Tian Longwei prepared himself for a battle. His main concern was Cui Hong, as he knew her cultivation base was the same as his, though her sword aura made him wary.

Their gazes locked, and they both knew what they had to do. If they fought at the dark church, then the impacts from their fight would most definitely interfere with the lower cultivators, and they might end up killing an ally. So they both moved away from the dark church.

Once they were at a considerable distance, Cui Hong could no longer hold on. Getting into an attack stance, she made a fast and swift cutting motion.

Suddenly, the atmosphere turned chaotic, and time seemed to stop, for Tian Longwei that is. A sharp visible sword light emerged from Cui Hong's fragile sword and rapidly sought Tian Longwei. The latter fished a talisman out of his sleeve and poured qi into it with a rushed motion. A green turtle-like shell appeared out of the talisman and rapidly engulfed Tian Longwei.

*Bang*

A huge explosion resulted in sending Tian Longwei back. Using his qi and various techniques, he stabilized himself. Cold sweat dripped from his forehead in droplets, his face contorted into shock and fear, an expression he had long forgotten given how long it was when he was still at the bottom of the food chain.

Cui Hong, her gaze cold and predatory, looked at Tian Longwei. She was happy her opponent didn't succumb in one attack. Floating closer and closer to Tian Longwei, the latter kept moving back. It wasn't that he was afraid... maybe a little, but he didn't want to risk injuries.

Heavens, woman, why are you so persistent? Aren't you afraid of death? Tian Longwei thought to himself.

As a powerful cultivator with saint cultivation, he was a man that feared death and loved life. Fighting between high-level cultivators was only done as a last measure but never to settle a minor inconvenience.

"Young miss, why don't we discuss this over a cup of tea?" Tian Longwei started. Now that reality had dawned on him. He was going to try his best to de-escalate the situation. Even if he were to fight and win, an injury was a must, which was the same as a death sentence since any random cultivator would be able to finish him off.

"I gave you an option, but you refused. Now you're having second thoughts?" Cui Hong retorted, her melodious voice doing nothing to negate the chill it sent to Tian Longwei's spine.

As she spoke, she charged Tian Longwei, who sidestepped but was a second too late as Cui Hong's blade grazed his cheeks, red blood dripped from the cut, coloring his cheek red. With an annoyed expression, Tian Longwei used his qi and wiped the blood. But, soon, it was replaced. With increasing frustration, Tian Longwei wiped the blood again.

Goddamn it, why isn't it healing?

Tian Longwei noticed the wound wasn't healing despite it being a cut.

"Don't bother. You were careless. That is a special poison developed by the light church. Even a saint like you can only die. However, your tough vitality will help you survive for a few decades. A few decades of endless suffering as you realize and experience the helplessness your victims felt," Cui Hong said, her gaze no longer giving off the earlier fighting intent. To her, the battle was over .

"You.."

Tian Longwei wanted to say something, but a lack of proper words shut his mouth. From the start, he had underestimated Cui Hong. He had the impression of the light church being foolhardy justice seekers that would never use underhanded means to win a fight. And he was right, perhaps if he had encountered Cui Hong earlier, that would have been the case, but Cui Hong was learning if Mu Lei, the light emissary, used underhanded methods to win a fight. Who was she not to do the same?

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"I recommend committing suicide to avoid the pain. If you can't, I'll gladly do it for you."

Cui Hong's words showed her deep concern, but to Tian Longwei, he felt mocked. That's when he realized it. His beautiful face was going to have a scar. His fear for death was only bested with an unyielding hatred for the ugly. That's why occasionally, he would go hunting for the ugly fellows and put them out of their misery.

His anger grew by the minute as the realization struck him. His eyes burned with a red flame as his predatory gaze sized up Cui Hong.

Is he going through the stages of grief?

Cui Hong thought to herself as she got her weapon ready and her qi stable.

Like a gust of wind, Tian Longwei attacked, no weapons on his hand but a fearsome dark claw. Cui Hong didn't bother to dodge as this was her chance to issue a devastating blow.

*Slash*

Cui Hong's blade descended on Tian Longwei's arm. His hand was cut clean, leaving the claw stuck inside her gut. Blood spurted from both of them, but the only difference was, one was healing, while the other was not. Tian Longwei woke from his rage and realized he had erred again.

Using his qi as a plug-like, he stopped the bleeding. He had already moved a few paces away from Cui Hong. Looking at her, he saw as she pulled the hand from her guts and discarded it like trash.

Tian Longwei wasted no time as he quickly disappeared to get help. The dark church could get destroyed for all he cared.

Cui Hong didn't bother giving chase. The poison was impossible to cure, that plus the injury she got wasn't for show. She would need decades of self-seclusion to heal it perfectly.

At the dark church, the believers weren't fairing well. The battleships kept bombarding them with their cannons. Luckily, they had a defensive formation to hold them off, a formation that was cracking fast.

*Boom!*

The formation cracked with the last blow, leaving the dark believers defenseless and giving them enough time to see their esteemed senior shamelessly rush to safety with one hand. Their fighting spirit, just like the formation, crumbled.

The opposite was true for the light warriors. With a war cry, they descended on the dark believers. Their methods swift and fierce. A one-sided massacre followed on the unorganized dark church.

Cui Hong watched like a proud teacher. She was the one responsible for their training. And seeing them deliver judgment beautifully was enough to calm her heart.

The dark church branch was left as nothing more than a pile of worthless rubble as the battleships left. The treasures they held in pride were all plundered. Their building collapsed, corpses loitered, and dark miasma permeated the atmosphere. Resentment was all that was left, resentment for early death, resentment for being abandoned by the dark church. The resentful spirits remained as they awaited any passerby they could corrupt to get their revenge.

In the battleships, cheering and shoutings showed the celebratory atmosphere. The light warriors were happy their first mission was successful with only a few casualties. Cui Hong, too, celebrated. This was her first mission, and it was astounding to say the least.

Mother… father. I'll make you proud.

She thought to herself, just like her parents, she was giving her all for the light church.

----------------------------------------

A distance away, In Lin Feng's small house, with a book in his hand, a chess game in front of him, and a loyal dog sleeping at his feet. Lin Feng was feeling the joys of a quiet life. The book he was reading was surprisingly making him sleepy. Not wanting to fight it, he let sleep take control, and his arm holding the book dropped, dropping the book he was holding on the floor. The little dog was startled as it looked fearfully at the book, then at its master.

Has master fallen asleep?

The dog found the thought inconceivable. Joke, how could his great master fall asleep? Surely he was doing something great that was way above its small comprehension.

That must be it.

The little dog concluded as it picked the book with its mouth, jumped on the counter, and placed it there. With a simple divine scan to ensure no intruders, the dog went back to its master's feet and coiled into a furball to sleep.

Inside Lin Feng's dream, he visualized himself in the endless dark void, staring around. He had a weird feeling. It was as if he was staring at himself. The sensation lasted for a while before he slept for real.