Chapter 6: Twist (7)
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Inside the Imperial Palace.
In the vast square in front of the Grand Hall, which could hold at least twenty thousand people, a massive gathering of black-robed cultists, each wearing the unique sun emblem of the God of Light around their necks, bowed their heads in fervent prayer under the direction of the Messenger Morris.
No matter how chaotic the outside world was, their positions never wavered.
Without a doubt, most of these people had been followers since the establishment of the Church of Light.
Their piety had withstood the test of time; even when faced with d*ath as a threat to abandon their faith, they would only go to their demise with a smile, unwavering.
Amidst this crowd, there were also a few high-ranking clerics, those above the title of Archbishop.
Their prayers were undoubtedly more efficient than those of the fervent followers. Just as the Emperor secretly returned to the royal city through earth manipulation, it was like an RPG hero regaining full health in an instant.
Morris, standing nonchalantly at the front of the crowd, scanned his surroundings, his mind wandering.
He simply couldn’t leave again.
Previously, when he had taken the time to visit the Harpist Academy, upon returning to the royal city, he found himself surrounded by people who treated him like a beloved star, claiming that the Son of God had tasked them with chanting scriptures in the royal city for a day.
As a figure of worship for the followers, the Messenger of Light was second only to the Son of God. If he led them, it would surely yield twice the result with half the effort.
Morris suspected that the Emperor had grown suspicious of him and had ordered the clerics to keep him occupied.
If he intentionally broke away from the group, he would be seen as a traitor and swiftly executed.
After all, the prestige of the Son of God had now overshadowed him, and even if a rift were to arise, he was certain few would stand with him.
At this moment, the siege on the city walls should have reached a conclusion, but he was unaware whether the Emperor had won or lost.
All he could do now was chant along with these guys and watch the situation unfold.
After all, in his days at the palace, he hadn’t noticed any actions from the Emperor aside from continuously preaching under the guise of the Son of God.
Just then, a group of flying figures approached from above the royal city, led by none other than the Messenger Lin, whom Morris had been thinking about for ages.
The devotees remained unfazed, as if these intruders simply did not exist.
Morris was about to break away from the group when suddenly two clerics appeared behind him.
“Lord Messenger, the Emperor has instructed you not to leave this place.”
Morris snorted coldly. “You two really think you can stop me?”
As soon as he said that, the two clerics actually retreated, seemingly not daring to confront him head-on.
Morris found it a bit strange, but seeing that Lin was nearly reaching the Grand Hall’s heights, he didn’t think more about it and set out to meet him.
But just at that moment, something terrifying occurred.
Aside from Morris, the two highest-ranking clerics in the church slowly ascended the platform, scanning over the fervent followers.
Strangely enough, the drone of chanting that had been filling the air suddenly vanished, leaving an eerie silence.
“Devout followers, the time has come for us to offer ourselves to the God of Light!
Remember, d*ath does not mean the end; on the contrary, it is the beginning of all things, a spring of rejuvenation.
Without d*ath, how can there be rebirth?”
Just as the words fell, both clerics drew daggers, swiftly slitting their own throats.
bl**d gushed forth, yet they wore smiles, seemingly feeling no pain at all.
As the clerics fell, nearly twenty thousand fervent followers simultaneously pulled out their own knives.
Witnessing all this, Lin Nan exclaimed, “Oh no! It’s the bl**d of All Spirits Formation! We must stop them!”
But, of course, no one could halt the throngs of zealots who cared nothing for their own lives.
They all sliced their own necks.
In mere moments, the entire square was transformed into a mountain of corpses and a sea of bl**d, the intense stench hitting Lin Nan and the others like a slap across the face.
“It’s madness! What on earth is that dog of an Emperor trying to do?”
Lilith could hardly fathom the Emperor’s actions, and Morris was equally incredulous.
After years of hard work growing the Church of Light and attracting so many devout followers, was the Emperor truly intent on having them sacrifice their lives in the name of God at the right moment?
The thought sent chills down his spine.
“It’s too late! Once the bl**d of All Spirits Formation activates, no one can stop it.”
Even Lin Nan couldn’t understand why Bel was so determined to recreate this formation.
Initially, the Great Palace Master of the Flowerless Palace had gone to great lengths, bearing the wrath of generations, to activate the bl**d formation. Their purpose was to sacrifice lives to delay divine punishment, allowing people on the continent to prepare during that buffer time—hoping for a shred of survival.
Clearly, Bel wouldn’t be so selfless, wanting to mimic the Great Palace Master in praying for divine mercy upon the Asking Dao Continent.
He must have another intention.
If sacrificing lives through the bl**d of All Spirits Formation was meant to gain the God’s attention and establish a communication channel, then he must be after something from the divine.
And just as Lin Nan contemplated this, while the shock of the others still lingered,
a purple figure suddenly dashed out from the Grand Hall, racing toward Lin Nan like a bolt of lightning.
Xi and the others quickly positioned themselves in front of Lin Nan, bracing for impact.
But Lin Nan waved them down, saying, “It’s a friend.”
Rong Ji halted in her tracks, unable to look away from the horrific scene in the square, urgently declaring, “Witch, I’ve discovered the Emperor’s secret!”
“Oh?”
“Below the hall, there’s a massive underground space. I secretly followed the Emperor after discovering the entrance and rushed here to report to you.”
Lin Nan frowned.
So that’s it!
If what Rong Ji said was true, then the abyss the bl**d Moon Team had been desperately searching for was located right beneath the royal city. No wonder they hadn’t been able to find it despite expanding their search range—it was a clever trick played by the Emperor.
At that moment, a faint bl**d fog enveloped the royal city above, and as time passed, the hue of the fog deepened.
There was no mistaking that the power of the bl**d of All Spirits Formation was gradually coming to fruition. If they didn’t hurry, the Emperor’s plot would be unstoppable.
“Rong Ji, lead the way!”
“Yes, my Lord.”
Since Rong Ji frequently roamed the palace, she was quite familiar with the terrain here.
The path leading from the Grand Hall to the underground passage was intricate and maze-like, with many misleading routes. One wrong turn, and they would be crushed beneath tons of rubble, never to escape again.
Utilizing her exceptional memory and her skill at activating mechanisms, Rong Ji moved with a style that perfectly mirrored the Emperor’s.
After about twenty minutes, the group finally activated the last mechanism and entered the vast pit beneath the Grand Hall.
To their shock, the place was brightly lit, as if it were daylight.
No wonder the players trapped here had assumed this was an exposed pit; it was actually nothing of the sort.
