"The situation with His Highness the Sixth is not good."

The elderly man, who had just returned from the depths of the Mist Sea, looked solemn:

"He was indeed falling into the subspace, but this fall has been forcibly halted, or rather, he has been... abandoned by the subspace?"

The director of the Secret Adjustment Bureau, an elder surpassing the level of the Celestial Envoy, frowned:

"This has directly led to the backlash against His Highness the Sixth; he will be difficult to awaken in the short term."

Lu Fenghua's expression tightened, his fingers tapping restlessly on the table. After a moment, he spoke:

"The Jiuzhou has completely fallen into subspace, equivalent to an extension of subspace into reality, yet it has bizarrely gone missing. Has there been any progress on investigating the events of that day?"

"None. I asked Wu Mengling; she saw nothing. All of the over a hundred rioters present are dead, their souls shredded by the shockwaves from the subspace!"

The director sighed:

"Right now, we can only escort His Highness the Sixth back to the Eastern Hong Kingdom. If his condition worsens and he dies in our great city, it might trigger a major conflict between us and the Eastern Hong Kingdom."

Lu Fenghua nodded heavily:

"I will assign this matter to others. The priority is still to uncover the whereabouts of the Jiuzhou."

The director nodded:

"We're investigating, but it's difficult. I visited the scene and even tried to reverse time, but found nothing. Everything was obscured by a terrifying being of suspected divine level."

After a pause, he seemed to recall something:

"By the way, Lord City Master, during my trip to the Outer Third Ring, I encountered a strange individual."

"Who?"

"A kid named Chen Xiang. He's been spreading faith rampantly in the Outer Third Ring, using himself as the anchor of that faith. I've observed him for two days, and at this rate, a large cult encompassing the Outer Third Ring will be born."

As he spoke, the director's expression turned grave:

"A saint or even a celestial envoy could never reach this level; he must have some god standing behind him."

Lu Fenghua pondered for a moment before waving his hand:

"Then there's no need to worry. The Outer Third Ring is already functioning as an experimental ground; cults and divine descents will undoubtedly surge. As long as they don't affect the main city, let them be."

The director nodded, and before leaving, seemed to remember something:

"By the way, Lord City Master, during my visit to the Outer Third Ring, I met the Seventh Highness from the Eastern Hong Kingdom. She mentioned that she would accompany His Highness the Sixth back."

Lu Fenghua casually nodded:

"Well, the bond between those siblings seems quite good."

...

"Order... is quite laughable."

The gaunt old man strolled through the streets, commenting indifferently.

Accompanying him was a young girl in a short skirt with a ponytail, who respectfully said:

"Great Archbishop, the descent of the Void Spirit Church will begin tomorrow. I heard that the vessel is this guy who created the so-called Order Church."

Slightly regretful, she continued:

"In just seven days, or even less, he's managed to develop a church with no foundation to this extent. That vessel is indeed talented; what a pity."

The gaunt old man nodded slightly:

"He is indeed talented, but the vessel cannot be replaced. He is a perfect vessel, seemingly a favored follower of the Abyssal Lord, almost akin to a saint."

"Almost akin to a saint?"

The girl was somewhat surprised:

"How can you tell?"

The gaunt old man smiled faintly:

"The other day, this vessel performed a so-called miracle. I watched from the side as he summoned black flames to bestow a large amount of vitality. To master the black flames to this degree, his level of favor must be close to that of a saint."

"Then, if we use him as a vessel, will the Abyssal Lord become angry?"

"What if he does?"

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The gaunt old man smiled:

"The anger of the gods will not descend upon us. And do you think the great outer gods are united? In fact, the great outer gods are also competing against each other."

"What a pity that kid is not a true Abyssal Saint; otherwise, if we turned him into a vessel, the great Lord of the Void would surely grant divine favor, and both you and I would gain glory."

Before he could finish, the girl's phone rang. She glanced at it and said:

"Great Archbishop, it's a message from that bishop of the Void Spirit Church. They say that the situation has exceeded their expectations, and given the current circumstances in the Outer Third Ring, it's difficult for them to make the vessel obedient. They are requesting assistance."

"Is that so?"

The gaunt old man said nonchalantly:

"Then you should go take care of it. I have other important matters."

"Yes, Great Archbishop."

The girl nodded respectfully but couldn't help but ask:

"Great Archbishop, where are you going?"

The gaunt old man looked up at the terrifying rift that split into the heavens and smiled:

"The Great City is not worth my personal descent. I have three matters to attend to."

"First, retrieve the Twilight Relic."

"Second, take The Book of All-Knowledge."

"Third, bring away the ancient altar as well."

After a pause, he gazed deeply:

"The Original Fear has taken The Book of All-Knowledge, but for some reason, it has shown resistance to the upcoming actions, rejecting the church's decree for the first time. But no matter, I will take action myself."

"But..."

The girl said with some concern:

"The true masters of the Great City will not sit by and watch you take away the altar. If the Original Fear doesn't act, then it might..."

She didn't continue.

The gaunt old man smiled:

"What's wrong? Do you think I'm no match for Lu Saleng?"

He proudly lifted his head:

"Within the Abyssal Void Church, only the Pope and the Original Fear are stronger than me. In this world, I can also be called invincible. As for Lu Saleng..."

The gaunt old man stretched his body and extended his withered fist:

"If it weren't for this being the domain of the Master of Death, which gives me some restraint, in truth, in the same realm, I could suppress everything with one hand."

"Even Lu Saleng."

"I have already established myself at the very peak of the ascent to divinity; if faith is sufficient, I too can become a true god."

The girl finally relaxed and nodded earnestly:

"Then, I will go."

"Go, capture the vessel and nail him to the inverted cross, waiting for the god to descend."

After watching the girl leave,

The gaunt old man leisurely walked to a villa, pausing for a long time before pushing the door open.

"Another guest has arrived?"

A gentle voice came from inside, and sitting in a wheelchair was a boy who, before they knew it, had transformed into a frail old man, his golden and silver eyes slightly dimmed.

"Lu Saleng."

The thin, old man gracefully performed a bow:

"I have long heard your name, and today I finally get to meet you."

"Nothing remarkable."

The old man withEthereal Eye (different-colored pupils) smiled, returning to his original appearance:

"I heard your words. I have come for the Twilight relic, for The Book of All-Knowledge, for the ancient altar."

He lowered his eyelids and calmly asked:

"To activate the Twilight relic, you need a council member's token. Did you bring one?"

"I brought it. Why? Do you want it?"

The thin old man spoke indifferently, gazing steadily at theEthereal Eye (different-colored pupils) old man:

"You should know that with a single hand, I could suppress you and tear you apart within three breaths. I do not speak lightly."

TheEthereal Eye (different-colored pupils) old man remained silent for a moment and then nodded slightly:

"Indeed, you do not speak lightly."

"But in my Great City, how can you say such arrogant words?"

He stood up, both异色瞳孔 (pupils of different colors) shining with radiant light!

"This place..."

"...is all within my divine realm."

The Great City trembled slightly.

"I had anticipated this, so..."

"...it is useless."

The thin old man smiled, also spreading his hands. The void around him burst apart, and terrifying fissures engulfed the entire villa!!

"The void is temporary; all gods' realms must fall silent!"

The restlessness of the Great City was forcibly subdued, as if an invisible giant hand had grasped its throat, preventing it from speaking!

Lu Saleng's expression changed:

"What a grand scheme, what immense audacity! You actually brought the Abyssal Void here in person. What will you do if it is lost here?"

"In the same realm, I am invincible."

"Moreover, there is primal fear sitting beside me."

"What is there to fear?"

The thin old man laughed, his幽光 (ghostly light) bursting forth like a tide, overwhelming theEthereal Eye (different-colored pupils) old man.

The latter's expression became grave to an extreme, and he spoke in a deep voice:

"No one can bully the Great City, not even you from the Abyssal Void Church. If you wish for war, I shall respond with bloodshed, even at the cost of my life!"

He too shone with dazzling light, clashing and intertwining with the幽光 (ghostly light), both being obliterated in a burst of terrible, indescribable power.

This power, capable of destroying the entire Great City, was forcibly suppressed by theEthereal Eye (different-colored pupils) old man, who collided with the thin old man!

"I have said it before."

The thin old man stood with his hands behind his back.

"Under the true gods, all beings can be suppressed with just one hand."

"Why continue to waste effort?"

Nine Rings.

Tian Ding Hotel, Rooftop.

Alone on the rooftop, Chen Xiang suddenly felt a deep unease, a heavy pressure rising in his heart, accompanied by a frantic warning from his instincts!

"The wind is rising."

He extended his hand, quietly feeling the gentle breeze.

That wind grew stronger.

Chen Xiang looked up and saw the sky, once bright, suddenly change—half was covered by幽色 (ghostly color), and the other half was obscured by brilliant light!!

The entire Great City fell into panic.

Squinting against the blinding light, Chen Xiang vaguely saw two towering figures standing in the half-sky, the gale rising from there, space cracking little by little, resembling a collapsing sky!!

Gradually, it appeared that the幽光 (ghostly light) was about to engulf the brilliant light, with the god standing in the brilliant light falling to a disadvantage.

"The old cripple is causing trouble again," the mirror suddenly spoke up.

"Oh? What do you mean by that?"

Chen Xiang became interested and asked curiously.

The mirror replied angrily:

"To answer your question, I can clearly sense that the god standing in the幽光 (ghostly light) is at the very peak of the divine ladder, a pseudo-god infinitely close to the true god level."

"And then?"

"Then..."

The mirror spat:

"The old cripple was already a true god long ago!"

Chen Xiang was taken aback for a moment, then quickly reacted. The original council members were already true gods?

Right, it had been mentioned at the council that the three council members had amassed vast faith through the Old Council, and their true power had already surpassed the original; they had just been hiding it.

So...

Chen Xiang glanced at theEthereal Eye (different-colored pupils) figure in the sky, nearly engulfed in幽光 (ghostly light), swaying precariously in the deep幽中 (darkness), with a peculiar expression.

The old path was indeed quite good at pretending.

Shaking his head, Chen Xiang turned his gaze to the space fissures tearing apart the sky, his expression gradually growing solemn.

"The god has stood in the heavens."

"Now, the moment has come."