"That... is faith?"

A mischievous child, sucking on a lollipop, gazed in wonder at the miraculous scene of rainwater flowing upward and dark clouds dispersing. He murmured, "It's fascinating—such a vast power of faith! How could this little guy convert so many followers in just a few days?"

Next to him, an old woman wearing a wizard's hat chuckled softly and replied, "It's simple: establish order in chaos, give hope to the desperate, and then display a few miracles. Isn't that what your Abyss Church excels at?"

"Nonsense!" The child spat out his lollipop, dissatisfied. "We've tried that method in the East Hong Kingdom, and it didn't work at all. It's you..."

He turned to the old woman. "You're the one from the Crimson Church who's really good at this, right? Creating wars in the name of the Crimson to save the suffering and harvest their faith. Hmph, don't deny it! Look at how chaotic the Sky Nation has become!"

"Same to you, then?" The old woman shrugged nonchalantly. "I sense a vague aura; the bishops from the other churches have arrived, and war is about to begin."

Excitement and ecstasy lit up her face. The child from the Abyss Church scoffed, "You're the lucky one. Sometimes, I really envy your Crimson Church. You get stronger by guiding and participating in wars."

"Aren't you from the Abyss Church too? As long as you create destruction and chaos, you'll grow stronger. Personally, I think the guys in the Hall of Thought have it the easiest; they only need to research forbidden knowledge."

The two bishops casually chatted, both awaiting the sunset, the moment when the gods would descend.

The descent of the gods would also mark the beginning of their fierce battle.

"What a pity for this place of order," the Crimson Bishop said lightly. "When the gods fight, this place will cease to exist, and countless lives will be lost. It's already destined."

As they spoke, more and more people gathered towards Saint Luo Square. The thirty-six pure white knights rhythmically struck their shields with guns or spears, creating a resounding sound akin to war drums.

"Xiaotong, what exactly did you see?"

Outside the square, an anxious mother looked at her trembling daughter.

"What did your eyes see?"

Li Xiaotong had a mental imprint that made it impossible for her to narrate everything about Chen Xiang. However, others around her did not have this restriction.

She shivered slightly and swallowed hard. "Mom, I saw gods—nine of them, silently gazing!"

The mother's expression changed. Gods?

Why had the gods come?

Her instincts told her that a storm was about to brew.

Li Xiaotong took a deep breath, instinctively covering her eyes, and murmured, "The nine gods are gathering, preparing for battle."

"Get everyone home, close the doors and windows, and plug your ears," the mother said gravely. Xiaotong would not make such a mistake. A divine battle was about to break out!

Even a battle of false gods would shake the world; ordinary people shouldn't even dare to gaze upon it. They might even die from simply hearing the clang of weapons clashing!

What exactly was happening?

What was about to happen?

The mother was frantically on high alert, sending her subordinates to urgently disperse the gathering crowd. Some complied, while others resisted. But at that moment, Chen Xiang spoke up.

"This is the day of darkness, the moment when the deepest and most silent night arrives. A disaster will erupt; what you should do is return home and await the dawn."

The people complied.

In an instant, the entire Saint Luo Square was cleared, leaving only the thirty-six pure white knights and nine distinct figures.

There was the old woman in the wizard's hat, the child with the lollipop, the serene girl holding books, and the elegant young man playing the violin.

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Li Xiaotong covered her eyes, and the mother felt a constant alarm in her heart. She instinctively thought that those who remained were all gods!

Mr. Chen was on the cross.

The knights were waiting.

The nine gods surrounded them.

The atmosphere gradually thickened, and strands of terrifying pressure spread, causing the air to visibly ripple.

The mother was forced to back away with Li Xiaotong, retreating from Saint Luo Square, anxiously gazing from a distance.

Not only was she watching, but also Professor Su, who was still injured, various high-profile figures from the inner third ring, and Wei Qingqiu, who was about to return to the East Hong Kingdom.

"Old Chen,"

Wei Qingqiu lowered her gaze and turned to the great city lord not far away.

"Lu Yi, what exactly is happening? Can you help my friend?"

Lu Fenghua glanced sideways and sighed softly.

"I wish I could help, but this time it's a struggle between the nine external god churches. The Great City cannot intervene, nor dare to intervene."

"The nine external god churches?" Wei Qingqiu's heart tightened. "What are they fighting over? What does it have to do with Old Chen?"

Lu Fenghua furrowed her brow.

"Enough, LittleQi. Don't think too much or observe too closely. Your friend comes from the Old Council, and he has already reached the end of the road; there's no chance of survival. Forget about him."

Wei Qingqiu's chest heaved violently, and a determined expression flickered across her face.

"Lu Yi, I don't care what old or new, or about the external gods. I want to save him; he's my dear friend!"

"How will you save him? With half a foot in the sage realm?" Lu Fenghua was somewhat annoyed.

"I have a way."

Wei Qingqiu spoke firmly and stepped outside.

"I will clear all the false gods."

Lu Fenghua was taken aback for a moment, then her pupils constricted slightly as she came to a realization.

"Stop!"

She issued a decree, and the power of the true god converged, firmly immobilizing Wei Qingqiu.

"Lu Yi!" Wei Qingqiu exclaimed, both shocked and angry.

Lu Fenghua stepped forward, took a deep breath, and said,

"It's the contingency your father left you, right? Using it at this time, how will I face your father? LittleQi, I'm sorry."

With a thought, the immense divine might enveloped her like an abyss, causing Wei Qingqiu to lose consciousness.

In the last moment before her blackout, she heard Lu Yi's voice instructing,

"Send the seventh princess and the sixth princess back to the East Hong Kingdom. The Great City is already chaotic enough."

Wei Qingqiu completely lost consciousness.

Lu Fenghua sighed softly.

———————

As dusk approached,

Chen Xiang, hanging on the inverted cross and pinned down, opened his eyes wearily. He first ordered all the pure white knights to leave.

The knights reluctantly complied with the decree and left Saint Luo Square in silence.

"We await the dawn; the night will ultimately pass," Li Rong'en said.

After the pure white knights departed, Chen Xiang struggled to turn his neck.

"You all are formidable figures, and I know you will soon draw your blades. Can we avoid harming the civilians? Can you restrain the aftermath?"

The nine bishops turned their gazes simultaneously. Lu Sangdou's eyes flickered slightly. The old woman, the mischievous child, the elegant youth playing the violin, and the serene woman reading all halted their actions.

A false god shrouded in shadows spoke faintly:

"An interesting little fellow."

The bishops chose not to respond.

Chen Xiang gasped for breath; the discomfort of hanging upside down was unbearable, and the nails piercing his palms continued to throb painfully.

He spoke sincerely:

"If you all can agree to my request, you won't be part of the reckoning when it arrives."

The bishops couldn't help but laugh. The bishop from the Endless Church, which worshipped the Traveler, said lightly,

"Little fellow, your methods of harvesting faith are quite impressive. I admire that. However, there's no need for you to create fog with your strange words; your end has come. There's no need to struggle further; you should enjoy the last moments of your life."

They all smiled, preparing for the impending conflict. When the gods descended, the strife would begin.

Suddenly, Lu Sangdou, representing the Abyss of Void and being its bishop, spoke:

"It is meaningless to involve the common people in the Void; I agree to your request."

Chen Xiang replied wearily,

"Thank you."

The other eight bishops exchanged glances, astonished.

When did someone from the Abyss of Void become so kind-hearted?

The serene woman, holding a book and hailing from the Palace of Thought, seemed to have sensed something unusual; she too spoke:

"Killing for the sake of knowledge is also of no benefit. I will agree to your request and will restrain my remaining power."

The other seven bishops frowned,

"This is inexplicable." The shadowed bishop snorted coldly, while the mischievous child from the Abyss Church unwrapped a lollipop:

"I learned upon my arrival that you have a connection with the seventh daughter of the monarch. For Princess Seven's sake, I will grant your request."

The remaining six bishops remained silent, too lazy to engage with Chen Xiang, considering the actions of a doomed man pointless. This time, the divine descent would lead to the erasure of souls, and this little fellow would have all his will wiped away, leaving behind only a thin memory for the great outer gods to peruse.

Most importantly, they needed to harvest lives.

Chen Xiang let out a light sigh in his heart, choosing not to speak further and merely closing his eyes slightly.

If there were no restrictions in place, at least the Ninth Ring would inevitably be destroyed in this so-called divine war, resulting in countless deaths.

He would have to resort to his backup plan.

Chen Xiang silently touched the blessing deep within his soul and issued a directive to Meng Tu, who had already reached the Great City.

Afterward, he fell silent, awaiting the rise of the moon.

Time trickled away little by little. The sun had completely set, and it was almost midnight, with two moons shining brightly in the sky.

The orphanage director walked over in silence, bowing respectfully to the nine bishops before approaching the inverted cross and scrutinizing the pale, upside-down young man.

"The last to arrive is me; you must not have expected that?" Director Wang smiled and spoke.

Chen Xiang opened his eyes slightly and replied coolly,

"Perhaps."

Director Wang shook his head, disinterested in saying more, and began to make arrangements.