Chapter 67: Furious Reprimand, the Furious Disappearance of Light
With the activation of the Heroic Spirit Principle, not to mention fifty individuals, even a hundred or five hundred people are simply insignificant foes.
The degrading blow of mystique never abides by reason.
The torrential tide of memories once again engulfed Jingūji, yet as long as one doesn't resist, there shall be no peril.
At most, there may be some mild symptoms of headache and fever. Even so, the Heroic Spirit Principle can still autonomously initiate the search for enemies and eradicate the weeds present here.
Bringing her along was the right choice, for if Bai Wei were to do it himself, it would inevitably require some extra effort.
Bai Wei walked through the front hall of the church, bypassed the stone sculptures, and proceeded forward through a side door until reaching the open space behind the church.
Here lies a garden, adorned with vibrant white blossoms.
In the outdoor environment, during winter, where temperatures are low and far from greenhouse conditions, hundreds of flowers bloom. Though they appear delicate and vibrant, there is an eerie quality to them.
In the garden, there is a person meticulously pruning the white flowers, holding a gardening tool in their hand, appearing just like an ordinary gardener.
The man in a Western-style robe raised his gaze, his eyes a vivid shade of blue, his skin fair and smooth, with chestnut curly hair. Evidently, he didn't belong to the ethnic group of this country.
"I thought it would take some time to find, but unexpectedly, someone actually came to me willingly."
He spoke, devoid of surprise in his tone, "It's normal for traitors to know about the stronghold, but… why is it only you alone?"
Bai Wei simply remained silent, then took a step to the side. After 0.5 seconds, the ground abruptly split open, revealing a three-meter-long mutated limb that resembled a plant's rhizome and the soft tissue of a marine organism. It pierced through the spot where Bai Wei had stood earlier, striking empty space.
He then took three steps to the left, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh… followed by three sharp piercing sounds cutting through the air.
Bai Wei expressed in Chinese, "Some things never change."
"Hehe…" the blue-eyed priest smiled, "I don't understand the language of the Ming Country."
"As a member of the Holy Church, to actually convert to the worship of an evil deity, while both are seemingly irredeemable, the former is at least somewhat harmless, while the latter is tantamount to nuclear contamination. If Yingzhou had a court of judgment, you would have already been sent to the gallows," Bai Wei said indifferently.
The blue-eyed priest outstretched his arms, "The Church taught me how to love mankind, while the evil deity taught me how to take it further… Both have greatly benefitted me, so how can faith be ranked in hierarchy?"
"Excessive greed leads to a miserable demise, especially for someone like you, who lacks faith."
"Do you have the authority to criticize me, a person from the Ming Country?"
"I am not here to engage in pointless conversation with you as a representative of the Ming Country, but still… I wouldn't waste words with a heretic."
"You cannot defeat me, especially not here," the blue-eyed priest exclaimed as he set aside the bouquet, a smile spreading across his face. "But you have arrived just in time."
[Avenis Vansterheim]
[Overall level: 47]
[Holy Order Cavalry 17; Dark God Missionary 30]
[Dissimilation degree: 70%; Vitality: 100%]
[Title: The Defiled]
[[Lack of faith, impure beings who act solely for power and authority]]
[Warning: Extremely high danger level!]
[Warning: Life is precious!]
[Warning: Stay calm, exercise restraint, flee!]
A row after row of high-risk entries flashed before Bai Wei's eyes; he had encountered them countless times. Nevertheless, each time he saw them, an overwhelming sense of oppression lingered.
Well, it's like playing a game from the Dark Souls series, passing through the foggy gate, with the background music chiming in, solemn and solemn. The boss in the scene exudes an immense sense of oppression, while you realize that you haven't saved your progress in quite a while, and you glance at your whopping 300,000 souls you possess… Involuntarily, you begin gripping the game controller tightly, your palms sweating. It's difficult to dispel this deep-rooted fear, this overwhelming sense of dread. The best course of action to discard such a feeling is, without a doubt, to defeat it in a solitary battle.
This treatment method is suitable for all monsters phobic, from Monster Hunter to Dark Souls.
With these thoughts in mind, Bai Wei couldn't help but burst into laughter, a carefree and hearty laugh.
"What are you laughing at?"
The priest with blue eyes showed displeasure on his face, and no one could continue bragging and laughing recklessly after seeing his true nature.
This attitude of treating him as a dead person is excessively arrogant, triggering memories of certain unpleasant experiences.
Unfortunately… once again, a damned person from the Ming Country!
"I have actually given you many opportunities, but you didn't seize them."
"Out of a hundred attempts, you were unable to kill me."
Bai Wei concealed his smile.
"Now… it's my turn."
The impure one sneered, considering him merely an arrogant person, and replied with a somber tone, "Such shameless boasting."
His body has undergone over seventy percent of transformation, implying a significant deviation from the human race.
The jet-black tentacles extending from his back swayed, emitting a sharp whistling sound as if they were steel blades.
Bai Wei took a step forward, raising his right hand with a swift and fluid motion. A cold gleam swiftly extended from his palm, as the Han sword landed into his grasp. The tentacle-like appendages were swiftly severed by a single slash.
This nameless blade still retains its original essence, but it has undergone slight transformations. Its ordinary appearance has become slightly more vivid, with a smoother blade and a hilt that has transformed into a steel tiger head clasping onto an iron ring… It has also become more wieldy at the same time!
The qi-infused blade relentlessly cuts through the air, its cold gleam shattering the steel-like transformed appendages.
The majority of the followers of the dark deity are often not formally trained in combat, yet they still pose a tremendous threat. The reason lies in the bestowed blessings of the malevolent god, gradually causing humans to undergo a transformation into another form of life. Just as the disciples of Cthulhu become entwined with inhuman entities, the dark deity taints the consciousness, spirit, and physical form of humans, enabling them to transcend their current state of existence… This may be seen as a form of degradation, but to the followers of the dark deity, it represents a way to transcend the mundane. By continuously numbing their mental and physical faculties, it is believed that they can achieve a realm of ultimate bliss in a different sense.
I am no longer human! Why cling to the ways of human existence!
Buzz--!
Bai Wei continued to swing his blade. Within a short distance of five steps, he had already executed thirty strikes, yet he dared not recklessly advance.
The human strength is finite, and after exhausting it, one must go through a prolonged process of replenishing breath.
With one breath, if it is not accomplished in a single breath, there is a high probability of turning into a lifeless being.
Bai Wei brandished his blade, with a chilling radiance wrapped around it, exuding a seven-foot length of sword aura, making him appear as if wielding a sharp and prominent spear.
The blade's radiance severed the white flower bushes on both sides at waist height.
The blue-eyed priest stood tall, his back straightened, and his brows furrowed with a hint of surprise. The pure utilization of sword aura like this had already reached the realm of a swordsman, which left him somewhat astonished.
When did the quality of Ming Country's heroes become so high?
However, after all, they are warriors and cannot compare to the celestial beings in the heavens!
The blue-eyed priest raised his hand and slashed across the palm of his hand, spilling a handful of blood. The blood moistened the white flowers, and harmless plants instantly sprouted from the ground, resembling skeletal soldiers emerging from the earth, guarding the undead monarch. The petals turned a vibrant red color, and more than twenty man-eating flowers quickly filled the path. Bai Wei found himself trapped in a encirclement, as the ground was torn open by their intertwined roots, rendering him unable to even stand steadily. How could he respond to such a situation?
Although the blue-eyed priest appears genteel and refined, he is already well into his fifties and highly skilled in combat, setting him apart fundamentally from ordinary fanatics.
He didn't believe that Bai Wei had the capability to threaten his life's safety, nor did he think that he would die here.
However, in the next moment, the soldiers surrounding him were torn apart in an instant, as if by a flash of lightning.
Secret Technique, Flashing Purple Light.
The chaotic backdrop of dancing demons didn't last for more than ten seconds, and the scene of despair was torn apart as if a mischievous sprite, oblivious to its beauty, forcefully ripped it apart with scissors.
Bai Wei made a sweeping strike, cleaving through the transformed plants, and with that, he closed the distance, leaving only five steps between him and the blue-eyed priest.
With another raise of his blade, a majestic surge of sword aura amassed, exuding a powerful momentum akin to the crashing tide against the shore!
The pupils of the blue-eyed priest constricted intensely, and before he realized his underestimation of his opponent, he felt a wave of shame wash over him.
In Yingzhou, the renowned swordsmen are known for their expertise in the art of taking lives. Their blades and swords are employed in service of the shogunate, serving the purpose of taking lives, yet they are not adept at dealing with adversaries of more extreme nature.
Because killing is too easy, while slaying demons and evil spirits is exceedingly difficult, the weapons associated with the rumors of swordsmanship that can vanquish these supernatural entities have gained an almost mythical reputation.
Upon the land of the Ming Country resides the ancestral warrior, renowned as Chiyou.
The wandering knight, bearing both sword and dagger, has long traversed the realm where immortals and demons coexist for thousands of years.
To the people of the Ming Country, the ultimate romance of blades and swords lies in sweeping away mountains and seas, vanquishing all evil spirits, reminiscent of a single sword that encompasses the chilling coldness of the fourteen provinces.
Both emanating with auras of knives and swords, yet the intentions and purposes of the respective parties are diametrically distinct, leading to fundamentally different lines of thinking and paths of progression.
Bai Wei, with a composed gesture while wielding the Han sword, embodies the artistic conception of crashing waves in the river. In an instant, the rivers and streams surge for thousands of miles, exuding a majestic and magnificent aura.
The impure one caught a whiff of a deadly scent, a familiar and fatal menace!
Being fellow compatriots of the Ming Country, with similar initial gestures, and this overwhelming sense of lethality…
Like! It's so alike!
The priest's blue eyes protruded with bloodshot veins, forming a striking sight. He clenched his fist, and prominent blue veins bulged beneath his skin.
The sword aura and sword aura surged and struck his face like a tidal wave, delivering a resounding slap.
Five years ago, he was entrusted with a mission in the Ming Country, and it was during that very undertaking that he lost half of his life.
Hounded relentlessly by the immortal sect of Baiyu Jing, he found no refuge and thus sought solace in the underground sewer for a month.
Upon the lands of the Ming Country, he fled in desperation, yet wherever he went, there was no place of serenity to be found, like a wretched stray without a home.
The final threat that nearly took his life was a white-haired immortal woman, whose sword aura surged like tidal waves and whose elusively mysterious mist-like presence left an indelible mark on his memory throughout his life.
The adversary pursued him relentlessly, until they crossed over the national border.
Separated by the national border, a mere thirty meters apart, the woman's cold and menacing gaze, accompanied by a disdainful sneer as she turned away, deeply wounded his sense of self-worth.
That sense of humiliation and anguish compelled him to immediately abandon all pretense.
The identity as a teacher of the nation no longer held significance; all he desired was power. In pursuit of it, he willingly cast aside his humanity and surrendered himself to the embrace of the malevolent deity.
At this moment, the young man before him also became the source of this sense of humiliation and anguish, as the memories of shame and past injustices roared within him, compelling him to seek retribution.
And then, the blue-eyed priest let out a roar, exclaiming, "People of the Ming Country!"
He stared at the person before him who hailed from the Ming Country, and even though he was not her, it still filled him with a seething hatred, making his teeth grind.
He no longer wished to evade and escape. With his hands raised, the pitch-black tendrils pierced into his flesh. Suddenly, his arms collided and melded together, as if six arms had instantaneously materialized. He forcefully shattered the ground beneath him, roaring as he charged towards Bai Wei.
Bai Wei immediately retracted his gathering momentum in his blade stance, realizing it was merely a bluff. If he truly possessed the ability to cleave mountains and seas with a single stroke, he would have long stationed himself outside the church, preparing to strike down not only the edifice but also everything within it.
Both sides engaged in a fierce close combat, where the blue-eyed priest and Bai Wei shared the same training under the tutelage of the Church. Every move they made displayed great power and weight, defying the principles of basic physics. Bai Wei found himself at a disadvantage, overpowered and sent flying several meters away by a single strike. Yet, his opponent allowed no time for respite, relentlessly pursuing him with relentless punches that battered his flesh. The once pristine garden was left in a ruined and disfigured state.
He appeared deeply consumed by a malevolent darkness, his expression contorted, resembling a fearsome beast. From beneath his torn skin dripped dark red blood.
The impure one roared.
"You, a mere ordinary cultivator, who has meditated for only a few years and trained in swordsmanship for a few years. Meanwhile, I have received the blessing of the Archangel of Authority, embodying the prowess of a Tri-Winged Sky Cavalry Commander, with twenty years of backbreaking labor. What gives you the right to surpass me, to drive me away like a wretched cur!"
"You want to kill me! Just by you! I am no longer the person I once was. In the past five years, I have received five blessings from the eldritch gods, each time obtaining extraordinary power and evolution! For five years, I have yearned to scoop out your heart, devour your liver while still pulsating, offering it as a sacrifice to the malevolent deity, aiding me in ascending to another level!"
He roared, facing Bai Wei, but his words were not directed at Bai Wei. Uttering incoherent rants, his speech disjointed and intermittent, he planted his feet firmly on the ground, as his entire body's strength continued to surge.
However, Bai Wei's condition is not favorable. His true energy is significantly depleted, having suffered several consecutive heavy blows. His internal organs are shaken and the previous injuries appear to be resurfacing, as he coughs up several mouthfuls of blood.
He had a pallid complexion, and he flexed his sore arm slightly, saying, "What are you talking about, my friend?"
The blue-eyed priest ceased his murmuring and looked at Bai Wei, grinning slyly, "You are not her, indeed you fall far short of the mark."
Bai Wei feels self-assured, saying to himself, "There's not much of a difference… If she can kill you, I can too."
The impure one grinned menacingly, saying, "I will tear you apart and bury you in the earth, do you have any last words?"
Bai Wei shook his head and said, "Don't you find it strange why I would barge in? As a native of the Ming Country, I came to the church to protect the lives of the people in Yingzhou. I risked losing half of my life by attacking you. Do you think I've gone mad?"
The priest furrowed his brow, his expression subtly changing.
Bai Wei said indifferently, "Time has come."
The broadsword slipped from his hand, tossed effortlessly with a casual flick.
He tore off a piece of his sleeve, and the runic symbols engraved on his arm shimmered one by one. The wound, from which blood flowed, glowed like scorching molten lava.
The blue-eyed priest looked into them, he was too familiar with this. He had seen it many times before, used by those fearsome religious inquisitors who made heretics tremble at their name.
The miraculous divine spell that the Flame Judges adore the most, it is also the exceptional torture that terrifies heretics and leaves them in complete disarray.
"You!" the priest exclaimed, as if plunging into an icy abyss, and bellowed, "How can it be you!"
"Heretic!" Bai Wei solemnly declared with a dignified expression, "You shall be subjected to… the extreme punishment of flames!"
The fierce encirclement of flames rose from the earth, transforming into crosses, iron shackles, and spears, firmly imprisoning him.
Once a member of the holy faith, but having betrayed its teachings and instead pledged allegiance to the dark deity, transforming into an abomination, the accumulation of numerous sins renders him unforgivable.
The application of judgment-based divine magic upon him will manifest an effect of three hundred percent.
Bai Wei clenched his five fingers, submerging his entire left hand into the fervent flames, his complexion turning as pale as paper.
The blue-eyed priest is subjected to the divine flames of judgment, yet it is not enough to completely consume him, despite being firmly restrained, he continues to struggle.
Bai Wei catches the descending Ring-head sword, his burning left arm bending, gripping the Han sword, exerting force as he swiftly wipes it, causing the blade to be enveloped in roaring flames.
With a ground-shaking sprint, stepping upon the burning barren flower mound, like a gust of wind soaring through the air, a whirlwind stirs in the realms of heaven and earth.
With a decisive swing, the blade pierces downwards.
The unclean one experiences a terrifying catastrophe as he desperately raises his hands in an attempt to resist the imminent doom, yet flames and sharp blades penetrate through his hands, the sword plunging into his crown, causing him to open his mouth, emitting a soundless roar, as his blood fuels the divine flames.
With a deafening roar, the flames spread out in a ring-like fashion, engulfing everything in the surrounding area, even leaving a layer of dark char marks upon the structure of the church, causing the railings to tremble precariously, as if unable to find tranquility amidst the relentless gusts of wind.
Bai Wei firmly grasps the trembling hilt and twists it forcefully by ninety degrees.
Click… The figure is severed into two charred charcoal pieces, devoid of any vitality and motion.
