Hearing the sudden booming voice and the immense, suspended phantom of a white lightsaber, Liu Hui and Zhou Tengyun were utterly startled. Though their attention had been fixed on the transaction at the pier, they remained acutely aware of their surroundings. In their perception, nothing unusual had registered nearby; indeed, with their current power, almost no sound could escape their senses. Yet, this booming voice and the mysterious, colossal lightsaber had manifested abruptly. Though merely a phantom, the white lightsaber appeared devastatingly sharp; a simple downward sweep cleaved a fishing boat cleanly in two. The boat, while not large, was seaworthy and its hull relatively sturdy; to see it bisected instantly by that blade shocked both men profoundly.

Third Master Mu and Brother Quan were even more astonished. Reacting swiftly, they drew pistols from their persons, aiming them directly at the phantom white lightsaber hovering above. Simultaneously, they scanned the area, trying to locate the individual controlling it. Unfortunately, the surroundings remained dark; nothing was revealed save for the ghostly white lightsaber suspended in the night sky.

“God has spoken; the sinful shall surely be punished,” the resonant voice boomed again. The massive lightsaber in the air shifted, then swung toward the large truck parked on the pier. The truck was instantly split in half, swiftly parting from the center before crashing down on either side. Miraculously, the driver inside was unharmed; he scrambled out from the bisected vehicle, his face ashen. The cuts left by the lightsaber were perfectly smooth and level, making the truck look less like metal and more like tofu. Faced with this unbelievable, bizarre phenomenon, the onlookers were speechless.

“Brother Quan, did we encounter something unclean? I heard this pier was abandoned because many people died here long ago,” one underling suddenly whispered, his voice trembling. His words immediately sent a chill through all the thugs; it was as if something truly malevolent haunted the area.

Brother Quan slapped the alarmist underling hard on the head. “Shut your crow’s mouth! Even if there’s a ghost, I’ll kill it again! What are you lot scared of?”

Brother Quan was indeed a titan of the underworld; his courage was far beyond ordinary. He pointed his gun into the darkness and roared, “Who’s there? Who’s playing tricks back there? Brother Quan respects Guan Erye; I’m not afraid of you!”

Hearing Brother Quan’s defiance, the underlings relaxed slightly, their courage bolstered. After all, Brother Quan was known to be ruthless, a man who spared no one, with countless lives on his hands. Even a genuine ghost, perhaps, might be slain again by him.

“Foolish mortals, you have disappointed the expectations of the Divine. Your deeds have brought immeasurable sin upon this world, causing untold families to be broken and lives ruined. You shall surely face the reckoning of God,” the resounding voice continued, followed by a heavy sigh.

The crowd gasped. Every time that thunderous voice sounded, the giant lightsaber overhead launched an attack on a target below—and the speed of the attack was so swift it seemed impossible to evade. This time, no one knew which target the blade would select, but as the sigh faded, the lightsaber remained stationary in the sky.

Hidden within a container, Liu Hui and Zhou Tengyun were greatly alarmed. They were far more powerful than the men below, but they had been utterly unable to pinpoint the source of the booming voice. However, following the sigh, in their heightened senses, three figures suddenly materialized atop the container opposite them. Even Liu Hui’s formidable perception could not grasp how or when they appeared, as if they had always been there—a sensation that deeply unsettled Liu Hui.

“God created this world, so this world should be peaceful and sacred. Why must there always be those who seek to drag it toward destruction?” the profound voice lamented.

“Brother Quan, they’re over there, look!” one of the underlings suddenly spotted the three figures who had materialized and immediately pointed them out to Brother Quan.

Brother Quan and Third Master Mu immediately turned in that direction, only to find three people inexplicably standing on top of the container. They were certain nothing had been there moments before, as they had just scanned that area. A sliver of genuine fear began to creep into their hearts.

The three figures stood casually. In the center was a tall, middle-aged Caucasian man, clad in a red clerical robe, holding a white scepter, wearing a massive crucifix around his neck, and topped with a golden crown. This man radiated an imposing aura that commanded immediate attention, mixed with a chilling atmosphere of latent violence. Flanking the man with the golden crown were a young man and a young woman, both dressed in white robes, hands clasped over their chests, holding large crosses. They stood behind the crowned middle-aged man, clearly serving as his retinue. All three emanated a sacred aura, gazing down upon the gathering at the pier with looks of pitying sorrow.

“Brother Quan, I recognize them. The crowned one in the middle is the new Cardinal of the Vatican See, I think his name is Augustus. Those two beside him are his attendants. They seem to be making a global inspection tour, having arrived in Hong Kong just two days ago. I saw a news report about them a few days back.” One of the underlings, having caught the recent news, immediately identified them for his boss.

“So it’s not some ghastly haunting; it’s people from the Vatican. But how did they find us? Has our deal been leaked?” The relief Brother Quan and Third Master Mu had just felt turned instantly back into anxiety.

“Cardinal Augustus, why have you sought us out? We trust we have not offended your Church in any way?” Brother Quan lowered his stance. Though he was a killer, he was no fool; this Augustus clearly possessed immense power, and provoking him now might hasten his end.

“Your sordid transactions have defiled your souls and brought immense suffering to the world. Through my sources, I learned you are engaging in drug trafficking here. The Catholic faith teaches that all sinners must be punished. Today, I stand here to represent the Lord in declaring your death sentence. Go to hell and repent,” the Cardinal Augustus stated, regarding the assembled group with mournful pity.

“Damn your God! Who do you think your Heavenly Father is? This is the territory of the Three Pure Ones and the Buddha; it’s not a place for your God to run wild! You want to sentence me to death? I’d rather leave all of you here!” Brother Quan was a fearless brute who feared nothing. Seeing that diplomacy was useless and peace was impossible, he dropped all pretense of civility. Knowing now that the white lightsaber wasn't supernatural and bolstered by confidence in his own combat prowess, he resolved to eliminate Augustus, this priest representing God.

Brother Quan gave a signal and opened fire on Augustus first. His underlings snapped out of their stupor and began shooting as well, unleashing a barrage of bullets toward Augustus.

“Foolish men, your eyes are clouded by greed. Since you insist, I shall send your filthy souls to hell!” Augustus waved his white scepter, and a surge of white holy light erupted from him, enveloping him and his two attendants behind him. All the bullets flying toward him were halted mid-air by this light, unable to penetrate his form. Once their energy was spent, the bullets dropped harmlessly to the ground.

Brother Quan, Third Master Mu, and the thugs stared dumbfounded, unable to reconcile this display with their knowledge of firearms.

“God has spoken; the sinful shall surely be punished!” Augustus commanded, swinging his white scepter. The giant lightsaber suspended above descended with irresistible force and cleaved Brother Quan in two. Before he could react, Brother Quan was dead, his viscera and blood spilling everywhere.

Seeing the gruesome fate of Brother Quan, the surrounding thugs were instantly terrified, their will to fight shattered. With a collective cry, they threw down their guns and scattered in panic.

“God has spoken; the sinful shall surely be punished!” Augustus swung his white scepter again. The massive lightsaber shot down with incredible swiftness, bisecting the man who had run farthest.

This sight sent the others into even greater terror; they ran faster. Augustus, repeating the same phrase, continued to swing his scepter, dispatching the fleeing thugs one by one. Strangely, his tone wasn't hurried, nor were his wand movements particularly agile, yet not a single person escaped his reach. Soon, all the thugs were split in half by the white lightsaber. The pier was awash in blood, strewn with human organs—a truly gruesome scene.

The white giant sword in the sky had shrunk noticeably after continuous attacks; it was now barely a third of its original size, appearing more ethereal, as if it might dissipate at any moment.

In the blink of an eye, only Third Master Mu remained on the pier. Whether he was paralyzed by fear or simply stunned, he stood stock-still, making no move.

Augustus paid no mind to Mu’s strange inaction. The resonant voice intoned again, “God has spoken; the sinful shall surely be punished!” He prepared to wave the scepter to eliminate Third Master Mu as well. Seeing the giant blade aimed at him, Third Master Mu conveniently fainted.

Just as Augustus was about to unleash the killing blow, his ears twitched. He instantly ceased waving the scepter and turned his gaze toward Liu Hui and Zhou Tengyun’s hiding spot.

Liu Hui found the way Brother Quan’s bullets were blocked by the white holy light emanating from Augustus strangely familiar. That white light was remarkably similar to his own Crimson Radiance Armor, save that his armor emitted red light. Both could repel bullets. Did Augustus possess a protective artifact as well?

Liu Hui was initially stunned by Augustus’s sheer power. Only when Augustus began his massacre, leaving only Third Master Mu alive, did Liu Hui remember the true purpose of his presence that night. If Augustus killed Mu, how would he locate the Red Flower Gang for contact? And Mu’s apparent status within the gang seemed quite high. While struggling with this dilemma, he accidentally stepped on a dry twig underfoot, causing a small snap. This tiny sound, however, alerted Augustus. Augustus immediately paused his action against Mu and turned his head toward Liu Hui’s location.

“I judge sin in the name of the Almighty. Who dares to spy from the shadows? I invite you to step forward,” Augustus’s booming voice reached them. The male and female attendants behind him immediately turned toward Liu Hui’s direction and adopted defensive stances.

Liu Hui offered a wry, helpless smile. He was extremely reluctant to make an enemy of Augustus. This man was immensely powerful, and his lightsaber attack was particularly uncanny; Liu Hui was uncertain if he could withstand the blade’s cleaving strike. However, the lightsaber seemed to be composed purely of energy, and observing its diminishing form, Liu Hui was less worried about that specific threat. Still, confronting agents of the Church without provocation was not what he desired.

Liu Hui had intended to avoid trouble, waiting for Augustus to leave before silently retreating, ensuring everyone remained undisturbed. But by some strange twist of fate, an accident led to their encounter.

Liu Hui and Zhou Tengyun slowly emerged from the derelict container. Their appearance was hardly favorable: black stealth suits and black hoods suggested they were individuals with ulterior motives. They stepped out, leaped effortlessly onto the container roof, and faced the trio of Augustus’s group from a distance.

Augustus’s eyelids twitched. He hadn't expected these two black-clad figures to move with such practiced grace; they were clearly not ordinary people. Furthermore, these two had been lurking there the entire time without his detection. Had they not made that small noise, he might never have noticed them—suggesting they were not simpletons. Nevertheless, with his divine artifact in hand, he was invincible and felt no fear. He sneered, “Lying in ambush to strike me, are you? But you two shadowy rats cannot harm me. Very well, I shall send you to hell on behalf of God in His stead.”

“Wait a moment. You fellow opposite—what if I told you we were just passing through, stumbled upon this scene by chance, and bear you no hostility? Do you believe me?” Liu Hui was annoyed. This arrogant man instantly condemned him to hell simply by speaking, which grated on him. However, given their bizarre attire, Augustus’s misunderstanding was understandable.

Augustus let out a cold laugh and was about to speak when Liu Hui quickly interjected, “Look, this is our first meeting, and we have no prior grudge. How about we both pretend we never saw the other? We go home, take a bath, and go to sleep. What do you say?”

Considering Augustus’s immense power and the formidable backing of his organization, Liu Hui reasoned that a long-standing religious body must possess reliable military might. Kicking a hornet’s nest tonight would be disastrous. Therefore, avoiding conflict with Augustus was paramount, leading to his earnest plea.

“I am the newly appointed Chief Judge of the Vatican, responsible for administering justice. My current world patrol is dedicated to eradicating sin. Therefore, every wicked person encountered in my path has been purged; no exception is made, and no sin escapes my sight. Your appearance is strange, your dress clandestine; you are clearly creatures of the dark. I pronounce you guilty, and you must accept my sanction,” Augustus sneered, though his face maintained an expression of pained pity.

“Mother of the sun, who do you think your God is? This is the domain of the Three Pure Ones and the Buddha, not a place for your God to exert dominion. You wish to sentence me to death? I intend to keep all of you here!” Liu Hui softly murmured to Zhou Tengyun beside him.

“Is that guy completely unhinged? Taking himself for a real god, deciding life and death with a word, all while maintaining that holy façade,” Liu Hui whispered to Zhou Tengyun.

“He might just be a misguided fool with excessive righteousness. But now that you mention it, I remember the route Augustus has taken—it seems wherever he goes, massive casualties follow. Could he be responsible for all that?” Zhou Tengyun offered a rare moment of dry humor to match Liu Hui’s.

“Truly ignorant fools! God has spoken; the sinful shall surely be punished!” Augustus, possessing such profound abilities, had clearly heard and understood every word exchanged between Liu Hui and Zhou Tengyun. Enraged, he moved to swing his scepter.

The white lightsaber suspended in the air immediately swung down toward Liu Hui. Liu Hui was clearly no mere thug; he clearly tracked the lightsaber’s trajectory, twisting his body with uncanny agility to evade the attack. However, the container where he had been standing was cleaved open by a massive hole. Augustus’s seemingly invincible giant lightsaber missed its target for the first time in Liu Hui’s presence.

“God has spoken; the sinful shall surely be punished!” Augustus’s voice echoed by his ear. Liu Hui felt a bizarre sensation; it seemed Augustus was speaking slowly while commanding the blade to attack, yet Liu Hui himself moved with agonizing slowness. He could see the trajectory of the blade clearly but felt powerless to dodge it.

The lightsaber hanging high above drove down toward Liu Hui’s body. In Zhou Tengyun’s eyes, Liu Hui seemed sluggish, stripped of his usual quickness. Seeing his boss about to be struck, Zhou Tengyun’s heart cracked with terror, and he prepared to rush forward to take the blow for his leader. Just then, a surge of crimson light erupted from Liu Hui’s body, manifesting before him. This red light collided fiercely with the white lightsaber, blocking the attack. The white lightsaber was halted, unable to descend further. The red light and the white light stood locked in a tense standoff.

“Oh? He actually possesses a protective artifact as well.” Augustus was startled, but his surprise quickly turned to delight. If he killed these two mysterious men in black, their artifact would surely be his. Greed surged within him, and he repeatedly waved his white scepter, relentlessly driving the white lightsaber to assault the crimson glow.

Liu Hui broke out in a cold sweat. He had not anticipated that Augustus’s lightsaber attack could affect his speed. If not for the Crimson Radiance Armor protecting him, he might have capsized in the gutter today.

Seeing that the Crimson Radiance Armor could defend against the white lightsaber, Liu Hui felt his confidence return. Just as he prepared to lunge at Augustus, he watched as Augustus focused intense energy into continuous, powerful swings of the scepter. The white lightsaber relentlessly attacked the red light. While the attacks were blocked by the armor, Liu Hui was unable to move freely either.

With every clash between the white lightsaber and the Crimson Radiance Armor, the lightsaber shrank slightly, and the red protective glow dimmed a little. Liu Hui grew anxious. Clearly, this was a contest of energy reserves. If the lightsaber’s energy was depleted before the armor’s defense was worn down, Liu Hui would surely fall victim to Augustus.

Although Liu Hui possessed ample amounts of High-Grade Spirit Stones, he had never learned from Master Xiaoyao how to replenish the Crimson Radiance Armor’s energy. Even if he could, there was no time amidst the ferocity of the battle. Liu Hui suddenly found himself in unprecedented peril.

Zhou Tengyun was sharp enough to realize the gravity of the situation. Seeing that things were turning sour, he shot toward Augustus like an arrow. Augustus, fully focused on Liu Hui, was momentarily immobilized—a perfect target.

Augustus’s two attendants immediately turned their crosses to meet Zhou Tengyun’s charge. It turned out the crosses were massive two-handed greatswords; they had simply been held reversed, leading others to assume they carried crosses. Zhou Tengyun, though individually stronger than the attendants, was unarmed. He was immediately locked down by the pair, unable to break free to attack Augustus quickly.

Boom! With a resounding crash, the white lightsaber struck the crimson light, and both colors vanished simultaneously. Augustus’s white lightsaber completely dissipated, and Liu Hui’s Crimson Radiance Armor temporarily deactivated. The clash of energies had ended in a draw.

“Damn your mother’s soul!” Liu Hui roared. This was the greatest setback he had suffered since arriving in Hong Kong. Being suppressed by Augustus until now filled him with utter frustration. Seeing the white lightsaber finally gone, he cursed, then bounded forward with a few agile leaps toward Augustus.

“Ignorant man, truly blinded by swine’s grease. Did you truly think that was all I had?” Augustus sneered, making no move to evade as Liu Hui charged.

“No matter how many skills you have, if you can’t use them, they’re meaningless,” Liu Hui shot back with a cold laugh, closing the distance with lightning speed. Still airborne, he retrieved a specially crafted steel pipe from his spatial storage and poured all his strength into driving the pipe toward Augustus’s chest.

Augustus spotted Liu Hui’s steel rod but made no move to dodge, merely offering a look of derision, his hands spread wide as he chanted loudly: "My Lord of Creation, I beseech thee, send down the Warrior Angel to cleanse the world of all sin, restoring its purity under my Master's will! Descend now, invincible Warrior Angel, and utterly destroy the wickedness before me!"

Liu Hui’s steel rod was inches from piercing Augustus’s chest when a sudden, brilliant sheet of white holy light materialized, catching the rod mid-thrust and preventing it from penetrating further.

Liu Hui had long been aware that Augustus possessed some form of protective artifact, so he showed no urgency. He withdrew the rod, then struck the gleaming white barrier several times in quick succession. The holy light visibly began to dim under the assault, yet Augustus, shielded within it, paid no heed to Liu Hui’s attacks, continuing his invocation uninterrupted.

As Augustus completed his chant, the golden crown upon his head suddenly radiated a fierce white light that shot straight up into the heavens. The sky above him then seemed to tear open like a window, revealing an eruption of blinding radiance. A chorus of glorious hymns resonated as, from within that light, the ethereal projection of a winged angel appeared. This phantom grew steadily more substantial until it finally coalesced into a fully formed, tangible seraph.