"What now?" a middle-aged man in grey swallowed, staring down at Blood Max on the ground, a flicker of panic rising in his heart.

"Follow him, what else can we do?" the middle-aged man in blue gritted his teeth and said, "We're only tracking, as long as we keep a distance, he definitely won't notice. If we don't follow, we won't complete the Elder's mission, and we'll surely be reprimanded when we return!"

"Alright!" The grey-clad man hesitated before nodding. The two then pursued in the direction Chen Feng had flown.

The Nether Saint's comprehension of the Art of Natural Tracking was unparalleled. Chen Feng had just passed, and a faint residual warmth remained in the air, making tracking easy.

The two sped up to their fastest, slicing through the air like lightning, following the aerial "trail." After flying for over ten minutes, they gradually exited Kejia City.

"Did we take the wrong direction? Why did he leave the city?" the grey-clad man couldn't help but ask.

"It shouldn't be wrong; I can clearly sense energy fluctuations passing through this place!" The blue-clad man frowned slightly and said, "His destination must be outside the city!"

They discussed and continued flying forward. After traveling another dozen li, the "trail" vanished before a dense forest.

"He's probably down there. Let's be careful," the blue-clad man whispered.

The two slowly merged their bodies with nature and cautiously approached the woods.

They landed gently on the ground and walked forward. The forest was pitch black, without a trace of light. However, their powerful meditation kept them unimpeded by the darkness.

Nearly a thousand meters deep within the forest, a figure stood waiting.

"Careful, up ahead!" the blue-clad man whispered.

As soon as the words left his mouth, a cloud of purplish-red mist instantly engulfed them. An incomparably powerful killing intent immediately surged forward.

"Ah..." A painful cry burst from both of them.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Two sharp sonic booms immediately echoed behind them. A spray of blood erupted from their bodies, and large holes appeared in them.

Chen Feng flashed out from behind them like lightning, unleashing a True Eight Child Maiden strike against both men.

"Hiss! Hiss!"

In less than three seconds, he killed the two, whose consciousness had already descended into madness.

Seeing that they were tracking him, he naturally understood their intent and saw no need to leave any witnesses to question.

Chen Feng searched their corpses and found ten Shang Cards, each valued at two billion—more than he had earned from selling perfect crystals.

He instantly understood: the black-robed elder must have been of high status and wouldn't carry much cash; the money would be with his subordinates.

He stuffed these cards into his waterskin, then found a cultivation manual for a Nether Warrior, detailing the methods from Nether Warrior to Nether Saint, along with some correspondence and tokens. He didn't have time to read the letters carefully, but a quick glance at the token revealed the insignia of a dark deity. He surmised these two, like Father Hasai before them, were "heretics," worshipping this dark deity.

He tossed everything into his waterskin and flicked two balls of flame onto the two corpses.

The figure in front had only been a decoy—his clothes. He himself had long been hidden here, waiting to ambush.

The ambush wasn't set because he discovered they were tracking him, but because seeing the state of the black-robed elder, he knew the other party wouldn't let the matter rest. He had taken a detour outside the city, found this spot suitable for an ambush, and waited. Sure enough, he found the two.

After dealing with them, just as he was about to fly back, an idea struck him. He continued flying forward for another ten minutes, covering several hundred li, until he found another dense wood. He took out the Gate of Nature from his box and carefully concealed it within the trees.

Once placed, the Gate of Nature merged completely with the surroundings. Unless activated with meditation, it was completely invisible.

Having done this, he turned and flew towards the courtyard White had purchased.

He detoured around four or five other locations along the way, ensuring no one was pursuing him, before finally flying back leisurely.

Before even reaching the manor, he heard the sounds of a heated argument.

He landed cautiously outside the manor and looked in. Firelight flickered, and a contingent of Church guards had completely sealed off the entire property. Based on their attire, there were no fewer than 300 Golden-Armored guards, over 100 Silver-Armored guards, and more than a hundred Priests at the Nether Venerable level. At the very front, there were even 200 archers!

Archers possessing meditation skills had frighteningly accurate aim. Since meditation allows one to sense nature, the stronger their meditation, the nearly unerring their shots.

Seeing this strong force surrounding the manor, even Chen Feng felt a knot of worry in his heart.

"Kamm's effort to recruit must have been too conspicuous, attracting the Church's attention!" Chen Feng quickly deduced. "The Church certainly won't allow one faction to grow like this. If they are captured, the newly gathered forces might collapse entirely."

"I must stop them from acting. They are vastly outnumbered; even if we win a narrow victory, escaping Kejia City might prove difficult!" Chen Feng weighed the pros and cons.

Kejia City was the nest of the Kejia Church, teeming with experts, including countless White-Robed Bishops. If a fight broke out, the Golden-Armored soldiers couldn't fly, making escape very hard.

Chen Feng grew anxious, but as he looked down at the Priest robes he was wearing, a bold plan immediately formed in his mind.

.....................................................

"We suspect your manor harbors a large number of heretics, so we ask for your cooperation!" the Guard Captain, a Nether Saint expert, said to White, who stood blocking the entrance.

"I can swear to the Supreme God of Justice that we are merely an organized merchant convoy, certainly not heretics..." White replied with a smile, blocking the door.

"We are acting on orders. Please come with us now. The Church will release you if you are found innocent!" the Guard Captain stated expressionlessly. "Resist, and you will be treated as heretics and executed on the spot!"

"Please be lenient!" White urged anxiously. "Or we can leave Kejia City immediately!"

"Impossible!" the Guard Captain replied coldly. "Gather all your people and surrender quietly, to save us the trouble!"

Seeing the captain was resolute, White gritted his teeth and said, "The Church calendar stipulates that without a personal decree from a Bishop, forcibly entering a private residence to arrest someone violates the Holy Canon!"

It seemed there was no room for negotiation, and putting on a friendly face was pointless.

By then, the newly recruited Golden Armored and Nether Venerable forces behind him had lined up, ready to move. It seemed a disagreement might instantly spark a fight.

The Guard Captain pulled a rolled-up piece of parchment from his pouch and unfurled it. "This is the Bishop's decree!" White looked and indeed saw the insignia of Bishop Dima inscribed on it.

"I repeat, we are acting on orders. Please come quietly, or we will be forced to act!" The Guard Captain's eyes glinted with killing intent.

As he finished speaking, the archers behind him immediately lined up, drawing their bowstrings taut. Although the Golden Armored soldiers had powerful physiques, if the archers' arrows targeted their eyes, they would certainly be killed. No matter how well the flesh was cultivated, the eyes could not be cultivated.

If the people in the manor hadn't possessed extremely strong capabilities, these troops would have charged long ago, wasting no breath.

White also gave a signal, and the Golden Armored soldiers behind him formed a line, gripping various weapons, ready to charge.

The atmosphere became intensely tense, filled with the threat of imminent conflict.

"What is the matter? Why is handling a task from the Bishop proving so troublesome?" Just then, a loud voice rang out from behind the guard detail.

A man dressed in a Priest's robes strode forward. He appeared to be in his forties, with one eyebrow slightly raised, carrying an air of authority.

Seeing a man in Priest robes there, the guards all made way.

"Pious Priest Robes?" The Guard Captain paused, stunned by the attire of the newcomer.

As one of the Church's Guard Captains, it would be truly ignorant to have never seen these robes that represented such honor.

The newcomer quickly reached the front, and the Guard Captain immediately bowed respectfully. "Esteemed Father, may I ask who you are..."

When His Holiness the Pope created the Pious Priest Robes, it was stipulated that whoever ultimately obtained them must be the most devout believer. Wearing these robes meant that everyone, regardless of rank, had to show respect.

It was much like the imperial yellow robes of old; wearing one publicly displayed immense honor.

However, because these robes were exceedingly rare and many years had passed, few people outside the Church's core figures could recognize them. This was why, when he wore them to the auction house, he hadn't been recognized.

The Guard Captain recognized the attire and felt a twinge of apprehension, unsure of the visitor's purpose.

"I am Father Gonitz!" the man declared loudly.

This person was, naturally, Chen Feng. With his control over his muscles and domain power, making himself appear older wasn't too difficult. Moreover, the firelight wasn't very bright. The Guard Captain was completely taken in by the Priest robes and paid little attention to his face.

"Father Gonitz?" The Guard Captain paused, unable to recall if there was anyone by that name serving Bishop Dima.

The order to capture Chen Feng issued by Bishop Dima was highly confidential, known only to a very few. Otherwise, they wouldn't have dispatched a White-Robed Bishop. Consequently, the Guard Captain had no knowledge that Father Dela's Pious Priest Robes had been given away, nor did he know who the man before him was.

After all, who would give away Pious Priest Robes? Most people wouldn't even believe the story if told.

The Guard Captain saw the 'Father Gonitz' nod in affirmation. Just as he was about to ask about his purpose, he heard a telepathic message in his ear.

"Bishop Dima has new instructions; it's been confirmed there are heretics among this group!" 'Father Gonitz' said with a grave expression.

The Guard Captain's heart tightened. (To be continued. For the rest of the story, please log in to m for more chapters, support the author, and support genuine reading!) First published