God-Descended City.

Temple’s Demon-Hunting Group Headquarters.

Under the excited gazes of everyone present, Demon-Hunting Group Captain Vivien stepped up to take her seat as the leader, with Vice Captain Anli standing by her side.

Vivien took out the Divine Artifact gifted to her by her teacher, holding it as if cradling a radiant star.

The mental power field began to spread, extending to the surrounding area.

Vivien brought the Divine Artifact to her face. The Eye of True Knowledge gradually melted and dissolved, transforming into a silver liquid that flowed into Vivien’s eye socket, ultimately becoming her right eye.

Anli spoke, “Bring them in!”

A box containing various ghost bodies sealed in bottles was carried in. These were trophies collected from the Ghost Cult.

Anli waved her hand, and all the bottles shattered.

Ghost bodies of varying strengths burst out of the bottles.

“Whoosh!” The moment they appeared, the ghost bodies whipped up a fierce wind.

“Ah!” Some let out piercing screams and howls.

Some were terrified, trying to escape.

Others were evil and chaotic, attempting to attack the living as soon as they escaped their bottles.

The center of the hall instantly became a chaotic dance of demons, with terrifying and bizarre shadows twisting and elongating, spreading in all directions.

But at this moment, Vivien raised her head.

Her eyes flashed with an extraordinary light.

In an instant, those twisting, elongating shadows felt an irresistible pulling force, drawing them towards that mysterious eye.

The ghost bodies all let out ear-piercing screams, shattering the windows of the hall.

The Demon-Hunting Group members standing inside and outside covered their ears.

But beyond this, they had no way to escape Vivien’s power control.

One by one, the bizarre shadows fled in the opposite direction of Vivien, their forms resembling elongated funnels and whirlpools.

Sitting in the main seat, Vivien gradually consumed them all into her eye.

“Success.”

These ghost bodies cultivated by the Ghost Cult, some willing converts, others sacrificial seekers of immortality, had now all become Vivien’s puppets, eternally enslaved by this eye.

These ghost bodies could enhance their power within this eye, but not indefinitely.

To be precise, it wasn’t enhancing their power, but rather the power of the Eye of True Knowledge transferring into the ghost bodies. Vivien could at most condense a few dozen third-level ghosts.

Or combine them into one massive Divine Grace Soul.

Of course, if she could capture even more powerful ghosts, she could further expand her army of controlled ghost bodies.

Vivien looked at her hand, feeling for the first time how incredibly powerful a God’s Grace Priest could be.

One person was an army.

Vivien stood up, waving her hand to see terrifying ghosts emerge from behind her.

“Whoosh!”

The shadows moved extremely fast, rushing out through the doors and windows with a gust of wind, hovering in the sky above.

The Demon-Hunting Group members below were also excited.

As members of the Demon-Hunting Group, dealing daily with various cultists, evil sorcerers, and demons left them feeling extremely insecure. The only thing that could give them faith and security was their powerful captain and vice captain.

“This is the power of fourth-level divine grace,” the priests remarked, already familiar with this one-person army capability from previous encounters.

“Now our Demon-Hunting Group has two fourth-level God’s Grace Priests. Add to that Blood Plague, and we might actually have a chance to counterattack the Sacred Mountain.” After fighting the Ghost Cult for so long, everyone remembered their ultimate goal.

“Reclaim God-Servant City and the Sky Temple, and our Sacred Lake.” Even though the Sacred Mountain had been lost for so long, the Trilobite Men still yearned to recover it.

Vivien looked down at the Demon-Hunting Group members, feeling as excited as they were.

In the years since the Demon-Hunting Group’s establishment, they had repeatedly clashed with the Ghost Cult, engaging in overt and covert battles.

But that was just the Ghost Cult.

They rarely dared to directly mention the name of that mythical monster, referring to it as “the demon” instead.

Let alone approaching that forbidden area occupied by the demon.

But now, for the first time, they possessed the capital and power to vaguely contend with that mythical monster.

Vivien stood up, and the noisy hall immediately fell silent.

The power of her right eye had not yet been contained, looking as if a flame was floating, elongated in the air.

Here and now, Vivien laid out the next phase of the Demon-Hunting Group’s combat objectives.

The target was no longer just the Ghost Cult, but also the demon perched atop the Sacred Mountain.

That is, the Little Person in the Bottle, Anhofus.

Vivien clenched her fist, her expression utterly serious.

“Everyone,” Vivien began, “since the day the Demon-Hunting Group was established, my teacher, Sage Lan, has shared his vision with me and many of you present here.”

“He hoped our goal wouldn’t just be to confront the Ghost Cult, but that one day we could storm that ghost-infested realm and reclaim our Sacred Mountain and God-Servant City.”

“Although we’ve only been fighting the Ghost Cult all these years, we’ve never forgotten our original oath.”

Vivien raised her arm high, her voice carrying from the hall to the outside.

“From this moment on, we have only one goal.”

Vivien’s voice rose to its peak, imprinting directly into everyone’s minds.

“First, destroy the Ghost Cult, then reclaim the Sacred Mountain.”

“That high and mighty demon who sees itself as a god.”

“We will drag it down from the clouds.”

The squad leaders sitting in the hall stood up, raising their right hands high like Vivien, roaring.

Swearing to fight the demon to the bitter end.

Here, the Temple’s Demon-Hunting Group began preparations for the official campaign against the Ghost Cult and the God of Knowledge.

Before this, they had been accumulating strength.

The Temple’s Demon-Hunting Group was doing this, and so was the Ghost Cult.

Once either side had accumulated enough power, the moment of great battle would arrive.

Now it seemed that moment wasn’t far off.

Meanwhile, at the foot of the Sacred Mountain, cultists had gathered.

The death of the Divine Contract High Priest and the destruction of the Divine Contract Temple, one of the Ghost Cult’s three great temples, had filled the Little Person in the Bottle with rage.

It didn’t care about the death of a few servants.

Servants could be made again, as long as the divine blood could be recovered.

But this time was different. The Divine Contract High Priest’s divine blood was completely lost, along with a newly cultivated Stone Demon King.

To restore the position of the Divine Contract High Priest, the Little Person in the Bottle, Anhofus, would have to divide its own power again.

But it had created these servants to collect more power for itself. Continuing like this, wouldn’t it collect less and less?

How could it, self-proclaimed as a god, tolerate this?

It wanted to teach these useless beings a lesson.

The Ghost Cult’s Truth High Priest and Original Sin High Priest exchanged glances, leaving the crowd to ascend the Sacred Mountain.

Wearing dark, deep-colored robes adorned with intricate patterns, they climbed halfway up the Sacred Mountain’s steps before stopping.

Further up was God’s domain.

Even though they were called God’s spokespersons, they dared not offend.

These two figures, so lofty in the mortal world, now knelt on the ground in utter humility.

The Divine Contract High Priest had been killed, but the Truth High Priest and Original Sin High Priest weren’t saddened, they even felt a hint of secret joy.

Especially the Original Sin High Priest.

As soon as the Divine Contract High Priest had cultivated the Stone Demon King, he had turned to compete for territory in Yinsai, a place the Original Sin High Priest considered his exclusive domain.

He had been hoping this rival for power and authority would die at the hands of the Demon-Hunting Group sooner rather than later.

But now, before God, they dared not reveal such emotions.

Truth High Priest: “God! Your most loyal servants await Your command.”

Original Sin High Priest: “Great God of Knowledge, Your servants come to hear the divine oracle.”

Atop the Sacred Mountain, the weather changed abruptly, the clear sky instantly turning dark.

As if reflecting the current mood of the “God of Knowledge”.

A terrifying shadow rose from behind the Sacred Mountain in the darkness, looking down at the mortals kneeling on the mountain steps below.

“Original Sin.”

“Why didn’t you go to rescue Divine Contract?”

The Original Sin High Priest trembled visibly, lowering his head even further.

“Because the Demon-Hunting Group’s actions were too covert, by the time I knew… by the time I knew it was… it was already too late.”

The mythical shadow looked down, letting out a mocking chuckle: “Oh!”

“Is that so?”

Original Sin dared not speak further. He certainly couldn’t say that not only had he not prepared to warn the Divine Contract High Priest, but he had even helped conceal information to sabotage him.

The death of the Divine Contract High Priest was partly due to his efforts.

The mythical shadow was furious, unable to believe that its follower would dare to try and deceive it.

It seemed that after years of wielding power as the high and mighty Original Sin High Priest, this lowly mortal had begun to lose his devotion amidst the trappings of power and desire.

“It seems you’ve truly forgotten what humility means, and forgotten your devotion to God.”

“You dare to fool a deity.”

After saying this, the mythical shadow watched as streams of darkness flowed down from the mountaintop.

Quickly spreading to the foot of the mountain.

As the Original Sin High Priest, how could he not know what these were?

“No!”

He stood up, turning to flee towards the foot of the mountain.

When he was still a third-level Seal Priest, he had seen such things flow into his companions’ bodies, making them vessels for divine descent.

His companion thought he would gain eternal life in God’s power, becoming God’s spokesperson.

But in the end, after the divine descent, he became a mass of rotting flesh, discarded by God like an old shoe.

He had seen the so-called eternal life before.

It was nothing more than becoming a confused spirit in the Ghost City.

Wandering eternally in that desolate and terrifying ghost realm until the end of time.

After that, he no longer believed in gaining eternal life through faith in God.

Besides, even if he gained this kind of eternal life, how could it compare to the power and pleasures of the mortal world?

But as soon as he stood up, he was entangled by the shadows.

The terrifying shadows continued to flow, entering the Original Sin High Priest’s body.

The Original Sin High Priest’s form began to swell, blood flowing from his eye sockets and mouth.

“God!” he cried out. “I was wrong, I truly understand my mistake now.”

“Give me a chance, give me one more chance.”

The Little Person in the Bottle was not a kind-hearted being willing to listen to explanations. Everything it did was only for its own whims and preferences.

As the shadows gradually disappeared, the Little Person in the Bottle had directly turned the Original Sin High Priest into an avatar puppet.

Each avatar puppet was a chance for it to achieve divine descent.

Such puppets were extremely rare, not many existed in the entire Trilobite Man world, and the Ghost Cult’s High Priests were the qualified candidates it had selected.

The fate of the Original Sin High Priest terrified the Truth High Priest beside him.

He kept kowtowing, not stopping even as his head bled profusely.

“God!”

“I knew nothing of Original Sin’s actions,” the Truth High Priest pleaded.

“I am absolutely loyal. When Divine Contract met his fate, I was overseas, engaged in a plan with the Abyss Kingdom.”

“Everything I’ve done has been for the great God of Knowledge.”

The mythical shadow cast its gaze upon the trembling Truth High Priest.

“That remains to be seen.”

“Offer me a pleasing performance to demonstrate your devotion and faith.”

The Truth High Priest hastily replied, “God’s will is above all else, above our very lives.”

“I am willing to offer everything I have for God.”

The mythical shadow spoke, “Divine Contract’s death will not end here.”

“These insignificant mortals dare to defy God.”

“Let us bestow upon them true despair!”

The Truth High Priest shouted, “Indeed, these vile, foolish mortals must be punished.”

“Let them know that God’s will is inviolable, let these ugly, ignorant creatures understand the greatness of the true God.”

Hearing this, the God of Knowledge was much appeased.

It said to the Truth High Priest, “I grant you full authority to open the Door of Truth. You shall possess one-fourth of my myth and power.”

“I require you to draw out Blood Plague Stuen, then hold him back.”

“Even if it costs you your life!”

“Until my will allows you to release him, you must not let him go under any circumstances.”

“Truth, my servant.”

“Can you accomplish this for God?”

Perhaps even the God of Knowledge hadn’t anticipated that the being it once considered a mere plaything would grow so rapidly.

Over the years, the other’s power had continually expanded. Now, it found itself at a loss in dealing with this monster.

An unkillable monster that would immediately rush towards its power the moment it appeared in the mortal world.

Even with its mythical power, it now found the situation incredibly troublesome.

The Truth High Priest finally breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed God wasn’t going to punish him, but instead intended to make significant use of him.

However, upon hearing that God wanted him to face the notorious Blood Plague, the Truth High Priest felt his heart quiver.

But at this moment, he didn’t dare utter a word of refusal in front of the God of Knowledge.

He could only wipe the blood from his head and speak in a voice as humble as dust.

“God, everything shall be as You wish.”

After saying this, the Truth High Priest asked another question.

“God,” he asked, “where shall I stage this performance dedicated to You?”

The mythical shadow laughed uproariously: “Choose the holiest site in the hearts of those Trilobite Men!”

As the laughter faded, the darkness in the sky receded.

When the Truth High Priest looked up again, he could see nothing.

Not daring to even look back, he hurriedly made his way down the mountain.

On the way, his terror-stricken body caused him to stumble, nearly rolling all the way down the mountain—

After destroying the Ghost Cult’s Divine Contract Temple, the Temple’s Demon-Hunting Group’s next actions were like a thunderbolt.

The Temple’s Demon-Hunting Group once again drew personnel from the Temple of Truth and the Nine Great Ritual Temples, expanding the Demon-Hunting Group to five hundred members.

All five hundred members were mobilized, with each demon-hunting squad and team assigned their own tasks.

Thousands of cultists associated with the God of Knowledge were rounded up, exposing one horrific, bloody stronghold and sacrificial site after another to the light of day.

Especially in God-Descended City.

This capital not only harbored a large number of Original Sin Temple cultists, but also one noble and wealthy merchant after another was proven to be connected to these cultists.

When the Demon-Hunting Group arrested these people, they discovered that many of these nobles and merchants were no longer human.

They had become terrifying demons.

To obtain longevity, they had committed numerous atrocities and bloody deeds.

The main reason these Original Sin Temple cultists had remained hidden in the capital for so long without detection was because of their protection.

At the execution ground in God-Descended City.

These demons and cultists hiding among the Trilobite Men would face death by fire today, to serve as a warning to all others.

“Burn them!” Thousands at the execution ground shouted and roared.

“Burn them!” Some came to watch the spectacle, as those being burned were once untouchable big shots.

“Burn these monsters, give them God’s judgment!” Some truly despised these monsters.

In the legends circulating in the capital and among the common people, these bone demons could obtain longevity by eating living people, consuming the power of the living to gain extended lifespans.

Although this rumor wasn’t entirely true, it wasn’t baseless either.

These mortals pursuing longevity, after becoming demons, indeed lost their empathy for ordinary people. Their minds became twisted and evil, committing numerous horrifying acts.

The rumors about gaining power by consuming humans originated from this.

Around the execution ground.

A group of Demon-Hunting Group members guarded various corners, with even more members searching the surroundings in secret.

Firstly, to prevent any unexpected situations, and secondly, to see if there were any other cultists coming to watch the execution, so they could apprehend them as well.

Unfortunately, until the moment of execution, there was no sign or shadow of any other Ghost Cult members.

Anli, responsible for the execution, looked at her sister Vivien on a distant high building. Vivien nodded.

Anli then said, “Carry out the execution.”

A Demon-Hunting Group member holding a lantern stepped forward to light the great fire.

Towering flames rose along the pillars, gradually reducing these cultists and demons to ashes in the special fire.

“Ah!” Some let out agonized screams.

“You foolish mortals, I will return to the realm of the God of Knowledge, while you will suffer the punishment of the true God.” A cultist cursed and shouted with all his might.

“I will not die, I will gain eternal life in God’s domain.” Some cultists’ faces twisted in agony amidst the great fire, but in the end, they still muttered their unwavering beliefs.

“Hahahahaha!” Some crazed Original Sin Temple cultists even laughed in the flames.

Although cruel, this was the only way to bring retribution for their evil deeds and to deter others.

Witnessing such a cruel and horrifying scene, some people covered their eyes, while others screamed.

But more people were cheering and shouting.

These people were once high and mighty figures who could do as they pleased.

But now, with the Temple’s Demon-Hunting Group greatly strengthened, even these lofty nobles and wealthy merchants had to pay for their actions.

Even His Majesty the King couldn’t save them.

Watching these people burn one by one on the stone pillars, Vivien felt somewhat strange.

She wondered why these deeply hidden individuals had all been exposed recently.

It seemed as if something had gone wrong with the Original Sin Temple, and their management of cultists had become extremely chaotic.

“Why has the Original Sin Temple been so disorganized lately, revealing so many weaknesses?”

Anli, who had come up at this moment, shared her thoughts.

“Perhaps our previous actions have left them in disarray, and the news of Stuen joining forces with us has made them panic!”

Anli was very pleased with the recent series of successful actions, as the Temple’s Demon-Hunting Group had never been so glorious.

Those ugly nobles looked at her with fear, while the members of the Temple’s Demon-Hunting Group gazed at her with admiration.

She liked this feeling.

“If only we could find the Original Sin Temple, and let that Original Sin High Priest face judgment as well…”

Vivien immediately interrupted Anli’s fanciful idea: “According to reliable information, the location of the Original Sin Temple should be in one of the cities or towns at the foot of the Sacred Mountain.”

“Now is not the time, at least we don’t have complete confidence in dealing with that mythical monster yet.”

Anli suddenly recalled the sight of the mythical monster’s shadow she had seen before.

She said no more.

Vivien called over an ordinary person behind her. The Demon-Hunting Group’s members weren’t just Ability users; they also needed many talents in intelligence gathering and analysis.

“Go investigate.”

“Find out what’s been happening with the Original Sin Temple recently. I’m worried they might be planning something sinister.”

The Temple’s Demon-Hunting Group had influence throughout Yinsai, and within a few days, they received a response.

The Demon-Hunting Group’s intelligence personnel produced a long scroll and placed it before Vivien.

It detailed the recent movements of the Original Sin Temple, and even included information from cultists who had revealed the whereabouts of the Original Sin High Priest.

“Not long ago, the Ghost Cult’s Original Sin High Priest returned to the Original Sin Temple at the foot of the Sacred Mountain. It’s said that even the Truth High Priest returned from the Abyss Kingdom. Since then, the Original Sin High Priest hasn’t left the area.”

“We believe the Ghost Cult might be planning a major conspiracy, so we sent people to investigate further.”

“However, the information we currently have is very limited.”

“We only know that the Ghost Cult might be targeting our holy land.”

“This is likely a revenge plan launched by the Ghost Cult against us, in response to our previous eradication of the Divine Contract Temple.”

Vivien stood up, her expression grave.

“Holy land?”

There weren’t many places that could be called holy lands for the Trilobite Men.

God-Descended City was one, the Sacred Mountain was another, and besides these, there was also Stan City.

The Sacred Mountain had long since fallen, and God-Descended City was the headquarters of the Temple’s Demon-Hunting Group. Vivien didn’t believe the Ghost Cult would directly target God-Descended City.

Other than that, only one place remained.

Stan City.

This was where the Star Queen and the divine messenger Polo had perished, and also the burial place of the great poet Tito.

It was named after the Second Saint, Stan Tito, and one of the Nine Great Temples, the Pottery Temple, was located there.

For the Trilobite Men, this place was sacred. It held countless relics from mythical epics, as well as temples commemorating and worshipping legendary figures.

After the Sacred Mountain fell, many devout believers would make pilgrimages here, and the entire city was filled with a strong religious atmosphere.

It was certainly not an exaggeration to call it a holy land.

Vivien immediately realized that the Ghost Cult was likely to target this place. If something were to happen to Stan City, it would deal a severe blow to both the Yinsai Kingdom and the Trilobite Men.

It would also be a huge setback for the Temple’s Demon-Hunting Group, whose prestige had recently soared, possibly causing the nobles and merchants who had been intimidated to waver once again.

It’s worth noting that Vivien and the Demon-Hunting Group’s recent series of actions had even begun to displease His Majesty the King.

“This is not good.”

“Send someone to investigate immediately.”

Vivien immediately turned to give orders to her attendant, sending people to check on the situation in Stan City.

But as soon as she gave the order, she felt it wasn’t adequate.

“No, that’s not right.”

“Sending others won’t be enough.”

She immediately had someone summon Vice Captain Anli. As soon as Anli pushed open the door, Vivien spoke with utmost seriousness.

“The Ghost Cult is likely to carry out some evil plan in Stan City, to retaliate against our previous action of eradicating the Divine Contract Temple.”

“This certainly won’t be a small-scale action. It’s likely to be an evil plan affecting countless people.”

“Just like what happened in Cross City before.”

At the mention of Cross City, everyone’s expressions changed.

“Anli!” Vivien called out. “I need you to lead a team and investigate this personally.”

Anli said, “I’ll go right away.”