The sharp sound echoed in Father Dela’s and White’s minds like a deafening gong, their complexions instantly shifting as they stared dumbly at Chen Feng, utterly speechless.
“It blew up… What in the blazes is going on here?” White’s eyes were wide as saucers.
“My Lord… My Lord’s most devout believer…” A flush of color spread across Father Dela’s pale face as he bowed deeply, his forehead nearly touching the floor.
Chen Feng quickly helped him up. “Father Dela, you are too kind!”
“No, only those blessed by my Lord are capable of possessing such powerful faith…” Father Dela was highly agitated, looking as if he could devour Chen Feng with his gaze.
“Then… may I use the 【Nirvana Gate】?”
“Of course, not only you, but you may also bring your companions. If those blessed by the divine spirit are not qualified to use the 【Nirvana Gate】, then I am even less qualified… Cough, cough…” Father Dela became flustered and broke into a fit of coughing.
Father Hasse’s sneak attack just now had injured him severely.
Chen Feng flipped his wrist, and a purple fire crystal, its energy completely extracted, appeared in his palm. “This should help with your recovery!”
“A Perfect Crystal?” Father Dela exclaimed, losing his composure.
Perfect Crystals were exceedingly rare. Even as the local priest of Antelu Town’s church, he was in no position to use such an item.
“Here!” Chen Feng tossed the Perfect Crystal over as casually as one might discard trash.
Father Dela scrambled to catch the crystal, feeling a wave of dizziness wash over his mind.
“This thing is too precious. I… cannot accept it… Cough, cough…” Though he claimed he couldn’t accept it, a lingering longing remained in his eyes.
“This is what you deserve. The spirits would not wish for such a devout person as you to suffer an incurable injury. You must protect your body and continue to benefit more people!” Chen Feng stated, displaying the potential of a true zealot.
“Thank my Lord…” Upon hearing Chen Feng invoke the divine, Father Dela “reluctantly” accepted, crying out loudly and tremulously tucking the Perfect Crystal into the folds of his cassock.
“You are the person blessed by the spirits, you are the divine messenger of my God!” Father Dela told Chen Feng. “Wait for me a moment,” he said, turning and walking toward the interior of the church.
Moments later, he returned with a set of ash-grey clerical robes and offered them. “This is the priest’s robe bestowed upon me by His Majesty the God-Emperor during my 【Ten Thousand Mile Pilgrimage】. It possesses the ability to isolate meditation. I always felt I was not sufficiently loyal to the Lord to wear it, so I offer it to you. Only you are worthy of this garment!”
“Isolating meditation?” Chen Feng didn’t understand its exact use, but seeing White’s envious look confirmed it was a valuable item. He demurred, “Since this was bestowed upon you by His Majesty the God-Emperor, I cannot accept it…”
“Take it!” Father Dela stated firmly.
Seeing his resolute expression, Chen Feng accepted the robe and immediately changed into it.
Only then did Father Dela nod, his eyes filled with profound satisfaction.
Once wearing the clerical robe, Chen Feng felt a distinct strangeness. He couldn’t tell what material it was made from, but it somehow controlled the energy within his body, preventing even the slightest dissipation outward; even spiritual perception could not penetrate it.
The energy couldn't escape but actively absorbed the primal energy of heaven and earth, circulating endlessly within the garment. This created a closed loop where inflow was constant, and everything was absorbed by the body! In essence, wearing this robe meant that even without active cultivation, one’s power would automatically increase by absorbing the energy of the cosmos!
If a Nether Acolyte wore this robe, they could communicate with nature much more easily and unleash immensely powerful abilities. For instance, a first-tier Nether Venerable wearing it might even manifest the power of a second-tier Nether Venerable!
No wonder White looked so envious; this was truly an exceptional treasure!
However, looking at his current appearance, Chen Feng couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. If he had a Bible to go with it, he would look exactly like the otherworldly Orochi figure, Goenitz!
Goenitz, the Breaker of Storms, was the final boss of KOF ’96, the manager of the element 'Wind' among the Eight Servants of Orochi, bearing the title ‘Wind of Gale.’ He possessed the special ability to manipulate storms.
Not long after his appearance, he killed Chizuru Kaguya’s sister, weakening the seal and successfully liberating Orochi’s soul.
As a priest, his mannerisms were polite, and his personality somewhat affected—a complete charlatan. His special moves, Dark Weeping, True Eight Maidens, and True Eight Maidens again, were devastatingly powerful; even Iori Yagami’s Eight Maidens couldn't compare.
Chen Feng had spent over two years studying the True Eight Maidens before mastering it completely—it was comparable to black particles, and its offensive power was astonishing if engaged directly within a field of influence!
Shaking his head and dismissing such thoughts, Chen Feng stood quietly in place.
“Divine Messenger, I shall take you to the 【Nirvana Gate】 immediately!” Father Dela announced.
Chen Feng nodded, and he and White followed him up toward the church’s rooftop, where the 【Nirvana Gate】 was located.
The entire church was eerily empty, not a soul in sight. Their footsteps echoed in the vast space as they ascended the stairs.
Chen Feng glanced around and couldn’t help but ask, “Where are the church guard and the deacons?”
Father Dela explained, “Oh, about a month ago, two of the guard captains… they seemed to have uncovered something, and they all left!”
White and Chen Feng exchanged a look, their faces instantly darkening.
“Do you know where they went?” Chen Feng pressed.
“Oh…” Father Dela chuckled. “I don’t know about that. I usually don’t concern myself with those matters. Those two captains have been missing for a month; they searched everywhere but couldn’t find them. They only tracked that their disappearance might be related to the mountain bandits. Later, someone came up with a strategy of letting the bait go to catch the bigger fish, and sure enough, a Bronze Armor soldier snuck away last night. So, they went after that Bronze Armor soldier.”
“What was that Bronze Armor soldier’s name?” White felt his throat tighten.
“A name? I truly can’t recall, but I overheard them calling him A’Can…”
“A’Can…” Chen Feng and White’s faces immediately turned black as soot.
A’Can had been manipulated!
“What do we do?” If A’Can was found, they could potentially follow the trail back to the mine. That would spell big trouble.
The guard force consisted of 1600 Armored soldiers, six squad captains who were Silver Armored, plus 50 deacons at the Nether Master level. Forget 300 mountain bandits; even if you added another 300, they wouldn’t stand a chance!
No matter how well planned or precisely calculated, schemes crumble before absolute power!
Even if they had anticipated the church dispatching personnel, they never expected everyone to be mobilized!
“I need to go back first!” White whispered to Chen Feng. “Once this is sorted out, I’ll find you!”
Chen Feng nodded in assent; it seemed to be the only recourse now.
“What’s wrong?” Father Dela noticed the shift in their expressions and asked with concern.
Chen Feng remained silent, replaying the entire sequence of events in his mind. Suddenly, a daring idea surfaced. Gritting his teeth, he said to Father Dela, “There is something I need to tell you?”
“Messenger, if you have something to say, please speak freely!” Father Dela replied readily.
Chen Feng said, “The mountain bandits robbed a village, and we two captured them. A month ago, the two captains came here, saw how unruly the bandits were, and offered to help subdue them. So… they’ve been staying at our place!”
Upon hearing this, Father Dela’s eyes gleamed. “The Divine Messenger is truly capable, subduing these bandits silently and persuading them to abandon evil for good. This perfectly aligns with my God’s doctrines! Only a devout believer like the Divine Messenger could devise such a mutually beneficial solution!”
“…” Chen Feng and White were momentarily speechless, surprised that Father Dela was so ridiculously dogmatic because of his faith. But it was a blessing in disguise; once he was convinced, these people would completely obey his orders.
“Since you captured the bandits, this is simple. I will immediately order them to cease the investigation!” Father Dela said cheerfully, turning to walk downstairs before even reaching the landing.
Chen Feng and White exchanged bewildered glances as Father Dela acted with such surprising alacrity.
Following him down the stairs, they saw Father Dela using some strange object to draw a peculiar, small formation on the ground. Standing in the center of the formation, he adopted a serene expression and began chanting softly.
“That’s the Meditation Transmission Method. It can send messages anywhere within a thousand kilometers!” White explained when he saw Chen Feng’s confusion. “Only priests and the Chief Deacon of the church can communicate this way, and the cost is enormous. If calculated in currency, it would be at least one…”
“So wasteful?” Chen Feng was surprised, yet he couldn't help but wonder about Father Dela’s true motive. His reaction to the faith crystal shattering seemed overly dramatic! Gifting him the priest's robe, not even batting an eye when hearing his guards were missing, and now actively helping him—what was truly going on?
When Father Dela finished chanting, he let out a long breath, and his already pale complexion turned even more ashen.
It seemed the Meditation Transmission Method had severely depleted him.
“I have notified them to abandon the pursuit and return as soon as possible!” Father Dela said, struggling to maintain his composure. “Please wait a moment longer. Heretics have appeared in this place, and I must report this to Bishop Dima. Since I am injured, I cannot use the Natural Gate. I will write a letter; I hope the Divine Messenger can deliver it on my behalf!”
Chen Feng agreed.
Father Dela staggered into an inner room to write the letter, while Chen Feng and White waited outside.
Once inside, Father Dela’s listless demeanor vanished. He straightened up, walked to the desk, picked up the pen and paper, and immediately began writing: “To His Lordship Bishop Dima, heretics have also been sighted here, but they have been dispatched! Furthermore, the person delivering this letter appears to be the most enigmatic figure from the Holy See, the 【Nether Child】—whether to kill or spare him, please make the final determination yourself!”
After finishing, he folded the letter, carefully sealed it within an envelope, and then emitted a strange wave from within his body, instantly sealing the envelope completely.