, I have just one condition." An Su''s gaze sharpened, sensing the aura of another being similar to himself by nature. "How about you take over my shifts for a few days?" Merlin said with a pleasant expression. "...What are you talking about." An Su''s mouth twitched slightly. "I''ll give you the temporary authority over Heaven for one day," Merlin''s smile grew even kinder, "You help me work for a day. I''m going out on a date." "How am I supposed to work..." An Su hadn''t finished speaking when he saw the Holy Light suddenly blossom across the sky, dusk and sunset intertwined above, as the Holy Light fell and Heaven''s Gate slowly opened. He felt the Holy Light gradually merging into his body. "Turn on your Holy Light Transformation Spell." Merlin had long noticed An Su''s self-modified Transformation Spell and instructed. "Don''t resist, this is also good for you." Reluctantly, An Su withdrew his soul, while on the other side, Merlin had already crafted a new body with the grandiolescence of Heavenly Magic. Guided by Merlin, An Su''s soul entered into that new vessel. An Su slowly opened his eyes, realizing he had no face; instead, it was replaced with the dazzling and intricate light of stars. He could clearly sense his current state and see his current form, which somewhat resembled Merlin''s, with a crimson robe fluttering in the wind, but instead of pure white Holy Light in his eyes, there were cyan stars. Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The vast and immense Magic Power within this body was enough to make An Su''s scalp tingle with just a slight touch. The whole of Heaven was powering him. Even though An Su''s soul had reached the sanctity of a saint, it wasn''t strong enough to support so much Magic Power, and he could only utilize less than a fifth of the body''s capacity. Even so, he barely reached the level of an average Demigod. If an ordinary person were to enter this body, they would explode and die on the spot. "I''ve fashioned you a temporary shell with the Holy Light of Heaven," Merlin said, looking over his handiwork with satisfaction, "It can last a day. It should hold up for a bit against anything you encounter, enough to last until I return." Merlin thought his idea was quite good. An Su was the most suitable candidate, with a soul endurance of a saint, just strong enough to barely use this body without fear of rebellion, since the true authority of Heaven remained firmly in Merlin''s hands. He felt his craftsmanship was getting better and better. If he could mold magic, he could mold people. [You have received temporary authorization to assume duty for the Heavenly rotation for twenty-four hours. Note: This can be revoked at any time.] [An Su Moningsta] [Demigod Form (Twenty-Four Hours)] "What are you going to do tomorrow?" An Su asked, his face and features expressionless. "I have a date and a vacation," Merlin replied with a chuckle. They even allowed for substitutes in this gig! An Su was silent for a long while, his soul forcibly residing within a body far exceeding his own rank, constantly bearing horrific pressure and pain, but this trial was also further improving the quality of his soul... Moreover, experiencing the magic power of a demigod level in advance was also very beneficial for his future development. "What if a leader from above comes to inspect?" An Su asked, his face void of features. "I no longer have anyone above me," Merlin answered with a laugh. "I have people above me. The dorm supervisor is going to check my room!" An Su''s expression darkened. "You are going to stay in Heaven; surely you''ve asked for leave in advance." Merlin saw through An Su''s ruse, "Don''t worry, I''ll announce that An Su is on a secret mission and temporarily missing for a day. And, given your background, the longer you are missing, the happier the dorm supervisor will be." My dorm supervisor is actually Miss Enya An Su sighed softly. A secret mission is just to help you chase girls? An Su struggled to raise his hand, splendid light pouring from between his fingers. Heavenly Magic enveloped An Su''s hand; he had never before controlled such a wondrous power. "Alright," An Su weighed the pros and cons before deciding to temporarily alter his plans. "I have one final condition, I need to go home first," An Su said, "I''ll return to Heaven tonight." "Why?" Merlin asked. "The cultists planned to tempt me today with money, the Beauty Trap, and knowledge. I need to go home first to collect the payment," he answered with a smile, his azure eyes filled with a helplessness. He didn''t want any of these things, but the cultists insisted on giving them, truly annoying. Upon hearing An Su''s words, Merlin froze. He suddenly felt quite unbalanced. Weren''t there supposed to be evil cultists attacking you? And now there''s even a Beauty Trap? "And also, to let my dorm supervisor know I won''t be coming back tomorrow, lest she worries," An Su sighed, then looked at Merlin with a smile of pleasure on his lips but sarcastically wished him well. "I hope you have a wonderful date tomorrow." Chapter 199 A Slender Thread of Fate (Two in One) The crimson sunset slowly melted at the end of Heaven''s steps, and dusk turned the sky''s hue to pale pink. An Su really couldn''t refuse Merlin''s request, so he thought of going home to report back and incidentally collect the gifts from the Cultists.After leaving the Magic Association, going down ten floors, and returning home, the sky had already darkened considerably. "Where''s my Children''s Day gift?" As soon as An Su, the lad, spoke, he inquired about his Children''s Day gift. He had just made a wish to the Cultists, and according to festival customs and traditional rules, the Cultists should bring him the forbidden taboo knowledge, gold treasures, and mature big sisters as gifts for Children''s Day. If the young An Su wasn''t sorted out today, the Cultists themselves would become the mature big sisters by tomorrow. "...They are all in the warehouse," Miss Enya said, tilting her head as she looked at An Su. In the past hour, a good dozen people had delivered gifts to the house; it seemed these Cultists really couldn''t find An Su and, in desperation, had delivered the gifts directly to his home. The Cultists from the three major Sects, in order to preserve their own ''bulls'', brought out their skills, and thoughtfully prepared a variety of Children''s Day gifts for An Su, producing their treasured possession from the bottom of their chests. Diamond rings the size of pebbles, small mounds of Church Nation Gold Coins, as well as crystals and enamels, and Obsidians and Rubies shining with dazzling luster; for An Su, this petty cash lacked sincerity. He felt that money and such material things were external possessions; An Su was not so vulgar and materialistic, and he didn''t have much interest in money. He accepted them with some reluctance. The truly sincere Believers were those who didn''t follow conventional paths. For example, evil forbidden knowledge, the Ladder Sect brought An Su the "Chaotic Empire''s Banned Books for those under sixteen." As for powerful equipment and magic tools, the geniuses from the Pain Sect sent over the treasured ''Human Fat Candles,'' ordinary High-Rank weapons ''Blood-breaking Whips,'' and the legendary gag magic tool ''Gagging Spell.'' The Cultists from the Oceanic Sect really bled themselves dry, bringing overnight the freshest king crabs, deep-sea squids, abalone... and even a nearly extinct Golden Tuna that had been fished... An Su used to drink this fish''s soup every day as a child, pity that for some reason, he was unable to drink it after growing up. An Su felt a sense of warmth for this gift; that''s what thoughtful and progressive good Cultists were like. "Why do I feel like there''s a category missing?" After inspecting all the gifts in the warehouse, An Su exhibited a somewhat confused expression. He furrowed his brow and turned his gaze towards the maid. "No more, just these gifts." Miss Enya smiled as she watched An Su, with her amber-clear eyes devoid of any extra emotion. Though her face held a smile, it was devoid of much feeling, and she calmly stated a fact, "No other things." "But I remember there were three wishes..." An Su muttered. "Young master, I haven''t seen any other gifts." Enya tilted her head, her slender fingers resting on lips soft as cherry blossoms. As though contemplating, she bit her nails and after a moment revealed a look of realization. "Oh, right, I remember now." "There were indeed," An Su nodded. "Where are my beauties?" "Some stuff I thought was trash, so I packed it up and threw it in the nearest garbage dump," Enya said, tilting her head calmly. "Would you like me to take you to the garbage dump to look for them?" "Would you like to go see it?" Miss Enya asked with a smile. "..." An Su fell silent. Continue reading on My Virtual Library Empire After a bit, he shook his head, "No need, if it''s thrown away, then it''s thrown away." In truth, he wasn''t too interested in the third category of gifts; who knew what breed of creature a Witch from the Mixed Cult was C the real gender might even be old gentlemen. However, An Su was rather dissatisfied with Miss Enya''s behavior; after all, those were living people, living lives, how could you just throw them away? "Remember to keep the next batch for me," An Su expressed regretfully. "I''m still waiting to use them for a sacrifice." An Su had made the wish for a Beauty Trap, hoping to receive some offerings from the genius Cultists C perhaps the prettier Cultists would be more to the Mother Goddess''s taste. He criticized Enya''s sense of environmental consciousness, "Remember to dispose of the trash harmlessly in the future; as the most devout Radiant Saints, we must be environmentally conscious, understood?" "I apologize." Miss Enya said, willing to rectify her error, "I''ll be careful next time." She paused before continuing, "They hope to meet with you." Miss Enya, acting in her capacity as a personal maid, continued to report to An Su, "And they asked me to tell you that if you agree to meet them, they have more forbidden gifts waiting for you, guaranteed to make you a man overnight." What shady uncles luring little boys. Such abduction tricks should have been obsolete long ago. An Su thought that these Cultists must be driven to desperation to resort to such ''a dog jumping over the wall'' tactics. "If you don''t go, the worst could happen." "I''ve been observing them for a long time; I''ve seen many of their kind. They appear submissive on the surface, but secretly harbor rebellious thoughts, truly despicable and shameless people." Enya blinked her eyes, analyzing seriously, "According to my deduction, they will raid the mansion tonight and forcefully abduct you." Sarch* The N?velFire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 199 A Fine Line of Marriage Fate (Two in One)_2 If soft approaches won''t work, they''ll resort to force, huh...An Su trusted Miss Enya''s judgment as a professional assassin. "For your safety, I suggest we share a room tonight so I can guard you at all times," Enya said, seemingly obedient on the surface, but with rebellion already brewing in her heart. An Su trusted Miss Enya''s judgment as a professional subordinate woman. "...I won''t be staying at home tonight," he was silent for a moment before adding, "His Excellency Merlin is forcing me to cover his shift." "That''s truly regrettable," Miss Enya said evenly, her pupils showing no hint of turmoil, nor any sign of disappointment or regret. She paused, then changed her tone to a serious one, "Do you need me to assassinate Merlin?" "...You''re too extreme." An Su shook his head, smiling, his youthful smile pure and bright as moonlight, "Don''t worry, His Excellency Merlin will have a day worse than death tomorrow." Seeing the smile on her young master''s face, Enya knew that the Magic God Merlin would have a colorful day tomorrow, so she said nothing more. What An Su was more concerned about now was how to convincingly play the role of a powerful demigod without giving himself away, Although Merlin had assured him verbally that it was completely safe and that no one would check on him, An Su was still worried. "Oh, young master, there is also a forbidden book that you didn''t get the chance to read last night," Enya seemed to recall something and turned to retrieve another scroll. Last night, the cultists brought two books in total, one being the human-skin scroll [Banned Publications of the Chaotic Empire], listed as a ''Silver-Grey Publication,'' so taboo that it was forbidden. The other, originating from the Life Ecclesia but due to An Su being pressed for time, had not yet been perused. This book also had a sense of age to it, too, unearthed from thirty thousand years ago and carrying an aura of taboo and strange high-rank knowledge. The title on the cover had an imposing feel about it, called [Gods'' Mysterious Records], containing secrets and evil intrigues from the Ancient Era. An Su''s horizons were broadened upon reading it. Take Chapter One, for instance, on Demigods. How to speak like a pretentiously mighty demigod: replace ''I'' with ''I,'' ''you'' with ''thou,'' saying ''I am taking a noon nap'' becomes ''I awaken from a long slumber,'' and ''I ate a bowl of noodles for dinner'' becomes ''I consumed the chaotic strands at night.'' An Su flipped straight to the end to check out the author and saw ''Written by the Azure Sorceress'' emblazoned on it, and he understood who was behind this thing. No wonder Miss Bones was speaking so oddly yesterday; it turned out she had awakened such embarrassing memories! He filed the book away and left home to cover for His Excellency Merlin. Outside, the sky might have grown dim, but the Saints District was still brightly lit. With less than a week to the deacons'' promotion examination, saints who wanted to advance further had to pass the deacon examonly then would they truly step into the Church''s managerial hierarchy. The deacon exam, like the previous saint exam, lasted three days and consisted of three parts, with the first being a written test. Find your next read on My Virtual Library Empire Sar?h the novlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Saints from out of town had to first register at the Magic Association, show their saint insignias, record their personal information, and finally, the Church would allocate them dormitoriesthose with ample resources at home would rent hotel rooms in advance, but every year at this time, hotel prices would skyrocket. Of course, as per annual tradition, some saints would lose their saint insignias, and when that happened, they could only report to the Order Church to apply for a new one. All the saints looked anxious on the surface, their eyes filled with excitement and nervousness, and many of them wore proud expressions. Although being a deacon was the lowest-level position in the Church''s administrative layer, it was still a management position. Passing this test meant they could rise rapidly in status. Saints from all corners gathered together, with those from the imperial capital at the core, speaking in hushed voices about the latest hot topics, "Have you heard, a borderland lad has offended Her Excellency the Princess..." "The princess from... the Radiant Holy See, Saint Cersei?" "They''re bound to meet in this exam, right?" "The imperial family has already expressed dissatisfaction with the Magic Association." "Indeed, for the royalty, being compared with borderlanders is already a disgrace, especially with Her Excellency involved." "I heard that Her Excellency Seresi is going to visit the Magic God again tomorrow to raise objections regarding this matter..." As An Su walked among them, he felt as though he was clad in silk, traveling by night. As the rotator in charge of Heaven, An Su saw himself as the true master of Heaven, approvingly observing the students around him as if admiring the realm he personally conquered, thinking to himself that all his subjects were coming to work for him. That''s right, speaking of the current rotator in charge of Heaven... Doesn''t that position have the privilege of previewing the examination papers? After all, Merlin had once boasted to An Su that there was no one above him. If there''s no one above Merlin, then by covering for him, An Su himself would have no one above him either, right? At the thought, An Su''s pupils shone even more brightly. It wasn''t just about previewing the exam questions; with Merlin''s status, even if An Su wanted to change the questions himself, no one would dare object. Upon this realization, An Su thought of many amusing ideas, and just like that, helping out Merlin for a day seemed completely acceptable. His mood lifting with thoughts of expanded possibilities, An Su briskly made his way to the Magic Association. The walk from the Saints District to the Magic Association was short, and with all the surrounding saints, An Su wasn''t worried about being attacked by cultists. A few covert shadows watched An Su intently, none daring to make a move. This kid is truly wild in his ways. Chapter 199 A Thread of Marriage Ties the Bonds (Parts Combined) - 3 All the prodigies of the Esoteric Religion had ugly expressions on their faces. They had all underestimated An Su, never expecting this youth to be so terrifyingly formidable. Devoid of lust and unmotivated by fame and fortune, he acted even more ruthlessly than the Esoteric Religion, destroying beauty with a cruel hand, or rather, plucking () without mercy, tossing them into the garbage dump once he was done.Without a doubt, this was a show of force against them. Is this guy really a saint? How can he be more extreme in his actions than they are? For a moment, An Su had all the prodigies of the Esoteric Religion under his influence. By the time An Su entered the Magic Association, ascended to the tenth floor, and entered Heaven, the prodigies of the Esoteric Religion knew they might be out of options. That was the legendary tenth floor of the association, the Church''s Heaven, which even Bishop Rada had attacked for an entire year without success. But to save their own necks, to preserve their male dignity, the prodigies of the Esoteric Religion decided to stake out the area around the Magic Association. An Su would have to come out eventually; he couldn''t possibly stay in the Magic Association forever, That would be a complete dead end! When he comes out, the sky would surely be darker, all the saints around would have gone, and they could then follow him and find a deserted corner to launch a surprise attack. If being subtle doesn''t work, they would just have to get tough. They didn''t believe An Su could stay in Heaven for a whole day. That was utterly preposterous. The kid wasn''t the ruler of Heaven; how could he possibly reside there? They would win. The prodigies of the Esoteric Religion revealed confident smiles, certain of their control. Using Chaotic Shape-shifting Magic and stealth spells, they patiently crouched in the cold bushes around the Magic Association, enduring the chill of the night, waiting patiently for An Su to come out of the Magic Association. "Is the task completed?" Merlin asked An Su with an affectionate smile, believing in the adage that good spirits come with joyous events; he found this young man increasingly pleasing to the eye, "What do you think I should wear tomorrow?" S~ea??h the ovelFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "I think you should bring your Magic Wand tomorrow," An Su earnestly suggested, "It will better complement your dignified God of Law''s scholarly demeanor. "Then, when the light of death hits, I''ll have a handy weapon on me." "You make a good point." Merlin found An Su''s advice sensible and decided he needed to go home to get his Magic Wand. He hastily stuffed An Su into a Demigod''s body, patted his shoulder, and joyfully said. "I''ll take care of it, you can count on me." An Su, feeling the vast Magic Power filling his body, revealed an honest smile, "She has arranged to meet you at the back hill of Champs-lyses Third Street, three hundred miles across the wilderness plain." This place is actually out in the wild... "Is the location for our first meeting really that wild?" Merlin asked, somewhat embarrassed. "The wilderness adds a bit more intrigue," An Su said with a smile, "and if a fight breaks out, no one will notice." If a battle between Demigods were to take place in the center of Farol, it could level half of the imperial city, so it was safer to go further out. Merlin had previously invited An Su to find out Demigod Rada''s location, and An Su had perfectly completed Merlin''s task. Continue reading stories on My Virtual Library Empire "Nonsense!" Merlin retorted coldly, "I am a traditional man, I would never be so avant-garde!" "She will be waiting for you at three in the afternoon." "It''s not appropriate to do such things in broad daylight," Merlin said righteously, shaking his head. This woman, seriously, arranging to meet here during the day, is indeed an interesting female Demigod. His pure white eyes twinkling, he could see that every word from An Su was heartfelt. Confident about tomorrow, he satisfiedly patted An Su''s shoulder again, "You found out so much detail, I knew you were reliable. Once I return successful, I''ll make sure to reward you handsomely!" "Serving His Excellency as your most loyal subordinate is my honor," An Su said with a pure smile, "Besides, this was introduced to you by Lister and Arthur, it has nothing to do with me." "Good, I''ll be waiting for good news," Merlin softly chuckled and left Heaven; he was off to find a dashing Magic Wand. Once Merlin''s presence had completely disappeared, An Su took out his Magic Communication device and reported to Bishop Rada, "Your Excellency Bishop, I''ve found out Merlin''s whereabouts for tomorrow! Upon my soul, I swear he will be going to the back hill of Champs-lyses Third Street, venturing three hundred miles across the wilderness plain at eleven o''clock!" "Very good," came a female voice from the other end of the Magic Communication, "You found out so much detail, I knew you were reliable. Once I return successful, I''ll make sure to reward you handsomely!" "Serving Your Excellency as your most devoted subordinate is my honor," An Su said again with a pure smile, "This is what I found out on my own." Chapter 200 An Sus First Demigod Experience (Two in One) After hanging up the Magic Communication, An Su revealed a content smile.As the future leader of the Star Sect and the current ruler of Heaven, Mr. An Su Moningsta had been deeply concerned about the future of both sects, but he didn''t find it burdensome. Instead, An Su felt very fulfilled; as the superior of both Rada and Merlin, caring about the emotional problems of subordinates was his duty. He truly was working himself to the bone. An Su sighed softly, looking towards the distant Heaven, where the azure night sky sagged down low, the verdant starlight diffusing across the entire canopy. Further away, Heaven''s Gate stood at the edge of the stars, with the entire galaxy swirling between the gates'' massive doors. This is the realm I have conquered... An Su mused to himself. After obtaining temporary authority from Merlin, An Su''s connection with Heaven''s Gate had deepened. Heaven''s Gate was just a Seventh Order world; legend has it that behind those celestial doors lies the true divine realm, an Eighth Order world that does not exist in the current age. But this had nothing to do with the current An Su. He began to play with the new body that Merlin had molded for him. [An Su Moningsta] [Demigod Body] [Duration: 23 hours 56 minutes] This body was constructed of Holy Light, with its magic power supplied by Heaven; its form was similar to Merlin''s, only An Su''s eyes sparkled with dark blue starlight, indicating azure ocular, unlike Merlin''s cataract. However, that Merlin fellow lacked moral cultivation, was very low-born. An Su rubbed the top of his empty head and sighed helplessly. Merlin did not create hair for An Su. He couldn''t help but grumble about this person''s pettiness; how bad must one''s moral character be, to want others to be bald? An Su felt that he was not such a mean-spirited person; he always left a bit of hair when cutting Merlin''s. Apart from the lack of hair, this body had another flaw. That was its immense magic power, which a mortal soul could hardly sustain, severely enough to be crushed by it. In fact, An Su was under great pressure every moment; the magic power of this body in turn oppressed An Su''s soul as if he were running a marathon with weights, his soul bound by hundreds of pounds, only by relying on his willpower could he carry the heavy Demigod body to the finish line. At first, An Su''s soul couldn''t adapt to such high-intensity weight training at all. Lifting a finger, moving his lips slightly tired the soul. After a while, An Su attempted some larger movements, bending at the waist and lifting an arm. As time passed slowly, his compatibility with this body gradually increased, and he could slowly start moving around. This weight training was very effective for honing An Su''s soul. For example, after each sacrifice, the Mother Goddess would indiscriminately bless An Su''s soul with nourishment. The more he was sacrificed, the more baptisms he received, and if the soul was over-nourished, it would become lethargically bloated; weight training helped An Su''s soul to absorb and digest the excess nutrients. When An Su first started walking, his whole body trembled, his gait uncertain and floaty, hunched over, moving clumsily like a toddler learning to walk, falling several times before gradually being able to walk steadily. After adapting for an hour, he finally grew accustomed to the body and could hop and jump. In just an hour and a half, An Su completed the most significant step in the human evolutionary process, an achievement that could be declared groundbreaking and historic, laying a solid foundation for the path of the Demigod An Su learned to walk upright. It was indeed a celebration. Having learned to walk, An Su was ready to evolve to higher levels; he felt he might be able to develop a brain. An Su decided to try some magic. Finally having magic power at a Demigod level, An Su wanted to cherish the opportunity and see the power of his magic at the Demigod rank. Find your next read at My Virtual Library Empire Luckily, although controlling the physical movement of this Demigod body was difficult, the use of magic relied on the mind and was not much affected. Sear?h the ovelFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The first magic he tried was the Summoning Magic [Life Tribute]. "Azure Sorceress who overturns life, the ancient Dark Priest," An Su chanted a prayer, "I call upon your name, may you awaken from your eternal slumber..." A terrifying and strange presence descends abruptly; the murky and evil souls travel through the river of life. Miss Bones, having been summoned many times, had awakened some of her past life''s fragmented habits. She understood that she, as a noble and powerful Demigod of life, must not continue to kneel to this youth, and must regain the oppressive force of a Demigod. No matter how much knowledge from the Otherworld the boy had, she couldn''t submit to him. The Holy Maiden''s aura surged, her presence intensifying dramatically. Since her death, she had never been so powerful. Her rank kept climbing, barely touching the limit of the Saintly Rank, Miss Bones was excited, she hadn''t expected her talent to be so exceptional, that she could even recover her state after death, and with this momentum, she might continue to progress and return to a Demigod. She lowered her voice, ancient and deep, as if it came from the most decayed era of the olden days, bearing the terror and strangeness of an esoteric Evil God "I devour the chaotic lines, why dost thou disturb my peace?" An Su quickly took out a popular science book to check; the phrase "I''ve devoured chaotic lines" should translate to "I am eating noodles." Chapter 200 An Sus First Demigod Experience (Two in One)_2 So you can eat noodles even in the River of Life... An Su expressed that his horizons had been broadened.Watching little An Su ignore her for half the day, the Life Holy Maiden was furious. How could this child be so unreasonable! Even during the Era of Chaos, the name of the Azure Sorceress was known throughout the heavens. Everywhere, except for the capital of Chaos and the headquarters of the Radiant Holy See, she was unstoppable. Miss Bones, feeling discontent, directly stirred the life essence, creating numerous white skeletal skeletons that jumped out and scared An Su terribly, making him cry and call for his mother, reestablishing her sanctity as the Holy Maiden. Action followed thought. "Mortal, crawl before me." The skies changed color, bones grew rampant, and an altar made of bones formed from thin air. An indescribable presence seemed to twist everything around, and when the terrifying atmosphere reached its climax, Miss Bones descended from the depths of the bone altar, wrapped in the majesty of a saint! Then she saw An Su, covered from head to toe in the gleaming Holy Light of a demigod. "...Mommy, save me!" Miss Bones'' eyes widened, she let out a strange cry, took several steps back, and sat down abruptly on the ground, dazzled by An Su''s brilliance. She blinked, her clear eyes also revealing a touch of confusion and helplessness. The full-body special effects of Holy Light nearly stunned Miss Bones into idiocy. She suspected she had seen incorrectly and blinked several times, but the figure before her didn''t disappear. Moreover, she realized a more terrifying fact: judging by the taste of the soul, the person before her was An Su... Miss Bones was certain, without a doubt, that this person was An Suthe taste of that delicious child was something she would never forget in her lifetime. But he was only Third Order the day before yesterday, wasn''t he? They had met the day before yesterday, and An Su was genuinely Third Order. Miss Bones began to question her life. But how had he become a demigod today? You can''t be that naturally gifted... In the end, what''s going on here? Is this still Farol? Miss Bones looked around, only to see tranquil and harmonious surroundings. The pure white steps extended below her. She was at the top of the staircase, the stars so close it felt like she could touch them, almost as if she were a thread amid the stars. Miss Bones looked around bewilderedly, until she raised her head and saw the giant pure white gates above her, Find your next read at My Virtual Library Empire sea??h th novlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Heaven''s Gate...?" Miss Bones cried out of fright. Was she really captured by the Church''s headquarters! She was just eating a bowl of noodles; did she violate some divine prohibition? Miss Bones could see the bone altar she built out of thin air clashed with the serene and harmonious atmosphere and hurriedly dismantled it, fearing she might offend the beings above. She then crouched down, hugging her head and trembling. "Who did you just say I should crawl before?" An Su, embodying the form of a demigod, picked up the demigod''s boastful script. He wanted to experience the thrill of acting superior. "The boss is kidding..." Miss Bones changed from crouching to crawling. An Su instinctively reached for the Holy Light Illumination Spell to knock on Miss Bones'' skull, but as his magic power increased, the original light of the Illumination Skill turned into a rod of Holy Light that struck Miss Bones'' head with a thud. "Boss, your skills are impressive." Miss Bones changed from crawling to crawling while holding her head. An Su couldn''t help but remark that the magic power of a demigod was really effective; a massive amount of magic power poured in, and quantitative change inevitably led to qualitative change. Even knocking on the head sounded crisper. The sensation was also significantly different. The shift from light to a rod of light was one reason, but another was that he could no longer reach Miss Bones'' skull. As his magic power continued to pour in frantically, the effects of [Life Offering] improved significantly, and Miss Bones felt her rank increase. Essentially, it was An Su''s supply of magic power that had increased, and the quality of a demigod''s magic power far surpassed that of a Third Order saint. Along with it, Miss Bones'' appearance also changed. An Su, looking down at Miss Bones, who was now crawling with her head in her hands, saw her light blue hair spreading out flat on the ground, soft and silky, moving gently with the breeze and scattering starlight, like shallow ripples rising in the ocean. Miss Bones also felt a change in her body. With her head lowered, she could see her delicate collarbones and nearly transparent white skin, strands of hair falling over her forehead. She touched her cheek and could feel the distinct features; her pale face radiated a morbid beauty. The touch carried the dead chill of the abyssthat was still the temperature of the dead. Her collarbone was the divider, above it was the appearance of a frail beauty, below it was still the body of bones. She could be described as a skinny beauty. "Can eating noodles also beautify you?" Miss Bones'' face was full of shock. An Su hit Miss Bones'' head with the rod of Holy Light again, "It must be the demigod''s enhanced magic power output that improved the effect of the magic. Congratulations, Miss Bones, you''ve begun to take on human form, advancing towards becoming a spirit." "I''ve become a spirit?" Miss Bones, holding her head, was shocked. Looking at Miss Bones'' delicate face, An Su felt it was no longer appropriate to call her Miss Bones. Out of respect for the lady, he said, "From now on, I''ll call you Miss White Bone Spirit." "...You might as well just call me Bones." Bones felt the name White Bone Spirit was odd and somehow it sounded like an invitation for a beating. "Alright, White Bone Spirit." An Su conceded easily, "You demon, take another hit from me!" An Su swung the rod of Holy Light and landed another hard blow on Bones'' head, making her tear up with pain. She waved her hands in protest, "What are you hitting me for this time?" "It''s the tale of ''beating the White Bone Spirit three times.''" An Su said with a chuckle. "I don''t understand!" Bones, hurt from the blow, protested righteously. Although she felt subjugated nowbeneath Heaven one must bowshe still had the dignity of a Holy Maiden. If An Su dared to hit her again, she would dare to cry out, "I don''t understand, how did you become a demigod?" Chapter 200 An Sus First Demigod Experience (Two in One)_3 An Su stood with his hands on his hips, saying nothing, pretending to be a master."Why would I appear in Heaven?" Bone courageously asked. "Because I am the Master of Heaven," An Su snorted, spinning a tale with ease, "Normally, I''m just toying with the mortal world, playing the pig to eat the tiger, interacting with all of you under a common guise." In reality, he was just the temporary gatekeeper of Heaven, but that didn''t prevent An Su from having the consciousness of a protagonist. "Awesome," remarked Miss Bones, whose brain seemed to have taken too many hits, making it a bit dull; she naively admired An Su''s fairy tale for children. She didn''t believe it, An Su knew she didn''t, but now that An Su was more badass than her, she dared only to say she believed it. But this was the only reason that could explain the current situation; it''s not like the incumbent Holder of Heaven asked An Su to cover for him, right? How could there be such an irresponsible Holder of Heaven? Miss Bones'' clever brain quickly spun into action. An Su played the game really well; just a few days ago, he was a little saint, and in just a few days, he had become the Master of Heaven. She wished she could rise through the ranks that quickly. "Now, the Master of Heaven requires you to help me watch a few spells," An Su said, shrouded in mystery. "Of course, this is just a test I have for you," he added. Although his magic power had increased, An Su''s understanding of magic was still stuck between Third Order and Fourth Order, requiring the help of the former demigod, the Holy Maiden of Life, to provide oversight. "Damn cool," the brain-damaged Holy Maiden nodded in agreement. An Su attempted various spells in succession, and the quality of his magic power enhanced the effect of all spells significantly. Just like An Su''s Radiant Illumination Skill, which had now become the Radiant Explosion Skill. Burst after burst of radiant light shot out like endless laser beams, as if there was no end to the ammunition, making Miss Bones'' eyes bulge with awe. "Radiant effect increased by 50%, mutation success rate increased by 20%, and magic power consumption doubled," recorded Miss Bones. Having tried almost all the spells he possessed, due to the high-quality magic power input, most of the spells had been greatly strengthened. The last spell An Su tried was the only one that could theoretically reach a divine level, [Light of Judgment], which he plagiarized from Merlin. Under Merlin''s guidance last time and with the unlimited supply of magic power from Heaven, An Su''s Light of Judgment broke through to the divine level and summoned a guardian angel. This time without Merlin''s guidance, but with Heaven''s supply of magic power, An Su wanted to try using it on his own to see if he could achieve the same effect. After all, during these days, having gone through so many things and beheaded so many people, his understanding of beheading had already reached a new level. But if he used the divine level Light of Judgment again, his understanding would deepen unprecedentedly, far surpassing all his previous efforts. An Su took a deep breath, silently chanting the spell in his heart. The magic power surged backwards, the tremendous consumption of magic power beginning to press heavily against An Su''s soul. His shoulders trembled slightly, he clenched his teeth, and his mind was a tempestuous sea with every wave Miss Bones clearly sensed that the spell An Su was attempting this time was different. This spell was definitely not simple, she thought to herself, because there were background effects and music. The gates of the sky slowly opened, the choir''s clear song echoed between heaven and earth, and the peaceful and holy prayers softly spread, "Shariputra, the nature of phenomena is emptiness; not born, not destroyed. Not stained, not pure, not increasing, not decreasing." A pair of wings unfolded, enveloping An Su, and the breathtaking angel emerged from the deepest brightness. She slowly opened her eyes, watching over everything that was happening. An Su noticed that this time the angel had only one pair of wings, whereas last time there were twelve, which also showed that An Su''s spell wasn''t complete. [Effect: The Guardian Angel makes a judgement on a single target. Any being with a soul less beautiful than the caster''s will have their worries whisked away.] The magic''s effect was also influenced, changing from ''all targets'' to ''a single target''. But incomplete divine magic is still divine magic. The breathtakingly beautiful angel had raised her blade. The judgement had begun as she looked towards An Su, only to find that An Su''s new body was devoid of hair. Actually, being hairless had its own appeal. Discover stories at My Virtual Library Empire The Guardian Angel had made her verdict. She directed herself toward the still skeletal Miss Bones, her thin lips slightly parting, "The first cut..." "Ah" S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Miss Bones instantly felt the threat. With her demigod intuition, she could anticipate what was to come... The hair she had struggled so hard to grow seemed about to leave her forever. "Hmm.." Mr. An Su... can I claim workers'' compensation for this? That was the only thought Miss Bones had. She couldn''t be mistaken, this was the legendary holy magic, which could only be used by its creator. An Su was clearly only fifteen, yet he managed to compose holy magic? Miss Bones was stunned. Facing holy magic, she couldn''t dodge, so she clutched her head and succumbed to despair. "Ooh..." Luckily, the blade never did land on Miss Bones'' head. The angel slowly dissipated in the air, her pure white feathers fluttering down like pristine snow. An Su retracted the blade at the last moment, canceling the magic incantation. After all, An Su was no demon. Miss Bones was already dumbfounded, and without her concern thread, if she lost her obsession, she''d truly become an idiot. He was still counting on using Miss Bones'' brain. The magic experiment was successfully completed. An Su''s soul had greatly improved under the heavy strain, and his understanding of various spells had further enhanced. An Su was quite pleased. The Demigod Experience Card was indeed thrilling. He was already thinking about asking Merlin to renew it. [Duration: Twenty hours and thirty minutes] Dawn was breaking, and as the sky gradually brightened, An Su''s soul, weary from the ordeal, could no longer sustain the experiments and needed a good rest. After sending the dazed Miss Bones away, An Su fell asleep and thus ushered in the next day. He also had to start officially carrying out the duties of the Holder of Heaven. Early in the morning. An Su, as the Holder of Heaven, received his first visitor. "Your Excellency Merlin, I''ve brought you a surprise!" Arthur declared ebulliently, "You''re about to have a demigod girlfriend, all thanks to Brother Su and Lister''s introduction!" Chapter 201 Under the Leadership of An Su, the Church Flourishes (Parts Combined) At 6 a.m., Heaven.[Duration: 18 hours] As the saying goes, "A monk strikes the bell for as many days as he''s in the monastery," and although An Su was only a temporary Holder of Heaven, he still had to attend to his duties. The work of the gatekeeping elder was fairly leisurely; apart from watching the gates, it was just a matter of dealing with visiting guests. Having slept for three or four hours, An Su had replenished his energy and donned the formal long robe of the Cardinal, carefully smoothing out any slight creases around the collar in front of the mirror. The man in the mirror, although his true face wasn''t visible and only the complex and splendid interweaving of light within his shell was seen, was tightly enrobed in a scarlet robe, giving an impression of mystery and stunning beauty. Gods are faceless and formless, which fitted the Demigod''s temperament quite well. Having a specific appearance would actually lower the swagger. However, the main reason was that old Merlin had no skill in sculpting facial features. [Arthur Sunny requests an audience] An ethereal voice echoed in An Su''s ear. With a slight frown, An Su hadn''t expected to attract his first guest so soon. Arthur and Lister, due to their undercover roles in the Esoteric Religion, were permitted by Merlin to meet each other. "Let him in," An Su said while going over the strongman quotes of a Demigod once more, to prevent any slip-ups. He wrapped the Cardinal''s robe tightly around him and found an excellent spot to watch the view, standing atop a staircase with countless steps, rivers revolving beneath his feet and stars transforming above his head. An Su stood at the very peak of Heaven, his back ramrod straight, hands clasped behind him, assuming the powerful pose of turning his back to all beings, as the chill wind howled, so high it made one feel colder. The so-called turning one''s back to all beings and looking into the distance from a high place is exactly like fishing in solitude through the ages. Since Merlin had placed such trust in him, An Su would certainly not let Merlin lose face. sea??h th N?vel(F)ire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. After adjusting several times to ensure his posture was correct, An Su lowered his voice and slowly said, "Who dares disturb me?" The deep voice reverberated between heaven and earth, ancient and unfathomable. Arthur climbed the steps with great enthusiasm and observed An Su''s immovable, proud silhouette from afar, secretly astonished; he hurriedly paid his respects, saying, "I am Arthur Sunny." Arthur failed to recognize that the person before him was An Su, since An Su had hair, and his entire body was not glowing. After waiting a good while, he did not see His Excellency Merlin turn around. Arthur grew curious. He tilted his head left and right, but could never catch a glimpse of An Su''s front when Arthur looked left, An Su would lean left; when Arthur looked right, An Su would lean right. After several tugs back and forth, Arthur still couldn''t see An Su''s front. This strongman pose was all about turning one''s back to all beings; if beings saw the front, it would diminish the swagger. Enjoy new tales from My Virtual Library Empire "The peerless strongman An Su," he thought to himself. So it is... Arthur also revealed an expression of sudden realization, marveling at the increasingly flamboyant realm of His Excellency Merlin. With his clever mind, he instantly thought of the answer: His Excellency Merlin was turning his back to him, probably because he was not wearing pants up front. Clad in only a long robe and without pants, that''s why he had to face away. The so-called turning one''s back to all beings and looking into the distance, like an eagle spreading its wings, is just like this. Such acts, Arthur had done before as well, enjoying the radiant sense of having nothing below the waist this unbound, forthright and straightforward feeling is indeed the essence of radiance. Unfortunately, the contemporary Church''s way of thinking is too conservative, especially that of the Order Church, which insists that what he did was the ''indecent exposure crime endangering social order,'' and they even fined him several hundred Gold Coins. Arthur decided to promote His Excellency Merlin when he returned so that others would know of the prestige His Excellency Merlin held today. "Arthur," An Su maintained his powerful swagger, continuing to face away from all beings and spoke profoundly, "What business do you have with me?" "Your Excellency Merlin, I have brought you a surprise!" Arthur promptly announced with a proud face, "You are about to have a Demigod girlfriend." An Su fell silent and, after a while, he said, "Who introduced her?" As a glorious knight, Arthur believed in the virtue of generosity, so he naturally would not hog such a monumental credit to himself. He promptly credited his two good brothers, "It was Brother Su and Lister who introduced her to you!" An Su''s back silhouette trembled slightly, nearly losing his Demigod swagger. He peeked at Arthur behind him with his soul and saw him smiling as radiantly as the rising sun. "How despicably cunning this guy is," An Su thought to himself, using the same tactics as him. "I believe that your merits are not insignificant," An Su said darkly. "Not at all, it''s all thanks to Brother Su and Lister, especially Brother Su!" Arthur eagerly showed his spirit of humility, "This has absolutely nothing to do with me." "Let me guess, is this Demigod well-endowed both front and back?" An Su asked. "You are correct," Arthur admired him even more. "And is she closely related to me?" "How did you know?" Arthur showed a surprised expression. Could it be that His Excellency Merlin was the legendary lover? "Is she bald?" "You are simply divine." Arthur''s reverence for Merlin reached the point of complete prostration. Could it be Merlin could also foretell? An Su smiled, his wicked plan taking shape in his mind. "Is her name Lada Morris?" His Excellency Merlin actually already knew! Arthur trembled all over, his scalp tingling, realizing that if His Excellency Merlin knew the name Lada, then he must be aware that the supposed Demigod girlfriend was none other than the Bishop of Pain who had undergone a gender change. Chapter 201 Under the Leadership of An Su, the Church Flourishes (Parts Combined)_2 Given this, His Excellency Merlin should be furious,but listening to His Excellency Merlin''s words, there wasn''t just a lack of anger in his tone, there was even a sense of pleasure. This, instead, made Arthur completely baffled. "Hmph." An Su''s lips curled with a calm smile, admiringly he said, "Actually, I have been secretly in love with His Excellency Lada, but unfortunately, due to my status, I have long been unable to meet him." Arthur was utterly shocked, his scalp tingling again, never had he imagined that His Excellency Merlin had long harbored a secret affection for Bishop Rada. The love life of such great figures, Arthur couldn''t understand at all. "If you could introduce Bishop Rada to me, I would be exceedingly pleased... there should be a great reward for this." An Su sighed slightly with regret, "Alas, it was originally unrelated to you, so I can only bestow the reward to An Su and Lister." Arthur''s mouth twitched, he hadn''t anticipated the plot to develop in such a way. His quick-witted brain rapidly turned. Taking a deep breath, Arthur''s eyes condensed, his golden pupils as intense as the sun, and after another breath, he slowly said, "His Excellency Merlin, at this point, I shall no longer be modest." Arthur solemnly stated, "Though Brother An Su and Lister have contributed much, the entire plan was orchestrated by me." "So you are saying it was all your achievement?" An Su asked with a smile. "At least half of the effort was mine." Arthur spoke with righteous expression, "It was I who introduced His Excellency Rada to you." "In that case... I shall prepare something today." An Su turned his back to all, his smile growing more joyous, "Come find me tomorrow to claim your reward, I shall grant you a grand one!" "To serve Your Excellency is my honor." Arthur''s smile was almost too much to contain, beginning to look forward to tomorrow''s reward; surely a demigod''s grand reward would be exceedingly precious. His Excellency Merlin was even going to take a whole day to prepare the gift. "I look forward to seeing you again tomorrow." Arthur left with a jolly salute, pushed open the grand door, and walked out of Heaven. The early bird catches the worm; rising early hadn''t been in vain, arriving at six o''clock had unexpectedly led to a windfall, Sorry... Brother An Su, Brother Lister, I, Arthur Sunny, shall claim this half of the grand gift, and the other half, you two may compete for. To repay His Excellency Merlin''s great favor, Arthur decided he must vigorously proclaim His Excellency Merlin''s glorious deeds of today. Ten o''clock in the morning, Heaven. [Duration: Fourteen Hours] [Lister Muen requests an audience] "His Excellency Merlin, I have a surprise to report to you." Lister elegantly pushed his glasses, "You are about to have a demigod girlfriend, introduced by Brother An Su and Arthur." He was an elegant nobleman, humility being one of the virtues of the noble spirit. An Su, with his back turned to Lister, was unsurprised, calm without speaking, standing upon the numerous steps, hands clasped behind his back, first maintaining a pose of turning away from all, ascending against the current, fishing alone through the ages. The cold wind whipped through, high places are bitterly cold. Lister waited for a good while for His Excellency Merlin to turn around and did not see it happen, his brows slightly furrowed. So it is... Lister also realized, couldn''t help but be impressed by His Excellency Merlin''s increasingly lofty taste, his elegant brain instantly coming up with the answer, His Excellency Merlin must be secretly smoldering with his back turned. Worthy of the God of Law, his power so profound. Lister''s admiration for His Excellency Merlin was overflowing, he asked himself if he could not reach such a powerful realm, noting this was atop countless steps, in a cold, harsh wind, with Merlin enduring against the wind, impressive indeed. Turning away from all, rising against the flow, fishing alone through the ages this is what it meant. Elegant and noble. This required great physical strength; indeed, the bishops of the Radiant Holy See are formidable. And such strong kidney function; he has been smoldering for ten minutes and is not yet finished. Lister decided to promote His Excellency Merlin, to let others know of Magic God Merlin''s strength. An Su maintained the pose for another ten minutes or so, thinking the atmosphere was well cultivated, then leisurely said, "I have been well aware of your purpose for coming, to tell you the truth, I too have long cherished a secret love for Bishop Rada." This statement was loaded with information, almost causing Lister to lose grip on his glasses. First, it revealed that His Excellency Merlin knew long ago that the demigod was a man, and second, despite being a man, His Excellency Merlin still liked him. With his sharp mind whirling swiftly, Lister calmly and meticulously analyzed before raising an elegant smile at the corners of his mouth. "To be frank, it was indeed I who made a significant effort." "So it was all your accomplishment?" An Su asked with a smile. Discover stories with My Virtual Library Empire "At least half of it was due to me." Lister''s tone was elegant and calm, full of noble etiquette, yet his heart was secretly delighted. Sarch* The ovlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The task fulfilled, An Su''s mysterious silhouette reveled secretly, You claim half the credit, Arthur claims the other half, this matter has no concern with me. "In that case," An Su coughed lightly, "come find me to claim your credit tomorrow!" "I look forward to seeing you again tomorrow." Lister elegantly doffed his hat, every move exuding the grace of nobility, a smile on his lips, he walked out of Heaven. The one who strikes first is strongest; early rising had not been for naught, arriving by ten o''clock to find such an unexpected surprise. Sorry... Brother An Su, Arthur, I, Lister Muen, shall take this half of the grand gift, and the other half, the two of you may compete for. Chapter 201 Under the Leadership of An Su, the Church Flourishes (Parts Combined)_3 As a token of immense gratitude for His Excellency Merlin''s great kindness, Lister had decided that he must vigorously promote the majesty of His Excellency Merlin on this day.After sending the two away, An Su, who had turned his back on the world all morning, slowly turned around. The smile on the corners of the young man''s mouth became even more radiant. This position of Holder of Heaven sure is fun! He couldn''t help but feel that Merlin truly didn''t know how blessed he was; to think of clocking out from such a fun job! If it were An Su, he could play until Heaven itself was destroyed. It appeared he not only suited the role of city mayor but was also adept at being Holder of Heaven. Having perfectly managed today''s two visitors, An Su felt even more cheerful. He only wondered how Merlin''s date was going. Read latest chapters on My Virtual Library Empire They had agreed to meet at three in the afternoon, which was five hours from now. An Su seized these five hours and resolved to continue working hard. The Church must thrive. "Summon the written test development team from the Magic Association." An Su rang the bell, calling for the composing priests and dividing bishops summoned by the system of Heaven. Merlin was not just the Holder of Heaven but also the Vice President of the Magic Association, naturally entitled to summon all association members. The advancement examination in seven days would begin with a written test on the first day. The test papers, compiled by the Magic Association, consisted of twenty-one Fourth Order priests as team members and seven Fifth Tier saints as Team Leaders, producing a total of seven test sets covering the Radiant, Alchemical, Chastity, Druid, and other major Churches. "Ye all know why I have summoned you today," said An Su, with his back to the crowd, his demigod presence pressing down, startling all the priests and saints. This breath of a demigod from Heaven couldn''t be faked; it was completely of His Excellency Merlin. The seven exam development team leaders were close to tears. They couldn''t understand why His Excellency Merlin wanted to summon them. "Ye have seen the test papers ye made," An Su snorted coldly, "Lacking in creativity! They are too easy." Actually, An Su hadn''t reviewed them. The development team leaders were shocked. Vice President Merlin never usually inquired about these promotion exams, so why the sudden interest... Could it be because of the rumor... That His Excellency Merlin wanted to recruit a successor through this promotion exam... That''s why he raised the difficulty of the test? Everyone was convinced that the top performer of this examination would be the Princess. So in the written test, Cersei could score full marks, truly deserving the title of a brilliant lady. "But Your Excellency... there are only seven days left until the exam; it''s too late to rewrite the test papers," pled the leader of the Radiant Church''s development team with a pleading face. "Humph, what of it?" An Su snorted again, "I shall write them myself! Right now!" His Excellency the Archmage personally drafting the test papers! Everyone was overjoyed and felt honored as if they had received a treasure. This was the legendary Archmage; the test papers he would compile surely had real value, and the questions he wrote, certainly unbeatable. Sar?h the novlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The seven saints hurriedly instructed their subordinates to take notes, presenting paper and pen to An Su. As he faced the blank papers, memories from his past life surfaced, and with a grand gesture, he began to write fervently. A saint''s soul was very useful, with a profoundly strong memory. Even knowledge forgotten from a past life was remembered anew, with all details vividly present. An Su''s question-setting pace was swiftin fact, he wasn''t really setting questions at all. He merely transcribed his high school exam questions from his previous life, adapting them locally for the magical setting, and copied them all down. For the Alchemical Church''s test paper, he produced chemistry questions. The Chastity and Order Churches received topics on Political Education, the former focusing on morality, and the latter on politics. The Druid Court and Healing Church got biology, the former on biodiversity and the latter on the probabilities of inheriting genetic diseases. The Celestial and Radiant Churches were given physics, with the former covering the orbital motions and periods of celestial bodies and the latter on the wave-particle duality of light. An Su, content with his work, flashed a benevolent smile. He felt the questions he posed were of a high standard, of moderate difficulty, and very tasteful. In less than an hour, An Su finished writing the questions for all seven subjects, his speed and agility astounding every saint present. Moreover, some of the questions, even they could not comprehend. Some of the knowledge was entirely alien to them, utterly incomprehensible. Truly befitting the legend of the Archmage, the saints watched An Su with reverent awe, their eyes filled with deep respect; the Archmage obviously possessed vast knowledge. The breadth and depth of his knowledge were astounding. "Your Excellency, may I ask in the cultivation of magic what exactly are ''Skillful Hand,'' ''Plain Hand,'' and ''Vulgar Hand,'' and how can one write an eight hundred word essay to explicate their relationship?" "If the father carries an X-linked recessive genetic disease, and the mother is normal, what is the probability their son will inherit the condition?" "If the fringe separation in an interference pattern becomes wider, what monochromatic light should one use to reduce the distance between the double slits and the screen?" The questions became more abstract and increasingly suffocating. Seeing these densely packed, formidable questions on the test papers, the saints turned pale and even despondent. They tried to guess at the intentions of the question-setter, His Excellency Merlin, but couldn''t fathom it at all... Was this meant to be a death sentence? Could anyone actually manage to answer these... If any saint truly managed, what an extraordinary prodigy they would be! Chapter 202 Saints are like this, but Bishop Ansu has a lot to consider (two in one) Faced with these seven preposterous exam papers, the saints found themselves in the midst of an intense brainstorm."The Great Mage must have his reasons for doing this," one said. The saints repeatedly pondered over His Excellency Merlin''s intentions behind the questions, how he wanted the candidates to respond, considering everything from cultural perspectives to political ideologies, from novel interpretations of glorious doctrines to the origins of life.... After much deliberation, they finally reached a unanimous conclusion: Merlin just bloody wants all the candidates to die! This damn old lamp clearly had issues after staying in Heaven, which is why he''d want to come out and wreak havoc on society! "Your Excellency," a saint of Order argued righteously, "these questions are inappropriate. According to the rules, only those saints who pass the written exam can be ranked and proceed to the next phase of the examination." "That''s why we in the Magic Association always have passing criteria for our exams. The difficulty level must ensure a ninety percent pass rate; if it falls below this minimum threshold, the President will blame us, and it could even impact you!" Unlike the saints'' examinations, the advancement exams start with a preliminary written test, and only those who pass the theory are formally allowed to participate in the promotion test. However, according to unwritten rules, this preliminary stage is just a formality. At most, one or two ignorant saints are weeded out. Sarch* The N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Merlin fears neither Heaven nor Earth; only the President of the Magic Association could possibly manage him, so he specifically brought up the old President''s name. "Forgive me for speaking frankly, but with these questions, the pass rate is at most five percent," the saint of Order threatened. An Su was indeed shocked, his voice rising, "There''s a five percent pass rate?" he asked incredulously. "Exactly so." Seeing that the Great Mage was wavering, the saints flashed knowing smiles and quickly fanned the flames, "That''s right, Your Excellency. With our many years of experience in setting questions, we swear that no more than a hundred people will pass this set." "Then we''re doomed," An Su''s face turned grim. He couldn''t stay seated any longer, "We need to revise the questions." The saints exchanged glances, seeing relief and victory in each other''s eyes. "Let''s do it this way," An Su thought for a moment, then had a spark of inspiration, "Delete all the multiple-choice and fill-in-the-blank questions; replace them all with subjective questions." The saints'' smiles froze. Experience exclusive tales on My Virtual Library Empire Why the hell did he delete the multiple-choice and fill-in-the-blanks, and switch them all to essay questions... Could the candidates even finish writing them? The saint of Order''s lips twitched. He felt that His Excellency Merlin might not have understood his point, "Your Excellency, switching them all to subjective questions might not be appropriate..." "You''re right, it indeed wouldn''t be appropriate," An Su said softly, "What would the pass rate be then?" "Less than one percent," the saint of Order hastily replied, breathing a sigh of relief, "So switching them all to subjective questions isn''t suitable." "You''re correct," An Su agreed, giving the saint of Order a look of approval, "Indeed unsuitable." An Su''s smile was amiable, "We should change them all to subjective final questions." The saint of Order was silent. His eyes widened as he failed to grasp the meaning of His Excellency Merlin''s words for a moment. So when you say unsuitable, is it because the pass rate is too high... Final questions... A test paper with twenty to thirty questions, each turned into a final question, would compress that axle into two dimensions! All saints had expressions of exquisite drama. Having been saints for so many years and having been privy to the secrets of the upper echelons of the Church, they understood Merlin''s early life antics and thought that His Excellency Merlin''s morals might have been purified by the pristine Heaven after he was sent there to atone for a year. After a year of serene and peaceful influence in Heaven, His Excellency Merlin indeed had changed. He had become even more unforgiving. "What''s the pass rate now?" An Su inquired. "If around ten people pass, that would be lucky for the Church," the saints said, looking pale. "Is it possible for anyone to get a perfect score?" An Su asked. "Even the Princess would hardly stand a chance" the saints mourned, unable to believe that anyone could score full marks on those exam papers. They felt sorrow for the Church''s grim and dark future prospects; after all, the deacons who advanced from saints were the future backbone of the Church''s seven Sects, which determined the Church''s future direction. But now, there would be at most a dozen deacons, and that was the most optimistic estimate. Having heard that the Church was going to adopt an elite approach, the saints never imagined it would be to such an extent... The saints surreptitiously observed His Excellency Merlin, wondering to themselves if he really had no grudge against the Church, wasn''t an Esoteric Sect spy, and was mentally stable enough not to intentionally harm this batch of saints... Or perhaps His Excellency Merlin acted this way because he had some profound, yet misunderstood, motivations? Maybe the God of Law just had higher expectations for the saints and wouldn''t deliberately trouble the candidates, right? The saints consoled themselves internally. An Su, a man attentive to minutiae, continued to add: "Split all the questions across two pages, with the reading and answering sections completely separated, making the candidates flip back and forth between pages while answering." As soon as he finished speaking, all of Heaven fell into a long and profound silence. ''This bloody old man is intentionally trying to disgust people.'' ''This bloody old man must have a grudge against the Church.'' ''This bloody old man is definitely an undercover agent from the Esoteric Sect.'' ''This bloody old man is a psychopath!'' The hearts of the saints finally died. They had lived for so many years and encountered various Esoteric Cultists with malevolent thoughts and corrupted morals, as well as the most self-destructive evil actions. Chapter 202 Saints are like this, but Bishop Ansu has a lot to consider (2 in 1)_2 But they dare to guarantee that even the vilest scum within the Sanctuary of Chaos hasn''t been as mind-bogglingly insane as Merlin.To divide the reading and answer sections into upper and lower pages, can this really be the work of a human? Upon seeing the expressions of the saints, An Su knew he had it in the bag, and his smile became even more genial and pure. According to the deal he made with his old man, in this promotion exam, he had to rank among the bottom five. Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. But by eliminating all but five participants during the preliminary test, An Su, even if he ended up ranking first, could still be called ''one of the bottom five.'' There were, however, about a dozen believers who might pass, which surprised An Su slightly. But it was also normal, With so many saints across the country, it made sense that there were so many geniuses. These surplus geniuses could be handled by the Esoteric Religion... An Su''s mouth was tinged with a warm smile. He felt he was born to be the Holder of Heaven, having made significant contributions to the future prosperity of both the Church and the entire imperial capital in just half a day. If the saints from all over the country failed the exam, they would have to spend more money to retake it in Farol. The Church could collect an additional registration fee, and the influx of numerous saints back to the capital would boost the local transportation, accommodation, dining, and merchants'' income, promote the development of Farol''s tourism industry, and simultaneously enhance the economic level of both the Church and the capital''s residents, a truly win-win achievement. If An Su could lead for a while longer, he was sure to develop a pioneering new industry, promising a bright future for the prosperous Church and everyone involved. The few saints were unaware of Bishop Ansu''s grand visions; they were worried about their own futures. If the saints truly all failed, they would be the first to bear the brunt of the blame. Seeing the saints'' anxiety, An Su smiled. "You need not worry. If any blame comes down," An Su declared magnanimously, full of a sense of responsibility, "let me, Merlin Andre, bear it alone!" He displayed the profound depth and spirit of a God of Law. Upon hearing An Su''s words, the saints heaved a huge sigh of relief. The old leader still had some bottom line, and he did not push them out to take the fall. They even tried to persuade An Su one last time, attempting to fulfill their last bit of responsibility. "This matter is already decided by my will," An Su snorted disdainfully, his demigod''s majestic aura rising, his azure eyes sacred and noble, intimidating to such an extent that all the saints found themselves unable to speak. "You need not say more!" "If you dare bother me with this matter in the coming days," An Su threatened them with frightening presence, "I will say that it was you who set the questions." Upon hearing this, the seven saints dared not make a sound anymore. You are the boss, what you say goes. An Su sighed lightly seeing them like this. That''s how saints are; saints just need to devote themselves to setting the questions and ensuring that the believers pass with the required benchmarks, but Leader An Su had to consider much more. How many should be eliminated, which trump questions to copy, whether to sell exam answers, and how to boost the local economy and tourism, all these matters required Leader An Su to ponder and carefully consider. The profound thought and heartfelt efforts behind this are indescribable to outsiders. Since the leader had spoken, the saints no longer dared to retort. An Su took an hour to revise the exam papers, and then the saints from each family took their respective papers, instructed the printing department to print them in bulk, and did not dare disturb Merlin with this matter in the following days. Fearing to displease him and take the blame themselves. After all the saints had left, the sun had climbed higher, and the warm sunlight had spread over all the steps of Heaven; it was now noon, and An Su''s term had only twelve hours left. After twelve hours of acclimatization, An Su had gotten used to the demigod''s body. Under the burden of that immense magic power, his soul had become more refined, absorbing all the excess nutrients from the multiple baptisms he had undergone in the past. Even if he were to leave the demigod''s body, An Su''s strength had been significantly enhanced. If An Su''s soul strength was previously around the Early Stage Saint, it had now reached the Middle Stage Saint level. The stronger the soul, the more powerful the effects of An Su''s Radiant Saint transformation. Because radiance judgment is determined by soul strength, An Su could now contaminate enemies of intermediate stage saint level or below. A strong soul is not only useful in actual combat but also in magic development, creating Alchemic Magic Circles, and forming Magic Circuits. Merlin''s appointment was at three in the afternoon. With time to spare, An Su once again exercised this body. The sun gradually shifted with the passage of time, spreading a warm glow, elongating shadows. In the final hour, Heaven ushered in today''s last visitor. [The Empire''s third princess, ''Star of Farol,'' Cersei Milton, has an appointment to meet with you. She wishes to discuss matters concerning the successor.] The voice of Heaven''s system reminder echoed in An Su''s ears, leaving him utterly bewildered. He blinked, somewhat surprised. The empire''s little princess? The phrase An Su paid attention to was ''as per the appointment,'' which meant Merlin had arranged this with Cersei in advance? In an instant, An Su realized he had been duped by Merlin; sure enough, that man was up to no good. Knowing about this meeting in advance, yet not informing him. Clearly, he just wanted to sit back and enjoy the show. In the background provided by the original story, ''Star of Farol'' Cersei Milton ultimately inherited the imperial throne and was acclaimed as the most cruel empress in a millennium, the only disciple of Magic God Merlin. Her decisive nature and proud demeanor were accompanied by an almost pathological obsession with so-called [justice]. Any means were acceptable to her in achieving her ends, creating fear even among the cultists due to her cruelty. Dealing with this eccentric woman, An Su felt a headache coming on. He exhaled a light sigh, turning away, maintaining the mighty posture of someone who turns their back on the mundane world, hands clasped behind him. Gradually, the light footsteps grew closer, as crisp as a stream in the mountains. An Su didn''t turn to look, but the corner of his eye caught sight of pure white crystal boots, the delicate arch, and slender calves, skin so purely white it was nearly translucent. Enjoy exclusive adventures from My Virtual Library Empire He felt the gaze of emotionless eyes upon him. Stop ogling me with those eyes, woman. An Su grumbled to himself. The princess didn''t speak, and An Su, too, maintained his lofty demeanor, falling into prolonged silence. This person also likes to keep silent and act all high and mighty, huh... An Su felt helpless. Gradually, the sunlight began to fade. After an indeterminate time, An Su finally broke the silence, "Did you bring a gift for your teacher?" According to the tradition of respecting one''s teacher, the princess should bring a gift to show politeness. Anyway, the one losing face would be Merlin, so An Su boldly anticipated the gift. "..." Cersei fell silent, clearly not expecting Magic God Merlin to be so shameless. After pondering for a moment, she said softly, "An Su Moningsta... Is that the name... How is he?" Her voice was cold and clear, like snowmelt in early spring. So she came to find fault with me... An Su immediately found it amusing. Who dares to accuse me here? "That An Su, a gifted genius, noble in character, upstanding, sincere and friendly towards others, is the most devout Radiant Saint." An Su was a teacher who knew how to encourage and educate, heartily praising himself. "...I see." Cersei said softly, her tone rising ever so slightly. "Since he has earned your approval, I am now certain he''s not a good person." Cersei tilted her head, "So I''m quite curious." With one sentence, she managed to attack two people, and An Su acknowledged the princess''s level of sarcasm. "An Su Moningsta..." Cersei repeated his name, her voice tinged with strangeness. An Su subconsciously turned his head to look at Cersei, locking eyes with the princess for the first time. The shimmering sunlight swayed the shadows of the door, Cersei''s pure white eyes reflecting the brilliant sun, her snowy cheeks bathed in the warm light, appearing faintly morbid. "I haven''t approved anything about an An Su." An Su denied. If Merlin''s approval was of any bad people, then the same could not be approved. "If Your Excellency the Archmage does not approve of An Su," the princess spoke calmly, "then why entrust Heaven to An Su for safeguarding?" She gracefully lifted her skirt hem, exuding noble etiquette. "I''m correct, am I not, Mr. An Su Moningsta standing before me? Chapter 204 An Su: Do you know what my cultivation level is now? Your journey continues with My Virtual Library EmpireI''m startled, what the heck. An Su''s eyebrows rose slightly, somewhat surprised that the princess could guess his identity. No wonder she had been sneaking looks for so long. The body he now inhabited was indeed very different from Merlin''s, first and foremost because the total amount of magical power couldn''t match that of Merlin''s original body, and secondly, the amount of magic An Su could wield was limited, Moreover, although the body was created by Merlin, its core was still An Su''s soul, and the aura that emanated was also different. But being able to discern the difference still indicated that the princess''s level of magic was terrifyingly high. You should know, previously a full seven saints had failed to see through An Su''s disguise, even thinking that An Su resembled Merlin more than Merlin himself, a level of deception only the current God of Law could possess. Nevertheless, recognizing him as not Merlin made sense, but identifying him as An Su Moningsta did not, especially since An Su had never met this princess before. Unless she had been targeting him for a long time. "Am I right, Mister An Su Moningsta standing before me?" Cersei was dressed in an elegant yet simple manner, adorned with magnolia flowers intertwined with golden threads, the trim of her shirt was made of expensive white snow sculptured leather, her wrist revealed beneath the cuff, covered by white silk gloves, her slender legs beneath the petticoat, stepping in a pair of crystal boots. Her snow-white eyes were devoid of extraneous emotion, so calm they seemed like a frozen lake surface, reflecting the silhouette of An Su, "Actually, I''m Lisiter Muen." An Su also revealed an elegant smile, full of noble etiquette. "You are the direct heir of the Morningstar family on the border, Mr. An Su." Cersei said. "Actually, I am Arthur Sunny." An Su insisted on denying it to the end, determined to say next that he was actually Kavensis, borrowing a body to return. "As a child, you adopted a maid called ''Enya Moningsta,'' and your father is ''Karlo Moningsta.''" Cersei rattled off as if reciting treasures from memory, tilting her head to the side, lips curving in a triumphant smirk, "You''ve been motherless since childhood." To address such matters straightforwardly, how did it turn into cursing all of a sudden? An Su felt this generation''s princess truly lacked manners. "You also wouldn''t want the Archbishop to know that you''re impersonating the Holder of Heaven, right?" "I also know about what happened earlier, you''ve rewritten the exam questions, haven''t you?" Cersei reveled in the sensation of besetting the young man before her step by step, a rare form of entertainment for the empire''s third princess. The princess was a thorough efficiency advocate, willing to employ any methods to carry out her so-called justice, even indulging in them gladly. In the pursuit of absolute justice, she felt a vivid joy. And An Su Moningsta was a chess piece she could use. "If you follow my advice, I would be delighted to keep your secret," Cersei said with a smile, "and ensure your safety." So that''s how it is. An Su too smiled, turning around, no longer with his back to all living beings; his azure eyes locking onto Cersei, brilliant as if a corner of the starry sky had collapsed into them, the intricate and complex starlight twinkling in his pupils. "Do you know what level I am at now?" An Su huffed coldly, flipping his red robe with righteousness, "Humph, youngster, you dare to slander me?" "..." Cersei blinked, tilting her head left and right, now confused by An Su, "Where have I slandered you..." She suddenly felt that things were going beyond her expectations. "Do you know," An Su said patiently, "that the memories of saints who die in the Nether World are erased, and they cannot enter the Nether World again for a short time?" "All I have to do is kill you here." An Su walked slowly towards the steps, the cold wind lifting his scarlet robe, his faceless visage holy yet distorted, the magic power circuit of the demigod rippling with each step he took down the stairs, his gaze growing more serene, "Then you would have no idea who I am." "Just dying once would be enough." An Su''s smile was sunny and warm, "Don''t think of threatening me with my family, did you know I''ve been motherless since I was a child?" This sort of blunt statement left the princess at a loss. Sear?h the ovlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. How did it suddenly leap to murder and silence? She had not expected that the young man before her could jump to such an extreme conclusion, to declare openly in the very heart of the Magic Association, above Heaven itself, his intent to murder the current third princess. Even the most wicked and dreadful cultist would not dare to harbor such audacious thoughts. At last, Cersei''s calm eyes showed a ripple, her assessment of An Su had been wrong. Fundamentally wrong. This man was worse than she had imagined. If the God of Law''s behavior was simply blunt, then An Su''s was shockingly so, ranking even higher in brazenness. "You really are..." Cersei''s eyes shimmered, "So interesting." In all her years as a princess, Cersei Milton had never faced such pure malice; she could feel that An Su was serious with his words. The conclusion this young man had reached was serious, and the shadow of death loomed close. It was the first time she had ever felt such a sensation. She breathed in slightly, her long, white fingers touching her cheek, lips curving up carrying a bizarre smile, and Cersei felt joy, as though she had stumbled upon some rare treasure, "If you''re set on killing me, you truly are a villain." Chapter 204 An Su: Do you know what cultivation level I am at now?_2 Rather, this was exactly what she wanted."Then come kill me, or I shall kill you." To die for justice or to slay the embodiment of evil was the absolute justice that Cersei sought. Princess Cersei''s thin lips parted slightly as a holy radiance gathered around her. In her pupils, deep within, overflowed a sick and crazed emotion. As the person with the highest magical talent following the Magic God Merlin, she might not necessarily lose to a fake demigod like An Su, who relied on external forces and had an unstable foundation, even though she was only a saint herself. So a female saint > male demigod, is that it? He didn''t bother to ponder the twisted thought processes of this wild-witted woman. Against such foes, one only needed to out-crazy them to emerge victorious. Now that he was the dog in charge, he immediately copied a silencing spell from Merlin and cast it towards the princess. [You have been silenced for ten minutes by the temporary ruler of Heaven.] Princess Cersei shut her mouth. You... Princess Cersei''s eyes filled with dissatisfaction as she looked toward An Su. An Su had long wanted to enjoy the thrill of silencing someone himself. Previously, it had always been Merlin silencing him; now, it was finally his turn. So what if his foundation was shaky? What reason was there that I, a demigod, couldn''t beat a mere saint? There was never such logic. Privileges were precisely the rationale for gods! However, his silencing spell was ultimately not as strong as Merlin''s; he could only silence Princess Cersei for ten minutes. An Su pressed his advantage, planning to take advantage of Cersei''s inability to speak and cast a divine-level spell, [Judgment of Light]. Just as he was about to make his move, he saw Princess Cersei pull out a piece of paper and pen, briskly writing something down before spreading the paper across her chest to show An Su, [Sorry, I concede.] "..." An Su fell silent, his worldview refreshed once again. Do you think this is a game? Instant surrender? One moment she had a kill-or-be-killed attitude, completely indifferent to life and death, and the next, upon realization that she was silenced, she''s ready to concede? "Who told you to threaten me first?" Silence was temporary, and An Su was an adamant advocate for equal rights; he didn''t indulge anyone and was about to take action immediately. Ever since he was young, An Su refused to be threatened by anyone. Cersei knew that An Su had tampered with the examination questions in his capacity as a candidate and threatened him with this information, clearly intending to turn him into her puppet, to extract his value step by step. She absolutely could not retain her memory. Upon hearing An Su''s words, Princess Cersei flipped to a new page and briskly wrote something else,[The condition I threatened you with was] [to also pass me the correct answers.] Silence fell again. An Su stared at the elegant and perfect handwriting on the gilt-edged paper, sinking into a prolonged silence. How was it that although he recognized every character, reading them together made little sense to him? He lifted his gaze to the Princess, only to see her exquisite features, her graceful and cultivated demeanor, as she opened the notepad to show it to him, her eyes serious as if she wasn''t joking, her aura as clean as the white cherry blossoms of early spring. Is this girl for real? An Su grew suspicious in his heart, wondering if she was just killing time until the silence expired. As the Holy Maiden of the Imperial City, a genius amongst geniuses, the absolute pinnacle of elitism and the future most ruthless and cruel empress, hailed as ''Dawn of Farol,'' why would she want the answers? An Su knew his examination would be impossible for all of the empire''s saints to pass; the Church''s future was in jeopardy, yet Cersei, as the Holy Maiden of the Imperial City, rather than thinking of stopping him, also sought a copy of the answers? [Why should I bother thinking on my own when I can have the correct answers] [Plus, I have OCD; I must get a perfect score.] Princess Cersei naturally wrote on the notepad,[It''s more efficient this way.] [Moreover, by eliminating a large number of worthless people in advance, the Church will be cleaner, and justice will be better implemented.] She continued writing on the notepad with a calm smile lingering on her lips. [There are currently too many people in the Church.] You''re incredible. Sear?h the ovelFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. An Su understood why she would become the most ruthless empress in a millennium; indeed, her talents had started to show since she was young. "Is it only about getting the answers?" An Su raised an eyebrow. [It''s only that], Cersei swiftly wrote on the paper. She paused, then lifted her eyes again, watching An Su with interest,[But you did show me something interesting.] "I don''t believe it." An Su felt it would be more reliable to just kill her. [We can sign a contract], Cersei wrote down,[You give me the answers, and I absolutely won''t tell anyone.] [After all], Princess Cersei tilted her head, the dappled sunlight playing in her pale eyes,[that would make us accomplices.] "It''s still more reliable to kill you." An Su didn''t care for the details. With eight minutes left of silence, it was best to act quickly. Hey? You''re even more extreme than I am... Cersei''s eyes widened. She felt that this boy would grow up to be an extremely rare and ruthless demon, always quick to kill. [If I really die in the world of the Church and lose my memory], Cersei wrote on the paper,[I will suspect you too. In fact, you should know that I''ve been watching you for a long time.] [If I truly lose my memory, I will use my connections to thoroughly investigate this matter, and I might be able to trace it back to you.] "No worries, it''s all Merlin''s doing." An Su said indifferently,"Today, Merlin is in Heaven." [Why would His Excellency Merlin take the blame for you?] "Because surely Merlin wouldn''t want the Archbishops to know about his date with a man." An Su''s lips curved into a gentle smile,"So he really needs proof that he was in Heaven all day today." Chapter 204 An Su: Do you know what my current cultivation level is?_3 "Compared to social destruction, I think he would rather accidentally erase your memory,"Ai ai ai? Cersei''s eyes widened again. What the hell was this? She just couldn''t understand. Since when did Merlin have dates with men? Cersei''s first reaction was to think An Su was bluffing her; it was utterly baffling and impossible to imagine Bishop Merlin doing such a thing. But seeing An Su''s earnest look, with all the seriousness shimmering in his eyes, made Cersei hesitate. Well, let this guy take advantage. After all, it wasn''t her who was losing out. "Alright," she sighed lightly and wrote on the paper, "I buy the answer for your meeting gift, so this should be good, right?" That''s more like it. An Su also revealed a kind smile. "What gift?" Compared to fighting and killing, he still preferred making deals, ensuring mutual wins was the duty of a devout saint. And An Su didn''t want to make a big fuss either. "A bribe for the God of Law," Cersei wrote on the paper, "here it is, for you now." An Su gained a profound understanding of Cersei''s original character''s righteousness; she really would use any means to achieve her goals, and now even resorted to bribery... Cersei took out several tattered Holy Light magic scrolls and handed them to An Su, "These are royal secrets of magic." An Su frowned and after a glance, realized he couldn''t understand any of it; most of the magic scroll circuits were lost to antiquity, their value was immeasurable, but Merlin would certainly love them. As the temporary custodian trusted by His Excellency Merlin, it was natural to take charge of anything related to Master Merlin in his absence, no matter the size. Thus, accepting bribes on behalf of His Excellency Merlin was his rightful duty, and An Su, with righteousness in his heart, allowed these corrupt matters to taint him. He conveyed the answer as a soul message to Cersei, then drew up the contract under Heaven''s witness, and both parties signed their names. This was a contract of Heaven, so it was highly enforceable, with no room to find loopholes. By signing this thing, Princess Cersei was now on the cheater''s ship during the exam, and could no longer report An Su. In truth, whether or not he gave Cersei the answers mattered little to An Su; given her abilities, she was bound to pass the written exam, and the real competition would be in the subsequent practical exam. "One last question," An Su glanced at his watch; there were two minutes left until his vow of silence ended, "You''re not afraid of death, are you? And since death here isn''t real, why do you still want to make a deal with me?" Don''t look at how docile Cersei appears now, In the original work, she was a real scoundrel, much like the Chaotic Saintess pursued chaos with relish, she too sought delight in the light. To die as a martyr killed by evil or to kill all evil men was her life''s dream, and it was unthinkable that she would beg for mercy. "You said it yourself, death here isn''t the real death." Cersei tilted her head, "A fake death has no meaning, and it''s quite boring." An Su raised an eyebrow slightly; he watched the time. It had only been nine minutes, with one minute left until the vow of silence was to end. Yet Cersei could already speak. There was only one possibility; she had just broken free of the demigod''s constraints, ending the vow of silence one minute early. This strength, she was already close enough to challenge that Chaotic Saintess... even to compete with her. "There''s another reason," Cersei looked intently at An Su, with the purest joy sparkling in her white eyes, "I don''t want to forget meeting you today, it was so delightful. How can there be such an inherently evil person born in this world? A rare and brilliant talent that comes once in centuries." "Truly worthy of recognition by that God of Law," An Su kept a poker face, thinking to himself that she was no good either, a once-in-centuries occurrence too. "I want to experience that feeling for real... It must be wonderful." Cersei drew closer, her gaze fixed upon An Su''s eyes, "To uphold my righteousness, I want to truly defeat you, or to truly be defeated by you." There''s something wrong with your head. An Su concluded that this woman was also coveting his body. "I hope to see you again in the formal assessments after the preliminary exams," Cersei gently lifted the hem of her white skirt, her pupils seemingly twinkling with light, she said earnestly, "Until then, please become even more wicked." Sure, as you wish. An Su exercised his authority as the temporary custodian of Heaven to remove Miss Cersei Milton from Heaven. It was nearly three in the afternoon, and His Excellency Merlin''s date was about to begin; he had prepared to watch with the Magic Eye. This place could no longer accommodate non-essentials. Sarch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 205 Bishop Rada: Just Call Me Exterminator (Two in One) "Listen to me, we''re definitely taking this down!"Half past two in the afternoon, Heaven. After sending that crazy woman away, Heaven finally quieted down. An Su activated his Magic Communication with Merlin, opened the Magic Eye Conductor, and was ready to assist His Excellency Merlin with his date as part of his staff. Traveling north from Fanael, climb three or four miles up the ridge, then follow the mountain road for another three to five hundred miles. Over the last hill, you''ll see a deserted wilderness with no signs of life, The light of day was already dimming, and the warm breeze turned the seriousness of the sky into soft pink. Layer upon layer of dyed clouds stacked at the horizon''s edge, The dating spot chosen by An Su for Merlin was still quite romantic, neighbored by a lavender field to the north, warm-hued blossoms lifted by the wind, mixing with the sky''s colors, all blurred together. "How''s my outfit?" Merlin hummed confidently, "I''ll definitely win her over easily with this." He truly deserved his popularity among middle-aged and older women. Holding a bishop''s ceremonial staff adorned with Holy Light, he wore a noble''s robe in the style of Farol, lined with snow-white velvet, matched with an extravagant and pricey Alchemic tailor-made Faeli tie. Merlin even deliberately chose an elegant wig, breezy and dashing, and although his visage was indistinct, his aura exuded sheer beauty. "Did you bring the protective gear?" An Su asked. "This... isn''t this moving too fast?" replied Merlin. "It''s not really, considering safety is most important. Otherwise, it''s all too easy to end up with a fatality," An Su said seriously, "You''re old enough, time to be more cautious." After becoming a demigod in his previous life as a gamer, An Su always made sure to prepare magic, Holy Relics, equipment, and red and blue primary element bottles in advance for every witch hunt. After all, the opposition was also demigods. One had to be ready with protection gear from the Esoteric Religion inquisitions: armor, holy knights, and blessed Holy Water from the goddess, just in case of a surprise attack from the Esoteric Religion. Here, it''s not like the Nether World, where death doesn''t mean true death. However, An Su was quite confident in Merlin. After all, he had defeated Rada for a year in the Nether World; it''s practically impossible for him to lose in reality. "I see, it''s better to cause some trouble," said Merlin, respecting An Su''s approach. The kid was, what, fifteen years old? Yet so experienced and knowledgeable, even more so than him. "No worries," Merlin assured An Su confidently, "if something unexpected does happen, just take medicine." Well, taking high-rank healing medicine is also a strategy. An Su agreed with Merlin''s idea, "Indeed, you just take your medicine when the time comes." "Can men take it too?" Merlin was shocked. Had potion-making advanced so far...? "If you don''t take it and she does, you''d be unsafe," An Su analyzed calmly. "I don''t care if I''m safe, as long as she is safe, that''s fine..." "Then don''t take it. But remember, you said this, I did try to convince you," An Su revealed a serene smile, deeply admiring His Excellency Merlin''s strength and confidence, Truly fitting for His Excellency the Archmage, that confidence, back when he streamed as a broadcaster, he''d often live-stream forbidden drug challenges, enjoying the high difficulty. "However, I have another suggestion," "Your defense seems a bit low," An Su commented, "I think you could try swapping the wig for a helmet. And it should be a helmet of at least Seventh Order or higher." An Su, as the most devout believer of the Radiant Holy See and the current Holder of Heaven, was especially concerned for the safety of his subordinate bishop. Who wears a helmet to a date... Merlin felt the aesthetics of the younger generation might be off track. He had only been gone for a year, and the times had changed so quickly? S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "It''s the trendiest combination in the capital," An Su encouraged Merlin, even more excited than Merlin himself, determined to claim victory in this heretical bishop inquisition and strike the first blow for the Radiant Holy See''s counterattack against the Esoteric Religion. "Trust me, we''re definitely taking this down!" The moment to make a mark was just around the corner. It was only An Su Moningsta''s first day in power, and he had not only reformed the Church''s grand examination system, boosting the capital''s economic development, but he also stopped a serious bribery incident. He kept Princess Cersei from successfully bribing anyone and also prevented Merlin from receiving bribesfor education, economy, and inspection, he achieved significant accomplishments. Now, on his very first day, he was about to lead the inquisition against the leader of the Crimson Legion, the notorious Bishop of Pain, Demigod Rada, and completely resolve the historical issues left by his predecessor. He was poised to make a significant contribution in the military field. Having distinguished himself to an unprecedented extent on his very first day, if An Su were to continue in office, the Radiant Holy See and indeed the whole world would thrive, with a bright future ahead. Merlin, hearing An Su''s excited and sincere tone, knew he meant every word, and couldn''t help feeling moved. He hadn''t expected the lad to care so much about his quest for a partner. He even felt a little embarrassed himself. Of course, Merlin knew about Princess Cersei''s upcoming visit. But he deliberately kept it from An Su, wanting to see the two squabble. The more they fought, the more entertaining it would be. Their thoughts were surprisingly on the same wavelength, An Su was entertained by Merlin, and Merlin was equally amused by An Su. For Merlin, who had been bored for a year as a newly appointed saint, this was a rare pleasure. Feeling somewhat ashamed and seeing the sincerity in An Su''s words, he decided to give it a try. After all, the current fashion trends of the capital were truly beyond Merlin''s comprehension. Yesterday, when he descended from the heavens, he saw a group of saints with shiny bald heads walk past him, and regardless of gender, they claimed it was the latest trendy hairstyle in the capital. Chapter 205 Bishop Rada: Just Call Me the Exterminator (2-in-1)_2 Who knows which bastard started it, but they''ve polluted the atmosphere.Merlin reluctantly reached into the spatial vault, and with a ripple, he pulled out a golden holy knight''s helmet, replaced his wig, and a sacred glow covered the land. This helmet held an extremely high rank, could immunize against twenty percent of abnormal attribute judgments, enhance holy attribute effects by thirty percent, and had up to fifty percent magic resistance against esoteric magic. It was part of the legendary Holy Knight Leonard''s ''Radiant Saint Kay'' set. The reason Merlin managed to obtain this helmet, there''s quite a story behind it. It''s said that the legendary holy knight slew countless foes, half his life in military service, but finally saw through the vanity of fame and wealth, relinquishing his post, retiring from the battlefield to live in seclusion, cultivating in peace Later on, his granddaughter wanted to attend the prestigious Radiance Elementary School of the Imperial Capital, so he dismantled the helmet from his armor set to bribe then-principal Merlin. This quickly became an amusing tale of the time. After Merlin donned the helmet, his aura instantly became radiant and sacred, making the impression not so much of someone going on a date, but off to war. "Why do I feel... this get-up is a bit off." Merlin asked An Su, "Won''t I be laughed at?" "Trust my judgment." A tender smile played at the corners of An Su''s mouth, "We will surely succeed." He glanced at his pocket watch, the time had reached three o''clock sharp, "Let''s see what kind of assembly we''re facing across from us." "She''s here." Merlin suddenly said. As a God of Law, he felt the arrival of someone of equal rank. An Su had not lied, for Lister and Arthur had really introduced him to a demigoddess. The aura was familiar yet tinged with strangeness, Merlin felt as if he had met it before, as if it was intertwined with him for a long, long time, accompanying him day and night, yet upon scouring the memories of all his ex-girlfriend, he couldn''t find an existence that matched. Gut tells Merlin, that this aura has kept him restless at night, left an indelible mark on his heart. Your name... who on earth are you? Merlin''s eyes involuntarily held a touch of tenderness as he gazed long at the end of the lavender fields, witnessing the sway of the blooming lavender, the sunlight and warm breeze tenderly intertwining, day''s light and the mountains kissing slowly under the orange-red sky, and that stunning woman walked slowly through the sea of flowers towards Merlin. So familiar, so moving, it made one feel nostalgic. Merlin''s eyes lit up and that was a literal brightening. The female demigod opposite him, though strikingly beautiful, had a bald head. To find such a resemblance with himself, such deep kismet. Uncontrollably, Merlin removed his helmet, extinguishing his pure white pupils, unwilling to pry any longer or to defile. He too revealed his radiant pate, under the brilliant sunlight, amid the most spectacular field of flowers, the Mediterranean head met the shaven one. "Your name is...?" Merlin couldn''t help but ask. An Su had told him, that when they met again, the person would reveal her name to Merlin. The woman before him might be bald, yet that didn''t diminish her transcendent aura in the slightest, skin fairer than snow, eyes clear as tranquil waters, with an elegant and refined air that captivated and shamed, forbidding any vulgarity. And what truly entranced Merlin was, within those profound eyes, the detached loneliness of one who has seen through worldly desires, she spoke with sanctity "I am ''Annihilator''." Annihilator. Bishop Rada had spoken the phony name An Su had assigned to him yesterday, claiming it to be a sacred title. As soon as An Su mentioned the name, Bishop Rada''s eyes sparkled, and he praised it as a truly wonderful name! [Annihilator] It perfectly aligned with the style and doctrine of the Painful Esoteric Sect, flawlessly fitting, so commanding, prideful yet with a hint of detachment, and within that detachment, it exuded sanctity, an overwhelming aura of suffering that seemed to engulf the entire universe. So cool. Bishop Rada even considered changing his own name to Annihilator. Truly deserving of the Chaotic Staircase, the man who could rename the Gorilla Cult to the Star Cult surely had a knack for names, a truly great talent. This caliber of naming didn''t seem like it could come out of the Mysticism of Chaos, after all, the Mother Goddess of Chaos was notoriously bad at naming things; after inventing the Chaotic Staircase, she just continued to extend the concept backward, Chaotic Elevator, Chaos Escalator... Upon hearing the name Rada responded with, Merlin displayed a shocked expression. Annihilator, Annihilator... such a sorrowful and indifferent name, it''s hard to imagine a woman choosing such a name. Your next read is at My Virtual Library Empire She must have been thoroughly heartbroken by a man, the name alone carries an aura of chaste widowhood. And what surprised Merlin even more was the attire of the one known as His Excellency, the Eradicator. Merlin stared in astonishment at the woman''s crotch only to see her lower half exposed, draped in pure white fabric, radiating a holy water attribute that was both abundant and valuable. If Merlin wasn''t mistaken, this must be a product that had recently become very popular in the capital, named ''The Comfort of the Holy Infant''... What kind of newfangled aesthetic was this? Merlin had thought that coming to the date wearing the ''Radiance of the Saint'' helmet was already quite unconventional, but who could''ve imagined his counterpart would take it a step further, and attend the date wearing only The Comfort of the Holy Infant''s diaper? What kind of new-age female pervert was this! Merlin closed his pure white eyes simply because he had seen too much that was eye-searing. What a waste of such a face. And somehow... the more Merlin looked at the Eradicator, the more he felt something was off. "Your Excellency Merlin, things are not looking good," Through the Magic Eye, An Su could also clearly see this scene. He revealed a solemn and respectful expression, speaking earnestly to Merlin via telepathy, his tone laced with a hint of tension, fear, and even difficulty, "There must be a master guiding them on the other side." - An hour ago. In Crow Alley. "Your Excellency Rada." Lister calmly pushed up his glasses, revealing a confident smile, while Arthur also had an inscrutable look, "Follow our lead, and victory is assured!" The dim daylight scattered in, and Bishop Rada''s Gender Transformation Spell was now complete; he had transformed into the most beautiful womansave for the lack of hair. Bishop Rada had studied the magic day and night and was confident that he had delved into its deepest aspects. He was certain he could fool any demigod of the same rank, Merlin included. Unless Merlin was the creator of this magic. But that was impossible because this magic was an original creation of the Mysticism of Chaos. No one understood gender transformation better than the Eradicator! But while the physical aspect was accomplished, the chemical aspect was not; Rada lacked estrogen. Having been the manliest of men for a century, he had no clue how to act like a woman, let alone entice a man. He was completely ignorant of how a woman should dress, speak, or conduct herself, Even though he claimed that if he took the matter into his own hands, success would be easy. But in reality, Bishop Rada was well aware that it was impossible to deal with His Excellency Merlin, much less kill him. Merlin had let her down, and she was determined to kill Merlin! It was then that Lister and Arthur appeared before Bishop Rada. As for how to be a woman, these two were the true veterans. Their characters "Yang Zi" and "Yue''er" had charmed the entire capital, and a great number of saints had submitted to them. They expressed to Bishop Rada, with sincerity on their faces, that they were there to support His Excellency Rada. Unlike An Su''s wicked sense of humor, these two were genuinely born of pure love and sincerely wanted to help Rada. After hearing the forbidden and sorrowful love story between Merlin and Rada that very morning and understanding the concealed love Merlin had for Rada, Arthur and Lister had an epiphany. They were deeply moved. One was a warrior from the Sun Family, taught since childhood by his father to help others for the greater good; the other was a gentleman from the Moon Family, instilled with the virtue of aiding others and believing from the heart that it would be better if there were just more men like them in the world. Then no one would compete with them for girls. Sar?h the n?vel_Fire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. With such noble spirit and awareness, Arthur and Lister approached Bishop Rada. "You should not wear the Screaming Blood Demon Armor, it''s not attractive; nakedness is true beauty!" Arthur insisted. "The Painful Holy Helmet and the Soul Snatching Dagger should also be left behind, as they detract from the beauty of a girl." "If you feel insecure, you can wear the Holy Relic, ''The Comfort of the Holy Infant,''" Lister pushed up his glasses calmly, a confident smile on his face, Bishop Rada was bewildered; he was planning to go kill Merlin, how could he go without equipment? "Actually, we have found out firsthand," Arthur and Lister said sincerely, "that His Excellency Merlin truly likes you! It''s just that reality has constrained him, and good doesn''t consort with evil, which is why he intentionally distanced himself from you and showed such an indifferent demeanor!" What...? Bishop Rada was shocked. Chapter 206 The Love Mind Battles of Geniuses (Two in One) 2 p.m., Crow Alley.The low hum of the wind whistled through the streets, rattling the dilapidated doors and windows of the homes, sunlight unable to penetrate Crow Alley. Only the icy wind and the shadows of dark clouds perpetually enshrouded this rundown alley, imparting an ominous sense of a storm impending. "Bishop Merlin actually holds true affection for you, it''s only because society will not accept it that he deliberately keeps his distance!" Bishop Rada, upon hearing such fervent assertions from the two, couldn''t help but feel a shock to his heart, "Are your words truly so?" Presently bearing the appearance of a beautiful young girl, he slightly furrowed his brows, expressing doubt about the veracity of their words. "Every word we speak is true." Lister and Arthur proclaimed sanctimoniously, they certainly hadn''t lied, their genuine desire was to help His Excellency Merlin and Bishop Rada, "It is top-secret news we personally uncovered from Heaven." "No one else is privy to this information." Having said that, the two couldn''t help straightening their chests with proud and self-satisfied smiles, eagerly taking credit, "Even Brother of the Stairs is clueless about this!" Rada, observing the demeanor of the two, sensed they were not likely lying. It wasn''t that Rada trusted them per se, but rather he felt that, given their cowardice, they wouldn''t dare deceive him. Just to be safe, he utilized a secret Appraisal Skill passed down by the Painful Esoteric Sect, using spirit vision to analyze their souls. He noticed their emotional turmoil was calm, their heartbeats and pulses unchanged, which indicated their words were indeed truthful; they had surely entered Heaven. Bishop Rada then began to ponder what the two had said, and upon careful reflection of Merlin''s actions that day, he too found them peculiar. If Merlin didn''t harbor feelings for him, why would he go out of his way to distance himself? Why engage in battle with him for an entire year, If Merlin didn''t hold him in his heart, why not seek out other Demigods from the Esoteric Religion? The more he thought, the more plausible it seemed. Bishop Rada was hardly a prude; he had even researched such matters, and especially after binging several episodes of "Child of the Curse and The Maid''s Forbidden Love" in recent days, he had become a novice master of romance. In academic terms, they classified Merlin''s type as "tsundere". At that thought, Rada felt an itch at the top of his head, as if he might sprout a head full of hair; the tranquility he had cultivated, looking beyond the mortal world, suddenly became agitated, and the roots of trouble, which had been plucked clean, seemed to be growing back. "But His Excellency Merlin currently has his reservations, so it''s best to first pose as a woman when associating with him, to avoid drawing attention," Lister suggested, "Once affections deepen over time, then it''s not too late to reveal the truth." Bishop Rada felt a connection; Merlin was the key to restoring his lush, crimson hair. At such a moment, he could no longer afford to maintain a bishop''s dignity. Bishop Rada quickly inquired of Arthur and Lister, "Then what exactly should I do?" After all, Yang Zi and Yue''er were veterans at being women; it was only fitting to seek advice from one''s seniors at such a time. "Don''t take any weapons or gear, it''s better for a girl to be ladylike," Lister advised calmly, followed by Arthur who added, "It''s best not to wear any clothes; that way, it shows your sincerity and that you are serious about this date." Um... Bishop Rada nodded, not quite understanding but feeling it made sense. S~ea??h the novlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "You can wear the Swaddling of Bliss to cover your private parts, ah, it''s the most luxurious item in the imperial capital, used by noble girls," Lister even remembered to plug the product. Bishop Rada was a celebrity within the Esoteric Religion, and they planned to take dozens of photos later to promote him broadly, to let all Cultists know that the notorious murderer Rada also liked to wear diapers. With the celebrity effect, their orders would surge, and they could ruthlessly rake in the money, ultimately breaking into the untouched market of the Esoteric Religion. In time, they would dominate all rivals. Lister pushed up his glasses, a wicked smile curling at the edge of his mouth, everything under his control. Explore stories at My Virtual Library Empire Bishop Rada, feeling Lister had a point since the product was expensive and expensive usually meant good, was content in his heart. Feeling these two had contributed, he generously assured Arthur and Lister, "If you two truly aid me, there shall be handsome rewards upon success!" Lister and Arthur exchanged a knowing look, their smiles speaking volumes. "Consider it done." "Hmph, love is but a war!" Lister and Arthur snorted in unison, thumping their chests, "Just follow our lead, and victory is assured!" They had been waiting for just such a declaration from Bishop Rada. If they could successfully bring those two together, establishing such great merit, not only would they be richly rewarded by the Esoteric Religion, but upon hearing of their achievements, His Excellency Merlin''s promised reward the following day would undoubtedly be much more generous. Merlin would find love, and so would Rada, everyone would win once, and they would triumph twice! For the happiness of all humanity, Lister and Arthur were ready to fight to the end. With the assistance of these two love geniuses, Rada was bound to conquer this battle of hearts and minds in love. It was just a pity for Brother Su, who missed out on such a splendid task; surely, if An Su knew, he''d be green with regret. Arthur and Lister couldn''t help but reflect internally. - 3 p.m., The Lavender Fields. The afternoon breeze scattered the clouds on the horizon, the sun tinting patches of scattered fluff with hues of color, rendering the sky in layers of powdery pink, and the deep purple of the lavender fields rippled in the wind as well. Chapter 206 The Love Brain Battle of Geniuses (Two in One)_2 The fragrant breeze and colorful clouds, a sea of fragrant blossoms, the perfect moment for love."They must have some expert helping them!" An Su was shocked, from the half-naked invincible look of Miejue Lady with diapers worn outside, An Su could already tell that the military advisor on the opposite side was of no low level, definitely a pair of love noobs, with an outrageousness probably not below his own. Who in the world could match him, the answer was on the tip of his tongue. "An Su, what should I do now?" Merlin panicked half to death at the first sight of Miejue''s outfit. He had only been in Heaven for a year, how could the fashion trends on Earth have evolved into something so outrageous... It seems he really couldn''t stay in Heaven any longer, otherwise, by the time he came out next, he would become a caveman. "No rush." Despite the sudden event, An Su remained calm and steady, "Let''s play along with them first. As per usual practice, dates begin with the man complimenting the woman''s attire. You praise her a bit first." Praise... where? Looking back on Mage God Merlin''s life, he had never encountered setbacks or twists, nor had he ever faced so-called steep mountains. He, like all protagonists described in storybooks, is a genius among geniuses, mastering all magic at a glance, understanding all knowledge at first study, but today he finally encountered the first problem of his life. Even though he had seen through all the magic in the world, Merlin could not see through a woman. His Excellency Merlin stared at Miejue''s exhibitionist and perverted outfit, up and down, and still could not find any piece of clothing to praise. She had a diaper on her lower body and the Holy Light wrapped around her upper body, dressing plain and unadorned, boisterous, the kind that would get you arrested by the Order Church if you showed up on the street. "Your, your," Merlin stuttered for ages, finally choking out the words, "Your diaper''s breathability... looks really nice." "Hmph, libertine." Miejue snorted lightly, her beautiful eyes radiating the pride of a cold beauty, if one could ignore her perverted attire, Bishop Rada''s transfigured skin could indeed be considered peerless, "You''ve got some taste. This one even has an added layer of velvet." Unfortunately, it couldn''t be overlooked. "You can''t go wrong listening to me." And from a distance, Lister, observing this scene through the Magic Eye, arrogantly pushed his glasses up and with a self-assured smile claimed, "Just as I said, no man can resist a comfortable and caring Holy Infant''s Peace." No man can say no to comfortable and breathable diapers, not even Merlin. Enjoy more content from My Virtual Library Empire The war was destined for their victory from the very start. ''What should we do next,'' Miejue prompted with magical telepathy. "Follow my lead" Arthur revealed a confident smile. As the heir of the Sun Family, a brilliant young lion, a warrior among warriors, he had quite studied the knowledge of natural courtship and had even made some achievements, "In nature, male lions prefer to mate with strong lionesses. Now, you must show Merlin your muscles, use your strength to conquer him!" Understood. Miejue felt Arthur made a lot of sense. As the legion commander of the Crimson Cult, she highly regarded Arthur''s conclusion - in nature, the strong are revered, only the genes of the strong carry on. She then suddenly let out a loud shout, startling Merlin on the other end, who had no idea what she was up to. Miejue rolled up her nonexistent sleeves, looking left and right, finding herself surrounded by floating flora with no space to demonstrate. Annoyed, her eyes then lit up as she spotted a nearby mound. She jumped straight over, thrusting her pale, frosted wrists into the ground, puffing her snowy cheeks, muscle lines snaking up her arms, shallow veins visible on her almost translucent skin. Miejue shouted again, truly a demigod warrior, and the world went dark as the earth cracked everywhere. She said ''rise'', and effortlessly uprooted the mound weighing thousands of tons! She smashed it down in front of Merlin, shattering the romantic sea of fragrant blossoms. Dust filled the air. For a moment, all was silent. "..." An Su and Merlin fell into deep silence. It seems that not only were the opponents love experts, but they were several stories tall, even ranking above him... An Su fell into deep silence. ``` "...." Merlin swallowed a lump in his throat, staring at the huge crater on the ground, and began to question his life choices. He finally understood why An Su had told him to wear a helmet on his date, because dating could genuinely be life-threatening! What kind of humanoid female Tyrannosaurus was this. Dressed like a female Tyrannosaurus, with the muscles of a female Tyrannosaurus, she indeed was a female Tyrannosaurus! Merlin was fixated on Miejue''s face, which was as smooth as jade and eyes sparkling like autumn water, ethereal and peerless, and he couldn''t help but lament, such a beautiful face, yet saddled with such an owner. Beyond her face, there wasn''t a single redeeming quality about this female Tyrannosaurus. He watched dumbfounded as Miejueafter pounding the crater into the groundbrushed off her hands, flexed her biceps, and showed off her sturdy muscles to Merlin, achieving her goal of animalistic courtship. "Listening to me is never wrong," Arthur boasted with a full face of pride. "See? Bishop Merlin is already stupefied, he''s been conquered by your charm," Arthur began claiming credit, his smile brightening, "A sure victory!" Arthur and Lister had already started fantasizing about their rewards after their success. They both smiled, waiting for the next day to claim their credit from Merlin. Once His Excellency Merlin found out the good deed they had done, wouldn''t he reward them both generously, while An Su could do nothing but look on enviously, hee hee. This was definitely a scheme orchestrated by Arthur and Lister! Merlin''s face darkened, he clenched his fists, and his teeth ground together; it was these two scoundrels who had introduced him to this female Tyrannosaurus, and he would definitely make them pay tomorrow. "Mr. Merlin," Miejue said tenderly, flexing her robust muscles for Merlin, "It''s getting late, why don''t we rest early." Indeed, it was no longer early; the setting sun was slowly sinking, the sky''s colors changing from rosy to blood-red, and then gradually dimming, dusk descending all around. "What should I do?" Merlin wimped out and sent a telepathic message to An Su, "Should I just accept my fate?" After all, her face did not look too bad. He probably wouldn''t lose out too much. Sometimes, it''s not bad to be passive as a man. The worst-case scenario, he would just run away afterward; Merlin, being one who indulges in fleeting pleasures, felt no aversion to the act of fleeing after the fact. An Su''s face turned black, No surrender! Fight for me! Although he also felt somewhat cornered, indeed the opposite strategist''s way of thinking was too bizarre. An Su, considering himself a normal human male, couldn''t understand her aesthetic and mate selection standards. But with matters having escalated to this point, the player''s competitive spirit was ignited within An Su; he could not lose this battle. Since he was facing defeat on the direct battlefield, An Su had no choice but to use the last resort. Like the nuclear button on a battlefield, An Su knew that once he pressed it, there would be apocalyptic devastation, but given the enemy strategist''s abstract courtship methods, and now that they had reached this final juncture, there was only the nuclear option left! This is your doing. The Transformation Spell was a magic created by Merlin himself. With his pure white pupils, he could see through any disguise and reveal the creature''s true form. But Merlin was afraid that the high beams in his eyes would scare people off, so he had turned them off before he arrived. "Your Excellency Merlin, since you insist, let''s go with your plan," An Su said, his lips curling into a sinister smile as he began guiding Merlin without any change in expression, "But since it''s quite dark now, and the wilderness is difficult to navigate at night, turning on your headlights would be quite gentlemanly." Merlin thought there was some sense in what An Su said. Now that the sun had set, the wilderness had become dim, the path was winding, and turning on the headlights seemed like a good idea; suddenly, the Holy Light flickered in Merlin''s eyes, casting light all around. "Since Lady Miejue is in such a charming mood, I would be remiss to decline..." Merlin said genteelly. Upon hearing this, Miejue revealed a seductive smile, and Lister and Arthur, watching from afar, rejoiced greatly, reveling in their savage glee. S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. They indeed snagged the victory! That''s what they all thought in unison. That is, until Merlin lifted his head, and his pure white pupils saw Miejue''s beyond-beautiful face and curvaceous figure, casting flirty glances at him. Merlin blinked. Years later, when facing the Painful Esoteric Sect, Bishop Merlin Andre would remember the afternoon An Su had told him to turn on the headlights. Even a hundred years later, Merlin couldn''t forget that afternoon''s vision of hell. ``` Chapter 207 Merlin: Bachelorhood is also a rare branch of the Holy Light The damage sustained today will require His Excellency the Archmage to spend a lifetime to heal.He profoundly realized the ancient sages'' adage that sometimes knowing too much is not a good thingat least until this afternoon, Merlin had scoffed at this statement, believing that as a God of Law, the more knowledge one has, the more truth one sees, and the higher a Magician''s moral cultivation and magical realm would become. But after Merlin gazed upon Miejue with his pure white pupils, he overturned the Magician''s creed he had upheld for decades. To truly indescribable beings of higher dimensions, merely witnessing her visage would cause human reasoning to evaporate, plunging them into utter madness. Merlin felt nothing but fury, bleakness, and desperate misery in his heart. What he resented most was not others but himself. He hated that he had eyes. All Merlin wanted now was to gouge out his own eyes! Yet, the Miejue who was once seductively graceful and innocently beautiful had now shown her true form, a monstrous fairy standing eighty feet tall with a waist ten spans wide, a leopard''s head and ringed eyes, thunderous voice, and nothing but baldness atop her head. From a distance, she resembled a dim black iron tower; but up close, she was indeed a formidable demon. And yet this creature was oblivious to her exposed true form, still following Arthur and Lister''s commands, posing with her iron-hard pectoral muscles, brows furrowed over large eyes, sending secret amorous glances to Merlin and Andre, flaunting her charm. What most scorched Merlin''s eyes, and even felt like a violation at the soul level, wasthe bald naked man had not a stitch on him, save for a layer of diapers at his crotch, and beneath that thin layer of diaper, something twisted and vile enough to defile and insult the entire world was contained; even the mighty Mage God Mei''s visage had by then turned pale as frost. A delicate nun had turned into a perverted bald donkey, and Merlin truly became furious. A wonderful vacation that comes only once a year, was now desecrated and insulted in such a way, further fueling Merlin''s uncontainable rage. The thought of his chastity nearly being compromised made Merlin even more enraged and resentful. Raging fury gathered in his eyes, the purest Holy Light concentrated deep within his gaze, like Heaven falling with a torrential murderous intent, erupting from the pupils of the Archmage! That murderous intent could no longer be restrained. "Look quick, His Excellency Merlin''s transfixed gaze already shows he is burning with desire, restless for you." Upon seeing Merlin''s small expression, Lister and Arthur, as self-proclaimed romance prodigies, immediately concluded that Merlin, the old rascal, had no shame and couldn''t wait any longer. They boasted to Bishop Rada, "We didn''t lie, did we? Just as we said, follow our advice and she''s yours!" That gaze, like a lion preying on a small white rabbit, as if wanting to devour the prey whole, They were men, they understood each other. Lister and Arthur caught each other''s eye and saw concordance in their mutual understanding. It wasn''t even dark yet. And this was outdoors... Bishop Merlin really has no shame. Something definitely not suitable for children was about to happen! Upon hearing Lister and Arthur speak like this, Bishop Rada was overjoyed. Indeed, when he personally took action, even the Magic God Merlin was beneath his skirt. Simultaneously, he decided to accelerate the gender change progress throughout the Church, and by the time everyone had transitioned, the imperial capital would belong to their Star Girls Group. "I''ll spare you from seeing what comes next," Bishop Rada chuckled softly to Lister and Arthur through telepathy. After all, as a demigod of the Painful Court and commander of the Crimson Legion, he had a reputation to maintain, and he couldn''t let these two young men see what was to follow. Lister''s face showed regret; he intended to gather material, then anonymously submit an illustration to the Church Nation newspaper titled "Radiant Bishop and His Excellency the Painful''s Forbidden Romance," which would surely outsell "Child of the Curse and the Maid''s Forbidden Romance," becoming a worldwide sensation, making Lister Muen a literary giant celebrated through the ages. As for Arthur, he was more noble. He planned to record it. Then he, Arthur Sunny, would be remembered as a great director whose glory illuminated his lineage for generations. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "You''ve done well on this matter," Bishop Rada added, "after I succeed, I shall reward you handsomely tomorrow." "We wish you and His Excellency Merlin a pleasant night; we''ll take our leave now." Lister and Arthur cut the Magic Eye communication, both satisfied, their faces lifted in smiles of bountiful joy. Explore more stories at My Virtual Library Empire Hearing Bishop Rada''s promise, Lister and Arthur were overjoyed. A gift from a demigod was extremely precious. It was such a pity Brother Su missed this opportunity; he must be green with envy. It was strange, usually, Brother Su had the keenest sense for these life-changing opportunities, and his actions were always the quickest. How could he have missed this one? Lister and Arthur couldn''t help but reflect, Alas, it seems Brother Su has grown old, Their talents exhausted, perhaps they could indeed take the position of the top elder in this territory. They strode off full of pride and satisfaction. "His Excellency Merlin." "In the name of the Holy Light, I swear this farce has nothing to do with me at the moment, but alas, it is my brother''s fault, and it''s also my oversight for failing to supervise." An Su''s sea-green eyes were full of sanctity and seriousness as he raised his hand above his head to swear solemnly, the Holy Light shining down upon his delicate and devout face, his gaze very firm. Chapter 207 Merlin: Bachelorhood is also a rare branch of the Holy Light_2 After all, this matter really has nothing to do with An Su now, after all, all the responsibility was divided between Lister and Arthur this morning, half and half.Merlin felt that An Su did not seem to be lying. Tomorrow he would interrogate Arthur and Lister. If it were really so, he would severely punish those two little beasts. An Su then continued, "But no matter what the process was like, the result ultimately turned out to be good." "Though I was completely unaware, it still counts as a blessing in disguise, and in the end, we still helped you find the Bishop of Pain''s hiding place, and indeed, you did meet him, which is still commendable." "Him hiding in this lavender field, he''s truly cunning." Merlin''s mouth twitched slightly. He had sent you to go undercover in the Esoteric Religion to gather intelligence, to find out where the demigod of the Esoteric Religion was hiding, not to go on a date with the demigod and then unilaterally declare the place of your date as his hiding spot... This perverse and heretical way of thinking of An Su''s was unheard of even to a Magic God like himself. However, speaking of results, An Su was right, they indeed accomplished the task Merlin had set out for them... After all, they truly found the real body of the Bishop of Pain. "However, according to the teachings of the Holy Light, we have always emphasized that rewards and punishments should be clear, merits and faults should not be offset, so the three of us brothers must clearly differentiate merit from fault. Merit is merit, fault is fault, and fairness must be upheld in all actions. Rewards and punishments must be shared equally between us," An Su said with a face full of official sanctity, speaking sternly, "So, the rewards should go to me, and the punishment should go to them; we each get our portion, absolutely fair." ...Merlin''s face was full of black lines. He had no time to argue with these little brats about rewards and punishments right now; he would settle accounts with those youngsters tomorrow. All he could think about right now was to kill Rada. "Merlin..." Bishop Rada, seeing Merlin with that fiery look in his eyes, and having been instructed by the love masters Yang Zi and Yue''er, was convinced that this gaze was one of burning desire. He gave a devilishly charming smile and opened his arms wide as his deep black hands slowly reached for the diaper... What the hell are you trying to do? Merlin was full of horror. "Your Excellency Merlin, get back!" An Su''s eyes radiated urgency, and his tone was full of surprise and anger, desperately trying to instill thoughts into Merlin''s ear, "That Rada is crossdressing; he must be planning to capture you for the Star Fury! His so-called Star Cult is actually his Star Fury Sect!" Sharing Merlin''s perspective, An Su also saw the true face of Rada and felt somewhat horrified, even through the screen. Merlin was shocked, and within that shock was a trace of relief; had it not been for An Su reminding him to turn on the headlights inside his eyes, he would have fallen prey to Rada''s scheme. The more relief he felt, the more intense the killing intent in his eyes grew. After being taught by the two love geniuses, Rada successfully interpreted Merlin''s look as one of insatiable passion, and with a flirtatious smile, opened his arms, moving his hand toward the edge of the white diaper. Desire was drawing out his sealed obsessions; he was about to return to his peak. Bishop Rada''s excitement had reached its peak, and all he could feel was a tingling sensation on his scalp, as the blood-red hair symbolizing desire and slaughter was on the verge of rebirth. The Crimson Evil God, who once slaughtered hundreds of millions of beings, was set to return today, and the entire imperial capital would be destroyed by his return. Stop right fucking now! Merlin did not want to see it at all; it would give him nightmares! It was too late to stop what was coming; that terrible abomination was about to be born into the world. The monstrous Evil God capable of defiling the world was set to descend in the next instant; no one could stop it, no one could prevent it. The blood-red sunset spread crimson rays across the plains, the twilight of dusk quivering along with the trembling earth, and in that instant, Time seemed to stand still. The soul of the Magic God surged. The Holy Light in his eyes surged. Merlin had never felt better; his control over holy magic and his casting speed had reached the peak of his life. It is said that when pushed to the limit, one can awaken vast potential, and as Magic God Merlin, he was no exception. Because Merlin was an invincible genius, he had never encountered any difficult situations in his life, nor had he ever been through life-or-death moments, so when he reached the peak bottleneck, he gradually began to stagnate. But now, in the most critical, life-or-death moment, the Magic God''s year-long accumulation burst forth simultaneously, and he finally took one step further on the highest rank of magic. Magic God Merlin made no move. He did not cast a spell, did not construct a Magic Circuit, he didn''t even part his lips, but the divine-level magic was activated in that instant, ``` This was a spell cast without incantation, moreover a sacred-level magic cast without incantationan achievement no one has accomplished in a millennium. Spellcasting without incantation, or casting without a preparatory action, is already the hardest way to cast, and generation after generation of magicians have endeavored to conquer it. Because it requires the construction of the magic''s magic power circuit in an instant. The higher the quality of the magic, the more complex and numerous the magic power circuits become, making it increasingly difficult to construct in an instant. And for sacred-level magic, with its magic power circuits numbering in the thousands, it''s been lauded as an impossible miracle to achieve. Sarch* The novlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. But today, under Rada''s immense pressure, Magic God Merlin had finally broken through his limits, instantly constructing a simplified branch of the [Judgement of Light]''s magic circuit. Merlin''s Judgement of Light consists of three branches, each with a different effect. [The Guardian Angel performs a judgement on all its targets. Beings of lower rank than the caster will have their heads removed.] What I saw last time in Heaven, if one''s realm of power was inferior to Merlin''s, they would lose their headsthis was the first of the three magic power branches. Merlin also referred to it as the ''Bow Down Magic.'' And now, he was about to demonstrate the second effect of the beheading magic, which is also Merlin''s most infamous magic. A Forbidden Technique strictly banned by the president of the Magic Association. Similar to the first magic circuit, it''s also about beheading. The vast Holy Light burst forth from behind Merlin, the gates of the ethereal Heaven opened from the crimson sky, and the pure white angel, holding a holy spear, descended from paradise. Her empty eyes surveyed the filthy mundane world and finally settled on Rada. Raising the holy spear in her hands, she delivered the second Radiant judgement. All things harmonious, the garden was in full bloom, as if the world had frozen. From the angel''s descent to the delivery of judgement, everything happened in an instant! Beautiful radiance traversed between heaven and earth, a vast and boundless surge of magic power shimmering on the holy spear. The Judgement Angel hurled it down, and half the sky''s realm plummeted toward a single point, transforming into the ultimate radiance. In the next instant, Bishop Rada sensed something was dreadfully wrong, but he was already maddened with obsession and thought Merlin was opting for some special play, so he did not dodge. However, when the holy spear neared, all of Rada''s senses screamed at once, and he knew danger had arrived! But it was too late to evade. The judgement pierced through the Demigod''s magical defenses; the holy spear directly penetrated Rada''s body. Bishop Rada''s pupils dilated, unable to describe what he was feeling at that moment, unable to articulate the sensation before him. It was as if everything in the world no longer had any connection to him, as if the touch of both body and soul had been severed, just like a brave hero slaying the evil dragon, a saint purifying the filth of the world; all worldly prosperities seemed unrelated to him. This feeling was familiar, similar to that time An Su''s Judgement of Light had shaven off three thousand worries. But this was stronger, more despairing, more void. It even amounted to transcendence, transcendence beyond obsessions, beyond life and soul, reaching the most silent and lonely depths of the universenot just shedding obsessions, but in that instant, the body and soul alike were extinguished.] This damage, touching the soul and reaching the source, ensured he would never escape it for all eternity. The Crimson Evil God''s long hair, which once had the potential for rebirth, now had no chance for revival. Find adventures on My Virtual Library Empire Bishop Rada''s trembling hand lightly touched the diaper. This time, there was no response, no undulation. The damage to the body was only surface-level, but his soul had forever lost a piece, permanently impaired, rendering all life meaningless. Only death represented transcendence, only death could seek redemption. [Judgement of Light] [Sacred-Level Magic] [Second Effect: The Guardian Angel performs a judgement on a single target. Beings with a soul shorter than the caster''s existence will have their roots of worry severed.] [Note: Merlin Andre is a devout Radiant Bishop; through his many years of research, he has discovered that bachelorhood is a rare branch of the Holy Light.] ``` Chapter 208 An Sus Final Grand Scheme (2-in-1) The crimson sun kissed the desolate plains, and the chilly evening breeze blew across the wasteland, carrying with it an icy chill that made one shiver down below.Today''s sufferings could not be healed by His Excellency Lada, not even if he spent a lifetime trying. He deeply understood the sayings left behind by the sages who knew painthere is not a single good man under the sky. But fortunately, Bishop Rada was no longer a man. Bishop Rada could only feel annoyed, blaming his trust in Merlin. Find adventures on My Virtual Library Empire As a prelate of the Painful Esoteric Sect, he was familiar with some unique methods of inflicting pain. Thinking that Merlin''s sudden throwing of the Holy Spear was some sort of foreplay, he trusted Merlin too much, missing the last moment to avoid judgment. In a way, Lister and Arthur played a significant assistant roleunder their suggestion, Bishop Rada only wore a single piece of cloth, without any magic equipment. The two were well-intentioned, but they messed things up. His tools of the trade had been confiscated. Like burnt-out ashes, devoid of any temperature, devoid of passion. His heart had died. Everything was a trap, a deception. He should not have trusted Merlin. The cold wind blew against his naked body. The diaper had long been shredded into halves, and the pure white fabric, like his once pure heart, fluttered away in the quivering cold wind, whispering rustlingly. The broken diaper failed to defend his last stronghold, the entire world seemed muted, the wind rustled as the whole world listened to the sound of his diaper tearing apart. This pain, no one can understand, no one can comprehend. The position of the Bishop of Pain should have been Merlin''s. Gazing at Bishop Rada, kneeling on the ground, An Su felt sympathy for this bishop''s ordeal. All because of that damned Merlin, Deceiving people''s feelings, Why harm others if there is no love, especially after luring someone out, truly embarrassing. An Su, as a warrior of pure love, condemned this evil act with severity. This old man was so unrespectable, he should have been replaced by An Su himself as a leader long ago. But while he thought so internally, he couldn''t say these words aloud, lest Merlin took offense and used the same magic against him... An Su shuddered at the thought. Only someone as treacherous as Merlin could devise such sinister birth magic; no wonder the bishops of the Church had banished him to Heaven to be a gatekeeper. They mustn''t allow him to descend and endanger the mortal realm! An Su''s understanding of Merlin''s capacities and his magic below grew anew. The basic principle of magic, An Su had plagiarized before, so he could understand it. Divine-level magic is so named because it has multiple magic power branches, enabling several magic effects. Sar?h the N?velFire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Setting the soul as the judgment criteria and judging the caster with the Holy Light is the first magic circuit of Merlin''s magic, which focuses the Judgment Light on the brain area, the highest magic-resistance part of the body, making it extremely difficult to cast. This move is very effective against cultists with a significant rank disparity, with a one-strike-clear effect, but it is not enough against demigods of the same level. It is a pure rank comparisonthe weak lose their heads. It is a potent appraisal skill. Therefore, Merlin designed the second magic circuit. Moving the concentration of Holy Light downward, From the big head to the little one. Since the magic resistance of the latter is naturally lower, the conditions for the judgment are also more lenient. It becomes, "those not as long as Merlin will lose the little head," severing all desires and thoughts along with it. Thus is the second effect of Merlin''s Judgment Light, the appraisal skill for men. Merlin Andre was a devoted researcher of magic below, and after years of study, he concluded that the little head was also a rare branch of the brain. If the creator of the original Judgment Light could see their magic transformed by their descendants in such a way while in Heaven, they would undoubtedly be very comforted... An Su mused inwardly, appreciating the creative genius of Merlin''s magic, while pondering when he too could plagiarize it and bring it back home. He had yet to figure out the second magic circuit for his version of Judgment Lightas the predecessors had set the bar so high, An Su, the latter wave, could not fall behind. As An Su was contemplating plagiarism, there was new movement on the battlefield. Bishop Rada revealed a smile of acceptance; tears filled his eyes, but a smile graced his lips, growing louder and more carefree, echoing throughout the entire stellar field. He was free from worries and had been cut off from his obsessions. At that moment, he felt that all the pleasures and meanings of the world were gone, and that all phenomena were but dreams and illusions; like the shredded diaper scattered in the night, no matter how pure and beautiful it once was, it would ultimately return to dust, dissipating into the eternal cosmos. No matter how absorbent the diaper is, it cannot dry my tearsBishop Rada felt like a melancholic poet, his cultural level greatly increased after seeing through the red dust of the world, with these beautiful verses coming effortlessly. Bishop Rada''s mental state, under the continuous torture of the grand birth magic and the lesser birth magic, had reached an excellent level of spiritual enlightenment. Moreover, the magic that Merlin cast was authentically divine-level, its effects far surpassing the experience of An Su''s trial card magic. It had caused irreparable damage to Bishop Rada''s soul, beyond any hope of repair. Chapter 208 An Sus Final Big Job (Two-in-One)_2 ``` He could no longer find a reason to keep fighting. Firstly, his hair was cut off by a great force at the border, then he was duped by two lesser forces at the border into believing Merlin had a secret crush on him, and they tricked him into stripping off all his gear and streaking to the scene. In the end, it was Merlin, this sinfully deceitful man, who played with his emotions, severed his obsessions, and tormented him endlessly from birth, causing Bishop Rada''s mentality to collapse long ago. Looking at the results, it was indeed the collaboration of the three forces at the border with His Excellency Merlin that brought down the evil Crimson Demon God... Merlin silently donned the helmet that An Su emphasized, although today''s date was completely ruined, but the current situation presented a great opportunity to acquire outstanding merit. He could go back and boast to the old men, and with that, he could take a holiday every day for the next half-year, having dates every single day. Merlin now noted Rada''s soul was heavily injured, unarmed, and without a single piece of gear on his body. Merlin not only wore a helmet but also carried a magic wand for show. This moment was perfect for pursuing the victory. Although today had left an indelible shadow on his psyche, the end result was still good. Merlin comforted himself in his heart. The last traces of the setting sun vanished into the mountainous tombs, but a new sun was gradually rising. The brilliant Holy Light, carrying immense magic power, lit up the entire Lavender Plains as bright as day. Merlin stood in the midst of the most intense Holy Light, his pure white pupils fully radiating light, his strong and ancient aura crushing everything in the world. The following battle, as well as the final outcome, An Su could no longer see. The Holy Light of Merlin was too dazzling, flashing An Su''s magic equipment to ruin. But An Su wasn''t planning to continue watching anyway. The day was almost over, and it was time for An Su to tend to the remaining affairs. While His Excellency Merlin was wholeheartedly invested in the war against the demigod, too busy to pay attention to the matters of Heaven, An Su saw an opportunity to play some tricks. Although Merlin was not in Heaven, he was still the true Holder of Heaven, always in contact with Heaven, unless someone distracted him. Confronting a demigod was the perfect opportunity. As a speedrunner, An Su excelled at taking advantage of every opportunity to seek his own benefits, even the powerful Demigod Rada was within An Su''s manipulations. He deliberately caused the two demigods to battle each other, all for his own purposes. "The time has come; it''s perfect now." "It has to be now." [Demigod Form Duration: Half an hour] He turned off the Magic Tao device, and his vision returned to the skies above Heaven. Heaven was also experiencing the transition of dusk, with stars twinkling in their turn, the gates of Heaven standing at the farthest reach of sight. Every time dusk fell, it was time for the doors of Heaven to open, and the Esoteric Religion would invade at this moment. Fortunately, current Heaven was rather peaceful. No powerful Evil Gods were invadingso naturally, An Su had to find something to do. That was the ultimate reason why An Su agreed to Merlin''s request. He had a big surprise hidden for Merlin. Corner of An Su''s mouth lifted in a calm smile, he raised his hand, looking at the demigod shell before him, the pure Holy Light wrapping the filthy soul just like a dumpling with filling, the demigod shell''s existence time was only half an hour left, This last half hour, An Su couldn''t gain any more benefits, and he had already tried all the magic he wanted to try; it was essentially garbage time in terms of usage value. But An Su never wasted any resources. After all, sitting idle here doing nothing, this temporary shell would still disperse. Sear?h the ovlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Therefore, he had to make full use of it. An Su''s smile grew even more pleased. Yesterday, he made a special request to Merlin to go home, saying he needed to report to Enya, so she wouldn''t worry But that was just an excuse. Everything was a disguise; everything was a cover. The real reason An Su went home was to get the massive amount of forbidden materials that those genius practitioners from the Esoteric Religion had brought for An Su. These people, being part of the Esoteric Religion, could get top-tier materials for An Su that were completely out of his reach, including Stay tuned to My Virtual Library Empire ``` The most supreme sacrificial materials. Heaven is also Nether, so one does not truly die in Heaven. The twilight shadows fell on An Su''s delicate profile, with the blood-red sunset tracing a sinister curve at the corner of his mouth. Cloaked in a crimson robe, he descended the staircase to the very pinnacle of Heaven. In this holiest place of radiance, An Su, the Holder of Heaven, took out the saintly candle dissipated with the scent of death, dripping the human oil according to direction, marking out the ritual array from the east, west, south, and north. Seeing An Su draw the magic circle, Miss Bones, who had already been summoned, guided the flame to ignite the saintly oils one by one. The blasphemous white flames rose, burning along the staircase, piercing through the four directions of southeast, northwest. "Boss, you really have some ideas." Miss Bones beside him showed an admiring expression. Living as long as she had, dead as long as she had been, whether in the world of the living or the dead, she had never seen such a daring individual, actually conducting a sacrifice within the stronghold of the Radiant Holy See. She was truly impressed with An Su. Braver than even herself. As the Holder of Heaven, he dared to lead a rebellion! If this were to spread, it would at least make it into the history books of the Church Nation, an epic feat never before achieved by anyone. This was an uttermost top-tier insult! With the saintly oils ignited, Miss Bones began assisting An Su in setting up the altar, laying the desecrated white bones, worshipped by the geniuses of the Church, at four points, and lighting the spirit towers. The blasphemous radiance momentarily occupied the surroundings. [Remaining duration: 15 minutes] [The Celestial Messenger is puzzled by the actions of the rotating incumbent of Heaven.] Merlin''s side is about to finish... He has not noticed the movement here yet. He must complete his plan beforehand. An Su could feel his body gradually dissipating, the holy light slowly seeping away from his torso. This temporary body could only last for a day; he had to complete the ritual before dusk shifted to nightfall, for it was a pity the immense amount of holy light in this body was dissipating just like that. But after all, it was a temporary body, and the reward gained would certainly be far less than that of an ordinary demigod. However, for An Su at present, it was already sufficient. This might well be the highest quality sacrifice An Su had ever conducted. He removed the crimson bishop''s robe, revealing the radiant and exquisite shell beneath, and barefoot, stepped onto the altar prepared by Miss Bones. Surrounding him were the most elite ritual materials, each capable of organizing a grand sacrificial ceremony, such as desecrated bones, twisted flesh, Chaotic Lighthouse... but to complete this sacrificial ritual, even these materials were barely adequate. Here in Heaven, half-god level ritual materials were required to draw the Mother Goddess''s attention and complete the sacrifice. Fortunately, in the past few days, An Su had discovered a whole new way of sacrifice. That was the "Fragrance Floating for Miles" style of sacrifice. As long as one''s fragrance was spread out, even the Mother Goddess could smell it from afar. Together with these saintly level materials, the ritual could be completed. "Bring some Radiant Illumination," An Su said softly, raising his hand. Summoning Heaven''s magic power, he reproduced the magical circuit of the Radiant Illumination Skill. Miss Bones, on her part, also chanted along, the eerie and twisted holy light spreading, illuminating An Su''s form completely. An Su had experimented with all the magic last night, naturally including this Radiant Illumination Skill. Cast with a demigod''s body, the light emitted far exceeded the usual by dozens of times. For a moment, the whole of Heaven was distorted and filled with that chaotic light. Under the bloody twilight, An Su stood in the midst of the most intense light, slowly absorbing it into his soul. The twilight had dissipated, stars filling the entire sky, the lonely starlight blending with the twisted holy light, indistinguishable from one another. An Su bathed in the starlight and holy light, embracing Heaven. Injected with Radiant Illumination three times, Then reaching its most fragrant state. Chapter 209 An Su: Your Excellency, I have taken possession of Merlins body! I am the Transforming Radiance Warrior. When fused with an immense surge of radiant energy, the young genius An Su suddenly had this thought inside his heart, and upon careful consideration, he realized he shared a striking resemblance with the Transforming Radiance Warrior. The latter lived in Gotham City, a place teeming with emerging talents; An Su, too, hailed from a border city overrun with beasts. The former came from a wealthy family; An Su''s family owned mines. The former was the Dark Knight; An Su was the Child of the Curse and also excelled in knightly stealth. The former lost his parents at a young age; An Su''s mother died at his birth, and if only his dear Count Karlo were to pass away, he''d truly become an authentic superhero. The dutiful son An Su couldn''t help but mutter to himself. The twisted Holy Light created ripples in the air, and those blasphemous ripples overlapped to form the most chaotic vortex at the end of the sacred stairway of Heaven, where the profane light vortex grew larger and larger. For thousands of years, the pure and holy Heaven, like a maiden''s boudoir, had never been so desecrated by the Esoteric Religionit had a forbidding aura akin to that of a minotaur. A little boy being devoured by the Mother Goddess within the goddess''s boudoirjust imagining such a bizarre scene caused Miss Bones, who now had flesh, to blush feverishly. Besides, An Su''s scent was becoming increasingly pleasant... Miss Bones, who was close to An Su, lightly tiptoed and took a gentle whiff at the nape of the boy''s neck, finding the taste refreshing and distinct. If it weren''t for the fact she couldn''t best him, Miss Bones would have pounced on him for a nibble long ago. As he continued to merge with the radiant light, An Su''s body also gradually morphed into the form of a Radiance Warrior. His body, already crafted into a Holy Light vessel by Merlin, now saw pure Holy Light integrating with the twisted Holy Light. The new shell he transformed into was different from before. The pure Holy Light enveloped An Su''s evil soul like stuffing into a dumpling, looking utterly scrumptious. [Demigod''s Vessel. New Century Radiance Warrior existence time: 10 minutes] The towering giant stood at the very center of the altar of saints, with complex flows of light moving around himfrom the shoulders to the waist roamed twisted black lines, while his pupils and torso flickered with the sanctity of Holy Light. Sarch* The N?vel(F)ire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Experience new tales on My Virtual Library Empire The overall effect was both sacred and profane. Since An Su''s body was that of a Demigod, he radiated forbidden knowledge that could influence other demigods. Miss Bones crouched on the ground beside him, with her hands clutching her head and covering her ears, muttering, "I won''t listen, I won''t listen to An Su''s chanting..." But after all, this place was sacred ground in Heaven. Even with all his antics, the gaze of the Mother Goddess could not penetrate the many barriers to reach here and take away An Su''s demigod essence. The offering was not yet sufficient. At this point, others were needed to enliven the scene. According to the agreement, they should appear at dusk. At this very moment, outside the gates of Heaven, at the ocean stronghold... Dusk was gradually giving way to night, and at this time, the gates of Heaven would slowly open. Since the world of Heaven had never been fixed, it was still contestable by the Esoteric Religion. Every time dusk fell, it was time for the gates to open, and the legions of the Esoteric Religion would enter. In the darkness, countless pairs of snake-like eyes watched the leading bishop, with the flickering candlelight casting shaky, wavering shadows of everyone present. The doors to Heaven also opened toward them. "Are you all prepared?" The hoarse and deep voice. The Bishop of the Sea, Bram, let out a sinister chuckle. Wrapped in a black saint''s shroud, his whole body emitted a damp, fishy smell. As an old schemer of a demigod, he preferred to fight by ambushing. He recalled the events of yesterday. The night before, that scatterbrain from the chaotic stairs had mysteriously transmitted a message to him, "Your Excellency Bishop, I have learned of His Excellency Merlin''s whereabouts. Tomorrow at three o''clock he will travel to the lavender fields three hundred miles behind the third street of the Champs-lyses to meet with Bishop Rada!" Bram: "..." It was the first time he found the common language of Nether so unfamiliar. He could understand each word, but when strung together, they became incomprehensible. Bram hastily checked with Rada, and observing the latter''s slightly embarrassed demeanor, he knew that the scatterbrain was speaking truth. Merlin fancied Rada, just as expected of someone who had served as a priest! "You know, I have always been your most devout subordinate." An Su repeated the line he had already said three times, his tone still filled with utmost loyalty, "This is vital information I''ve gathered on my own, and I''m reporting it to you first!" "If tonight, as dusk shifts and Heaven''s gate opens, you take advantage of Merlin lost in the charm of the Beauty Trap and lead a surprise attack on Heaven, you''ll surely take Heaven!" Upon hearing this, that old schemer Bram suddenly wasn''t sleepy anymore. But he was cautious and wouldn''t make his move lightly. The next day, he secretly sent his spies within the Magic Association to report, and as expected, they saw Merlin sneak out of the Magic Association. Most importantly, after Merlin left, the Radiant Holy See did not send any demigod to take over the temporary duties of the Holder of Heaven. The Radiant Holy See didn''t even know Merlin had left. The conclusion was obvious. The old man Merlin had snuck out for a secret rendezvous with Rada! Now, with Heaven unguarded, As the scatterbrain had said, while Merlin was caught in the Beauty Trap, Bram could make his move in silence. He was bound to capture Heaven and establish a millennium''s worth of achievements. Once his success was secured, he would sacrifice that scatterbrain to ensure his silence, and all the glory would belong to Bram Demigod alone. Chapter 209 An Su: Your Eminence, I have taken over Merlins body!_2 This youngster from the Sanctuary of Chaos is still too naive, The Life Esoteric Church has never known faith and loyalty! Once his mind was set, he gathered nearly ten Life Saints and led dozens of Esoteric Talents, forming a Surprise Attack Team to stealthily assault Heaven. Bram even projected his soul into the body of a Life Saint, a Saint''s body with a Demigod''s soul, using this to command the assault. As time slowly passed, he saw twilight finally fall and the dimming of the dusk, heard the evening bell from a distant chapel, and knew the time had come, Heaven''s Gate had opened. "Let''s go," Bram said inscrutably, as blood-red twilight laid out a lengthy staircase, he walked slowly forward along the Nether mechanism, one step after another, setting foot on the land of Heaven, with the saints following behind Bram''s steps. "Take down Heaven." As they moved forward, forbidden and indescribable shadows also emerged from beneath them, spawning strange, massive tentacles, twisted fish heads, and a sky full of bright red fish eyes. This was the power of the Oceanic Sect, countless taboo creatures from the deep sea, gliding out from their shadows. Every life, is an Angel Envoy of the Mother Goddess, each carrying the Mother Goddess''s blessing, the most desecrated and twisted existence, now appearing in the radiant land, bringing with them the Mother Goddess''s Radiance! Swarming schools of fish swam across the pure white firmament of Heaven, profaning the entire Heaven. [''Swarming Deep Sea Fish in the Sky'' has invaded Heaven] Bram was full of confidence; this time, they would surely take down Heaven. Until he saw that towering Radiant Giant. Its taboo and wicked aura far surpassed that summoned by the Life Saints, the deep sea fish swarm. Continue your adventure at My Virtual Library Empire Brother, who are you... Bram could feel the massive strength of this odd giant; in terms of rank, its shell had reached the realm of a Demigod. As a Chaotic Demigod himself, Bram had never seen such a contradictory being before. His heart stirred with titanic waves. The giant''s shell was constructed from the purest and most sacred Holy Light of Heaven, a light with which Bishop Bram was not unfamiliar; it clearly came from Mage God Merlin. Paying close attention to Its aura, it also felt very similar to that Mage God. Yet the giant''s core was the purest and most chaotic Radiance. This was what shocked Bram the most; why would It have Merlin''s shell? As Bram pondered, the giant''s figure seemed familiar. He suddenly recalled that not long ago, the Chaos Ladder also took on a similar form. But where was the Chaos Ladder''s form as terrifying as this? As physically unsettling as this? A simple glance at An Su made Bram feel slightly dizzy, endless forbidden knowledge pouring into his mind along with the Radiance. The only certainty was that he shared the same lineage as the Chaos Ladder. "May I ask who you are?" Bram asked warily, "What is your relation to that Chaos Ladder?" "I am Xianzong," As a Black Knight, An Su naturally wore a mask, speaking with a Demigod''s body, his hands behind his back, facing away from everyone, "I am the master of the Chaos Ladder." Xianzong! A never-before-heard title. Such a domineering name. Bram grew even warier; he struggled to avert his gaze from the forsaken, chaotic visage of the Evil God, asking with difficulty, "Why do you carry the radiance of Mage God Merlin?" [Demigod''s Body. New Century Radiance Warrior''s existence time: five minutes] "Hmph." An Su continued his charade, his blasphemous voice echoing between heaven and earth, overturning the natural order, "Merlin, this child, has been possessed through a joint effort by myself and Bishop Rada." Bram''s shock peaked at that moment. That was the legendary Magic God Merlin, the ruler of Heaven, and Bram prided himself as far from a match for Merlin; to possess such a being, Xianzong''s power was beyond his imagination. This Holy Light of Heaven is unmistakably genuine, Bishop Bram swore on his life that this body certainly came from the Radiant Bishop. At the same time, many things connected in his mind. Since the Chaotic Stairway belonged to the Sanctuary of Chaos, this Xianzong surely represented the Mysticism of Chaos. Today''s event was a trap set by the Mysticism of Chaos in alliance with the Painful Esoteric Sect, specifically to eliminate the Life Esoteric Church. After all, due to the unique doctrines of the Life Esoteric Church, even within the Church Nation, they were not tolerated by other esoteric faiths, and this cooperation was merely temporary. He had been far too naive. At this thought, Bishop Bram felt fear rising in his heart, the adversary was powerful enough to body-snatch Merlin, impossible to oppose. What was the purpose of this crowned head? These matters were all shrouded in mystery. At this moment, the only option was to retreat first. Bishop Bram was clearly intimidated by An Su and ordered his saints to retreat. Seeing their fear, An Su knew that the affair was almost settled. Indeed, if Bishop Bram had confronted the blustering An Su head-on, he wouldn''t necessarily have lost. But frightened into retreat by An Su, today''s victory was already determined. The youth''s lips curled into a tranquil smile; the blasphemous light in his Demigod''s eyes grew even more intense, and Miss Bones, following An Su''s command, hit him with another shot of the Radiant Illumination Skill. sea??h th novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. After merging with the fourth burst of blessing, An Su''s body had reached its maximum, and the entire sky seemed to be twisted by him. The twisted flow of light whirled into a gigantic storm, projecting endless abnormal principles to the surroundings. A regular An Su would have no capacity to project this knowledge of otherworld entities into the minds of the saints. But now he was Demigod An Su. The schools of fish drifting in the sky were the first to be affected as they broke free from the control of the saints, their bodies mutating and growing dense clusters of small hands, causing onlookers to shudder. To induce another mutation in these deep-sea fish must involve some peculiar and forbidden knowledge of the Evil God. ''Rule One: Any character might be alive; characters in the game showing you affection might suddenly become distant after you unlock a certain character, as if suddenly they have their own lives. Remember, never show any reaction to this!'' ''Rule Two: There are no genders in the game; you will encounter numerous beings claiming to be male. Once discovered, do not respond in any way...'' ''Rule Three:...'' It''s simply impossible to understand what on earth he''s thinking! And now these absurd rules have been concocted! This type of bizarre knowledge was projected into the souls of everyone at the same time, thousands upon thousands. The Life Esoteric Church saints couldn''t understand what a game was, couldn''t grasp the concept of characters, and even less those contradictory rules and their implications. Yet they were forcibly instilled into the soul, and incomprehensible information would lead to memetic contamination. Each minute of knowledge projection brought about a round of sanity checks; if one failed several rounds in a row, the soul would suffer great setbacks. Most of the weaker souls among the esoteric believers couldn''t withstand the judgment of a Demigod. They fell to the ground, dizzy and disoriented, temporarily incapacitated, with some even degenerating into monsters. A few could endure, relying on their strong will and obsession, they struggled free from the deluge of knowledge, attempting to retreat from this Heaven. [Time remaining: four minutes] An Su observed them calmly, his smile serene. If that was the case, let''s sever those wills and obsessions. He knew he couldn''t capture all the cultists, but he would take as many as he could. He needed these delicacies to defeat the Princess in the current world. "Join me at the Mother Goddess''s table." An Su looked down upon the Life saints below Heaven, his twisted expression''s smile not quite genuine, chilling to the bone. "Judgment" He tapped into Heaven''s authority, the stars following the contours of the sky, their light cascading downward; the grand Heaven''s Gate opened behind the giant, endless starlight pouring down. The choir''s pure children''s voices resonated between heaven and earth, singing anew for the arrival of the Angels. "Light of Judgment!" Chapter 210 Venerable An Su: Isnt it good to be sacrificed? Dusk, Heaven. [Demigod shell remaining for five minutes] Following the "Pregnancy Horror Doctrine" and "No-Homosexuality Doctrine" among other schools, An Su, the little genius, employed his brilliant ideas to come up with a new concept. The demigod An Su developed a new heretical school exclusive to his half-divine form: the "Supreme Intelligence Doctrine". First activating the Radiant Illumination Skill, then using the Holy Light Transformation Skill to transform into a giant of radiant mentality, An Su radiated contaminated knowledge radiation towards surrounding enemies. [Effect: Legendary Magic Radiance Transformation Skill''s radiant form, lasting for five minutes. In this form, anyone who makes eye contact will have the knowledge from the magician''s mind directly projected into their soul, causing a damage check.] [If unable to comprehend the concept of knowledge and their spiritual rank is lower than the caster, they will suffer temporary damage to their sanity. A sanity check is made every minute, with a successful check decreasing the enemy''s spell casting speed by ten percent and the success rate by five percent.] [If the gap is too great, the enemy''s soul will suffer irreversible aberration.] Continuing for a total of five minutes, with a sanity check conducted each minute. If there are three or more failures, the soul will be completely aberrated, and may even be transformed into a grotesque creature by the radiation.] In the face of such contamination, except for beings of higher rank than An Su, those believers with strong willpower and deep convictions could endure the five willpower checks, failing only once or twice at most, suffering only temporary damage to their sanity. The wills of Life Ecclesia''s followers are particularly tenacious. Therefore, at this crucial moment, An Su had to resort to his last piece of magic. That is the divine-level magic[Judgment of Light]. By conducting a facial beauty assessment on all souls present, shaving their heads, and eliminating the worries of all believers, it would cut off their will to resist. They would listen obediently to Teacher An Su''s lesson and ultimately become supremely intelligent geniuses. It can be considered a persuasive magic for encouraging study. An Su felt he was a great educator, who had made considerable sacrifices to spread modern avant-garde knowledge to the ignorant Otherworld, letting these natives experience the new international versions. He fully deserved the title of an educator. But as An Su chanted "Judgment of Light.", the originally dim and oppressive night sky of Heaven suddenly transformed. The sky was unbelievably bright; stars flowed continuously along the night, and the sky shone brilliantly. The clear, bell-like voices of children resounded from deep within the clouds, and vast magic power surged forth from the gates of Heaven. The air around became clear and pure, subtly flowing with ancient and complex magic circuits. Many followers of Life Ecclesia had already escaped to the edge of Heaven. Although their expressions showed pain, the corners of their mouths curled into smug smiles. They were thinking of finally being freed from the endless hell of knowledge. As they were steps away from leaving Heaven, they suddenly heard a divine prayer. Wings born from the margins of daylight, marking the start of a new night, twelve wings spread across the sky, cleaving the day apart. The purest angels were chanting in the clouds, emitting soft laughter as they sang about the sanctity of the seven Churches and glorified the Goddess. Bishop Bram, witnessing this scene, recognized this magic''s origins: the divine-level magic [Judgment of Light] from the lower ranks of the Radiant Holy See. He never imagined that Xianzong would usurp even Merlin''s special skill, raising his esteem for him to a new level. And there she was, humming softly, the holy prayer echoing in the ears of all cultists, mysterious and profound advice, leading all lost lambs astray. "Radiant Bodhisattva''s grace is difficult to repay, Orderly Arhat ascends through aeons of refinement, Alchemic Masters turn base metal into gold, Chaste protectors observe Guanyin, Celestial Messengers guide through confusion, Drumoni transforms Yanfu, Healing Honors spread their gentle rain, pray at a thousand places, receive a thousand responses, a boat forever ready to ferry souls through suffering." What the hell is this... Not only were the followers of the Life Ecclesia dumbfounded, but so was Bishop Bram, who had lived for five hundred years and had seen and heard much. Read the latest on My Virtual Library Empire He had never heard such holy words, unrecorded in any scriptures; could it be that this angel was actually an exchange student, returning from studying abroad? But now was not the time to be concerned about this. Since the Guardian Angel had appeared, it indicated Xianzong was definitely using the lower-ranked [Judgment of Light]. Thankfully, Bram felt he wasn''t at the bottom of the hierarchy. The urgent matter was to retreat. Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. They had already endured two consecutive judgments; freedom was just one step away. All the cultists, bolstered by their unwavering will, resisted the painful knowledge indoctrination and slowly retreated from Heaven. The angel floated in the sky, its aquamarine eyes sweeping over all the followers of Life Ecclesia, the clear and profound gaze piercing into the depths of every being, seeing through their essence. The followers of the Life Ecclesia, emerging from the deep border seas, all bore seaweed-like azure hair and had grayish complexions from the constant lack of sunlight in the depths, deformed by the pollution from the Morningstar Family''s relentless mining operations, exuding a fishy scent all over. He came to a conclusion. All of these guys were bad because they were ugly. None of them was as good-looking as An Su. Those who look good are definitely good people. Chapter 210 Venerable An Su: Isnt It Good to Be Sacrificed?_2 "The first cut, severs all evil." The judgment of the wicked began then, as the blade of Holy Light fell equally from above the heads of all within the Sea Church. Yet the invisible blade fell from within their own hearts, whether they were Esoteric geniuses or Saints of Life, each felt a chill at the scalp, their hands reached instinctively for their necks only to find their heads were still in place, a momentary sigh of relief was let out, then as they touched their heads, they realized they had rejoiced too soon. Merlin''s was a Magic of Scalping, while An Su''s was a Magic of Hair Loss. The Esoteric genius of the thirty-fourth order, ten Saints of Life, even Bishop Bram himself, all discovered in horror that their stylish and fashionable hairdos had all vanished! They were all bald! What vanished along with their hair was not only physical but internaldesires within their hearts, the will to resist judgment, was also greatly diminished by this cut. They suddenly felt a sense of internal confusion, the universe vast and profound, the worldly life so long and uncertain, they did not know where to go from here. Confusion shook their hearts, and at the same time, the third judgment of the radiant light arrived. At their most relaxed willpower, the strange and unsettling knowledge from Otherworld pierced directly into their minds! [Form is emptiness, emptiness is form, form does not differ from emptiness, emptiness does not differ from form...] An Su, that rascal, began chanting scriptures directly in their minds! Fantasy rose and fell, the cosmos shattered and was reborn, they were appalled to discover they had lost worldly desires, nearly everyone failed to endure this rational judgment, their souls screamed in madness, their wills sank into the illusions, they fell to their knees, able to hear the inner transformation. This combination of Magic was outrageous... Bishop Bram had never considered such a combination was possible, and although his half-god soul endured this judgment, his mind still suffered considerable damage. As for the other believers, one could only imagine. Bishop Bram cast a glance around, nearly half of the believers had fallen to their knees, most still struggling, but a small portion of those with weaker wills had simply sat down, no longer trying to flee, wearing peaceful smiles as they let the transformation of their souls overtake them, as if they were in the pure land of Heaven. These two sets of Magic combined could wield such a heavenly effect. Bram felt this brainwashing ability far surpassed the methods of the Esoteric Religion. He began to ponder the intentions of Xianzong, with such powerful methods, capable of consuming the body of God of Law Merlin, why not simply kill these Esoteric believers outright. But instead, leave them here unable to move, or even use such trouble-ridden and Mana-consuming Magic combinations to alienate their souls from their bodies with radiation. Bram suddenly realized something, his hair standing on end in fear. He remembered a woman standing beside Xianzong earlier, a woman with a unique presence, remarkably beautiful, and familiar... It was only now that Bram remembered those distinctively azure pupils, seen in the portraits of the Church Nation; they were unmistakably those of the Azure Sorceress, the Holy Maiden of Life from thirty thousand years ago within the Life Ecclesia, who had now betrayed life to become Xianzong''s subordinate! Your next journey awaits at My Virtual Library Empire What she was doing now The answer was self-evident. The Life Ecclesia was best at sacrifices. Bram looked around suddenly and his pupils dilated, seeing atop the stairs to Heaven, the billowing grey-white flamesthese were the fires of sacrifice, and at the same time, the ritual platform that had long been carved beneath their feet was also being lit up bit by bit. The flames kept spreading, enveloping layers upon layers of quicksilver traces flowing through the thousands of steps, forming repeated circles of the wheels; these quicksilver wheels overlapped to create a complex and colossal Sacrificial Magic Circle. Bram was all too familiar with this, it was the Saints Sacrifice Circle of their Life Ecclesia, only with many new Magic Power circuits added, even as a Bishop, Bram had never seen them before. Xianzong had laid these Sacrifice Arrays long ago, his ultimate goal was to sacrifice them! Who truly was the Bishop of Life! It was supposed to be the Chaotic Demigod, but he was using the methods of the Life Ecclesia, the ways of these Minotaurs, indeed chaotic enough! It was nothing short of turning the heavens upside down! Normally at a mid to high level, it wasn''t easy to complete a sacrifice. High-Rank believers of the Esoteric Religion with clear minds, even when on the altar, would not be sacrificed, but unfortunately, many had already lost their reason, and a few believers had even given up resisting, their souls basked in the glow of the radiation growing even more fragrant, willingly becoming the offering. An Su, after numerous experiments, had discovered this path to culinary sanctity; it turned out that bathing them in radiation before the sacrifice made them taste more fragrant, and the effects of the sacrifice were better. Sar?h the N??elFir.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. That''s why he irradiated all the Esoteric believers ahead of time. But some Esoteric believers were waking up, especially the Saints, realizing that if they continued to fall, they would be sacrificed by Xianzong, they bit their tongues, using the pain to awaken their muddled wills and continue forward. They were always the ones sacrificing others; it was unheard of for them to be sacrificed. [Demigod''s Existence Duration: Three Minutes] And it was at that moment, The Angel''s second cut arrived. Guardian Angels are the most kind-hearted and pure creatures on earth, witnessing the painful struggle of all beings, they also can''t help but shed tears, desiring to help them escape the sufferings of the mortal world and to enjoy eternal happiness, to enlighten these lost souls. "The second cut, may cultivate all that is good." A new cut swept across their smooth scalps, striking directly at the center of their attachment, once again rendering many things meaningless. What was the significance of their lifelong struggles? They had sacrificed so many people, but what would they ultimately gain? Chapter 210 Venerable An Su: Isnt It Good to Be Sacrificed?_3 Since one can sacrifice others, why can''t others sacrifice oneself? They were at a loss. They began to ponder the true meaning of the Life Ecclesia. At the same time, An Su also started to radiate newfound knowledge. He stood atop the myriad steps, his entire being emitted a sacred light, and those cyan blue pupils seemed to hold all the truths of the world. [Is there anything wrong with being sacrificed?] [Perhaps, the meaning of life is its meaninglessness] [Greed, anger, ignorance, from ignorance comes desire, the failure to obtain it begets anger, therefore, ignorance is the root of the cyclic existence of beings. Ignorance and confusion block our wisdom, prevent us from discerning right from wrong, understanding affairs clearly, giving rise to heterodox views, slandering the law of causality, leading to confusion and the making of karma. Only by being sacrificed can one enter the eternal embrace of the Mother Goddess, merging with the mother as one.] [Isn''t it nice that we are all sacrificed together?] Another long stretch of distorted taboo knowledge was directly infused into the minds of the cultists, Having their threads of worry snipped by the "Judgment Light," their thoughts were highly susceptible to contamination, easily influenced by knowledge memes, and more and more esoteric prodigies failed to withstand the penultimate test of sanity. They gave up resistance, showing blissful smiles, their grateful eyes filled with appreciation as they gazed at An Su. They even consciously crossed their legs and sat in anticipation of the ultimate sacrifice. Having failed the test, their souls underwent strange transformations. Growing scales, their skin gradually turned pale, their eyes transformed into those of a fish, gills emerged on their bellies, and fins grew on their backs. Under the demigod form, the combination of these two magics was truly terrifying. Bishop Bram counted and found that half of the esoteric geniuses had failed, among them, even two saints had also fallen to the ground. Voluntary offerings to be sacrificed, no one could save them. The gray-white flames burned furiously, spreading continuously along the stairs of Heaven, the flames rushing straight towards the sky, invading half of the firmament, and Bram sensed trembling all around, the crimson red moon suddenly appeared at the end of the stars, the Mother Goddess''s gaze so close, so spine-chilling. Bram had entered this place through the Sanctuary of Chaos''s Transformation Skill, Sar?h the n?vel_Fire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Experience more content on My Virtual Library Empire temporarily fusing his soul with another''s, sharing a single body. The original owner of this body was just an ordinary saint, and his body also underwent no small changes due to An Su''s continuous pollution, if delayed any longer, Bram feared he would end up perishing there as well. At this moment, he could no longer worry about the life and death of his subordinates; he had to escape first! "The third strike, I vow to liberate all beings." The angel''s final strike arrived, and An Su''s last sanity check too arrived; their souls felt the angelic song resound by their ears, as if they had reached the purest meadows, walked the paths of the darkest night, blindly moving forward, the wind piercing their souls, yet no longer finding the direction to proceed. That was when the Xianzong appeared. Is it not good to be sacrificed? The journey of life ought to be just like this. They actually loved the Mother Goddess, so they must offer their lives in sacrifice to the Mother Goddess. "Xianzong!" The cultists saw the angel''s pure white wings, saw the gates of freedom in Heaven, and they knelt down one by one in that immense radiance. They were fervent and excited, eager to knock on the blissful path that led to Heaven. "Xianzong" When An Su concluded his final chant, he lowered his eyes and saw beneath the myriad steps, person after person kneeling. After being radiated and contaminated, they grew scales on their heads, gills from their mouths, fish spines piercing through their skeletons, they were newly created beings. Literally speaking. Chapter 211 An Su Finally Gets Off Work Sacrifice is an art. Believers of the Life religion, a kind of sea creature that grows in the southernmost part of the Empire''s border, are coveted by heavenly gourmets for their delicious taste. The quality of these ingredients is judged by rank, with saints being the best, closely followed by Fourth Order. As the topmost chef of the entire imperial capitalthe Culinary Saint An Su Moningstahe had a unique way of cooking such delicious delicacies. First, he would prepare twenty or thirty Fourth Order believers by laying them next to the altar, simply processing them by scraping off scales, removing gills, and cutting the hair. For an even more luxurious cooking method, he would take two or three of the top-tier ingredients, the saints, and calm their frightened hearts with the recitation of scriptures, achieving the best meat quality. Every small detail was infused with Mr. An Su''s artisanal craftsmanship. Once the preparation work was done, An Su began the cooking heating process without directly taking lives. For the topmost Culinary Saint, keeping the ingredients alive was essential for the best taste. His method of heating was also unique, using radiant light for microwave heating, moving back and forth five times, each for a total of five minutes, not a minute more or less. This locked in the freshness of the ingredients and increased the return rate of cooking. After his operations, there were already thirty cultist geniuses kneeling below the platform, all at least of Fourth Order and even three of Fifth Tier saints among them, with many more geniuses and saints being converted, They all now looked very appetizing, with tentacles wriggling all over their bodies, yet their mouths held the happiest of smiles. This was the ultimate realm of culinary skill and the professional benchmark for every chef, to let the ingredients be sacrificed happily. An Su felt he truly was a great benefactor. Merlin''s side must be nearly finished by now; he needed to wrap things up quickly too. [Demigod physique remaining time: one minute] And the Demigod experience card was about to expire. After he had braised the ingredients with radiant light, it would be time to add them to the fire for a quick stir-fry. In the most holy Heaven, An Su began the ritual himself. He instructed the brainwashed believers, "I say one line, you repeat after me." "Desire and the Mother Goddess of the moon, great Mother of Life above the spirit worldthe eternal motherhood" "Your devout believers call out your name." An Su said softly, his smile becoming more sanctified and merry, calling out the name of the Mother Goddess. Holy and radiant starlight poured down as An Su''s sacred and eerie giant silhouette backed against the light, casting shadows over all the cultists kneeling beneath him. An Su slowly stepped down from the platform, passing each believer, who would prostrate themselves and echo him, ''Desire and the Mother Goddess of the moon...'' They were sacrificing themselves along with An Su. Sear?h the n??el Fire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Premium ingredients would serve themselves up on the table. For a moment, countless deep and cold prayers echoed through the starry sky. Read new chapters at My Virtual Library Empire "This is the hymn of the sincere, This is the feast of spirit and soul, This is the delicacy of blood and flesh." [You have attracted the attention of the Mother Goddess of Life] With An Su''s words, the Sacred Fire on the altar instantly intensified to its maximum. The ceremonial flames circled the sacred Heaven, and the red moon above in the starry sky grew ever brighter and more terrifying. Moonlight was the gaze; when the moonlight intensified, the Mother Goddess''s gaze also reached this spot! The Mother Goddess bestowed her grace, and they were the offerings of sacrifice. Bishop Bram felt the arrival of that great presence. What troubled the bishop was that the saintly shell he had merged with was also undergoing a transformation under An Su''s judgmental light and radiant heating. He realized that horrific truthif he kept entangled, he would be in danger too. The physical body could also influence the soul. This was the Church''s world; death here meant true death. As a bishop in charge of sacrifices, being placed on an altar by someone else was an ultimate insult. At this point, he could no longer care about the lives of his subordinates. The shell he had merged with had become an impediment to Bram; he forcibly separated his soul from the saintly shell. Free of the encumbrance of the mutated flesh, his movements were unimpeded. The Life saint abandoned by his soul, on the other hand, underwent rapid transformation, distorted gradually, and brainwashed by An Su, took part in the grand chorus of sacrifice automatically. Bishop Bram''s situation was also not easy; now, his soul was directly exposed to the radiation of knowledge. Knowledge was aggressively and unreasonably cramming into his cognition in a robust posture, making Bram quite uncomfortable. The bishop looked at the large group of believers brainwashed by An Su; all were resources following An Su''s guidance to sacrifice their bodies, believing this to be the ultimate blessing. Of course, a small part of the brainwashed believers, mostly saints, although not actively fleeing, had eyes full of uncertainty and confusion, obviously not completely affected by An Su''s set of meme contamination. Perhaps there was still salvation. Bishop Bram saw an opportunity; his soul shouted to those not yet completely fallen believers, directly projecting his words into their ears, "All of this is false." "Xianzong is lying; sacrificing oneself does not bring salvation." "And the afterlife is not salvation at all!" "If sacrificing oneself is so wonderful, why doesn''t Xianzong sacrifice himself first!" Chapter 211 An Su Finally Gets Off Work_2 "He wouldn''t dare, he''s deceiving all of you!" "He only wants to sacrifice you to achieve his own selfish ends." "In the face of such cult tactics, we must maintain scientific and rational values, adhere to materialist thinking of a critical nature, we must have positive energy, believe that there is no savior in this world, there never were any gods, turning back is the shore, the good life is created step by step by us firmly on the ground..." Bishop Bram felt like crying without tears as a leader of the Esoteric Cult, he had fallen to the point of persuading people to turn back from the wrong path and fight against feudal superstition... What a humiliation it was. If only he had known how complicated the Mixed Cult was, he would have chosen to join the Radiant Holy See in his youth! Bishop Bram''s earnest teachings and persuasion had an effect, as many wavering Cultists gradually came to their senses, and the strange changes in their bodies also stopped. Right, if self-sacrifice were such a wonderful thing, why didn''t Xianzong himself offer himself up first? Seeing the trend of brainwashing ease, Bishop Bram breathed a sigh of relief. It was at this moment that An Su descended the final step. A smile spread across his lips. "Your devout follower offers a gift." [You have strongly attracted the Mother Goddess of Chaos''s attention] [The absolutely neutral Celestial Messenger advises you not to make a scene out of death again] Not polite at all. An ethereal voice suddenly reached his ears, An Su chuckled disdainfully, shaking his head. He, An Su, was a person of deep loyalty, he had already sworn brotherhood with these Esoteric brothers a few days before, vowing to not seek to be born on the same year, same month, same day, but to die on the same year, same month, same day, Now was the time to keep that promise. He pressed a single hand to his chest, moving it down over his heart as if to slice himself open out of thin air, the pale blue color of the young man''s pupils shining with an ever brighter loyal light, to be sacrificed on the same year, same month, same day, was the bond between him and his brothers. An Su stood in the center of the altar, his smile slowly spreading. "I offer up the self on this altar to You" he said softly, "I invite You to dine with me!" As An Su''s words fell, the entire Heaven fell into a long, long silence and hush. When the tension reached its peak, the sky collapsed in an instant, all Sacred Fires extinguished, leaving only the crimson moonlight piercing through the layers of the heavens, spilling all over An Su''s figure. Red moon no longer hung in the sky, but rose from the body of the young man. At this moment, all was silent and dark save for An Su''s figure standing in the grey and desolate world, the followers of Life all prostrated under the red moon, as if seeing the Mother Goddess herself. They had never been so close to the Mother Goddess, nor had they ever witnessed a sacrifice ritual that could reach such an extent, where the entire red moon was drawn down directly. Lacking the words, they could only describe this grand spectacle as a miracle. Even the Mother Goddess descended to stand by for Lord Xianzong, could there be any falsehood in Xianzong''s words? The eyes of the Cultists reached the pinnacle of frenzy and worship, without a trace of doubt left, spirit and flesh completely lost control, wildly mutating. For a Life follower to be able to witness the Mother Goddess was worth dying for. Meanwhile, the orthodox Holy Maiden Miss Bones of the Life Ecclesia hugged her head as she squatted in an unseen corner, afraid that if An Su got carried away with the sacrifice, he might spontaneously offer her up as well, perhaps for the Mother Goddess of Life to stew bones soup, who knows, it might even be highly nourishing. The most astonished and disbelieving of all was Bishop Bram who had just now been denouncing superstition. Bram couldn''t believe what he was seeing; he had never been so shocked, his eyes wide, staring intently at Xianzong in the middle of the altar, watching the scarlet moonlight gradually submerge him, slowly devouring... While being devoured, Xianzong''s lips still bore a calm smile. No way, big brother, you''re actually doing the sacrifice? Bishop Bram was completely convinced. From head to toe, utterly convinced! In his five hundred years of life, he had never seen such a resolute man! To sacrifice oneself as one said, to keep his word, straightforward! To really go through with the sacrifice, Bram was now certain, Xianzong must be a high-level agent from both the Radiant Holy See and the Life Ecclesia, and a figure on the level of Archbishop of the Sanctuary of Chaos. Only such chaotic madmen, who follow such incomprehensible thought patterns, are so eager for pleasure they don''t care about their lives, and all of this fully matched Xianzong''s current behavior. No one dares to provoke such a high-ranking madman of chaos, fearful that he might just blow up unexpectedly. When had he ever provoked such a formidable figure? He, Bram, was just an innocent man selling seafood! Immense fear weighed heavily on Bram''s soul, diminishing his willpower as well, Shrouded in crimson moonlight, An Su did not vanish immediately, he paused momentarily, turned around, and ascended the stairs again, each step making the moonlight on his body more radiant. The gazes of the Esoteric geniuses had never before been so fervent as they knelt on the ground, kissing the soil where An Su tread, treating it as if the Mother Goddess herself was walking among them. The chanting that had been interrupted resumed once again. They shouted feverishly, mimicking An Su''s words, praying devoutly "Your faithful believers offer up gifts..." "We invite You to dine with us." The angelic, peaceful songs rose up, plucking the harp strings, humming the lightest notes, as the gardens of Heaven bloomed with the vitality of all living things, while the ancient clouds echoed with one church bell chime after another. Merlin, who usually enjoyed gardening, had planted a large field of violets at the entrance to Heaven, which were now also flourishing. [Temporary Steward of Heaven. An Su Moningsta has vanquished a Fourth Tier life aberration] The Cultists offered up their souls, and as An Su passed each one of them, ascended each step, the crimson moonlight devoured a person, turning the offerings into white bones, blood burst forth in a deluge, a symphony of hymns and death, with blood and corpses fertilizing Merlin''s garden, promising that next spring, the flowers would bloom even more fervently. [Temporary Steward of Heaven.....] [Temporary Steward of Heaven has vanquished a Fifth Tier life aberration] The violet garden was stained red with blood, bloomed seductively in the dark red moonlight. The path An Su had taken was covered with crimson skeletons, as he walked over all the corpses, step by step, tier after tier of the ascent. .... All twenty-nine Fourth Order Esoteric geniuses had experienced soul aberrations and were all sacrificed. Ten Fifth Tier Esoteric Saints, with the exception of Bishop Bram who still retained his sanity, three suffered severe soul damage, and three souls had become irreversibly mutated... Three Saints of Life completely gave up resistance and were directly sacrificed by An Su! This was also the first time that An Su had hunted followers of the Saintly Rank from the Esoteric Religion and he had bagged three in one go. Even in the Chaotic Frontier, he had only sacrificed a few nearly Saintly Ranked Chaos Followers. Bishop Bram''s soul was in agonizing pain, his sanity almost vaporized, as he barely led the surviving Saints out of Heaven, after this battle, the new generation of talents from the Sea Church had been utterly decimated, and all the upper-level Saints had lost their combat capacity, the Life Ecclesia''s influence in the capital was effectively nonexistent. Even Bishop Bram himself suffered severe mental damage, his mind cluttered with chaotic Otherworldly knowledge. When An Su reached the topmost tier, the blood-red moonlight had engulfed everything in the mortal world, he arrived at the pinnacle of Heaven, the scenery in the distance was open and clean, the splendid Milky Way enveloping the mountains and rivers beneath, An Su paused, turned his head back, looking at the path he had come, apart from the bones, not a single person was left. Everything had been cleansed. An Su revealed a refreshing smile, filled with the joy of a bountiful harvest, his workday was finally over. Continue your journey with My Virtual Library Empire What a meaningful day it had been. Sar?h the novlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. In the end, the bloody moonlight completely devoured him as well. The demigod form that Merlin had created was dissipated into the crimson. All traces of the sacrifice were also cleansed by An Su''s final magic power, as the bones turned to ash, vanishing into the clear night sky, leaving not a single sign of their past existence, the red moon slowly disappeared, leaving only the starlight to illuminate all worlds. The Spiritual Body broke free, returning to the Nether, back to reality. [Temporary Steward of Heaven. An Su Moningsta, deceased] [''Life Fish that Wander the Firmament'' have been completely expelled] [Life Ecclesia. Oceanic Sect has been completely expelled] [World Mission: Guardian of Heaven completed (One day)] [Final Mission of Heaven (Access denied, unable to view): Incomplete] [Contributors: An Su Moningsta (50%), Merlin Andre (50%)] [You have strongly attracted the interest of the Mother Goddess of Life!] [Seventh Order world, end] Chapter 212 Final Settlement [The Temporary Sovereign of Heaven, An Su Moningsta, has died] Once again, An Su sacrificed himself and saw a strange vision, As the demigodly figure, crafted by Merlin, dissolved into the blood moon, and the spiritual body ascended continuously, An Su''s perspective followed along the pure edge of Heaven, passed the heavy clouds that leaked some orange dawn light, and arrived above the vast, boundless expanse of the starry sky, This time, the vision seen was clearer than ever before; a scarlet long table stood at the very center of the glittering Milky Way, with numerous stars as the dishes upon the table, the table had in total fourteen intricately ornate chairs arranged around it, and the stunningly beautiful red moon sat enthroned upon one of the fourteen. An Su''s physical shell was cut open with knife and fork, revealing his heart, lungs and other internal organs, the purest Holy Light from Heaven placed upon the long table; he gazed bewilderedly as his own body along with the stars were being constantly consumed, feeling nothing inside. Just like last time, he too became one of the diners, and with each swallow, his memories became clearer. When the feast concluded, An Su''s spiritual body left the dining table and plummeted down with gravity, reaching the intermediary world of the Celestial Messenger. Under the glitter of starlight, the Celestial Messenger with a constipated expression waited for An Su. He still had to settle some accounts with this guy. This absolutely neutral uncle messenger had been feeling slightly nuanced of late. He had assumed that after An Su entered Heaven, the younger generation would be disciplined by the older, and the older would be tormented by the younger, pitting wolf against tiger, having generation against generation form a mutually tormenting and positive relationship; yet he underestimated the vigor of the younger generation in the ranks of the birthed. In recent days, he, being a neutral messenger, had a clear and distinct view from heaven of all of An Su''s actions, Including introducing beautiful women to the older generation, modifying this year''s exam questions in the name of the seniors, and, ultimately, the act of sacrificing himself, inviting doom upon oneself - these heaven-defying actions were so astonishing that even the Celestial Messenger had his eyes opened wide. Upon seeing the Celestial Messenger after a long time, An Su''s eyes brimmed with enthusiasm; he was a very polite child and immediately trotted up to the messenger; before he could even speak, the Celestial Messenger preempted him. "I know what you''re about to say!" He looked wary, crossing his hands in front of his chest in a prohibitive gesture, "Don''t you dare say ''I''m very sorry I couldn''t sacrifice you this time.''." The Celestial Messenger was almost driven to PTSD by An Su, this young lad was always eyeing his own body in the Nether World. "You must be joking, don''t think of me as some villain; I would never do such a thing." An Su was polite and gentlemanly, his face full of simple and earnest smiles, "I just saw that you were quite lonely and was thinking whether or not I should also introduce you to a beautiful demigod girlfriend." An Su was a gentleman, and a gentleman seeks to bring happiness to others; seeing the Celestial Messenger had been alone in the starry sky for hundreds of years, a super single dog truly lonelier and more thirsting than His Excellency Merlin, he thought of helping to resolve the messenger''s lifelong issue. Upon further thought, Bishop Bram was also quite attractive and could summon tentacles... "..." "...Just think about how you''re going to sacrifice me next time." The Celestial Messenger''s face was full of black lines. If not for the principle of absolute neutrality, he''d have dearly liked to slap this little brat; there was never a normal thought in this guy''s head. "Considering that I''ve introduced you to a beautiful girlfriend, could you clarify a doubt for me?" An Su pushed his luck. I said I don''t want you to introduce me to a girlfriend! Sar?h the n?vel_Fire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. You even have the nerve to take credit for it! The corners of the Celestial Messenger''s mouth twitched. An Su completely ignored the black lines on the Celestial Messenger''s face and casually shared the vision he had just seen, albeit omitting the part about him also being a diner. Discover more stories at My Virtual Library Empire "Theoretically, that is the vision you see of the gods upon sacrificing yourself." The Celestial Messenger sighed, finding himself at a loss with this junior birthed, "It''s also a revelation from the gods, potentially indicating your future." "This starry sky represents you; it seems in the future you are going to be devoured by the gods." The Celestial Messenger said with malicious glee. "Besides me, can others see these visions too?" An Su asked curiously, "Haven''t other cultists tried sacrificing themselves?" "Who''s as crazy as you..." said the Celestial Messenger helplessly, "They don''t taste as good as you, the return on investment isn''t proportional." "Get lost." The Celestial Messenger sighed in resignation; now seeing An Su just gave him a headache, "Also, because you died in Heaven, and this Nether World is still unshaped, still undergoing an infinite loop, you can no longer enter into Heaven." "When can I go back?" An Su was a bit anxious; as the future sovereign of Heaven, he couldn''t let his struggles and achievements fall into others'' hands. He was considering whether introducing more girlfriends to the Celestial Messenger might win him some flexibility. "Thirty days." The Celestial Messenger just wanted to get this pest out of his sight as quickly as possible; he knew An Su was up to no good just by looking at his smiling face, "This isn''t my department, get lost already." As the Celestial Messenger''s words fell, the surrounding space vibrated, and the wandering starlight began sketching out text, creating An Su''s evaluation. [Seventh Order World Passed] [Daily Routine Completed] [An Su Moningsta''s survival time: twenty-four hours] An Su shrugged, not bothering with this impolite creature; truly, no good deed goes unpunished. Chapter 212 Final Settlement_2 He looked at his first appraisal, [Master Matchmaker d---Merlin Fashtar has been troubled by his marriage affairs for a long time. With your help, His Excellency Merlin successfully resolved his worries and smoothly handled his lifelong issuehe will have a shadow over blind dating for the rest of his life, never to marry again, thus will no longer be troubled by marriage affairs.] Look, An Su revealed a smug smile, his matchmaking skills were evident for all to see, even the gods acknowledged his prowess. [Hairdressing Master C---You successfully hairdressed thirty Fourth Order Cultists, ten saints, and one demigod. Your hairdressing skills have grown increasingly profound.] Right, since he didn''t want to go on blind dates, An Su could also offer his hairdressing services to Celestial Messengers. He gazed at the uncle''s dashing and elegant long hair, his eyes lighting up. [Master Educator D--You have made revolutionary reforms to the Church exams, and meanwhile, under your esteemed guidance, the Cultists have become reborn.] An Su knew he had a knack for education. [Dying for Faith C+As the temporary Holder of Heaven, you sacrificed your life for your country on your first day in office, held firmly your ground until the last moment fighting against the evil Esoteric Saints, and eventually died bravely, vanquishing the evil along with yourself. Though your body perished, your achievements will live on forever.] Well said. An Su revealed an expression of approval, with even a hint of tears in his eyes, as he was moved by his own unyielding spirit. [Super Invincibly Delicious Kid AAfter sacrificing your temporary demigod body, the Mother Goddess deemed your flesh tastier and looks forward to the day you are fully ripened.] This was completely beyond An Su''s expectations; such an appraisal could actually reach an A grade. After all, An Su''s sacrifice was only of the body, not the soul, and although the body was of a demigod, it was only temporary, akin to expiring food. Yet this expiring food reached an A. Keep in mind, this was not just any A in a common world, but an A of a Seventh Order world! Experience more tales on My Virtual Library Empire If compared on equal terms, an A in a Seventh Order world, when placed in a slightly lower-tier world, would be at the top of the ratings, going above SSS. [Settlement complete, An Su Moningsta''s overall appraisal: B] [Calculating rewards] The rewards of this settlement were rather crude; An Su had sacrificed so many Cultist talents, including three saints. Just the life points from the Mother Goddess were greatly satisfying to An Su. He didn''t exchange for magic but converted all into baptisms. Gentle crimson moonlight enveloped An Su, He felt the vastness of life entering his viscera, cleansing his body''s meridians, and penetrating deeply into his soul. His spirit and flesh were twisted and recombined by that formidable power; each tear brought immense pain, and each wound was renewed with fresh, new flesh. If this were the world of cultivating immortality, it would be called "washing marrow and cutting hair," where all the impurities in the body and marrow are expelled. In simple terms, it''s spraying history through the body, but luckily An Su crossed into a Western fantasy world, which didn''t have such epic hardcore. After the vast life traversed through An Su''s body and soul, An Su sensed his own changes. [Combat Skill Points: 520] [Warrior: First OrderThird Order] First was the change in physical fitness, Sarch* The n?vel_Fire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. He originally had no close-combat talent and knew only a few low-level combat skills, but thanks to the life points gained from the sacrifices, his feeble physical fitness was forcefully elevated to a Third Order Warrior... With his body at this level, he was no longer a frail magician; he could combine prayer magic with learning some combat skills and follow the path of a faith warrior. Capable of close combat and able to cast magic at range. However, for An Su, the enhancement of his physical fitness was secondary, the main thing was the improvement of his soul rank. His soul had barely reached the standards of a saint before, but after the baptism of the sacrifice, its strength had greatly increased. His spiritual world was broader, his reasoning clearer, and magic circuits that previously took him half an hour to understand now only required a few minutes to grasp. His soul strength had reached the intermediate stage of a saint. And there was still an excess of baptism An Su hadn''t been able to fully absorb. Once An Su completely digested it, his soul strength would further advance. Soul strength is incredibly important for all professions; various rational judgments, spellcasting success rates, and magic creation all rely on the strength of the soul, just like with the Radiant Illumination Skill, An Su was able to radiate to ordinary saints. Many magicians at the fifth tier, ordinary saints, in fact, do not have soul strengths that reach the level of saints. And this is only the baptism from the side of the Mother Goddess of Life, An Su follows the Light and Dark Priest Sect, and after sacrificing cultists, he can also collect rewards from the Radiant Holy See for the eradication of cultists. The life points from the Mother Goddess of Life are to elevate his soul rank, while the faith points from the Radiant Holy See are to elevate An Su''s magic rank. Unfortunately, his self-sacrifice of the demigod body cannot be counted as eradicating cultists, so the rewards he received are significantly less. But even so, they are still quite substantial. After the moonlight passed, there came the Holy Light of glory, and the Mother Goddess and the goddess took turns blessing An Su''s body, his magic rank climbing rapidly and his magic power also skyrocketing, with the purest and most hallowed light enveloping the depths of An Su''s pupils. He stepped beyond the limit of the third order, climbing up the fourth order, and ultimately reached the intermediate stage of the fourth order. It has been half a year since he came to the church, and An Su just turned fifteen. A fifteen-year-old fourth-order magician, Outside, no one could imagine or believe it. To know that a fourth-order magician, with sufficient experience, could become a priest of the church. And the examiners for the annual saints'' examinations are only of late fourth-order strength. In half a year, from examinee to examiner, this would cause a sensation if it got out. What''s more, a fifteen-year-old fourth-order magician, even Priestess Ai Xueli, who was hailed as a genius witch, was promoted to fourth-order at nineteen. An Su even became a fourth-order a year earlier than the Princess Farol, the future Empress of the Empire. At higher levels, it becomes increasingly difficult to increase magic power. But compared to low-rank magicians, the same magic used with the same magic power, high-rank magicians create overwhelmingly more powerful effects. An Su felt that he could now take on three An Sus from the day before. This base reward now concluded, next were the rewards for completion of daily tasks. Last time he and Merlin Faust completed Heaven, because his contribution was not nearly enough, the gods only gave An Su a one-time key to enter Heaven; it was uncertain what kind of reward he would receive this time. This time, An Su''s contribution to task completion was a full fifty percent. This time, maybe they would give him five keys! He eagerly awaited the rewards, and the Celestial Messenger, watching An Su''s hopeful appearance, doused his spirits, "Forget it, the gods will probably dismiss you casually." After all, such an absurd thing like An Su, there probably wasn''t a god who liked him. They probably couldn''t wait for An Su to leave quickly. As if to prove the Celestial Messenger''s words to be true, An Su waited a long time without any movement. As if the thing had crashed, the gods'' attention came and went, and after pondering for a long time, starlight flickered, sending a dazzling brilliance towards An Su. Its power was so sacred and vast, enveloping the purest of light. It was a reward befitting of a seventh-order world, even if it was just for daily tasks, its level reached an astonishing sanctified blessing; this was still the highest tier of reward An Su had ever received. An Su and the Celestial Messenger took it and looked, their eyebrows slightly raised and their hearts shocked. [Sanctified Blessing] [Holder of Heaven 24-Hour Temporary Authority Experience Card x1] [Effect: After the resurrection period, this experience card can be used to gain temporary authority as Holder of Heaven for a day. During the authority period, the holder must complete the Holder''s obligations.] [Note: Try again.] Chapter 213 Merlin: Its the first time the original has seen such an arrogant surrender! [Holder of Heaven Temporary 24-Hour Experience Card x1] [Note: One more time] The Celestial Messenger stared at the line of text, his pupils dilating as he fell into a long, deep silence. He felt there must be something wrong with the way the world worked; could this experience card be renewed? What did ''one more time'' mean? Was being the temporary ruler of Heaven some kind of store-wide sale? If you won it, could you get another one? As the Celestial Messenger looked on in stunned silence, An Su deliberately coughed, straightened his somewhat disheveled white scarf, dusted off his shoulders, smoothed out the wrinkles in his clothes, straightened his back, and with a contrived tone of voice and a stomp of his foot, held his proud head high, displaying the mature and imposing air of a leader. As the future master of Heaven, one must have the demeanor of the master of Heaven. An Su knew the principle that gold always shines; it seemed his outstanding talent had already been highly recognized by the gods. Indeed, he had only been in office for one day and had already solved the educational issues, resolved Merlin''s emotional issues, and started dealing with so many heretics. He truly was meritorious and had made significant contributions to the Church''s future. When he would resume his position after thirty days, he was determined to lead Heaven''s future toward an even broader horizon. Your next chapter awaits on My Virtual Library Empire At the thought, he became smug, his eyes filled with the purest of faith. Seeing An Su''s hands-on-hips, head-held-high posture, the Celestial Messenger''s expression darkened. This kid had only been in office for a day yet had managed to wreak havoc on both the Esoteric Religion and the Orthodox Church, daring to conduct a live sacrifice at the highest level of Heaven. If such a bold and reckless person continued even for one more day, what would become of it? He was afraid that the Celestial Messenger might even pry out and replace the lock core of Heaven''s Gate with his own shape! Although he was absolutely neutral, he did not want to see a total mess. "I''ll take sick leave in thirty days," thought the Celestial Messenger, "I reckon I''ll be sick by then." It was the only idea he had; he couldn''t handle An Su, but at least he could avoid him by taking leave. And the Celestial Messenger was not lying; he would definitely be sick after thirty daysby that time, An Su would have aggravated him to a brain thrombosis. Seeing the Celestial Messenger''s complexion was not good, the highly emotionally intelligent An Su quickly consoled the uncle. He was a kind and understanding child and immediately discerned the Celestial Messenger''s concerns, displaying his spirit of selflessness, "Would you like me to fill in for you then?" An Su said with a face full of zeal, "Although it''s hard to hold two positions at the same time, for the sake of our faith, I''m willing to give my all! Please rest assured and leave the position of Messenger to me, I definitely won''t let you down." "...." The Celestial Messenger was already aggravated to the point of a brain thrombosis. The little one wasn''t satisfied with causing trouble for the Holder of Heaven; now he was eyeing his position too! "Bugger off!" Incensed, the Celestial Messenger smacked An Su on the back, sending him staggering and plummeting straight down from the starry river. The stars rapidly faded in front of An Su''s eyes, and when his vision cleared, he found himself having left the Astro-World and returned to reality. The first floor of the Magic Association was calm and peaceful; the sky outside was already bright, with white clouds overlapping in the dark valleys and the sparkling lake water scattered on the wooden floor through the church-styled stained glass windows. It was already the next day. An Su squinted, gradually adjusting to the strong light of the real world. In three days, the Church''s grand examination, the written test, would begin, which was the preliminary exam. From today until tomorrow would be the registration days across the country. Early in the morning, an endless stream of saints lined up at the Association''s door, following the guidance of the front desk to different Church windows to register and receive identification seals for the exam. The Esoteric Religion exam An Su had written the day before had also been escorted out by Order Knights and mass-printed at various printing plants. Sarch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. There were even circles of reporters surrounding the place outside. Examinees were chatting with each other, creating a buzz of noise. "Have you all reviewed?" asked a young man from the Alchemical Church. "I haven''t looked at a single book, sigh, I can only go in bare now," his companion replied with a sighed lament. "Ah, same here, I''m not holding out much hope; I''m ready to sleep during the test," a Druid Saint added, resigned to his fate. "This is over; better luck next year," the young man said dejectedly. Though they said this, deep down, they were each confident and smiling at one another, exchanging knowing looks. Everything was understood without words. After all, to be qualified to participate in the deacon''s promotion, one had to be a genius among geniuses, the most outstanding young talent in each administrative city. For these basic knowledges on paper, it was easy pickings. To them, the written test in four days was just a formality. "Hope the questions will be easier this time. Sigh." In their hearts, everyone was screaming that the harder the questions, the better, the more challenging, the more exhilarating; that way, they could stand out from the rest of these failures! The Church''s questions were always the same, Test the magic properties of the light element, the transformation relationships of various elements, and big questions like designing a Magic Circuit based on a given problem... The test questions every year never really changed, truly lacking any novelty. And the ones setting the questions were just a bunch of old scholars with no desire for progresstruly disappointing. Chapter 213 Merlin: Its the first time Ive ever seen such an arrogant surrender!_2 They had been staying up late to study for the past four months and had even gone through all the real exam papers from the last ten years. With all their rivals being such lazy wastes of space, they were sure to pass with flying colors this time! Sarch* The N??elFir.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Watching the candidates engage in friendly exchanges and practice their acting skills, An Su, who knew this game well, couldn''t help but smile with satisfaction. He could read the true thoughts of these candidates from their exaggerated performances, and he was determined not to let them down, as they wished. In a room full of saints, all shedding crocodile tears, they were all actors. Only a fool would be fooled by their acting, An Su thought to himself. Just then, the sound of hearty, confident laughter came from the door, apparently as a response to an interview with reporters. "I will definitely ace the exam this time!" "At least make it into the top five!" In a crowd of crying weaklings, such confident laughter suddenly burst forth, sending the saints in the room into a state of shock. They were all from out of town and new to the capital, not familiar with this fellow who dared to declare he would definitely succeed. Crowding around to see more, they heard the staff at the front of the room discussing, "I saw this person the day before yesterday..." "It is said that His Excellency Merlin has personally summoned him." "Is he a favored person close to His Excellency the Archmage?" Your adventure continues at My Virtual Library Empire "Moreover... have you heard that His Excellency Merlin made last-minute changes to the questions yesterday!" Upon hearing this news, the reporters all showed the excited expressions of sharks smelling blood, surging forward to hand the microphone to the man surrounded by the crowd. These reporters were not from the capital but came from various publications across the country, so they didn''t recognize the man. Curious, An Su also looked on. "For us borderland candidates, there are no difficult questions." Arthur confidently accepted the microphone for the interview. He was certainly confident, even though he had not read a single book. He had done a great favor for His Excellency Merlin, and it was only right for him to get a hint about the exam questions. Moreover, he had already started inquiring about his competitors. Those whom he queried about their performance all pulled long faces, indicating they hadn''t studied at all. He had asked ninety-three people, strangely enough eighty said they were walking in blind, ten said they were just tourists taking the exam on a whim, and three even claimed they were unaware of the exam date. With such lousy opponents, Arthur Sunny was sure to catch them off guard this time! "Quite full of yourself," the "Sea City Morning Post" reporter quickly noted down in his notebook and raised another question, "Do you know His Excellency Merlin?" His Excellency the Archmage was well-known nationwide, and his actions and trends were influential. Take for example the "Glorious Forelock" style proposed by An Su last time, rumored to improve the brain''s heat dissipation speed during magic casting, it had widely caught on in the circles of saints in the capital. "I greatly admire His Excellency Merlin. I just met with His Excellency Merlin yesterday morning." Arthur smiled confidently again; he shared a spiritual resonance with His Excellency Merlin, along with similar aspirations. He was determined to promote the glorious spirit of Merlin, "His Excellency Merlin is quite forthcoming in his approach." Remembering the day he met with Merlin, who refused to turn around and face him, Arthur understood Merlin''s glorious spirit. "You should know, His Excellency Merlin wasn''t wearing pants yesterday! He was facing away from me the whole time!" Arthur said confidently, "This is the embodiment of his glorious spirit, so I think it''s necessary to revoke Article 31 of the ''Order Act'' which states ''No indecent exposure in public,'' since the Archmage does it too!" An Su''s face was filled with disbelief. When did I ever not wear pants? I was merely facing away from the masses! When Arthur dropped the sensational news, the "Fashion Weekly" reporter''s eyes lit up, hurriedly following up, "May I ask why His Excellency Merlin does not like wearing pants?" Arthur smiled confidently, "Excessive body temperature can impede brain function, thus affecting the speed of magic casting. That''s why His Excellency Merlin intends to cast spells naked, and I propose that in the future, all Magicians should fight without their clothes." I see... the "Fashion Weekly" reporter quickly jotted it down. Saints from all over the country also showed a thoughtful look, marveling that the capital really plays on a different level of flamboyance. "By the way, His Excellency Merlin has summoned me." Arthur was about to tout the Archmage''s great deeds further when he suddenly heard Merlin''s telepathic message in his ear. Merlin''s tone was flat, indicating some details of last night he wanted to inquire about. It seems His Excellency Merlin had finished his wild battle last night and was returning to court. Logically, it was time for his reward. "Was it you who did the things yesterday?" Merlin''s soulful telepathy said, his tone flat and unreadable. "Your Excellency, it was indeed me, and I claim half the credit," Arthur replied with pride, "This surprise I prepared for you contains my respect. You must have had a wonderful evening last night, Your Excellency Merlin." Recalling the hellish scene of yesterday, Merlin fell silent. "Was it you who recommended Rada?" "It was me." "Did you surreptitiously advise Rada through telepathy?" "Indeed." Arthur smiled confidently, "Especially that move, ''Pulling up a mountain,'' it was my creative idea." It was the first time Merlin had seen someone confess with such brazen pride and spiritedness! Chapter 213 Merlin: Its the first time the original has seen such an arrogant surrender!_3 ``` "And the design of the clothingthe completely naked lookI handled that all by myself." Arthur said proudly, soliciting recognition for his contribution. "..." Silence fell on the other end for a moment, then came a voice, grudging and through gritted teeth, "Come up here, I''ve prepared a surprise for you." This must be the time for rewards for services. "What kind of surprise?" "Experience the second circuit for one day." Merlin was able to control the intensity of the second circuit; it was time to give the lad a one-day heads-up. Arthur didn''t understand, but it sounded prestigious, and anything awarded by the God of Law had to be a good thing! "May I ask what level of surprise this is?" Arthur inquired curiously. "It''s of a holy level." Merlin thought to himself that the lad was quite composed. At the mention of this, Arthur''s spirits soared. It seemed His Excellency Merlin liked to be secretive, keeping such a big surprise under wraps. Arthur, emboldened, said, "Your Excellency Merlin, since I have accomplished such a great feat, isn''t just one day a bit too little?" No matter what this second circuit was, surely more was better! The silence on the other end resumed once more, deathly still. Merlin had never seen someone so arrogant before. You''re courting death! "How many days do you want then?" "Four days," Arthur replied, thinking the exam in four days might benefit from this. "You have a week," Merlin said generously. Arthur was overjoyed; His Excellency the Archmage handled things so generously, instantly increasing the reward sevenfoldtruly an awe-inspiring, domineering presence. He was in a rush to receive his award now, bowing to the surrounding journalists, "Excuse me, His Excellency Merlin has summoned me through a telepathic message. I have pressing matters to attend to! I must take my leave." His announcement sparked a new uproar. The saints looked at Arthur in amazement, never expecting that this gentleman would receive yet another summons from His Excellency Merlin. The journalists eagerly asked for Arthur''s full name, "Could you provide us with your contact information?" "Just call me An Su Moningsta," Arthur replied with an easy smile, a righteous man who naturally wanted to share the good reputation with his dear friend. Last time during the interview, only Brother Su hadn''t left a name, which had been a regret for Arthur. As soon as he said this, saints across the country were shocked again, thinking so this was the legendary An Su Moningsta. The name An Su was well known even among saints outside the Imperial Capital. You motherf****r... An Su was staring at this guy, but revealed a gentle smile. Wearing a confident smile, Arthur walked into the hall under the admiring gazes of all, chest puffed out in pride, ready to find Merlin and claim his reward. As he approached the staircase, he saw Brother Su and greeted him warmly, "Brother Su, I have a big secret to tell you. Lister and I have done a great service; His Excellency Merlin is going to reward us handsomely!" "Congratulations." An Su applauded, genuinely happy for Arthur. Pleased with the applause, Arthur said with great generosity, "After giving it some thought, Brother Su, you''ve always treated me well. Although you didn''t lift a finger in this affair, I''ll put in a good word for you with His Excellency Merlin and share a bit of the credit with you!" Like giving Brother Su a day of the reward. Since he had an entire week to experience it, giving Brother Su a day was no big deal. Surely Brother Su would be overwhelmed with gratitude, bowing his head in respect. "I must confess, it''s really nothing special," Arthur boasted to An Su nonchalantly, "It''s just that ''second circuit'' thingwhatever that is. It''s not something valuable, ha-ha, it''s just at the holy level. Brother Su, you don''t need to be too envious, ha-ha." "...Congratulations," An Su congratulated Arthur again. "If Brother Su really envies me, I can give you a day and a half!" Arthur offered magnanimously, reveling in the unique pleasure of being seen as a saint among men. "No need," An Su said, with a strained smile, "Keep it all for yourself." "Why be so formal between brothers?" Arthur struck his chest in a noble gesture, "Just wait for the good news from me." Who the hell is being formal with you. You''re not being formal when it comes to using my name? An Su''s smile barely concealed his irritation, waving his hand as if nobly refusing, "You jest, An Su Moningsta is utterly uninvolved with any of this grand tribute. This is all your well-deserved credit, Arthur." "Then fine. Since you said so, don''t regret it later." Arthur sighed. Brother Su was always so falsely modest. Hmmph, he really had no idea what he''d missed out on. Arthur straightened his clothes and climbed the steps with his head held high. Truly a day that brought honor to his ancestors! His father, far away on the frontier, would surely be proud and boastful of his son when he heard the news! sea??h th N?vel(F)ire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ``` Chapter 214 An Su Feels Happy for His Brothers After Arthur bounded away, An Su sincerely felt happy for him. You should know that Arthur Sunny possessed the majestic title of "Painful Falcon"; in the Painful Dry School, he showcased his falcon everywhere to create psychological pressure on the surrounding cultists. Today was the day Arthur''s falcon soared, and naturally, An Su was happy for his brother. Harboring the purest and kindest blessings, An Su turned his friendly gaze to another good brother. "His Excellency Merlin once believed that appropriate urination helps the circulation of magic power within the body, lowers body temperature, and accelerates the speed of casting magic." At this moment, Lister was being interviewed by reporters. Facing numerous questions from the reporters, he responded with a confident smile, his every move brimming with the etiquette and elegance of nobility. "I am also quite familiar with His Excellency Merlin," Lister calmly adjusted his glasses, recounting the great deeds of His Excellency Merlin to the reporters, "When I saw him yesterday, he was facing the biting cold wind and urinating." "Urination also lowers body temperature and is beneficial for increasing a sorcerer''s casting speed. Therefore, His Excellency Merlin does so. I would recommend that sorcerers empty themselves before casting magic..." It made a lot of sense. The reporters from Entertainment Weekly hurriedly jotted it down in their notebooks, their expressions excited and elated, knowing they had uncovered a scoop. Journalism students didn''t care whether what Lister said was true or not; the truth was for judges to worry about. This story was sure to be hot, with guaranteed newspaper sales and a certain creation of a huge wave. The enigmatic image of His Excellency the Archmage began to crystallize among the many reporters. The radiant leader with a Mediterranean haircut, not wearing trousers, always emptying the liquids inside his body wherever and whenever... All this was to dissipate heat, lower body temperature, and thus improve the speed of spellcasting. As expected from the legendary Magic God Merlin, he was so unconventional and unorthodox, so mysterious and charming. Many fervent fans of the Archmage nodding in admiration and agreeing, each expressing their intent to try it out themselves next time. Even the officials from the Magic Association didn''t voice any objections; they thought there was absolutely nothing wrong. After all, it was Merlin, nothing he did would surprise them. Because to date, none of the guesses and rumors about His Excellency Merlin had been more outlandish than the man himself. Like changing the exam papers on the fly, causing the entire nation''s examinees to perish C that''s definitely not something any human could accomplish. The reporters got the answers they wanted. After Lister finished his interview with the reporters, his eyes suddenly sharpened and he spotted An Su far away, revealing an elegant smile. He promptly walked towards An Su. As a noble, modest and low-key, Lister never had the lowly desire to show off; he simply greeted An Su very naturally, and mentioned off-handedly, "Brother Su, how did you know that I just received a three-day reward for the divine second circuit?" Who asked you... An Su too smiled, also very naturally and offhandedly replying, "Congratulations, but I heard that Arthur received a reward for a whole week." What? Lister''s face showed shock, feeling deeply betrayed. Everyone had clearly agreed to share and share alike, so how come Arthur got so much more than him? That just wasn''t how the world worked. He hurriedly inquired about the details from An Su. He felt deceived. "At first it seemed like only a day, but Brother Arthur said it was seven days." An Su answered honestly, without a single lie. That was it. If even Arthur with his dull brain could multiply it by seven, then surely he could do better. Lister understood; he''d been charmed and dismissed by Merlin. He immediately contacted His Excellency Merlin''s soul communication, Lister was determined to fight for his legitimate rights. "Your Excellency Merlin, hello, I have a matter to consult with you..." Lister spoke respectfully. "Chin up!" An Su gave Lister an encouraging thumbs-up, straightening out the creases on his jacket, "Brother Lister, we are nobles out of the frontier, let''s not lose our dignity!" "Of course." Lister pushed up his glasses calmly, he snorted coolly, radiating the confidence of a borderlander, and began to argue for his due treatment with His Excellency Merlin, a nobleman''s dignity inviolable and immune to insult. "Why does Brother Arthur get a week and I only get three days?" "Are you looking down on me?" Lister''s words were proud and neither humble nor arrogant; for a noble, the specific nature of the reward was a secondary concern, but it absolutely couldn''t be lesser than that of his own brother, otherwise it would be a contempt for the dignity of the eldest son of the moon. "..." His righteous declaration left Merlin on the other end of the Magic Communication speechless with astonishment. Merlin had never seen anyone argue about their punishment as an eunuch... S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Is he worried that a shorter punishment would be embarrassing to announce? In this crazy age, is even becoming a eunuch competitive? Lister''s imposing manner rather embarrassed Merlin. He tentatively asked, "And what would your expectation be...?" "Given the contributions I''ve made, it should start at two weeks at least," Lister said, standing akimbo, proudly. This was self-sentencing... Merlin held his forehead; Lister was the most melodramatic juvenile delinquent he had ever encountered. Chapter 214 An Su is Happy for His Brothers_2 ``` "Good job!" An Su applauded encouragingly, his eyes filled with admiration as he looked at Lister. That''s the scope of their border people, "Let''s see what he does next." Lister smiled humbly, indicating that this was just a basic move for him. "Your buddy Arthur also only had a week," Merlin said slowly, never having seen such a strange creature before. "One week is really too short." Lister''s mouth cracked into an icy smile, and he replied politely to His Excellency Merlin, "Please fill me up!" "...," At the other end of the Magic Communication, Merlin fell silent, never having encountered such an odd creature before. "Your buddy Arthur also only had a week," he finally said slowly after a while. Merlin wondered if two weeks would be too severe. It wasn''t that he was unwilling to act, but rather he was concerned that his actions might reach the criteria for sentencing. The Order Church''s "Minor Saint Protection Law" and the Druid Court''s "Rare Animal Protection Act" might come knocking on his door for vengeance. After all, beasts are animals, and this border breed like Lister would be considered rare even among beasts. Lister enjoyed the protection of both laws, and when combined, it amounted to the legendary "Protection Law for Minors at Birth," which was indeed very powerful. "Arthur is Arthur, and I am I," Lister said proudly, pushing up his glasses, "Not to hide anything, this perfect plan was initially conceived and proposed by me." Your journey continues at My Virtual Library Empire Lister''s every move exuded the confidence and elegance of a noble. Faced with a reward from His Excellency Merlin, he decided to showcase his exceptional social skills to secure more benefits and advantages, as sophisticated social networking was a forte of the Moon Family. As the legitimate eldest son of the Moon Family, he could not let them down. "So you were the mastermind, correct?" Merlin massaged his temples, speaking coldly. "I am indeed the main planner," Lister worried about His Excellency Merlin''s level of comprehension, as "buddy" was misunderstood as "accomplice" and "main planner" as "mastermind." As a bishop of the Radiant Holy See, his intellectual quality and moral cultivation Merlin fell into a long, long silence. He even began to question his life. He had thought that the previous Arthur was arrogant enough, but Lister seemed to defy the heavens to an extreme. He realized he had greatly underestimated these border-born individuals; each one of them was ferocious! "How many more days do you want?" Merlin was on the verge of laughter from exasperation. Lister noticed Merlin was still somewhat reluctant, what a miser. He promptly stated, "Your Excellency Merlin, I can offer you a reason you cannot refuse." Lister chuckled lightly. His father had once taught him that to gain more benefits, one must first show more value. He was well-versed in the ways of noble social networking. He spoke out loud, his words as impactful as a thunderclap, leaving both An Su and Merlin stunned. "If you''re tired of Miss Miejue, with the connections of the Moon Family, I can introduce you to many handsome and strong men!" "The types are all varied, guaranteed to satisfy you," Lister said with confidence. What the hell kind of crime is this declaration... Sarch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Merlin was shocked. One Rada wasn''t enough, and now this guy wanted to introduce him to other strong men? These border-born folks were nothing but lawless desperados! Seeing His Excellency Merlin falling into a lengthy silence, Lister again displayed a confident smile; he knew his strategy was successful. His Excellency Merlin was speechless with excitement, embarrassed. Haha, after all, men understand men. Let''s use a high EQ response to warm Merlin''s entire day. "Your Excellency Merlin, there''s no need to be shy, I respect your interests," Lister said politely and understandingly, his words filled with the warmth of high EQ, "After all, everyone''s orientation is free." Merlin: "..." "If I can make such a contribution for you, how many days do you think you should reward me?" Lister asked politely. You dare to provoke me...? Merlin, a scourge of the world for a century, had never seen anyone so brazenly audacious, more reckless than himself in his younger years. This kid didn''t seem the slightest bit afraid; in fact, he was downright pleased and proud. Relying on the "Protection Law for Minors at Birth," he dared to be so bold. A mere Third Order saint daring to challenge a demigod even the lunatics of the Mysticism of Chaos aren''t as gutsy as this one! Spread the word, and it would be enough to make Lister famous in the Church Nation. The only bolder act Merlin could think of would be to conduct a sacrifice right in the heart of the Church''s headquarters... Thankfully, no one dared to do such a thing. "You get a month." Merlin said coldly, his tone filled with the domineering air of a demigod. Since it was this little punk challenging him, even the Rare Animal Protection Law wouldn''t save him. He was Merlin Andre, the Holder of Heaven, the Vice-President of the Magic Association, essentially a server administrator. Having offended a server administrator, this kid had hit a steel plate. Merlin was looking forward to seeing the kid''s remorse and pleas for mercy, then coldly saying, "It''s too late for regrets now," followed by reveling in his despair. Just fantasizing about it made him feel refreshed. Who would have thought that upon hearing Merlin''s generous offer, Lister was overjoyed, his voice brimming with happiness, "Then it''s a deal, you mustn''t go back on your word." "...." That''s my line! Don''t turn the Steelyard against its master! Merlin hung up the Magic Communication; another half a minute of this guy''s nonsense, and he''d have a cerebral hemorrhage from anger! ``` Chapter 214 An Su is Happy for His Brothers_3 Seeing that Lister had ended the Magic Communication and won his deserved reward, An Su revealed a gratified smile. He patted Lister on the shoulder, indicating that this was the true demeanor of our frontier men. "Congratulations, brother Lister," An Su said with satisfaction, patting his shoulder, "Go claim your reward. Oh, and don''t forget, there is an activity by the Esoteric Religion tonight, a Transformation Spell magic test requested by Bishop Rada. Make sure you don''t oversleep this time." "I''m really looking forward to seeing you both shine!" An Su''s tone was very sincere, which made Lister feel somewhat bashful, "You jest, brother An Su; Arthur and I are far from matching your understanding of magic." Lister was, in fact, speaking the truth; An Su''s level of magic was undoubtedly the highest among the three of them. "You must have confidence in yourself," An Su''s deep blue pupils were filled with sincerity, "In this test, you and brother Arthur must definitely dominate the top two rankings, stand out from the rest." Hearing An Su say this, Lister was deeply moved. He really did not expect An Su to have such faith in his abilities. After receiving His Excellency Merlin''s reward, he was determined to practice the Transformation Spell thoroughly, not wanting to disappoint brother An Su. Speaking of rewards, Bishop Rada still owed him a prize... But for some reason, there had been no news from Bishop Rada since morning; could it be that he hadn''t gotten up yet? No matter what, today would be a day to make his ancestors proud. Surely, his father on the distant imperial frontier would also take pride and joy in his son''s achievements. With such thoughts in mind, Lister bid farewell to An Su and stepped onto the stairs leading to Heaven with elegance and confidence. Watching his two daughters slowly moving away, An Su felt a heartfelt pride and joy for them. After sorting out the affairs of his two daughters, as midday approached, the fierce sun scorched the hall, and the saints gradually dispersed, each heading back to their designated inns to rest. The high trees of summer hummed with cicadas'' raspy chorus, while the clean, shaded path was deserted, and An Su also returned home for a brief respite. Upon leaving the Magic Association, An Su walked along the cool, deserted path and halfway through, he suddenly sensed a strange presence. From within those shadows came rustling sounds. Ever since his soul reached the Middle Stage Saint, his perception far exceeded what it was before, instantly noticing something unusual that he had not perceived the day before. That powerful soul perception even allowed An Su to hear the whispered conversations hidden in the shadows, "The kid finally came out of the Magic Association!" "He stayed in there for a whole day and two nights; was he born in the Association or something? Booking a room inside!" "Damn, my legs are numb from kneeling... Hiding in these shadows for over twenty hours, is this something a human can endure?" "The kid has finally separated from the group, he won''t be able to escape us this time! We must possess him before the test begins! I absolutely will not undergo a transformation!" Your next journey awaits at My Virtual Library Empire "Thank goodness I was prepared with the Saint''s comfort, or else I couldn''t have lasted this long..." "I can''t take it anymore! What the hell is a bladder department!" "Just a mere Third Order saint, once he completely steps out of the Magic Eye''s surveillance area, we''ll make our move when my brother signals by peeing. We''ll all jump out and capture him." Only then did An Su realize that these guys were talents from the Esoteric Religion fixated on his body, offering up those precious materials for the sacrifices in Heaven; these were the same brothers who had brought them to him... He had been immersed in the experience of being the Holder of Heaven and had forgotten all about these brothers. So be it then, as these good brothers wished. After all, having accepted their gifts, he certainly had to get things done. An Su, without any visible reaction, made a turn and walked into a secluded, quiet alley that was devoid of people. Previously, he couldn''t beat so many Fourth Order talents, which is why he had brought a maid for protection, but today was different. Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. He just wanted to validate his current level. Chapter 215 Esoteric Religion Genius: Facing An Su, I Choose to Call the Police The noonday sun was just barely blocked by the eaves of the houses in the alleyway, and An Su deliberately sought out an abandoned alley overgrown with weeds, its walls stained with a deep layer of moss. Such alleyways were most suitable for nefarious deeds such as murder and arson; even if someone died there, no one would know. According to the usual pattern, these guys would take advantage of the fact that he was alone and swarm him to take him down. An Su could then put on a little act of being cornered. He found the most secluded corner, stood with his back against the wall, and waited for the cultists to make their move. In the deepest part of the shadow, several pairs of snake-like eyes gleamed with an ominous light. There were at least six Fourth Order experts, "We must capture him this time!" Geniuses from the three great esoteric religionsPain, Chaos, and Laddersaw An Su enter this rarely frequented alleyway and were determined to take down the annoying An Su and protect their male dignity. They established group communication through their souls and exchanged messages to discuss their grand plan. "Our move this time must be without any mistakes; we need to be fully prepared." A life genius with the divine title "Bloom of Prosperity" used magic communication to send a message to the group. As a believer of the Oceanic Sect, he excelled at a particular plant magic that could summon high-rank magic plants. "I have already scouted the area. From my many years of experience, I see that there are no people around who would expose us." Another man, wrapped in a black cloak and tightly covered by a windcoat, conveyed via magic communication. Discover exclusive tales on My Virtual Library Empire His words convinced all the cultists, as this man had extensive experience and capability in anti-surveillance and scouting, and was a top scout from the original Crimson Cult, having completed various dangerous missions. The most dangerous and famous of his missions was to crawl like a dog on the top floor of the Radiant Holy See as ordered by his master, ensuring that no one detected him, thus earning the divine title "Mission Expert." "We still need the final preparations! Something isn''t right!" "Hold back, now is not the best time." The mastermind of this assassination plot, a Chaos Follower only a step away from Fifth Tier, who excelled in lightning magic and bore the title "Chaotic Ladder," sent the message with urgency and seriousness. His tone made all the believers tense up, secretly wondering if there was a flaw in the plan. This Chaotic Ladder, known for his broad knowledge and wide-ranging interest in many fields, often stirred significant sensations with his remarks. He didn''t speak often, but his words were always pertinent and could precisely provoke the emotions of others. Eventually, his words would lead to vehement criticism from experts in respective fields, creating great chaos. He did this to please the Mother Goddess through chaos. The followers of Chaos were the smartest among the three great esoteric religions, so they naturally listened when the Chaotic Ladder spoke. "Think carefully, why would that youngster An Su deliberately enter such a dark alley? Why did he not take the busy main road? What does he want to do? Why would he enter an alley with no one around?" "Think about it, if it were you, why would you enter an alley where no one can see you?" Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. An Su could now listen in to their magic communication with his soul, and hearing the Chaotic Ladder speak, his heart tightened. It seemed his attempt to lure the enemy had been too deliberate, raising suspicions among the cultists. An Su had purposefully lured these guys into the alley to deal with them covertly, as many of his magic spells were not to be seen by others. Had the Chaotic Ladder seen through him? An Su quickly collected his thoughts and continued to eavesdrop. As expected, The words of the Chaotic Ladder caused the esoteric geniuses to look at each other with grave expressions, as if they had also thought of something. They all glimpsed tension in each other''s eyes. "Could it be... what do you mean?" Bloom of Prosperity said, trembling. "It looks like everyone has guessed the truth... after all, I do this often!" The experienced Mission Expert had found the answer. As a professional scout, he had guessed all of An Su''s thoughts, "Alleyways are best suited for dealing with those unsavory matters." Could it be murder? An Su thought to himself. "You''re right," the Mission Expert agreed, looking at the Chaotic Ladder, "now is indeed not the right time to make our move." An Su''s expression became stern. "Exactly, the reason An Su avoided the crowd and entered this deserted alley is definitely because he was suddenly taken by an urgent need to relieve himself, to solve a private matter." the Chaotic Ladder said, satisfied. An Su''s face darkened, What the hell. As soon as the Chaotic Ladder made that statement, the surrounding cultists all nodded in agreement, feeling confident in what An Su had hidden in his gourd. "A man is most relaxed when he is taking care of his private needs," the Chaotic Ladder instructed the cultists, "we''ll wait for him to slip up, and then we''ll make our move all at once." As An Su eavesdropped on the Chaotic Ladder''s messages, his expression grew even more complex. He should have known that those from the Mysticism of Chaos always had bizarre thoughts, and he shouldn''t have held traditional expectations of them. Such despicable and cunning cultists, who had conceived this underhanded plan of stabbing in the back, were lucky An Su was an upstanding and kind devotee. He would never stoop to such mean and shameless tactics. Seeing that the cultists were holding back from making a move, a cold smile tugged at An Su''s lips. It was time for him to strike first. He immediately cast a "Blessing from God" on the cultists. Chapter 215 Esoteric Religion Genius: Faced with An Su, I Choose to Call the Police_2 ``` Because the attack came suddenly, besides Hua Kai Fu Gui, Ren Wu Da Ren and Chaotic Ladder, several Cultists with intermediate strength had no time to dodge. They immediately felt unbearable pain in their abdomens as their bellies swelled drastically. ``` ``` An Su had reached the Fourth Order and had ample Magic Power to use such Magic. ``` ``` Hua Kai Fu Gui, born of Life Ecclesia, immediately realized the type of Magic An Su had used. It was the sacred pregnancy curse, which was considered a Forbidden Technique even among their Esoteric Religion. ``` ``` The blessing of God, originally called the blessing of the Mother Goddess, is a spell from the blessing series. It allows the caster to experience the pain of childbirth and conceive a void embryo for ten minutes. ``` ``` Despite this Magic''s notoriety, it was only an intermediate spell after all, and quite futile against Fourth Order Believers like themselves. ``` ``` Moreover, Hua Kai Fu Gui was a genius of Life Ecclesia and instantly thought of a Magic that could counter this type of blessing: only a curse could counter a blessing, ``` ``` Around Hua Kai Fu Gui, the Magic Power circulated, and he cast a "Blood Curse" targeting the void life in his companions'' wombs. This Magic could instantly kill the void embryos inside them. ``` ``` An Su revealed a calm smile, his ashen hair lifting in the afternoon breeze. He raised his left hand, his middle finger and index finger joined together, pointing downward, issuing a decree to the world, ``` ``` "No abortion allowed here!" ``` ``` Undoubtedly, in the medieval concept of order, abortion was definitely an act of desecration against the law, and it was not permitted in any Church''s doctrines. To deprive the unborn child of life was to go to hell in religious beliefs. ``` ``` Sarch* The Novl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. [Starlight of Order] ``` ``` [Divine Title Granted] ``` ``` [Title Effect: You may establish a ''law'' in a certain area that would last for fifteen minutes.] ``` ``` Your adventure continues at My Virtual Library Empire [Note 1: The established law is only effective against targets of the same Rank as or lower than oneself.] ``` ``` [Note 2: The established law must be obeyed, including by An Su himself.] ``` ``` [Note 3: The established ''law'' must revolve around basic order; otherwise, it is considered invalid legislation.] ``` ``` [Title Introduction: Beneath the shine of stars, all are equal. Within the law, do as you wish.] ``` ``` An Su had not used this title for a very long time, ``` ``` Because for a long time, An Su''s enemies had Ranks far above his. ``` ``` Now that An Su''s Rank had also reached the Fourth Order, his law would be effective on everyone present. ``` ``` Therefore, the life of the void beings was as well a life. The law An Su established was recognized by the [Starlight of Order], and suddenly, a brilliant starlight shone down, the pale green light swirling in everyone''s eyes. ``` ``` The "Blood Curse" that was originally aimed at the void life in the womb, took an abrupt turn and struck the lower bodies of several Cultists instead. They clutched their abdomens in agony as their blood flowed ceaselessly. ``` ``` "...." Hua Kai Fu Gui fell silent. ``` ``` He turned his head to look at An Su, having never seen someone with such an origin before. ``` ``` Where did this fellow learn life Magic? ``` ``` Just who is the true follower of Life Ecclesia? ``` ``` Hua Kai Fu Gui didn''t have time to ponder these questions. He was a Summoning Mage, capable of summoning forbidden life. He immediately began to chant dark incantations and took out a thick stack of Gold Coins from his pocket. Roughly counting, there were easily a thousand, to serve as the medium and anchor for the summoning. ``` ``` The Legendary High-Rank life Magic [Summoning of the Netherworld] started to unfold, and suddenly an altar appeared out of thin air in the alley. Numerous High-Rank vines climbed out from the altar, and man-eating flowers made from piles of bones blossomed vibrantly, revealing their sharp fangs and teeth towards An Su. ``` ``` [Netherworld Wealthy Flower] ``` ``` [Fourth Order Life] ``` ``` [Remark: A flora born from the River of Life, an extremely wicked flower that feeds on the consumption of life.] ``` ``` The flowers sown by Hua Kai Fu Gui numbered nearly ten, which was also his signature technique. ``` ``` Upon seeing these flowers, An Su''s heart tightened; he recognized them. In the guides from his past life, these magical plants were quite infamous, consuming little Magic Power for high returns. The most powerful Netherworld Flowers were rumored to be able to consume even saints. ``` ``` The sea of man-eating flowers converged towards An Su overwhelmingly, and Hua Kai Fu Gui''s mouth creased into a bitter smile, thinking to himself that the young man was done for today. ``` ``` Then he saw An Su also take out an even bulgier bag of Gold Coins, tossing them at the man-eating flowers. The flowers swallowed the Gold Coins and halted their advance, chewing contentedly. ``` ``` The life geniuses widened their eyes, never having seen such an unusual solution. Fighting while bribing, could it be? ``` ``` What the followers of Life Ecclesia didn''t know was that in the strategy guide from the past life, a hidden weakness of these Wealthy Flowers was discovered. It turned out these flowers were actually developed by the Holy Maiden of Life from thirty thousand years ago, ``` ``` They inherited the exemplary virtues of the widely revered Holy Maiden, ``` ``` Whomever offered the highest price could command their obedience. ``` ``` Hua Kai Fu Gui and An Su both scattered coins, but since An Su was richer, Hua Kai Fu Gui''s summons failed. The plants, having swallowed the money, retracted their roots and voluntarily withdrew back into the earth. ``` ``` "Watch my Summoning Magic." An Su said with a sunny smile, ready to showcase his main skill. ``` ``` It was now An Su''s turn for Summoning Magic. ``` ``` "All things grow." ``` ``` Holy Light glittered in his hands, beams of magic meant for the growth of all things touched the abdomens of the pregnant Believers. The spell All Things Grow could temporarily increase a being''s age by half a year; each void life received it twice. Meanwhile, An Su also added new Magic to this school. ``` Chapter 215 Esoteric Religion Genius: Facing An Su, I Choose to Call the Police_3 Invented by Bishop Merlin, the "Radiant Illumination Skill." The younger the age of the soul, the more susceptible it is to mutations induced by holy light, and the life inside the cultist''s womb was but an infant, making it the most prone to mutation. An Su''s rank far surpassed everyone present, therefore the success rate of the spell was exceptionally high. Yet, the two cultists suffered intense abdominal pain, their bellies swelling manically. Those void creatures gnawed at their flesh, tearing through their bodies, as the twisted radiant light remodeled the bodily structure of the void life forms, until at last, they all burst forth, flapping their wings and revealing their distorted and sacreligious bodies. They had bodies like moths but with several small faces resembling human infants, and upon their wings bulged masses of flesh covered with black fur. This appearance was no longer that of the original void moth, an affront to life forms that even the most widely knowledgeable among living geniuses had never seen. The rank of the Radiant Illumination Skill was extremely high, a legendary magic created personally by the Magic God Merlin, consuming a great deal of magic power, so the results obtained were correspondingly remarkable. Moreover, the mothers that birthed them were the mighty geniuses of the Esoteric Religion, which made their power ranks even more profound. [Void Bat-Falx] [Fifth Tier] [Duration: One minute] [Note: Life forms born of the void, new existences forged by twisted Holy Light, bereft of parents upon birth, no longer attack any target in sight indiscriminately, but obey the commands of the spellcaster themselves] The Fifth Tier rank was secondary, the most potent aspect of An Su''s evolved magic combination was that it could obey his own commands. The initial version of "Birth Gaze Gestation Flow" had the void moths indiscriminately attacking. Nor was it a waste for An Su to have expended such a vast amount of magic power. This void life form had actually reached the Fifth Tier; Flowering Fortune was so shocked by An Su that he was left speechless, "Not letting me abort the child, but allowing you to experiment on the fetus, is that it! He felt he had been deceived, Wasn''t it said that An Su was from the Radiant Holy See? How could this youngster be even more evil than himself? The void bats hovered in the air, swooping down on the remaining Esoteric Religion geniuses, their radiant wings slicing through the crowd, cutting their bodies apart. The cultists didn''t know that the bats'' existence was limited to just one minute. They simply saw the high rank of the creatures and fear seeped in first; they scattered in retreat without thinking of resistance or stalling. Moreover, if the summoned creatures had such a high rank, Then their master, An Su, must be of an even higher level. They had all been deceived by the information; this youngster wasn''t some Third Order saint! S~ea??h the N??eFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Watching his companions panic and scramble, a scout from the Painful Esoteric Sect, known as the ''Task Expert,'' let out a cold laugh. As a former assassin of the Crimson Legion, he was adept at dealing with such situations. What did it matter how strong the summoned creatures were? All that was needed was to take down the physically weak summoner himself. Yet, his figure had already vanished into the darkness, creeping up behind An Su. Blood-colored ripples surged in the void, his poisoned dagger dashing out from his sleeve, trailing a silver arc through the night and aiming for An Su''s throat. No one expected that An Su would suddenly take a step back, barely grazing the dagger with his skin. His pale blue eyes remained deep and vast as if everything was exposed under the watchful gaze of his soul. After stepping back, he dodged the assassinating force and then stepped forward again, pressing straight against the assassin''s face. "No way, bro, can you see me?" The task expert had been carrying out missions for years and had never been seen by anyone before. He hadn''t expected to be caught by An Su this time! To see through his disguise, one''s soul had to be close to that of a saint, perhaps even surpassing it! The task expert wanted to retreat, but his magic power hadn''t recovered, and An Su''s movements were quicker than his. He didn''t know any high-damaging combat techniques; he just swung his arm straight and gave the task expert''s right cheek a fierce slap. Relying on his physically powerful body, he forcefully slapped the expert out of his stealth mode. Although An Su took the advantage with a sneak attack, the force of the blow was definitely not something an ordinary magician could deliver. Discover more stories at My Virtual Library Empire The task expert''s cheek was slapped bloody, three teeth knocked out, and he fell to the ground askew. He roughly estimated that just in terms of strength, that slap was comparable to a Third Order warrior. The realization shockingly mystified him as a Third Order warrior was not really impressive, especially since he was a Fourth Order warrior. "No way, bro, are you a sports student?" What truly shocked the task expert was that An Su''s body, on par with a Third Order warrior, belonged to a magician whose rank in magic was far beyond the Fourth Order and might even reach the saintly Fifth Tier. He was the most capable fighter among those who studied magic and had the highest education among those who studied sports. A Void Bat swooped in to reinforce, pouncing on the task expert and tearing frantically at his flesh, ripping apart his thick coat to reveal his lewd, naked body underneath. He was gnawed away until he was covered in blood and passed out. Another void creature was also killing continuously without interruption. The cultists who had ambushed An Su had already been scattered and wailing by the two Tier Five summoned creatures. However, the leader, "Chaotic Ladder," maintained his composure, appearing as if orchestrating a master plan. An Su couldn''t help feeling a sense of alert, in case the cultist had any reserve strategies. "An Su Moningsta, you have indeed exceeded my expectations," he said. "Heh heh... Interesting," the figure chuckled. "But... you are not enough." Chaotic Ladder let out a cold laugh, his calm eyes flashing with pure chaos, a disregard that came from one who is wise, as if nothing in the world could escape his calculation. The cold evening breeze passed through the alley, somber and chilling. "My strategy surpasses yours. I will recite my ultimate magic, a forbidden spell so frightening that even I fear its use." "Your life is coming to an end." "What strategy?" An Su asked cautiously. Chaotic Ladder snorted coldly, his demeanor that of someone making expert calculations. He chanted the formidable and forbidden spell, its power and presence making the surrounding air tremble with anticipation. All the remaining cultists wore expressions of terrified astonishment. "I''m going to call the Order Church for help!" He chanted the spell loudly, and with the immense amplification granted by magic, his voice traveled far beyond the alleyway, nearly reverberating in the sky above the capital. It was a cry wrapped in the most noble will, the most astonishing wisdom, "Help! After discovering An Su Moningsta urinating in public, he wants to kill to silence us!!" "Someone help, quick!!" Chapter 216 An Su: How did you know that I caught a Fourth Order Cultist? "Help! Someone is peeing in public!" The whole alley fell into dead silence. Stay tuned with My Virtual Library Empire The chilly wind of Xiao Se whistled through the dark alley, rustling the fragmented plane tree leaves at the street corner. Apart from that, the world was devoid of any extra sound. After Chaos Ladder had chanted that top-tier spell, everyone lapsed into silence. Damn it. An Su''s eyelids twitched slightly as he watched the smug-looking Chaos Ladder expressionlessly. He knew none of those who followed the Mysticism of Chaos were good news. They even came up with things like calling the Order Church to report someone for indecency. That was totally contrary to natural law. And he hadn''t been peeing in public! Chaos Ladder stared at An Su with a triumphant face, "Hmph, you''re done for now." Although he couldn''t defeat An Su, he could annoy him to death. Being a genius in the field of knowledge, Chaos Ladder had conducted cursory research on every aspect of the Imperial Capital before infiltrating it. Currently, the Farol Upper City District was striving to become a nationally civilized area, and there were plenty of Order Knights on street patrol. Should they receive a report regarding uncivilized behavior, the Order Knights were sure to come and investigate. After all, they could impose fines, so the Order Knights scrambled to be first on the scene, eager to claim a piece of the action. Sarch* The N??eFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Reporting such behavior worked better than reporting a murder since the knights couldn''t profit off a homicide and would respond slower. Chaos Ladder didn''t expect the Order Knights to take his word for it, but as long as they were present, An Su wouldn''t dare to use those terrifying forbidden Magic Powers for the sake of maintaining the image of a saint. Those fearsome Fifth Tier summons would also be withdrawn. Then, he could take the opportunity to flee amidst the chaos! Everything was going as he had anticipated, And to execute his earth-shattering escape plan, he needed to shout loud enough. Chaos Ladder once again used Magic Power to amplify his voice, and the deafeningly loud complaint pierced through the alleys and numerous buildings, striking straight onto the street. "Quick, someone come here! There''s someone peeing on the street!" Chaos Ladder was certain that his report had been heard and believed that within seconds, the patrolling Order Knights would arrive and they would bring An Su Moningsta, the evil Orthodox Church follower, to justice. An Su''s face darkened. He just wanted to have a typical hero''s moment, a standard show-off and face-slapping scene, so why did these esoteric religion followers always manage to pull off such outrageous stunts... He sighed softly, looking composedly at the cultist''s performance. After a short while, there was no change in the alley, and not a single Order Knight came to issue a fine. The smug Chaos Ladder was taken aback. He suspected that perhaps his voice wasn''t loud enough, and the Order Knights on patrol hadn''t heard him, so he maximized the Magic Power output, "Come quicklydoesn''t anyone care, there''s someone peeing all over the place here!!" He shouted until his face turned red and he was hoarse, with a vast amount of Magic Power almost choking in his throat, yet not a single Order Knight responded. At this moment, on the street adjacent to the alley, Priest Paxi was leading his Order Knights on a routine patrol. Large patches of orange sunlight spread over the white street, and Priest Paxi, walking in the center, felt that life couldn''t be more peaceful and happy. Without the havoc wrought by that brat An Su for a month, the Farol Upper City District truly was a picture of national peace and happiness. At that moment, one of his Order Knights, hearing the ruckus from the nearby alley, hastily reported to Priest Paxi, "Your Excellency, I think I heard someone reporting." "Never mind him; the leaders have issued new regulations, there''s no need to investigate public urination," Priest Paxi replied while reading the newspaper in his hand. "Why?" His subordinate asked, puzzled. He had hoped to score a fine to help with the household expenses, though of course, most of the money would still need to be turned over to the leadership for their share. Priest Paxi, expressionless, said, "Because His Excellency Merlin did it too." He gestured to the newspaper headline, "Explosion! Archmage His Excellency Merlin Andre states that relieving oneself before battle helps to reduce body temperature and improve Magic Power circulationAn Su Moningsta says," "The Holy Saint of the Capital will bring a whole new fashionable item, declare innocence, and pants down with manners"... Priest Paxi felt he would never escape the shadow that brat had cast over his life; the brat was a persistent burden! And now with the old Merlin backing up the young upstart, the entire Radiant Holy See''s atmosphere would be led astray beyond redemption! The Order Knights nodded in understanding, showing an expression of sudden realization. It was good that Priest Paxi had reminded them in time, preventing these young comrades from committing a major workplace taboo. With the leaders setting an example, who were they to call the behavior uncivilized? If word got back to the leaders, it would slapping them in the face. As the saying goes, Merlin''s urine is just urine, but their peeing is wild behavior; Merlin can be urgent, but they should be worried; Merlin can relieve himself, but they would be the ones getting awakened. Merlin doesn''t need to use the toilet, but they would end up cleaning the toilets! With a tacit understanding, the Order Knights covered their ears, turned a blind eye, and turned around to leave. Chaos Ladder shouted until his voice was almost gone, his Magic Power nearly depleted, and yet there was no response from anyone. Disbelieving, he stared at An Su, his mind reelingcould it be that this kid had played some sort of trick? Chapter 216 An Su: How did you know I hooked a Fourth Order Cultist?_2 One could only say that the Chaotic Ladder had murmured something about the latest trends in the Imperial City, but the extent of information was quite limited. During the time he had been screaming, the Void Bats had already slaughtered the Cultists into a state of utter disarray, leaving severed limbs and a river of blood everywhere, the life follower known as ''Blossoming Wealth'' collapsed in the blood-drenched ground, his eyes suddenly narrowing as he thought of something. He had also read that report before coming here and quickly conveyed its content to the Chaotic Ladder, recounting the headline news to him, "The newspaper clearly stated that the intelligence in that report was provided by An Su Moningsta!" How could An Su have anticipated this? But that was the only explanation left... The Chaotic Ladder''s gaze was full of incredulous horror; he had thought himself to be quite cunning, but he had not expected to find someone even more skillful in the realm of cunning, a higher level within the cunning. An Su had made thorough preparations! From the beginning, they had been playing right into An Su''s hands! An Su had lured them into the alley, pretending to be as he was, which was in reality a trap. He took pleasure in their struggle, much like a cat toying with a rat. To kill would be to kill, but to torture like this? An Su staged this whole scene, corrupting the ethos of the entire Imperial City, just to set himself up... Was his character that foul? Even more suitable for the Mysticism of Chaos than myself! He looked at An Su with a complicated gaze, full of admiration, "An Su Moningsta... did you anticipate all of this? Did you advocate the release of the innocent in the newspaper, just to calculate against me?" You motherfucker. What does this have to do with me... Why don''t you make up something good for me, but all the bad stuff has to be wildly imagined onto me. An Su''s expression darkened; the Mysticism of Chaos was filled with clowns. He felt that his intelligence was not high, but it was made to look normal only by being in contrast with these comediansthe styles of this Mixed Cult and the Mixed Orthodoxy were each more twisted than the last. They should all be killed. An Su was too lazy to waste words with these fools any longer; the duration of the two Void Bats had ended, slowly dissolving into the air. An Su pulled out a stack of small knives from the inside of his sleeve and personally made his move against these Cultists who had lost their fighting strength and will, cutting tendons and shattering magic circuits, splattering blood in all directions, while groans and screams echoed up and down the dark alley. He was expressionless as he dispatched several genius Cultists, then rummaged through the ''Task Master''s'' pack and, as expected, found a set of specialized ropes. He tied up each person and prepared to hand them over to the Magic Association. After settling matters with the Magic Association and collecting the devotion points that could be exchanged for Holy Light magic, he intended to turn around and offer them to the Mother Goddess of Life. An Su had just reached the Fourth Order and needed to filter out the old mid- and low-level magic to exchange for higher rank magic. Now was the time when he was short on devotion points. According to the strategies from his previous life, life priests reached a critical stage at the Fourth Order. A Fourth-Order life priest''s magic power was barely sufficient; with a total of thirty-five magic power points, a quantitative change had led to a qualitative change, and he could equip enough magic slots to attempt more interesting combinations of light and dark magic. An Su assessed the magic he currently possessed, which could be divided into several major magic combinations, First was the ''Budding Life'' style, consisting of [All Things Grow], [Radiant Illumination Skill], and [God''s Blessing], capable of summoning high-rank void creatures. The downside was the high magic power consumption and short duration, not suitable for drawn-out battles with the enemy. Then there was the transformation magic combination centered on [Holy Light Transformation Skill], capable of transforming into a Radiant Giant or a Holy Light Giant, with a longer duration, but only capable of passive radiation, lacking active offensive means, and ineffective against enemies of higher spiritual rank. There was also ''Nantong''s Prohibition'' style, which used [God''s Kiss] and combined with [Order''s Starlight]. However, this magic combination was already far behind in terms of Fourth Order strength and was discarded by An Su. As for the sacred low-rank [Light of Judgment], An Su had not yet mastered it enough to use it as a combat spell. In this real combat, An Su also summarized such drawbacks. He pondered, seeing that his current magic combinations were inclined towards control, he now lacked proactively offensive magic. To defeat the Imperial Princess, he needed to fill this gap for himself. After organizing his thoughts, An Su''s eyes brightened even more. In his previous life''s strategy, the Magic Association just happened to have a high-rank Holy Light magic he needed, which, combined with the Mother Goddess''s magic, could form an extremely powerful magic combination. Once he had made up his mind, An Su took out a stack of clean handkerchiefs from the lining of his shirt and, after wiping the blood off his hands, strung the cultists together with a rope and began dragging them towards the Magic Association. A long trail of blood was dragged across the ground. An Su intentionally chose main roads to walk on, even deliberately passing through the areas with more saints, but it was not out of a desire to show off, Although he had snagged so many high-rank talents of the Esoteric Religion, An Su was not flaunting them for others to see; he was simply fulfilling his role as the most devout saint in the Radiant Holy See by properly promoting the glory of the Holy Light. Once out of the alley and onto the main street, the citizens of Farol Upper City District, who had never seen such a scene, steered clear, muttering to themselves that they had seen a ghost today. The boy''s smile was chillingly cold, sending shivers down one''s spine (thinking about the rewards made him happy inside), his pale blue eyes filled with complex emotions, as if pondering some terrifying plan (considering which street to the Magic Association had the most people), his gaze eventually firmed up, as if that desire was about to devour everything in the world (he would take Saint Peter Boulevard, passing through the exam candidates'' resting dormitories, then turn a corner, and he would be at the Magic Association). An Su had figured out the nearest route to the Magic Association. So, he walked along with a swagger, and the citizens facing him all scattered, Only after An Su had dragged the cultists far away did the dispersing citizens dare to whisper among themselves. "Grey hair, pale blue eyes, no mistake, that person is the legendary An Su Moningsta!" "Is that the demon from the frontier? I''ve heard he does all kinds of evil things." "Right, the one who submits his exam early." "That is truly evil!" "Everyone, stay back...." "Where are his two henchmen?" "But he''s so handsome, I heard he lost his mother at a young age... there there, don''t cry." Many lovestruck girls'' cheeks turned rosy as they sighed softly, mostly because they had indulged too much in tales of military tycoon''s spoiling their wives, and imagined themselves as the light that could redeem such a darkly transformed young boy, "Don''t you think this darkly transformed young boy is so touching ahhh.... if he does some sacrifices in secret, it would be oh so handsome and moving" "For you, I''d sacrifice the whole world, I''d truly die crying." "Hurry up and write, I want to read it!" No matter what the public opinion of An Su was, at least his name was very well-known; after all, he made the headlines every so often, thanks also to "The Forbidden Love Between the Child of the Curse and the Maid Miss" by Miss Enya. After leaving the citizen''s area and entering the church district, walking onto Saint Peter Boulevard, the citizens'' murmuring disappeared. Groups of two or three saints walked within the Church district. A squad of Holy Knights was also walking on the street, looking quite exhausted from their long journey, each with armor stained with blood to some degree and mostly disheartened expressions. With his head held high, An Su audaciously dragged that cortege of Esoteric talents right past the Holy Knights with their poor witch-hunting yield. Find your next adventure on My Virtual Library Empire "Seven cultists, yes, all are Fourth Order, the highest being at the Fourth-Order Peak." Sear?h the n??el Fire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Feeling the astonished gazes of those adults, he cleared his throat softly, eager to address the questions of the Holy Knights. Who asked you... The Holy Knights turned grim-faced, suddenly feeling the world was full of malice. This kid looked barely fifteen or sixteen years old, with only a saint''s crest on his chest; how did he manage to capture so many cultists? They compared with their own witch-hunting results for the day, the highest rank they caught was just late Third Order, and even that took days of covert operations to capture. Maybe in the Radiant Holy See there was a beginner''s protection period? Or did he hit some kind of cultist jackpot? A few Holy Knights felt that their two to three decades of witch-hunting careers were a waste. Continuing on, An Su led the cultists towards the grand hall of the Magic Association, where many saints preparing for their exams looked to be in quite a good mood... Chapter 218 An Su: Please Mark It in My File Magic Association. The warm and gentle breeze of mid-summer afternoon rustled through the plane trees lining Saint Peter''s Street, their dense leaves dicing the sunlight into a scatter of dappled light that spilled onto the Magic Association''s ornate stained-glass windows. The young mages who had come to the capital to report were registering at the front desk, each one beaming with pride and satisfaction, a confident, radiant smile on their faces. For these youngsters, freshly arrived in Farol, the future appeared bright and promising. They were young and talented, and they believed nothing in the world could pose a challenge to them. They carried a sense of arrogance in their eyes, utterly dismissive of the surrounding capital''s saints. To them, these capital saints were merely fortunate to be born into the right household, with strong family connections, able to stay in the Imperial Cathedral after graduation, engaging in nothing of real consequence, at most visiting the non-life-threatening Order Church''s Nether. Presumably, the recently renowned An Su Moningsta and his two henchmen were like this too, considering their families'' substantial influence. These fellows had never truly hunted witches themselvesafter all, it would be hard to find Cultists in the nation''s capital. But these provincial saints were entirely different; anyone qualified to come to the capital for the exams had fought their way through mountains of corpses and seas of blood, each boasting significant achievements. They clustered in small groups, speaking loudly, deliberately letting the capital saints hear about the harvests they had reaped in the past month. "Ah, not much, just last month, two Third Order ones." "Haha, I was lucky, found two nests while patrolling, bagged four Chaos Followers." "Which district were you in? Do your districts deploy kids for nest-finding? It''s so easy for you?" "Just luck on my part. Still, Xia Leng is the real deal. Xia Leng, I remember you recently took down a Fourth Order Cultist, right? Tell us all about it." The Xia Leng they were referring to, full name Xia Leng Azak, was a golden-haired young man with a flawless smile. He had peak Fourth Order strength, and aside from the Imperial Princess, he was the highest-ranked man in these exams, standing out as the leader among these provincial saints. "Oh, I was just lucky enough," Xia Leng said with a gracious smile, "but even that pales in comparison to the ''Child of the Curse'' from the borderlands." He purposely highlighted An Su''s identity as the ''Child of the Curse'', and the provincial saints all fell silent. After a pause, they chimed in with a chuckle, "That ''Child of the Curse'' surely can''t compare to you..." "If you ask me, his current fame might just be riding on his family''s coattails..." Right then, the doors of the Magic Association were slowly pushed open. The priests at the entrance were holding their noses away and were immediately confronted with a thick scent of blood mixed with a strong, forbidden aura. All the saints showed faces of fright. The rank was at least Fourth Order. "Good afternoon, everyone," An Su greeted as he walked through the entrance of the association dragging a trail of Cultists behind him. Despite the long streak of blood, he was spotlessly clean, his long, ash-gray hair neatly cascading down to his waist, his pale green eyes shining brightly, and he sported a nobleman''s robe over a white shirt, portraying a polite and refined young nobleman. If you disregarded the string of Cultists he was dragging behind him. No matter how you looked at it, it was a bizarre and horrifying combination. All the examinees turned away, ignoring An Su. sea??h th N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Dragging the Cultists, An Su passed through the saints, deliberately slowing his pace to let the examinees get a good look at the details, although they all tried hard not to gaze at An Su''s haul. But as An Su passed by, they couldn''t help but sneak a glance, then emitted a hushed exhale of amazement. The quality was simply too exceptional, From Chaos Followers to Suffering Believers to Life Followers, they had every type, each one a higher rank than the last, fearsome adversaries they couldn''t possibly confront. They could not fathom how An Su managed this feat. "Seven," An Su nonchalantly stated, "no big deal, all Fourth Order, just so-so." The examinees'' faces darkenedwho asked you? Seeing An Su''s apparent age of just fifteen or sixteen years old hunting seven Fourth Order saints was downright fantastical. They turned their heads, forcibly shifting their envious gazes away. "The one I caught yesterday was even bigger, a Sixth Order Demigod," lamented An Su, with a hint of regret, "but I let him get away. Compared to that, today''s haul is just passable." A Demigod? Were these even the words of mere mortals? The previously confident provincial saints had their confidence shattered. They didn''t believe An Su''s tall tale, yet none had the strength to refute it, silently suffering internal injuries. Their own months of hunting seemed inconsequential! This newcomer arrogantly dragged his trophies to the Magic Association''s doorstepsuch behavior was beyond human decorum! The fellow dared to bully only the out-of-towners. Experience tales at My Virtual Library Empire The capital saints, who had been subjected to the boasting of the provincial saints all day, now had schadenfreude grins. Now it was your turn to be tormented by An Su''s ostentatious arrival. An Su''s spectacle had likely caught the attention of the Order Church, and Priest Paxi, along with the Order Knights, rushed over following the trail of blood, wondering which audacious individual was behind this. Chapter 218 An Su: Please Record in My File_2 Don''t you know that Farol has recently been constructing a civilized urban area nationwide, turning the main streets into a bloody mess? How are we supposed to build a civilized urban area like this... Once we catch the ringleader, Priest Paxi will surely have to invite him to spend a few days at the station. "What did you do? Explain everything in detail!" This is exactly what you told me to do! But the moment Priest Paxi saw An Su''s pure and flawless smile, his face instantly turned awkward. He had never expected that it would be this little guy again. Just when there had been a few days of peace, this little guy came back! Priest Paxi still had a fresh memory of the incident a month ago when he fined this minor at the station, only to be counter-swindled out of several thousand Gold Coins. Beyond his awkwardness, Priest Paxi was also surprised by the quick improvement in An Su''s strength. Keep in mind that a month ago, An Su could only sneak into the Fourth Order world, and just half a year ago he was a candidate personally proctored by Paxi. But now, this little guy''s strength had already reached the Fourth Order, and he was even able to kill so many Fourth Order Cultists! Priest Paxi was astonished by An Su''s rate of growth, thankful that he himself had also been promoted to a Saint in the past half year. Otherwise, it wouldn''t be long before this young man''s Rank surpassed his own. Enjoy new adventures from My Virtual Library Empire Different from Paxi''s unpleasant complexion upon seeing An Su, An Su was quite delighted to see Paxi, with his enthusiasm almost overflowing. This kid had never been so cooperative with an investigation before. He enthusiastically introduced to Priest Paxi his harvest for the day, empathetically detailed how he captured these Cultists, and meticulously explained all the details, An Su even suggested that his actions had severely impacted Farol''s cityscape and that it should be made into a big-character poster and criticized harshly throughout the imperial capital. Priest Paxi''s expression stiffened, and he began to regret why he had to be on duty that day. An Su even insisted that Priest Paxi take a statement, pulling out paper and clearly writing: ''On June 26th, An Su Moningsta captured seven Fourth Order Cultists on Sundingbao Street, polluting the imperial capital environment,'' and then signed it. When Priest Paxi heard that An Su caught the group of Cultists just across the street from his own patrol area... ...Priest Paxi''s mentality began to crumble. Seeing such a great merit slip away before his eyes, Priest Paxi felt his heart twitching ever so slightly. An Su said his crimes were unforgivable and beyond the law, and that his criminal deeds today should be written on a confession document and sealed in his personal file. "You''re a minor, the [Farol Minor Protection Act] protects you, and all records don''t need to go into the file," Priest Paxi said with a forced smile, never imagining that he would one day be grateful that An Su was still a minor. "That''s truly regrettable." An Su sighed lightly. The regional saints gained a whole new understanding of An Su''s shamelessness, watching him torment a Priest of Saintly Rank to the point where he had to rely on legal help. Under the scrutiny of the Scales of Order, it turned out that these seven Fourth Order Cultists were undercover agents who had been lurking in the imperial capital for nearly a year. The harm of imperial capital undercover agents was immense, and according to the Undercover Agent Act, each Fourth Order Cultist could exchange for one hundred devotion points, totaling seven hundred devotion points for the seven Cultists. "You guys are finished!" During this time, the leader of the Chaotic Ladder came to his senses. He found himself covered in blood, inside the Magic Association, and he glared at An Su venomously, shouting and cursing, "When my big brother ''Chaotic Stairway'' arrives, you''re all done for!" "It''s the legendary Chaotic Stairway." An Su''s face showed a look of shock, which made Priest Paxi very curious and he inquired about this Chaotic Stairway. "Legend has it that the Chaotic Stairway has exceptional talent and is highly regarded among Esoteric Religion geniuses," An Su earnestly explained, his tone filled with apprehension towards this Chaotic Stairway, "And despite coming from the mud, he remains unstained. He''s generous, righteous, humble, and courteous. Truly a rare and talented individual." Seeing An Su heap such extravagant praise on Chaotic Stairway, the Chaotic Ladder didn''t know how to react. He blinked his eyes, staring at An Su, and thought to himself, how do you know more than I do... Priest Paxi immediately put on a serious face. If someone whom even little An Su admired was definitely no good guy, he was not to be underestimated. He immediately told his subordinates, ``` "Whoever kills a saint from the Chaotic Ladder, a reward of three hundred devotion points is offered." "Only three hundred?" An Su grumbled. According to the unwritten rules, the higher the bounty, the more prestigious it is. S~ea??h the N??elFir.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Then..." Priest Paxi tentatively said, "Four hundred?" "No prestige." "Four hundred will do... that''s the highest bounty I can apply for!" Paxi''s face darkened, why was this kid An Su haggling again! And so, the matter was settled. Once everything was taken care of, An Su just had to wait to claim the soul of the Chaotic Ladder. An Su had the knights of the Order Church escort these Cultists back to his residence. As the first inquisitor, An Su had the right to interrogate and execute these Cultists first, and any information he gained from the interrogation would also earn him devotion points. Of course, if the interrogation went overboard and an undercover Cultist accidentally died, no one would make a fuss. An Su considered sacrifice to be a special form of interrogation. With all these miscellaneous affairs dealt with, the sky gradually dimmed, the afternoon sun tending toward darkness. The local saints were fragile in spirit, eager to go home and console their wounded hearts. Everyone tried not to look at An Su''s harvest, lest they completely break down their examination mindset. Only the leading Xia Leng, seemed undaunted by the frightening outcome An Su had orchestrated. After all, he too had hunted a Cultist of the Fourth Order; with his own strength, he was confident he wouldn''t lose to this Child of the Curse. He revealed a confident smile, "Brother Su, do you still remember me? I''m from the neighboring district. We met in childhood at the border church..." An Su couldn''t even recall this guy''s name, he was impatient and waiting to go to the upper echelons of the Magic Association to exchange his magic, so he casually brushed the conversation aside. Xia Leng didn''t take offense. After all, he was from a radiant family; having mingled with noble individuals since childhood, such as Kavensis Black from the neighboring border, who had been his childhood friend. It''s just that he didn''t understand why Brother Kavensis suddenly fell ill and missed the saint examination, Letting this Child of the Curse take the spots with his two laughable henchmen instead; what a farce. Xia Leng''s lips curled into an elegant smile as he continued to make small talk with An Su, "Speaking of which, where are brothers Lister and Arthur now? Are they still as humorous as before?" Reading between the lines, he was asking where those two fools were hanging out now. "You mean my two daughters?" An Su replied with a smile, "They should be coming down soon." Xia Leng didn''t grasp An Su''s meaning, taking it for a joke, about to say something when he heard light footsteps from above. The twilight light dimmed the years, the stained glass scattered rose-colored daylight. Every saint heard the pause of their own heartbeat, their eyes captivated by the two beauties descending from above. One was as cold and elegant as the moon, the other as lively and radiant as the sun, the combination of cold and brightness, utterly enchanting. The newcomers were none other than Arthur and Lister, who had just gotten a week-long and a month-long trial card, respectively. "...I think I''ve fallen in love." Xia Leng stared blankly at the two stunning women, murmuring to himself. Arthur and Lister, upon seeing An Su, showed embarrassed faces. They felt incredibly wronged; despite their significant contributions, that old Merlin had repaid them with such ingratitude. He took away their dear little brother! Who would have thought that the second Magic Circuit would turn out to be that ghastly thing! If only they had known, they would have shared the credit with Brother Su as well. If only they had known how hard it was to become the firstborn, they wouldn''t have tried to show off. In the upcoming Esoteric Transformation Examination, they wouldn''t even need to use magic! They could just go on stage in their full, unaltered selves! "Want their contact information?" An Su whispered into the dazed Xia Leng''s ear, "One hundred devotion points per person." ``` Chapter 217 An Sus New Magic As dusk neared, the grand sun hung low above the city, while countless pieces of golden, wheat-like clouds piled up over the distant plains. In a meeting room of the Magic Association, the Borderland Triumvirs were discussing their next plan of action. Although in any world, any male named Arthur was ultimately doomed to be feminized, Arthur was still determined to fight against his fate. "Brother Su." Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Arthur''s face was serious as she tucked her resplendent golden hair behind her ears and solemnly said, "I think with our current forms, we can''t carry out the upcoming task." Ever since Merlin had confiscated her ''little brother,'' Arthur''s intelligence had returned to her ''big head.'' After all, the second circuit of Judgment''s Gleam not only took away Arthur''s ''little brother'' for a week but also cut away the impurities within his soul. Now, Arthur felt her mind was sharper than ever. The current situation was dire. If her old man found out, she''d be beaten to death, and the only way out now was to find a method to break the predicament. After a calm analysis, a spark of insight flashed in Arthur''s eyes; she had found the crux of the matter. The tasks set by the three Great Cults were to possess the three of them, whoever could accomplish this would lead the other Cultists in the promotion exam. "In our original plan, I would possess ''myself'' to complete the task set by the Esoteric Religion." A victorious smile lifted the corners of Arthur''s mouth, "But my current appearance isn''t Arthur at all! These Cultists won''t be fooled by this!" "My current appearance is simply not my own." She spread her arms, showcasing her current appearance: a delicate, sunny face, waist-length resplendent golden hair, and the undulating waves at her chest, nothing like the clueless, muscular brute she had been. After all, the old Arthur was a man. And she was now a woman. Lister pushed up her glasses, ripples appearing in the clear pond-like depths of her eyes, "I agree wholeheartedly with Brother Arthur. I cannot possibly claim I have possessed Lister. In our current state, we can''t complete the mission given to us by the organization!" Whether the mission was doomed didn''t matter; the real despair was in having to spend a week... or even a month in this state. Explore more adventures at My Virtual Library Empire They had to recognize that the exam was in four days, and their information was all registered. When they showed up at the exam site to report in, what would they say when the examiner checked their IDs and found their genders had changed? If they were kicked out of the exam and failed to make it into the top five, they would be sliced to pieces by their own father! An Su looked at the two and contemplated deeply; indeed, Lister and Arthur''s current appearances were implausible, and Merlin''s meddling was hindering his plans. "We will now go find His Excellency Merlin and have him cancel our second circuit immediately," Arthur said with a face full of excitement. She rarely found loopholes in the rules, smiling joyfully, Just threatening Merlin with the real business of being undercover would surely leave him no choice but to agree. Arthur and Lister''s eyes were filled with determination and dedication, as if what they were doing was purely for the organization''s sake, without a hint of personal feeling. They turned to An Su, faces serious, and said, "Brother Su, you have a good relationship with His Excellency Merlin. For the sake of the mission, please go to Heaven and put in a good word for us." An Su was moved by how considerate these two were being, worthy of being his daughters, but he wasn''t unwilling to help; he was simply unable to do so. An Su shook his head regretfully, explaining, "I''ve been kicked out of Heaven, and can''t rejoin the group or speak there for a month." What did you do to deserve that? Arthur and Lister''s faces showed surprise as they stared at each other in disbelief, "Then we''ll go talk to His Excellency Merlin ourselves." "Don''t worry. I have a plan." "We need to learn to think in reverse." An Su''s smile held a serene amusement. As their righteously good godfather, he had thought everything through for them. Seeing An Su''s smile, Arthur and Lister knew that Brother Su was indeed useful. Brother Su would certainly use his adept underhanded methods to wrestle ''their little brothers'' back from Merlin''s clutches. "During the mission, just use a Transformation Spell to disguise your gender from female to male, and you''ll be fine!" An Su looked at them seriously and continued, "Even though you''ve been transformed into girls by Merlin, you can pretend to be boys." "Rest assured, it won''t affect the organization''s plans." There''s no need to be so rigid about gender, An Su suggested, expressing that these otherworldly folks had too backward a notion of identity. You should know that in the most advanced international servers, gender can change at any moment. What self-deception! What do you mean ''pretend to be men,'' they were fierce men to begin with! Arthur and Lister wore faces of sorrow, realizing they still wouldn''t get their ''little brothers'' back! They looked at An Su with distrust, feeling that Brother Su had anticipated their gender changes all along. Even planning for such a non-backup backup plan. Remembering Brother Su''s recent actions, Arthur and Lister grew even more suspicious, "Brother Su, you didn''t conspire with His Excellency Merlin ahead of time, did you?" "Absolutely not." An Su refuted their accusation. He had never framed his brothers nor intentionally made them carry his burden. He was all passive, smiling as he said, "As your father, how could I ever harm my own daughters?" Chapter 217 An Sus New Magic_2 Such a nefariously insidious smile, he knew An Su all too wellall trickery inside. Arthur and Lister''s faces darkened, indeed, it was Brother An Su who caused this... Right on the spot, they refused to stand for it. As frontiersmen of rank three, they valued sharing weal and woe, the brotherly bonds. Why should An Su alone maintain his male dignity while also aspiring to be their father? Such an insultno knight of the Sun Family or a gentleman of the Moon Family could accept it! It must be the crafty little villain Brother An Su who sowed discord, leading the wisely valiant His Excellency Merlin to misunderstand them, thus a great error was made. Arthur and Lister stood up on the spot, intent on marching to Heaven, to inform His Excellency Merlin of Brother An Su''s misconduct and expose his hideous true colors. By the way, they wanted to share their own sentences with An Su for a few days, to let the Morningstar Family know the dignity of the Sun Family and the Moon Family could not be insulted. Brothers should face adversity togetherhow dare An Su delude himself into thinking he could be their father! There''s always a son who wants to play the father! "I have all the answers for the written exam in four days." An Su said with a smile. "..." "Foster father!" Arthur immediately bowed in respect, her gaze instantly became clear and sincere, void of any impurity and muddiness, filled only with an avid thirst for knowledge. In Arthur''s eyes at that moment, Big Brother An Su was so dear and benevolent. The evening sun''s fading light streamed through the window bars, illuminating Brother An Su with a radiant golden glow that rendered his figure incredibly imposing; his every action shimmered with the most glorious Sun Spirit. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Such a kind and loving smile, she understood her foster father An Su was all fatherly love inside. At that moment, Arthur realized, An Su was born to be her foster father. Lister, calmly pushing up her glasses, glanced at the compliant Arthur and inwardly sneered, thinking that these warriors simply lacked backbone, much less the elegance of the nobilityit was her turn to show them. "I have been adrift half my life, never meeting a worthy master. This surname of the Moon is not worth keeping; henceforth, I shall change my name to Lister Moningsta." This one was even more significant, outright severing her past connection with the old Lister. No father''s love could outweigh a brother passing on the exam answers; it was as if being reborn, compared to mere transformation and other trifles, those were just playful jests by the foster father! Blame that crafty little Merlin for stirring up trouble, almost misleading them about their enlightened and valorous father and almost causing a huge mistake. "..." An Su looked at his two daughters, revealing a quite satisfied smile; he had finally fulfilled Count Karlo''s ambition, allowed him to become a grandfather, embracing his granddaughters. In consideration of their taking the blame on his behalf, An Su copied the exam answers twice, distributing them to them. As Arthur and Lister took the answers, looking at the odd characters and formulas densely packed on it, they felt their scalps tingle, wondering if this was a humanly possible question. Just memorizing all these difficult sentences into the brain within four days was already a colossal endeavor. "If you find memorizing it to be troublesome, I have a faster method." An Su observed their expressions, fathoming their thoughts, and revealed a calm smile, "You''ll remember it in a few seconds." "Foster father, please show us the faster method," Arthur and Lister immediately said. "Are you sure?" An Su''s smile became ever more tranquil, sending shivers down their spines. Arthur swallowed hard, mustering courage, "We''re sure." Experience tales at My Virtual Library Empire "The faster method costs fifty devotion points each time." An Su has started scalping goods. "...Come on." Arthur and Lister gritted their teeth and agreed to An Su''s terms. Compared to the painful drudgery of memorizing for four days, spending a few devotion points for a more relaxed and quicker method of learning was more cost-effective. But the next second, when the radiance in An Su''s hand began to flicker, they wished they had chosen the four days of study instead. How could this be so painful... It was almost as excruciating as the second Magic Circuit of Judgment Light that Merlin had used on them! "Aaahh!" The radiance shone down, forcibly infusing the foreign knowledge into their barren brains, etching it into their memories against their will. They cried tears of strain as their heads throbbed as though splitting open. For a few brief seconds, the pain felt like a lifetime. Since the radiance could forcefully instill knowledge into their minds, An Su had a sudden idea to use it for education. "Alright, it''s done." An Su looked at his handiwork, pleased. He truly was the best tutor, having swiftly produced two geniuses. His maiden attempt at radiation education had been immensely successful. Arthur and Lister were dazed for a good while before slowly regaining their senses. They couldn''t comprehend the knowledge in their heads, but they wouldn''t forget itit stayed constant. Had they known, they would have preferred to study at home! As the sun outside the window began to set, the night grew dimmer; the Esoteric Religion''s Gender Transformation Spell ritual commenced at midnight. Since no Cultist managed to seize An Su and his group, all Cultists had to carry out An Su''s plan, to use the Gender Transformation Spell to become witches. The Three Major Orders would turn into three major girl groups, all members mobilized to lure the saints taking the exams into corruption. Loss brings gains, and Lister and Arthur in their current forms were already poised to be the top two in all of the Esoteric Religion. After all, this was accomplished by the hand of Mage God Merlin, whose skill far surpassed that of ordinary Believers. Chapter 217 An Sus New Magic_3 After receiving the rewards for the exam, they then disguised themselves as men with a Transformation Spell and proclaimed that they had taken over "Arthur" and "Lister." Arthur and Lister would certainly not be late for the ceremony this time; they were, after all, headed for the awards. After a brief preparation, the two were ready to leave. An Su wasn''t in a rush to go; he first went to the third floor of the Magic Association to exchange the devotion points he had earned from subduing Cultists for the magic he desired. From the dazzling array of Magic Circuits, he quickly found the common High-Level Magic he was looking for. As the future Chaotic Holy Son, it was only natural for him to have enough chaos magic to hold the scene. Therefore, An Su made a beeline for the section of the Order Church, selecting the Order Magic he fancied from the glittering array of Magic Circuits. Enjoy new chapters from My Virtual Library Empire This magic fell under the categorization of the Order Church because of its common characteristics. Therefore, the cost in devotion points wasn''t too high; the price was three hundred. Its name was [Order Return] [Order Return] [Common-level High-Rank Magic] [Magic Power Consumption: Eight] [Enemy-Seeking Magic] [Effect: Can be used on abandoned or discarded objects, causing them to automatically return to their original owners] [Note: Under order, nothing can hide] This magic was standard Order-type magic, which could assist Order Knights in their investigations. As long as the hair or blood of a criminal was found at the crime scene, the use of this magic would cause things like blood or hair to automatically fly to the criminal, allowing Order Knights to catch the perpetrator based on this evidence. It could also be used to find missing persons, for instance. The above were the mainstream uses of Order Return. However, because of its high magic power consumption and low effect, few Order Knights exchanged for it. Compared to the crime-solving function, there were many more cost-effective enemy-seeking magics available as substitutes. But An Su understood that the magic world had not yet fully developed the potential of Order Return. In his previous life, players from various rogue schools had developed the usage of Order Return to an unbelievable degree, especially An Su. Sar?h the N?velFire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. When he played the Chaos faction in the third run-through, after accumulating enough devotion points and aiming to create enough chaos, the first thing he exchanged for from the Order Church was [Order Return]. Then, he used [Order Return] on the capital''s largest waste treatment plant. This horrific attack was known in the previous life as the ''Epic Battle,'' and the rogue players of the time hailed it as the campaign that conferred godhood. They might never forget the sublime scenery they witnessed that day; a blanket of death descended from the sky, seeking out their forsaken owners, and in an instant, the clean and beautiful Order Farol was severely defiled. Almost half of the districts and players of the Orthodox Church fell into the unbounded darkness of chaos. It was even referred to by later generations as the beginning of the first server crash war, firing the first shot of chaos. The designers at the time were bewildered; they thought they had created this magic to help Order Knights solve cases, yet it was used in such an earth-shattering way! Led by the innovative strategies An Su came up with, various Chaos Followers imitated and joined the fray, using [Order Return] to create chaos and level up, turning the whole game into a new kind of nuclear warfare and severely physically contaminating the game''s advancement environment. This forced the game officials to intervene personally, applying a hotfix to nerf the effect of [Order Return]. Fortunately, in this world, [Order Return] was still the original [Order Return]. An Su wouldn''t be the one to launch the second Epic Battle, after all, as he still needed to live in the imperial capital. After all, Farol was still in the process of establishing a national civilization district... However, the Epic War was just the first application An Su developed for [Order Return], serving merely an entertaining purpose for everyone. An Su looked at the scroll in his hand with satisfaction, revealing a benign smile of order. As long as it was combined with that magic from the Sanctuary of Chaos, this enemy-seeking magic could become An Su''s true offensive tool. Chapter 219 An Sus New Equipment After exchanging for the desired Mission Calling Flow Magic, with three hundred and fifty devotion points left, and while the sun had not yet set, An Su planned to continue browsing the third floor exchange area to see if there were any high-tier alchemical equipment he could snag a deal on. Now that An Su had the physical attributes of a warrior, it would be a waste not to make use of them, so he had to equip himself with some weapons. However, An Su was reluctant to spend all his remaining devotion points. Suddenly, an idea struck him. The layout in the Alchemical Church area was different from other places: there were large alchemical bookshelves placed on the outside, with magic values prepared inside, allowing one to consult the Magic Circuits at any time. Initial Tier saints, after completing their masses at noon or in the evening, often spent a dozen or so devotion points to exchange for low-tier magicthis was what happened a hundred years ago. Since Merlin took charge, the amount had increased to fiftystanding by the alchemical matrix, they would employ some magic power and study; If one were willing to spend an additional hundred devotion points, they could peruse ordinary medium-tier objects, or perhaps receive some alchemical creations or staff equipment. And for several hundred points, they might gain access to legendary low-tier magic, but these saints were mostly Initial Tier magicians and usually didn''t have such deep pockets. Only those in red robes could stroll into the rooms of Heaven and find those forbidden little imperial uncles, leisurely sitting down to read. An Su might be the only Initial Tier magician dressed in a red robehe took Merlin''s Bishop robe last time he substituted for Merlin. He figured nobody else wanted it anyway. Stealing the knowledge of the Holy Light wasn''t really theft, it was embezzlement. The old Priest on the third floor of the Magic Association, upon seeing An Su''s bluster and his red robea testament to the saying, "the clothes make the man"couldn''t quite grasp his relationship with His Excellency Merlin, and feared that if An Su was a relative of the leadership and was treated poorly, it would be a problem. "Young brother," the old priest said, carefully choosing his words and tone, "how about I give you a ten percent discount?" "No need," An Su shook his head, righteous and outspoken in his critique of the comrade''s improper behavior, "Our Radiant Holy See insists on official business being conducted officially. You can''t give me special treatment just because I am so-and-so''s so-and-so; things should be handled as they ought to be." "Understood," the priest''s vision went dark as he assimilated this key information, certain it had to do with a connection to Leader Merlin. "Then how about this, seeing that I''ve already exchanged several hundred devotion points, why not just throw in a small gift?" An Su declared with moral integrity. ...So you were aiming for a freebie all along? The Priest widened his eyes, he''d never seen anyone exchange magic and expect gifts with it! But the priest became even more convinced of An Su''s blood ties with His Excellency Merlin; they must be uncle and nephew, at the very least, since such shameless vigor could only be a family trait, one not found elsewhere in the entire Radiant Holy See. "This... according to the Church''s rules, with my authority, I can''t just give things away privately..." the Priest said, his lips twitching slightly. "Then help me see if this can be exchanged for some Extraordinary Items." As An Su spoke, he slapped two keys onto the table. The two keys appeared to be made of crystal but had lost their luster. The radiance they once contained had dissipated, rendering them unusablethese were one-time keys rewarded to An Su by Heaven. The Priest, feeling his scalp tingle at a glance, immediately covered the keys with his hand. He recognized them right away as Heaven''s keys. Discarded keys were useless and worthless, but their political implication was terrifying. The young lord before him was likely Merlin''s illegitimate child. Aren''t keys meant for backdoor dealings? And the keys of Heaven were surely for the backdoor to Heaven itself! No matter the relationship between An Su and His Excellency Merlin, it was now crucial not to offend him. "...Look at you, if you''d been like this earlier, how nice that would''ve been." The Priest looked at An Su, smiling with relief, "Why play these riddles with me, you should have shown this earlier." "However, we in the Alchemical Church have rules that items in the exchange area cannot be given away for free," the Priest said, "but we happen to have some unique items that we can''t exchange, which we could let go at a low price." "These are the Cardinal Bishop''s," the Priest said with a mysteriously profound look, "The top-secret Magic-Guided Items created by the Alchemical Bishop, who holds the same esteem as the God of Law. Ordinary people are not even privileged to see them." As he said this, he led An Su to a derelict warehouse, pushing open the door to let the dust fall heavily. Above it read ''No.1 Secret Vault''. Seeing this, An Su immediately perked up, for anything stored in an abandoned warehouse according to typical clichs would be immensely precious! "You must keep secret what you see today," the old Priest warned again and again, "Absolutely let no third person know." An Su looked over the dust-covered alchemical matrices and equipment, noting their myriad uses and filled with ingenious ideas. Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. For instance, the "Angel Summoning Array: Child Friendly Green Harmonious Version" originally priced at five hundred devotion points, authored by Morgan Reinhart. Read new chapters at My Virtual Library Empire Its original alchemy array effect was derived from the Life Ecclesia''s "Succubus Summoning Array," which used the fresh red blood of Death Demon Sheep, the wings of the Death Herald Banshee, and the maidenhood of thirty virgins as the three base components of the Array; they chanted specific spells to summon the alluring and mature succubuses from the abyss. Chapter 219 An Sus New Equipment_2 And a top genius of the Alchemical Church, now the Alchemical Bishop Morgan, discovered this evil forbidden summoning array that disparaged human nature with its violent and salacious content, decided to critique it using the doctrines of alchemy, and modified it to suit the constitution of underage children, changing the magic foundation and replacing the three primary elements, cleaning up all the adult content. He replaced the bright red blood with green, changed the Death Herald Banshee''s wings to chicken wings from a children''s meal, and switched the first menses of thirty underage virgins with the urine of thirty underage boys. Finally, after chanting the modified spell, he successfully summoned a pure and cute Lolita Angel from the abyss. This was indeed an immense accomplishment. It even required the urine of thirty underage boys. Where was that collected from? "These are stacked in Warehouse One, all from the works of our Bishop His Excellency Morgan''s adolescence." The old priest saw An Su''s strange expression and awkwardly explained to An Su, "At that time, Mr. Morgan was still childish and reckless, which is why he created this children''s health version, using ingredients collected from his classmates." "I see." An Su nodded, Alchemical Church? Copper Smelting Church! Seeing An Su''s reaction, the old priest earnestly decided to vindicate Bishop Morgan so that he would not be looked down upon by the Radiant Holy See, "After His Excellency Morgan turned thirty, he had truly matured and invented this mature advancement of the array, now placed in Warehouse Four." "What changes are there?" An Su asked curiously. "The urine of thirty underage boys was replaced with the urine of one thirty-year-old virgin." the old priest replied mystically. That''s so pitiful... How was Bishop Morgan still a virgin at thirty? An Su''s eyes carried a hint of pity. All the other twenty-nine brothers had already found partners! That''s the fate of a pedophile! Seeing An Su''s pitying gaze, the old priest immediately panicked and stated, "But the array effect had a huge improvement, a quantitative leap, no longer capable of summoning Lolita Angels!" "What did the effect improve to?" An Su inquired curiously. He was rather eager to see a big sister angel; it must be good-looking, and An Su quite fancied it. "It became summoning a kind and gentle granny angel." said the Alchemical Priest mystically. This maturity went a bit too far! An Su''s expression darkened. Did Bishop His Excellency aim his selection criteria at grannies in order to escape virginity? An Su put down the scroll of angel summoner and decided to check out the other magical devices first. Mr. Morgan truly deserves to be called a great inventor; he also has numerous alchemical items that make life easier. For instance, the [Mass Prayer Autonomy Puppet Model], a common-grade high-tier puppet, originally priced at two hundred risk points. S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. For a saint, praying to the deities every morning and evening to perform mass and praise the Lord''s glory is like a college student''s daily morning check-in, causing untold misery for saints who can''t rise early. So, during his youth, Bishop Morgan invented this Mass Prayer Autonomy Puppet, which would transform into the appearance of a Magician at eight o''clock every morning to serve mass at the church. It''s similar to having someone else run morning exercise for you. However, its language module was not yet perfect, only capable of repeatedly praising ''Lord=6''." After going through most of the alchemical items, An Su thoughtfully nodded, no wonder the priest reiterated not to leak these items out; apparently, they were embarrassing! It can only be said that there are reasons why these alchemical items aren''t wanted by anyone. An Su didn''t complain, after all, it was a free gift he picked up, and he even developed a strong interest in the Alchemical Church, feeling that with his own knack for small inventions, he could also make a place for himself within the Alchemical Church. He needed a close-range weapon, so he turned his attention to the alchemical weapons section. [Poison Alchemy Holy Blade], a legendary high-tier magical knife, originally costing seven hundred devotion points, its effect is that anyone scratched by this holy blade will have their magic casting success rate reduced by twenty percent, and there is a certain probability that it will cause the enemy to lose their will to fight, lasting for ten minutes. [Note: This item is made from Meteorite Iron, cyan steel, amethyst, and Demon Seed bean through alchemy. When scratched by this holy blade in battle, high-tier Druid laxatives enter the enemy''s body through the wound. Its toxin ignores biological resistance, causing unbearable abdominal pain and preventing the enemy from maintaining focus on casting, thus lowering their magic casting success rate.] However, the reason why this negative effect only lasts for ten minutes is not because the poison is low-tier and can only last for so short a time, but rather the opposite. The poison refined by His Excellency Morgan is too high-tier, and the enemy can only endure it for a maximum of ten minutes... This Poison Alchemy Holy Blade also has an advanced version called [Quenched Redemption Holy Blade], originally priced at eight hundred devotion points, and its effects are even more powerful. The main effect is to sear every Esoteric Sect Follower''s evil core with the most holy Radiance Fire, achieving ultimate redemption. "Even the most wicked and malevolent villains will weep in pain and shed tears of regret after being struck by this Quenched Redemption Holy Blade." After choosing from a dazzling array of magic equipment and arrays, since it was a gift, he decided to choose the most expensive one. Under the horrified gaze of the old priest, he resolutely took the most expensive [Quenched Alchemical Holy Blade]. Although essentially a giveaway, it still nominally required giving devotion points, following the procedure. An Su handed over his remaining three hundred fifty devotion points to the Alchemical Priest, and joyfully walked out of the Magic Association''s doors with his holy blade, as the evening clouds hung low and dusk had vanished over the mountains, and the meeting arranged by the Esoteric Sect Followers was about to begin. Being punctual is the philosophy of saints, thus An Su first returned to his residence. Interestingly enough, there were some wicked Esoteric Sect Followers detained in his home''s basement, he had just acquired a new alchemical magical device, he wanted to try out the new blade, and he had the right to interrogate these followers. How such coincidences exist in this world. The blade''s fiery light flashed, carrying scorching heat into each Esoteric Sect Follower''s body. The raging fire seared the souls of all those people, After cutting each Follower with the blade, their faces turned ghastly pale, they clenched their teeth, tears streamed down from their eyes, their eyes turned red, and they covered their faces weeping in pain. Even the most wicked Esoteric Sect Follower couldn''t escape this Holy Fire''s redemption and judgment. [Quenched Redemption Holy Blade] [Legendary high-tier] [Effect: Anyone scratched by this holy blade will have their magic casting success rate and magic resistance, as well as biological defense reduced by twenty percent, also suffering from Holy Fire penetrating their viscera, ultimately bringing redemption] This blade is very similar to the Poison Alchemy Holy Blade, even the engraving constructs are nearly identical, but while inheriting the effects of its predecessor, it also inflicts piercing damage and Holy Fire burns. The various alchemical metals are also broadly the same, the only difference being that Demon Seed bean has been replaced with Death Ghost Pepper. Even a single drop of this pepper could kill a Demon Seed mammoth. High-tier capsaicin entering the body directly through the wound can achieve the effect of Holy Fire''s burning judgment; even the most wicked Esoteric Sect Followers will shed tears of redemption under the power of Ghost Pepper. One could say it has a significant redemptive educational meaning. As he watched the Esoteric Sect Followers weep in agony as if burning from the inside out, An Su smiled with satisfaction. Chaotic Ladder glared fiercely at An Su, furiously threatening as he gritted his teeth, "My brother Chaotic Ladder will never forgive you!" "Wait till my brother avenges me!" Your adventure continues at My Virtual Library Empire Chaotic Ladder indeed would not let him go, An Su nodded in agreement. After all, from tonight onwards, Chaotic Ladder would possess An Su. Unfortunately, these Esoteric Sect Followers wouldn''t see the moment Chaotic Ladder avenged them. After An Su tested the effects of the holy blade, he then set up the Sacrificial Magic Circle and casually sacrificed them all. Tonight''s dinner was a bit spicy; hopefully, the Mother Goddess will enjoy it. After handling everything, night had fallen, stars speckled over the mountains, An Su looked at the sky, ready to leave. Chapter 219 Chaotic Saintesss Top Secret Plan An Su Master had skillfully dealt with all the ingredients and, after a long day, put away his kitchen knife, wiped the non-existent sweat from his forehead, and neatly folded Merlin''s Cardinal robe to put it away. "Clothes make the man, just as saddles make the horse," An Su thought, still planning to use this robe to solicit funds for advancement from other Churches. sea??h th N??elFir.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Dressed in a long-buttoned coat and wrapped in a velvet-collared white scarf used as a tie, An Su secured the Quenched Holy Blade in its scabbard at his waist and stepped out. Outside, twilight enveloped all, and moonlight, like water, poured through gaps in the clouds, bathing the Saint Diocese in swathes of silver frost. The Esoteric Sect Followers'' Transformation Rite wasn''t really of much concern to An Su, He had no intention of partaking in such absurdities from the start; this visit was merely for amusement. Therefore, he walked leisurely, believing that arriving even a second early would be disrespectful to himself. As the night deepened, this part of the diocese was very quiet. Many saints were preparing for their upcoming promotion exams, and every lit window in each building emitted an intense, unsettling aura of resentment. This place was central to the Church, yet it felt like a forbidden zone of life for the Esoteric Sect; no one dared make a sound, and silence pervaded everywhere, giving An Su a pressured feeling reminiscent of finals week in a past life. Luckily, he was the one making the exam questions. Walking through the quiet Saint Diocese, An Su suddenly stopped; he heard a rustling sound. Ever since he''d acquired the soul of a Saint, An Su''s Perception had far surpassed its previous limits. The sound was faint yet chilling, the light breaths, and the squeaking of beastly pads stepping on twigs, Graceful, clean, sharp, like a top-tier predator stalking its prey. He could feel the emotions of excitement emanating from behind him. The footsteps from behind An Su had already come close, yet his soul only perceived it now, meaning the predator''s Rank was higher than his own. His wariness peaked, giving rise to a strong sense of crisis. This sense of danger was all too familiar; like that day in the carriage when the coachman''s head had burst open, splattering blood and brain matter everywhere without warning, dying right in front of An Su, he felt that same sensation then. Your journey continues on My Virtual Library Empire Without a doubt, behind him, was that Chaotic SaintessAel. He was still not using the disguise of the Chaotic Ladder; in the eyes of the third person, he was still An Su Moningsta. An Su''s heart began to race; he knew that recently, Ael had infiltrated the Saint Diocese in the body of a black cat, but considering this was one of the Church''s most heavily monitored areas, and housed a Demigod Level Bishop, the Chaotic Saintess wouldn''t dare launch an overt attack. The Chaotic Saintess must be plotting some secret, unknown scheme. His Magic Circuit rapidly circulated, and his left hand quietly rested on the kitchen knife. His Perception stretched to its maximum, constantly aware of his surroundings, the whole world became clear and transparent in An Su''s eyes, from his left and rear, a couple of young Female Saints were holding manila folders; if anything went wrong, he could retreat towards them. To his right and front was a guard booth for cover, and further ahead was the Demigod''s security post, where he could shout for help. Only an insane Esoteric Sect Follower would attack An Su here. However, An Su felt that the Chaotic Saintess''s mind was inherently abnormal. Undisciplined and unorganized. She pursued the most forbidden and chaotic pleasures. The more forbidden and strictly prohibited something was, the more Ael loved to do it. Just as the night wind howled and clouds flowed, obscuring the moon and casting large shadows, the presence behind him stirred! An Su''s eyes narrowed; the Chaotic Saintess, who had been lurking in the Imperial Capital for days, was finally about to show her hand. He quickly turned around, only to see under the dark and windy conditions, a swift, agile black cat darting out from the shadows, its sharp claws gleaming with deadly silver light and then it snatched away the "Radiant Deacon''s Past Top Secret Examination Materials" from the hands of those Female Saints. "Ah...." "A cat has robbed us" "It''s that cat again!" "Oh, I just got this top-secret material from a senior!" The girls panicked, their faces blanched. An Su''s mouth twitched slightly as he watched Ael, with the manila folders in her mouth, agilely move along the wall, triumphantly shaking her tail at the frightened Female Saints, her crimson cat eyes gleaming with pleasure. What a top-tier key-stealing cat... An Su scowled. Every time the Chaotic Cultist acted, she exceeded his expectations, just like that time she had reported the Chaotic Ladder''s public indecency to the Order Church, showcasing her bizarre line of thinking. Night raid on the Saint Diocese, robbing Radiant Holy See exam materialswas this something a normal Esoteric Sect Follower would do? If she had attacked to assassinate the saints, he could have alerted the Demigods, But a cat stealing homework? No Demigod would bother with that. Moreover, informing a Demigod was also pointless. An Su narrowed his eyes thoughtfully: Ael was currently possessing the soul of a black cat, able to leave at any moment. If he truly reported this black cat''s true identity, then his undercover role in the Chaotic Ladder would also be exposed. After all, Ael''s Chaos Transformation Technique was unimaginably powerful, capable of deceiving even Demigods. Only the Chaotic Ladder could know her identity. Chapter 219 Chaotic Saintesss Top Secret Plan_2 Elf was clutching her beloved Radiance study materials. She had clearly spotted the detestable An Su earlier, a proud purring emanating from the depths of her throat as she held her cat head high, flaunting her accomplishments. The knowledge of Radiance one could gather within the Church Nation was outdated, only in the Saints District could one find the latest Radiance research. There were cat treats. An Su held his head high and locked eyes with her, thinking to himself that she must be lacking love. Sar?h the Novl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The girls, from whom the materials had been stolen, intended to give chase but saw Elf sway her tail again, leap from the wall, and vanish into the night, leaving the saints exchanging puzzled glances. "This cat is stealing again!" They fumed with indignation. "Excuse me, is this cat a habitual offender...?" An Su inquired curiously, "From what you''re saying, it sounds like she''s done this multiple times?" Find exclusive stories on My Virtual Library Empire "Exactly. You didn''t know? This has become a popular ghost story in the district recently!" The leading girl noticed An Su''s ash-grey hair and blue eyes, his handsome features, and recognized him as the recently famous newcomer. Believing it was only right for a newcomer to deal with a junior, she quickly responded, "Just this past month, this black cat has stolen twenty-three books from the library, attacked saints in the street thirteen times, snatched hundreds of pages of study materials, and even their notes from church classes that they painfully took over half a year..." "...." Cunning cat! Could an initiate really do all this? An Su''s mouth twitched slightly. Are you, as a Chaotic Saintess, really doing such disgraceful acts? No wonder you had to hide and not let anyone find out! "The weirdest part isat the end of this month, on the night the saints were given a month off." The girl looked mysterious as her gaze turned heavy while staring at An Su, and her tone became profound, "When they woke up in the morning, half of the saints found that their holiday homework was completely done over one night, and the table was covered with cat paw prints." "..." Good cat! Could a Bodhisattva really manage all this? An Su''s mouth twitched into a smile. Shouldn''t you, Elf, be the Radiant Holy Saintess for such a great deed? This is worth setting up a shrine for proper commendation. At this, An Su remembered he was also a new follower. But these days, he had been substituting for Merlin and undercover in the Esoteric Sect, always taking leave, and thus forgotten all about it. He hadn''t touched his homework yet He wondered whether Elf had helped him with it or not. Still, An Su could hardly imagine the Chaotic Saintess raiding homeworka scene so bizarre and implausible, yet it strangely conformed to the teachings of the Sanctuary of Chaos... Is there anything more chaotic in this world than ''the Chaotic Saintess completing all the Radiance saints'' homework''? Such chaotic actions are seen once in a thousand years, both in the Orthodox Church and the Esoteric Sect. Seeing An Su ponder, the girl continued, "Due to the adverse effects of this black cat''s attacks, the higher-ups of the diocese couldn''t stand it any longer and had to form a squad of saints to catch the cat. However, bizarrely, no matter how exceptional the Holy Knights were, they couldn''t catch that black cat, leading the saints to suspect it was a low-tier Resentful Cat Spirit." "Inevitably, we had to seek help from that Radiant Holy Saintess... oh, the one led by Her Majesty Luojia. Only a Saintess can attract such spiritual creatures." An Su became somewhat displeased. Luojia, this little comrade, as a Radiant Holy Saintess, you don''t help with homework and keep ignoring the real tasks at hand; you should be sent to the Esoteric Sect. At least do your own homework. An Su was internally criticizing the Little Saintess when suddenly the girls before him brightened up and exclaimed, "Ah, Her Majesty Luojia is here." Luojia, who seemed to have just fallen asleep recently, had rushed over upon hearing of the Cat Spirit''s appearance. Her sleepy eyes were somewhat blurred, her snow-white eyelashes hung down like rime blocking her pupils, she hadn''t put on any makeup, and her white hair fell at her waist like floating willow catkins, dressed in a loose, white long dress with a coat draped over it, wearing open-toed summer sandals, and walked over unsteadily with a slight yawn. "The Cat Spirit has appeared again... Miss Riya?" It was somewhat cold in the evening, and Luojia tugged her snow-white cheeks into her coat''s collar, barely able to open her eyes, as if she were sleepwalking, and asked languidly. She just wanted to go home and sleep now. "Your Majesty, the Saintess, greetings. May the Radiance of Heaven shine upon your path." The girl Luojia called Riya first saluted, then responded, "The Cat Spirit has appeared again, and this... this Mr. Su has also seen it." "Hmm..?" "An Su..." "An Su Moningsta?" The Little Saintess tilted her head and suddenly widened her eyes, spotting the gray-haired, green-eyed young man beside her; sure enough, it was that An Su. "Long time no see, Your Majesty Luojia." An Su, ever the polite child, was still internally criticizing the Little Saintess, but he maintained his appearance of decorum. His ash-green eyes watched Luojia, and upon reflection, it had indeed been a month since they had seen each other after returning from the chaotic city. "Uh...!" Upon seeing that familiar yet detestable smile, Luojia''s sleepiness instantly vanished. Noticing her current disheveled state, she immediately turned around, not letting An Su see her front. Luojia''s cheeks blushed slightly, she looked at the disheveled white hair hanging over her eyes, reached out to touch her pale cheeks, and then her sandals, feeling somewhat annoyed; Luojia had just gotten out of bed, disoriented from sleep, she hadn''t groomed herself or dressed properly, she hadn''t even washed her face before coming out to catch the cat. And there was An Su, that dreadful creature, present! Why hadn''t Riya informed her earlier? Her ears turned slightly red, that dreadful creature had seen her in this unkempt and embarrassing state, and he would undoubtedly mock her internally. An Su was unaware of Luojia''s thoughts. Seeing her turned back, he thought this Little Saintess was truly impolite; he had greeted her, yet she didn''t even respond. Why was she turning her back toward him... Suddenly, An Su thought of something. Could it be that Luojia was also adopting his ingenuity, seeking to elevate her image as a Saintess, creating a ''turning her back to the masses'' mighty persona? The more he thought about it, the more plausible it felt. "Your Majesty Luojia," An Su said, "please turn around." "... What are you doing here?" Luojia patted her cheeks, ensuring there was nothing strange on her face, and swept the stray hairs to behind her ears, turning around but still angling her face slightly aside, and spoke to An Su with a puff of her cheeks, slightly displeased. "I''m just passing by for a walk, not up to much." An Su explained that he was just passing by and was planning to attend the gender change ceremony of Sisters Arthur and Lister soon. But it seemed that the matter here was more amusing. This was the Saints District of the Radiant Holy See, guarded by a Demigod; the Chaotic Saintess had stealthily infiltrated with her soul, continuing her disguise as a cat to steal homework. Thus, she would not risk revealing her true form or getting serious, still maintaining the guise of an ordinary cat. Wasn''t this an opportunity to train her a bit? An Su''s eyes shimmered with increasing brilliance, believing that his idea was flawless. This was a relatively rare opportunity. Both the Chaotic Saintess and the Imperial Princess were geniuses among geniuses, both in terms of Rank and talent, surpassing the body possessed by An Su. They were also the only two who had managed to best An Su. At the Chaotic Saintess''s place, he had been pranked twice in succession; the last time on a carriage ride, she had self-destructed on the spot, and the coachman''s blood splashed on An Su, a tasteless prank that took him by surprise. This was perfect, as he had just acquired the Quenched Redemption Holy Blade and was eager to use it! "But now I have something to do," An Su stated enthusiastically while gazing into Luojia''s eyes sincerely, "Please let me join your cat-catching squad!" Chapter 221 An Su: Ive Loved Cats Since I Was a Child "Please let me join your cat-catching team!" An Su moved closer, eagerly staring at Luojia. Too close... Luojia felt uncomfortable being stared at by this guy; she pursed her lips, turned her face away, trying not to look at An Su''s innocent cyan eyes. With her snow-white neck askew, her disheveled white long hair cascading over one shoulder, she thought to herself that this guy definitely wasn''t up to anything good. Letting An Su catch the cat would probably mean it getting sacrificed. The Diocese''s mission was just to expel the Cat Spirit anyway. "Stay away from me," she said, her ears slightly reddening, her face tense and cold. This guy had no manners. "I remember you still owe me two hundred gold coins," An Su said with a naive smile, "from the last fine you had to pay." Luojia suddenly turned back, blinking her eyes, abruptly remembered the incident. Last month, after smuggling back from the Chaotic Frontier, the Order Church had issued a fine of two hundred gold coins each, and it had been An Su who dealt with it for her. Even though that two hundred had already been offset by the bonus. The Little Saintess was upright and meticulous, and would not default on her debts. She turned her head away again, not looking at An Su, but her tone softened, "...I''ll pay you back next month." Sar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "I remember the Saintess''s monthly salary was issued at the beginning of this month, right?" An Su raised an eyebrow and inquired. "...I spent some on Extraordinary Items," Luojia weakly replied. "What else?" An Su pressed further, "There must be some change left over." "Such trifling matters, who among us would care?" Luojia turned away, hands behind her back, imitating an ostrich. This was not the time to show off; An Su never coddled anyone. As a proponent of equality, no one, man or woman, could make An Su lose his coinsalthough those coins weren''t even his to begin with. "The rest?" An Su stopped indulging Luojia''s avoidance of the masses'' view of a saint. He pressed her slender straight shoulders and slowly straightened her up. Under the dim night sky, his cyan eyes locked onto her glittering golden ones. An Su leaned in to press further, "The rest?" The warmth and moisture of the young man''s breath fell on her cheek, tickling her. "..." Luojia sighed resignedly, "I ate it." "...Pig..." An Su commented shortly, even Arthur couldn''t eat like that! With behavior like that, she shouldn''t be the Saintess of the Sanctuary of Chaos but of the Esoteric Sect of Gluttonous among the Seven Great Esoteric Sects... Just right for those high-tonnage followers lacking a leader with clout. Luojia was mortified and speechless, her ears as red as the evening sky. She broke free from An Su and took two steps back, letting go of all restraints, "What... do you want?" "Let me lead the Cat Catching Squad," An Su revealed his hidden intention, "and we''ll call it even." The terms discussed before were ''to join,'' and now it suddenly changed to ''lead''? Luojia was speechless at the thickness of An Su''s skin as he escalated the situation. She sighed again, eyeing An Su suspiciously, "You''re not planning on doing something weird to that Cat Spirit, are you?" "How could I?" An Su raised his left hand in a solemn oath, his eyes full of friendly emotions, while his right hand secretly hid a Quenched Holy Blade behind him, his face beaming with a sunny smile, "I love cats the most." Luojia stared at An Su, and even though she, as a Saintess, had the ability to discern people''s hearts, she couldn''t tell the truth from his words, as this little thing was a creature not amounted to a humanoid mammalian primate. Her Saintess'' eyes failed to discern. "Based on my many years of experience with cats," An Su spoke confidently, coolly analyzing, "That little black feral cat probably couldn''t be tamed. After half a year, its wild nature became apparent, which is why its original owner released it into the wild, where it eventually died and transformed into a roaming Cat Spirit, lingering within these saintly dioceses." "We need to make it stop wandering." An Su sincerely said, "I am determined to adopt her." "..." Luojia stayed silent for a while, finally nodding and sighing slowly, "Fine, have it your way." "Then let''s get going." "Wait... I need to go home first." Luojia shook her head. "Why?" Your next chapter awaits on My Virtual Library Empire "...To change clothes." She pursed her lips lightly, glaring fiercely at An Su, then turned around and softly commanded Riya and the other Female Saints standing by, engrossed in the conversation, "You go on ahead with the Holy Knights. The two of us are enough." "....Alright." Riya and the others were a bit stunned, and after a moment''s thought, they nodded in understanding, "..Ah, yes, Your Majesty, we''ll leave now. We understand." As they were leaving, Riya added meaningfully, "Wishing you a triumphant venture, by the way, do I need to notify the Monastery''s mother superior about the curfew?" Luojia felt a bit annoyed by the remark; her fair cheek flushed a soft red. She gently slapped Riya, frustrated by the odd words over just a routine task involving the Cat Spirit. Then, she sneakily glanced at An Su''s expression, and saw that he was even more annoyed than herself, his face showing frustration, "No, all the team members have left, who is left for me, the leader of the Cat Catching Squad, to command?" Outwitted by a woman... He stared incredulously at Luojia, never having expected the once innocent Little Saintess to have such a trick up her sleeve, turning his leadership role into that of a Bald Commander, with the two hundred gold he spent on the position washed away. Luojia''s expression darkened, and she gave An Su a hard smack. An Su clutched his aching shoulder, never having experienced such a loss. Just as he was thinking about retaliating fiercely to the woman who had taken advantage of him, he saw Luojia suddenly chuckle and quickly move away, her summer sandals lightly tapping the moonlit floor as she briskly walked towards the Monastery. Chapter 221 An Su: Ive Loved Cats Since I Was a Child_2 Explore hidden tales at My Virtual Library Empire ''June 30th, evening, Luojia Fast owed me a kick. It hurt.'' An Su took out his notebook to tally this account, adding Luojia Fast''s name to the list of those who had wronged him, which already included two other names. Namely, ''June 27th, noon, Cersei Milton stole my answers, so annoying.'' and ''June 24th, evening, Elf blasted my face, so funny.'' Once he had recorded the names, he put the notebook away and leaned against the corner of the wall, watching the starlight slide down the ridges of the mountains. Philosophers had said that waiting for a woman to change clothes was the most torturous time in the world, for they must apply makeup and choose their outfits. For a renegade player like An Su, wasting time was worse than death itself. Tired of waiting, he first went to the Alchemy Shop near the Diocese to buy some items, then returned to his original spot. Since he had no troops to command, he decided to proceed alone, at most it would cost him some spiritual energy, An Su stood in the center of the brilliant starlight. The saint''s soul spread out, expanding around him, and all information within hundreds of meters flooded into his mindthe tremble of every blade of grass, the lightness of every breeze, every detail visible to him. Such was the skill in detecting enemies by a high-tier Magician with a high-quality soul, comparable to professional Holy Knight Scouts. But An Su was not a professional scout, and dealing with such an overload of information did put some strain on his brain. That''s why he wished for someone to help him. In this heightened state, even the smallest information or changes couldn''t escape An Su''s eyes. He finally found the clue he was looking forin the grass seven hundred meters ahead on his left, there lay a tuft of black cat fur, still carrying a familiar scent. "An Su... An Su?" Suddenly, a cool female voice reached his ears, and An Su lifted his glowing eyes to see the newcomer. Luojia had changed out of her loose dress into a spring/summer white pleated skirt. Her previously messy hair was now tied up, revealing a smooth and refined side profile with her lips tinted in a soft, early spring cherry color, and she wore a pair of deer-skin boots. "What do you think?" She didn''t know why she cared so much about An Su''s opinion. Ultimately, she was just worried that the boy would mock her. But she had been a saintess of the borderlands since she was young; when had she ever cared about others'' opinions? "You''ve gained a quarter of a pound," An Su expressed his surprise, unable to miss any slight change. "...Who asked you about my weight!" Luojia, like a cat with its fur standing on end, pinched An Su angrily. Now An Su had to update his notebook to ''Luojia Fast owes him one kick and one pinch.'' "Anything else?" Luojia asked. "A bit prettier," An Su replied bluntly, being a straightforward child, good is good, and bad is bad. "...Ugh," Luojia turned her face away, not looking at An Su. It was the same before changing her clothes, and it was the same after... An Su was well accustomed to Luojia''s rude behavior. He sighed, feeling that his recent luck had been quite poor. If he wanted revenge, he would follow the list, dealing with one after another. "Let''s get down to the real business," he shrugged his shoulders and picked up the tuft of cat hair from the grass. Luojia squatted down beside An Su, also looking at the tuft of cat hair, surprised by An Su''s spiritual power, "Is this from that black cat?" "Exactly," An Su''s eyes sparkled, his exchanged Order Magic was finally going to be put to use, "This is the key weapon of my investigation, I will capture that thief cat using the means of Order!" "I know, I know!" Luojia raised her hand to show she understood, "It''s that high-tier magic [Order Return], right? Just applying it to this fur will make it automatically return to the black cat, and by following the hair''s trajectory, we can catch her." "But that''s useless," Luojia shook her head, "That cat runs too fast; even if we find her, we can''t catch her." "Order Knights have used an even higher-tier [Trace Back] magic that can directly outline the suspect''s timeline, yet they still couldn''t catch that Cat Spirit." "That''s because their approach to Order is rigid, not understanding what truly constitutes Order," An Su snorted dismissively, his eyes full of the radiance of Order, "Order isn''t meant to be used that way. I said, this hair is a weapon." "How are you going to use it?" Luojia hadn''t finished speaking when, the next second, her eyes widened as she watched An Su put on white gloves and pull out a bottle labeled ''Druid Alchemy Magic Potion. Psoriasis Poison Potion'' from his pocket, pouring it ferociously over the tuft of cat hair. Psoriasis? Luojia was stunned. The Druids really were so idle, concocting such a diabolical potion like this Psoriasis Magic Potion... This Druid concocted Alchemy Magic Potion was far superior to anything available commercially; even a single drop spread into the pores could cause all hair to break down and shed. "We must first rob it of its ability to move," An Su said cheerfully, "I collected criminals'' hair and nails exactly for attacks!" As a magic outlawed in his previous life, Order Return had been developed by An Su into several offensive combinations, ''Mission Call Flow'' being just one of them. This time, the magic combination was ''Order Curse Flow''! Elf had exploded his face last time; this time, he would strip her of all her fur! S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 221 An Su: Ive Loved Cats Since I Was a Child_3 The Elf, who was peeking at the Radiant Codex from within the shadows, was still oblivious to the clear and deliberate plan that had been arranged for her. Luojia, with a face full of exasperation, knew that similar dark magic existed in the distant East among the Magicians, where it was called Shamanic Magic. It involved collecting things like hair and nails to curse the host. A perfectly good investigative magic had been turned into curse magic by you! "If it''s nails, what kind of poison do you plan on using?" Luojia asked curiously. "Grey Nail Poison." An Su replied earnestly, pulling out a potion bottle from his pocket, labeled "Druid Alchemy Magic Potion, Grey Nail Poison Potion." So, you really love cats that much? Luojia sighed helplessly, "Is there another way?" Although she wasn''t particularly fond of annoying wild Cat Spirits, Luojia hoped for fewer wild cats in the world. It would mean less suffering, which would be better for the ecosystem, but the premise was not to torture them. "Okay, I won''t do that anymore. I''ll just use a bit of [Order Return] to find the right way." An Su replied honestly, taking out the Quenched Redemption Holy Blade hanging at his waist and cutting the hair with the tip of the blade. Meeting Luojia''s puzzled gaze, An Su kindly explained, "This blade has a Fire Attribute. The high temperature can sterilize, so I''m using this blade to sterilize the cat hair. Then, using [Order Return], the Cat Spirit won''t be affected by the virus." That makes sense... Luojia nodded her head. She used her Magic Eye to identify the name of the blade, and sure enough, it was called [Quenched Redemption Holy Blade], indeed a blade with Fire Attribute capable of sterilizing. "Told you," An Su''s smile grew more innocent and pure. Unnoticed, the Ghost Pepper Extract imbued with the Saint Rank on the Quenched Holy Blade had already seeped into the cat hair. The Holy Fire indeed purified the low-level alchemical virus. So it goes, to retreat is to advance. Read new adventures at My Virtual Library Empire "Then let''s get started quickly," Luojia exclaimed excitedly. "You agreed to this," An Su responded, his smile growing more cheerful, having found another good partner to take the blame. To deal with the evil Chaotic Saintess required the most ingenious methods. His magic circuit quickly activated, the brilliant radiance of Order shining on the tuft of cat hair. An Su chanted the prayer, "[Order Return]!" The cat hair, treated by the Quenched Blade, floated up, surrounded by the brilliance of Order. It gently trembled in the air a few times before transforming into a stream of fire, racing off into the distance. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "We better follow quickly," An Su hurriedly grabbed Luojia''s hand as the speed of Order Return was too fast, so they wouldn''t miss the trace and let Ael slip away. The cat hair crossed several Saint''s rooms, weaved through tiny branches, and turned several corners... A few blocks away in a small alley, a giant plane tree was deeply rooted in the dark street, its branches densely filling the sky of the alley like a spider web. The Chaotic Saintess Ael lazily stretched; her agile movements jumped to another branch, enjoying the day of skipping work. Especially hiding from the underlings of the Esoteric Sect and peeping at the Radiant Holy See''s innocent books was thrilling and exciting. No wonder An Su, as part of Chaotic Ladder, liked to be late for meetings or leave early. After all, if his leader, the Chaotic Saintess, was late... If An Su arrived earlier than his leader, wouldn''t that be an affront to her? Ael enjoyed the leisure time, lying on the branch, flipping through the Radiant texts she had just stolen tonight with her cat claws, excitedly reading each Holy Light sentence that made her blush, as if opening the gates to a new world. Ael''s entire being was immersed in the book, neglecting to guard against danger, and completely unaware that in the cover of night, a sinister arc of light was aiming at her body. In just a moment, Ael felt a slight sting on her back as if a mosquito had bitten her. Her crimson cat eyes dilated from vertical slits to round orbs. "Meow... ow... meow? Meow meow!" She cursed vulgarly, her cat claws scratching at her burning back, losing balance and falling straight down from the high branch. "Meow meow meow!!! Meow!" Chapter 223 An Su Once Again Destroys a Sanctuary of Chaos Stronghold "Is there really no problem?" Gazing at the trail left by the cat fur, Luojia asked with a worried face. "There''s no problem," An Su assured seriously, "A cat''s reflexes are seven times that of its fur, and if she feels uncomfortable, she''ll leave on her own." What kind of crooked logic is that... Luojia couldn''t argue with An Su and rolled her eyes attractively at him. They followed the direction of the departing cat fur, passing through several alleys and taking two turns, then arrived at a sequestered alley that looked long-deserted, At the end of the alley stood a huge Chinese parasol tree, its ancient green branches piercing through the courtyard wall and slanting across the sky, dense leaves casting layers of shadow, blocking the frost-like moonlight. This was the den of the Chaotic Saintess. An Su''s perception was very good, and from a distance, he could see the stacks and stacks of documents hidden among the branches, categorically arranged by different Church subjects, and at the very top, he could even spot the newly stolen homework assignments of the saints, amounting to dozens of sheets. He even saw the names ''Arthur'' and ''Lister'' among them... These two had the most accumulated schoolwork, so naturally, they were stolen in larger quantities, piled up like a mountain at the very top of the Chinese parasol tree. So, she never steals my homework, huh? An Su was furiously angry in his heart, Elf was just no good cat. As a devout Radiant Saint, An Su could no longer bear the nefarious conduct of the Chaotic Saintess, A cold smile lingered on the corner of An Su''s mouth. He resolved to take down this nest of chaos, rescue his fellow saints'' homework assignments, and fight this evil force to the end. Surely, the saints would feel grateful from the bottom of their hearts for his act of justice. However, Luojia was distracted by something else; she caught sight of a strange little black cat under the Chinese parasol tree. "Meow" Elf cursed, struggling to describe her current feelings. The pain wasn''t a stabbing or throbbing one, but a scorching agony that seared from inside out, including the fur. She tried hard to grab the tuft of cat fur on her tail, but as she turned her body, the tuft followed, she whirled a few circles to the left, found it wasn''t working, and abruptly stopped Then turned to the right. Sear?h the n??el Fire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. An Su and Luojia silently watched Elf spinning around. The Transformation Skill still had certain side effects. Even as clever as the Chaotic Saintess, while her soul inhabited the black cat, her mode of thinking was more or less influenced by the body she possessed, the longer the possession, the deeper the influence. In addition, being in a rush, Elf had spun around more than a dozen times and was nearly dizzy. She staggered a few times before stabilizing. Enjoy new chapters from My Virtual Library Empire Elf blinked her crimson cat eyes, came to her senses, looked up, and saw the boy with a calm smile on his lips, The boy with gray hair and azure eyes, his gaze pure nearly to the point of transparency, was none other than that damned An Su Moningsta. "See, she really likes me," An Su boasted proudly to Luojia, "She starts spinning around happily when she sees me." After pondering for a moment, Luojia nodded, "It does seem that way." All of Elf''s fur burst out; her current unfortunate look was definitely related to the young man in front of her. She arched her back, crouched down, and hissed at An Su with bared claws. If her real body were present, she would have already taught An Su a lesson. The Chaotic Saintess''s crimson pupils flickered, seeing through An Su''s Magic Circuit thoroughly; the magic he had just used was undoubtedly the Order Church''s [Order Return], but Elf hadn''t expected An Su to use magic in such a way. "Do you really plan to adopt this cat?" Luojia tried to get close to the black cat, her porcelain fingers reaching out, and Elf threatened Luojia with another hiss, causing the Little Saintess to withdraw her hand. Let An Su adopt her? Elf snorted disdainfully, the most revered Saintess of the Mysticism of Chaos, God of the Seven''s Favorhow could she let this kid boss her around? She leapt onto the wall in an instant, moving so fast that even An Su didn''t react before she gently landed on the branches, aiming to escape into the deeper shadows. If she wanted to leave, no one could trap her. "Ahshe''s going to leave again." Luojia expressed her dismay, "It''s always like this." "No problem." An Su put on an innocent smile, picking up a clump of cat fur that Elf had just scratched off, and under the silver moonlight, his smile grew even more eerie, "We''ll just keep tracking her with [Order Return]..." "Let''s do it one more time." He took out a quenched kitchen knife, the inscription on the blade flickering with Ghost Pepper toxin, and in Elf''s keen perception, it was intense and pungent, enveloping a nefarious and terrifying atmosphere, flooding over her. "..." Elf dejectedly walked back. This Curse Magic can actually combo...? Unable to imagine the consequences of being scorched by Ghost Pepper twice in a rowjust once made Elf spin in placeif it happened again, she might have trouble even going to the toilet tomorrow. And who knows if this local cat hospital even has a proctology department... Luojia watched in surprise as the little black cat returned, "... the cat came back?" An Su gave a triumphant smile, putting his hands on his hips and lifting his head, "I told you small animals really like me, didn''t I lie to you." "She can''t bear to leave me." ...Elf rolled her eyes at An Su, her perception of this kid''s thick skin reaching a whole new level, if not for that Chili Pepper Blade behind him, she would''ve made her escape long ago. Chapter 223 An Su Destroys Another Stronghold of the Sanctuary of Chaos_2 But An Su really wouldn''t adopt her just for fun, because that would be rather uninteresting. The Chaotic Saintess also had her dignity as a saintess. Elf''s soul could abandon this body at any time, ready to leave whenever she wanted, and could simply leave if she ever felt uncomfortable. For her, lurking within the Imperial Capital was just a way to pass the time when she was bored. If things didn''t go well, she would just leave. These amusing saints really thought they could catch her. Elf''s crimson eyes were filled with mockery, her pupils dilating in preparation to leave this dull body at any moment. "Right, I heard from His Excellency Merlin that he personally set the questions for this exam. Yes, Merlin Andre himself, he crafted them all. Therefore, there are many innovative Radiance question types, and I have summarized a list of key knowledge points and a checklist. Ah, I just happen to know this." An Su deliberately turned to face Luojia and asked, "Would you like a copy?" Explore stories on My Virtual Library Empire Elf''s cat ears perked up, her eyes widening attentively. New Radiance knowledge! Her cat ears twitched as she listened intently. Luojia frowned slightly, turned around, and her snow-white eyes stared seriously at An Su, as if seeing through his trickery. After a pause, she asked, "Did His Excellency Merlin leak the questions to you?" "No, I swear by the name of the Radiant Goddess, His Excellency Merlin didn''t leak even a single question to me!" "No cheating?" Luojia asked, tilting her head. "Absolutely no foul play," An Su stated solemnly, "These are all review outlines and key knowledge points I gathered myself, nothing more." He wasn''t lying; Merlin had indeed not leaked any questions to him. After all, the exam questions were his own creation. Elf listened even more intently now. "How much?" Luojia asked warily, afraid she was being tricked again by this rascal. "I''ll give it to you for free," An Su said generously, then deliberately lowered his voice, "This is top-secret material that can''t be bought outside." Top-secret material! Elf''s expression turned serious; she decided to stay for a big heist. She had never successfully infiltrated An Su''s residence, so of all the work she had piled up like a phoenix tree, An Su''s was the only one missing. The reason was the maid at the estate. Miss Enya kept the entire residence in perfect order, not allowing any stray cats into the young master''s room. Elf was encountering for the first time a girl whose talents nearly matched her own. This expressionless and icy maid had entered the Saint Rank at such a young age. Although she was not yet a match for Elf''s true form, she was more than enough to deal with a cat. And now, the opportunity to legitimately sneak into the mansion had emerged. The light in Elf''s eyes grew even brighter. "Why would you give it to me for free?" Luojia pondered this question, always suspecting An Su had ulterior motives. "Consider it a repayment," An Su said, noticing Elf''s interest and continuing to bait her. "A repayment?" "Have you forgotten...?" An Su pulled a notebook from his bag, flipping past the pages where he noted Luojia''s enmity, briskly turning to the very front, On it were rows of neatly written script, categorizing knowledge points for various subjects, all the basic saint examination topics, from the origin history of the empire and the pioneering of Radiance, to characters in the Esoteric Sect and Orthodox Church, as well as summaries and key points on the Bible, all meticulously written. Luojia was surprised to find that it was actually her own handwriting. She blinked her golden eyes and looked up at An Su. "It must have been a year ago when we were still in the border city. I was going to take the written exam for the saint exam a week later; back then, I was pretty much a slack student." An Su said, "The day you left, you gave me this notebook with notes you had organized." Sarch* The N?velFire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. At that time, An Su had just awakened his memories of his past life, and he knew next to nothing about Nether''s history, political geography, and religious relationships. "You''re still keeping this notebook?" Luojia remembered, on that day, they had gone to the largest cake shop on the border to eat blueberry cake. It was the end of summer, and the warm sunlight danced glimmeringly on the uneven cobblestones of the border lanes. The next day, as the official Saintess, Luojia took the Magic Conductor Train and left the small border town, arriving in the bustling and unfamiliar Imperial Capital, where she took residence in a Monastery laden with strict rules and disciplines, becoming a child everyone liked and was satisfied with. Until the arrival of An Su. Upon reflection, so much time had already passed. Life goes by really fast. Everything was as vivid as if it had happened yesterday. She looked at An Su with her head tilted, the then disregarded "Child of the Curse" who had overcome all worldly prejudices to become a Radiant Saint, and now here they were, talking in the Imperial Capital Diocese, sneaking away together, or catching that annoying little cat together. The world was truly... marvelous. "So, I''ve also returned you a favor. This time, my organized list of knowledge is very impressive." An Su spoke earnestly; this had been part of his plans for a while. Giving the answers directly to Luojia, knowing her serious nature, she definitely wouldn''t accept it. Therefore, An Su had specially organized a set of materials, which with the Little Saintess''s terrifying learning capabilities as the former top scholar, she should be able to pass the examination within four days. Moreover, it would just so happen to bait the Chaotic Saintess. An Su could feel it, the eyes of the small black cat on the wall were wide open, even forgetting its burning-hot bottom fur. He was clear that he certainly wasn''t anything good, a complete creation born from and for his own interests, including this time. This wasn''t exactly repaying a favor. An Su knew that if it weren''t for his [An Su''s] interference with the examination papers, the Little Saintess could easily pass the written test on her own merit. "This notebook..." Luojia paused, her frost-like snow-white eyelashes falling down, hiding her bright golden eyes and concealing her emotions, with only a slight ripple showing in her gaze, "why do you still keep it?" She didn''t care about the examination in four days, nor the High-Class knowledge that even the Chaotic Saintess coveted, but focused on this strange little detail instead. "To record important things," An Su was somewhat stunned, not expecting Luojia to ask this question. He paused and then replied. To record your grudges! "I see." Luojia nodded slightly. She lowered her gaze, paused, gently pursed her thin lips, her delicate fingers clutched at her clothes, and finally let go. She raised her head and finally smiled at An Su, her smile like the late snow of early spring, "Thank you for keeping it." "I will... also keep the one you gave me." Bathed in the moonlight that filtered through the gaps of the plane tree branches, surrounded by the low hum of cicadas among the leaves, Luojia quietly said. "I will use it to record... important things as well." Heh... it''s all mine! Elf, standing aside, showed a cold smile. She softly meowed. The forbidden knowledge that An Su had organized was now her possession; not just the notebook, but everything else in An Su''s home was fair game for her to take. Including the intelligence from the chaotic city, including Radiance knowledge, and even the body of An Su the kid... she could take possession of it all! When the time came, that annoying maid would only be able to watch her triumph! Just the thought of having access to all that forbidden, dark knowledge of Radiance excites Elf''s cat eyes. This was the essence of chaos, to twist and desecrate everything for pleasure, Elf felt that her understanding of chaos had reached a new level, and if she continued to advance at this rate, she would eventually break through the last bottleneck of the Saint Rank. However, the thought of having to temporarily endure under An Su''s command made Elf feel uncomfortable. "Then it''s settled," An Su said with a satisfied smile. He needed to rank among the last five in the examination, specifically needing five saints C the Borderland Triumvirs plus the Imperial Princess were perfect, just leaving the last spot filled now. With the distribution of places completed, the rest of the plan was to take down the exam candidates. "And you?" Once everything was dealt with, An Su turned towards the little black cat in the corner with a friendly smile and reached out his hand. He was indeed a very affectionate cat-lover, "Would you like to come to my home?" Let you be smug for a while. Elf stared at An Su, revealing a mocking smile. "Meow." She coldly meowed, extending her cat paw. Chapter 222 An Su: Well, lets sterilize her then. "Would you like to live at my place?" "Meow," the Chaotic Saintess coldly meowed, extending her cat paw. "Great, from today on, you''re part of the family." An Su displayed a satisfied smile, he knew he was well-liked by small animals, and he happily grasped the cat paw extended by the Chaotic Saintess. The white moonlight leaked through the gaps in the plane tree leaves, casting on his pale green pupils, making him appear so sincere and innocent. As a cat lover, An Su naturally felt responsible for his pet and immediately made a responsible decision, his thin lips parted, and he said brightly "Good, let''s get started with the sterilization surgery right now!" What the heck... The Chaotic Saintess withdrew her cat paw. But she found her paw was firmly grasped by An Su; she couldn''t drag it away. The Elf blinked her eyes, her pupils slightly widened, her body instinctively shrinking back, her face full of disbelief, her cat ears trembling, seriously suspecting she was hallucinating. She held her head high, staring intently at An Su, making sure he was not joking. The Elf then looked pitifully towards Luojia, showing a wronged expression, hoping to evoke this woman''s compassion to condemn An Su''s actions. "Indeed," Luojia nodded seriously, her expression even firmer than An Su''s, "Sterilization is a must; we can''t let this little cat come into heat at will!" Who the heck wants to come into heat? The Elf''s face was lined with annoyance, and she bristled instantly. As the distinguished Chaotic Saintess, beloved by the Seven Gods, and the youngest Saint of her time, respected and feared by all, she had never suffered such indignity! She always believed that sexual pleasure was the lowest form of all pleasures, that sensual pleasure was merely an illusion brought on by bodily hormones, even a fleeting delusion; only the joy of the soul and the taboos of the spirit were eternal pleasures. Like peeking at the Little Holy Book of the Radiant Holy See. The insulted Elf furiously clawed at Luojia, and then she heard An Su next to her immediately say, "Look, she''s so irritable right now, a typical symptom of being in heat." This guy... The Elf collected her exploded fur with a frown, closed her mouth, and put her paws together in front of her, indicating her mood was very stable, not in heat at all. She could never have imagined that there would come a day when she, a mighty Chaotic Saintess, had to pretend to be a docile cat to prove she wasn''t in heat, to escape a fate of being castrated... If her followers in the Esoteric Sect, who worshipped and revered, even idolized Elf as a goddess, knew about this, they''d probably be heartbroken on the spot. Endurance. The Elf''s cat paw clenched tight; had it not been for that knowledge, she would have been climbing the walls in urgency. Seeing the Chaotic Saintess appearing so docile, An Su showed a satisfied smile. Being a cat lover, handling a keycap was hardly challenging for him. He thought it was best to back off while things were going well, just a bit of a scare and a firm stand should suffice, lest he really push the Chaotic Saintess into desperation. Sear?h the Novl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Since she seems so reluctant, let''s forget about it then," An Su said, it was only meant to scare Elf anyway. The expression on Elf''s face eased slightly. Even though sterilization would only damage this body, not affecting her true self, such a painful experience would definitely be etched deep into her soul, becoming a psychological shadow she could never erase in her lifetime. Just as she thought this ordeal was ending, she saw the Little Saintess shaking her head next to her. She seriously listed the benefits of sterilization, counting them off on her fingers, one after another, "There is still a necessity to sterilize cats, not just for environmental issues. After a female cat is sterilized, it won''t exhibit abnormal estrous behavior anymore. Furthermore, it can prevent diseases like mammary gland tumors in cats, and lastly, it can reduce the risks of cats running away from home or falling from high places..." The more seriously Luojia spoke, the more intense Elf''s expression grew. Is this woman serious? "Don''t worry, it won''t hurt at all." Luojia stared intently at the little black cat, her face showing a kind and gentle smile, truly as if a goddess had descended to the earth, yet the words that flowed from her thin lips seemed as if they came from the deepest depths of Hell, chilling Elf to the bone, "I''ll do it myself. I used to handle it myself when I had cats.. Back in the countryside, I also helped a friend operate on several cats... very experienced indeed, hmm, let me see, An Su, help me hold her paws." An Su had been holding one of Elf''s cat paws, and upon hearing Luojia''s command, he split his index and middle finger, holding another paw, pinning the little cat down in his palm like capturing a criminal. Whimper whimper. "Meow!" Elf looked utterly wronged being held down by An Su, she''d never suffered such bully; this damned An Su had such strong grip, she couldn''t break free at the moment. The speed of this Cat Spirit body was fast, so fast that even a Demigod couldn''t catch her. Discover more content at My Virtual Library Empire But once held down, all her speed was useless. She looked at Luojia again with a gaze filled with horror and suspicion. Although this fellow claimed to be experienced, Elf had a bad feeling about this. "What do you plan to do?" An Su suggested that Luojia''s methods were more profound than his own. "Ah, first make a small incision in that area with a scalpel," Luojia said gently, "Then remove the uterus and ovaries, and then stitch up the wounds with Healing Magic... Our border doctors are very professional." Chapter 222 An Su: So, lets sterilize her_2 What are these devilish words? Elf''s crimson eyes were about to lose color in fright, her cat-like pupils dilating in shock. Even the cruel Painful Church had no such torture, and to think of using scissors to cut open... After causing destruction everywhere for so many years, the Chaotic Saintess had never seen a more chaotic method of birth. "Unfortunately, I don''t have any knives on me..." Luojia said, furrowing her brows lightly with a sense of helplessness. Read latest chapters at My Virtual Library Empire "I have one here," assistant An Su quickly offered his "Quenched Redemption Holy Blade" to Miss Luojia. "Ah, that''s great," Luojia said happily as she took the long blade, as thick as a small arm. Elf watched the scene before her with a vacant gaze. "Meow...?" What does ''that''s great'' mean? She tilted her cat head, first looking at An Su for a while, then turned her head to Luojia, then back again, her eyes going back and forth between the two, feeling as if there was something wrong with the world, or with herself. After confirming she wasn''t hallucinating, Elf''s gaze returned to the menacing and evil Demon Blade, radiating fierce demonic energy, and she swallowed hard. The blade was suffused with the spicy aroma of "Demon Seed Ghost Pepper". If that blade came down, the whole cat would ascend to heaven. Elf''s cat claws tightened. How fortunate, in just a few seconds, the Chaotic Saintess witnessed a more chaotic method than being cut open with scissors, being sliced open with a chili pepper blade! It would be one thing if An Su, the b*tch, came from such beginnings, but you, a saint of the Radiant Holy See, too? He gives it to you, and you actually take it...! At her boiling point, she prepared to glare fiercely at Luojia with her eyes, hoping the other would wake up from her angry gaze, recalling the last shred of her conscience, and sever ties with the evil-born An Su. After being stared at by the kitty for a good while, Luojia seemed to have realized something; she lowered her head to examine the blade handed over by An Su, her golden eyes scrutinizing it carefully. After a moment, she nodded in sudden enlightenment, "Hmm, a flame attribute blade doesn''t need sterilization, it''s indeed suitable as a surgical knife." "...." Elf''s eyes went dull. Putting aside the issue of the blade''s attributes, its terrifying sharpness and length alone would make it unsuitable as a surgical knife... Is that how the border people neuter? It even had a blood groove on it. She glared at Luojia with a gloomy little cat face. Was this girl really a professional? In an instant, Elf realized the crucial point in Luojia''s previous words"a bit of Healing Magic to heal the wound will do." So, because you have Healing Magic, you just do whatever you want! "Meow... meow!" The Chaotic Saintess glared at Luojia with her head held high. The latter still had a gentle smile on her lips, a smile so pure and gentle that it did not melt in the sunlight, devoid of any malice or impurity, utterly different from An Su''s feigned innocence, Luojia genuinely seemed to think her method of sterilization was professional. The soul of a saint could wholly sense this. Elf fell silent. She had not expected this innocent-looking young girl to be even more sinister than An Su! Innocent darkness, that''s pure black! She had seen it all now; this pair was in cahoots! The creatures produced by the border, regardless of gender, all have the most vile origins. The Chaotic Saintess curled into a small black ball, shivering as she stared at the Radiant Holy Saintess''s perfect smile. She sincerely felt their roles should be reversed, with her own position as the Chaotic Saintess being offered to Luojia. An Su watched the Little Saintess with an admiring look on his face, showing a relieved smile. Who would have thought that in the first showdown between the Radiant Holy Saintess and the Chaotic Saintess, Luojia would push Elf to the brink of lineage annihilation? Truly worthy of the Radiant Goddess''s beloved daughter, a sight to behold. Luojia had no idea about the psychological battle being waged between these two; she simply wanted to solve the little cat''s problem and prevent the Radiant Church Diocese from having more wandering children in the future. After adjusting her breathing, she steeled herself, gripped the handle of the Quenched Holy Blade, and approached the elf. To keep the kitten from getting scared, the closer Luojia got, the more gentle and soft her movements became. But for the elf, this silent approach was like the steps of the Grim Reaper lingering at the door, With her cat-like eyes tightly shut, her soul was ready to depart from her body at any moment. Although the elf pursued pleasure without regard for anyone''s life, including her own, there were always things in this world more painful than death. However, once her consciousness decided to leave, even Magic God Merlin couldn''t stop her. Meow... Just as she was preparing to slip away, she heard An Su''s languid voice, "Alright, Luojia, let''s do it next time." "Why?" Luojia asked, tilting her head as she looked at An Su. "She''s too young. Let''s wait until the kitten is a bit older," An Su said seriously, "Besides, it''s getting late now, and the sky has grown dark, making it inconvenient to operate." Luojia looked up at the sky; the moon that had been there moments ago was now obscured by thick clouds. Night had deepened, and the lights around the diocese had been snuffed out. Indeed, the lighting was not suitable for surgery. "Then, alright. You make sense," Luojia nodded with a touch of regret, "It''s too dark now, operating at this time could end up hurting the little cat." ... Elf kept silent for a moment, then opened her eyes, staring at the large knife in Luojia''s hand. She thought to herself, so you''re actually worried about hurting me. A few days ago, she had sprayed An Su''s face with blood, startling the young man and causing a psychological shadow that wouldn''t disappear. She had even made it into his notebook. Now, the elf realized what true terror was. Compared to the scares she had experienced, the minor grievances suffered on the Chaotic Ladder were nothing, merely like being splattered with blood from a headshot, something out of a children''s cartoon. She watched Luojia warily, this was the first time a woman had ever left a psychological shadow on the Chaotic Saintess. In comparison, An Su, who had been kind and loveable right from birth, seemed all the more good-looking and sweet. The elf shuffled her short legs to hide behind An Su, curling up into a ball, terrified that Luojia would try to sterilize her again. Since there was no imminent danger, the elf''s soul decided not to abandon this incarnation. She could always steal An Su''s book of Radiance knowledge before making her escape... after all, it was all just for fun. She had to steal just one book and then leave right away! She wouldn''t linger for anything more. She, the Great Lady Elf, would surely be the victor in the end! All of the humiliations she suffered now were merely a prelude to the ecstatic joy she would feel at the final moment. The more grievances and humiliations she endured, the sweeter the victory and pleasure would be! Upon seeing this, An Su nodded with satisfaction, a smug smile spreading across his face. He truly was a saint adored by small creatures. Not only had he successfully frightened the elf, but today was indeed a day of great harvest. He definitely couldn''t let the elf''s soul escape. That Chaotic Saintess loved to stir up trouble, and if she wasn''t doing it here, she''d be unleashing her restless heart of mischief somewhere else. From the moment of her birth, this woman was fated to engage in big antics, and for fun, she would do anything. With only the tip of the iceberg visible in the current incident of the Imperial Capital''s fall, what was certain was that the Chaotic Saintess had played a part in the original cause. Once her consciousness returned to the main body, she would become the most powerful saint below Demigods, far more difficult to manage than this little kitten. Rather than releasing this time bomb to cause unknown havoc, it was better to keep her by his side and exhaust her energies on Radiant knowledge. After all, the knowledge of Radiance was never-ending. If she ever finished learning about Radiance, An Su still had knowledge of optics, and even advanced mathematics. Since her pursuit was pleasure, it didn''t matter what she did. Who knows, he might even squeeze some advantages out of her. Sarch* The N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. And using the threat of sterilization to scare her... An Su''s smile grew even more brilliant. He knew that compared to a quick and decisive surgical cut, the constant, ever-present fear was the most delightful chaos! While returning the blade to An Su, Luojia asked, "What should we name her, I wonder?" "Considering how dark she is, how about calling her Little Black?" An Su casually named her, disregarding the elf''s clawing opposition, "Alright, it''s getting late, time for curfew checks. We should go home." "The dorm supervisors at the monastery... they don''t manage these things for me anymore. No matter if I don''t return at night," Luojia said softly, pursing her lips. "There are dorm supervisors at my place too, checking in," An Su said. ... "Who?" Chapter 222 The First Confrontation Between Luojia and Enya Speechless. An Su walked expressionlessly on the small street. She was being followed by an aunt. The night had deepened, and the silvery moon frost solidified on the path home. The church boots made a slight creaking sound as they stepped on the rime. In his left hand, he held Lister, who had just been abducted back home, followed closely by the Little Saintess Luojia. Luojia had always lived in the monastery designated for saintesses and had never been to An Su''s house before. She looked around curiously. The diocese of the saints was also divided by region. Ordinary followers lived in dormitories; descendants from noble families in the Imperial Capital were housed in single apartments, while foreign student followers stayed in luxurious international apartments. The saints from the border were the most special. The Radiant Holy See had specifically allocated a border area for these folks, far from the general diocese, with detached villas marked "Only border people and natives may enter." To enjoy such top-tier treatment and have it unanimously approved by all followers without any objections was a result they had fought for through their wisdom and effort. As Arthur and Lister saw the promotion exam approaching, the saints in the diocese dormitory were studying overnight, diligently preparing. Everyone else was studying so hard while they had been neglecting studies, and the gap was only widening. The two swore they couldn''t go on like this. They needed to make some changes and practice magic seriously! Thus, every night they engaged in high-intensity border magic "friendly exchanges," and the immense noise from the building resonated day and night in the diocese, hindering everyone from studying effectively. They successfully reduced the gap. The problem was perfectly resolved. However, after the problem was solved, as per unanimous vote by the saints of the diocese, all the border people were exiled, stripping them of their lodging qualifications. Without any objections. Then, An Su spent money to buy several circles of wasteland adjacent to the diocese and developed it into a villa estate area, which just so happened to be suitable for some underhanded deals. This was the outcome that the border people had strived for through their wisdom and effort. The deeper they walked, the more magnificent the surroundings became. The asphalt and stone slabs on the road had been replaced by rows of glistening Obsidian Crystals, and both sides of the road were lined with palm trees with sword-sharp leaves, the cold moonlight casting the shadows of the leaves onto the road. The Little Saintess showed a look of curiosity; the weather was getting colder, her snow-white cheeks tucking into her collar. This was her first time visiting An Su''s new home. As she walked, she kept curiously looking around. Because of this, she did not walk fast and was frequently left a few steps behind by An Su. She hurried with small quick steps to follow closely behind him like a small animal, slightly panting, with her cherry-like lips exhaling white mist, "Huff..." An Su glanced at Luojia from the corner of his eye. Since he mentioned that his home was under inspection, this girl insisted on getting his study notes tonight, even though it was already dark. She said she wanted to follow him home to get them. He wasn''t going to default on his debts! What a king of cheating. An Su had clearly seen through Luojia''s ill intentions; this woman obviously wanted to take his notes and stay up all night studying to overwhelm him in the exams three days later. She was indeed sinister and malevolent. True to the legendary Radiant Holy Saintess, she indeed was the challenge of his life. The little black cat also glanced at Luojia with the corner of its eye. Although held in An Su''s hand, it had quite an agile gaze. The cat''s head turned fluidly backward, and at this moment, its eyes looking at Luojia were filled with wariness and alarm; this woman was more cunning than he had imagined. Although she appeared innocent on the surface, she was darker than anyone inside. She intended to take away An Su''s forbidden knowledge tonight! The speed and ferocity of her actions left no chance for Elf to steal. Elf even felt that Luojia had seen through her identity to some extent, from deliberately using the Chili Pepper Blade to intimidate her to preemptively taking away the notes, all of which hinted at something. Sarch* The N?vel(F)ire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. True to the legendary Radiant Holy Saintess, she indeed was the enemy of his life. Being stared at by a person and a cat with strange expressions, Luojia tilted her head. She subconsciously touched her cheek, thinking something was on her face. She quickly walked up to An Su, leaned in close, shook her head, and swept her snowy white bangs behind her ear, asking, "An Su, is there something strange on my face?" Luojia was worried that she had not washed her face clean enough in a hurry after getting up. So she would not become a laughing stock to this little native. "I don''t see anything," An Su quietly said. Luojia still thought An Su, that bad guy, was deliberately messing with her, leaning forward, and their distance became very close for a moment, their breaths mingling in the slightly chilly night airshe stared at An Su intensely, "Don''t lie to me." "No, really." An Su said, wondering how this girl had no sense of boundary, "Hmm..." It was then that Luojia realized she was too close to An Su. She stared at his clean and delicate cheeks, his pale blue eyes, and his slightly trembling long eyelashes. She quickly stepped back a few steps, and her face turned slightly red as if the twilight was slowly melting into a snowy lake. Read latest stories on My Virtual Library Empire "No... ah, no," she stuttered, "If there''s nothing, then never mind." "Ah, now there is," An Su honestly said, "There''s twilight on your face." "..." Luojia, ignoring An Su''s strange comments, pulled a face at him. Her ears turned even redder, knowing he always mocked people. Chapter 222 The First Confrontation Between Luojia and Enya_2 ``` "You still have a ghost face on your face." Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Suddenly, a cold voice emanated from the shadows, icy enough to chill one to the bone, like the frosty moonlight of the night. Luojia turned toward the source of the voice, and saw An Su''s maid standing silently at the estate''s entrance, her amber eyes calmly watching Luojia and An Su. She gently lifted her skirt in a perfect curtsy, every movement showcasing the epitome of a perfect maid. Yet, there was not a trace of emotion in her eyes, like a dark old well that reflected no light. Miss Enya was dressed in a black gothic Lolita-style gown today, with pale gloves and a gleaming lantern hanging at her waist. Apparently, the auntie in charge of lodging had been waiting at the mansion''s entrance for Young Master An Su''s return. But at this moment, she was watching Luojia. Upon seeing that the ''lodge auntie'' mentioned by An Su was none other than Enya, with whom she had cleared the Chaotic Frontier a month ago, the Little Saintess''s inexplicable wariness suddenly relaxedafter all, according to the maid, she was quite averse to, even disgusted by her master. No wonder, considering An Su was such a scoundrel, practically no one liked him. Thinking this, Luojia glanced at An Su again. "..." Enya watched the scene with a perfect icy smile on her lips, staying silent. "Miss Enya, long time no see." Luojia returned Enya''s gesture, her every move also exuding the elegance of the Radiant Holy Saintess. "There''s nothing ghostly on my face, you really love to joke." "Then it must be a guilt inside." Enya replied with a perfect smile, "May I ask, for what reason do you grace our humble abode so late?" "Ah." Luojia gave An Su a nudge, "An Su said he wanted to show me some study materials." An Su looked at Luojia incredulously; it was clearly her who had forcefully demanded them now. Elf also stared at Luojia in disbelief, pondering whether he could also sneak a peek at them. Study materials... Upon hearing this term, Enya''s deep eyes grew more profound. She knew what her young master''s study materials were: the "Chaotic Empire Forbidden and Destroyed Books. No viewing under the age of sixteen," volumes one and two, which the Esoteric Sect Followers had brought a few days ago. The knowledge within those study materials was rich and terrifyingly advanced. An Su had never invited her to look at them. Upon this realization, Enya''s gaze shifted away, laying her profound, icy stare on her young master. What are you looking at me for... An Su kept his focus inward, feeling he hadn''t done anything wrong, plus he was only half an hour late for curfew, not enough to make such a fuss, especially when he used to come back in the early hours of the morning after a night out. Stay tuned for updates on My Virtual Library Empire "Young Master, are you sure you want to give her the study materials?" Enya asked, still smiling perfectly at An Su. "Give them to her, they''re not worth anything anyway," An Su said, "after all, I''ve already shared them with Arthur and Lister." "?" Enya almost couldn''t maintain her perfect smile. Sharing them with that outsider was one thing, but Arthur and Lister? Her eyes might have remained as calm as a lake, but beneath that calm surface lurked a brewing murderous intent, certain that those two had led her innocent young master astray! "Hurry up and give them to me." As a straight-A student, Luojia''s desire to learn the sacred knowledge could no longer be contained. After coming to An Su''s house to alleviate her unease, she was now eager to obtain An Su''s study materials. An Su said the upcoming exam would be set by His Excellency Merlin himself, covering topics that were highly complex and abstract, and certainly beyond the knowledge of any saint. Luojia wanted to see the kind of questions that Teacher Merlin would pose, ones that could actually puzzle Luojia Fast. In seeking An Su''s materials, Luojia too harbored the intention of showing off to him a bit. Unbeknownst to anyone, by virtue of the Little Saintess''s exceptional talent, Luojia''s theoretical knowledge had reachedand even surpassedthe level of a saint. In just one year in the Imperial Capital, she had read and mastered all the books in the Imperial Capital''s Royal Library. With hands on hips and a triumphant look, she thought to herself that once she got hold of An Su''s materials, she would effortlessly grasp the so-called ''abstract knowledge'' within, and little An Su would surely come to see her in a new light. "So, may I come in?" Luojia tilted her head, eager to show off, thinking of going into An Su''s bedroom herself to fetch them. She climbed the steps briskly, bent down to take off her shoes and enter, but was stopped dead by the expressionless Enya. Enya looked coldly at Luojia and let out a light sigh. She could not defy her young master''s orders; since An Su had clearly agreed to give those study materials to Luojia, Enya had to honor her young master''s command. ``` ``` "I''ve fetched it for you," Enya said with a cold smile. She personally delivered the documents to the b*tch outside. She had never experienced such humiliation before and was finding it difficult to accept, but if Luojia was attempting to even step into the young master''s room, then she would never allow it. ``` ``` Being able to hand over the book was the only concession Enya was willing to make today. ``` ``` "Please wait here for a moment," Enya said with a bow, her face expressionless, "I''ll bring the study materials to you right now." ``` ``` She turned around, casting a calm glance at An Su before pushing open the door and stepping inside. The crisp sound of her footsteps echoed in the empty stairwell. Enya climbed to the attic, retrieved the sealed forbidden book from the top shelf of the study, wrapped it carefully in parchment paper, and descended the stairs. ``` ``` Elf stared eagerly at the book in Luojia''s hands, sensing a strong aura of chaos emanating from it, as though it were a volume of the Ancient Secret Scriptures from their Sanctuary of Chaos. Yet, since An Su had said so, it must certainly be a book of the Radiance genre. ``` ``` A book of the Radiance genre with such a potent chaotic aura was definitely a treasure among treasures. ``` ``` The temptation for Elf was extreme; she had a feeling that reading this book could be worth stealing a thousand pieces of homework from Radiant Saints. ``` ``` An Su looked at Enya wrapping the book with parchment paper and was surprised, "Why wrap it up?" ``` ``` An innocent like An Su couldn''t comprehend what the maid was thinking. ``` ``` "... It''s not quite proper to flaunt this book in public," Enya murmured. ``` ``` "What''s there to avoid?" An Su said, straightforward, "Back when I lived in the Church''s usual residential area, I always studied in the open." ``` ``` After all, according to his many years of study experience, the volume of page-flipping during studying was inversely proportional to the sleep quality and mindset of the surrounding saints. ``` ``` "You truly are a heroic figure, my master," Enya looked at her young master with new respect. At such a young age, he did what was beneath her, brazenly reading such books in public. ``` ``` It seemed she still had room for improvement. ``` ``` Because she was not yet good enough, the woman before her had gotten the upper hand. Enya''s eyes were cold as she watched Miss Luojia take the book. ``` ``` Luojia was full of confidence; she wanted to prove to An Su that there was no knowledge that could stump Luoja Fast. ``` ``` This was the domain she took pride in. She immediately tore a small opening in the parchment paper, glimpsed at the two books, and flipped to the first page of the contents, her golden eyes brimming with curiosity and confidence in the realm of knowledge. ``` ``` Little black Elf stared earnestly at the radiant knowledge in Luojia''s hands, unable to see. ``` ``` She even began contemplating whether to temporarily join this Little Saintess. Since the radiant knowledge sorted out by An Su had already fallen into the hands of Luojia, she should head to the Luo Family. ``` ``` The Chaotic Saintess had already thought of her own name; by then, she would simply call herself Luo Xiaohei. ``` ``` Time slowly passed, yet Luojia remained motionless in her original stance. ``` ``` After a while. ``` ``` Luojia stared blankly at the directory for a long time, her ears suddenly becoming redder than the evening sunset, as if about to bleed, with steam seemingly rising from her head. She lifted her gaze, unbelievingly staring at An Su, and whispered, her voice as low as a little bug''s, ``` ``` "You... are you sure..." ``` ``` She blushed, "Would Merlin include knowledge points like these in the national saint advancement exam?" ``` ``` "This is too..." ``` ``` "Of course." ``` ``` An Su nodded confidently, after all, he had personally crafted the questions, so how could there be a mistake? ``` ``` Indeed, the otherworldly knowledge was so challenging that the Little Saintess found it perverse. ``` ``` "Merlin, that old guy, is indeed a pervert," An Su declared proudly. ``` ``` "Truly perverted..." ``` ``` She stroked the cat head of the little black cat in her arms. ``` ``` The maid''s every move exuded the perfect demeanor of a chief steward. ``` ``` "I''m back from messing around!" An Su exclaimed upon seeing Miss Enya, a smile of joy spreading across his face. His outing had been quite fruitful, indeed, ``` ``` A worthy Radiant Holy Saintess, this woman ``` ``` "" ``` Chapter 223 Luojia: Are you sure you want me to look at this? Luojia huddled her neck, sneaking a glance at the book wrapped in parchment, and then quickly closed it, her face flushed red like a ripe apple, her eyes clearly betraying panic, no longer the confident composure she had before, as if there was steaming steam coming out of her head. It was like opening the door to a new world. Just moments before, she had been certain there was no knowledge in this world that could stump her, but she couldn''t understand a single thing in the realm this study material touched upon; it was completely over her head. What is all this.... It was too chaotic. Is this really the kind of question that the Radiant Holy See would pose? The saying went that if the upper beam was not straight, the lower beam would be crooked. That legendary God of Law, Merlin, was nothing but a shameless old pervert, coming up with this type of question, and that was what led the entire Church astray.... Luojia bit her silver teeth lightly, her initial panic fading away to reveal a stern look in her eyes. If she wanted to correct the crooked ways of the Church now, she had to start with reforming this Radiant Bishop. Luojia had to practice diligently, and once her power was sufficient, she was going to report that old Merlin. Such filthshe would never lay eyes on it again! "The knowledge in this book..." Luojia looked at An Su, her voice as low as an insect''s, "I think I better not take it..." sea??h th N?vel(F)ire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. You''re not giving me... Luo Xiaohei, nestled in An Su''s arms, thought to himself, his gaze lingering on the book in Luojia''s embrace. "Knowledge has no good or bad," An Su shook his head, thinking it must be knowledge from a former life like the theory of evolution which, in the rigid world of the Cathedral, was considered blasphemous and enough to get one burned at the stake, "Our era is progressing, and our thoughts should be more open and advanced!" "Saintess Luojia! Your thoughts are too depraved!" An Su''s greenish eyes took on a serious look, seizing the opportunity to criticize, he decided to thoroughly denounce the little saintess''s feudal thinking, "As the new generation of Radiant Followers, we should all learn to embrace and accept new knowledge, and you, as our new generation Saintess, should lead by example!" And now you''re turning it around lecturing me about being depraved? What kind of inverted defiance... Read new chapters at My Virtual Library Empire ...Luojia glared at the little fledgling An Su, thinking about reporting him as well. She took a gentle breath, her golden eyes rippling with unfathomable emotions. The cool night breeze drifted between them, and after a long silence, she finally lifted her head to look at An Su, saying, "Is this what you want me to learn?" Her cheeks felt warm as she spoke the words, the cool night air caressing her face, but the chill was quickly melted away before it got close. "That''s right." An Su was still one person short of five, and he was hoping to be in the last five. "...Hmph." With An Su''s confirmation, Luojia gently pursed her lips, feeling as if her cheeks were redder than the evening glow, her eyes flickering with complex emotions. Finally, she slowly nodded, biting her lip, re-wrapped the book in parchment, and held it to her chest. She always found herself unable to deal with An Su. "I... I''m going home now." Luojia glanced at An Su wistfully, snorted angrily, and turned her head away, not mentioning the prospect of entering An Su''s home anymore, "I''ll only take a glance... Hmph... This is a critical scrutiny!" As she was leaving, she glared sharply at An Su again and warned, "Don''t you dare think anything weird...!" After leaving that last remark, the Little Saintess fled as if making an escape, the bright moonlight tangibly hopping along the path she took, with the palm leaves gently quivering under the night breeze. She left so fast... Watching the retreating figure of Luojia, An Su was at a loss to what was going on with the head saintess, with only Luo Xiaohei fluttering in his hands, following Luojia directly. The Chaotic Saintess was very eager to learn the most advanced Radiance knowledge, for there was a sense of forbidden taboo to it. "...Master An Su." "Sigh..." Enya was silent for a while, pondering over their conversation, gradually realizing what had happened. She cocked her head, blinking her amber eyes, hesitated for a moment before deciding to admit a mistake, and slowly said, "It seems she took the wrong book..." "Meow..?" The fluttering Luo Xiaohei quieted down, her eyes instantly became clear. "What kind of book is it then?" An Su was rather shocked, for he had emphasized the need for study material. "''Chaotic Imperial Capital Prohibited Books. Not to be read by those under sixteen.''" Enya said without expression. An Su fell silent. And Luo Xiaohei looked disappointed. Such a boring bedtime read; she had finished it when she was just a primary school student, not taboo enough, and nothing like "How to Quickly Hunt Down Chaotic Cultists Radiant Manual" and others which were way more sensational, not to mention comparing with "Radiant Holy Scripture" or "Origin Theory of the Ceremony of Light," utterly unthrilling. The Chaotic Saintess yawned out of boredom, instantly abandoning the name ''Luo Xiaohei'' and returning to the An Family, expecting An Su to have the original book in his possession as the mix-up meant the book must still be with him. Meanwhile, An Su was immersed in silent contemplation. He realized something, That he seemed to... Let the Chaotic Saintess read books of the Radiance, and let the Radiant Saintess read books of Chaos... He had made an indelible contribution to both Mysticism of Chaos and the Esoteric Sect of Radiance, achieving a win-win for both sides. He had completed the most perfect displacement reaction. Upon realizing this, An Su thought quite highly of himself. Chapter 223 Luojia: Are you sure you want me to look at this?_2 Meanwhile, he realized another thing. If the former resulted in Elves successfully indulging in the sacred ocean of Radiant knowledge, then the latter result... An Su shook his head, dismissing these messy thoughts. His current concern should be whether Luojia would kill him after discovering the truth... "Do you need me to take care of her in advance?" Miss Enya made this perilous statement as An Su turned to stare at the maid, stretching out his hand to fiercely pinch her smooth, delicate cheek, blaming her, the aunt below, for all this mess. Enya allowed her young master to pinch her cheeks like kneading mochi, her eyes showing no emotion as she coldly said, "You could try other soft spots." ...Really messed up. An Su released Enya and turned back to look in the direction of Luojia''s departure. The Little Saintess had left quickly and must have already gone home by now. The Monastery was undoubtedly closed; ever since An Su had abducted the Little Saintess last time, the entire Monastery had significantly bolstered its defenses, making it impossible for An Su to sneak in at night. With things as they were, all he could do now was sleep. He would return the correct documents to her in the morning. It was just for one night. An Su sighed lightly, feeling the irony of fate playing tricks on him. He had intended to do a good deed, but his well-meaning act had turned into a misdeed, all thanks to the maid''s botched execution. He was a young man adept at learning from experiences, and from this incident, An Su had efficiently drawn lessons. Given that, from now on, he would just commit misdeeds! Perhaps that way, he would end up accidentally doing something good. He nodded, feeling confident about his idea as it was getting late. He held the black cat in his arms. "Master An Su, what creature is that in your arms?" Miss Enya tilted her head, smiling as she gazed at the little female cat in An Su''s arms, thinking that after dealing with that woman Luojia, it would be time to handle the cat in the young master''s arms. "A stray Cat Spirit I found," said An Su. Enya stared intently at Elf, whose Transformation Spell could deceive a Demigod and naturally could fool the maid. Unfortunately for Elf, Enya had secretly seen its true form during a prior visit with An Su. Elf, thinking its disguise was flawless, proudly raised its feline head and defiantly stared at Enya. That was the woman who had repeatedly hindered its plans, and this time, it intended to boldly enter An Su''s chamber, with the boring woman merely looking on helplessly. "So that''s it..." Enya feigned a surprised look, "I think it might be untamed. Should I send it back to the wild?" Elf''s confidence instantly waned. "Let''s keep it and see," An Su said. Elf started to show off again. The subtext between their conversation was clear only to them. At this moment, Enya was asking her master whether she should deal with the Chaotic Saintess now, and upon receiving a negative reply from An Su, Enya, as his guard and maid, naturally wouldn''t go against his plans. "Alright, I understand," Enya complied graciously, but allowing any female in the young master''s bedroom was out of the question, regardless of its species, just in case... Sar?h the N?velFire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. She leaned down with a perfect smile, gazing at the little black cat panting in An Su''s arms, "Hello there, little one." "I''m going to perform a gender reassignment surgery on you right now." ...Elf''s eyes bulged. Were all humans from the border so perverse? Why did everyone want to neuter her as soon as they met? It was bad enough that Luojia wanted to sterilize her, but this seemingly perfect woman was even worse, demanding gender reassignment as soon as she spoke... Enough is enough! She shook her head like a rattle drum, resolved to escape tonight. Just to read a book. When the time came, she would leave. However, she had no real expectations for An Su''s capabilities. A man captivated by children''s readings surely lacked any profound knowledge of Radiance. But since she was here, she might as well kill some time. Just a glance, and if it was uninteresting, she would leave. "...Stop joking. I''m going to prepare some materials in the study," An Su pushed the door open and entered the house, taking off his long tube hat and handing it to Miss Enya to hang up. Elf finally entered An Su''s home and excitedly leaped from the boy''s arms, darting straight into the second-floor study. As soon as An Su entered the house, Elf had already lit the lamp. Her keen pupils swept around and saw the materials laid out on the wooden desk, then spread them out and casually glanced at them on the bookshelf. Druid Science Question Two: The evolution and mutation of species in the biological realm, fundamentally assuming evolution by natural selection, additionally supplemented by the ideas of sexual selection and the inheritance of innate traits, not created by deities. Hmm... meow. Meow? Was this first glance already so forbidden and taboo? Elf stared wide-eyed, and with a flick of her cat''s paw, she turned another page to see other notes An Su had written: Religious origins of the Radiant Holy See, religion as an ideology, a reflection of societal existence, expressed in supernatural, superhuman forces dominating people''s everyday lives... Find adventures at My Virtual Library Empire She turned another page, then another, and another... When An Su stepped into the study, he saw a large cat perched on the bookshelf, with a kerosene lamp ignited beside it. The cat''s pupils, normally pointed, were now round and fixed unblinkingly on all the forbidden chaotic knowledge, totally engrossed to the extent that it didn''t notice An Su entering the room. When An Su transformed into a Radiant Warrior, he too would radiate knowledge from the Otherworld, but those abstract notions were polluting and aggressive, naturally shielded out by the Saint''s soul, unlike this knowledge written on paper. Elf''s cheeks were flushed, she was now experiencing a perverse thrill; being a chaotic evil Chaotic Cultist, she was now studying this radiant knowledge. This internal contradiction, and the pleasure derived at a spiritual level, was incomparable to any wrongdoing. She felt the chaos had reached its peak at this moment. If the Esoteric Sect found out, then she supposed she could no longer be the Saintess. The more she thought about it, the greater the sense of chaos and confusion intensified. At first, Elf was captivated by the knowledge of Radiance only because she had been subjected to a hypnotism spell by a Holy Relic. However, being a high-tier Saint, this hypnotic state could only last a few days; thereafter, everything she did was entirely out of her own free will. The hypnotism had only opened the door to a new world. Seeing that Elf had been strictly controlled by his notes for such a long time, An Su breathed a sigh of relief. The Chaotic Saintess wouldn''t be returning to the Esoteric Sect of Chaos to cause him trouble for the time being. Their soul-snatching plan could deceive other Esoteric Sect Followers, but not necessarily the savvy Chaotic Saintess. This irresponsible Chaotic Saintess, whenever encountering something interesting midway, would forget all about Esoteric Sect''s responsibilities and missions and would prioritize her own fun first. This, in fact, was quite similar to a cat''s behavior. For a Huaxia transmigrator, there was no shortage of subjects in this world. He was confident he could strictly control Elf''s education for six years of mandatory education and three years of high-class education. He instructed Miss Enya to monitor Elf closely. If she made any other moves, she should report back to him. He then checked the Alchemical Shielding Array around the doorway to ensure it could cut off any outside contact. Having arranged everything, An Su tidied up and took advantage of the still-dark sky to head out again. The night was already fading and the sky gradually revealed hints of dawn. The transformation ritual of the Three Major Cults was reaching its conclusion, and each cult was about to select their respective Quasi-Saint tonight. An Su hadn''t participated in the transformation ritual; the upper echelons of the Esoteric Sect must have been furious. The Magic Communication of the Chaotic Ladder must have been overwhelmed. But it didn''t matter, the Chaotic Ladder was about to return to the Sanctuary of Chaos. Disguised as An Su, assuming the role of the Chaotic Saint. Chapter 224 The Witch Tastes Really Good Taking advantage of the night, An Su left the Upper City District of the Imperial Capital, hurried to the Lower City District under the cover of darkness, and before even approaching, he felt the strong resentment emanating from within the stronghold. The moonlight in the dilapidated alley was obscured by heavy clouds, leaving the alley dim and lightless, with rotting leaves scattered in the crevices of the bluestone pavement, blending into the dark brown soil, emitting a corrupt and foul smell throughout the alley. The Gender Transformation Possession Plan for An Su Moningsta had failed. Within Crow Alley, a heavy and complex emotion flickered in the eyes of every Esoteric Sect genius. They all knew what terrible outcomes this failure would lead to: since two days ago, when the sinister Chaotic Ladder proposed the "Gender Transformation Possession Plan," all Esoteric Sect geniuses had used his Chaos Gender Transformation Spell to disguise themselves as witches to seduce and lure the saints of the Imperial Capital, Everyone had to participate, and only those Esoteric Sect Followers who successfully possessed one of the Borderland Triumvirs could escape this ordeal. But the plan had failed. The possession squad led by Chaotic Ladder had stopped sending any messages since yesterday, and this morning, the news of An Su parading a string of Esoteric Sect Followers through the streets, had spread throughout the region via various newspapers. *Breaking news! Child of the Curse An Su eliminated nine evil Esoteric Sect Followers overnight, the strongest genius of the new generation is born# #Exclusive report, An Su took down nine Esoteric Sect Followers overnight, the strongest man of the new generation is born# And various other scattershot advertisements like #Battle of Nine Times Jiro, the Vigorous Secrets of the Child of the Curse#, It can be said that An Su has recently dominated the headlines of the Imperial Capital, even Count Karlo far in the borderland felt relieved and happy after reading the newspaper, praising with a sigh, "My son is truly courageous." But as a backdrop, the Esoteric Sect geniuses all felt disgraced. While losing face, they were also shocked by An Su''s hidden strength, given that everyone from Chaotic Ladder and his team were elites of elites, all possessing strength of Fourth Tier and above, while a month ago An Su was only reported to be a common Third Tier saint. There were only two possibilities: one was that An Su deliberately hid his strength, had gone crazy after reading too many novels, and wanted to play the part of a dark horse, this kind of behavior is often most liked by kids in their rebellious phase, thinking it''s cool and impressive. At fifteen, An Su exactly met this criteria, The second possibility was that An Su was an unrivaled genius, able to rise meteorically within a short month. They leaned more towards the first option. S~ea??h the N??eFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. With such a formidable origin, who else could stop him, who else could prevent him! This battle of protection, they had already lost! Everyone was going to become a witch! They had already lost their male dignity. They gritted their teeth, their fingernails dug deeply into their palms, blood trickled down along the lines of their hands as they chanted the magic spells, their bones slowly changed, their chests gradually rose, their skin became increasingly fair, and then they hid their male essence within... "Mmm... Mmm." The brothers of the Esoteric Sect looked at each other, paused, eyed their former sworn brethren, and swallowed, Touch it a bit. Mmm? Touch it again. .... Suddenly feeling... It''s actually quite nice? ... Mmm. Being a witch tastes pretty good. The mid-level priests of the Esoteric Sect watched these new generation geniuses coldly, in the world of the Esoteric Sect, strength was everything, even the so-called Esoteric Sect geniuses who failed to complete the tasks of the Esoteric Sect could not escape the fate of feminization! They must be desperate and in anguish now. What''s An Su, just an ordinary saint after all, they couldn''t even handle him. The future of the Church Nation is ruined in the hands of this generation. They were deeply frustrated and distressed. But the priests were also puzzled, this ceremony was so important, why none of the representatives of the Three Major Cults came to participate... Continue reading stories on My Virtual Library Empire It was almost midnight, and not a single cult leader had arrived. They couldn''t contact anyone. What the priests didn''t know was, Bishop Rada of the Star Cult, after having his soul destroyed by Merlin''s second loop, battled the God of Law in fury for a whole day, his body was completely ruined, only his spirit barely escaping. Bishop Bram of the Life Cult, meanwhile, had all his saints severely contaminated, and was still reciting "Symbol Viewing Quadrants" among other low whispers of the Ancient Gods, uncertain if they would ever awaken from that massive meme contamination, thus he also did not attend. As for the Saintess Elf of the Ladder Cult, she was still at An Su''s home poring over the Holy Light books... Thus at this moment, they were like a group without a leader. The priests did not know the real situation, but relying on their sharp political instinct acquired over many years, they instantly concluded that the leaders had fled, wanting to shift the blame onto them! The priests looked solemn, they, as the Imperial Capital''s advanced team of the Three Major Cults under the Great Church Court, had fallen into such a deplorable state, that once the assemblies of the Church Nation arrived in the Imperial Capital with the main forces, they feared they''d have no achievements to present to the leaders. With performance appraisal just around the corner, they had to make up some results to bluff their way through! For instance, offering the most beautiful witch from this transformation ceremony for the leaders to enjoy, After all, they were not devils. With this thought in mind, the priests turned their gaze towards the two brightest stars of tonight''s ceremony: One was as tender as fire, as pretty as a flower, with her golden hair flowing down like silk, dressed scantily and sexily, none other than Miss Yangzi, the witch transformed from the Serpent of Pain, with a huge following of fans. Chapter 224 The Witch Tastes Really Good_2 ``` There was also a miss, cool as the moon, with a delicate, ascetic face wearing quiet black-framed glasses, a witch born from the offering of a son, Miss Yue''er, whose fan count rivaled that of Miss Yangzi. Their gender transformation spell was the most exquisite, and the priests could not see through any flaws, even thinking they had truly lost their manhood. At this moment, these two were at the very center of the ritual, surrounded by a myriad of stars, exuding confidence. Although every witch transformed from the Esoteric Sect''s prodigies had her charm, colorful and dazzling, their appearances stood out among the rest. Lister and Arthur had already begun to revel in their status as first-place winners of this great test, anticipating what grand rewards they might receive. The despicable old-born Merlin had betrayed them, but the Esoteric Sect was their home. The Esoteric Sect priests all revealed smiles of joy, It would be good to offer these two to the leaders! After dealing with this person, the priests still had another to take care of, the damned Chaotic Ladder. Dawn was quickly approaching, and this youngster had not yet arrived. Did he think he was some leader who could just turn up late at will? Avoiding punishment is a grave sin within the Esoteric Sect. It would be perfect to make this youngster the scapegoat. The Chaotic Ladder had destroyed three Esoteric Sect strongholds and offended many. While the priests thought this, loud noises came from the alley''s barrier, and witches from the three major cults stepped aside to make way. A young youth sauntered in, none other than the long-delayed Chaotic Ladder. He wore an expression of novelty, curiously observing the witches around him, who were like warblers and swallows. Not long ago, Chaotic Ladder had sworn brotherhood with these fellows over drinks, and it hadn''t occurred to him that they would so quickly become his dear sisters. Thinking of this, An Su''s smile became even more captivating; he had always been the one in Nether most respectful and supportive of female power, and to set up a cult entirely composed of women was precisely his aspiration. Take, for instance, the Star Cult of the Painful Esoteric Sect, now from the gender-transformed leader, Bishop Rada, to employees like Arthur and other Esoteric Sect followers, all of them were women, The future of the cult must surely be bright. When the witches saw Chaotic Ladder arrive, they were filled with hidden resentment and anger. It was all due to the grand birthright''s idea that they suffered such humiliation. What''s more infuriating was that, despite being the one who proposed this birth plan, the wretch Chaotic Ladder had been the first to feminize. And yet, cowardly, he had chosen to flee and only now dared to appear. Ladder Brother from the Sanctuary of Chaos snorted coldly. Calling him Ladder Brother was fitting, but describing him as Elevator Sister might be more apt. This once arrogant and haughty son was now curvaceous; she glared viciously at An Su, "Why haven''t you transformed, you bastard?" A few priests also stood up, their terrifying magic power spreading out. As the cult''s leaders were absent, they were in charge of managing this stronghold and had the authority to kill. For unruly individuals like Chaotic Ladder, it was necessary to make an example. sea??h th N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Chaotic Ladder, you are late," An Su, looking around, said evenly, "The reason for my tardiness is that I was delayed by a mission." "...What mission?" "The mission to possess An Su Moningsta." "Wasn''t that a failure?" Elevator Sister said irritably. An Su spoke righteously, his eyes glistening with unshed tears, and deep within his pupils blazed towering flames, "An Su is lowly and shameless, utterly heartlessother than being as handsome as I am, he is utterly worthless!" "To think that such a handsome scoundrel would dare to kill my sworn brother, Chaotic Ladder. I, Chaotic Ladder, will never coexist with An Su!" His tone was resolute and his words were like precious gems, "The reason for my delay is precisely to avenge my dear brothers!" His passionate speech, accompanied by tears, seemed to come straight from the heart, making the priests feel slightly ashamed. This kid is quite loyal...Several middle-aged priests nodded in agreement, deciding not to make him the scapegoat this time. Let him feminize, together with those two, as an offering to the leaders. "You''re quite considerate, kid; this time we won''t hold your tardiness against you," one eager priest said, "The possession plan failed, so be itquickly complete your gender transformation." "I succeeded," An Su said. "Oh...you succeeded...?" the priests asked, speech cut off midway as they suddenly widened their eyes and raised their heads incredulously to size up Chaotic Ladder, "What did you say?" "I have successfully possessed An Su Moningsta," An Su said honestly. "..." The entire stronghold suddenly fell silent, the previously noisy witches all stopped their work, and countless eyes turned toward Chaotic Ladder, the air so quiet that the fall of a pin could have been heard. They couldn''t believe what they had just heard. Chaotic Ladder Brother said he had succeeded Successfully possessed that An Su Moningsta? Experience more content on My Virtual Library Empire No one would believe it. First, the difficulty of infiltrating the Radiant Holy See; for all these days, only the squad led by Chaotic Ladder had successfully infiltrated... Moreover, even if they had successfully infiltrated, their intelligence was wrong. An Su was actually a chuunibyo youth who liked to pretend to be weakjust this morning, he had slain nine Esoteric Sect geniuses. With such a record, An Su''s strength had to have reached the Fourth-Order Peak and above. To possess such an individual single-handedly, Chaotic Ladder''s true rank must far surpass the fourth tier, reaching even the level of a Saint! ``` Chapter 224 The Taste of a Witch is Really Good_3 That An Su, this child''s penchant for feigning weakness in daily life might be tolerable, but surely you, the Chaotic Ladder, can''t also enjoy pretending to be weak all the time.... The priests didn''t believe what An Su said either, taking his words for the delirious ravings of a dying man. They snorted coldly, "You are still..." Before they could finish speaking, An Su removed the disguise set up by His Excellency Merlin. As soon as the distortion to the demigod-level vision was lifted, An Su''s true appearance came into everyone''s view, and all the Esoteric Sect Followers retreated half a step in surprise, staring solemnly at the youth who appeared before them. Find exclusive stories on My Virtual Library Empire The youth''s gray-white hair was lifted by the night wind, and the bright moonlight shimmered like water. The youth was dressed in the long robe of a saint, a white, elaborate robe that hung down to his ankles. His eyes were pure and clean, and indeed, just as the Chaotic Ladder said, he was a saint with nothing remarkable except for his face. All the Followers wore shocked expressions, especially the older, more experienced priests. This was certainly no mere illusion. With their skilled eyes, they couldn''t see through the disguise of the Chaotic Ladder. This was not some phantasm but a real, corporeal existence. Furthermore, An Su''s physique as the Child of the Curse had become his unique signatureit would be difficult to find a second Child of the Curse in this world. Undoubtedly, this body was real and indeed belonged to that An Su Moningsta! The Chaotic Ladder truly had taken possession of An Su''s body! "Do you believe it now?" An Su looked around at the astonished priests, displaying a kind and innocent smile. He raised his arms, indicating that this was all real and not an illusion, "I have successfully taken over this kid An Su!" The demigods weren''t here to stop him from doing whatever he wanted. Sar?h the N??elFir.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The witches felt that this world was too magical. They had just thought that taking over An Su would be an impossible task, and then, right on their heels, the Ladder Brother had done away with An Sutruly strong and terrifying, worthy of being their leader. The priests'' faces instantly turned awkward. With the Chaotic Ladder completing the task, following the orders given by several bishops, whoever accomplished the possession would become the Quasi-Saint Heir of the Cult, fully responsible for commanding this pioneering mission and reporting to the Great Church Court. Although they couldn''t contact the bishops right now, they also dared not disobey the orders that had been left behind. They exchanged glances. Since the Chaotic Ladder had become their temporary leader, they certainly couldn''t let their leader take the blame for them, and it was even less likely they would sacrifice their leader as a transfigured offering to the higher-ups that had come... Several of the old priests turned their hopeful gazes towards Yue''er and Yang Zi. They could only hope that these two would help cool off the leaders from the Church Nation. It wasn''t that they didn''t want to find other witches, but the Gender Transformation Spells of the others were rather inferior and couldn''t fool the leaders. Only Yue''er and Yang Zi, whose magical skills were superb, reached a level of deception that was almost indistinguishable from reality. "Actually, we have also successfully completed our tasks." Seeing An Su reveal his true form, Arthur and Lister couldn''t fall behind their boss. They returned to their original appearances using the Gender Transformation Spell, one a tall, muscular bare-chested man and the other a repressed bespectacled man, "Successfully took over this handsome knight Arthur!" "Successfully took over this elegant noble Lister!" "...." The priests fell silent, and so did all the gifted individuals from the Esoteric Sect. Lister and Arthur had merely reverted to their original forms and had also foregone Merlin''s second circuit of temporary contact. The priests felt the essence of the Sun and Moon on their bodies with clarity, indeed confirming these bodies were the original ones without a doubt. Now, the Sun and Moon had also become their temporary leaders. These, too, could not be meddled with. The old priests exchanged looks again, in silence for a long while. Perhaps they should transfigure themselves and offer up to the leaders of the Church Nation for their enjoyment.... Chapter 225 Inauguration! Bishop of Chaos! Elf skipped work. An Su''s current identity was that of the Quasi-Saint of the Ladder Cult, which might sound impressive, but there were nine cults in the Sanctuary of Chaos, each with their own Saint Heir. He was still a full three major gradients away from Elf''s rank. After all, Elf was not only the Ladder Saintess but also the Saintess of the entire Mysticism of Chaos. However, there were no followers present with higher status than An Su. According to the unwritten rules of the Esoteric Sect, in the absence of a Cult''s Bishop, its Saint Heir and Saintess have the right to act in the Bishop''s stead. If neither the Saint Heir nor Saintess is present, then it is the Quasi-Saint Heir''s turn to inherit the temporary authority. Sar?h the novlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Therefore, when An Su got rid of An Su, he became the Interim Bishop of the Ladder Cult as the mountain had no tigers, and the monkey became king. After the coronation, An Su''s whole demeanor had changed. He took the Chaos robe from the Witch with his left hand, which was specially made for the Acting Bishopit was originally for Elf, but she had tossed it aside, considering it ugly. The edges of the robe were embellished with elaborate and gorgeous patterns, formed by countless tangled lines into chaotic pupils. The entire robe was in shades of black and white. An Su donned the Bishop robe, fastened the long row of buttons, and, at first glance, quite embodied the style of a Bishop of Chaos. It suited An Su very well. "Heh heh heh." He let out the distinctive evil laugh of a great villain learned from books, which made all the surrounding Priests shiver and think how he laughed so debauchedly after his ascension. Quite the Chaotic demeanor! They exchanged glances and nodded in praise. An Su also nodded in satisfaction, recalling that just a day before, he was the temporary ruler of Heaven, the Acting Bishop of the Radiant Holy See. How fate played its hand; within a mere day, he had donned the robe of a Bishop of the Sanctuary of Chaos. He had achieved an accomplishment never before attained by any follower in history, which was, within one day, to be newly appointed as a Radiant Bishop only to fall and become a Bishop of Chaos, earning the rare feat of the fastest betrayal. An Su nodded; this sense of achievement from completing a full collection speed run was precisely what every player sought. The trusted lieutenants of Lord An Su, Bishop of ChaosLister and Arthurhad also changed into the garb of Acting Bishop. Arthur put on the robe of the Bishop of Pain adorned with dark chains and white skulls, symbolizing conquest and death; Lister was fully dressed in a sea-blue robe with a full moon''s tidal rune at his groin, overflowing with water vapor, symbolic of the tide from the deepest part of the ocean. The two men stood by An Su''s side, taking advantage of their temporary status as leaders, they held their heads high and reveled in the astonished worship of the surrounding Witches. Bishop Bram and Bishop Rada were also out of contact, and as newly ascended leaders, they, too, proclaimed themselves kings, becoming Acting Bishops of the Star Cult and the Oceanic Sect. To avoid exposing themselves and to maintain the prestige of an Archbishop, they also imitated the dignified postures they remembered of Bishopsmainly imitating Bishop Merlinby turning their backs, stripping off their lower garments, and displaying their falsely robust figures, which caused all the Esoteric Sect Followers to gasp in shock. This was very Painful, but also full of the sense of Life. It looked like something straight out of the movies. The Witches exchanged glances and nodded their approval. As soon as the three border Bishops took position, they received recognition from the Followers and Priestsit was clear these were great villains. Now, An Su, dressed in his finery and the Chaos robe, couldn''t help feeling a surge of boundless pride; he only awaited leading a thousand cavalries over the hills and taking his Esoteric Sect brothers to storm Heaven and seize Bishop Merlin''s position. Then as the great Emperor, they would drink and eat heartily together. "Acting Saint Heir Your Grace" A Priest interrupted An Su''s ambitious dreams. Before he could finish, he saw An Su shaking his head slowly, "Address me by my official title when outside." "...Acting Bishop Your Grace?" "Make it shorter," An Su glanced at him, feeling that the man lacked political awareness and was doomed to remain a regional Priest in this lifetime. "Bishop Your Grace!" The others realized and promptly addressed him with respect. Although they were all more experienced and of higher realms than An Su, this young upstart had a promising future and might return to headquarters as a permanent figure one day, so it was best to curry favor. "Bishop Your Grace," the prior Priest fixed his greeting and whispered urgently to An Su: "What are our plans going forward?" He added, "The officials from the Church Nation will soon arrive at the Imperial Capital, and if our Cult doesn''t produce results, I fear we won''t be able to answer to that personage." Upon hearing these words, An Su''s eyes narrowed slightly, and he became alert. Frankly, he hadn''t infiltrated the Cult and climbed to the position of Acting Bishop for the purpose of seeking personal gainsokay, it was indeed to seek personal benefits, but apart from that, he was on a mission. As Acting Bishop, he could access top-secret information that ordinary Chaotic Followers couldn''t. In the original plot, the [Fall of the Imperial Capital Night] was a pivotal plot point with qualities of a plot murder scene and was therefore part of the game''s backdrop, explained rather unclearly. Furthermore, due to the franchise''s trademark fragmented storytelling style and lingering massive uncertainties even to now, various Nether scholars across the internet continuously debated it. The information that could be confirmed was that the Life Cult led the incident, with both the Life and the Painful Church participating. Stay connected via My Virtual Library Empire The mastermind behind the plan, apart from the Ladder Saintess Elf disclosed to the players, had no further information. Chapter 225 Inauguration! Bishop of Chaos!_2 However, some scholars have speculated based on intelligence that Elf joined merely for fun and on a whim. They suggest that the official story is just a smokescreen and that the true final boss is someone elsethis has become the predominant theory online. Now, having heard what the Chaos Priest said, this hypothesis has been confirmed to be correct. From the priest''s words, one can deduce that the Ladder, Ocean, and Crimson Sects are just the vanguard of the Esoteric Sect, and the real power lies behind them. And it is gradually coming to light. "Who is that person?" An Su asked. "..." The Chaos Priest shook his head and spoke with implication, "How would I be qualified to know the identity of that august person... I fear that in this world, only Your Majesty the Saintess would know." For the priest, leadership is leadership; one simply needs to follow the leader''s commands diligently. But as soon as An Su heard what the priest said, a playful expression appeared on his face. After all, not knowing is also an answer. He already had some suspicions. Of the three Cults currently in the Imperial Capital, the Cults of Life and Suffering were led by Bishop Bram and Bishop Rada, respectively. Only the Chaos Sect was an exception, without a Bishop on site, and instead had the Chaotic Saintess acting on the Bishop''s behalf. The Chaotic Saintess was also involved in this incident. Given this, the ''that person'' mentioned by the priests is very likely to be the one from the Ladder Cult... the Ladder Bishop who has never shown himself. The Ladder Bishop has always been a nonentity in the original work, the most mysterious of all the Esoteric Bishops. Some players even believe the Ladder Cult has no Bishop. Some players speculate the Ladder Bishop''s Rank is far above that of a common Demigod, perhaps even surpassing that of Magic God Merlin. But these are all just various conjectures. An Su''s eyes twinkled, now certain that the suspected Ladder Bishop, ''that august person'', orchestrated this event and would arrive in the Imperial Capital with the magnates of the Church Nation at some point in the future. "When will those Majesties arrive?" An Su inquired. The priest''s face showed a look of fear, and he took several steps back, chuckling nervously, "You jest, sir. How would I dare to inquire about the movements of those Majesties?" "We only need to maintain vigilance at all times." "Perchance, the Majesties are even now watching over us," he said gravely, subconsciously lowering his voice, "Please remember, They are always present, everywhere." He thinks An Su has no political acumen. When leaders come for a surprise inspection, it''s definitely at the most inopportune timessuch as when you happen to be slacking off, sleeping, or without work... those most untimely moments. Every time he works diligently, earnestly trying to cause disruption within the Church, the leaders are nowhere to be found. It''s like playing hide and seek with him. Invisible, He will hear. Invisible, He has no form, yet is omnipresent. Unheard, no one can understand the nonsense He speaks. This kind of undefinable, unobservable characteristic, apart from the Evil Gods of the Star Realm, can only be found in the leaders of earth. This is the epitome of top-tier chaos talent, naturally suited for the role of the Bishop of Chaos, a person whose every move epitomizes chaos and disorder, unpredictable and inconsistent. One moment they''re announcing a meeting for the weekend, the next they''re ordering a gathering at night, the Dragon is unseen and its passage unheard; never showing themselves, yet every action symbolizes great chaos and contradiction. It''s no wonder that the Mother Goddess of Chaos favors Him, given how similar His traits are to those of the Evil God. Seeing the nervous demeanor of the Chaos Priests, An Su understood why the Ladder Bishop is the most mysterious among all the Esoteric Bishops. No wonder the Chaotic Saintess chose to give up. However, An Su could infer that the magnates of the Church Nation would not be present for the time being; otherwise, there would be no need for an Acting Bishop like himself, especially since the event in question occurs at the end of the Grand Test, which is still a long way off. He can foresee that he is stepping into a massive vortex, potentially entangled again with the Kingdom of Chaos of thirty thousand years past, but regardless, one must eat one bite at a time, walk one step at a time; for now, he needs to resolve the current situation. If it comes to the point that the Imperial Capital cannot be defended... He could simply run away when the time comes. After all, his family owns mines. An Su is a very wise man, embodying the virtues of Moningsta, virtues worth emulating by everyone, having thought of his escape route from the beginning. "So, Your Excellency the Bishop...?" The priest coughed, "What should we do now?" "Cough, what Bishop? You are criticizing the wrong person," An Su chided the priest for his improper thoughts, "You should stick to the proper positions. Just call me the Acting Bishop." S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. You''re criticizing me? "..." The Chaos Priest made a constipated expression, his mouth twitching as he stared at An Su, who had quickly mastered the skill of a chaotic leader upon assuming power. "Your Excellency the Acting Bishop, may I inquire what we should do now?" The Chaos Priest swallowed his pride, for one cannot contradict the leader; the leader''s words are always right, and even if the leader is wrong, it''s his own fault for not having a high enough capacity for leadership. "All the young followers of our Ladder Cult have used the Gender Transformation Spell as per your request," the priest said. Find exclusive content at My Virtual Library Empire An Su turned and saw a row of charming and attractive young girls lined up in the alley; the Ladder Cult could now be renamed to the Ladder Girl Group. All the members of the girl group also gazed eagerly at An Su, having become accustomed to their new identities, and were ready to make a name for themselves in the Imperial Capital, to strive for remarkable achievements. Chapter 225 Inauguration! Bishop of Chaos!_3 Not just the Staircase Sect, but the witches of the Oceanic Sect and the Star Sect also gazed at them with hopeful eyes. "As per the arrangements left by Bishop Rada, for each saint attacked, a reward of fifty devotion points will be awarded." An Su cleared his throat, "Let Yue''er Acting Bishop and Yang Zi Acting Bishop lead, splitting into two squads, to fully strike at all the imperial capital''s exam-preparing saints, leading them all to fall." Arthur and Lister flashed confident smiles, only men truly understand men, and now it was their time to shine. And with devotion points from the Esoteric Sect to be claimed, they were naturally overjoyed. "Next is the written test in three days." An Su continued, "With the operation of our undercover agents within the Church, you all have acquired the qualifications for the exam, and you must pass the upcoming written test to enter the formal main examination." Stay connected with My Virtual Library Empire "Bishop Rada has also decreed that the higher your scores and ranking in this written test, the more Esoteric devotion points you will receive." An Su smiled at them. "Of course, those who fail the written test, trash as they are, will also receive punishment from the Esoteric!" All the witches became excited, as each of them was a genius among geniuses, and the exam would hardly be difficult. Moreover, due to well-known reasons, the written test before the official main exam was merely a formality, unbelievably simple. They were all top students; studying for three days would suffice to crush those foolish saints in the written test. As for the punishment mentioned by An Su, they didn''t take it seriously at all; such an easy exam would surely be passed by everyone. Seeing the confident smiles of the Esoteric geniuses, An Su showed a satisfied expression. Having handled the two urgent matters, An Su suddenly heard a calm voice behind him, "There is one more matter that requires your personal attention." "Since you three have already replaced the heirs of the Moon, Sun, and Chenxing families... having achieved such a great feat." A Priest of Life grimly reminded, "According to instructions left by the bishops of Rada, you three should resolve the issue with the three great families on the border..." "Make the Sun, Moon, and Star families withdraw from the border and hand it over to the Esoteric Sect of Life to take control, opening the checkpoints." he said, "Let the army of the Church Nation''s Esoteric Sect enter the empire." At these words, a fanatic and obsessed expression flashed in the eyes of the Priest of Life, He was already dreaming of the day when the border checkpoints would open wide, and the followers of Life would flood into the borderlands, which was also the objective of the Oceanic Sect for joining this operation. The Oceanic Sect was once one of the most powerful sects of the Life Ecclesia and the true ruler of the borders. Even now, scattered followers of Life were distributed across the borderlands'' wilderness, each self-reliant and independent, and An Su and Luojia had been kidnapped by them at the beginning. The sect was driven out of the borderlands by the three families decades ago and pushed into the ocean. In the last ten years, they suffered from overfishing by the Chenxing family, resulting in the weakening of the sect''s power They were constantly longing to climb ashore, return to their ancestral lands at the border, where all the villages, cities, and all the residents or citizens inside would be their livestock for sacrifice and plunder at will by the followers of Life. sea??h th NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "...You''re absolutely right." An Su turned around, looking at the Priest of Life, his eyes slightly narrowed, already discerning his ideas. It appeared that the fall of the Imperial Capital in the original work wasn''t just due to the Demigod''s intervention; the main cause was the overwhelming internal and external troubles. With the Grand Duke of the Sun, known as the ''God of War,'' Annand and his army guarding the border, and Marquis of the Moon, Marquis Norman providing political resources and intelligence, followed by the possibility to seek allied lords'' support in times of crisis, along with Count Karlo from the wealthiest Chenxing family providing logistics for the frontline. The remote border thus became the most difficult bone for the Esoteric to gnaw at within the empire. It was precisely because of these border families fighting on the frontier that the nobles of the Imperial Capital could afford to despise those from the rural borders. For An Su, a minor-born, the Imperial Capital might fall, but the border must not, for his retreat and ancestral home were both at the borderhis family''s mines were still there. These were immovable. Lister and Arthur also heard the Priest''s words; they turned back and stared at him coldly, silent. Although neither was particularly noble, they sincerely took pride in their families and truly aspired to become Sun Knight and Moon Nobility. Even though their method of accomplishing this was somewhat deviant. "You make a very good point." An Su nodded at the Priest, showing a serene smile, "I will immediately send threats to that decrepit old man from the Chenxing family. Once the border opens wide to welcome our divine forces, the great rise of our Esoteric Sect is imminent!" Chapter 226 The Great Promotion Exam Begins! Three days later, early in the morning. The Church''s grand examination. The promotion exam that had captured the attention of the entire nation finally began. The sky had just dawned, with goose-yellow sunlight pouring down through the clouds that resembled thousands of white rushes, and a thin layer of morning mist still enveloped the city of Farol. The streets of the Upper City District were crowded with Alchemical Carriages, Order Knights patrolled the blocks to maintain order, and a cacophony of noise rose and fell as newsboys pedaled their moss-green bicycles through the streets and alleys shouting, "Extra, extra, the promotion exam has started!" Explore more at My Virtual Library Empire Saints from all over the country who were qualified to take the exam packed the Seven Gods'' First Cathedral to the brim, crowding around the entrance and craning their necks to look inside, just waiting for the Order Knights to give the signal to enter the examination hall once the time arrived. Farol had two major examinations each year, one of which was the initial Saints'' exam. Believers graduating from various Minor Saints'' Academies needed to pass this test to get their preliminary entry into the Church, so it was also known as the "minor-to-junior" promotion. The other was this promotion examination. In some ways, this promotion exam was even more important than the Saints'' exam because it related to the Saints'' advancement into the Church''s administrative and managerial layer, where securing a position was foundational for their future career prospects. Similar to the Saints'' exam, the first phase of the promotion exam was today''s cultural written test. According to convention, this written test was just a formality. After all, only those Saints who met the standards in both seniority and rank were eligible to take this promotion assessment. The Saints'' exam took place in spring, whereas the promotion exam was in the summer each year. An Su was one of the few who had just finished the minor-to-junior exam and was now about to start the promotion exam, having traversed in a single year what took most people a lifetime to achievebut An Su wasn''t feeling happy about it today. On the contrary, he felt a bit horrified. An Su could sense the murderous gaze currently fixated on him with ill intent, and he could faintly hear the grinding of teeth, as if a ferocious little beast was sharpening its claws, waiting to eviscerate its prey in the next second. Having keen senses was not necessarily a good thing. He turned and followed that gaze, spotting the Little Saintess Luojia amidst the throng. "Hmm." She turned her head away. Today, the Little Saintess wore a snow-white gossamer dress, the light fabric filtering the orange hue of the sun through a thin veil, turning the warm daylight into a frosty winter sun. Her overall demeanor was cold and unwelcoming, deterring the surrounding Saints who wanted to exchange pleasantries or offer flattery. They dared not speak, instead forming a fan-shaped cluster to the side. An Su could understand why Luojia was so angry. This state of affairs had persisted for three days now. On the morning of the day after delivering the wrong notes, An Su had knocked on the Monastery door, returning the correct notes to Luojia. An Su still remembered Luojia''s expression at that time: her cheeks blushed slightly at first, then the redness deepened until she seemed as if steam would rise from her head, her golden eyes shifting through emotionsfrom cheerful to surprised, to baffled, and then to embarrassment. "I... I''ve already read it," Luojia had said indignantly at the time. "...I have the second volume if you want it?" An Su had asked tentatively. "..." He really hadn''t expected that within just one night, the Little Saintess had finished that book labeled "Banned Book Volume One, Prohibited for those under sixteen"and it was a full one hundred and eighty-three pages! What a scandal, even beyond the Chaotic Saintess! As a Radiant Holy Saintess, you wouldn''t want the Saints to know about your sneaking glances at the little imperial uncle''s affairs, would you? sea??h th NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Feeling An Su''s astonished and speechless gaze, Luojia''s expression grew even more indignant, and she pushed An Su out the door. For the next three days, she deliberately avoided An Su, giving him the cold shoulder whenever they encountered each other. Really. An Su sighed helplessly while the Chaotic Saintess perched on his shoulder and immersed in her book also gave a snort. The exam was about to begin, and the cat was engrossed in "Radiant Holy See Chapter Three: The Refraction and Redshift of Light," blushing and with eyes wide open, eagerly anticipating the moment she would be able to show off her knowledge in the examination hall. "Sorry, according to regulations, animals are not allowed within the exam premises," said Priest Paxi of the Order Church, glancing up at An Su, speaking without looking up. Who the heck is an animal? The Elf Ael looked shocked, her face a picture of disbelief. Then, she stood upright, waving her cat paws in protest. As the Chaotic Saintess, she had never faced such a disgrace before. She had been thinking about securing a position within the Radiant Holy See, no less. "Little Black, stay here and don''t run around," An Su said, taking pleasure in her misfortune. Who asked you to turn into a beast? Surely beasts can''t enter the human examination hall. An Su escorted her outside, but though it was called the outdoors, this place was still the core area of the Seven Gods'' Hall, with several Demigods watching over the area. Any trouble from her would immediately expose her. However, seeing Ael Aelf absorbed in reading, An Su knew she could be peaceful for a while. After arranging for the animal Ael Aelf, An Su prepared to enter the examination hall with his head held high alongside Lister and Arthur. "Sorry, according to regulations, animals are not allowed inside," Priest Paxi of the Order Church repeated, glancing up once more, his gaze slanted again towards An Su, repeating his rejection without looking up. "..." So it was us three he was calling animals? An Su looked shocked, his face a picture of disbelief. Priest Paxi snickered, his face filled with dark lines as he stared at An Su, finding some schadenfreude in the situation. Who asked you to be born as such? If you''re born that way, surely you can''t enter the human examination hall. Chapter 226 The Promotion Examination Begins!_2 Last time when Priest Paxi supervised the examinees from the Borderland, they conjured up one astonishing feat after another, causing waves of chaos that completely shattered the composure of all the candidates in the examination hall. When the results were announced, the pass rate of the examination hall supervised by Paxi was a full ten percentage points lower than the others! "The animal he''s definitely talking about is you!" An Su pointed at Arthur, Arthur pointed at Lister, Lister pointed at An Su, and the three of them said in unison. "All three of you are." Priest Paxi said with a face full of dark lines. "Let me go in, I promise to behave myself, I absolutely won''t cause any trouble, the bad stuff were all done by them." Again, An Su and the others said in unison, "Just leave that scoundrel An Su (Lister) (Arthur) outside, that would be fine." The unbreakable brotherly bond of the Borderland Triumvirs was severed in an instant, and watching the transformation of these three, Priest Paxi was even more hesitant to let them in. However, since the trio did have their admission tickets, Priest Paxi couldn''t really leave them outside. He was just making a show of reprimanding them to deter them from causing trouble during the exam. "I''m warning you, behave yourselves this time, and show some respect!" Priest Paxi deliberately put on a stern face, "This exam is personally supervised by the esteemed Great Mage!" Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Merlin''s been let out of jail?" An Su asked, surprised. He thought Merlin had to spend another year in Heaven. "Yes, due to significant meritorious deeds, he was released early..." As Priest Paxi was halfway through his sentence, he realized something was off. Being a Priest dedicated to justice, he often dealt with criminals and spoke their lingo, and An Su had inadvertently led him astray. "What do you mean ''let out of jail''! That''s Heaven!" he said with a dark face, "I told you to show some respect for His Excellency Merlin, not to make it sound like he''s some reformed convict!" Isn''t that the case though. An Su blinked his eyes, "So what were the significant meritorious deeds?" "His Excellency Merlin almost completely annihilated the Bishop of the original Crimson Cult, this undercover leader who harassed Heaven for nearly a year and infiltrated the Imperial Capital for many years, finally met his demise one day." Priest Paxi extolled Merlin''s great achievements, "His Excellency Merlin, through his unknown strategies and ingenious calculations, successfully lured the Bishop of Pain into the Falor Diocese and killed him.... It''s still a mystery how he managed to draw them out to the outskirts when the half-divine followers of the Esoteric Sect were meticulous and never showed their faces in reality." In truth, it was the allure of beauty. An Su said with a deadpan face. "Unfortunately, His Excellency Merlin is too modest and low-key to share his superb tactics with us." Priest Paxi sighed, then continued, "Because of this significant achievement... cough, for this meritorious deed, His Excellency Merlin was granted a year''s vacation in Heaven." So that''s how it was. An Su nodded. "Alright, go on in." Priest Paxi looked at An Su with pride. With Merlin as the chief invigilator in control of the whole situation this time, that kid An Su surely wouldn''t dare to make a scene and mess with people''s minds, and his supervised examination hall would not have the lowest pass rate like it did last time. "Don''t worry." An Su saw Priest Paxi''s concern and gave a reassuring smile, "I swear by the name of Radiance that I will absolutely behave during this exam, and I can guarantee that the pass rate of your examination hall will not be the lowest." Because they''re all equally low! The mind games had already been played long before the exam even started. With a calm smile on his lips, An Su led Arthur and Lister, the two "animals," through the doors into the waiting room, which was already crowded with saints. As soon as the trio entered, many turned their heads to look at them. After all, these threeespecially An Suwere the youngest examinees there. To take the advancement examination within the first year of joining the Church is indeed rare. Moreover, with Merlin personally supervising the exam and in light of the rumors that had been mentioned, it made An Su the second most watched candidate. As for the first place, it naturally belonged to the Imperial Princess, the Imperial Saintess in everyone''s mind. For them, it was an honor to participate in the Church''s grand examination, but for Cersei, it was an honor for Radiance that she deigned to attend, The Imperial Royal Family allowed the Third Princess to take part in the grand Church examination to show closeness to the Church for political reasonsit was a test with political significance. With the Princess''s Rank, she didn''t need to take any examination in the Church at all. And Cersei was willing to come because the Church promised her the condition of becoming the successor to the God of Law. However, rumors have it that en route, a clueless kid from the Borderland suddenly appeared, which is why An Su received so much attention and criticism. But few took it seriously. Cersei is now at a Fifth Tier Saint Rank, approaching that of a demigod, while little An Su has just completed the saint examination, at most a Peak Third Tier, not even comparable to Her Majesty the Princess. The recent news about the capture of a group of followers of the Esoteric Sect was most likely just a sensational headline. Stay updated via My Virtual Library Empire Though they didn''t know An Su, they knew how the news worked. As people were sizing up An Su, An Su was also sizing up them. Among a group of self-satisfied saints, in just a few seconds, he had successfully spotted several good girls. Chapter 226 The Promotion Examination Begins!_3 Continue reading at My Virtual Library Empire They were simply too conspicuous. These good girls were all located in the very center of the crowd, dressed in revealing and bold attire, displaying their milky thighs, with deep black butterfly tattoos on their ankles or calves, causing many of the students who passed by inadvertently to steal glances, their hearts fluttering wildly, faces flushed with embarrassment, disrupting their concentration on their righteous path. Without a doubt, these seductively cheap harlots were Esoteric Witches in disguise! As the saying goes, men understand men the best. These witches had only made a move and already several saints were unable to concentrate on their reading. Placing such enticing girls in an examination hall, An Su could barely imagine the immense impact they would have. "An" Luojia also entered the examination hall, she caught sight of An Su, that naughty thing. She had left him hanging for several days, her anger almost gone, and was thinking of giving him a small talking-to. But before she could speak, she saw him gazing at other girls. "Hmph!" The Little Saintess fell silent again, the anger that had just subsided flaring up fiercely. Leaving aside the various disturbances in the waiting hall for now, at this very moment, at the highest level of the Church, a pair of indifferent and holy eyes looked down upon everyone. Head of Radiance, Magic God Merlin with Pure White Eyes watched the throng of students with an appreciative face, looking at the future of the Radiant Holy See, and nodded his head in satisfaction, determined to recruit all these talented youths into the Radiant Holy See. Especially into the office of His Excellency Merlin. The more lackeys recruited into the system, the easier the leaders'' work became. Whatever documents needed handling, just get them to do it. And if there were any mistakes, the blame could be shifted onto them. And since the exam wasn''t difficult at all, the more the merrier. After all, it wasn''t Merlin who had to pay these saints a salary. Having just enjoyed a rare holiday, Merlin was surely not going to do a speck of paperwork! Thinking of this, his smile grew ever more benevolent and kind. Merlin looked at the saints, one by one, their faces radiating vitality, their eyes filled with a clear light, and knew these people were the promising seeds of the Radiant Holy See, surely all loving progress. Entirely different from An Su''s morose, grey, and lifeless eyesthat kind of saint would run away at the first sign of trouble, always ensuring they wouldn''t be the one to take the blame. Fortunately, his own moral integrity was enough to deal with him, Merlin chuckled to himself, Otherwise, that kid would have the nerve to make a leader take the fall for him. The several other bishops of the Church who saw Merlin''s radiant smile couldn''t help but get a chill, wondering about the meaning behind Bishop Merlin''s smirk. This year, His Excellency Merlin had personally set the exam papers, which had just been unsealed. The bishops had already reviewed them, and the level of abstraction and outrageousness could be said to be unheard of, completely originative, and aimed to challenge the saints with a difficulty that bordered on the heavens. "Your Excellency Merlin, are you sure you don''t want to take another look at these exam papers?" one of the bishops asked tentatively. "What''s there to look at with such simple questions?" Merlin said, unconcerned. Sear?h the ovelFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. You little rascal, still had this trick up your sleeve?! Now, seeing Merlin''s smile, the bishops could finally draw a conclusion. It must be that the job of gatekeeping had driven him insane, to have deliberately crafted such an originative set of exam papers, seeking to take everyone down with him. With the difficulty of this examination, it was feared that the pass rate wouldn''t exceed one percent! Then, the Church would have no new people coming onboard! All the leaders would have no lackeys to use That was truly the most terrifying outcome. The bishops, looking at Merlin''s sunny smile, couldn''t help admiring His Excellency Merlin''s guts and vision, truly the demon among demons, with only Heaven''s Gate capable of sealing him. This middle-aged originative, had only just come out from Heaven and was already eager to destroy the world! They now understood why Heaven was a Seventh Tier world and the purpose of Heaven''s Gate. The ancient texts stated that Heaven''s Gate sealed the very first demon, and it seemed to be true, Wasn''t it sealing Merlin, this old demon? As soon as the results of this major exam came out, the Cardinal Bishops would be furious to the point of bursting, and Merlin would undoubtedly be unanimously voted by the council to be dispatched to Heaven''s Gate for another six months! Yet, despite knowing this outcome, Merlin still wore such a pleased smile, which made the bishops admire His Excellency Merlin''s boldness and composure all the more. He really could keep his cool. "I hereby declare." It was almost time, Merlin smiled confidently, his voice echoing through the hall, the first session of the promotion examination officially began." "Please, every candidate, enter the examination hall in order." Chapter 227 An Sus Massacre in the Exam Hall Again The written exam started at eight in the morning. The day was already bright, the glaring sun of late summer lay upon the church''s glazed tiles, coating them with a shallow layer of white light, yet without a trace of summer''s heat. It looked as if a thin layer of snow had fallen, pressing against the semi-translucent tiles and stained glass. Outside the window, the branches of the Chinese parasol trees swayed gently in the wind, their leaves trembling with the faux snow made of light. What set the promotion written exam apart from other exams was that it covered seven subjects, encompassing all knowledge of the seven Orthodox doctrines. After passing, the saints could choose to convert their beliefs and change their allegiances. Simply put, they could switch their majors. Saints from across the nation were full of confidence about this exam. They were elites among the elites, able to come to the Imperial Capital to take the exam, far surpassing the local nobles of the Imperial Capital, and moreover, the Church insured the pass rate, making sure the difficulty of the written exam was feasible. The young man surrounded by these saints was Xia Leng, previously known for asking An Su for contact details of Miss Yue''er and Miss Yangzi, and reputed to be an old acquaintance of An Su and also acquainted with the legendary Kavensis. As a regional saint representative, he was the third most watched candidate in this exam. While his strength wasn''t as great as that of the Imperial Princess, who was a saint, he was still at the Fourth Tier Peak Rank. In the opinion of most saints, Xia Leng was much better than An Su. After all, the characters from the three border families were not notorious, but they could be said to be infamously distinguished. They entered the examination hall full of confidence, found their seats according to their exam numbers, and waited to showcase their abilities. "The exam will begin in twenty minutes, please prepare, candidates. Those who need to use the restroom should go now." Priest Paxi entered seriously, his left hand holding a thick stack of sealed exam papers and his right grasping the Scales of Order. His eagle-like gaze swept across the room, ensuring no attempts to disrupt the order of the exam room went unnoticed, With lessons learned from the last exam, he had also prepared a 2.0 version of the Scales of Order, capable of even more precisely detecting and adjudicating any agents of chaos, and he had prepared more than one set of scales. He placed one on the lectern, another at the back row, one in the sanitary corner of the exam room, and three on An Su''s desk... "Priest Paxi, you seem to be targeting me." An Su stared at the scales on his desk and voiced his protest. He felt untrusted. "Protest invalid," Priest Paxi shook his head as he sternly denied An Su''s protest. This kid needed special attention. sea??h th Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Even to prevent the three from the border families from collaborating and causing trouble, they were each assigned to different examination halls. "You should know, I have connections above." Xia Leng snorted coldly, his threat implicit, not revealing who his backing was, sparking endless speculation this was the most lethal and intimidating stance. Recently, there were rumors in the Church that An Su was related to Magic God Merlin, and though its authenticity was uncertain, it was better to do less than to provoke. Generally, Church Deacons didn''t dare to trouble An Su. "You''re discriminating against me, infringing upon my legitimate rights to take the exam!" An Su stared at him, speaking with justified indignation, "Who gave you the authority to do this?" "Merlin Andre." Priest Paxi said expressionlessly, "The chief examiner specially instructed me to ''definitely place four scales on this kid An Su''s desk, otherwise this troublemaker will definitely cause issues,'' and he emphasized it three times. It was I who suggested that three scales were too many, as they would leave no room to write, so we settled on three." "..." An Su fell silent. That tricky old Merlin. An Su glared angrily at the three Scales of Order on his desk. He had originally intended to take the exam honestly, to win solely by his cheating skills, but he hadn''t expected Merlin to distrust him so much. Damn it, he actually guessed right! Only five were to advance to the next round of the exam, and just relying on his set of papers wouldn''t guarantee a one hundred percent success rate. There could be unpredictable and undetectable existences like Enlightenment Brother and Competition Sister in the exam room. Some assurance was needed. Now, it was time for his subordinates to enter the scene. His lips curled into a serene smile; eliminating competitors in the preliminary stage, considering the shifting and perilous dynamics of the Imperial Capital, sending these saints home early was also for their safetythis was An Su looking out for their best interests. Priest Paxi thought everything was in perfect order and left after setting up the scales. Just then, a sexy girl in a western-style school uniform skirt, her bare gray-haired thighs and feet in little leather shoes, leaned over from the lead table and whispered in his ear, "Boss An Su, are we still sticking to the plan?" She spoke with an air of mysterious certainty. Who are you, sister... An Su looked at her, peering at her charming and delicate features for a while before he could vaguely make out her figure, This person seemed to be the once arrogant and villainous-looking Chaotic Elevator Brother, with an entirely domineering masculine essence. One should regard a man with newfound respect after three days. Discover more stories at My Virtual Library Empire He never expected that in just a few days, Elevator Brother would have changed so drastically. There were several provocatively dressed and attractive female saints in this examination hall, and the girl next to An Su was among the most striking and boldly dressed. As soon as she entered and sat down, she drew widespread attention, and many young boys attempted to strike up conversations. Seeing her take the initiative to greet An Su now made many saints feel secretly sour. Chapter 227 An Sus Massacre in the Exam Hall Again_2 ``` Though she wasn''t nearly as pretty as the Little Saintess Luojia present, she was on fire enough! Now she is the true saintess, blessing others with her own body, spreading kindness to benefit the masses, known as a Female Bodhisattva in the Eastern World and as a Female Saint in the Western World. The young boys had never seen such a scene before. The Chaotic Girl Group has great potential. Not only she, but the other Female Bodhisattvas present had also transformed from Chaotic Cultists, and in their eyes, An Su wasn''t An Su but the Chaotic Ladder Brother who had taken over An Su''s body, now acting as the spokesperson for their girl group, the stepping stone Quasi-Saint, Acting Bishop. However, in order not to reveal their identities, they all referred to him as An Su outside. "...what kind of plan are you concocting?" An Su stared at her approvingly. "Brother Su, don''t be frightened." The Chaotic Elevator was brimming with confidence, patting her ample chest, causing the saints around to sneak peeks, "I''m determined to be first in this exam, and then I should take your place as the Saint Heir." She was still eyeing the position of Saint Heir. "For the top spot in this exam, I am fully prepared." The Chaotic Elevator smiled confidently, "It''s going to be a blood-pumping holy war, and the victor of this ultimate battle will undoubtedly be me!" An Su was rather curious about her preparations, since the Mysticism of Chaos was full of talented people. They might not be very strong, but they definitely had a unique style and a powerful ability to disturb hearts. With several Chaotic Witches lurking in this examination room, it was bound to be interesting. "I have indeed found the most forbidden and terrifying item, that evil and tricky thing, which will surely devour everything around it!" But then, this pride of the Esoteric Sect suddenly brought out her Core Outfit, spreading her backpack open, and before the bizarre item truly appeared, the chaotic aura of it had already swept across the entire examination hall. This was a Holy Relic of the Sanctuary of Chaos, the most evil and terrifying relic in the world, twisted and interwoven from the ''disorderly'' threads of chaos, and representing the ''nothingness'' of darkness. Just one glance was enough to make one sink into it and be unable to struggle free. All the saints in the room felt that intense and thick chaos coming their way. They turned their heads one after another, looking at the Chaotic Elevator, and Xialeng Azak, who was highly regarded by the saints, also had his eyes widened and his moral heart in chaos. Priest Paxi was even more grave, with cold sweat streaming down his face, praying that the Scales of Order would sound an alarm and judge and destroy this evil trickster. Unfortunately, the Scales of Order didn''t react. "..." An Su was shocked, blinking his eyes and thinking this item must be terrifying beyond belief as the Chaotic Elevator Brother pulled out a pair of thick-soled, long, black stockings from the bag! This terrifying item of chaos was now unstoppable. The Chaotic Elevator Brother casually kicked off his little leather shoes and slipped the thick-soled, long, black stockings over his pale, large thighs, moving slowly and seductively. Nearly all the saints had their eyes wide open, especially those seated near her, who were blushing and in moral disarray. If it were just the stockings, that would have been one thing, but the rich and forbidden aura of chaos was approaching them, suffocating them, making it hard to think. The attack, both physical and magical, had reached its peak. Sar?h the n?vel_Fire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Beautiful girls plus little leather shoes plus black stockings; for these young saints, it was simply irresistible. They even seemed to enjoy it. What the hell... Only An Su had a face full of black lines, wrapping his collar into a makeshift mask to put over his face. The exam hadn''t even started, and that Xia Leng brother began sneakily asking An Su for information again, "Please, do you have that girl''s contact information next to you...?" You really are hungry. Love at first sight with everyone you see, huh? An Su''s face was expressionless, His awareness of the Chaotic Cultist''s outrageousness ascended to a new level. She could whip out such a weapon that doesn''t discriminate between friend or foe and brews destruction, who could imagine that her real self was a bulky, rough man from the Esoteric Sect chuckling away. After all that talk of forbidden terror, An Su thought she had found some cursed relic capable of eluding even a demigod''s senses. But from a certain viewpoint, this might well be considered such an item. And it was remarkably effective. Nearly a quarter of the saints had their attention drawn, flushed and unable to focus on the upcoming exam. Priest Paxi stared eagerly at the Scales of Order, but it showed no reaction. Obviously, the Chaotic Elevator dressing up was an orderly act and didn''t violate any laws. After all, it''s only streaking that qualifies as chaotic behavior. Moreover, respecting women''s freedom to dress was something promoted by contemporary academia and the Order Laws. ``` Priest Paxi certainly didn''t have the authority to forbid the Chaotic Elevator from wearing socks; otherwise, he could be slapped with the charge of disrespecting women''s freedom, which would greatly affect his future. All he could do was to consult with his superiors and ask the chief examiner, who had the authority to intervene, to take action. After all, that very important person had definitely already seen the current chaos through the Eye of Order. After Paxi sent a message asking for instructions, he quickly received a reply from his superior. "Encourage." Two brief but powerful words. Merlin liked to watch, too. Damn it. Paxi''s lips twitched slightly, and he began to feel numb. With Merlin''s encouragement, it was as if a switch had been turned on in Pandora''s Box. Paxi had thought this was the limit, but he hadn''t anticipated that it was only the beginning. As the bell signaling the start of the exam rang, the other silent Esoteric Witches in the room began to act as well. It wasn''t just An Su''s examination room, but in every examination room of the church, there lurked one or two Esoteric Witches, inducing sudden anomalies. These good girls showed their diverse abilities; those taught by Arthur from the Cool Exposure Sect claimed it was too hot and began loosening their clothing. In contrast, Lister''s Elegant Life Sect members attempted to give birth right there in the examination room. Giving birth is the most orderly and holy act in the world, something even the Scales of Order respect. Most saints were unable to concentrate on their exams, including the female saints. "Your Majesty Merlin, are we really not going to stop these...girls'' style of dressing?" asked a District Bishop from the top level of the church, sweating profusely as he addressed Chief Examiner Merlin, "At this rate, no one will be able to concentrate on their exams." "Not to worry," Merlin replied with a confident smile, "The questions are so simple. What does it matter if they don''t focus? They will still pass easily. Just hand out the exam papers." "If something really goes wrong, I''ll take full responsibility." As long as that boy An Su keeps out of trouble, nothing big will happen. Are these questions really that easy...? The District Bishop was sweating bullets but had to obey since His Excellency Merlin had spoken, so he used the Magic Tao communicator to broadcast the start of the exam throughout the church, officially distributing the exam papers. Priest Paxi received the notice and breathed a sigh of relief, broke the seals on the exam papers, and distributed them; the saints had also snapped back to reality, pinching their cheeks to refocus their gaze and firmly decided to put aside their shattered faith and ignore the women. The exam was now the most important thing, and they could take their time looking later. And this exam, as per usual, was incredibly difficult, so they would rush through it and get it done! They had also heard of the feat of that boy An Su in the same exam hall, who completed all the questions in half an hour and handed in his paper early during the last saint''s exam. This time, these geniuses were determined to break An Su''s record. They received the exam papers, filled in their names, reviewed the questions one by one, and the first paper tested on the Radiant Holy See''s topics. Starting with the simplest first multiple-choice question, ''The Radiant Goddess blesses all with light, all beings absorb this light, which contains seven primary colors. When the peak of a being''s absorbed Holy Light spectrum shifts towards longer wavelengths, this phenomenon is known as the Holy Light''s ()'' a. Redshift of the Holy Light b. Blueshift of the Holy Light c. Fall from Grace of the Holy Light What the hell is this? The genius saints were all baffled. They had read the words over and over, and though they understood each word, they just couldn''t grasp the meaning. The more they thought about it, the more confused they became. Sweat poured down as they became anxious, their thoughts drifted, and uncontrollable sensory details from their surroundings seeped in. Read new adventures at My Virtual Library Empire The details were quite rich indeed. Such as the girl who sat at the head''s thighs, and again, the girl who sat at the head''s thighs... and more... As well as the sound of An Su rapidly scribbling. He was writing so fast that afterimages appeared, and in an instant, he had finished a page and turned to the next. All the saints'' morale broke. Chapter 228 Merlin: This has nothing to do with me! The exam had only begun five minutes ago. An Su''s fervent scribbling sounded particularly harsh in the quiet exam hall. He quickly completed an entire sheet with a speed as if he knew the answers in advance, flipping to the next page with a faint smile playing at the corners of his mouth. These questions felt unexpectedly familiar. Meanwhile, the expressions of the surrounding candidates were subtly changing. Could this kid be writing nonsense? They glanced sideways at An Su, suspecting that with his moral standards, he might be intentionally creating this noise to put invisible pressure on them. Many self-proclaimed geniuses were now sweating profusely, their pen tips trembling as they stared at the first question of the Radiance exam, pondering for a long time without being able to start writing. Priest Paxi felt that the situation in the exam hall was not optimistic. No matter what, he hadn''t expected that An Su''s mere presence would cause such chaos. He couldn''t help but use Magic Communication to inquire about the situations in other examination halls, and the responses were worrisome. In the second examination room where Arthur was, and the third examination room where Lister was, the same scenes were unfolding. Even more severe. These two were also solving questions at a breakneck pace, causing even greater distress to other candidates than An Su did. After all, since An Su was known to be high-achieving, it was more acceptable for him to work quickly. But Arthur and Lister, being the last and second-to-last in the previous literary exam and nationally known poor students, were also working fiercely fast, and fully filled the blank spaces, causing candidates in both rooms to shiver with fear, utterly intimidated. This was a fear from the depths of their hearts, For a common saint, it''s bearable if a top student works fast, but it''s terribly frightening when normally underachieving students perform spectacularly in exams, leading to a complete meltdown of their mentality. Priest Paxi''s lips twitched slightly; he had never imagined that separating these three troublemakers into different rooms would result in chaos in all three rooms. He sighed softly, feeling the future looked bleak and dark. Those who had qualified to enter the Imperial Capital for the exam were top scholars from various regions, lauded as prodigies from an early age. But now, these prodigies were experiencing the complexity of the Imperial Capital and the perplexities of life for the first time. Who set this paper? It was as if the questions burned brightly with flames. The geniuses from the Church noticed the name ''Merlin Andre, Vice President of the Magic Association, author'' at the start of the paper and fell silent. Since it was Great Mage Merlin''s work, it must have a deep purpose. They needed to carefully analyze His Excellency Merlin''s intentions, considering the question setter''s personal preferences... What does ''movement of Radiance''s peak waves'' mean? Peak waves... Radiance''s peak waves... They fell into deep thought, with the universe and the endless cycle of universal life entering their minds, exhausting every bit of knowledge and wisdom to interpret the question setter''s intent, from the origins of Radiance in Genesis to the contemporary religious landscape, from the definition of Holy Light to the significance of its magic interpretation. Various pieces of knowledge flickered through their minds like frames in a film, the movement of Radiance''s peak waves, They had to read the question''s meaning repeatedly. Sar?h the N?vel(F)ire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. And then associate it with other ideas. ''Moving towards the highest peak of the waves'' What are peak waves. What is movement. Experience more content on My Virtual Library Empire The prodigies'' gazes moved towards the Witch''s peak waves next to them. Passing one mountain range after another, traversing thousands upon thousands of mountains, they finally reached the highest peak and witnessed the dazzlingly bright sacred radiance on that chaotic stairway. At that moment, the young men had their realization This was indeed moving towards the highest peak of Radiance! How sinister, yet how intoxicating and captivating, Combining this with the fact that it was a question from His Excellency Merlin and analyzing his usual preferences, everything seemed reasonableAt this moment, they had grasped the supreme will of the Great Mage. Thus, the answer to this question was evidently straightforward, They confidently marked on their papers, selecting option CThe Fall of Radiance! "Hmph, it''s just as expected," the prodigies of the Radiant Holy See sneered, glancing at An Su, who was diligently solving the questions, and continued with theirs. This kid, ignoring the highest peak, was indeed formidable. Their expressions were solemn, They now truly believed that this Child of the Curse, gaining renown in the Imperial Capital, was indeed substantial, possessing great perseverance likely to achieve limitless accomplishments in the future. A few days ago, An Su''s capturing a basketful of Esoteric Sect Followers did not win the hearts of these saints, but today, his ability to resist looking at that tempting material and shocking their hearts was truly significant. Only those who have tried it know how difficult it is. Nevertheless, despite this, they would not simply concede victory in this contest! Because An Su had already lost; his disinterest in the highest peak meant he couldn''t grasp Merlin His Excellency''s intentions, and in this exam, he was doomed to fail, ultimately just scribbling nonsense. "Scribble, scribble." Five minutes after the exam started, An Su had completed all the subjective questions and turned to the last page of the paper. The prodigies felt sweaty again as they looked at the second question, their pen tips hovering and trembling uncontrollably over the major subjective discussion question, Chapter 228 Merlin: This has nothing to do with me!_2 The saints could never have imagined that the second question on the exam was an essay question; they were only given one multiple-choice question, like it was some kind of charity! They feared that if they were given too many, they might guess one or two correctly by sheer luck. This unprecedented design of exam questions was truly without rival, both before and since. His Excellency Merlin, truly deserving of the title God of Law, created questions that were nothing short of divine. The second question was from the Alchemical Church, which generally tested knowledge of Alchemical Array composition, the principles of Alchemical Circuits, and alchemy theory. They looked at the second question, [The God of Alchemy smelts all things. Please describe the steps to extract black silk from crude oil using alchemical methods.] Divine. All the saints'' faces turned as black as if they had been scorched. They stared at the question for a long while. Although they recognized every single word, when put together, these words became an unfathomable enigma. What could possibly be the connection between crude oil and black silk? In this world, there were so-called stockings, but their fabric was made from demon beasts like velvet worms and were expensive alchemical garments, usually worn only by nobility. But never had they heard of black silk being alchemically extracted from petroleum. How could that dark, smelly pile of liquid ever be turned into soft and smooth stockings! As they glanced at the witches'' black silk stockings, how could such a heavenly relic be connected to that unrefined crude oil! It was utterly two extremes! Explore more at My Virtual Library Empire They absolutely couldn''t comprehend the question, couldn''t understand the brilliant intention of His Excellency Merlin. His Excellency Merlin''s revolutionary thinking was indeed beyond the ken of ordinary folks. They had barely grasped the peak of Holy Light, only to be defeated by black silk stockings. Merlin, that bastard, does he ever research anything that would actually be meaningful and valuable to society? All the saints cursed in their hearts, but there were some geniuses who, as if sharing the same spirit, began to write their answers on their papers. These answer-givers were the Chaotic Cultists, sure of themselves, feeling an eerie familiarity and comfort with this exam. Even though they were in the courtyard of the Radiant Holy See, the questions were chaotic and inscrutable, reminding them of homeit was truly nostalgic. Although not knowing the answers, they had plenty of experience dealing with such abstract questions, The Chaotic Elevator confidently wrote down the steps he hypothesized for extracting stockings from crude oil: The alchemical steps to obtain stockings from crude oil: Step 1: Announce on the newspapers that I have discovered petroleum. Step 2: The Church Nation dispatches troops. Step 3: Exchange petroleum for black silk stockings. Three steps, each logically convincing, the Chaotic Ladder wrote the answer, then glanced at An Su smugly, thinking he was truly the genius of legendsthe position of Chaotic Saint was rightfully his. Priest Paxi beside him was sweating profusely. Although these answers seemed far-fetched, they had some level of plausibility on a certain plane. But this style of answering was still quite magical and probably not the correct solution. It wasn''t that the second step, the Church Nation dispatching troops, was magical; that was all too real. The fantasy was in the third step: the Church Nation typically just took what they wanted and claimed it possessed massively destructive taboo magic. How could they possibly trade for black silk? Surviving with a life intact was lucky enough. Priest Paxi felt that the chaos level of this exam had reached an all-time high, with all sorts of wild magicians showing off their tricks; and yet, An Su was sincerely and diligently sticking to the rules. Since the beginning of the exam, he hadn''t made a single suspicious move. Paxi glanced at An Su''s answer for the second question, "Atmospheric distillation, catalytic cracking... obtaining high molecular weight polymers, a byproduct of petroleum, to produce polyester and cotton blend...." Although the long line of alchemical steps looked like alchemy, it seemed more like something from another world. However, it looked like the correct answer and theoretically plausible. A different path from that of regular alchemists. He was astonished at An Su''s breadth of knowledge; that even in Alchemy, he was profoundly skilled. To be fair, given the same question, Paxi could only have approached it from the aspect of magical material conversion alchemy, but that would involve designing a highly complex Magic Circuit, not cost-effective. He wasn''t primarily an alchemist. Had the question been given to his little junior sister, the well-known alchemy prodigy Priestess Ai Xueli, perhaps she could''ve come up with a better solution. But ever since the last exam, a deep shadow had been cast in Ai Xueli''s heart by An Su. She had sworn off ever being an invigilator again, Leaving Paxi to take the fall. As he thought about this, he couldn''t help but sigh with confusion, unable to comprehend why His Excellency Merlin would set such abstract and outrageous questions. Paxi kept guessing at the profound intentions of His Excellency Merlin, but in the end, he couldn''t comprehend them. Was it possible that His Excellency Merlin intended to weed out all the mediocrities, leaving only the most elite geniuses? Or was the rumor true, that the position of Merlin''s successor would be decided by this grand exam, and that''s why Merlin himself, had crafted this set of problems? After a while, Paxi came to a conclusion: To pose such questions, Merlin simply wanted the examinees to die! "To pose such questions is to wish for my own death!" In the third layer of the cathedral, Merlin, his face streaked with black lines, slammed a stack of opened exam papers in front of the assembled Priests. Sarch* The N??elFir.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 228 Merlin: This has nothing to do with me!_3 Just a moment ago, Merlin, on a whim, glanced over the examination paper and only looked at the last one or two major questions before falling silent. His mouth twitched slightly, Sar?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. With his God of Law''s Pure White Eyes, he discerned that all these pieces of knowledge originated from the Otherworld, They were all questions unearthed from some obscure corner of the Nether World, the principles and knowledge were correct, but the students had never been taught any of itpurely questions beyond the syllabus. As a God of Law, Merlin could certainly deduce the correct answers instantly, but those saints in the examination halls just couldn''t manage it. And who the hell designed the format of this paper, awkwardly splitting the answer and reading sections across two pages, causing everyone to constantly flip pages back and forth while answering and referring to questions, Such a cruel design philosophy, it''s enough to land one on the torture rack of the Heretical Tribunal, to be flogged with a salty whip for three days and nights straightit must be the work of the most sinister Esoteric Sect Followers. Merlin''s mood was quite turbulent, Maybe no one will pass the exam this time! If that''s the case, his grand plan of recruiting apprentice mules to do the work would fail. And the holiday he had finally gotten his hands on would inevitably be cut short, as a portion of it would have to be spent dealing with the Bishop''s routine paperwork and the Magic Association''s agendas. If there were any slip-ups, he wouldn''t even have an assistant to take the fall for him. This was clearly an attempt on Merlin''s life, and the thought of it filled him with indignation, making him want to summon those responsible for setting the questions and hold them accountable. Experience tales with My Virtual Library Empire All the exam questions were set by the research experts of the Magic Association, and being the vice-president, Merlin had the authority to hold anyone accountable! Merlin scanned the few saints present, and everyone exchanged bewildered glances. Wait, boss... didn''t you personally set these questions? Wasn''t it agreed that you would take sole responsibility for this? With sympathy in their hearts, everyone who was savvy understood the subtext of Merlin''s words. They all knew full well that old Merlin was pretending to be confused, trying to find a scapegoat to take the fall for the president of the council. The few experts from the Magic Association had been taking the fall for the president since their days as assistants, never expecting that even after they had climbed their way up to high-tier Priests or beyond, they''d still have to carry the old man''s burden. "Your Excellency Merlin..." a saint began tremblingly, mustering his courage, "This... these questions were actually set by you personally..." He flipped the examination paper to the first page; Merlin had only looked at the last major questions, so he overlooked the information about the setter on the front page, It was clearly written ''Merlin Andre''. "...Since when did I set these questions?" Merlin said with lines of confusion on his face, who would dare make the leader take the fall for them? That''s some gall. "Three days... three days ago," the saint stammered, "When we came to Heaven to have you review it, you modified it personally." Three days... three days ago. Merlin''s eyebrows twitched slightly, and he suddenly realized what had happened three days ago. That was the day he had skipped work to go on a date with the rebellious Bishop Rada, leaving An Su, the young upstart, to cover for him at work. So it was this kid who set the questions? But if he were to deny that the questions were set by An Su under his name, then his absence from work would be exposed, And the consequences of deserting his post in Heaven were far more severe than setting an abstract exam. He might even end up being locked away for seven or eight years. Moreover, if his date with a man were to be leaked, it would be an earth-shattering scandal that would ruin his reputation forever! Clenching his teeth, Merlin realized this was a blatant scheme by young An Su, which he could not refuse no matter what! That young upstart... Merlin shook his head helplessly; it was the first time he encountered an upstart whose cunning and audacity matched, or even slightly surpassed, his own in his youth. His frustration reached a peak, but then his mind gradually calmed down. Merlin was usually the one making others take the fall for him, and now that it was his turn, there was no point in complaining. Merlin was almost amused by the cheekiness of the youngster, With such audacity for mischief, he might indeed take the kid as his heir. Once the brat becomes a Demigod and can guard the gates of Heaven, he could take extended vacations indefinitely, just like his own master did. The rumors spreading outside about ''battling the heir to the Imperial Princess'' were actually spread by Merlin himself, just to amuse himself by making An Su suffer at Cersei''s hands. But now, Merlin seriously started to contemplate the feasibility of this matter. Yet what truly made Merlin change his mind was the exam paper prepared by An Su. The knowledge contained within it was not something an ordinary saint could craft, and maybe, just maybe, the kid had some connections with Heaven... "Your Excellency Merlin, have you decided?" Seeing Merlin''s expression soften and his gaze clear, one saint felt hopeful for salvation and quickly asked. "I''ve made up my mind." Merlin said with a smile, "Draw straws among yourselves to take the fall for me." "..." Chapter 229 Candidates: Am I not even as good as a cat? While the Priests were drawing lots with trepidation, An Su had already finished all the questions. He stretched lazily, looking out at the daylight outside. The bright late-summer sun shone on the clear glass. Only less than twenty minutes had passed since the start of the examination, and it was still early morning. The branches of the poplar just outside the window quivered slightly, their leaves rustling in the morning breeze, casting a swath of dark green shade. "No handing in papers early." Priest Paxi stared at An Su with a face full of dark lines as he walked up to him, whispering in a low voice. As a professional Order Officer, he could tell what this kid was thinking just from his preliminary movements. Priest Paxi could feel everyone''s rational strings were stretched to their limits. If this kid were allowed to hand in his paper early, the candidates'' mental state would completely collapse. The worst-case scenario would be that they''d give up writing altogether, hand in their papers early like a spark setting off an explosion, and leave. Although the probability was small, it was necessary to take precautions in advance. Although the saints probably couldn''t solve these questions, as long as they filled everything in nonsensically, the grading teachers could, at their discretion, give some points, one hand holding a black pen and the other a red pen as they graded... But such things, of course, couldn''t be said in public. In any case, this exam was a major national focus; in his own examination room, at least more than one saint had to pass! "What''s in it for me?" An Su lifted his head and smiled as he communicated telepathically. Early submission adhered to both the examination rules and the Scales of Order''s judgment. Priest Paxi forbidding him to do so was actually against the examination''s regulations. In this matter, An Su was in the right. "...." Priest Paxi realized that An Su had never let an opportunity slip by; last time he was brought into custody, he managed to extort thousands of Gold Coins from the Order Officer. But now, this guy was extorting the invigilator during an exam! A candidate bribing an invigilator is pure defiance against heaven, isn''t it? Priest Paxi''s mouth twitched slightly. He took a deep breath, stabilized his emotions, and maintained a forced smile as he patiently explained, "This is an examination room, there''s nothing here, and I''m not carrying any money on me. Moreover, bribery would never pass the Scales of Order''s judgment." "The purpose of the Scales of Order is to maintain the Order of the examination room," Paxi emphasized. "Article two of the [Order Supervision Law] clearly states: It''s against Order for candidates to bribe the invigilator," An Su revealed a calm smile. "But it''s not against the rules for an invigilator to bribe a candidate." Priest Paxi fell silent. "Anyway, I''ve got nothing." After a long pause, he said. The examination room had nothing but desks and stools, devoid of any valuables, "Then why don''t you let me play with the Scales of Order for a few days?" An Su gestured towards the three Scales of Order placed on his desk. They were delicately crafted through Magic Guidance, centered with an Obsidian piece to serve as the Eye of Order, emanating a bright luster. The item wasn''t particularly expensive, but it was prized for its rare craftsmanship, not circulating outside. An Su had been eyeing it since he walked in. Anything placed on his desk was his! Stealing light is also a rare branch of Holy Light. sea??h th n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Priest Paxi gained a new understanding of An Su''s thick-skinned nature. How could this kid be like a thief, wanting to swipe the four surveillance cameras in the examination room during an exam! He now truly regretted placing the Scales of Order within An Su''s reach. There''s a saying: if you''re not afraid of thieves stealing, you worry about them coveting. "...I''ll give you one." After a long silence, Priest Paxi finally spoke slowly. The Order Cathedral had plenty of Scales, which weren''t expensive. The purpose of the Scales of Order was to maintain the Order of the examination room. Giving this item to An Su, in a way, did indeed maintain the Order... Having extorted the toy he wanted, An Su was satisfied. It wasn''t good to be too greedy. He calmed down, quietly leaning on the table, looking out the window to pass the time. Continue your adventure at My Virtual Library Empire Due to An Su settling down, the saints gradually stabilized their mentality, focusing on tackling the examination questions. The crisp sound of pen strokes echoed in the examination room, These questions weren''t meant for humans to solve; if the questions were difficult for everyone, and even An Su was stumped by them, they were more at ease. Priest Paxi also breathed a sigh of relief. Time slowly passed, the sunlight gradually shifted towards midday''s orange hue, and the shadows of the leaves expanded further. Just then, An Su suddenly noticed something amiss. He saw a branch of the poplar outside the window suddenly drop and bounce back up, the shadow of the leaves shaking as if a nimble creature had deftly landed on the branch. An Su focused his gaze and his eyes narrowed. On the branch perched a Luo Xiaohei, grooming her fur, a feather pen in her mouth, a piece of white paper, her cat pupils round and focused, peering through the window at the questions on the candidates'' papers. "..." An Su hadn''t expected Elf Ael to be so audacious to sneak into the center of the examination room. True to her title of Chaotic Saintess, she didn''t mind anything in pursuit of fun. The rule ''Exam areas are off-limits to animals'' was set, but the more something was forbidden, the more she seemed compelled to do it. What, is she trying to join the Church''s ranks? The commotion Ael caused naturally also drew the attention of a few examinees. It wasn''t just their examination room; all the adjacent ones next to the Poplar Forest could also see a little black cat on the branch. Chapter 229 Candidates: Am I Not Even As Good As A Cat?_2 "But it''s just a wild cat, no need to mind it," until the cat licked the tip of the feather pen, moistened it, then sat on a poplar branch and spread out a piece of white paper. She lifted her head, peering through the window at the saints'' exam questions, then lowered her head and copied them onto her prepared piece of white paper. She copied each question as she looked at it. Although distant, the saints couldn''t immediately discern what the little black cat was up to. However, once she filled the white paper densely with questions and combined that with her pattern of looking up after writing, everyone couldn''t help but develop a horrifying conjecture. "She wouldn''t be thinking about taking the exam too, would she?" "A cat?" "How could that be, haha..." The next second, all the examinees'' pupils trembled. They saw Luo Xiaohei finish copying all the questions, her pupils showing an excited and delighted expression. After pondering briefly, she began to write swiftly with the pen. Although the examinees couldn''t see clearly due to the distance, there was no doubt that the cat was answering the questions! And she was answering them cheerfully and effortlessly, even her cat ears perked up happily and her tail swished back and forth. Indeed, following An Su was never wrong; the questions were all very chaotic. It''s not bro. At this moment, all the saints who noticed this scene fell into a deep silence. They blinked hard, doubting whether the world had gone mad, or if it was they themselves who were insane, as now even a cat felt the need to take the Church''s recruitment exam! And seeing the cat''s speed in answering, they might even be outperformed by a cat! This feeling, as if their entire worldview had collapsed, swept through the saints'' hearts. As more and more saints noticed the commotion by the window, more and more found their spiritual beliefs shattering. Not only in An Su''s exam room but also in the adjacent rooms, chaos and breakdown began to spread, Feeling the great chaos emanating below, Elf swung her tail excitedly like a propeller. She hadn''t expected such an unexpected gain, She immediately puffed out her chest, with the paper she had finished in her mouth, lightly leaped to the edge of the window sill, striding proudly, her face filled with dignity, walking past each exam room window while shaking her test paper. It was like a parade. Darn it! All the saints screamed inwardly. Getting closer, they could see more clearly, Although they couldn''t make out or understand the specific answers, the saints were convinced that those were their exam questions. One by one, they looked as forlorn as if they''d lost their parents, their faces pale as frost. That was an exam to behold. S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Their spiritual beliefs, developed over more than a decade, were utterly shattered, considering even a cat wrote better than them! They had lived for over a decade, all for nothing. Elf enjoyed the sight of everyone''s confused and pained expressions, feeling immense joy. She carried her paper around the exam room quickly, then gently leaped back to her original spot, facing An Su, pulled out a new piece of white paper, and started writing another set of answers. She filled up one side in just five minutes. The air in the exam room seemed frozen, and dead silence spread through people''s hearts. An Su hadn''t broken the examinees'' last line of defense, but this darn cat had done it. They would rather have An Su crush them, at least he looked somewhat human, but what was this cat all about! So, did the legendary Cat Senior truly exist? Saint representative Xia Leng dropped his pen and gave up completely. Find more to read at My Virtual Library Empire Merlin set these questions not intending for them to survive. At this point, might as well focus on watching the chaos unfold. No more writing. Anyways, I don''t know how to solve a single problem. With a human creating the precedent, the order in the exam hall collapsed like an avalanche. The saints all put down their pens, ready to fully focus on watching the chaos unfold since even the smartest Sir Xia Leng chose to slack off, and that thriving An Su hadn''t moved his pen in a long while, presumably unable to proceed. For them, the regular saints, there was no need to strive anymore. If everyone fails, it''s like everyone passed. The saints didn''t know that An Su had already finished his exam, so he hadn''t moved his pen. The only reason he hadn''t handed in his paper was because of a promise with Priest Paxi. Still, the chaos was more appealing to watch. Seeing this group of saints slacking off, Priest Paxi''s lips twitched slightly. With the current progress, even if the grading priests tried, they couldn''t salvage it. He had barely managed to pacify the threat of An Su when suddenly, out of nowhere, Luo Xiaohei had appeared, threatening in this age even cats were stealing jobs. And the more Priest Paxi looked at this cat, the more familiar it seemed. That fur, that appearance, and those crimson, blood-like eyes all felt oddly familiar. After a careful analysis, his pupils shook tremendously, disbelievingly turning his gaze towards An Su. This darn cat was none other than An Su''s pet, Luo Xiaohei... It had been stopped by him before entering the exam hall. You, kid, even the cat you keep at home is such a monster? Priest Paxi''s feelings towards An Su were quite mixed. It was one thing for the kid himself to be capable of doing anything, but how were his pets also so intelligent? Everyone present in the exam hall was a genius among geniuses, truly the favored children of the heavens, yet their caliber was even less than that of a cat raised by An Su''s family? This definitely was not an ordinary little black cat. Perhaps, this kid deliberately trained this high-tier Cat Spirit just to mess with people''s minds. Chapter 229 Candidates: Am I Not Even As Good As A Cat?_3 It was one thing for examinees to bribe examiners, but for a trainee to accept money without doing the job was another story... Feeling Priest Paxi''s murderous gaze, An Su also fell silent. He truly didn''t intend to cause trouble. He had decided to be completely honest and dutiful. All followers of the Sanctuary of Chaos were jokers, not to mention their sect''s Chaotic Saintess, who always managed to pull unexpected stunts on An Su. Explore stories on My Virtual Library Empire He watched Luo Xiaohei, who was thoroughly enjoying taking the exam on that tree branchher chaos had already alarmed the patrolling Order Knights. Several knights tried to jointly detain this cat, but Elf, being Elf, the most talented Chaotic Saintess of her generation, leapt and dodged nimbly among them, leaving these Fourth Tier knights unable to even touch a hair on her. An Su had managed to catch her by chance, using a bizarre combination of "Order Return" and chili water. Even more humiliating, while Elf was evading the knights, she managed to control a cat''s paw to write furiously on a blank sheet of paper. Realizing this, both the Order Knights and the examinees felt their defenses shattered. Order Knights who had been capturing evil Esoteric Sect Followers for over a decade couldn''t catch a cat today; saintly examinees who had studied for over a decade couldn''t outscore a cat. This sense of humiliation and defeat spread wildly among everyone. Maybe it''s better to just focus on black stockings... Only black stockings could bring solace to the soul. sea??h th N??elFir.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. One couldn''t really blame the Order Knights, as Elf''s real identity was at the Peak Saint level, and even though she was currently using an avatar, she was not someone the Fourth Tier knights could handle; unless a saint or a demigod served as a proctor, they simply couldn''t catch Elf. Unfortunately, right now, the saints who were on duty at the exam hall were caught up in a bit of trouble of their own They had started arguing over "who should take the blame for the leader." His Excellency Merlin''s solution was to draw lots to pick one, but whoever got picked didn''t want to accept it, which gradually escalated into a debate, which under His Excellency Merlin''s guidance, turned into a discussion on "the weak should carry the burden for the strong" To prove who was stronger, they started a brawl. And being the only demigod in the exam hall, the venerable His Excellency Merlin certainly wouldn''t bother about a minor issue like catching a cat, especially since he had just managed to get a vacation and there was absolutely no way he would work because of this. Since someone was already taking the blame, Unless the Esoteric Sect openly and boldly attacked, Merlin wouldn''t bother intervening in these trivial matters. Caught in this awkward situation where they couldn''t manage affairs at either a higher or a lower level, all the saints completely lost their composure... When the examination bell rang, An Su stretched lazily, gathered the Scales of Order from his desk into his embrace, while Elf outside the window also finished her test papers. She gracefully jumped down, stamped a cat''s paw print on her paper''s name column, and proudly handed in her paper. That meant she also counted as a person. Elf then jumped back onto her transportationAn Su''s shoulderlike a champion, head held high, enjoying the silent, grave stares from all the surrounding saints. Is this cat yours, kid? The saints felt utterly betrayed; brother with brother, heart to heart, you play games with your brother. Just when everyone thought they were together in the mess, watching black stockings, this trainee still had a trick up his sleeve... You asshole. If An Su''s cat could do it, how could An Su possibly not! He must have finished long ago, staying in the exam hall just to enjoy their despairing faces! An Su wanted to send Elf back to the wild; this cat always caused trouble for him, and continuing to keep her might be dangerous, so he smiled kindly, opened the door, and was the first to walk out. The doorway was already crowded with reporters, interviewing the first student out, and Elf leapt straight from An Su''s shoulder. "Meow meow, meow meow meow." She vividly described her great accomplishments, while the surrounding reporters hurriedly took notes and asked An Su what she meant. "..." An Su replied, "My cat says the questions were too easy, she wants another set...." Chapter 230 The Chaotic Saintess lacks a certain innate sense of birth compared to you An Su was the first to come out of the examination room, with the sun three poles high, the scorching daylight suspended above the mountain tops, so brilliant it dazzled one''s eyes, and the surface of the Church''s glass prisms coated in a layer of snow-white silver light. S~ea??h the N??elFir.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. He also saw Lister and Arthur, the two guys were proudly accepting interviews from reporters with beaming faces, this achievement meant they could return home and seek rewards from their fathers. The other saints who emerged were all looking dispirited and lost, muttering madness about "black silk" and the like, leaving the reporters baffled. Only after some detailed questioning did they reveal that they had been annihilated by a cat. The reporters all showed expressions of disbelief, At first, they thought An Su was just joking with them, but it turned out that more and more people were complaining about the tyranny of that cap, and some examinees were cursing the examiner''s perverted behavior, openly saying that the question was so abnormal it couldn''t be intended for normal humans. "May I ask what this exam was testing for?" the reporters asked curiously. "Meow meow." Luo Xiaohei, perched on An Su''s shoulders with arms akimbo, indicated that she was the first to leave the examination room, meowing fiercely with bared teeth. "Black silk," An Su translated. The reporters'' eyes widened, and these journalism experts instantly let their imaginations run wild, thinking to themselves that it was no wonder the Magic Association was so innovative and pioneering with their questions. Knowing oneself and the enemy ensures victory in every battle. It must be that "black silk" corresponds to the Radiance of the Radiant Holy See in this world. Your next journey awaits at My Virtual Library Empire Perhaps there exists some Goddess of the Black Silk, corresponding to the Radiant Goddess. They hurriedly took serious notes in their little notebooks, "What did you gain from this exam?" the reporters continued to ask. As per the established custom, they always inquired about what the candidates gained from passing such a significant test, be it an awareness of their own shortcomings or enlightenment from the exam experience. In any case, it was that kind of soul-stirring anecdote they sought, something to captivate hearts. Such stories, once published in the newspaper, could swindle even more fools into taking the Church''s civil service exam. "Meow meow," Luo Xiaohei flicked her tail. "I gained a surveillance camera," An Su jingled the Scales of Order in his hand, top players would rummage through any residential room, not even leaving the trash in the bin untouched. Sweeping up a surveillance camera during the test was just a basic quality of a player. "Awesome, awesome, awesome," the reporters applauded, noting it down, moved by the Magic Association''s generosity. Nowadays, they even give away surveillance cameras with exams. Reported like this, it would definitely attract plenty of fools to take the exam. After dealing with the reporters, An Su encountered the Esoteric Witches who had infiltrated the Church. As the saying goes, failure in the exam room and success on the love front. With their black silk, the witches attracted a large following and were comforting countless heartbroken, desolate candidates. Before long, a tide of witch idols matching Yue''er and Ri Zi would likely sweep through the Imperial Capital. The saints, too enamored with the girl group to care for anything else, would sink into decadence, eventually losing everything both materially and socially, effectively dying from a societal perspective. In a sense, this indirectly fulfilled the assassination mission assigned by the higher-ups of the Esoteric Sect. Upon seeing the grand boss An Su, the witches all showed expressions of admiration. The brother of Chaotic Ladder was indeed the brother of Chaotic Ladder, worthy of leading them with his unfathomable strength. Even the pet he raised could cause such chaos with a mere gesture. "Brother Su," the Chaotic Elevator said admiringly, her chest heaving dramatically, drawing countless amazed glances, "You are really incredible. To be able to resist looking at those thighs, I couldn''t even stop myself. In this duel, I''ve lost." Who the hell wants to look at a man''s black silk leg hair... An Su kept a straight face. However, the Chaotic Saintess on his shoulder showed interest, her feline pupils slightly widening. Upon closer inspection, she realized that the seductive woman in front of her had transformed from one of her subordinates. The entire Ladder Sect had come so far that they all changed their sexes, and as their leader, Luo Xiaohei was quite proud. Their sect was truly flourishing. Seems like that Chaotic Ladder kid has been doing quite well... Their current closeness to An Su must mean they are seeking an opportunity to take over this little upstart''s body. The Ladder Cult adheres to a system even more advanced than feudalism: the offline monarchy. In short, as their leader, the Elf never goes onlineshe just indulges herself, completely indifferent to the well-being of the sect. As the Elf did not attend that meeting and has since been out of touch with the outside world, dedicating herself entirely to her studies, the Chaotic Cultists are totally clueless about their leader''s whereabouts. Hence, the Elf is completely unaware that An Su is currently taking on the persona of Chaotic Ladder. Moreover, being in the heartland of the Church, with a Demigod''s presence as a guardian, To avoid blowing their cover, the witches refer to the Chaotic Ladder as "An Su," eliminating any chance of slip-ups. The Elf swayed her tail, seeing her subordinates living so well that they changed genders, and felt reassured. Such achievements were all due to her excellent leadership skills. The Elf meowed proudly, her crimson pupils sparkling with brilliance, and the purring sounds came deep from her throat, all thanks to her laissez-faire governance. Chapter 230 The Chaotic Saintess lacks a certain innate sense of birth compared to you_2 "Brother An Su is so powerful that defeating that shameless Ladder Witch must be a matter of days!" The Chaotic Elevator earnestly said, his words cunningly layered, a pun that to the uninformed would sound like a compliment praising Saint An Su for eradicating evil and exterminating the Esoteric Witch soon, Elf is the most infamous Saintess in the Church Nation today, wreaking havoc on countless City-States. For the younger generation of saints, defeating the evil Ladder Saintess is the ultimate glorious honor. But to those in the know, these words carried a completely opposite meaning. It suggested that the Quasi-Saint, Brother Chaotic Ladder, would soon take charge, inherently more bastardly than that b*tch, certainly capable of overthrowing her, and replacing her as the new boss of their sect. Elf could only catch the first meaning. "Meow?" She stood up immediately, eyes filled with anger. Why should she speak ill of An Su? "Ladder Witch..." An Su turned his head and saw Luo Xiaohei, his shoulder fur slightly bristled, thinking your current leader is standing right in front of you. "Is the Ladder Witch really that shameless?" he asked with a chuckle. "Hmph. That b*tch." The Chaotic Elevator led several Chaotic Witches, filled with righteous indignation. Taking advantage of the Ladder Saintess''s absence and being in a prominent part of the Church, they dared to loudly criticize Elf. After all, this was the Church, the fouler the criticism, the more approval from the saints. After all, she was not here. As they cursed, the Chaotic Witches began to speak their true feelings, grievances long accumulated and the public outrage boiling over. Since Elf became their sect''s Saintess, she never did her job properly, always late to meetings, or often not showing up at all, frequently scaring them for fun. Her temper was unpredictable and tyrannical; cheerful one moment and tormenting people the next. Moreover, whenever she messed up, it was always her subordinates who took the blame. Just like now, it had been several days, and the Church''s major examination had even started, yet they still couldn''t contact the Ladder Saintess! Who knew where she had gone to find fun? In the end, her subordinates had to carry the burden. Compared to the Chaotic Saintess Elf, it would be somewhat more human to have Brother Chaotic Ladder as the leader, After all, Brother Chaotic Ladder had merely changed their gender, It might as well be a rebellion, supporting their sworn brother Chaotic Ladder, snatch that bird woman''s position, overthrow the evil monarchial offline system, and establish a brand new witches'' syndicate system. "This b*tch never does anything remotely human!" They cursed indignantly, secretly badmouthing the leader, an indispensable leisure activity in every modern young worker''s daily routine, a trend, "She''s very petty, just mention her name and she gets upset!" Elf, perched on An Su''s shoulder, tilted her head and revealed a calm catlike smile, signaling that it was about enough. In An Su''s presence, you don''t talk about your own leader like this. I''m not upset at all. She thought to herself. "They say this witch has only her looks to show, her nature worse than anyone else''s. Such a witch should be sterilized to prevent leaving behind a terrible lineage." Elf swayed her tail; that insult was a bit extreme. Your next chapter awaits on My Virtual Library Empire How they all wish she''d get sterilized. Always bringing up what should not be mentioned. She glanced at the Esoteric Sect Follower who had spoken, memorizing his face to settle scores once she had finished reading An Su''s books and returned to the Church Nation. Elf now could not show any signs of anger, after all, the witches were cursing Elf, not her, Luo Xiaohei. If she were to lose her temper now, she might just reveal her true identity. "They say she''s also petty, fussing over every little detail, writing down anyone who speaks badly about her in a little notebook! Always eager to punish or kill at the slightest provocation!" Elf rolled her eyes; it was sheer nonsense. The pariah dared to slander her for being petty and intolerant of criticism, and even accused her of being quick to kill, already courting a deadly fate! Luo Xiaohei secretly noted her name. "Do you know why the Ladder Saintess chose to retain her history before becoming a saintess?" someone added, completely unaware of the imminent danger. The corner of Elf''s mouth twitched slightly, wondering why all sorts of rumors were circulating now, as if it was all just idle talk. I''m not angry. She struggled to maintain her smile. "Actually, Elf''s talent for chaos isn''t high at all, filled with an artificial craftsmanship," someone observed. The Chaotic Elevator was wholeheartedly focused on An Su, sharply commenting, "Even with all her skills, she can''t compare to your occasional genuine expression." "She lacks a naturally inherent sense of presence." Elf broke down. S~ea??h the n??el Fire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. It was one thing to call her evil, and another to say she was quick to kill, which in some Esoteric Sects might even be a compliment. So, Elf could endure any kind of insult, but the one thing she could not tolerate was someone saying she didn''t have enough presence! This completely negated her strenuous efforts over the past decade, denying at a soul level her talent as the Chaotic Saintess. Elf was almost amused by her anger, having struggled so long for chaos, only to be considered inferior to a minor figure from the Radiant Holy See, Do you know how much I have sacrificed! In an effort to demonstrate the dignity of a saintess, Elf jumped up with a meow, extending her cat''s claws to scratch the delicate cheeks of the Chaotic Elevator, The Chaotic Elevator was scratched several times, yet he showed a nostalgic expression, excitedly pointing at the small black cat, "Yes, exactly this demeanor, extremely amusing, simply identical to the Ladder Witch!" An Su seldom saw Elf lose her composure, and he showed a pleased smile. Indeed, joining the Chaos Sect was very beneficial for mental and physical health, as its followers were all talented, allowing him to appreciate wonderful scenes that were otherwise unseen. The frustrated Luo Xiaohei curled up, nestled on An Su''s shoulder, hanging his tail over his cat ears, adopting a defensive stance as though pretending not to be anxious at all. This speech against the Ladder Saintess had already drawn the attention of many saints, as the Chaotic Witches were all extremely popular. A beautiful girl doing anything would attract viewers, let alone when the protagonist of the denunciation was the infamous Ladder Saintess. Ladder Saintess Elf, a prodigy on par with Imperial Princess Cersei Milton, had been a blight on the Imperial Capital for a long time, a textbook example of an Esoteric Sect leader to be defeated. The saints crowded around her, cursing Elf loudly. The curses reached Luo Xiaohei''s ears, and she meowed pitifully, covering her ears with her cat paws, thinking to herself that once she got home and regained her true form, she would kill them all. Unfortunately, she was just a small black cat now, incapable of doing anything deep within the Church. "Rest assured, everyone." An Su smiled calmly, looking around, his blue-green eyes sparkling sincerely amidst the red city, "I will surely not let you down and will definitely defeat that wicked witch!" "To be honest, I''ve already learned through intelligence that the evil Chaotic Saintess is lurking right here in our Church! But her identity is too terrifying; I dare not expose it." An Su''s words stirred up a great sensation, alarming both the saints and the Esoteric Sect Followers. Elf perked up her cat ears, listening intently to what An Su was going to say. She was curious about what outrageous thing An Su had come up with this time. But no matter how much everyone urged, An Su would not continue, bluntly saying that the counterpart''s identity was too powerful to be discussed. Unable to get the answer they wanted, the saints had no choice but to disperse, but An Su knew he had already piqued the interest of many. Shortly after the crowd dispersed, the Chaotic Elevator, leading the Esoteric Sect Followers, approached An Su. She pretended to pass casually by An Su, handing him a bag full of thick Alchemical Magic Crystals. These stacks of magic crystals were extremely valuable, useful in magic creation, and she whispered, "Brother Su, could you reveal who that witch is now?" The Chaotic Elevator was quite scared that Elf had overheard her. Suddenly, the sky darkened, heavy grey clouds obscuring the sun, and the cold wind of late summer blew through the streets, whistling through the leaves of the cypress trees and scattering them across the dreary, leaden sky, the whole world darkening as if a storm was approaching. An Su watched calmly, and in front of Elf''s face, he revealed a sly yet serene smile, "The Imperial Princess, Cersei Milton, is the lurking Chaotic Saintess Elf!" "" "...Which question do you find most difficult?" Chapter 231 Elfs Top Secret Conspiracy! In the gloomy and desolate alley, An Su''s face was serious. His delicate ash-white hair rustled in the alley wind, which only served to highlight the solemnity of his tone and the gravity of his actions. He pursed his thin lips and spoke with unfathomable depth: "Imperial Princess Cersei Milton is the lurking Chaotic Saintess Elf!" "...Meow?" The elf sprawled on his shoulder was bewildered. She lifted her head, her eyes blinking in confusion as she stared at An Su with a baffled expression. Have I become a scapegoat? If Cersei is the Chaotic Saintess, then who am I... The Chaotic Saintess Elf had never encountered such a chaotic situation before. If I am not me, then who should I be, and if Cersei is me, then who is Cersei... This kind of introspection on the philosophy of self has always been a topic explored by the wise. After the initial confusion, she repeatedly watched An Su''s expression and reassured herself why this kid was spouting such nonsense... She felt An Su was naturally spouting lies from birth. This guy was deliberately slinging mud behind people''s backs! He seemed to have an innate talent for it. Elf now only felt uncomfortable all over, and yet she couldn''t reveal her identity on the spot to declare that she was the Chaotic Saintess. What made Elf most uncomfortable was that her subordinates seemed to have started to believe it... A bunch of idiots! Ever since An Su started talking seriously, the Chaotic Elevator and others had fallen into a state of shock and sudden enlightenment. Upon reflection, there was a lot of sense in what An Su was saying. It was known that Elf was a girl, and so was Cersei. Elf was the Divinely Chosen Saintess, the rare sight of the Seven Great Esoteric Sects for centuries, while Cersei was the radiant genius born from the long-standing gold lineage of the Milton royal family, Elf was at the Peak Saint level, and so was Cersei. Elf and Cersei never appeared on the same screen together. According to rumors, Cersei was not a good person in secret, perhaps doing some unspeakable dirty deeds. And according to eyewitness accounts of rumors, Elf wasn''t a bad person in secret either; it seemed she was peeking at the sacred texts of the Radiant Holy See. Even though they were both rumors, the combination of the two made the theory that the Radiant Holy Saintess and the Imperial Princess were one and the same seem quite reasonable. All the doubts of the past seemed to be resolved. Why did Elf often disappear at critical moments? In those storybooks and novels, from the perspective of team members, the protagonist often disappeared at critical moments, They were sneakily using their Transformation Skill! Thinking about it this way, maybe Elf was also often secretly transforming into Cersei Milton when they couldn''t see her. The more Chaotic Elevator thought and analyzed this series of reasons, the more he felt An Su was correct. Of course, the most convincing factor for them was that this was said by An Su himself, who was their newly appointed leader, and also their sworn brother. Could the words spoken by the leader be false? And who would dare not believe what the leader said. Even if the leader''s words were far-fetched, they, as subordinates, would also believe it. It wasn''t just that Cersei was Elf, Even if An Su pointed at the keycap on his shoulder and said, ''This is the Chaotic Saintess transformed,'' they would dare to believe such a fantastic tale! "So that''s how it is." Chaotic Elevator showed a look of realization, gazing at An Su admiringly, "It''s said that the Chaos Transformation Technique of the Chaotic Saintess has reached perfection. Perhaps she has quietly taken over the Imperial Princess long ago." So the current Imperial Saintess might just be a puppet. An Su silently shook his head, placed his index finger on his lips, and gently ''shushed'' while wearing a mysterious and profound expression, revealing a secretive smile, "This is a topic that must not be discussed." Stay tuned to My Virtual Library Empire The Esoteric Witches showed a look of realization as An Su''s evasive and ambiguous attitude made them even more convinced of their conjecture. Ladder Brother, having taken over An Su and becoming the Quasi-Saint and even the Interim Bishop of the Sect, most certainly had access to much forbidden information that he could not have encountered before. The Church examinations were taking place in recent days, No wonder Elf had been unreachable these past few days; she was probably in seclusion, blocking out signals to prepare for the exam! And here in the heart of the Imperial Capital, with many prying eyes, any leak of information could affect the grand plan of the Church. They quickly shut their mouths, glanced at each other, and also revealed knowing secretive smiles. One could only say the Ladder Saintess was indeed deserving of her name with her excellent acting skills. The Esoteric Sect Followers couldn''t help but admire in their hearts; they always vocally detested the Imperial Princess, saying that such a radiant figure didn''t deserve to be named alongside her, appearing as if they wished to tear her to pieces, but the real truth was that she was herself the radiant figure they spoke of. "This is classic tsundere behavior." Chaotic Elevator concluded. The Followers looked at each other and smiled again. "Saying she dislikes and hates her while secretly transforming into her... tsk, I''m impressed." "Meow!" As soon as Elf saw their mysterious smiles, she knew these guys were starting to fantasize wildly. Although they said nothing, everything seemed to speak volumes and Elf knew these seemingly naive and honest guys would definitely spread wild rumors once they returned to the Church Nation, and all sorts of outrageous versions would emerge by then, leaving her unable to face returning home. sea??h th N??eFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Esoteric Sect Followers who don''t spread gossip are not worthy of the name Chaotic Cultist. After all, these guys were the purest breed of Chaotic Cultists, causing trouble everywhere was in their nature. Chapter 231 Elfs Top Secret Conspiracy!_2 Cursing her as someone who''d be better off unborn like An Su was bad enough, but to curse her as the Imperial Princess! This was absolutely intolerable. Elf had lived for so many years and had never suffered such supreme insult. Find your next adventure on My Virtual Library Empire Since her debut as the Ladder Saintess, she had been on extremely bad terms with that Imperial Princess, just like water and fire, inherently incompatible. Elf was the extreme embodiment of chaos, living for the pursuit of pleasure, and for the sake of chaos she didn''t care about any sacrifices; while on the other hand, Cersei was the extreme embodiment of justice, striving for the absolute Order and Radiance, and to realize the justice in her heart, she wouldn''t mind using any means. Their characters were similar, but their essences were poles apart, fated to loathe each other. Elf always felt that Cersei was a hypocritical "green tea bitch." They were all born for pleasure, all selfish, all villains for their own evil, Yet Cersei had to pretend to have a noble and righteous persona, making people nauseated. On Elf''s ''most hated people'' notebook, Cersei ranked first, An Su only third. Second was that damnable Radiant Holy Saintess Luojia, who always tried to capture and castrate her... To curse her as Cersei... And even said she was tsundere! Damn it, this is downright absurd. Originally, being cursed as worse than An Su had already broken Elf''s psychological defenses once; now her defenses were completely collapsed. Elf had never endured such a grievance, and with the tip of her tail trembling, she pointed at those Esoteric Sect Followers, trying to say you''re not allowed to laugh, but right now she couldn''t do anything, she was just a little black cat. She looked up again, raising her face and gazing pleadingly at An Su, tugging on his sleeves with her little paw, still pointing at those snickering Followers with her tail tip, look at them, still laughing. An Su looked down, clearly seeing Luo Xiaohei''s predicament and needs, and the empathetic An Su naturally couldn''t stand idly by; he had always been a righteous and kind cat lover. So An Su laughed even louder than they did. For a moment, the air of merriment filled the alleyway. Elf glared at An Su, baring her teeth and brandishing her claws, yet she wasn''t afraid of being captured and castrated by this jerk. Unable to reveal her identity in the heart of the Church, she was both furious and anxious, growling with deep, huffing breaths but could only helplessly exhale. She roughly figured out An Su''s intention, which was to smear the Imperial Princess with slander, make them believe it to be true, and spread all sorts of rumors. Maybe, the next step for this guy would be to anonymously report to the Order Church, Failing to outperform others in the exam, he resorted to dirty tricks! The reason he might have taken the Scales of Order from the exam venue could very well be for this purpose. And he might even be secretly recording. "But why would the Ladder Saintess want to possess the Imperial Princess?" "I always feel that the risk is just too great." At this moment, another Esoteric Sect Follower from Chaos Escalator spoke up, looking at An Su with a tentative tone full of uncertainty, "Taking such a great risk... What is the ultimate plot of the Ladder Saintess?" The Chaotic Cultist turned back to look at this emotionally unintelligent fellow, thinking to themselves that their leader''s plan is not something for you to inquire about. If it''s arranged this way from above, then there must be a well-intentioned rationale. This brother is destined to be just like this for life, at most rise to the position of a deacon cadre, never to become a Chaos Priest. With such a lack of emotional intelligence, forget about returning to the headquarters; prepare to spend a lifetime as a Witch in the Imperial Capital district. However, they were indeed curious about what Elf''s plan was, so they looked at An Su with expectant eyes, hoping that Brother Su would reveal a hint. S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. I don''t have any cunning plot. As a little kitty, I just wanted to study diligently and qualify for a good position. What''s wrong with that? Without any plot and full of shame, Elf rolled her eyes. She leisurely watched An Su, curious about what grand conspiracy this brat would fabricate for her. If it''s useful, she''d steal that plot. These people seemed to believe An Su, but in reality, they were extremely shrewd. Without a clear motive, they would not easily trust anyone. According to the original storyline, she did have an unspeakable and earth-shattering conspiracy, which gamers had not yet discovered. Unfortunately, that plot hadn''t been fully brewed before An Su dragged her off to tackle job exams. "..." An Su already knew they would ask such questions, and he maintained an inscrutable expression, shaking his head helplessly as if with no choice, "I''ve said it, this is a topic that cannot be discussed." "As devout saints, we should be honest and straightforward, not concerning ourselves with matters we shouldn''t care about." The Chaotic Elevator was knocking sense into them, warning them not to expose their identities. Since he''s willing to knock sense into them, it indicates there''s something substantial about this matter. "Please rest assured, Brother Su." The Chaotic Elevator immediately patted his ample chest, his eyes firm and his tone resolute as if his word were as good as gold, "Regarding this matter, we will definitely keep our mouths shut." Like a wide-mouth bottle, huh... Seeing the appearance of Chaotic Elevator with golden waves, tattoos, and black pantyhose, An Su knew this one was an untrustworthy gossip, a despicable little person who would certainly betray confidences and spread rumors everywhere at the drop of a hat. An Su appreciated this kind. Chapter 231 Elfs Top Secret Conspiracy!_3 "Since all of you are people of integrity... let me reveal to you the grand conspiracy that the Ladder Saintess has been planning for a long time. Of course, I don''t know anything, this is just a possibility." The grand conspiracy the Ladder Saintess has been planning for a long time (x) An Su''s freshly fabricated grand conspiracy (?) As soon as Chaotic Ladder Brother finally seemed willing to share some information, the Chaotic Witches instantly perked up, eagerly moving closer to listen intently to how the leader was going to bamboozle them. S~ea??h the n??el Fire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. An Su coughed lightly, lowering his voice to a whisper, while the howling winds roared in, the sky dark and gloomy, massive rolling clouds above churned with several streaks of silver-white lightning snakes. Before An Su even spoke, the foreboding atmosphere of the storm brewing filled everyone with solemnity. It also made many put away their relaxed and playful demeanor. "Do you know... the recent uproar in the Imperial Capital..." An Su began somberly, like a sphinx, "the agreement between the Royal Family and the Magic Association, think carefully." It was as if he had said nothing, yet also as if he had said everything. The Esoteric Sect Followers exchanged puzzled glances, reading bewilderment and confusion in each other''s eyes, wondering why their leader suddenly brought up these seemingly irrelevant matters. After a moment, Chaotic Elevator appeared to have a flash of insight, her eyes lit up with a glint, "I know of that agreementif Cersei Milton wins in this grand trial, Merlin will take her as the next heir to Heaven!" This agreement was also just a rumor that circulated among the people, its authenticity unknown to anyone. But now that Chaotic Ladder had specifically mentioned it, its credibility seemed assured. Experience more content on My Virtual Library Empire All Chaotic Cultists'' eyes lit up, their pupils shaking wildly, as if a bolt of lightning had struck them from head to foot, connecting all the dots at that moment. Heaven! The Three Great Esoteric Sects had worked for so many years in the Imperial Capital, with Bishop Rada leading his troops daily to harass Magic God Merlin, all for the ultimate goal of seizing Heaven, uncovering the secrets behind Heaven''s Gate. Everything else was just a by-product to their main objective, Unfortunately, with Merlin guarding Heaven, the Esoteric Sect''s army had long been unable to break through. But if an Elf were to become the legitimate heir to Heaven, even for a day, they could use that authority to open the doors to Heaven. Then, with the Esoteric Sect''s army launching an assault, they could take over Heaven without shedding blood, fulfilling the Esoteric Sect''s long-held wish. True to form, the Ladder Saintess, such a despicable woman, full of ambition. She actually wanted to seize Heaven and become the master of Heaven. The Esoteric Sect Followers each revealed complex expressions as if deep in thought. Meow? The despicable Ladder Saintess Elf meowed in confusion. She also discerned the underlying message in An Su''s words, scratching her head with her paw, tilting her head to look at An Su, her face full of bewilderment. Was that really what I had been thinking? From An Su''s sincere eyes, she saw the burning ambitionthe one who wanted to take Heaven was clearly you! "Ladies and gentlemen, I have said nothing." An Su looked around, knowing that these fools had already bought it. Since he didn''t know what the real plans of the Esoteric Sect''s higher-ups were, he decided to stir the waters by concocting a story of his own. Murkier waters would bring out the bigger fish, and he emphasized mysteriously once again, "I only mentioned there was an agreement, don''t let your imaginations run wild. I certainly do not know what the Ladder Saintess''s conspiracy is." The Scales of Order in his bag were recording, and An Su''s words were absolutely true; he indeed did not know the Ladder Saintess''s plans. He had always been an honest child. "Of course!" The Chaotic Cult Followers nodded in agreement, exchanging knowing smiles with an unspoken understanding, all seeing the tacit agreement in each other''s eyes. On the surface, it looked like Chaotic Ladder Brother was denying it, but in reality, he was hinting to them. The more Chaotic Ladder denied it, the clearer the implication! They solemnly assured once more: "Brother Su, rest assured, we haven''t thought of anything regarding this matter, we swear to keep it under wraps!" Chapter 232 Esoteric Sect Factional Struggle! An Su felt like he was truly a considerate little padded jacket. As the mighty Chaotic Saintess holed up in his house every day to watch the Holy Light little imperial uncle, it would be terribly damaging to the reputation of the Great Cult if word got out. What they needed now was an impressively wicked conspiracy. It didn''t matter if the conspiracy was plausible, as long as it was shocking enough. Saying it out loud did wonders for one''s face. The grand plan to inherit Heaven was indeed shocking, and all the Esoteric Sect Followers wore looks of admiration. They hadn''t expected the Saintess Elf to be so sneaky and vicious, to have hidden in the Imperial Capital and masquerade as the Imperial Princess for so long, all to vie for the succession of Heaven. Such a bloody conspiracy. It gave one a sense of dj vu, as if it were a tale of a true versus fake heiress. Seeing that sly smile on the lips of the Esoteric Sect Followers, Elf knew her reputation was about to be ruined by An Su''s loose lips. These followers would definitely spread rumors everywhere once they returned. She made a sour face, but huffing at An Su was of no use, and she had no other recourse. Elf''s previously spirited ears drooped down, If Cersei had become Elf, then what was she now? She couldn''t possibly have turned into a stray cat, could she? This was the first time Luo Xiaohei felt things were so blatantly arranged. "Since Elf is indeed the Chaotic Saintess... and this Your Majesty is just one step away from the success of the plan," the Chaotic Elevator hesitated for a moment before looking at An Su and speaking in a lower voice, "then during the upcoming tests, how should we assist the Princess..." He only finished half his sentence, yet the implication was clear enough, rather obvious. Since the prerequisite for the Chaotic Saintess to inherit Heaven was to obtain first place in the grand test, their duty as subordinates was to cooperate with the Saintess''s plan and eliminate any other competition she might have. To be fair, as long as Ladder Brother from the Chaotic Ladder cooperated with the Ladder Saintess''s movements, there would be no saint from this session that could pose a threat to them. Explore more stories with My Virtual Library Empire It seemed that the plan was foolproof. "What are you talking about?" "You all disappoint me so much...!" Contrary to all the Esoteric Sect Followers'' expectations, An Su''s attitude changed in an instant. His eyes burned with outrage and disbelief, along with a loathing for evil, as a crack in the dark clouds let through a sliver of sunlight, perfectly illuminating his exquisite and holy profile, the recording of the Scales of Order capturing all, "As the most devout Radiant Saints, knowing the truth and still allowing the Ladder Saintess to engage in misdeeds, allowing this witch to take first place and steal away the inheritance of Heaven... I, An Su Moningsta, will be the first to disagree with such a filthy conspiracy!" "If the Chaotic Saintess pretending to be Cersei succeeds, then the Church will have no future." An Su certainly couldn''t let the Esoteric Sect Followers end up helping Cersei, for all his previous groundwork was laid to achieve the completely opposite result. We''re all family here who know each other''s secrets, what are you putting on a show for... You might call yourself a devout saint, but the darkest one in the room is you, kid! These words were spoken so righteously and powerfully that he stunned the Chaotic Cultists. Elf stared at An Su and couldn''t quite understand what he was playing at, the conspiracy you set up, why are you the first to disagree? She knew this kid was up to no good. The leader''s words were sure to have deeper meanings. Sar?h the ovelFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. As the Chaotic Elevator pondered the hidden meaning behind An Su''s words, he suddenly realized. It seemed Ladder Brother from the Chaotic Ladder actually didn''t want Elf to take first place or to let her long-prepared plan succeed. Combining this with the words and deeds of big boss An Su from before, the Chaotic Cultists seemed to grasp something. They thought of another rumor that mysteriously circulated in the streets, which no one believed, was deemed impossible, yet inexplicably spreadthat it was a bet between An Su, the Child of the Curse, and Cersei, the Imperial Princess, on who would win and become the next heir of Heaven. But now, that bet might be real. On the surface, it was a wager within the Radiant Holy See between An Su and Cersei, But in reality, it was a bet within the Mysticism of Chaos between the Chaotic Ladder and the Chaotic Saintess! No wonder the Chaotic Ladder sought to possess An Su and Saintess Elf to take over Cersei. Without a doubt, this was a factional struggle. A factional struggle even bloodier than the tale of a true versus fake heiress! If Elf were to take first place and secure the inheritance of Heaven, aiding the Esoteric Sect in taking over Heaven, she would undoubtedly become the most accomplished Saintess in a millennium for the Sanctuary of Chaos, and might even be directly appointed as the next Patriarch of Chaos. At that time, Quasi-Saint Ladder Brother would lose any chance of becoming legitimate. The reason the Chaotic Ladder disclosed Elf''s plan was, in fact, to test their loyalty, to see the stance of his sworn brethren, to see where they stood! Plus, if that mean little witch succeeded and took power as the Patriarch of Chaos, wouldn''t all these followers who had been bad-mouthing Elf secretly be thoroughly purged? If Elf was unbearable to deal with before she took the position, what would happen if she actually did? The Chaotic Ladder had only made them temporarily change their disposition, but Elf would definitely make real cuts! But now, if they supported Ladder Brother, they would share in the glory of following the dragon! If the Patriarch position suited Elf, why couldn''t it suit their Ladder Brother? One by one, the Chaotic Cultists came to their senses, their eyes becoming clearer and more lucid, one after another distancing themselves from the Chaotic Saintess, "Right, as righteous Radiant Saints, we could never let such a vile person win the top spot!" Chapter 232 Esoteric Sect Factional Struggle!_2 "I have always been a devout Radiant Saint, and I absolutely will not let the Esoteric Sect witch''s plan succeed." "We must protect the beautiful Heaven!" "Brother Su, you are the virtuous person who can lead us! This position should be yours to take!" Looking at the sincere eyes of the Esoteric Sect Followers one after another, An Su showed a smile that spoke of a teachable youngster. He had successfully redirected the hatred and contradictions of the Esoteric Sect Followers towards his own competitor, letting the Imperial Princess attract the attention of the Esoteric Sect Followers. These folks now had no spare energy to engage in other affairs. And it could even help him with his exam, truly a win-win situation. Listenting to these self-proclaimed Esoteric Sect Followers, Elf let out a disdainful snort. She looked around, everyone wore a face of piety and holiness, their expressions so determined as if they were ready to sacrifice themselves to the Radiance on the spot. Each one of them was morally indignant, criticizing Elf''s evil plan, and each declared their resolve not to let it succeed, resolutely not to let Cersei claim the first place. Although she knew that these folks were all secretly Esoteric Sect Followers, they intentionally put on such an act for the unknowing An Su. They would probably support Cersei in taking first place behind her backalthough the so-called plan did not even exist. Elf started to feel joyful, casting a smug glance at An Su, thinking that he was shooting himself in the foot. An Su thought that by smearing Cersei, these saints would join him in stopping her, conveniently allowing him to take the first place. But the youngster didn''t know at all that all these folks were Esoteric Sect Followers in disguise. No matter how much these Esoteric Sect troublemakers disliked her, they surely wouldn''t join the saints in crafting a rebellion against her... Absolutely impossible. Probably, Perhaps, Most likely impossible. Elf shook her tail triumphantly, although the so-called plan did not exist, and through a stroke of luck, An Su didn''t gain any advantage. After all his painstakingly crafted manoeuvres, they all ended up as Cersei''s dowry. Now he smiles so brightly, but there will come a time for tears! Elf glanced at An Su and stuck out her pale pink cat tongue at him. What she didn''t know was that these Esoteric Sect Followers were truly, sincerely supporting An Su, indeed wishing to start her downfall... The secret conversation had reached this point, both parties had fully exchanged their opinions, and regarding how to overthrow the class enemy Elf, An Su had proposed a constructive planbecause Elf''s Divine-given Title was Chaotic Ladder, he referred to her as the class enemy. As the meeting was coming to a close, Chaotic Elevator quietly spoke to An Su as they prepared to leave, keeping her voice very low, "Brother Su, about that matter at the border, how is it coming along... The Church Nation is urging us." It referred to the matter of the Church Nation demanding that the three border families open their checkpoints to its armies. Although An Su had promised to resolve it soon, there was still no progress. Apart from seizing Heaven, the Church Nation''s surprise attack on the Imperial Capital was also a major concern. Without changing his expression, An Su glanced at Chaotic Elevator, "I will of course handle it." With the leader speaking to this extent, Chaotic Elevator naturally wouldn''t say more; she just needed to do her own job wellthat was to play to her strengths and cause trouble for the Imperial Princess! She must not let Elf''s scheme succeed! The secret meeting concluded, and the sky grew increasingly dim, the Esoteric Sect Followers said goodbye to Brother Su and left the alley. Then the rain that had been accumulating for half a day finally fell, tapping gently on the eaves of the alley''s houses, rebounding in a shallow layer of silvery-white rivulets. Soon, puddles began to form on the ground, reflecting the grey-white sky of Farol. As boots stepped in the puddles, the sky was rippled, and as more boots trod upon them, the sky appeared shattered. The Esoteric Sect Followers, with chaotic and evil smiles, walked through the puddles. Having been tormented by Ladder Saintess Elf for so long, everyone was full of pent-up resentment. Now that Quasi-Saint An Su was backing them, it was time for their vengeance. They had long prepared a basket full of evil plans in their bellies. "How should we strike?" "Blow it up, report her to the Order Church for being an undercover agent." This was a self-destructive proposition. "That won''t do, we have no evidence, and it could easily expose our undercover identities." "Then let''s report her to the Order Church for urinating and defecating everywhere." This was the advanced version of the self-destructive reporting style. "I think we should focus on psychological warfare, make her so upset and distracted that she won''t have time to think about the examination." "Go on..." Watching the Radiant Saint slowly vanish from sight, Ansu was also ready to head home. The rain cascaded from the sky in sheets, blanketing the whole world in a layer of flowing mist, soaking his clothes as well. His white shirt clung to the young man''s skin. Elf, being a clever cat, dove straight into the collar of Ansu''s shirt, burying herself in the warm space there, only her little cat head poking out. "I''m so clever." The self-satisfied Elf smugly thought. It was still warm inside Ansu''s collar, and Elf let out a cozy yawn, happy that she wouldn''t get wet like Ansu, that big fool, and end up drenched like a drowned rat. This ride even had its own rain shelter, not bad at all. Ansu looked down at Elf, snugly curled up in his arms. She pointed with her tail towards the path ahead, then skillfully tied her slender tail into a knot, securing herself firmly. She meowed softly, signaling that she had fastened her "seat belt," and it was time for Ansu to hurry home. This was rather embarrassing for the Saintess. The next second, Ansu''s large hand casually plucked the comfortable Elf from his embrace, straightening out the cat''s body and placing it on top of his head. The warm cat safety helmet was now perfectly in place, with Elf''s silky fur blocking all the rainwater. "I''m so clever." The self-satisfied Ansu smugly thought. "Meow! Meow!!" The Elf on his head grumbled and cursed. She must have been blind to follow this little beast; she had never heard of anyone using a cat to shield themselves from the rain before. With the cat ''helmet'' firmly on, Ansu faced the increasingly heavy downpour and slowly made his way out of the alley. At the entrance of the alley, Miss Enya was already waiting with an umbrella for her young master. She was dressed in a dark Lolita-style long dress and stood in the water in her grey and white long boots, tiptoeing slightly as she looked into the depth of the lane. Passersby were drawn by the curiosity of such a beautiful girl, wondering what kind of boy was worthy of her waiting. And then, they saw Ansu with a cat on his head emerging from the alley. Sarch* The N??eFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "..." The pedestrians thought they were hallucinating. What kind of fashion trend was this... They had never before seen anyone wear a cat, could it be that His Excellency Merlin had introduced a new fashion style? Discover hidden stories at My Virtual Library Empire "You''re wet." Enya handed her umbrella to Ansu with a deadpan expression, "Are you trying to seduce me with a wet look?" "Please don''t harass me, I''m a minor." Ansu had long become accustomed to Miss Enya''s habit of speaking her mind, "And why did you bring only one umbrella?" "We''re poor at home, only have one umbrella," Miss Enya answered calmly and without a hint of embarrassment. Ansu took the umbrella, shielding himself from the rain. But this left Enya exposed to the rain. Sighing lightly, Ansu scooted over to her side, making room and gesturing with his eyes for her to come under the umbrella. Miss Enya then squeezed under the umbrella, leaning against Ansu''s body, and wrapping her arm around his. "It''s so cramped." Elf sighed. She felt it was a stroke of misfortune to belong to this household. Inside the small umbrella, two people and a cat, especially that maid, felt like a soft and heavy weight pressing down on Elf, almost squashing her into a cat pancake. Before, she was a safety catnow a cat pancake. She felt this family had no love at all. Once she had learned all the knowledge, she would make a quick escape. And then she would reveal the truth in front of all the Followers, Ansu would be facing his doom. It wasn''t far from the examination site to Ansu''s residence, and they arrived before long. Pushing the door open, Elf, who was nearly pressed into a pancake, shook off the rain from her fur and quickly jumped down from Ansu, pitter-pattering towards the study room. She urgently needed to study to help heal her wounded soul. Ansu put away the umbrella, changed into a clean T-shirt, and softly instructed Enya, "Connect me to Father''s Magic Communication." It was time to deal with the matters at the frontier after so many days of delay. "But Count Karlo has ordered that he is very busy usually, and asked you not to bother him with serious matters." Enya frowned, "He won''t take the call unless it''s about asking for money." Chapter 233 An Su: Dad, Church Nation has a message for you! Borderlands, Morning Star Territory. While a drizzle still lingered over the Imperial Capital, the Morning Star Territory was bathed in clear skies. The setting sun slowly sunk into the pale blue plains, the rose-hued afterglow stretching past the outpost''s wooden cabins and towers, leaping over several wooden railings, revealing the silhouetted castles on the hillside. They swayed in the evening''s balmy breeze amidst the remnants of the summer twilight, and by moving further along the main road, one could spot Morning Star Manor nestled within the castle''s embrace. Mr. Karlo Moningstar, as the founder of the Chenxing family, was incessantly occupied, just as he had informed An Su. He urged An Su not to disturb him with serious matters. The child was a profound disappointment. Ever since he was young, he only knew how to immerse himself in studies, exhibiting no self-restraint, forever engrossed in earnest affairs without a hint of the commendable traditions of debauchery, drinking, laziness, or gambling. Count Karlo found it difficult to trust the vast territory to him. This useless young man was a failure when it came to squandering the family''s wealth. Squandering was something that anyone could manage, even the dimwitted duo next door could handle it, yet An Su failed at this simple task. If he couldn''t even do that, it showed he was completely incompetetent. Count Karlo couldn''t put his mind at ease regarding An Su, so he had no choice but to personally manage the territory''s affairs. Like right now, with the assistance of a tribune, Count Karlo was busy handling important matters for the Morning Star Territory. "Your Majesty Karlo, the envoys from the Church Nation have arrived," reported the tribune respectfully. "They are currently waiting at the embassy and wish to discuss the Chenxing family''s potential affiliation with the Avad Church Nation." The Church Nation had always been attempting to corrupt the revolutionary will of the three families on the frontier in order to pry open the border towards the hinterlands and invade the Imperial Capital. The deal was straightforward, not requiring the Chenxing family to do anything; on the contrary, they were asked to do nothing at allwhen the Avad army passed through the frontier. For a traditional noble with an ancient and unblemished lineage, the Church Nation''s invitation was nothing short of an insult, a slight upon noble honor and dignity. Faced with such an insult, Count Karlo, as a new type of noble filled with a sense of mission and responsibility, righteously replied, "What''s the benefit?" "..." The tribune paused before responding, "The Church Nation promises you five thousand ounces of gold and a thousand Demon Crystals." "How much of a kickback did you take for this amount?" Count Karlo inquired. "We didn''t take any this time," the tribune proudly answered. "So without anyone taking a cut, it''s only this much?" Count Karlo was furious like never before. He had never felt such a contemptuous insult. The Church Nation actually thought they could buy him with a mere five thousand ouncesit was a complete disrespect to the Chenxing family from start to finish. For so many years on the frontier, so many have tried to bribe Count Karlo, but the envoys from the Church Nation were the most stingy he had ever seen. It was so little that even the tribune and his subordinates could not bear to take their share. If his subordinates didn''t take kickbacks, didn''t make money to support their families, why would they diligently work for Count Karlo? Why would they be loyally devoted to the Chenxing family? They might betray him at any moment! sea??h th ovlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. If they''re not taking my money, where is theirs coming from? Perhaps they''re exploiting the common people! Count Karlo snorted. If subordinates didn''t take kickbacks, and the other nobles found out, they would think the Chenxing family was too stingy to even offer bribes. "It''s all because of that unfilial son An Su! A misfortune in the family home," Count Karlo lamented with exasperation. "If only he hadn''t insisted on studying, causing everyone to think our family lacks strength. Now, we''ve lost face even beyond our borders!" "What about the Church Nation''s envoy?" the tribune tentatively asked. "Kick him out," Count Karlo replied coldly. "And next time, if you don''t take at least ten percent, you and your men can leave as well." "Understood." The tribune quickly assented, sweating profusely from his forehead. The saying ''serving a ruler is like living with a tiger'' proved true; the tribune had almost lost his position for a rare moment of integrity under the Count''s command. "Anything else?" Count Karlo asked, feeling weary. "If not, you may leave." "There''s one more thing," the tribune answered, "a Magic Communication from the Imperial Capital. Your son wishes to speak with you." Stay tuned with My Virtual Library Empire "Hmm?" Count Karlo raised an eyebrow slightly. "He still has the nerve to seek me out?" On mentioning An Su, the flickering anger that Count Karlo had just quelled flared up again. He took the Magic Communication device from the tribune, intending to listen to what An Su had to say; unless An Su was asking for money, he was ready to flay his son alive. Once the Magic Communication connected, An Su cheerfully declared: "Father, the Church Nation asked me to give you a message!" Count Karlo expressionlessly terminated the Magic Communication. He couldn''t help but ponder how he had ever come to invent such an embarrassing contraption. A measly five thousand ounces had bought An Su, leaving Count Karlo thoroughly exasperated. This was the dreadful outcome brought on by a boy unfamiliar with wealth, who had never seen substantial money in his life and consequently lacked worldly wisdom. A boy with such a character could be easily duped by a pretty girl with a little money when out and about. Utterly frightening. Although Count Karlo had resolutely hung up, soon after, the Magic Communication rang again, its ping-pong echo signaling An Su''s stubborn attempt to reconnect. Count Karlo sighed, resigned, and answered the call once more. "You have one chance to speak," Count Karlo said calmly, "If within a single sentence you fail to interest me enough to continue listening, do not call me again." Chapter 233 An Su: Dad, the Church Nation asked me to give you a message!_2 However, Count Karlo didn''t expect An Su to have any good news to share; it was the Church''s major exam period recently, and for all he knew, the lad might have scored quite well. If An Su had said he scored zero, then Count Karlo would have been able to laugh out loud. How to pique a reader''s interest with just one sentence... An Su wore a thoughtful expression, his gaze flickering as various ideas collided in his mind. Soon, he found the only solution, "Our family has a new member." "A reward of ten thousand ounces of Gold," Count Karlo''s interest in reading was instantly piqued. Unable to maintain his aloof tone, he paced back and forth in the study, "Girl or boy, what''s the name, when did it happen, and whose is it?" "Daughter," An Su replied. "Good, good, a girl." Count Karlo said with a smile, "What''s her name?" "Luo Xiaohei," An Su answered with a smile, "I am her dad." Lost in higher mathematics in the attic study, Elf suddenly sneezed. She lifted her head in confusion, gently meowed, looking around. The direct intuition of a Saint was warning her... someone seemed to be insulting her. Must be those ingratiating Chaotic Cultist... Elf meowed indignantly, didn''t bother with it, and continued to read, having already gone through most of An Su''s notes. The name sounded strangely odd. "Is that her nickname?" Count Karlo raised an eyebrow, "Could it be that... child of the Radiant Holy See, that girl called Luojia?" "So, the real reason you got into the Radiant Holy See was to pick up girls?" Count Karlo was now thoroughly impressed with his son''s capabilities, having even eloped with the Saintess of the Radiant Church; such a feat could only be achieved by the top scion among playboys. He really hadn''t expected his son to be playing such a big game. Upon reflection, it had been almost a year since An Su left the borderlands to go to the Imperial Capital, the timing just about right. "...." The corner of An Su''s mouth twitched slightly. He tried to keep his tone normal, attempting to steer the conversation back on track, "Luo Xiaohei was a child we found together in the wilds of the Radiant Diocese." "Discovered, you mean," Count Karlo corrected An Su''s error, thinking his son really had guts, even making children in the wild. The youth of today really know how to live it up, in the same style as when he wooed An Su''s mother back in the day. Silent, middle-aged men are always so clueless... An Su thought to himself, "Are you willing to listen to what I have to say now?" "Go ahead," said Count Karlo cheerfully. In such a mood, he could handle any conversation. He was already enjoying the prospect of being a grandfather. Stay updated via My Virtual Library Empire At the other end of the communication, An Su first checked Elf''s location to confirm that the Alchemical Array was effectively shielding herhe didn''t want the Chaotic Saintess to overhear this part of the conversation. Then he turned his head and whispered to Count Karlo, "Is the envoy from the Church Nation on our territory now?" "That''s right." Count Karlo was curious how An Su knew of this, seeing as the lad was far away in the Imperial Capital but still aware of the home affairs, "I''m planning to drive them out." He scoffed, "Offering only five thousand ounces of Gold, who do they think they''re insulting?" ...An Su admired Count Karlo''s high level of awareness; he could understand why the Church Nation would make such an offer, presuming the real ''An Su'' ''Lister'' ''Arthur'' had been possessed by the Esoteric Sect, and the borderlands were already within their grasp. The offer was just a nominal gesture. "Please accept these Gold coins for now." An Su urged Count Karlo, explaining the cause and effect of the situation, "...that''s the situation. The Esoteric Sect thinks the real An Su has been taken by them, and now the Demigods of the Sect are asking me to threaten you to open the gates of the borderlands." Count Karlo frowned, not expecting that the situation behind this was more complicated than he had imagined. It even involved the Demigods of Avad.... Moreover, An Su''s situation and the state of affairs in the Imperial Capital were even more dangerous than he had imagined. This kid, An Su, went to the Imperial Capital to study knowledge, but who would have thought he''d end up being led astray, going undercover for the Esoteric Sect. So risky. Definitely learned some bad tricks... After pondering for a while, Count Karlo concluded that had he gambled on food and drinks honestly, like a proper degenerate youth, how could he have encountered such trouble? He must handle this with caution... "So, how do I know... you really are ''An Su''?" Count Karlo''s tone shifted, being a shrewd man, he immediately challenged An Su, "Perhaps, you''ve already been possessed, deliberately putting on this act to talk to me." The situation was complicated; Count Karlo couldn''t be hasty in his judgment. An Su''s face was lined with frustration. He hadn''t expected it would come down to proving his own identity. He had been An Su from the start to the end, in every aspect. He wasn''t someone who had transmigrated to this world; he had simply suddenly awakened his memories from a previous life. "You have one sentence to prove it," Count Karlo said calmly. "If you can''t prove it in one sentence, I won''t believe anything else you say." How to prove himself in one sentence... An Su''s expression turned thoughtful again, his eyes flickering as various thoughts clashed in his mind. Soon, he found that only solution, "Luo Xiaohei is actually a cat that Luojia and I adopted together." "You son of a..." Amidst the tribune''s trembling gaze, Count Karlo once again flipped the expensive mahogany desk. His Majesty the Count was so enraged that his fury rose to his brow, veins bulging, his chest heaving wildly, almost out of breath, "I ( ) your ( ) ( )." An Su''s mere sentence, said in a tone so ordinary, had an earth-shattering impact. Count Karlo felt he needed oxygen. Just moments ago, he had been happily looking forward to a beautiful future as a grandfather, lost in lovely fantasies, only for An Su''s single sentence to plummet him from heaven to hell. This familiar sensation of soaring blood pressure, this familiar feeling of a brain bleed stirring, this known haze of shattered illusions... It all felt so eerily familiar. Count Karlo was now absolutely certain that the young man before him was indeed his son. Such a familiar defiant son, such a natural feeling of birthright, such behavior warranting grand filial piety - based on his instincts and experience from over a decade with An Su, the man opposite him was undoubtedly his own flesh and blood. No bastard child could have such purity; no Esoteric Sect Follower could play the role so genuinely. This kind of inherent nature couldn''t be mimicked by anyone! "See, I said I wouldn''t talk," An Su said helplessly. "If I continue, you''ll be unhappy again If I talk, you''ll get angry." "..." Count Karlo''s face turned grim as he began to ponder how he had ended up creating such a contraption of a son. "Spit it out if you have something to say," Count Karlo said irritably. Now that he had proven himself to be the real An Su, explaining what followed was easy. An Su revealed a calm smile, "The mission given by the Esoteric Sect''s envoy was to threaten you to open the gates of the border." "How about this, I reverse the offer and give the envoy ten thousand ounces?" Count Karlo began employing the impressive Radiance tactics, forcefully paving the way with gold, "To open the back door of the Esoteric Sect''s envoy." "The Church Nation has come aggressively this time," An Su replied. "If they fail this time, they might forcefully attack the border." "We can''t possibly let them in, right?" Count Karlo frowned, not wanting to be a traitor leading the way. He scoffed, "You must have some other idea." Count Karlo knew his own child''s character best; the kid who had just dared to deceive his own father would not be at a loss in this world! An Su spoke calmly. sea??h th n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "I have only one hypothesis." " " Chapter 234 Merlins True Face After Count Karlo had vividly explained An Su''s product production process in detail, they finally reached a preliminary understanding on the matter. During the exchange, an atmosphere of civility and harmony was maintained, giving An Su the feeling of returning home. Count Karlo thought An Su''s plan was quite outrageous, but that was precisely what proved the person on the phone was indeed his pure-blooded son; only someone with not a drop less of purity could conceive such a strange operation. The less outrageous it was, the more it showed he was the real An Su, and the more he was the real An Su, the more reliable it showed he was, so the more outrageous the plan, the more reliable it seemed to be. "The cooperation on the border side is possible, mainly because of your side in the Imperial Capital," Count Karlo said, frowning, "We can only make a move after you''ve handled things well over there." "Indeed," said An Su, who had a very simple request for Count Karlo, merely to temporarily restrain the Church Nation. It had to be settled on the Imperial Capital''s side first. "I''ve handled this matter," Count Karlo said, "but just your dad isn''t enough; you need to think of a way to persuade Annand and Norman, the two old fellows." "Don''t worry," An Su nodded and smiled, "Arthur and Lister will take care of their fathers." "Aren''t those two fools about to be expelled from the family?" Count Karlo was quite amused by this, as last month, the two young ones had cross-dressed to swindle dowries and somehow ended up swindling their own father. During a live broadcast for all to see, their true forms were revealed, leaving Annand and Norman''s faces ashen. They proclaimed that if the two couldn''t rank within the top five in this grand Church examination, they would no longer acknowledge them as their sons. "Please rest assured," An Su confidently said, "Lister and Arthur have fulfilled their promises to their fathers." "Hmm?" Count Karlo''s eyebrows raised. The two children, who had rarely had anything but poor academic achievements, had been led astray by An Su, losing even that sole advantage, "They managed to rank in the top five of this examination?" "They finished behind," An Su calmly responded, "Arthur and Lister are no longer sons." "Did you cross-dress again?" Count Karlo''s face darkened. "This time they truly became girls." An Su shook his head, his tone was subdued, but the information it contained was exceptionally immense, "It was His Excellency Merlin himself who wielded the knife." Count Karlo went pale. What kinds of heaven-defying things is this Radiant Holy See coming up with, how could they go so far as to distort even the learning of one''s gender... His eyelids trembled slightly, which was why Count Karlo despised religion. He had heard that the Radiant Holy See was inclusive and open, claiming to welcome the diversity of the international community. In reality, he was sure the upper echelons of the Church were filled with transgender Clerics who loved to lure these naive children into the Church, eventually transforming them into Male Girls at the mercy of others. Especially their leader, Merlin. He had long known that Merlin was up to no good, but he hadn''t expected him to be this depraved. "This education must not be continued," Count Karlo grimaced, his family''s sole heir for three generations could not be turned into a Male Girl by Merlin, "Did you hear me! I''m warning you for the last time, fail this exam!" "Or I won''t help you either!" Karlo emphasized. "Please rest assured," An Su confidently nodded, a gleam of honesty and assurance shining in his eyes, "I will definitely be among the last five in this exam!" Though Luo Xiaohei had also turned in a paper, Luo Xiaohei scarcely counted as a human being. An Su had not lied. "I don''t believe you," Count Karlo snorted coldly, too familiar with An Su''s knack for never speaking the truth, "Swear it, swear a fierce oath!" "How fierce?" An Su asked. "As fierce as you can come up with," Count Karlo demanded, knowing the kid would definitely look for loopholes and play tricks unless the oath was harsh enough to quash any ideas of cutting corners right from the start. "Then I swear by the name of the Moningsta Family" Sar?h the N??eFire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. An Su was an obedient good child, and naturally, he had to comply with his father''s requests, solemnly starting to make a vow. He stood straight, his right hand placed on his chest, his expression grave and serious, his azure eyes shimmering with holy ripples, his index finger making a clockwise sign of the cross in front of him, indicating a request for witness, his lips parted lightly, and he solemnly vowed to the world: "I, An Su Moningsta, must place among the last five in this examination, and if I betray this holy oath, let my entire family become extinct!" "... That''s too harsh." Count Karlo was silent for a long while, grimacing as if constipated, and said slowly. The Moningsta Family was honored to have produced a product like An Su. "Isn''t this what you requested?" An Su indicated that this was the harshest oath he could come up with just now, but then he blinked his eyes, seemingly struck by a thought, "Right, I also have another even harsher one. I wonder if you''ve heard of something called ''nine generations''..." Find exclusive stories on My Virtual Library Empire "Child, you win." Count Karlo exhaled long, spitting out several times to indicate that the previous oath was null and void, his face twitching as he spoke, "It''s my fault. I should have believed you. I won''t force you to swear anymore. Stand down your divine power." Being trusted felt wonderful. An Su wore a pleased and joyful smile; as long as one was sincere and filial, considerate of elders, and exceeded their expectations, one could earn the respect and trust of one''s family through actual actions. "Sigh," sighed Count Karlo helplessly, nearly rambling about An Su''s production process once more, but he restrained himself in the end, "Now that the serious business is taken care of, is there anything else?" Chapter 234 Merlins True Face_2 "Gone," An Su replied, "by the way, I was bribed during my exam and recently earned two Scales of Order in the Church. Does dad need me to send one back to you?" He figured that although the Scales of Order weren''t expensive to make, they weren''t circulated outside, so dad probably hadn''t seen such a rare item. Since he had an extra one, sending it back home for dad to evaluate wouldn''t hurt. "Calling you wasteful, and here you are making money for me," Count Karlo was so angry that he was beside himself. "Who taught you to be so frugally filial, even thinking about sending it back home, utterly absurd! Can''t you be like normal children, bribing examiners straightforwardly and decently? How can I trust you after this!" "Get lost." Count Karlo smashed the Magic Communication, and before An Su could even respond, the magic link was forcefully broken, leaving only the sound of a beep. After ending An Su''s Magic Communication, Count Karlo leaned back in his Glazed Gold chair, massaging his temples, he sighed heavily; the tribune and the butlers seeing their master in this state knew that the young master had angered the old master again. "My lord." The tribune cautiously observed Count Karlo''s expression, seeing it slightly soften, then boldly said, "The envoys from the Church Nation have been waiting for a while, shall we release the pack of Abyssal Evil Hounds from the pit to drive them away?" The Abyssal Evil Hounds in the Chenxing family''s pit were creatures born from the depths after the complete shattering of the Nether World, existing on the same tier as the Void Moths born from the void, Though called hounds, they were in fact the legendary Abyssal Demons, ranked fourth tier, their nature wicked and greedy, once they stray into reality, they devour all things, using all beings as their food, quite terrifying. Latterly, because the Chenxing family''s food was the best, all medium or high-tier seafood Demon Beasts, they partnered to stay in the cages and didn''t leave, eating all of the Chenxing family''s leftovers every day, it was quite terrifying. Whenever encountering unwelcome strangers, the butlers would direct the dogs to scare them away, it''s not that these Abyssal Demons were tamed by the Chenxing family, but rather they had territorial instincts, fearing that other species of demons might steal their food. This was a secure meal ticket. "Take the dogs back." Count Karlo pondered for a moment, finally stood up, took a tailcoat from the butler''s hand, draped it over himself, fastening all the long buttons, and donned the Star Family Crest of the Moningsta family, "Prepare the banquet, I will meet those Esoteric Sect Followers." "Right," Count Karlo slowly instructed the butler, "have them pack up the gifts too, they aren''t enough to cover my dogs'' food costs for the past dozen years." "Very well, Your Excellency." The butler naturally went along smoothly. Explore hidden tales at My Virtual Library Empire "At the banquet, give the Esoteric Sect Followers a dog bowl." "...The dogs will have opinions," the butlers fell silent for a moment, then slowly said. - After hanging up the Magic Communication with dad, An Su looked out the window at the sky, seeing that the sudden downpour had also mostly stopped by now. The originally rose-hued afterglow of the sunset, washed by the summer rain, now became gentle and clear, like a pink sheer scarf covered the evening sky, and Farol was peaceful in the evening breeze. After dinner, An Su waited for a while then the Magic Communication suddenly came alive with Chaotic Elevator''s excited voice, who spoke in several bursts. "Ladder Brother, you''re truly a god!" "That old bone of Chenxing tentatively agreed to the Church Nation''s requests! Now only the Sun and Moon families need to agree, just waiting for that person to appear, and the Esoteric Sect can penetrate the Empire''s heartland!" "According to the envoys, it also counts that Chenxing family''s head is sensible, not only completely refraining from accepting gifts, but also hosted them zealously, you wouldn''t believe, the envoys attended such an imposing banquet, reportedly, even the utensils they used were expensive Abyssal Items, tainted with forbidden evil aura...." "This negotiation, Ladder Brother, you are the chief merit holder, the leaders of the Church Nation are very pleased, they will highly promote you." "Just wait until we bring that Cersei down, then even the Ladder Saintess won''t be a match for you." Having heard Chaotic Elevator''s report, An Su had a general understanding of the situation, this initial preparation was done properly. This was a tranquilizer for the Esoteric Sect. With the task completed, the higher-ups wouldn''t trouble An Su for the time being, he could focus on the following matters. He glanced towards the direction of the study, where the Elf was still immersed in the ocean of knowledge. He instructed Miss Enya to constantly keep an eye on the Elf. To keep the Elf occupied, An Su had even written several exercise books for her. Such as "Secret Scrolls of the Legendary Great Mage Wang Houxiong" and "Zhihong Optimization by the Radiant Demigod Ren Zhihong".... So many dizzying pieces of forbidden knowledge were now laid out before the Elf''s eyes that even a cat would be bewildered. Seeing the Elf utterly content in An Su''s house, he decided to take the opportunity to go out alone; he needed to find Merlin. Fortunately, the weather had cleared up outside. He made his way to the Magic Association, taking the familiar path up to the tenth floor, and when he reached the gate to Heaven, An Su realized there was an awkward problem: he had just been kicked out of Heaven''s chat group a few days ago and the cooldown period to rejoin had not yet ended. He could not yet re-enter Heaven. But finding Merlin was not that troublesome. Because Merlin was about to bring trouble to An Su! An Su felt a chilly breeze around him, and from the moment he stepped into the Magic Association, those pure white pupils had firmly locked onto him, and the frightful aura of the Demigod expanded wildly, the formidable presence forcefully bearing down on An Su. "His Excellency Merlin" he said with a smile. But when An Su turned around, he saw that pure white figure standing at the end of the thousand steps, almost like an illusion. The crimson robe fluttered with the night wind, stretching along the sky. The Magic Circuits kept surfacing, and the gates of Heaven flung open, ready for the Angel to descend upon the mortal world at any moment. The Holy hymn also resounded by his ears. He had seen it many times; how could he not recognize this setup? The familiar pattern of Magic Circuits, the familiar flow of magic power, was clearly Merlin''s most notoriously Holy magic "Light of Judgment." And the moment he acted, it was the second circuit of the Light of Judgment! An Su broke out in a cold sweat, not expecting that Merlin would attack his gender right upon meeting him. Indeed, his old man was right; from top to bottom, the Radiant Holy See was filled with perverts. "His Excellency Merlin," An Su maintained his composure, looking up at the pure white figure at the top of the stairs, "What are you doing?" "What am I doing?" Merlin asked with a smirk and a grin, "Just reuniting the three sisters." This youngster still dared to return! Taking advantage of his reputation to make up exam questions, nearly causing all candidates to fail. If it weren''t for his usually fair and benevolent leadership and educational guidance, allowing his loyal and righteous Priests to draw lots for a scapegoat, his vacation would have been completely ruined. "His Excellency Merlin, you jest." An Su said, pulling out a stack of Magic Film Rolls from the inner pocket of his jacket, "You wouldn''t want the Saints to know about your date with Bishop Rada, would you? If anything happens to me, this recording will immediately be broadcasted everywhere." Last time, An Su had recorded all the battles between Merlin and Bishop Rada while observing from the sidelines with his Magic Recording Device. "... Kid below." Merlin fell silent, halting the flow of magic power. The Angel had only arrived halfway to Earth when it was recalled back to Heaven, the overwhelming presence of the Demigod completely dissipated, and Merlin was nearly laughed to death by An Su. If this dark history were to be known by others, Merlin''s career as a bishop would be over. He sighed helplessly, with a chilling tone, "What do you want, lad?" Although Heaven was now closed, the remnants of its glory had not yet faded, and a faint radiance lingered among the steps. Outside the glass walls, the sky also darkened, night began to rise, and thick leaden clouds covered the horizon. The sunset could not reach down, forced to slant completely atop that layer of clouds, casting one side of the world in a hue of red clouds and sky. "Actually, I already know that you are not Merlin." An Su stared at Merlin, revealing a calm smile, raising his Magic Recording Device, he slowly said, "Bishop of Chaos, the real Merlin, Andre, has already been possessed by you, hasn''t he?" Merlin: "...you''re talking nonsense." , Sar?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 235 Merlins Top Secret Conspiracy! It had just rained during the day, and tonight the air was exceptionally clear, the silvery moonlight frosting the Magic Association''s glazed windows, dividing the world into stark black and white through the window lattice. Outside the window lattice, Farol was covered in the thickening twilight, with the city below unseen, only the faint horizon doused in silvery moonlight at the edge of one''s sight, and beyond that the glittering Maria River. Merlin felt his face was nearly as black as the night sky. He grimly stared at An Su before him, who was smiling with an unblemished purity, clean as the moonlight before the lattice. If someone unfamiliar with An Su''s nature were present, they might actually believe he was sincere. This kid was always up to something, his antics so far-fetched they spanned beyond the sky. Today, he had sought Merlin out willingly, surely harboring no good intentionsMerlin had long been psychologically prepared for this, but even then, he hadn''t expected the words from An Su to shock him as they did. "Bishop of Chaos, the real Merlin Andre has been body-snatched by you, hasn''t he?" An Su declared earnestly, his face wearing an innocent smile that seemed to say ''I can see right through you.'' Sarch* The novlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Otherwise, why would you devise such despicable test papers? Are you aware that with that exam, nearly no saint could pass the ordination test, breaking their Dao hearts and shattering their faith? Given time, the aging issue within the Church will become grave, the transition to younger generations will falter, and at its worst, it will result in the Church having no future!" The implications of such a thing were indeed terrible, akin in the past world to not a single candidate passing the national civil service exama major incident with national repercussions. An Su spoke with heartfelt grief, his cyan eyes flickering with sadness and pain, Read new adventures at My Virtual Library Empire "I cannot imagine a real Radiant Bishop creating such test papers, only a Bishop of Chaos would plot such detestable and low scheming. Yet I know that this is merely the prologue to your vile conspiracy, just an appetizer." Did I actually come up with this? Merlin was speechless. The kid''s ability to spout nonsense and cast unfounded accusations was getting stronger. Last time, under his name, a set of devilishly difficult test papers had been released, and Merlin had thought that was the limit of An Su''s lies, but it turned out to be just the beginning. The real entity isn''t Merlin; it''s the Bishop of Chaos...? Why don''t you say Cersei isn''t the Imperial Princess but the Chaotic Saintess in disguise? He rolled his eyes at An Sua world-renowned advantage and convenience of the Pure White Eyes demonstrated right there, not needing to physically roll the eyeballs, just looking was enough. "You said this is just the appetizer in my vile conspiracy, so what''s my next plan?" Merlin asked, his laughter tinged with sarcasm and disbelief. He even began to look forward to what kind of fabrications An Su would come up with next. "As far as I know, your strategy is divided into two fronts, internal and external," "For the external front, Bishop of Chaos, you''ve colluded with the three major border families, especially the lord of the Chenxing family, and have mobilized the Church Nation''s army at the border, waiting for your signal to launch a surprise attack, capture several strategic border towns with a blitzkrieg, before advancing through the north mountains into the heartland of the Imperial Capital and striking it." Merlin listened as if being entertained, finding An Su''s lying skills increasingly remarkableuttering falsehoods effortlessly, as if they were the absolute truth. To outsiders, it might really seem like An Su''s father was a traitor to the Church Nation. "As for the internal front, you have arranged for a terrifying number of witches to infiltrate the Imperial Capital, seducing all beings, corroding the minds and finances of the Church''s saints, wearing them down until their strength fades significantly," An Su pointed out sorrowfully, his tone one of abhorrence and indignation. The kid was attaching the things he himself had done onto others... Listening to this, Merlin started to lose his ability to laugh. "Moreover, in collusion with the Imperial Princess who has long been possessed by the Chaotic Saintess, you''re secretly purging the Church''s administration!" So there was really an episode about the Chaotic Saintess possessing Cersei! A slight twitch appeared at the corner of Merlin''s mouth. "I have heard that to achieve your goals and weaken the Church''s power, you have adopted harsh and despicable means, framing and slandering many saints with a random draw, it''s absolutely terrifying." ...This time it really was his doing. Merlin was visibly alarmed, wondering how An Su could have known. An Su was guessing; he was a good kid who put himself in others'' shoes, thinking that if he were the leader and made a mistake, he would definitely push the blame onto his subordinates. An Su rattled off a litany of accusations, exposing Merlin''s myriad so-called crimes unabashedly, Merlin''s expression became subtly complex as An Su''s lies mixed truth with fiction. Though the boy was still spouting tall tales, they were all twisted from recent real events. The way this kid was talking, he didn''t seem to be lying at all. Was he for real or not? The more constipated Merlin''s expression became, the more impassioned and earnest An Su''s words grew, He looked directly at Merlin, unwaveringly, his cyan eyes gleaming with silvery moonlight, looking holy and solemn. At the climax of his conspiracy theory, he gestured dramatically with his arm, "With these internal and external strategies at play, Farol will be caught in a dilemma, the Church too busy to cope, and the Imperial Capital will soon be raising the white flag in surrender!" Chapter 235 Merlins Top Secret Conspiracy!_2 "When the time comes for you to seize power within your party, the Chaos Sect will become the governing Sect of the Avad Church Nation, continuing to lead armies for expansion, to unify the Eastern continent, then to press on westward, declaring war on the Demon Continent to fight for dominance over the seas," "Finally, you''ll initiate a coup, eliminate the other six major Sects, and restore the glory of the Era of Chaos from thirty thousand years ago. You''ll establish a new Chaotic Church Nation and rename the Avad Church Nation as the ''Holy Chaos Empire,'' assuming the title of ''Holy Chaos Pope.'' After An Su finished speaking, the room fell into a prolonged silence. Merlin''s face twisted with frustration, a surge of anger stuck in his chest that he couldn''t spit out or swallow, and he found himself speechlessly choked up. He felt that An Su had just spoken his true thoughts, planning so detailed and clear, even fantasizing about the future name of the Church Nation and the title upon taking office. It seems like you want to be the "Holy Chaos Pope," huh? Who knows how much time had passed, the Moon had already risen above the treetops, and its light gradually dimmed. The two looked at each other in the dead silence of the air. "Those things you just mentioned" After a while, Merlin broke the silence, speaking solemnly, "how much of it is true and how much of it did you just make up?" The vast and clear Holy Light shimmered from within Merlin''s Pure White Eyes, making the world transparent. Tonight''s temperature, the humidity of the air... every piece of information and detail enshrouded in his gaze, within this view, Merlin could see the colors of people''s souls clearly. Lies could not escape his eyes. S~ea??h the n??el Fire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Guiding through the borderlands is true," An Su counted on his fingers solemnly to Merlin, "that there is a Witch lurking in the Imperial Capital is also true; you''re probably genuinely looking for someone to take the fall for it, and the Bishop of Chaos going missing is true as well. As for the Chaotic Saintess possessing Cerseiat least in the eyes of the Esoteric Sect Followers, that did happen." So doesn''t that make it all true... Merlin held his forehead in exasperation. He knew that An Su had been undercover within the Esoteric Sect for some time now, probably about a month. Merlin had been paying attention to this in the beginning, but later on, he let things take their own course, thinking three little spies couldn''t make much of a wave, especially after An Su got kicked out of Heaven''s group chat and stopped giving weekly reports. It shouldn''t have been left to develop unchecked. After this talk, Merlin figured out what An Su was thinking. "The Bishop of Chaos has gone missing..." Merlin stared at An Su with a cold gaze, "so you want me to impersonate the Bishop of Chaos?" "My father has already investigated," An Su nodded, "even the Esoteric Sect Legion doesn''t know where the Bishop of Chaos is." No one knew the whereabouts of the Bishop of Chaosthat was something An Su could guarantee. In the original story, the Ladder Bishop of the Ladder Sect was a mysterious and powerful Demigod of the whole Esoteric Sect. No one had seen his real face, nor had anyone directly communicated with him, while the Bishop Rada of the Star Sect and Bishop Bram of the Oceanic Sect were well-known. Not even the Esoteric Sect armies, much less the players with a god''s view, knew the whereabouts of the Bishop of Chaos. With the whereabouts of the Ladder Bishop unknown, combined with the testimony of An Su, the Quasi-Saint of the Ladder Sect, Merlin had room to impersonate him. "Maybe it''s a performance for you to see," Merlin said irritably. "I am certain of this," An Su said earnestly, "To be honest, I''ve already become the Quasi-Saint and Interim Bishop of the Ladder Cult within the Sanctuary of Chaos, but even I don''t know the whereabouts of the Bishop of Chaos. He''s lurking in the shadows, nobody knows what conspiracies he''s plotting." "When did you become an Interim Bishop?" Merlin blinked his eyes, not having paid attention to An Su for a while, only to find that the kid had moved up to be a leader while undercover If this continued, who''s to say he won''t really become a "Holy Chaos Pope" after some time? "In summary," Feeling Merlin''s astonishment, An Su solemnly coughed and proudly puffed out his chest, adopting the posture of a Pope, "this plan has two benefits: if he''s really lurking and planning something, we can force him into the open with this move." If the Bishop of Chaos was secretly preparing a major scheme, only to find his home stolen and himself turned into a wanderer like Luo Xiaohei, he would be furious and exposed, revealing Merlin. Continue reading on My Virtual Library Empire What was initially an ambush would now have both sides brought to light, which is clearly beneficial for the Church. "If he continues to hold back and stays hidden, then you, with the authority of the Bishop of Chaos, can manipulate the Esoteric Sect Legion, joining forces with the borderlands and the Empire to attack from both inside and out, capturing all Esoteric Sect Followers in one fell swoop and once and for all clearing out the Esoteric Sect Legion that has troubled the borderlands for years," An Su spoke calmly, "If it comes to that point, he will have to come forward." Um... Merlin''s Pure White Eyes flickered as he confirmed An Su hadn''t lied this time. He nodded, indicating that An Su was more reliable this time. But there was one critical flaw in the plan. It was a fatal deficiency. "You''re right about that... but An Su, you need to understand something, you are still too young, your perspective isn''t comprehensive enough, and your ideas aren''t mature enough. It''s precisely for these reasons that you have overlooked the most important detail!" Merlin''s tone shifted as he sternly pointed out the serious mistake in An Su''s plan, a massive error that would fundamentally prevent the plan from functioning, a significant oversight affecting the core logic, "I don''t want to work two jobs." Chapter 235 Merlins Top Secret Conspiracy!_3 ``` You motherf... An Su''s mouth twitched slightly. "It''s tiring enough for my true self to watch the gates of Heaven, and now you''re asking me to moonlight as the Bishop of Chaos? One person doing two jobs?" Merlin wore an expression of disbelief, standing up abruptly with his arms crossed in front of his chest to show refusal, "Working two jobs at the same time, my true self would never do that in this lifetime!" You old fart. An Su''s face turned ugly, wondering how such a lazy dog became a leader. Is it because he''s a lazy dog that he''s a leader? "Are you going or not?" An Su threatened. "No." Merlin scoffed. "Then this videotape I have in my hand..." An Su smiled, lowering his voice, "that scandal you don''t want others to know about..." The scandal An Su referred to was his date with Bishop Rada. "Go ahead and release it." Merlin snorted coldly, giving up, "The upright Merlin fears no crooked shadows." "What I mean is, by doing so, you can shift the blame to the Ladder Bishop." An Su spoke righteously, "You can then claim that at that time, it was the Ladder Bishop who impersonated you." "...!" Merlin''s pupils flickered, he hadn''t anticipated such a fresh approach to being born. "And also, the mess with setting the exam questions, that was all the Ladder Bishop''s doing. Nothing to do with you at all." "Makes sense." Merlin nodded. He looked at An Su, and the two shared a knowing smile. "Every bad deed was done by the Ladder Bishop!" An Su declared loudly, "Including shaving one''s head, not wearing pants, etc., all these are the personal quirks of the Ladder Bishop, and they are irrelevant to you, Merlin Andre." "Absolutely irrelevant!" Merlin revealed an innocent smile. "And any sneaky, underhanded things you do in the future, you can always blame on the Ladder Bishop," An Su said with a similarly pure and innocent smile, "then it will all be the wicked, despicable Esoteric Sect impersonating your name!" Indeed, this would allow for unrestrained behavior. Be it skipping work, embezzlement, or even flirting with chaste women, walking out every day without wearing trousers, or even engaging in magical experiments that, if failed, could disastrously impact the entire Imperial Capital and were forbidden by the Church... it could all be pinned on the Ladder Bishop. After all, Esoteric Sect Followers were no good anyway. Merlin pondered seriously, his eyes gradually becoming clear. "Alright then." Merlin agreed, grudgingly nodding with a pure and unblemished air, his tone solemn and serious, "For the sake of protecting Farol, defending the Radiant Holy See, my true self will reluctantly find time amidst my busy schedule to impersonate the Ladder Bishop for the cause, my true self has not the slightest personal interest." "We are all without the slightest personal interest!" An Su also showed an innocent smile, "Whatever we do, it''s all for the greater good of the Church!" An Su looked at Merlin, the old rascal, and knew he had chosen the right person. This old rascal was definitely going to do many audacious things he wouldn''t normally dare do. Good, the more dirt he could throw at the Ladder Bishop, the more he would feel compelled to devote himself. As for the technical task of slinging mud, the leaders were always the most professional. Merlin was particularly adept at it. Having successfully recruited Merlin into the scheme, a satisfied An Su prepared to leave, but at this moment, Merlin suddenly asked, "One last thing, what''s this about Cersei being possessed by the Chaotic Saintess?" "Oh, that," An Su replied nonchalantly, "I made that up. Please don''t worry about it, it won''t affect our plan. Besides, Cersei doesn''t know about it." Sar?h the N??elFir.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Why do it?" Merlin asked curiously. "She''s number one on my little book of grudges." An Su said seriously. "I see." Merlin showed a satisfied smile. Enjoy more content from My Virtual Library Empire The night had deepened, and the moonlight had sunk into the lake. An Su was about to bid farewell and leave when Merlin suddenly said, not knowing to whom he was speaking, "You understand, Your Majesty the Princess." An Su blinked, only to see Heaven''s Gate slowly opening beside him. Cersei Milton stood on the other side of the door, dressed in a snow-white lady''s gown, with golden patterns interspersed amidst the folds of her skirt. The pattern was the elegant and dignified Golden Kite Flower, also known as the Golden Lily, symbolizing the Royal Family, The silvery moonlight cast her slender and delicate silhouette as if it stood in the lake, the golden kite flowers blooming brilliantly, and beyond that, there were no other adornments. Those likewise snow-white eyes watched An Su with a smile, She lifted her skirt and curtsied gracefully. "Mr. An Su Moningsta, it''s been a long time." "...When did she get here." An Su turned his face away and whispered to Merlin. "Since you said ''Let us join forces with the already-possessed Imperial Princess to secretly cleanse the Church''s administration!'' she''s been visiting Heaven." Merlin whispered expressionlessly, "Seeing you so engrossed, I didn''t have the heart to interrupt." "Actually, I''ve been possessed by the Chaotic Cultist too," An Su turned and spoke seriously to Cersei, "I''m not really An Su, my Esoteric Sect codename is ''Chaotic Ladder,'' it''s the Chaotic Ladder who did all the bad things!" "..." ``` Chapter 236 An Sus Top Secret Conspiracy! "Since everyone knows already, there''s no need for me to continue this act. Actually, I am not An Su." An Su instantly began to sever ties. He looked at Cersei with a solemn face, indicating that the real An Su Moningsta was no more, that he now belonged to the Esoteric Sect, and they weren''t familiar, nor from the same bureaucratic system, and she had no right to hold him accountable. He proudly thumped his chest and scoffed, "I am the renowned Ladder Saint, also a dual Senior Agent of the Great Avad Empire, code-named ''Chaotic Ladder''!" This deflection process was refined and practiced, clearly a direct influence from Merlin. Cersei continued to smile at An Su, her snow-white eyes blinked, silver eyelashes covered with a thin layer of moonlight, resembling a layer of frost. As her eyelashes fluttered, shaking the silver frost, she elegantly said to An Su, "You are right." "But..." The silver-white eyes stared at the young man, clean and clear enough to reflect his figure. After a long pause, she too lost her smile, her expression serious, "Since everyone else knows already, there''s no need for me to act either. Actually, I am not Cersei." Cersei also scoffed coldly, blowing her cover, "I am the renowned Ladder Saintess, also the Commander of Dual Senior Agents of the Avad Empire, code-named ''Chaotic Ladder''. " Trying to play me? This is all my doing! Look how she mimics my speech... An Su desperately looked to Merlin for help. Merlin pretended not to know, turned away humming a tune, signaling the youths to continue as if he wasn''t there. He enjoyed seeing the youth face a match; he always said fanning the flames wasn''t too much trouble if there was fun to be had watchingthe perfect leisure activity for Merlin in his old age, hoping for even more fury, even having those two fighters in his presence, Seeing Merlin, the elder, not bother himself with the matter, An Su sighed heavily. He gazed at the seemingly perfect-in-every-way-except-deceptively girl before him with admiration for her thick skin and skill at blatant lying, You''re not a damn Ladder Saintess, the real Ladder Saintess is being kept like a pig at my place... She eats eight bowls of food a day. "Mr. Chaotic Ladder." Cersei naturally called An Su by his code name, appreciating the troubled expression on the youth''s face as she tilted her head, her soft, long hair cascading next to her delicate collarbone, "As your immediate supervisor, may I ask if Ladder Saintess Ael can step in?" "Let''s discuss the grand plan of reviving the Esoteric Sect together." How did she end up becoming my boss? You don''t eat eight bowls of food a day, you don''t qualify to be the Chaotic Saintess. An Su forced a smile, needing to find a way out, "Stop kidding, Your Highness, I was just kidding." He looked at Merlin again, showing a shy smile, "I won''t bother you anymore, Your Excellency Merlin, I''ll be leaving now." But Cersei had no intention of joking; she elegantly removed her white lace gloves, put them in her pocket, sat directly opposite An Su, her fair, smooth arm smoothing out folds on her skirt. Then, propping her exquisite face, she tilted her head interestingly as she watched An Su, "Mr. Chaotic Ladder, I believe you show insufficient respect for your superior." She sighed lightly, her face full of regret. "It seems you can never be transferred back to the Church Nation and will spend your life under cover." Where did this plot twist come from? An Su sighed helplessly, watching as Princess Cersei showed no signs of restraint, instead seemingly enjoying the role-playing more seriously than he did. He didn''t want anything to do with this madwoman. The real Chaotic Saintess Ael might meow if she became honest, but this delusional woman only knew how to rave. This is awful. In the original story, after Cersei ascended the throne, she became the most authoritarian empress in a thousand years of the Imperial Capital. This Emperor was still the young version, already starting to experience what it felt like to be a superior. An Su couldn''t help but feel that fate was harsh and sincerely regretted it; he was truly idle, assigning a leader for himself out of nowhere. "Saint Heir Ael." An Su was tired of resisting; he could only take a step back as a way to move forward, to shake off this bothersome woman. He calmly said, his cyan eyes filled with a holy light, his expression steadfast and devout as if he was about to enlist in the military service and join a Crusade, Sarch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Actually, I am not Chaotic Ladder, I was just testing you." Explore more at My Virtual Library Empire "I neither change my name nor my surname, I am the purest of the Radiant Saints, An Su Moningsta, with no ties to such evildoers, and you, foul witch, have no right to command a devout saint!" "Oh, what a coincidence." Cersei held her cheeks, still wearing that graceful smile, her hands crossed over her slightly heaving chest, her snow-white eyes equally holy and devout, like a calm lake on a snowy day, "I was actually also testing you, I am not some Chaotic Ladder." "I am Cersei Milton of the Radiant Holy See, the Imperial Saintess, Cersei Milton." "By the way, according to the Church hierarchy, my authority should be greater than yours." Cersei tilted her head, clapped her hands lightly, "I look forward to your guidance in the future." You turned on your Tracking Skill, didn''t you? An Su''s face was lined with frustration. He had carefully converted to the Great Cult, jumping nimbly to their side, then just as nimbly jumped back. Unexpectedly, the Princess had a Chain Skill, following his lead by cutting to the Esoteric Sect and then skillfully jumping back to the Church. Chapter 236 An Sus Top Secret Conspiracy!_2 But regardless of whether it''s the Esoteric Sect or the Orthodox Church, Princess Cersei''s position is higher than An Su''s. He guessed why Elf despised Princess Cersei so much. The Imperial Princess''s ability to feign purity was too deceitful, almost as much as his own. Just like the way she looked now, her gaze was pure white and flawless. Her snow-white teeth bit on her thin cherry lips, her eyelashes trembling slightly, making anyone who saw her think this girl must be very innocent. On the surface she appeared innocent, but at her core, she was a vile woman who would stop at nothing for her so-called justice. "By the way, Mr. Su." Princess Cersei elegantly gazed at An Su, pretending to remember something, and said playfully, "Since you don''t want to talk about the grand plan of the Esoteric Sect''s restoration, let''s discuss the matter you mentioned just now, ''Princess Cersei, Milton is on your little revenge notebook.'' "Let''s talk about the revival of the Esoteric Sect instead," An Su sighed softly, "Your Majesty the Elf." By addressing Princess Cersei as an Elf, he acknowledged her identity and included Princess Cersei in the plan, Princess Cersei clearly understood the hidden signal An Su was sending. Her mouth curled into a slight smile, and her usually impassive pupils revealed a hint of pleasure. "Have you met the Esoteric Sect Followers lurking in the Imperial Capital, Mr. Su?" Princess Cersei''s tone was light-hearted, showing great interest as she talked about this topic, "And those Esoteric Sect strongholds, have you found them?" The smile of Her Majesty the Princess was pure white and flawless; her profile was tinged with a hint of blush, like the crystal-clear sky tinted by the sunset after a fresh snowfall, just like a young girl with a teenager''s heart softly sharing her youthful worries, she softly and gently spoke, "How far have you two gotten with your plans? How many have you killed?" "..." An Su counted on his fingers, having sacrificed twenty or thirty Medium or High Tier Esoteric Sect Followers in Heaven, and killed nine more in the alleyways, nearly assassinated a Demigod, and with various others, after tallying for quite some time, he came to a conclusion. "Roughly forty or so, I suppose." "That''s really quite impressive," Princess Cersei nodded lightly in praise, and after a while, she asked again, "And yesterday?" "...Last night I killed a few hundred million," An Su replied emotionlessly, recalling how this madwoman only knew how to do grand slaughters. In the original story, she had caused quite a number of people to perish during her rise to power, significantly slowing down the empire''s urbanization process and contributing indelibly to the ecological environment. "Oh, Mr. Su, you shouldn''t say such things, it''s so vile," Princess Cersei covered her mouth light-heartedly, protesting with a hum, "I''m still a girl in the bloom of youth." "If you can understand what I''m saying, then you''re viler than I am," An Su said innocently, proving he could act even more naive than Princess Cersei, "Moreover, you''re already seventeen or eighteen years old, not some young girl. According to Nether''s legal age, you should now be considered an ''adult woman.'' "What are you all talking about?" Merlin, who was nearly a hundred years old and sandwiched between them, blinked his somewhat bewildered eyes. He had been enjoying the show, and then these two youngsters started talking about things he did not understand, truly spoiling the fun for him. "Could I meet those Esoteric Sect Followers? Being called an old woman doesn''t upset me," Princess Cersei said, "Since I am now the Chaotic Saintess, shouldn''t I be able to meet my subordinates?" "I''m afraid you might outright kill them all on the spot." An Su shook his head, refusing. These sisters were the ones he had painstakingly cared for, each with considerable strength. An Su was waiting to fatten all these Sisters up for a collective harvest, to offer them up to the table of the Mother Goddess of Life. He couldn''t let his hard-raised babies be harmed by Princess Cersei. "I don''t kill people, Mr. Su." S~ea??h the ovlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Princess Cersei shook her head, exuding the elegance of an heir to a great house, "How could a girl in the bloom of youth possibly do something like killing? Mr. Su, my girlish heart is soft and sweet like sugar, and it gets hurt very easily." "Ever since I was little, all I could do was arrange flowers. With strict Royal Family upbringing, my only form of entertainment as a child was cultivating some precious flowers." "Looking at those delicate and luxurious blossoms, alone and isolated in the empty and silent palace, watching them slowly wither and die, I lived out my life this way." "The only thing I want to do right now is to walk out of that beautiful but hypocritical garden, no longer be the delicate golden kite flower, just wanting to be a free and easy dandelion, to see the outside world, that''s all." As she spoke these words, a faint layer of tears seemed to crystallize in her pure white eyes, shimmering with a bright sadness. An Su scoffed, he didn''t believe a word of Cersei''s nonsense. This was just like himself a year ago, lying to Luojia about being imprisoned in his residence because of the Child of the Curse, suffering bullying and discrimination, and being unable to ever touch the lighteventually convincing Luojia to write a recommendation letter to the Church for himself, It was all about playing the sympathy card and then morally blackmailing! To think she would use the same tactics as himself, truly despicable! If not for knowing the original story''s plot, an ordinary person would indeed easily be deceived by the Princess''s acting skills. The imperial family did indeed have strict rules, and the Order Knights patrolled back and forth imposing curfews. As the Third Princess, Cersei had an older sister and brother, and indeed, the Milton imperial family had groomed her from childhood on to be a noble young lady. Cersei also showed a unique talent for floriculture from a young age, particularly interested in the family embleman emblem of the goddess''s blessing, the ''golden kite flower.'' She was even called the ''Golden Kite Princess.'' At this moment, the Cersei sitting opposite An Su had a bunch of glittering golden kite flowers pinned to her hairpin, luxurious and holy. The golden kite flower, also known as the golden lily, was a gift from the goddess to the Royal Family. It was forbidden for non-royal families to pick or cultivate it privately, and violators would be sentenced to prison with the severe charges of blasphemy against the goddess and contempt for the Royal Family. So, as a child, the Third Princess, upon killing Esoteric Sect Followers, would bury their bodies in the imperial garden, planting a golden kite flower directly above in the soil, hiding the crime permanently. Because the golden kite flowers absorbed the nutrients from the soil, the little Princess''s flowers were exceptionally lush and holy, surpassing the other Princesses of her age, and she was deeply loved by the Emperor, hence she was called the ''Golden Kite Princess.'' It was because of these experiences, soft and sweet like sugar, that Cersei, when she ventured out as she grew up, would always have a bunch of golden kite flowers pinned to her hairpin, to make it convenient to kill and bury her victims instantly, dispose of the bodies cleanly, and without pollution. After she ascended the throne, she even went as far as to ''send a fragrant aroma to Nether, cloaking the city in golden armor,'' literally planting the rare and precious golden kite flowers all over Nether, significantly enhancing the city''s greenery development, making an unnamed contribution. The blood-stained golden kite flowers were seen by later generations as the symbol of the ''Golden Kite Empress,'' and the appearance of these flowers meant that someone was in for grave misfortune. This was quite similar to the Elves; they also favored blooming flowers. Last time, when Elf beheaded that coachman, he had grown a blood-red Other Shore Flower on the man''s head. All of them were flower lovers. An Su, seeing that Cersei was starting to play the sentiment card, remained unmoved. He wasn''t like Luojia, that little fool, to be easily tricked in such a way. Seeing that her scam was failing, Cersei sighed lightly, her gaze playful and mocking as she stared at An Su, "Mister of the Chaotic Ladder, you are the Quasi-Saint, and by the rules, I am now the officially appointed Saintess Elf, your direct superior, and you should be listening to me." "You might not even be older than me." An Su smiled back, "This major action by the Esoteric Sect is also a class shuffle, and in our case, this Church examination is an opportunity. As long as I can defeat you and come first, then I will be the Saint Heir." "Then let''s do this," Cersei''s eyes sparkled with pleasure, "We''ll take the official Church examination as a wager then. Whoever wins, leads, and gets to command the loser for a month." She had thought of many fun projects. Experience exclusive tales on My Virtual Library Empire "A bet is a bet," An Su smiled calmly. Anyway, I''ll just cheat. "That''s perfect." Cersei gleefully said, "You''ve been secretly scheming so many undisclosed plots against me, Mr. An Su Moningsta, I''ve just happened to think of your utmost secret plot too. If I win, please follow through with it." "...When did you come up with that?" An Su asked curiously. "Why do you think I came to seek His Excellency Merlin?" The Princess tilted her head, her smile momentarily dazzling and luxurious like a golden paper flower, ephemeral, "Mr. An Su Moningsta?" She said with a light chuckle. Chapter 237 The Three Beginnings of the Imperial Capital! The night was deep, and Cersei was brewing a pot of flower tea. Clad in pure white, Druid held a warm white teapot, pouring boiling water that cascaded down, creating a haze of steam, rinsing the teaware three times, Sar?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. then elegantly pinched a few golden kite petals from the hairpin with her slender fingers and infused them into the teacup of hot water. As soon as the petals touched the hot water, they softened, casting ripples of golden fragrance that merged with the mist, creating an ambiance reminiscent of the Immortal Realm, calming the mind. Golden Kite Flowers were a gift from the goddess, setting aside their symbolic status, their inherent effects are treasures in themselves, the tea brewed from these flowers stabilizes the soul and enhances spiritual perception, its effect comparable to a magic potion specially crafted by Druids. This pot of Golden Swallow Flower Tea was such that ordinary nobility would only have the chance to taste it if they were favored by the Royal Family. Cersei brewed a small pot, elegantly poured three cups, keeping one for herself, and placed the rest before An Su and Merlin. "I won''t drink." An Su stared at the enchantingly smiling bad woman before him with an expressionless face, indicating refusal, "I''m afraid it''s poisoned or unhygienic." This bad woman had really been wanting to deal with him all along. This stingy ghost, truly too much. She definitely also had a grudge book, just unclear where he ranked on it. "Golden Kite Flower Tea nourishes the mind and soothes the spirit, which for us magicians, is also helpful for the growth of the soul." Cersei gently held the flower tea, her thin lips parting slightly, took a light sip, then carefully set it back down, and explained to An Su, signaling herself perfectly fine. Discover stories at My Virtual Library Empire "Mr. Su, please feel free to taste it." Cersei revealed a perfect smile, "there''s no poison in itI wouldn''t use such petty tricks; they''re quite meaningless." "That''s not the reason." An Su shook his head, focusing on the elegant Princess''s snow-white hair and the hairpin, and politely said, "I''m afraid your dandruff might have fallen in it. That''s why I find it unhygienic." "..." Merlin, who had been drinking the tea with relish, suddenly became alert, put down his cup, and looked at the Princess with horror, wondering if she had put dandruff in the tea to harm An Su? "..." Cersei''s smile was no longer perfect. Who on earth would poison tea with dandruff! She had kindly brewed this flower tea for this low-born, whom many of the Nobility wished to drink and yet did not have the chance, and this was the first time she had been so scorned. Cersei decided that when she got home, she would raise An Su''s rank near to the top of her list. "Beautiful girls don''t have dandruff." Cersei smiled at An Su, "Mr. Su." "You''re not a girl." An Su eyed her suspiciously, thinking she was older than him yet pretending to be pure. "Beautiful married women don''t have dandruff either." Cersei said, expressionless. "Since when have you become a beautiful married woman?" An Su frowned. "Why don''t you marry me? Then I would be a married woman." Cersei rolled her eyes at An Su, her tone laced with wicked amusement. "Don''t even think about it." An Su saw right through Cersei''s ill intentions, unsure of how many deceitful schemes she had prepared behind the scenes; one might be accused of defiling the Royal Family and thrown into prison the next day, only to end up suiciding by eight gunshot wounds to the back. "All in all, whether it''s a young woman or a young girl, a beautiful woman simply doesn''t have dandruff, and discussing such vulgar matters with a lady is the most disreputable behavior." Cersei elegantly sipped her flower tea, setting the final word on the matter, and upon hearing this Merlin, who had been convinced there were no issues, resumed his happy drinking. An Su declined once again with a pitying look toward Merlin; he definitely wouldn''t drink the tea. The excuse of dandruff was just thatan excuse, and the real reason behind An Su''s refusal only he knew. The Golden Kite Flowers that Cersei raised, grew from the flesh and blood of the dead bodies of Esoteric Sect Followers. Merlin, unaware of this truth, thought there were no dandruff issues, and drank with gusto. After work, it was time for tea. As a leader, he loved drinking tea on ordinary days, and subordinates, eager to ingratiate themselves, sent him many expensive ones. But what satisfied Merlin the most was the Golden Kite Flower Tea from the Royal Family, which made him feel a sense of class and status. Perhaps it''s better not to remind her, An Su watched Merlin with sympathy; sometimes, knowing too much is not a good thing. Give respect and blessings. An Su turned back and observed Cersei, who, despite knowing the truth, still drank the flower tea with serene grace. Just by watching her face as she drank, a sense of wariness involuntarily grew in his heart. This woman''s inner self was indeed genuinely mad, a thorough anomaly. An anomaly even more esoteric than the real Esoteric Sect Followers. An Su watched the Princess''s posture, She truly savored the Golden Kite Flower Tea, her white sleeves lightly covering her lips, bringing the cup to her mouth, first delicately touching with the tip of her tongue, then taking a shallow sip. The steamy warmth wafted up, the delicate fragrance lingering in the moonlight. She squinted her eyes contentedly as if a cat basking in the Sun, seemingly reminiscing over the mellow taste of the tea and the aftertaste that followed, then lazily sighed, her exquisite profile blushing faintly, a scene as beautiful as a sunset shading the pure white sky. This posture, seen by anyone, would suggest this girl was a quiet, elegant, and innocent young miss. To bring such a high-born from the Imperial Capital into the ranks of the Esoteric Sect was a headache for An Su. But the one thing he was absolutely certain about was that the Esoteric Sect Followers were indeed in for a treat. Chapter 237 The Three Beginnings of the Imperial Capital!_2 "Mr. Su, since we''ve already made an agreement, I look forward to working with you," Princess Cersei finished the remaining tea in her cup and gently licked her lips, "I am also looking forward to your performance in the examination the day after tomorrow." She extended her fair hand toward An Su, "From now on, I am the Ladder Saintess Elf, Your Majesty of the Chaotic Ladder, please advise me." In the next second. The appearance of the princess suddenly changed, her snow-white irises slowly turned red, spreading around like the crimson sunset, the scarlet seeping into purity, her original pure and elegant face gradually took on charm and enchantment, akin to the elusive Other Shore Flower. An Su had seen Elf''s true self, and the princess''s appearance at this moment was strikingly identical to that of Elf. This revealed two pieces of information, First, the princess had also learned a similar Transformation Skill, Second, the princess had been watching Elf for a long time, and they had met each other before. Even more, she might have been prepared to replace Elf for a while now. "Thank you for your expectations, Your Majesty the Saintess," suppressing the surprise in his heart, An Su also showed a calm smile and shook hands with the soft and smooth hand of Elf, "Please look after me." "For the grand plan of the Church Nation, let''s have one last drink with tea instead of wine," Elf eyed the untouched tea in An Su''s cup, revealing a seductive and sinister smile. Another ill-intentioned test. "I''m underage and can''t drink alcohol," An Su shook his head, indicating his refusal. "...I said we''re using tea in place of wine," Elf''s seductive smile stiffened. The kid was known for talking nonsense since birth. "I''ll drink for him," Merlin, seeing An Su''s awkwardness and inwardly cursing this uncultured borderland mutt for not knowing how to appreciate such fine tea, snatched the teacup in front of An Su and downed it in one gulp. An Su looked at Merlin with a face full of admiration, marveling at the legendary Radiant Bishop who put others before himself and dared to lead by example. With the tea finished and the discussion over, seeing she couldn''t find any entertainment from fooling the kid An Su, Cersei stopped persisting and returned to her original appearance, "Then, Mr. Su, I''ll see you the day after tomorrow," "Good night." As she spoke, she stood up, curtseyed lightly, and left. In the hall of the Magic Association, rows of Royal Knights knelt on the ground, greeting the Third Princess as she boarded the Alchemical Carriage, then they all stood up in unison as the carriage hummed softly and headed towards Milton Palace, its wheels crushing the peace of the Farol night. After Cersei left, the moonlight outside the window had dimmed, with pieces of the waning moon dissolving into the dark sea of clouds. Merlin turned to An Su and asked, "For the first round of the official examination the day after tomorrow, do you truly believe you can beat her?" The rumor that the Child of the Curse and the Imperial Princess were at odds, as well as the speculation about the succession to Heaven, had been stirring up quite a storm in the Imperial Capital, creating an unprecedented buzz, from small taverns to gossip media weeklies, everyone was discussing it. The onlookers, much like Merlin''s mindset, couldn''t wait to see a fight for their amusement. Plus, the Saints of the Imperial Capital had long been fed up with An Su and were itching to see the hero capture this scoundrel, showing exceptional interest in the matter. How could a mere common Saint who had just arrived in the Imperial Capital not long ago compare to the renowned ''Golden Kite Princess'' Saint? Enjoy exclusive chapters from My Virtual Library Empire The consequence of the high interest was that in the biggest black market of the Imperial Capital, astonishing bets were placed, with odds of An Su to Cersei at 50:1. Many citizens and even Saints had bet all their possessions on Cersei winning, seeing it as a sure win and a risk-free business deal. Merlin had also placed a bet. The promotion examination was very similar to the Saint''s examination, with similar processes and structures overall, consisting of three tests in total. The first was a written test, and the following two rounds were practical examinations, As per tradition, the day after the written test, the results and rankings would be announced. Those who passed the minimum passing score were eligible to enter the next two rounds of practical examinations. The second round was often conducted in the real world, while the third was held in the Nether Worldthis was similar to the Saint''s examination. Their second round during the Saint''s examination was within the Alchemical Bionic Array, where they defeated the examiner Priestess Ai Xueli with different combinations of the same magic. The only difference was that the topics for the practical examination of the Saint''s induction were fixed every year, but the promotion examination was different, with varying content for each assessment. An Su shook his head. Frankly speaking, his Rank was completely inferior to that of the Imperial Princess the Saint, but thankfully he was a clever kid. He immediately set aside his pride and asked Merlin, "So can you tell me what the examination is about the day after tomorrow?" sea??h th Novl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. As a child, his father often taught him to always ask adults if he had questions, so the studious and inquisitive An Su began to inquire about the examination from the proctor Merlin. "I don''t know," Merlin said expressionlessly, "But I am definitely on your side, not that I don''t want to help, but rather that I''m helpless in this matter." His bet was on Cersei winning. "I''ll give you money." An Su smiled knowingly. His father also frequently taught him that nobody provides services for free, so the understanding An Su began to offer money to the proctor Merlin. And considering Merlin''s standardsthis old timer had none. "I''ve already said I don''t know," Merlin was irked at the mention of this matter, "It''s all because you used my name to make up questions, the examination authorities have blacklisted me!" Chapter 237 The Three Beginnings of the Imperial Capital!_3 "To be honest," Merlin said expressionlessly to An Su, "I don''t know either. Ever since you made me throw together those questions, the Association hasn''t let me be an examiner anymore." "Didn''t you draw a scapegoat to take the blame for you?" An Su was quite surprised. "Because the scapegoat I drew was too unlucky, had already taken the blame for me thirteen times before, and now the bishops see him and don''t believe it anymore; they all unanimously think it was my doing." Merlin sighed helplessly, frustrated at the inefficacy. This guy just isn''t capable, merely took the blame thirteen times before getting exposed. The Church''s bishops suspected him, even the Church''s dim-witted leaders couldn''t be fooled, let alone outwit those cunning and despicable Esoteric Sect Followers. Incompetence was bad enough, but coupled with bad luck, that was his lot in life. "...It is really miserable being under your command." An Su also sighed lightly, his eyes flashing with sympathy and pity, what a congenital Blamebearing Sacred Body... Sar?h the N??elFir.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. He couldn''t help but feel sad for that unseen Blamebearing Saint, so unfortunate to have encountered Merlin, the veteran leaderthis promising District Bishop could have been promoted long ago without Merlin. Merlin was truly inhumane... An Su reflected inwardly. He must never mix with Merlin once he entered service. "You lad, don''t stir up trouble anymore, do you know how much the Association had to pay to settle the trouble you caused..." Merlin stared at An Su with ill intent, the instigator being you, yet you even pity others. "The number of people who passed the written test is less than ten; the Church can''t even recruit clerks this year, which is simply an international scandal. I don''t even know how to explain it to the other bishops!" "You must be joking," An Su said unflinchingly, "The fewer the people we recruit, the more it shows how the Radiant Holy See is thriving." "...What nonsense are you talking about?" Merlin massaged his forehead. "Your Majesty Merlin, you don''t know this," An Su revealed a calm smile, his eyes brimming with sincerity, "Nearly no one at the base level of the Church can pass the promotion exam, which precisely shows that all the geniuses of the entire Imperial Capital have already been taken in by your wise and valiant discernment of people. There aren''t any talents left overlooked or buried at the base level, hence nobody can pass your exam." "So the fewer the talents we recruit, the more talents there are in the Church, signifying our Radiant Holy See''s bright and thriving future!" That makes sense. Merlin felt as if basking in a refreshing breeze, but after a careful thought, he realized these were just flattering, confusing words meant to insult his intelligence. As a sincere Radiant Bishop, Merlin despised such muddled words the most. He''ll use these words to hoodwink those dim-witted bishops in a bit. Merlin nodded, displaying a satisfied smile. Find adventures at My Virtual Library Empire He thought An Su truly was a talent, speaking nonsense without a script. If he were to recruit this little trickster into the Magic Association, appointing him as the second Blamebearing Saint, he might last thirty times before being exposed. Still, he was a notch below himself. "You lad, go prepare for tomorrow''s exam," Merlin sighed, "The original has already figured out how to handle this accident." This incident indeed was a significant one, with the whole world''s eyes on Farol; if only about five students showed up for the day after tomorrow''s exam, it would definitely explode into a huge scandal. This matter was challenging to handle, especially with the media''s scrutiny, and a few saints participating in the exam the day after tomorrow were well aware of this. "Do you have a clever plan?" An Su eyed Merlin skeptically. "That is to not disclose the results." Merlin revealed a calm smile, "Let these saints stay in the Imperial Capital, continue with the official exam, and after they''ve all completed it, in order to protect the examinees'' privacy, only announce the top five''s results." "The rest of the saints can just go home and wait for the notification, which, half a year later, will inform them that they had actually been eliminated in the first round of the preliminary exam." "..." An Su showed an admiring expression; the leader indeed was the leader. Merlin could sit in the Bishop''s seat indeed had his tricksbrushing coal. Having already eliminated people yet letting them continue with the exams, even waiting half a year to notify themthis was indeed reaching a profound depth of insensitivity. It struck right at the heart! He could already imagine the saints, full of hope, waiting for over half a year, eager to see what positions the high ranks of the Church would offer them, only to face the heartbreaking despair when receiving the notification. "What will happen after half a year?" An Su asked, "The problem still isn''t solved." "After half a year, I''ll resign and take a vacation, not in charge of the examination institute anymore." Merlin''s eyes twinkled with trusting radiance, "We have to trust in the wisdom of future generations." "Also, when outside, remember to call by the title, ''Bishop of Chaos.''" An Su felt he still had room to advance on the path to insensitivity... Regardless, the Imperial Capital''s three novices were born tonight. Chapter 238 The Second Major Test, Begins! The next day. It had rained the day before, so the air in Farol was exceptionally clear today. The deep blue sky was folding layers of pale clouds, and as the day broke, the streets of Farol came alive with the noise of dark green bicycles and carriages engraved with alchemic circuits rolling on the streets, greeted by a gentle breeze that tingled the wind chimes hanging in front of the shops. Today was a special day, not only marking the last day of an extended summer but also the first day of the official Church exam. The saints who passed the preliminary round had to first report and register at the Seven Gods Hall today. Full-time deacons would announce the official rules for tomorrow''s exam, and then they would all head home to prepare, bringing the day to an end. An Su used his hand to block the sunlight piercing through the stained glass window, squinting lazily, "What time is it now?" Experience tales at My Virtual Library Empire "Registration closes in half an hour, young master," came a cool female voice from beside the bed. "Then I can still sleep for twenty-nine minutes," An Su lazily turned over in his bed. "Can you run half a block in one minute and still make it to the registration?" Enya tilted her head. Sarch* The ovlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Heh," An Su snorted disdainfully, lazing about, "The more critical the moment, the more one can tap into the body''s potential. I once ran across an entire campus in half a minute under extreme panic and made it successfully." "If you don''t get up now, I might have to take some offensive measures that could compromise your dignity." The maid spoke emotionlessly, her voice steady, "For the special case of the master not getting out of bed, the ''Chaotic Forbidden Texts. Persons under eighteen prohibited'' provides specific measures." She bent down and came close to An Su''s cheek, brushing her wispy bangs behind her ear to reveal a delicate profile. In the morning light, her warm breath steamed in the shimmering golden sunlight. How come there''s a reference... An Su slowly opened his eyes with a sigh, crawled out of bed, took the white gauze shirt and standard saint''s robe from the maid''s hands, got dressed, and then sat at the edge of the bed, allowing Enya to fiddle with his hair, combing his messy gray-white hair neatly. On the windowsill of the room, there was also a small black cat. Luo Xiaohei propped up its head, engrossed in a Holy Light book. Seeing An Su getting out of bed, it stood up, casting a contemptuous glance at An Su, displaying a smug look. Stupid An Su, even a cat is more diligent than you. At this hour, you''re still sleeping; the future of the Radiant Holy See is doomed with your generation, An Su. She has already seen through both An Su and the Holy Light. Only by knowing the enemy and knowing yourself can you fight a hundred battles without disaster. Once she finishes the remaining books, she will leave this aggrieved place, return to the Esoteric Sect, and become the Chaotic Saintess once more. Then, dealing with this insignificant An Su will be a cinch. She will win. She contentedly began to envision her future, holding her head high and wagging her tail. An Su was now fully dressed, casting a sidelong glare at Elf, he sighed softly, lamenting her misfortune yet angry at her lack of struggle, "You''re still reading that damn book, Luo Xiaohei!" "Princess Cersei already got your suit ready, and had I not resisted desperately and contended with reason, the Chaotic Saintess would have been replaced already!" Without a home to return to, you''ll really just become a stray cat. An Su glanced at the deadbeat Luo Xiaohei, said nothing more, and Princess Cersei''s challenge from last night came to his mind. In terms of both Magic Rank and knowledge, An Su''s capabilities on paper were far less than those of Princess Cersei, who had already become a Saint, No wonder in the black market his odds of winning toppled to one against fifty. But the strength off the record was a different story. Just as he had told Merlin, although he couldn''t beat Cersei, he could cheat! And An Su''s means of cheating were embodied in Luo Xiaohei perched on his shoulder. The Chaotic Saintess was a genius on par with the Imperial Princess, possessing an understanding of magic that was not inferior to Cersei''s, and even surpassed her. Moreover, Luo Xiaohei''s Chaotic Shape-shifting Magic was nearly impossible for any examiner to see through, and the only one who could penetrate her disguise, the Pure White EyesMagic God Merlin, had been blacklisted by the examination institution.... Those two had been at odds for a long time, and with only a little instigation... "Ah..." In Luo Xiaohei''s presence, An Su let out a sigh, turning to Enya beside him, "I heard that Princess Cersei is the most gifted genius of our time, unbeatable in the magic domain, and it looks like I''m doomed in this exam." "I think I might as well keep lying in bed and blow it off." What do you mean the most gifted? Elf was displeased upon hearing this, dropping the book in a huff. She detested the Imperial Princess most in the world and didn''t like others to sing her praises. Hearing An Su personally acknowledge Cersei as the most gifted genius of their time, claiming ''no one can beat her in the realm of magic,'' made her unhappy. Annoyed, she slapped An Su''s cheek with her tail. "The master is wrong," Enya got the hint, playing along with him, "It''s said that the Ladder Saintess, famed alongside her, possesses even greater magical talents than the princess." When Elf heard someone praising her, she puffed out her chest proudly, wagging her tail. "Heh, what Ladder Saintess," An Su sneered, "I''ve seen that Elf before. I hypnotized her effortlessly. She''s just a boring woman who''s practically dead, not nearly as interesting as the Imperial Princess." Chapter 238 The Second Major Test, Begins!_2 "Even if she were present, she would definitely fail to surpass Cersei." Elf said angrily to An Su, resentful that she was considered less talented than that Holy Light figurehead, and even dared to say she was dull, no funboring, a word that was the greatest insult to a Chaotic Cultist. That figurehead was very sly, never willing to face Elf in a challenge. Infuriating. Unfortunately, Elf could not understand An Su''s painstaking efforts; she only treated An Su as a mount, leaping onto his shoulder and slapping his cheek with her fluffy tail to signal that the young miss was seated properly and he should set off. Sar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. It was just a measly Church exam after all, everything would fall into her hands once she made a move. Perhaps this exam would be an opportunity to humiliate Cersei. With Doraemon already secured, An Su smiled calmly, donned his robe after breakfast, opened the door, and walked towards the Church in the dazzling sunlight. After half a block, he arrived at the Seven Gods Hall. The first exam was held at the Magic Association; the second was moved to the Seven Gods Hall. Brilliant gold sunlight fell from the glass dome above, the thousand-year-old hall basking in the morning''s dawn, Emblems of Radiance, Alchemy, Healing, Order, Druid, Star, and Chastity, representing the Seven Gods, were engraved on the walls of their respective zones, An Su arrived later than planned; the hall was already packed with people. Not just the candidates from the Radiant Holy See, but all prospective servants from the Seven Great Churches, all the talented young hopefuls were to take part in a unified examination. As talented youths, especially the saints of the Radiant Holy See, their eyes sparkled with self-assurance and elegance, and their lips curved into graceful smiles. After yesterday''s written exam, the Radiant Saints were convinced that they were the chosen of the goddess, destined to tread a path as favored children of fortune, unlike the secondary characters around them. After all, they had blindly guessed on yesterday''s written test and still managed to qualify for the formal exam, a clear sign they were the chosen ones! What they didn''t know was that their candidacy had already been revoked, and they were unqualified for the formal exam. The Church just hadn''t informed them of their elimination. In subsequent exams, they wouldn''t even have their scores recorded. Nevertheless, they still had to show up and pay the exam fee for formality; consider it practice for next year''s retest. Apart from using the exam fee to fill the deficit created by Merlin, the saints also served as a backdrop. Without enough people, the next round of exams couldn''t commence. Seeing his peers'' confident and smug smiles, An Su dismissed the idea of revealing the truth to them. After all, knowing too much wasn''t always good, plus they had already paid. Since they had come anyway, they might as well enjoy the experience. An Su considered himself quite understanding; he went straight to the Radiant Church''s window to pay the fee and register. The fee for the formal exam was not cheap at alljust one person cost a hundred Gold Coins, almost as much as An Su''s daily allowance. No wonder the Priests were reluctant to let the saints go. A single candidate was a hundred, several hundred candidates meant tens of thousands of Gold Coinsa hefty profit indeed. "Meow." Elf tugged An Su''s sleeve with her tail, signaling him to pay her registration fee as well. During the written exam, she had also turned in a paper. "Can my animal friend register too?" An Su asked the old Priest at the payment window, who gave a look as if he were being teased. They were happy to take the money, but there was no precedent for pets to register. Although this registration was merely for show; other than a few candidates from the Radiant Church who passed yesterday''s written test, the others were not qualified to registerthough they were eligible to continue paying the fee. "This..." The Priest showed a troubled look, "there''s no such precedent." "Two hundred." "It could be considered." "Three hundred." "Deal." The Priest nodded solemnly, taking a closer look at Elf to confirm that she was just an ordinary Spiritual Object, seemingly dull and unremarkable with no special traits, "But she can only enter the exam as a contract Spirit Beast." Unlike the written test, since the next two exams were practical, and many Druids had contracts with their Summoned Beasts, Summoned Objects were a part of their strength, so they were allowed to bring them to the exams. However, that was the Druid Court''s practice, not a precedent within the Radiant Holy See. But with enough money on the table, any path could be forged. This Priest had previously mingled with Merlin and had quite an open mind, so he took out his book to re-register. After asking An Su for the name of his contracted beast, he wrote down "Luo Xiaohei." Elf frowned as she watched An Su categorize her as a "Pet," her claws itching to dig into the desk. She inwardly urged herself to stay calm, not to lose composure for the sake of the greater goal, learning to persevere. A pet it was then, but once she completed her Holy Light training and returned to her true body to recover her Saintess status, she''d catch An Su and make him her pet! Stay updated through My Virtual Library Empire After paying the fee, they had to wait for the examiners to announce the rules for tomorrow''s exam. With about half an hour to kill and nothing to do, An Su decided to wander around with pet Luo Xiaohei. However, the saints around An Su gave him complex looks, avoiding him whenever they saw him, as this kid''s affairs had caused quite a stir throughout the city. Chapter 238 The Second Major Test, Begins!_3 Several saints were also involved in black market gambling. Lister and Arthur registered as well; however, they were still under the punishment phase of the Holy Light Judgment and had not regained their male bodies. They barely passed the real-name registration by using the Transformation Skill to disguise themselves and deliberately deepening their voices when they spoke. Many saints felt an inexplicable urge as they watched the two men''s attractive silhouettes and were shocked, wondering if something was wrong with their preferences, as they found themselves drawn to these two men. Lingering around Lister and Arthur were the witches from the Star Cult and the Oceanic Sect because the bishop had not been in touch, so they temporarily followed the commands of these two men. Although they had already caused chaos among the Radiant Holy See''s candidates yesterday and had spread many esoteric viruses just over the course of last night, they had yet to target the exams of the other six sects, hence they showed a hungry and eager expression. An Su also saw the Little Saintess Luojia. She was slightly furrowing her brows, looking somewhat troubled in front of the registration window, seemingly worried about the high exam fees, As the Radiant Holy Saintess, Luojia could have used her privileges to waive the fee without anyone daring to object. Yet, she chose not to do so and took out a bag of gold coins from her pocket, counting them one by one. It wasn''t that she couldn''t afford the payment; the fees were simply unreasonable and likely included many under-the-table kickbacks. For the next month, she wouldn''t be able to enjoy her favorite cakes. Continue reading on My Virtual Library Empire "Let me pay." An Su suddenly said, placing a stack of gold coins in front of the priest, "By the way, where''s Bishop Merlin''s portion?" The Radiant Priest, who had taken the money, was initially stunned, then suddenly raised his head to stare at An Su. He knew An Su and Bishop Merlin''s relationship was deep, but he was puzzled by what this young man meant why would Bishop Merlin want a share? His Excellency Merlin was no longer the chief examiner, so why would he still get a part? Frightened yet afraid, the priest didn''t expect Bishop Merlin''s reach to be so terrifying, but after all, it was Merlin; he was capable of such acts. He promptly showed a perfect smile, "You must be joking." Better safe than sorry. If he indeed angered His Excellency Merlin and ended up being made a scapegoat someday, the loss would far outweigh the gain! The priest hastily returned the hundreds of gold coins An Su had previously paid and then took out his own portion, a thick stack of gold coins, and handed it directly to An Su. Luojia watched An Su''s smooth cascading actions in a dazed state. After a moment of stupor, she let out a light sigh, "Thank you, I''ll pay you back." "I didn''t pay anything." An Su said with a smile to Luojia. "One thing at a time." Luojia shook her head somewhat rigidly, her pale eyes reflecting An Su''s face, "Had you not helped, I''d have had to pay those one hundred gold coins. Now I don''t have to, so I owe you one hundred." "The way you plan to pay back might take a lifetime to clear." An Su observed Luojia, thinking it would be easy to deceive Cersei if she were only this honest. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "...even if it takes a lifetime, then it takes a lifetime." Luojia turned her face away, no longer looking at An Su, as the sunlight from the glass dome above bathed her pale cheek in warmth. In the center of the Seven Gods Hall, as the bells of the Holy Hall rang, all the saints stopped their chatter and looked uniformly toward the high platform. An Su also collected his thoughts and took a breath; the ringing of the bell signifying that the time had come. The two exams were major plot twists in the original story, with countless hidden eyes about to emerge. An Su already sensed the storm approaching. Church''s major exam officially began. "Luojia." An Su revealed a calm smile and softly said, "Then you have to stay alive to pay me back." Chapter 239 An Su Encounters the Greatest Crisis in History The ethereal ringing of church bells echoed in the skies above Farol, and the saints from the Seven Great Churches all grew silent, their attention wholly fixed on the highest floor of the Seven Gods Hall. As the curtain slowly drew back, the Holy Seal kept flickering until it finally formed the emblem of gears and flamesthe insignia of the Alchemical Church. This signified that the first official exam would still be set by the Alchemical Church. Continue reading on My Virtual Library Empire An Su looked up at the third floor, quietly waiting for the chief examiner to appear. The other saints also ceased talking, all eyes gathered on the third floor. After a moment, light and graceful footsteps echoed between the floors, The first thing to come into view was a snow-white gown, hemmed with glittering gold lace. An Su''s gaze traveled upward and his eyes widened slightly in surprise; the examiner turned out to be an acquaintance. A year ago, it was she who had supervised An Su''s exam. Ai Xueli Xien, the prodigious magician from the magical Xien Family, the youngest Priestess of the Alchemical Church. There were two Priests in total who had been An Su''s examiners during the saint exams, The first was Priest Paxi from the Order Church, and the second was Priestess Ai Xueli from the Alchemical Church. Due to An Su''s frequent troubles with the law enforcement, he met with the former quite often, so they were quite familiar. But this Priestess Ai Xueli, indeed had not been seen by him for nearly a year. After a year''s reflection, An Su felt that this aunt below had changed significantly. The once youthful arrogance had been tucked deep inside her eyes, but she remained proud, only her pride no longer revealed itself so readily. She transformed from a little girl into a mature woman, evolving into a truly dignified and elegant noble lady, After the incident a year ago, although Ai Xueli''s faith was shattered, as the saying goes, no breaking, no building. In order to redeem her shame and conquer her inner demons, she shed her frivolous and playful attitude, cultivated her body and mind, nurtured her nature, eschewed arrogance and impatience, and rejected all meaningless social interactions. She secluded herself at home, stopped all Church affairs, turned a deaf ear to the outside world, and devoted herself seriously to the study of magic. Sear?h the n??el Fire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Of course, the main reason was sexual harassment of a minor, currently suspended for investigation. Whenever Ai Xueli recalled this matter, she seethed with indignation. Who would have thought that the runt was a minor. However, thanks to An Su''s earnest guidance, after Ai Xueli abandoned her impetuousness and secluded herself, her genius allowed her understanding of magic to advance by leaps and bounds, and she finally broke through her bottleneck. She was already at the Fourth-Order Peak, and after a year of diligent cultivation, she finally reached the Fifth Tier on her twenty-first birthday, touching the threshold of saintliness, with a future that seemed very bright. Now emerging from seclusion, Ai Xueli aimed to advance further in her career by accumulating political achievements, hence she took up the position of examiner for the major service examination upon her return. Her dark past was now buried deep inside her heart; from this day forward, it would be a brand-new future. Those dirty and lowly border people had been left far behind by her, unable to chase after her shadow ever again. And this was a promotion exam; An Su had just gone through the entrance exam, it was impossible for him to participate. Upon thinking of this, a perfect and elegant smile bloomed on Ai Xueli''s face. "Ladies and gentlemen, greetings." Her lips curled with a faint smile, her eyes sweeping over every saint, making eye contact and waving at each one. Although she still looked down on those not from the Imperial Capital, she would not easily reveal this sentiment anymore. Except for An Su. When Ai Xueli''s composed gaze finally fell upon An Su, she was first slightly taken aback, then blinked repeatedly, suspecting she had seen incorrectly. That perfect and elegant smile instantly collapsed, replaced by the expression of someone who had just suffered from constipation. An Su waved at Ai Xueli, his face also bearing a faint smile as he politely said, "Hello." That voice, that tone, that smile, it was indeed the same lowborn. Ai Xueli had never expected to encounter An Su in a promotion exam. Who had ever heard of someone joining the Church one year and then completing the qualifications for promotion the next year? Even for a genius like her, it had taken a full three years to progress from saint to deacon. She observed the boy closely, discreetly using Saint''s Scouting Magic ''Eye of Truth'', and was shocked to find that his progress was even greater than she had imagined, In just one year, An Su''s Rank had soared from the early Second Tier to an astonishing Medium Period of First Tier. A year ago, as an examiner, Ai Xueli herself was merely at the Fourth-Order Peak. Ai Xueli felt a twinge of defeat. She couldn''t imagine what An Su had been through... A year ago he was a saint, and now he was a deacon. In just one year, An Su''s progress was nothing short of monstrous. Ai Xueli''s brow furrowed; since An Su was present, then his two lackeys must be as well... Her gaze swept over the crowd and surely enough, she discovered the presence of Arthur and Lister. The next second, Ai Xueli''s pupils shook violently; she couldn''t believe what she saw, covering her mouth lightly. The progress of Arthur and Lister... was even greater than An Su''s! She scrutinized the two men, widening her Eye of Truth in amazement, only to find that these two were even more formidable, In just one year, Arthur and Lister''s Rank badges, which had been merely at the low Second Tier, had astonishingly reached the Fourth-Order Peak, while Ai Xueli, even after a year, was still just a First Tier medium tier! A strong sense of defeat welled up in Ai Xueli''s heart. Chapter 239 An Su Encounters the Greatest Crisis in History_2 She couldn''t imagine what Arthur and Lister had gone through... A year ago they were men, but a year later they became women. In just one year, Arthur and Lister had turned perverse! Whether physically or physiologically, the changes in them had exceeded Ai Xueli''s expectations. She angrily stared at An Su''s innocent smile, her eyes filled with intense grievance to the extreme, and she sighed helplessly. If she hadn''t miscalculated, An Su was fifteen a year ago, so now he was just sixteen, still a minor. Luojia looked at An Su and the examiner exchanging glances, and hummed softly, "Do you know her?" Since Luojia was directly sent by the saintess, she didn''t come to take part in the saint''s examination, nor was she aware of the entanglement between An Su and Priestess Ai Xueli. "My good buddy," An Su revealed a calm smile, "this exam is in the bag." If Priestess Ai Xueli was the examiner, he was confident he could get his teacher in. Just a mere female runt. "But... the chief examiner for this exam is not Miss Ai Xueli," Luojia cocked her head amusingly, looking at An Su, "the chief examiner for this promotion exam... is Miss Ai Xueli''s mentor." It made sense; the chief examiner for a saint''s exam held a priest rank, so someone even higher graded couldn''t possibly be a priest, but at least a district bishop or someone even higher. "Who is Ai Xueli''s mentor?" asked An Su curiously. "You don''t know?" Luojia said, "It''s none other than Cardinal Bishop Morgan Reinhart, His Excellency, who is as renowned as His Excellency Merlin." Morgan Reinhart... An Su frowned slightly, he had seen that name before. This His Excellency, in the original setting, was also an outstanding heroic figure. Although he never made an appearance in the main storyline of the game, his reputation was no less than Merlin''s, a genius of the Alchemical Church rare in a millennium. The Sun Flame, the most precious and hardest-to-tame flame of alchemical mysticism, which could easily devour one''s breath, and even the physically robust knights, only the Sun Family on the frontiers could barely control it. However, a century ago, an alchemist subdued the Sun Flame using a magician''s body. People called him the ''Chief of the Sun''Morgan Reinhart, Renowned alongside ''the Faceless One,'' Merlin Andre. It was also a coincidence; these two geniuses were of the same grade and were contemporaries. Logically, An Su should have had no connection with him, but somehow, he always felt he had seen him somewhere. Just then, the vast and blazing demigod presence descended from the dome above, the great being''s gaze arrived here, the man-made alchemical sun was His eyeball, the scattered rays were His gaze, Sear?h the N??elFir.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The golden sun appeared to fall upon the Seven Gods Hall, colliding with the glazed prisms of the dome, and the dazzling sunlight shattered into several colored patches, reflected on every mirror surface of the church. Find more to read on My Virtual Library Empire The entire church was aflame, filled with the holy light, clearly reflecting the face of every saint, Through his Alchemical Eyes, Bishop Morgan inspected everyone present, height, gender, age, age, age... nothing could escape His scrutiny. The other church saints all wore solemn expressions, merely his appearance carried such might, this examiner''s rank was beyond their imagination. Even more, saints from the Alchemical Church exclaimed out loud, showing respect, as this familiar blazing pressure was undoubtedly their own, the Alchemical Church''s Bishop dubbed ''Chief of the Sun''His Excellency Morgan Reinhart. So vast, so glorious. Finally An Su remembered where he had previously seen this name; it was a week ago in the exchange area of the Magic Association, in the ''No.1 Secret Vault,'' filled with Morgan Reinhart''s name. The [Quenched Redemption Holy Blade] now at his waist, which is basically a kitchen knife smeared with chili sauce, was crafted by His Excellency Morgan. Suddenly, An Su thought of something else, his expression gradually becoming grave. If he wasn''t mistaken... This His Excellency had once modified the Life Ecclesia''s Alchemical Array "Succubus Summoning Array" into an "Angel Summoning Array. Child-Friendly Green Harmonious Edition"... He replaced the crimson blood needed in summoning materials with green blood, replaced the Death Herald Banshee''s wings with fried chicken wings from a children''s meal, replaced the virgin blood from thirty underage girls with the urine of thirty underage boys, and successfully turned the summoned sultry, voluptuous succubus into a pure, cute shota angel. At the time, An Su had criticized this Alchemical Bishop, thinking they were actually a pedophile as a Copper Smelting Bishop! The more he thought, the more dangerous he felt. Just a second ago, An Su was pleased about being a minor, but now, as a minor, he faced an examiner with a true pedophile penchant... This was clearly facing a nemesis. "It was said that this examination was originally to be presided over by His Excellency Merlin of the Radiant Holy See," Luojia stated, "It''s unfortunate that Bishop Merlin couldn''t make it." "Why?" At this moment, An Su immensely missed the wise Merlin and asked indignantly. It was simply a scandal. "According to His Excellency Merlin, it was due to a despicable sneak who framed him, and Bishop Merlin''s authority as the chief examiner was revoked, replaced by Bishop Morgan of the Alchemical Church," "..." An Su fell silent. "Damn it, who is the despicable sneak who dared to slander His Excellency Merlin, this is outrageous." Chapter 239 An Su Encounters the Greatest Crisis in History_3 For a long while, An Su scoffed coldly, his pale green eyes flickering with an honest light, assuming a disdainful air of not associating with despicable characters. "Indeed, who caused this?" Luojia stared at An Su''s profile. "It must have been the despicable lot from the Sanctuary of Chaos." An Su said, "I''ve heard recently about a despicable character called ''Chaotic Ladder,'' lurking in the Imperial Capital, causing mischief all day; be cautious if you encounter him." "Alright." Luojia nodded, still gazing at An Su. Putting aside which despicable character framed His Excellency Merlin for a moment, An Su frowned slightly, watchfully gazing at the magnificent presence above the dome. He figured it couldn''t be too outrageous, but the Holy Light behind Bishop Morgan was indeed too dazzling, making it hard for An Su to see any figures. "Teacher, your portable Holy Light is too blinding, can you switch it off?" Priestess Ai Xueli, too, was squinting, unable to open her eyes because of Bishop Morgan''s Holy Light. Sar?h the N??elFir.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Okay~" A sultry and mature voice emerged from the depths of the sun, making An Su pause briefly. With a crisp snap of the fingers, the brilliant artificial sun suddenly extinguished, instantly stopping all the burning gazes reflected by the glass, and the overwhelming pressure that oppressed every saint''s heart gradually vanished. In the center of the extinguished sun stood a mature and seductive figure, whose rank, whether on a physical or magical level, was at the pinnacle of the seventh tier. The crimson bishop''s robe trailed on the ground, and barefoot, she slowly stepped out of the flames and onto the cool glass floor, her equally crimson hair cascading down to her delicately bare ankles. Of course, what most surprised An Su was the face of this Your Majesty... unclear as it was, only those of the same rank could look directly at a deity, and he could only see the endless wildfire, unable to scrutinize the sun as a mortal, but nevertheless, he felt its transcendental and intensely beautiful heat. So this was the origin of ''Head of Radiance,'' Head of Radiance? Sun High Rank! In short, His Excellency Morgan''s high rank is the sun. At a level higher than demigods, having a rudimentary control over the rules of magic, the life forms of magicians could transform, just as for Merlin and Bishop Morgan. For instance, Merlin the Faceless One, a transformation resulting from his deepened understanding of the faceless and formless Radiance. And then there''s Merlin''s Head of Radiance, stemming from An Su''s deeper comprehension that Radiance meant being bald, Merlin''s life form also underwent a transformation. More unexpected than the Sun High Rank was that Bishop Morgan turned out to be a woman. With her ability to invent so many sinister and perverted things, An Su had thought her to be a grimy, perverted old virgin just like Merlin. Yet a mature lady collecting the urine of underage boys places her sordid nature not far beneath Merlin''s. Wait, An Su thought of something else... The reason he had firmly believed Bishop Morgan to be a man also included what the Alchemical Priest had said: at thirty years old, Bishop Morgan once maturely refined the "Angel Summoning Array. A Healthy Green Harmonious Version for Children." Stay updated via My Virtual Library Empire She replaced the urine of thirty underage boys with that of a thirty-year-old virgin. Back then, An Su had pitied her as a thirty-year-old virgin who had not experienced intimacy. But now, it appeared An Su had been wrong. Since Bishop Morgan was a woman, whence came the urine of that thirty-year-old virgin... An Su sank into thought, and after a long pause, he suddenly remembered someone of the same age as Bishop Morgan... Eureka, that''s it! An Su revealed an enlightened smile; the urine was Merlin the old virgin''s! Having resolved the long-standing mystery, An Su was quite delighted since Bishop Morgan and Merlin had grown up together, and Merlin, who wanted nothing more than to roast the traitor, was well known to An Su; thus, by extension, he and Bishop Morgan were also acquaintances. Since everyone was an acquaintance... this pedophile big sister presumably wouldn''t make things difficult for him. Moreover, she must be rather fond of old men by now. An Su looked at Bishop Morgan with hopeful eyes, only to see the despicable Ai Xueli whispering into Bishop Morgan''s ear, pointing blatantly at An Su and saying, "Teacher, teacher, it''s him, it''s him, he is the An Su Moningsta I told you about!" Why the hell are you still tattling... An Su''s expression stiffened. Upon hearing Ai Xueli''s words, Bishop Morgan turned her head slightly, peering towards An Su, and though her face was not clearly visible, An Su felt Bishop Morgan wink seductively, "Hello there, cutie." Chapter 240 An Su: What kind of benevolent ghost The clear sunlight filtered through the stained glass, warmly draping over An Su''s grey-white hair, a gentle breeze softly lifting strands of it. Those azure-blue eyes, under the illumination of the sun, resembled a blue lake melted by the sunset, shimmering with glimmers of light. If one could overlook the sarcastic expression on his face, he would indeed be a beloved youth by all. This time, the hero selection was targeted by the opposition. Sar?h the n?vel_Fire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. An Su''s eyelids twitched slightly; he felt a great pressure. No sooner had the female imp left than the greater female demon arrived. The youth was dressed in the saints'' formal attire today, paired with a snow-white shirt lining, at the proper age of sixteen; a year younger would mean execution, a year older too old. The saying goes, "Do too many wrongs and they''ll catch up to you"; An Su had always relied on the epic Minor Protection Magic to act recklessly, but today he finally faced the biggest crisis of his life, encountering the Copper Smelting Bishop. The reason why Minor Protection Magic is referred to as magic is that it''s protected by version rules, but if one meets the makers of these ruleslike a Cardinal Bishop, for instanceeven the most fantastical of spells will fail. An Su sighed helplessly. The Imperial Capital lived up to its name; no wonder it could lead on the frontiers. The strength of these older generation artists was not to be underestimated. "Meow." Luo Xiaohei lay down and amusingly stared at An Su, enjoying seeing the young one suffer a setback. She pointed at An Su''s sarcastic face with her tail, tilting her head and meowing consecutively to mock An Su''s misfortune. Luo Xiaohei''s disguise was excellent. As long as she didn''t reveal the magic power of the Sanctuary of Chaos, no one, apart from Merlin''s Eyes of Radiance and other Pupil Skills, could see through her disguise. "Good morning, everyone." Bishop Morgan glanced briefly at An Su, then turned her head, her face held a faint smile. The red sunlight flooded down from the sky, filling the Seven Gods Hall. Each saint felt as if they were making eye contact with Bishop Morgan and felt the immaculate sanctity of the demigod. Just from her presence alone, she appeared flawlessly perfect. "I will be your examiner tomorrow, Morgan Reinhart," she stated calmly, her cool voice echoing through the hall, "The faith of the Seven True Gods has continued from the Second Era to this day and has spanned tens of thousands of years. But before the First Era, the faith in the Seven Gods was one, originating from the single ''One'', so we followers of the Seven Gods are of the same origin and can convert to one another." Luojia listened with great interest; she was the cream of the academic crop and was particularly skilled in the origins of faith and historical research. Bishop Morgan''s introductory speech was also recorded in the "Holy Record": ''All things stem from the primary "One".'' An Su nodded in agreement, familiar with this historical setting as well, which was clearly plagiarizing the story of the seven Calabash Brothers. "After the saints are promoted to deacons, the believers return to the primary ''One'', which allows them to choose a new faith," Bishop Morgan continued calmly. An Su nodded again. This was a common profession system in games, where players choose a new faction and profession once they reach a certain level. "Radiance, Alchemy, Order, Druid, Chastity, Star, Healingthese are the seven branches of faith and also the seven magical elements of the Orthodox Church, corresponding to justice, thoroughness, fairness, spirituality, honor, romance, and compassionthe seven virtues." "If a mortal masters one of these, they are called a saint; if a saint masters three, they may become a Transcendent; if all seven virtues are mastered, that is a Saint." She calmly surveyed everyone, raising her hand, "Tomorrow''s exam, please remember these seven virtues well, step out of your comfort zone, exemplify the justice of Radiance, demonstrate the thoroughness of Alchemy, adhere to the fairness of Order, utilize the spirituality of Druid, uphold the honor of Chastity, remember the compassion of Healing, and pursue the romance of Starslet these seven virtues help you conquer strong enemies and pass the examthis is the only hint I can give everyone." No sooner had Bishop Morgan finished speaking than the entire room erupted in a massive wave of astonishment. Her words sounded complex, yet they weren''t hard to grasp. It seemed that tomorrow''s exam would assess magic of all seven faiths, not just that of their own Church, but also the other six! But the real issue was that until now, as saints they had only specialized in their own faith''s singular magic and had almost no exposure to the magics of other faiths. Being able to dual specialize in two kinds of faith-magic was already considered genius. The difficulty of this exam was greater than they imaginedindeed, it could be called the most difficult exam in recent decades. Explore new worlds at My Virtual Library Empire This level of difficulty wasn''t meant for ordinary saints; it was designed specifically for those once-in-a-century prodigies. This was only the first official exam, and the final test wasn''t even taken yet! The saints were all dumbfounded. They couldn''t fathom Bishop Morgan''s reasoning for setting such an insurmountable level of difficulty. Did the bishops not want them to pass? What would they do about this year''s enrollment target? The thinking of a demigod was utterly incomprehensible. What they didn''t know was that essentially all the saints had already been eliminated in the written test. They were just paying to experience the atmosphere of the official exam. These questions were never meant for them. They were meant for those born through the written test. And since this year''s enrollment target was already doomed, the difficulty of the official exam could be freely unleashed. Chapter 240 An Su: What kind of benevolent ghost_2 Bishop Morgan revealed a tender and satisfied smile as she watched the saints below with great interest. For Bishop Morgan, no matter how low the enrollment target was set, the bishops would only blame Merlin, who was responsible for the written exam questions. Since there was already someone to take the fall, it meant she could play however she wanted. Moreover, if the difficulty of the exam she created was lower than that of Merlin, it could attract criticism from outsiders, who might insinuate that her abilities were inferior to Merlin, the old virgin, whose questions were more challenging! This was something Bishop Morgan could not accept. This is a career transition exam... An Su revealed a thoughtful expression as he began to analyze the intention behind the questions. Although subjectively speaking, Bishop Morgan came up with this question purely to kill them off, at least there had to be some logic to the deaths. Being a saint is just the lowest-tier vocation within the faith factions. Once one reaches the medium tier as an enforcer, one can choose a new career. The Seven Great Churches have the same system. One can simply choose a new faith; after all, believing in any of the Seven Gods is essentially the same, but most saints choose to serve in their original church and faith. The advantage is that it''s more relaxed and familiar, but the disadvantage is also clear, Saints specialized in a single faith become rigid in combat and can be easily anticipated by foes familiar with the combination rules of their magic, while the magic of two faiths brings more complexity. If one masters all seven faiths, they''d become irresistibly powerful, like a hexagonal fortress. An Su hadn''t expected Bishop Morgan to specifically design an exam around this, and he couldn''t help but be impressed by her thoughtfulness. But the difficulty was beyond imagination; becoming that powerful would require unimaginable resources and time, and in the real world, it meant exceptionally high requirements for innate talent. A buzz of discussions broke out among the saints, An Su could understand the feelings of the many saints even more now. This was like being a humanities student who had dedicated three years to study, only to be given a science exam on the day of the test... "Silence." Bishop Morgan said softly, her voice not loud, but somehow it seemed to carry the weight of an imperative rule, making all the saints simultaneously close their mouths and become quiet, and the entire hall fell into a deep silence for a moment. She watched the saints with a smile, "Now, I will announce the specific rules of the exam." As soon as she finished speaking, An Su felt a strong fluctuation in his vision. The sunlight twisted and spun, strands of light intertwined, and eventually formed a paper thin as cicada wings, which floated down in front of An Su. This paper had no mass and appeared almost transparent, emitting a warm, ambiguous hue; it was an exam instructions sheet. [Respected Mr. An Su Moningsta (16), greetings, your examination number is 16, and your test location is the fourth division of the Seven Gods Hall] "...No need to emphasize being sixteen," An Su frowned. [This exam assesses the subject of ''Practical Application of the Seven Faiths''] [Proportion of exam scoring: forty percent] [Exam Instructions: The Alchemical Array will generate seven Nether rooms. Upon entering a room, it will disable all of your magic and equipment, and your Rank will be forcibly limited to ''Third Rank''. Each room corresponds to one of the seven random faiths, and each will provide magic books that you need or may need for that particular faith, as well as Alchemical Materials.] [Each room has a specific Nether task. After completing the task in one room, you can earn ten points and qualify to enter the next room. If you fail once, die in a room, or fail to complete the task within the specified time, you will exit the Alchemical Array and the exam will end.] [Qualification requirements: seventy points (full score), thirty points (passing).] An Su skimmed over the rules, revealing a contemplative expression. Similar to the last exam, this one also emphasized ''equal conditions'' to some extent. The subject of the last exam was ''Distribution and Use of Spell Slots and Magic Power''. It involved using an Alchemical Array to replicate the examiner''s body entirely, achieving the exact same conditions for all participants. This time, the exam seemed to learn from the previous one, not replicating the examinee''s body completely but instead restricting all their magic and even forcibly lowering their Rank to the Third Rank. Seven rooms, corresponding to seven faiths. The Radiance Room will definitely test tasks related to Holy Light, the Order Room will test tasks related to Order... and you need at least thirty points to pass, which means you must pass at least three rooms, including your proficient room and two completely unfamiliar rooms. And this is the most ideal scenario; no one can ensure they encounter their strongest room first, Plus, if you die once, you''re out and can''t continue to take the test; you won''t be able to complete all of it. If your luck is bad, you will have to pass through three completely unfamiliar rooms in a row to pass. For example, the Order Church''s muscle-bound men might draw the Healing Series room, and the dainty White Priestesses of the Healing Series might end up in the Alchemy Room... It''s like science students taking art exams, or arts students taking physical education, the whole point is to crossover disciplines. The theoretical models of different faiths, the composition of Magic Circuits, the creation of magic, the combination of spells... they''re all completely different! This time, the questions in the exam were indeed difficult, far surpassing the previous exam in complexity. For the master of unique tricks, it was as if a bolt of lightning had struck on a clear day. "Meow?" Luo Xiaohei, who was lying on An Su''s shoulder, widened his eyes in disbelief, staring hard at the text and then violently shook his tail. He plopped his paw against An Su''s cheek fiercely, hoping to snap out of what he hoped was a dream. Over this past month, she had only learned Holy Light Magic! An Su looked at his pathetic Golden Finger and sighed softly. He hadn''t expected that the Golden Finger would fail him even before the exam started. Nearly every saint showed a face of utter despair, all except for An Su, who wore a faint smile on his lips. For him, the rules of the exam were actually an advantage. After playing over a dozen cycles in his previous life, where he''d tried different schools of thought in each cycle and had dabbled in the professions of all seven faiths, he was already a jack-of-all-trades. Now, picking things up again would certainly be simpler and easier than it was for the average saint. The only variable now was the questions Copper Smelting Bishop had set up in the room... Experience tales at My Virtual Library Empire Having gone through the exam rules, An Su continued to read on, trying to analyze the examiner''s intentions. [Note: The Church''s education is currently in a critical period of development, focusing on improving quality and comprehensively enhancing the ability to cultivate talent. Entering the new era, in order to implement the spirit of Bishop Merlin''s speech at the third Church conference, we use the ''Seven Virtues'' as our core and Merlin''s spirit as our guiding ideology to train high-quality versatile talents; thus, we have designed this exam subject.] [The only standard for a perfect score is to surpass your limits] Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.et website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. As An Su browsed through the handbook, he noticed it lacked a publication date; the words "guiding ideology" sloppily written on each skewed page. Unable to sleep anyway, he scrutinized it for a long time before finally discerning the words hidden between the linesthe entire book was essentially saying "take the blame." Morgan wanted Merlin to take the blame for her! An Su sighed softly. Luojia also frowned slightly as she read the exam instructions. She wasn''t flustered; the advantage of being a Little Saintess is having a broad range of knowledge and an insatiable curiosity. So, she too had studied the different faiths of the Seven Great Churches. Suddenly, she tiptoed and raised her hand but found herself blocked by several burly knights. She hopped vigorously to get a better view, and Bishop Morgan, who was on the high platform, noticed the commotion over here. Oh, another child. But this one was half a year older than the little cutie, An Sunot perfect. Showing extra tolerance for minors, she unveiled a gentle smile, "Do you have a question?" "May I ask, how should the order of the seven rooms be arranged?" Luojia inquired. This question hit the nail on the head. If one started in the room of their own faith, at least they could secure the basic points for a guaranteed pass. Having that advantage, yet if the earlier rooms were all unfamiliar, it would surely spell doom. That wouldn''t be fair. The saints all revealed a look of sudden realization. "Good question," Bishop Morgan chuckled, "Please rest assured, fairness is one of the seven virtues of the Church, and we will certainly guarantee absolute fairness and justice to select the children beloved by the gods." "Can you be more specific?" "To be specific," Bishop Morgan said solemnly, "it will be decided by drawing lots; the order in which each participant enters the rooms will be determined by lot." She emphasized: "The gods do not like children smudged with eyebrow pencil." Chapter 241 Bishop Morgan Declares He Is Not a Pedophile "The gods do not favor children with eyebrow pencil." [An Su Moningsta (16), beginning the order of succession draw] The sheet of sunlight before his eyes transformed, with brilliant golden rays constantly twisting and pulsating, forming one after another exquisite and arcane sacred patterns, all of which were the Holy Imprints of the Seven Great Churches. An Su fixed his gaze and first saw the ''Healing'' belief seal, comprised of angel wings and a scepter, followed by the Druid Sect''s emblem, formed from a great tree and antlers... One after the other, the holy emblems lined up in succession, their appearance order corresponding to An Su''s sequence of entering the rooms. Accordingly, they were: Healing, Chastity, Druid, Alchemy, Order, Radiance, Star. An Su slightly furrowed his brow, looking at the order of rooms he was to enter the arena in. The sequence wasn''t great. Against Princess Cersei, if An Su wanted to win, he needed to pass through at least six rooms, so the more suitable rooms were better placed earlier on, with the hardest rooms ideally at the end. But now, the two he was weakest at were right at the front. The first was the Healing belief. Though An Su proclaimed himself as a saint of the medical arts, able to guarantee a two hundred percent survival rate in the emergency roomeven achieving zero negative feedback from all patients, perfectly handling the frequent medical disputeshe was widely recognized in the Chaotic Frontier. Yet, ''letting patients have twins and then sacrificing them''such advanced, civilized, and scientific medical techniques were too far ahead of the times; these backward, blood-drinking natives of another world probably wouldn''t be able to accept it. Then there was the Chastity belief. This sect was the second most niche among the seven major sects and possessed the highest difficulty for a Church''s exams; only a handful of saints qualified to enterits saints'' initiations required the approval of a holy creature designated by the goddess, the unicorns, known for their peculiar and perverted virgin obsessions. After all, no one was like the perennial virgin Merlin, who was naturally a Sacred Body of the Chastity Sect; it was a pity that he had bad luck with the Radiant Holy See and could not shine and thrive within the Chastity Cathedral. Continue your adventure with My Virtual Library Empire However, maintaining chastity was just the minimum requirement. Chastity Church was formally known as ''Chastity and Suffering Church,'' and its followers were not referred to as ''saints'' but should be called ascetics or sufferers. Just as the Druid Court corresponds with the Esoteric Sect''s Life Ecclesia, and the Order Church with the Sanctuary of Chaos, the Chastity Church corresponded with the Esoteric Sect''s Painful Church. Through decades of physical suffering rituals and spiritual cleansing decrees, they sought power, with ''suffering'' as their life''s pursuit. Their magical system was also associated with ''suffering''. Born into the Chenxing family, An Su had hardly experienced hardship, so his understanding of this sect was not profound. Ascetics adopted a variety of ways to practice, all in all, it involved actively seeking suffering, imposing various restrictions and decrees upon themselves in life, but during combat, they could turn those decrees upon their enemies. Some emulated the monks of Eastern nations, practicing silent meditations for over a decade without speaking, aiming to achieve the highest-tier Silence Decree, desiring to ban their enemies'' magic incantations in battle. Now, this gentleman has made some accomplishments; once he issued his Silence Decree, his opponents contracted the most severe halitosis, potentially knocking themselves unconscious as soon as they chanted, effectively achieving silence on a physical level. Others ascetics were more traditional yet enjoyed cosplaying. After researching ancient texts, one had drilled a hole in his palm. Once combat began and the Chastity Magic was successfully cast, he could cause a small hole to appear on his opponent, with the location determined by the rank difference between themsometimes in the head, sometimes in the chest, or perhaps the ear. If one''s rank was far superior to the enemy''s, a lethal hole could appear in critical areas like the head or chest, ensuring an instant kill; a smaller rank gap would only allow for a non-lethal location like the ear, leaving the opponent alive. Since ascetics possess more than one type of Chastity Magic, they had to endure multiple types of hardships simultaneously. These were just the typical ascetics; the highest-tier among them must be acknowledged as a saint. He was from the Chastity Sect during his sainthood, a genius amongst suffering since his youth and incredibly unlucky, who after witnessing all the pains of humanity, sought to reach the pinnacle of suffering by switching to the Radiance as an officer And then he followed Merlin. Each time he took the blame, he gained a deeper understanding of the Church''s corruption and the people''s suffering, After bearing the blame for Merlin more than a dozen times, this saint had now comprehended the absolute pinnacle of suffering, just awaiting the day to switch back to the Chastity Church, then he could ascend to a demigod of suffering, and his Chastity Decrees would reach the highest-tier ''Unselectable'' and ''Damage Transfer'' Decrees. However, it seems unlikely he''ll leave before Merlin finds another Blamebearing Saint. In summary, entrance conditions for the Chastity Church are extremely stringent, but in return, its Chastity Magic is quite twisted. An Su had barely suffered in his life, ending up in the awkward situation of having theory without practice. Excluding those two, the sequence of the other rooms hardly mattered; there was no significant impact. It just happened that those two were upfront... [An Su Moningsta (16)] Sar?h the n??el Fire.nt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. [Selection order draw complete] An Su gently knitted his brows, and then he noticed new text forming before him in the entangled light. He looked carefully, and his brows abruptly rose, Chapter 241 Bishop Morgan Declares He Is Not a Pedophile_2 [You can spend a thousand gold coins to redraw once.] "...." He subconsciously gauged the expressions of the saints around him and discovered that almost everyone''s face was covered with dark lines, No, Can this thing even be resurrected with money? They still remembered Bishop Morgan''s righteous assurance just now, "Justice is one of the seven virtues of the Church, and we will ensure absolute fairness and justice in selecting the child beloved by the gods." It was acceptable to draw based on luck, but now they had to pay money! How could this be considered justice? All the saints unanimously directed their questioning gazes towards the third floor''s Alchemical Bishop, each suspecting a conspiracy. Bishop Morgan looked down at the audience with interest, a faint smile playing on his lips; naturally, there was not a hint of conspiracy here. It was merely a plain shortage of funds to buy alchemical materials. The Chastity Church was not for the wealthy, while the Alchemical Church was not for the poor. A child like An Su was better suited for the Alchemical Church. "Ladies and gentlemen," Bishop Morgan cleared his throat, "the gods do not favor children with penciled brows and those impoverished. Moreover, this was specifically emphasized by His Excellency Merlin before he left. Although I have some objections, as Bishop Merlin insisted, there was no helping it, thus it was so decided." "By the way, Bishop Merlin also mentioned that if you are short of money, you can also apply for a loan from the Church...." So that''s how it is... All questioning gazes vanished, and everyone''s eyes cleared up, understanding now. It wasn''t surprising if it was Merlin. [Redraw] Discover hidden content at My Virtual Library Empire An Su placed an order directly, and many wealthy saints also redrew. An Su understood why Bishop Morgan was held in the same esteem as Merlin, with such powerful divine separation techniques surpassing the entire Church... Just like switching from a buyout system to an in-app purchase system for card drawing, Sarch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. These saints were already paying money to experience the exam, having paid the original fees, and getting a free draw when the server started, followed by paid draws; play if they like, roll out if not. Truly god-like skills, He figured out how the Alchemical Church''s alchemy could conjure gold from thin air! Thousands, tens of thousands of gold coins were instantly conjured by Bishop Morgan! After redrawing, the light continuously changed, and the emblem on the paper also twisted, the first Holy Seal was no longer an angel and wings, but instead, it was replaced with gears filled with mechanical design and vibrant steam, The first room, the Alchemical Church. An Su frowned slightly, not expecting his thoughts about the Alchemical Church to manifest first. He lifted his head to observe Bishop Morgan''s expression meticulously, but found this woman inscrutable, mainly because her radiance was too overpowering for An Su to see clearly. He wasn''t sure if it was by coincidence or intentional. The Alchemical Church then... he continued looking down, the subsequent order being the Druid Court, Radiant Holy See, Healing Church, Chastity Church, Celestial Church, Order Church. This sequence was quite satisfactory. [Second redraw complete] [Would you like to spend ten thousand gold coins to redraw?] An Su''s mouth twitched, he had gained a deep understanding of Bishop Morgan''s alchemy, but didn''t expect her to add a zero after just one draw! Would the fourth cost a hundred thousand gold coins? Although An Su could afford this ten thousand gold coins, he had always been the type to take advantage of others, always raiding homes and rifling through belongings in games. Last time he even snagged a surveillance camera from the exam site. He wasn''t used to being taken advantage of by others. Moreover, he had a premonition, almost a certainty, that even if he drew a third time, he would never get the perfect exam sequence. This was the underlying logic of drawing, now linked with the entire Nether World, and no amount of money would make a difference. Only fools would get carried away. Now Auntie was just waiting to burst his gold coins! "Is there any child who wishes to draw a third time?" Bishop Morgan looked around with a smile, all the saints lowered their heads, even the powerful aristocratic youths found ten thousand gold coins astronomical and shifted their gaze, resigning to their fate. After scanning the crowd and seeing no aristocratic youth redraw, she set her expectant gaze on the child An Su, her lips curling into a captivating and gentle smile, "Is there any child who wishes to redraw?" "Me." An Su raised his hand, his eyes shining with innocent light, "Your Majesty." "Mr. An Su, do you wish to draw a third time?" Bishop Morgan looked at him with a smile, indeed the most outstanding child here, naturally belonging to the Alchemical Church, unlike the ancient virgin Merlin, stingy and impecunious. Sister preferred rich and cute children like him. "No, Your Majesty, you have misunderstood my purpose," An Su smiled politely at Bishop Morgan, "What I mean to say is, I am not yet eighteen this year..." Bishop Morgan nodded, she had known already, turning sixteen two months and twenty-one days ago, and he wasn''t a pedophile, she just admired younger children, feeling they lacked the impatient and worldly demeanor of adults, the pursuits of fame and fortune, their eyes were also bright, and their skin soft and pale. She wasn''t a pedophile, just that she found the scent of children probably very pleasant, very pure, especially a child like An Su, with his long gray hair naturally flowing and gently swaying with the wind, his eye color, a satisfying pale aqua, resembling the deep and calm sea, made her want to count his eyelashes up close, but after all, she was not a pedophile, just very appreciative of An Su, sensing that such children''s pocket money was easily swindled by adults, and if his pocket money was swindled, he would surely look very pretty crying, though she was not a pedophile.