Abdin was born in the North, among the Nuhu clan. He grew up there and even pursued his cultivation studies there. He continued to stay there long after he had taken over Yunus's skills.

However, considering how dangerous the castle could be-always unsatiated and tending to overrun settlements indiscriminately and regardless of the settlers-it wasn't long before disaster struck.

On a fateful Monday, it ran over a few houses. No lives were lost. But since the higher-ups wanted to ban him from inheriting the throne, the high clerics from the clan, known as Divine Saints, banished Abdin from the land.

They attempted to kill him and succeeded, the only thing keeping him alive was the time loop.

The young Abdin was forced to leave home and wandered in loneliness from land to land.

However, it didn't take long before he was found again.

Eventually, he was forced to disguise his appearance and flee South.

Although he possessed many skills to alter his features, it proved to be of very little help.

It didn't take thirty years before the castle struck again, this time claiming the lives of over a hundred thousand men from one of the four major religions.

The clerics were greatly offended by this, and representatives from the four major religions all over the world united and sent five Archbishops with the task of bringing Abdin's severed head.

That marked the beginning of Abdin's troubles.

From west to east, east to south, they tracked him down, and altering his features did not deter their vigilant eyes.

This became the norm for a long time until one day when Abdin encountered a cleric from the ancient Bisanyae sect.

The cleric had also committed a crime against the religions and was on the run. Abdin acquired the Thousand Faces charm from him, which he had used successfully to change his appearance and avoid capture.

He still didn't know the origin of the charm or the cleric, which greatly surprised him when he saw an identical charm in the present moment.

Snapping out of his reverie, he let out a deep sigh and put the two charms away.

His current priority was to restore order and peace to the castle. Only once everything had settled down would he have the opportunity to resume his pursuit of Yunusu.

He stepped out of the room. The house itself was tucked away in a corner and was small. Even before he emerged, his spiritual sense alerted him to the state of affairs in the castle.

People were wandering, most of them being invading soldiers. However, there were still frightened commoners among them.

In the distance, Abdin noticed a group of five riders surrounding a lone victim. Unable to hear their conversation, he approached them with a leisurely stride.

"Can you explain?" one of them asked. "Then kill him," he told his friends.

Another one prepared to release an arrow, but Abdin appeared between them just before the arrow could be fired.

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Seeing Abdin suddenly halted the man from taking the shot.

None of them had noticed his approach and couldn't discern his level of cultivation, so the archer halted and retracted. He couldn't be certain who he was facing since the castle housed cultivators from far and wide.

"I am Captain Hural, a messenger from Emperor Biyakin," the man said. "If you continue to stand in my way, you'll incur the wrath of the emperor."

Abdin studied the lead man and his four comrades before turning to face their victim.

All five men were muscular and dressed in Biyakin army attire, with a badge depicting a swan emblem on their uniforms.

Their victim, on the other hand, wore a long robe with a small cap atop his head.

"Why are they trying to kill you?" Abdin asked his first words since emerging from the hideout.

"I told them I am faithful to a religion, but they refuse to believe me," the victim replied. "They said I am lying and threatened to kill me if I don't reveal the truth."

Abdin frowned. The man hadn't answered his question directly, but he had piqued Abdin's interest.

Religion...

The four major religions were the ones that banished him from the West. They were not supposed to be found on this continent, which was why he chose to come this way.

"What religion?" Abdin inquired.

The man glanced at him appraisingly, then nodded and replied, "I worship the Lord of Sawa."

Abdin felt his expression darken. Sawa wasn't the most popular religion, but they were more extreme than the rest. They were the first to sentence him to death after the fateful incident with the castle.

"What are you doing here?" Abdin asked. "And when did you arrive on this continent?"

Abdin's investigations revealed no followers of any religion across the continent.

"Two weeks ago," the man replied. "I tried to explain that I came here with my superiors, but they wouldn't listen."

"Shut up!" one of the riders interjected. "And you," he said, glaring at Abdin, "get out of the way, or you'll become a victim too."

Abdin ignored the man's threat and focused his attention on the victim.

If the man truly came with his superiors as he claimed, it meant they had a mission. Abdin didn't want to believe that they were after him because the journey from the West to this place was arduous. He had taken great care to lose their trail before changing his course and embarking on this journey.

Now he stepped aside and said, "Go ahead. I apologize for intervening; I didn't realize you were from Biyakis."

The riders regarded him warily before finally reassembling around their victim. Two of them attacked him with their spears while the others observed.

The man raised his hands in supplication. "I invoke Lord Sawa to punish these lost servants," he fervently proclaimed.

A green glow immediately descended from the sky, striking the two men attempting to spear him.

Within seconds, the two men and their horses were incinerated, not even the spears were spared.

Witnessing the fate of their comrades, the remaining three hastily retreated. Two of them released arrows, while the last one hurled his spear at the man.

Once again, the man prayed as he had done before. Once more, the green glow materialized and burnt all three riders.

"A thousand thanks to the Lord Sawa for dealing with the transgressors," he said, raising his hands again.

A bright glow struck the charred bodies once more, causing the ashes to dissipate and the dust to settle on the man's body.

Abdin sighed. Three tribal marks marred the man's face, which was beginning to show signs of age.

Abdin had stepped aside to ensure he knew whom he was facing. If the man truly had faith, his pursuers wouldn't be able to defeat him, even if their numbers doubled.

The skills possessed by the clerics were vastly different from those of other cultivators. A lesser cultivator unfamiliar with them would be unable to overcome them.

Allowing them to display their skills revealed to Abdin the true nature of the victim's faith.

However, faith itself wasn't the main concern. Whenever one faith appeared, it was likely that the others were nearby.

The man turned to Abdin and expressed his gratitude. "This faithful individual is thankful for the assistance you tried to provide. Not having the opportunity to do so won't prevent you from receiving a reward. Are you a native of this continent?" he asked.

Abdin forced a strained smile and nodded. He was weighing his options, considering whether to kill the man immediately or interrogate him first.

"Then you need to embrace my faith, if that's the case," the man continued. "Your continent lacks faith. Please understand that everything you've been told against religion isn't true. There is a God, and there is judgment after death. All I want is for you to be saved..."