“Joseph, up there!”
“Alright, take this!”
Joseph immediately leaped up, bracing himself against a giant beast with rhinoceros horns. Simultaneously, someone else stepped forward, releasing magic energy and slashing down with a powerful blow.
The beast, not to be outdone, roared, struggled, and tossed Joseph off.
The two didn’t let up, wielding their large swords and channeling torrents of demonic energy, continuing their battle against the beast.
This was a Stone Bull, a high-level demonic beast with incredibly thick hide. It was not easy to deal with, but also a treasure trove.
The pair of rhinoceros horns alone were worth a fortune, fetching tens of gold coins, not to mention the other parts.
Joseph secretly gave the other a wink, signaling him to step forward and hold the beast off, while he took the opportunity to pull out a snack bag.
These were potato chips sold in the demon’s shop capable of replenishing lost magic energy, and perfect for hunting magical beasts to enhance combat stamina.
He crunched the chip, and a surge of magic energy instantly filled his magic core, replenishing all his previous losses.
As he moved, the Stone Scroll Bull clearly became agitated, increasing its speed and charging relentlessly at the other man.
Joseph leaped into the air. At the peak of his magic energy, he prepared to strike the Stone Scroll Bull with his blade, when a whooshing sound cut through the air past Joseph, and plunged deep into the Stone Scroll Bull’s heart.
With a thunderous boom, the giant beast struggled for two seconds before collapsing to the ground.
“Who!” Joseph keenly sensed it, and the two quickly closed in with blades in hand, their faces wary.
A group emerged from the depths of the dense forest; the leader was Wood, who had been ordered to Vista City to exorcise demons.
“Haha, no need to thank us, it was nothing. The Church of Light takes pride in saving lives, and this Stone Scroll Bull is quite valuable, so we’re not at a loss.”
As he spoke, the men behind him immediately stepped forward and began cutting the Stone Scroll Bull’s horns and hide.
Joseph’s face immediately darkened. Another man frowned, unable to bear the humiliation any longer, and immediately questioned, “This is our prey! What right do you have to steal it! This is too domineering! What kind of bullshit Church of Light is this? Bah!”
Wood, with his status as a cardinal, was always treated with deference wherever he went. The Lingxi Continent was almost entirely dominated by the Church of Light, and he was used to being revered whenever the Church of Light was mentioned. This time, he was enraged and blurted out his words.
“As expected of a backwater place, it’s understandable that they were deceived by a mere demon. They don’t even respect the God of Light! What unruly people!”
“You were both at a disadvantage just now when your magic energy was almost depleted. I clearly saved your lives, and not only are you ungrateful, you even tried to steal our spoils.”
Joseph had no intention of explaining the presence of the potato chips; he couldn’t possibly be depleted of magic energy. His expression changed drastically upon hearing the word “demon.”
It seemed the Cult of Light had discovered the demon’s existence.
Forget about the Stone Scroll Bull; they wanted nothing more than to return to Vista City immediately and inform Captain Abel.
Although they found these people from the Church of Light utterly disgusting, Joseph and his companion could only suppress their tempers and try to stall for time.
“You’re from Caldera? What brings you here?”
Wood immediately puffed out his chest, feigning profundity, and said, “I can’t say, I can’t say. It’s a secret of the Church of Light.”
Joseph shook his head with a headache, sighing, “To be honest, we’ve been driven crazy these past few days. How did Vista City get into such a mess!”
Wood immediately confirmed his suspicions. Sure enough, the people of Vista City were in dire straits and desperately needed his help. He couldn’t help but say, “To be honest, that’s exactly why I’ve come. Don’t worry, the God of Light will definitely protect his followers.”
Joseph inwardly scoffed. Unfortunately, no one in Vista City believed in the God of Light anymore; his presence was useless.
He walked towards Wood, looking very excited, and quickly pulled out a few gold coins, stuffing them into Wood’s hand: “Oh, thank you so much, gentlemen. It’s just a small token, please don’t refuse.”
Wood squeezed the gold coins, his smile becoming even more genuine.
Just then, the man who had gone to kill the Stone Scroll Bull returned carrying a large piece of animal hide and a pair of rhinoceros horns. He said, “This Stone Scroll Bull is quite good. The hide and horns are of the finest quality; I estimate it can sell for thirty gold coins.”
The quality was indeed excellent. Joseph and his companion had spent several days staking out the Monster Forest to find it, and it had been easily snatched away.
He gritted his teeth, ultimately saying nothing. Informing Abel and the Demon Lord was the most important thing now.
Soon, they arrived outside Vista City. The soldiers guarding the area immediately became wary upon seeing strangers.
They hadn’t forgotten the Viscount who had caused trouble last time; who knew what these people’s purpose was?
The soldiers quickly spotted Joseph and his companion behind them. Abel was now a prominent figure in Vista City, even more influential than the city lord, and many members of the Star Mercenary Group were widely recognized.
Strange, why was Joseph with them? The soldier couldn’t help but glance at Joseph: “Who are they? Do they have any passes?”
Wood casually tossed a token to the soldier, who caught it hastily. His expression changed drastically upon seeing it.
It was the Cardinal’s token!
With this token, one could enter any major city without a pass. The Church of Light’s influence had permeated every corner of the continent; they could practically do whatever they wanted. Even His Majesty the King had to give them leeway. Entering a small city would be easy.
But… Vista City had long since broken away from the Church of Light, and its only remaining bishop had sided with the Demon Lord. The soldier was reluctant to let them in.
Who knew what they were here for!
The soldier glanced at Joseph, who shook his head slightly, indicating helplessness.
He silently uttered a single sentence: “Open the door. Go inform Abel.”
The door creaked open.
*
“One by one, take your time—”
A large crowd had already gathered in the abyss waiting to buy things with some spontaneously stepping forward to maintain order.
Although the elevator had been expanded several times, it was still extremely busy, constantly transporting customers up and down.
As the number of customers increased, Lu Sinian began to struggle to keep up, and became flustered just handling the money.
He couldn’t help but sigh to Rong Qing, “If only you had a physical form right now, you could act as an employee, and I wouldn’t even need to pay you.”
Although Rong Qing had upgraded his voice pack, it was still the same old mechanical tone, his youthful voice devoid of any emotion: “Master, hiring external labor, according to the ‘Dimensional Trading Rules,’ requires a minimum payment of three thousand energy coins per month.”
Lu Sinian was startled, and said with a pang of regret, “Then forget it, I can barely manage on my own.”
Just as the two of them were chatting, the elevator, which had been ringing all along, suddenly fell silent, and no one else was transported for a long time.
Lu Sinian sensed something was wrong and looked outside.
Just then, the elevator finally arrived carrying Wood and his contracted knights.
Abel followed behind them, his expression grim.
Abel had tried to stop the people sent by the Church of Light but couldn’t. In trying to conceal the existence of the Floating Life Church, he had inadvertently revealed a flaw, allowing Wood and his group to find the entrance.
As soon as Wood stepped out of the elevator, he was instantly stunned by the crowd before him.
How terrifying must this demon be to have so many people bringing gold coins to worship it?
He couldn’t help but glance at the money bags in people’s hands. So much money, what a waste to give to a demon. He coughed twice and spoke up under everyone’s gaze.
“I am Cardinal Wood of the Church of Light. I have heard that you have been harassed and tortured by a demon. This damned demon even demands gold coins from you.”
He declared righteously, “I will kill this demon and save you! Don’t be too grateful; it’s what the Church of Light should do. Just give me a small amount of gold coins.”
…
A silence fell over the crowd, who exchanged bewildered glances.
“Who’s this guy?”
“Don’t recognize him. Is he crazy?”
Shaking his head, they pretended not to hear and continued their anxious wait in line to buy their desired items.
Wood’s face darkened. They were indeed a bunch of ignorant commoners. He’d show them his power once he crushed this demon.
At his command, the contracted knights behind him immediately sprang into action, driving away the queue. Those who remained still drew their swords and threatened him.
This time, Lu Sinian wouldn’t stand for it. What they did was none of his business, but driving customers away and causing trouble in front of his shop, affecting his profits, was unforgivable.
He slowly stood up, narrowed his eyes, and leaned lazily against the doorframe, saying, “You said you’re from the Church of Light?”
Wood then turned his gaze to Lu Sinian, immediately noticing his black hair and black eyes—the signature features of a demon—and his extremely handsome, yet menacing, appearance.
He couldn’t help but feel a pang of jealousy. A demon is so handsome—what a waste. Luckily, he wouldn’t live much longer anyway.
Wood tilted his head back proudly and said, “Exactly!”
To be honest, Lu Sinian had always been quite curious about the Church of Light. He knew magic existed in this world, but he had never seen a god, and didn’t know if the gods of this world truly existed.
“Why don’t we just summon that so-called God of Light?”
His tone was frivolous, and seemingly tinged with disdain.
His casual remark immediately stirred up a storm.
Abel, whose presence was fading, was startled. To be so nonchalant about a god, completely disregarding him, and even showing some contempt—just what kind of being was this Demon Lord?
Anyone around who heard Lu Sinian’s words couldn’t help but speculate, their fear growing with each thought.
At first, they simply thought the Demon Lord was also a god, but now they realized that even the Church of Light couldn’t conjure a magic core out of thin air, restore magic energy, and directly advance to a higher realm!
The Church of Light had dominated the Lingxi Continent for nearly a thousand years, and the God of Light had appeared before. If divine power were truly that great, how could there have been no word of it all these years?
The Demon Lord was far more terrifying than they imagined.
As for his exact realm, they couldn’t even fathom it. More powerful than a god—did such a thing truly exist in this world…?